Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in 2007, with the opening of a store in Hamilton, Ontario, in early 2008.
The Charlotte Hornets are a professional American basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that competes in the National Basketball Association . They are part of the Southeast Division in the league's Eastern Conference. The team is largely owned by former NBA player Michael Jordan, who acquired controlling interest in the team in 2010. The Hornets play their home games at Time Warner Cable Arena in center-city Charlotte.