Capgemini, a French consulting firm, plans to open offices in Charlotte and add 550 jobs over three years.

This afternoon, state officials in Raleigh approved giving the company incentives worth up to $4.7 million if it meets hiring goals. The jobs will pay average annual salaries of $62,396.

The company also considered sites in Austin, Ann Arbor and Philadelphia.

Capgemini's new operation will cater to financial sevices, banks and insurance customers.

The news gives a boost to the financial services sector in Mecklenburg County, which has been hit hard during the recession amid layoffs at banks, manufacturers and the construction industry.

Gov. Bev Perdue and Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco are scheduled to make an economic development announcement at the Charlotte Chamber this afternoon.

BAE Systems, a British defense and aerospace company, plans to open a facility in Mecklenburg County and add 176 jobs.

State officials this morning approved giving the company incentives worth as much as $2.28 million if it meets hiring goals. The jobs will pay average annual salaries of $51,392, above the Mecklenburg County average.

BAE also considered sites in Rock Hill, S.C. and Austin, Texas, for the expansion. The company employs more than 107,000 people worldwide. Its U.S. headquarters is in Arlington, Va., outside of Washington.

The Charlotte City Council has approved a plan to divert garbage from landfills to a renewable energy project that will provide fuel for electricity power plants. Read more about it here.

SPX Corp., an industrial manufacturer, plans to build a new global headquarters in Charlotte and add 180 jobs over the next five years.

The company is in line to receive state and local incentives worth as much as $9.9 million over the next 11 years, N.C. Commerce Department officials said this morning.

Gov. Bev Perdue announced the new jobs this morning in Charlotte.

The lease on SPX's headquarters expires in 2012 and the company plans to build its own, a $70 million project.

Duke Energy posted a strong third quarter as a hot summer boosted electricity sales, especially in the Carolinas.

The state's largest utility has 1.8 million customers in North Carolina, including more than 160,000 in Durham, Chapel Hill and western parts of the Triangle.

Raleigh-based Progress Energy is scheduled to report its results Friday morning.

Excluding weather fluctuations, the utilities are considered a barometer for the state's economic health.

“While weather was a predominant factor for the quarter, we also saw signs of continued improvement in the economy as evidenced by our increased industrial sales volumes,” Duke CEO Jim Rogers said.

Cisco Systems will work with Charlotte corporations including Duke Energy, Bank of America and Wells Fargo to link downtown office towers in the Queen City to a smart grid and cut energy use.

Former president Bill Clinton announced the $5.3 million project in a statement from the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, the Charlotte Observer reported.

The goal is to cut energy use in the buildings by 20 percent in 5 years. Cisco's equipment will monitor real-time energy use and help building managers fine-tune consumption.

Owners of 60 buildings with more than 12 million square feet may take part in the “Envision: Charlotte” initiative.

The Triangle's longtime late-night dining staple Char-Grill will be expanding to the Charlotte area early next year.

The Raleigh company, which is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary, has inked a deal for a three-store franchise agreement in the Charlotte area, said co-owner Ryon Wilder.

The first store open in January in Davidson, which is about 20 miles north of Charlotte. Wilder said it will be located in the Davidson Commons Center, a Harris Teeter-anchored shopping center on Jetton Road. Locations are still being selected for the other two Charlotte-area Char-Grill stores.

For Char-Grill, the new deal marks further expansion of its franchise program, which began in 2007. The chain currently has four company-owned stores all in Raleigh and four franchised stores in Cary, Durham, Garner and High Point. The Davidson store will become the chain's ninth location.

Belk has named a woman who is not part of the Belk family as its new president and chief merchandising officer.

Kathryn Bufano is succeeding McKay Belk, who left the position a year ago to go on sabbatical for ministry-related activities, according to the company.

McKay Belk is moving into his previously announced new role as vice chairman and "will continue to provide the company advice and counsel on merchandising and vendor relations," the Charlotte-based department store chain said.

His brothers continue in their executive roles with the privately held company — Tim Belk as chairman and CEO, and Johnny Belk as president and chief operating officer. (Both Bufano and Johnny Belk will hold the president's title.)

For more details on Bufano's move, see the Charlotte Observer's story here.

Michael Hocker of Chapel Hill won the 16-and-Under Boys Division at the AAU National Golf Championship for Juniors held Monday through Wednesday at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte.

North Carolina golfers made a strong showing in a field that included golfers from throughout the eastern United States. Among them, Thomas Bonney of Pleasant Garden took overall boys honors in winning the Boys 18-and-Under Division, Sarah Almond of Albemarle ran away with the 18-and-Under Girls Division for the girls championship.

Durham's Rob Stover has qualified for the inaugural N.C. Amateur Match Play Championship to be played Aug. 4-8 at the Country Club of Salisbury.

In sectional qualifying conducted Wednesday by the Carolinas Golf Association, Stover shot a 3-over-par 74 at Pine Island Country Club in Charlotte to share 18th place.

Thirty-nine golfers made the cut, which fell at 5-over 76. (Complete results are below.)