Business North Carolina December 2022

THE RICES’ TOYOTA DEAL | PEER RATINGS OF THE STATE’S TOP DOCS BOB GRECZYN RACES ON | HUSTLING FOR CAMP LEJEUNE DAMAGES | BOOZY ELECTION

Sea Sweet

Starting with 50 crab pots, Nathan King and colleagues net a spot on our Small Businesses of the Year roster.

DECEMBER 2022 Price: $3.95 businessnc.com

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+ DEPARTMENTS 4 UP FRONT 6 PILLARS OF N.C.

Bob Greczyn has been a force in state health care, from a rural clinic to the biggest insurer.

12 NC TREND

Law firms pour it on to rep Camp LeJeune plaintiffs; Mike DeLapp lodges a new hotel plan; Silver Queen corn’s sad demise; What you missed from the N.C. Tribune.

80 GREEN SHOOTS

The new owners of a brewpubentertainment venue want to keep the good times rolling.

+ SPONSORED SECTIONS 10 N.C. PORTRAITS: DOWNTOWNS

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COVER STORY

SMALL BUSINESSES OF THE YEAR Our 2022 winners are an injection-molding specialist, distributors of seafood and beef and a small-town purveyor of coffee and news.

Greensboro’s center city is rocking with arts, entertainment and business additions.

26 ROUND TABLE: TRAVEL & TOURISM Top state tourism leaders discuss labor shortages, waterfalls, golf’s rebound and other industry issues.

COVER PHOTO BY ANDREW SHERMAN

73 COMMUNITY CLOSE UP: N.C. GLOBAL TRANSPARK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REGION

Greene, Lenoir, Wayne Counties and the Global TransPark are showing uncommon cooperation in building a 21st century powerhouse.

December 2022, Vol. 42, No. 12 (ISSN 0279-4276). Business North Carolina is published monthly by Business North Carolina at 1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 308, Charlotte, NC 28208. Phone: 704-523-6987. Fax: 704-523-4211. All contents copyright © by Old North State Magazines LLC. Subscription rate: 1 year, $30. For change of address, send mailing label and allow six to eight weeks. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA, 1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 308, Charlotte, NC 28208 or email circulation@businessnc.com.

RICE CHECKS

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Third-generation dealer Debbie Rice powers her family business as Toyota approaches.

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

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A veteran Charlotte physician bucks the trend toward consolidated medical practices.

BY EDWARD MARTIN

TOP DOCTORS

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A report on the state’s most respected doctors in 62 specialties as selected by their peers.

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UPFRONT

David Mildenberg V O L U M E 4 2 , N O. 1 2 PUBLISHER

Ben Kinney

bkinney@businessnc.com EDITOR

David Mildenberg

SCREEN GEMS

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Ebony Morman

emorman@businessnc.com

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nteracting with inspiring folks is the best part of every job I’ve had. That remains truer than ever at Business North Carolina, where a group of talented folks are defying some challenging trends facing print journalism.

Unlike some industry peers, our enterprise isn’t relying on grants from the government or nonprofits. Our owners have picked the more traditional path of developing relationships with readers and advertisers to sponsor the work, for which we are grateful.

In addition to expertise in writing, editing, designing, selling and distributing, my colleagues impress me with stunning knowledge about movies. So in the spirit of the season, I asked them to share their favorite holiday films.

Creative Director Peggy Knaack wouldn’t be pinned down to one selection.

She cites childhood favorites, “It's a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street,” while her family favorites as a mom are “Elf ” and “Polar Express.”

Scott Leonard, who oversees sales from Winston-Salem and Charlotte to the Tennessee border, favors “Elf.” He likes that both kids and adults enjoy the flick.

Columnist Dan Barkin is a movie buff, as his reports in our Daily Digest newsletter show. He picked “A Christmas Story” because as a kid in the 1960s, he listened to Jean Shepherd, a humorist who told tales on New York’s WOR radio station that heavily influenced the movie.

For help on movie trivia, Publisher Ben Kinney is your man. His favorite holiday movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life” because of the great characters, terrific story and a wonderful quote: “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”

Associate Editor Cathy Martin favors “Love Actually,” which she says definitely

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IS a holiday movie with funny, endearing scenes. (Her family doesn’t agree, she adds.)

My colleague Ebony Morman loves “Polar Express,” which she says she forces her husband to watch on Christmas Eve while enjoying hot chocolate and homemade cookies. She notes the movie has a phenomenal hot chocolate scene.

The big winner in our crowd is “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

It’s the favorite of Melanie Weaver Lynch, our salesperson based in Raleigh; veteran writer Ed Martin; and Colin Campbell, who leads our N.C. Tribune newsletter.

Melanie says Clark Griswold shares some similarities with her husband. Ed has made the movie a family Christmas tradition since 1989. He recalls how the CEO boss sends Clark a subscription to the Jelly of the Month club rather than a bonus.

Colin notes one’s struggles seem pretty lame compared with Clark's.

My wife, Janet, is the movie pro in our house, so I handed off my pick. She loves “The Holiday,” in which Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switch homes and fall in love with Jude Law and Jack Black, respectively.

We hope everyone has a great holiday.

Contact David Mildenberg at dmildenberg@businessnc.com.

Colin Campbell

ccampbell@businessnc.com

Cathy Martin

cmartin@businessnc.com SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Edward Martin

emartin@businessnc.com SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR

Katherine Snow Smith CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Anne Blythe, Jim Hughes, Vanessa Infanzon, Tucker Mitchell, Michael Solender CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Peggy Knaack

pknaack@businessnc.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Ty Gentry

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Andrew Sherman, Bert Vanderveen MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jennifer Ware

jware@businessnc.com

ADVERTISING SALES ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

Melanie Weaver Lynch, eastern N.C. 919-855-9380 mweaver@businessnc.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Scott Leonard, western N.C. 704-996-6426 sleonard@businessnc.com

CIRCULATION: 818-286-3106 EDITORIAL: 704-523-6987 REPRINTS: circulation@businessnc.com

BUSINESSNC.COM

The November edition gave incorrect information on two Building North Carolina projects: • CJMW Architecture and Perkins +Will were designers of the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena, Conference Center and Hotel at High Point University.

• Jenkins Peer Architects was the sole designer of the UNC Pembroke West Hall Renovation.

OWNERS

Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff, in memoriam Frank Daniels Jr. PUBLISHED BY

Old North State Magazines LLC PRESIDENT

David Woronoff

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BOB GRECZYN After leading an HMO’s rapid growth, the East Carolina University grad helped expand Blue Cross’ dominance in N.C. health insurance.

By Vanessa Infanzon

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA.

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ew people have had a bigger impact on North Carolina’s health insurance industry in recent decades than Robert Greczyn (pronounced Grech-en). He helped start companies, served as CEO of the state’s biggest insurer and is a longtime director at the largest hospital system in eastern North Carolina.

Born and raised in Hightstown, New Jersey, Greczyn moved to Greenville in 1969 to pursue a psychology degree at East Carolina University. He earned a graduate degree in public health from UNC Chapel Hill in 1981, which he says was a way to honor his mother’s legacy as a nurse. She died while he was in college.

In 1979, a community health group in Anson County hired Greczyn to start a medical clinic and recruit doctors and dentists to the rural area. In 1984, he became associate director of an HMO startup based in Cary. A larger HMO, Principal Health Care, then recruited him to lead its business in Delaware, where he spent four years.

By 1990, he came back to the Triangle as CEO of Carolina Physicians Health Plan.

During his tenure, the physician-owned company grew from 30,000 members to nearly 300,000. Revenue increased from $30 million to $360 million, attracting a buyout in 1996 from larger insurer Healthsource, which was then acquired a year later by Cigna.

In 1998, he joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, where he became president in 1999 and CEO in 2000. The company had lost a combined $180 million in the previous five years. Over the next decade, annual revenue more than tripled to $5.2 billion and membership nearly doubled to 3.7 million.

After retiring in 2010, he partnered with his oldest son, Will Greczyn, to purchase six Mellow Mushroom restaurants in North Carolina. He also owns a stake in Fortnight Brewing, which has pubs in Cary and Wake Forest.

Greczyn, 71, is vice chair of the ECU Health Board, which was created this year through a combination of the former Vidant Health and East Carolina’s medical school.

Greczyn and his wife, Kristen, have been married for 27 years and live in Cary. He flies single-engine planes, races sports cars and enjoys their home on Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County, Virginia.

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Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina grew rapidly during Greczyn’s CEO tenure. He’s shown with former board chair Dr. Jeff Houpt, left, and the insurer’s former management team. center.

Comments are edited for length and clarity.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA.

My favorite job was Blue Cross. I was given the opportunity to change it, to make it better, to work with an incredible group of leaders and colleagues — to create something special. You don’t get many opportunities in your life to do something truly special.

When I got to Blue Cross, the company was not particularly healthy. After losing money on operations after a number of years and not, in my view, doing everything they could to be as customer friendly as an insurance company could be, we set about changing that. During my tenure, we became the fastest-growing Blue Cross in the U.S. We competed hard and we tried to take good care of our members and communities. I think today, they are doing exactly that.

We set up a program for our employees, called Blue University.

We set up classrooms in one of our buildings and professors came to us from schools. We paid for our employees to go to college. About 13% to 14% of the company was in school, on their time, and when they graduated, we gave them a sabbatical for the hard work. I’m pretty proud of that.

In 2001, BCBS bought Partners National Health Plans, which was owned by [Winston-Salem-based Novant Health.] It was the largest HMO in the state. I don’t think anyone expected Blue Cross to make that acquisition, but I absolutely wanted to make that acquisition. It has paid off well not from just a member

size standpoint, but one of the things that Partners was really good at was the early stages of Medicare managed-care. We built a lot of our expertise in Medicare managed-care based on that acquisition, which was a very positive thing.

Obamacare passed within two months of me retiring. While it gets a lot of mixed reviews, I personally think it was a good thing and a good step. I think the more difficult thing about Obamacare was that it was never intended to be a finished product.

It was always intended to be something that kept developing and changing and getting better over the years. Because of the political environment and Congress changing, a lot of the things that should have happened never did. It’s still very valuable, but it’s not what it could have been.

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Greczyn’s post-corporate career mixes charity work, including assisting on volunteer building programs, and racing sports cars.

My biggest disappointment, and I hope it gets resolved this year, is approving Medicaid expansion in this state. We’ve not done that for years. That has left a lot of people on the sidelines that could have been helped. The quotes I’ve seen say half a million people in North Carolina would benefit from Medicaid expansion. And every rural hospital would benefit from Medicaid expansion. My hope is that the current legislature will approve Medicaid expansion in the near future.

In eastern North Carolina, the payer mix is very heavily skewed to Medicare and Medicaid, with a much smaller percentage that is commercial insurance, which tells you the potential of Medicaid expansion.

Hospital consolidation can work. I think in eastern North Carolina with ECU Health, my view of the world is that it has worked. It’s because we don’t do what some others do, which is essentially, do an affiliation agreement with a hospital. But they’re not really all in. They’re not putting capital dollars there.

All of the ECU Health facilities are part of the system.

Part of that means we have a financial obligation to help make them successful. We have to make capital improvements because we are all in.

When I had the opportunity to join ECU Health (formerly Vidant) in 2012, I’d never had any opportunities to be involved on that side of the health care system. I started out early in my career building a community health center in rural North Carolina. But I’ve never been involved with a hospital.

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I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing the world from the other side of the coin. I bring my skill set to the table. The involvement is not just with the medical center in Greenville, although that is the largest. There are eight additional hospitals in a 29-county area that are part of ECU Health.

My favorite book, which I’ve carried around with me forever, is “Change Is Good, You Go First.” Everyone says they love change; nobody loves change. Change is a constant. You can stand in the way; you will get run over.

I race cars and fly planes because I think it helps keep your mind sharp. I think it’s really important to maintain your health and keep your reflexes as sharp as they can be. ■

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N.C. PORTRAITS

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THE SHOW GOES ON IN GREENSBORO Downtown Greensboro is bustling with residents and out-of-towners alike. The new Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts has brought more than 450,000 folks to its events in the past year. Since opening in 2021, Broadway season ticket sales have surpassed 14,000, according to Downtown Greensboro President Zack Matheny.

“It’s going beyond expectations,” he says.

The $94 million center has hosted over 200 broadway shows, comedic acts and musicians in the past year. Audience members have traveled from across the state, as well as from across state lines to attend shows. One family even made the trip from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

While the Tanger Center is a major driver in getting people downtown, plenty other draws are at play. LeBauer and Center City Parks, located right next to the performing arts center, attract more than 300,000 visitors each year. downtowngreensboro.org

And then there’s downtown’s booming restaurant scene. From MACHETE, a James Beard nominated restaurant that’s pleasing palates, to the popular Bourbon Bowl restaurant-and-bowling-alley combined, there’s a taste for everyone.

As downtown boasts more activity, it’s also attracting further development. One new professional spot is 400 Bellemeade. The nine-story, 120,000-square-foot office building next to the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball stadium is experiencing high occupancy since its completion in November 2020. “Businesses and employees are

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excited to work (and play) in downtown Greensboro,” Matheny says. “As the remote and hybrid work models stay strong, it’s good to see a workplace that entices employees to come to the office again,” he adds.

More projects are underway. “Nearly $500 million in development is on the horizon,” Matheny says. They include a dozen restaurants opening in the downtown area over the next year. Two new hotels, an AC Hotel and Westin, are also underway. And construction has also begun on an additional 1,200 downtown residential units. Residents will be able to work, play and live all in one place.

“The excitement and the interest is tremendous,” Matheny says. “I’ve dedicated my life to this city because this city and people are warm and friendly.

We’re authentic. You can’t create that.

It’s just natural.”

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NCTREND ››› Legal 12 16 18 20 22

Legal Hospitality Agriculture N.C. Tribune Statewide

DISASTER RELIEF

The legal race is on to aid those harmed by toxic exposure at North Carolina’s famed Marine base.

By Anne Blythe

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between 1953 and 1987 and suffered from cancers, a miscarriage, Parkinson’s disease, kidney problems and more, you might be eligible for significant financial compensation. Estimates of potential claimants range from 800,000 to as many as 1 million.

NO IDEA Ensminger, a former drill master at the Onslow County base, has spent the past 25 years testifying numerous times before Congress and speaking to the media about personal tragedies that he attributes to contaminated water. He’s become the face for government accountability at Lejeune, where Benzene and other chemicals used in a dry cleaning solvent and degreasers stewed in base waters.

The Bladen County resident, 70, saw his daughter Janey battle leukemia for nearly two and a half years as a child before dying at age 9 in September 1985. Janey was the only one of Ensminger’s four children conceived, carried and born while the family lived on the base about 60 miles northeast of Wilmington.

They had no idea of the noxious chemicals flowing through contaminated water treatment plants into their home. He didn’t find out until 1997, when he was eating a plate of spaghetti in

PHOTO BY JOEL RIVERA CAMACHO

erry Ensminger was in his kitchen in Elizabethtown in June when he heard the first ad from lawyers soliciting potential victims of the toxic water disaster that flowed from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune taps and pipes for 34 years.

The former drill master was intrigued. “I said, ‘What is this?’”

Ensminger recalls. Then he started noticing more ads with similar messages. “They’re crazy,” Ensminger says. “There was one with a woman promising wheelbarrows full of cash.”

That’s just a taste of the ad frenzy related to Camp Lejeune’s toxic water that has created a field day for lawyers, TV stations and digital media outlets.

From March through mid-October, about $65 million was spent nationally on 97,000 television ads soliciting Camp Lejeune claims, according to X Ante, a Washington, D.C., company that tracks tort litigation. It’s about 20% of the 513,000 mass tort TV ads that aired in 2021.

In North Carolina, $338,460 was spent in five TV markets from June 27 to Sept. 30, X Ante reports. Nearly two-thirds went to the Raleigh and Wilmington areas.

The ads have a common pitch: If you lived at Camp Lejeune C A R O L I N A

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Jerry Ensminger

RUSH IS ON The estimated cost of the PACT Act is $280 billion, which extends beyond the Lejeune situation to include other areas where service members faced toxic exposure.

The law firm ads accelerated after the law passed, then slowed during October to avoid being overwhelmed by political advertising tied to the November elections. A new spurt is likely over the next few months to appeal to potential plaintiffs.

Ensminger and Mike Partain, a breast cancer survivor who was born at Lejeune, initially chose a South Carolina lawyer as their representative. Earlier this year, they switched to Mikal Watts of San Antonio, a nationally known plaintiff ’s lawyer.

Ensminger was impressed when Watts jumped on a plane shortly after their first phone conversation and met him in Bladen County. Not long after that, Watts asked for a tour of Lejeune.

“That was the only attorney who did that,” Ensminger says.

PHOTO BY RACHEL LIBERT COURTESY OF JERRY ENSMINGER

PHOTO BY JOEL RIVERA CAMACHO

his living room while watching the evening news. A segment described a link between Lejeune water and childhood cancer, based on an assessment by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

“The Navy and the United States Marine Corps did their very best to conceal the truth,” he told Congress in 2015. “But eventually that genie escaped its bottle.”

The escape did not bring swift accountability, though. While Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1972, the Federal Register didn’t publish the noxious chemicals found at Lejeune on its list until 1987. Contaminants had been exposed in 1982 after the water was tested per Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The government closed two of Lejeune’s eight water plants from 1985 to 1987.

Another 12 years passed before the Marine Corps began notifying former base residents of the health risks to which they were exposed.

Veterans started pushing for VA benefits. In 2009, the wife of a Marine veteran with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma filed the first lawsuit and some 800 others soon followed, leading to a court consolidation of all the claims in multidistrict litigation that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The high court rejected the claims, saying they were filed too long after the triggering contamination. That prompted Congress to adopt the PACT Act, or Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins, which President Joe Biden signed in August. The legislation removes the statute of repose obstacle, making it easier for Marines and their family members who were on base for at least 30 days during the defined 34-year period to file lawsuits.

Contractors at the base are also eligible.

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NCTREND ››› Legal This fall, Ensminger, Partain and environmental justice advocate Erin Brokovich hopscotched across North Carolina and South Carolina holding town halls to discuss potential litigation with former Lejeune residents. Watts Guerra law firm sponsored the meetings.

Claimants have until Aug. 10, 2024, to file with the U.S. Department of the Navy. If the Judge Advocate General’s office denies the claim or doesn’t act within six months, individual lawsuits can be initiated in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Four district judges will take on cases that must involve attorneys admitted to practice in the 44-county region, including courthouses in Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh and Wilmington.

Law firms are trying different approaches to land clients who will file claims. As is common in personal injury cases, many attorneys agree to do the work in return for a percentage of the awards. The fee is typically 20% to 40%.

A common worry among many lawyers is that a crush of lawsuits from attorneys making unrealistic promises could bog down courts and slow the process for everyone.

Earlier this year, Salisbury’s Wallace & Graham hired Larry Hall, a former secretary of the N.C. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, to aid the firm with a wave of expected Lejeune lawsuits. Hall was at the base for three years of active duty and in the reserve force for 12 years.

Though Hall is not filing a lawsuit, the former state lawmaker from Durham says his familiarity with base and military legal proceedings will help his clients. He agrees that many solicitation ads are misleading, with unfounded promises of big money for the masses.

Hall and other Wallace & Graham lawyers have held seminars with peers across the country to try to streamline the process for filing claims. This goal is to avoid gumming up the system.

Many larger firms are dedicating teams to the lawsuits.

Paralegals will become familiar with obtaining information from Veterans Affairs health records offices. Though each case is filed individually — these are not class-action claims — the attorneys will learn what works over time.

Gary Jackson, a partner with the James Scott Farrin firm in Durham, is one of 20 lawyers and paralegals assigned to Lejeune cases. The firm has contributed to the advertising blitz, including the most widely aired ad, a 30-second spot that was broadcast about 2,700 times through late September, according to X Ante.

Eric Sanchez, who describes himself as a Marine veteran, tells people to “listen up,” then directs them to the Durham firm.

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uncertain claims that people won’t have to go to court or that they could receive $230,000 right off the bat.

“The ads drive me crazy,” Jackson says. “A lot of them misrepresent important features.”

Ward and Smith, a longtime power among eastern North Carolina law firms, touts its experience and familiarity with military life in a blog targeting potential Lejeune litigants. The firm, which has five N.C. offices, is dedicating 10 professionals to the cases.

Ward and Smith’s website tackles common questions related to the litigation, including whether filing a lawsuit means that a veteran will lose other benefits. Answers from the firm’s Isabelle Chammas and Lynwood Evans are negative — the Navy has clarified that claims filed under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act don’t impact benefits or other VA programs.

Eventually, many attorneys say they expect the government to settle with the litigants, but no one knows for sure.

Ensminger is looking for a resolution in which the Marine Corps and Department of the Navy adhere to a motto he tried to instill in his trainees.

“We take care of our own,” he says. “The government made their mistake right up front. They lied.” ■

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NCTREND ››› Hospitality

SHORT STOP

Gary DeLapp is a pioneer in the extended-stay sector.

Now he’s building a new brand.

ot every road-warrior corporate exec or gig worker facing a short-term, remote assignment in a distant city wants to snag an Airbnb. That’s an underlying reason that veteran lodging-industry executive Gary DeLapp sees big potential for his Matthews-based startup, stayAPT Suites.

With backing from New York private-equity group Lindsay Goldberg, stayAPT is targeting 100 corporate-owned and 250 franchisee-owned properties within five years. Thirteen hotels were open as of October, including properties in Raleigh and Goldsboro, where the first stayAPT opened in October 2020. A few dozen more units are in the permitting and construction stages, mostly in the Southeast and Texas.

DeLapp says stayAPT is aiming at the higher end of the extended-stay market with a room design that sets the brand apart from entrenched rivals including SpringHill Suites, Homewood Suites and Extended Stay America, one of his former employers.

StayAPT’s units average about 500 square feet and include three distinct areas: a kitchen, a living room with a 55-inch television, and a bedroom connected to a full bathroom. It doesn’t plan to convert existing hotels into the new brand.

“Our product is unique and a market disruptor with a distinct

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residential feel,” he says. The units also open to a garden-style courtyard that is “a critical piece for us to generate the residential feel found in upscale apartment living.”

Lindsay Goldberg tapped DeLapp to launch stayAPT in early 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the hospitality landscape. At the same time, the investment group also acquired an existing extended-stay business, Myrtle Beach, South Carolinabased Affordable Suites, which now has 20 units and is operated separately from the newer concept.

The pandemic slowed stayAPT and other building projects, to be sure. In mid-2021, DeLapp told the Hotel Management industry publication it would have 25 hotels open by early 2023.

Still, an increase in the gig economy, flexible work space and greater mobility of the workforce prompts industry followers to forecast spiking demand for extended-stay lodging. Annual revenue in the overall extended-stay sector is expected to increase about 170% over the next decade to $132 billion, according to a report in Travel Daily News, a trade publication.

DeLapp is a graduate of Florida State University with lots of industry experience. After working for a Houston-based hotel company, he joined the Homestead Village brand in 1996, when extended-stay hotels started popping up everywhere. He was

PHOTO COURTESY OF STAYAPTSUITES

By Michael J. Solender

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indicate the average stay across their network is about 18 nights.

According to a spokesperson, the hotels require an investment of $9 million to $15 million depending on their size.

Target customers tend to be employees on long-term assignments, consultants, military personnel, traveling nurses and university workers, says Jennifer Kearney, the chief marketing officer. Having a national footprint will help make the company more attractive to organizations with multiple locations, she adds.

Room rates average about $90 a night with price breaks for longer rentals. Occupancy rates have been about 86% in recent months, Gary DeLapp Kearney says. That is the high end of what DeLapp calls the industry’s “midscale category.”

StayAPT employs 30 people at its suburban Charlotte office where real estate, franchise development, sales, finance, and administrative staff comprise most of the team. A separate manage-ment company employs hotel operations, maintenance, security, and housekeeping staff to support the individual properties.

“It’s a business with tremendous potential,” says DeLapp, noting as a startup there are ample new markets for the brand with no worry of existing overlap. “I feel so strongly about our future, I personally have invested in the business. I believe in it that much.” ■

PHOTO COURTESY OF STAYAPTSUITES

named CEO five years later when the Blackstone private-equity group bought the business. He also became the top executive at Extended Stay America, which Blackstone acquired in 2004 and developed into an industry leader with more than 650 hotels.

Charlotte-based Extended Stay, which was a public company between 2013 and 2021, is now owned by a partnership of Blackstone and Starwood Capital Group.

“By the time I left [in 2011], I’d gone through four different ownership changes, and it was time to take on a new challenge,” DeLapp says.

He later moved to Invitation Homes, a home-leasing business with 60,000 rentals, where he was president between 2013 and 2015. A seat on the board of directors at WoodSpring Hotels led to the top job there from 2016-18, during which the business expanded from 179 to more than 250 locations.

Lindsay Goldberg, which owned WoodSpring from 2012 to 2017, sold it to Choice Hotels for $231 million in 2018. The private-equity firm is also a lead investor in Mount Airy-based Pike Corp., an energy industry contractor that is one of North Carolina’s largest private companies.

Now DeLapp is focused on building the brand and selling the vision to franchisees, who will pay the operator a royalty of 5% of gross revenue and 2% for marketing expenses. StayAPT offers hotels in four formats, ranging from 59 to 103 rooms. They

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NCTREND ››› Agriculture

LAST STAND A tasty treat loses its luster.

By Jim Hughes

ilver Queen appears doomed. Once the most popular sweet corn in Eastern North Carolina, Silver Queen might be making its last stand.

A host of newer sweet corn varieties have emerged to challenge the longtime market king. Names like Ambrosia, Obsession and Devotion come with superior genetic profiles that make them hard for farmers to resist.

“Our farmers are definitely growing less Silver Queen than they used to,” says Tommy Batts, a commercial horticulture specialist in the Wilson office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. “You can still find it, but you have to know where to look.”

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services keeps track of almost every agricultural statistic under the sun but nothing on Silver Queen or its rivals. While the state is an ag powerhouse, corn production is minimal compared with the Midwest states. For example, Iowa farmers planed nearly 13 million acres of corn in 2021, versus about 950,000 acres in North Carolina, federal data shows.

Still, Tar Heels have long loved their Silver Queen. So what’s behind its decline? “Basically, it’s an old technology,”

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Batts notes. “It was developed in the early 1960s and still has the same limitations it had when it was new.”

Silver Queen’s two main drawbacks are its short shelf life and long growing time, says Jonathan Schultheis, a professor at N.C. State University and a leading sweet corn expert.

“We all know the best time to serve Silver Queen is the day it’s picked,” he says. “Wait a day or two longer and it quickly loses its distinctive taste.”

There’s some science involved. “Sugars in Silver Queen convert to starch much faster than the newer varieties,” he says. “It gets too starchy. That’s why these days you can only find it in home gardens or for local sales.”

Also, Silver Queen takes at least 90 days to mature, compared with 75 or 80 days for newer varieties. “You’re losing money every day it sits in the field,” Schultheis adds.

The longer corn sits, the more attractive it gets for deer, raccoons, crows and armies of rapacious insects.

Newer varieties are bred to offer greater protection to pests, produce higher yields and last longer on the grocery shelves, Batts says.

“For farmers, it’s basically a business decision,” he adds.

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“They can make more money with the newer varieties, with a lot fewer headaches. Unless the market starts demanding it by name, Silver Queen has probably had its day in the sun.” ■

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NCTREND ›››

Public affairs Our paid daily newsletter provides detailed interviews with key lawmakers, Q&As of other political leaders, and stories on 2022 election news and campaign finance. Plus lots of stories tracking daily happenings at the state legislature.

Here’s some of what you missed. Sign up today at nctribune.com.

CHEERS! ALCOHOL WINS BIG IN ELECTION

THE LEGISLATURE'S NEW POWER DYNAMIC

In at least eight rural communities, voters in November approved a referendum on expanding alcohol sales. Most involved allowing the sale of cocktails at restaurants and bars in an attempt to attract more dining and nightlife options.

In the Nash County town of Bailey, 60% of voters (or 103 people) said yes to cocktails. The change was requested by two local restaurants, The Leaning Tree Italian Restaurant and El Paso Mexican Restaurant. “Please go out and vote in November, so we can enjoy some delicious tasteful margaritas and more!” El Paso posted on its Facebook page.

Cocktails also passed in unincorporated areas of Anson County, Princeville (Edgecombe County), Rural Hall (Forsyth County), King (Stokes County) and Pink Hill (Lenoir County) by margins of 58% or higher. The strongest vote for cocktails was in Rockwell (Rowan County), where 69% of voters said yes.

The town of King, where residents have had to drive to nearby Winston-Salem to buy liquor, also voted to allow an ABC store in town limits. And Bladen County voted to allow beer and wine sales at stores in unincorporated areas. That campaign was led by the owners of a small grocery store in the unincorporated Ammon community, the Border Belt Independent reported.

It’s safe to say North Carolina saw the expected “Red Wave” in last month’s election. It was the sort of wave that’s strong enough to knock someone down, but not quite strong enough to drag them completely underwater.

The N.C. House and Senate results will shift the balance of power further toward the GOP in next year’s long session, but not quite as much as Republicans hoped.

Senate Republicans won the exact number of seats needed for a veto-proof majority: 30 of 50. But House Republicans fell one vote short, winning 71 seats when they needed 72 for a supermajority.

It’s a change from the GOP’s current 69 House seats and 28 Senate seats. And it means Gov. Roy Cooper won’t automatically see his vetoes overridden — but we can expect high drama and close votes next year.

I anticipate Republican House leaders will do everything in their power to persuade a Democrat to cross party lines when there’s an override. And if that doesn’t work, we could see a return of the “veto garage,” where the speaker waits to call an override vote until some Democrats are absent.

CUNNINGHAM, TILLIS TALK BIPARTISAN FRIENDSHIPS

They say they managed to keep it cordial even during the campaign, joking around during breaks from their televised debate.

Tillis said the kind of friendship he has with Cunningham is You’d think spending millions of dollars to common among U.S. senators from opposing parties. attack each other on TV would ruin a friendship.

“Some of my most enjoyable conversations are with senators from But U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and his 2020 Democratic the other side of the aisle,” he said. challenger, Cal Cunningham, are still buddies How do you create more bipartisan relationships? Tillis who meet for lunch occasionally. suggested that issue-focused bipartisan caucus groups should be The two shared a stage at UNC Chapel Hill more active. The North Carolina legislature has a few of these as in November to talk about building friendships across the political divide — a timely topic as politicians nurse their well, such as the early childhood caucus.

He warned also that people in politics are “so quick to make wounds and resentments from this year’s campaign. judgments,” particularly online.

Both men joked about the Cunningham campaign’s infamous “Before you press send on a tweet or a Snap(chat post), would you tweet that made it appear that the Lexington native didn’t know the sit in a room like this and say the same thing with the same tone?” difference between barbecue and grilling. “Bless my out-of-state staff,” Tillis said.

Cunningham said.

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NCTREND ››› Statewide

Microsoft’s headquarters, Redmond, Washington

MICROSOFT’S CATAWBA ADVENTURE

M

icrosoft is coming in hot to North Carolina’s data center world, albeit more than a decade after its giant tech peers Apple, Google and Facebook.

Over the next 10 years, the Redmond, Washington-based company plans to develop four centers in Catawba County, spread through Conover, Hickory and Maiden. The investment will entail at least $1 billion of investment, split fairly evenly among the three communities that are less than an hour west of Charlotte. At least 50 new permanent jobs are likely.

The cities and Catawba County agreed on incentives that will enable Microsoft to avoid paying half of its real property tax and 85% of personal property taxes over 10 years. It has to spend at least $1 billion to get the full deal, which has an option to extend for another decade.

Data centers are a big deal in the region. Catawba County is home to a $1 billion Apple center in Maiden that started in 2008 and is in the midst of a $450 million expansion.

Google picked Lenoir in adjacent Caldwell County for one of its first big server farms in 2007. Facebook announced its data center campus in Forest City in Rutherford County in 2010. Each site received significant local incentives. Each has grown significantly.

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Data centers require vast amounts of water, which is plentiful in the region because of the Catawba River and infrastructure developed for the textile and furniture industries. When many manufacturers moved production overseas in the ‘80s and ‘90s, local utilities had significant capacity available.

After seeing North Carolina’s success attracting the three tech titans, Virginia got aggressive with tax incentives that have lured many major projects. In 2010, Microsoft chose Boydton, Virginia over Cleveland County in North Carolina for a site that has become one of the world’s largest cloud-computing campuses with more than 1 million square feet of data center space, according to the Data Center Frontier news website.

The Conover project is planned on 219 acres north of Highway 16. The two sites in Hickory will total 176 acres, including 160 acres west of U.S. 321. The Maiden site will be on 292 acres. Microsoft is still buying the land and seeking permits, so actual construction may be two or three years off, a company official told the Charlotte Business Journal.

Microsoft, which operates more than 200 data centers globally, plans to have workforce and IT training programs for potential employees. ■

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CHARLOTTE

EAST

HUNTERSVILLE Cornelius-based NorthState Development broke ground on Huntersville Town Center, a $60 million mixed-use project of 134 apartments, 41 townhomes and 11 single-family homes.

CHARLOTTE

FAYETTEVILLE

Ridgemont Equity Partners raised $2.35 billion in its fourth fund. The middle-market private equity firm has assets under management of more than $8.5 billion.

Pinnacle Medical Products is among 15 N.C. startups to receive a portion of NC IDEA’s $150,000 grant. It’s the ninth grant cycle by the nonprofit, which has awarded $1.5 million to 148 companies since 2018.

Alicia Bertone will succeed Joan Lorden as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNC Charlotte.

Bertone has been a longtime administrator at Ohio State University. Lorden has held the post for 19 years.

RXO, based here, started trading on the New York Stock Exchange at an initial price of $20.25. The freight transportation services business received a $100 million loan to aid its spinoff from XPO Logistics of Greenwich, Connecticut.

SALISBURY

HAMLET

Fort Mill, S.C.-based Broad River Retail will add a combined Ashley and Ashley Outlet store that is slated to open in spring 2023.

American Woodmark, the largest U.S. cabinetmaker, will create 131 jobs with its Richmond County expansion. Plans include adding 500,000 square feet of space.

STATESVILLE Sherwin-Williams is making a $324 million expansion that will add more than 180 jobs, expand manufacturing space and add an 800,000-square-foot distribution center.

PHOTO CREDITS: MANN+HUMMEL; AMERICAN WOODMARK

The Charlotte Hornets’ value increased 8% to $1.7 billion, according to a Forbes report.

Bank of America and Wells Fargo are among six megabanks subpoenaed by 19 Republican state attorneys general who contend the institutions’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies are hurting U.S. fossil fuel companies.

FAYETTEVILLE

Google Fiber will relocate from downtown to Camp North End. It is leasing about 6,000 square feet for 10 years.

A global filtration company, Mann+Hummel, will close a distribution center that employs 114 workers, starting in late December. It’s part of a larger plant that employs about 1,000 people.

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NCTREND ››› Statewide LELAND Developer Nathan Sanders’ Ploof Road Business Park signed four tenants. The project of 19 separate 5,000-square-foot buildings is expected to be finished in late 2023.

TRIAD

Mack Trucks, which is part of locally based Volvo Group North Carolina, is partnering with gas-station operator Pilot Company to find the best locations for electric-vehicle charging stations.

Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot has more than 750 Pilot and Flying J sites.HIGH PO

ARCHDALE Lancaster, a luxury upholstery company, will relocate and expand to a new building after receiving a $5 million investment.

As many as 27 new employees will be added over five years with an average salary of $46,000.

WILMINGTON Wilmington-based GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, which makes parts for nuclear power plants and fuel, will add 485 jobs over five years and invest $85 million in operations here.

HIGH POINT

IQE is purchasing new equipment and adding about 31 technicians and engineers, with an average salary of $66,000. The company produces items for the semiconductor industry.GREENSBORO

Future Foam is adding 65,000 square feet of space, new equipment and 25 new staffers. The Iowa-based foam manufacturer plans to invest $8.5 million in the expansion.

WINSTON-SALEM Clinical research company Javara plans to expand and double its payroll to 400 employees after garnering $47 million earlier this year from New York private equity group General Atlantic. Jennifer Bryne, Amanda Wright and Linda McCarty formed the company in 2018.

GREENSBORO Jet It, a jet rental business, raised $16 million in debt and equity from five investors. The company is led by co-founders Glenn Gonzales and Vishal Hiremath.

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PHOTO CREDITS: PLOOF ROAD BUSINESS PARK,; GE HITACHI; JET IT; LANCASTER; VOLVO GROUP; INNOVATION QUARTER

GREENSBORO

Tammy Nagem will succeed Tom Conley as president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. She has worked for the furniture market company for nearly 21 years, most recently as chief operating officer.

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TRIANGLE DURHAM Duke University Provost Sally Kornbluth, who served in the role since 2014, was named president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, effective in January. Separately, Duke University Health System CEO Dr. A. Eugene Washington will step down in June. He’s been Duke’s chancellor for health affairs for seven years.

ASHEVILLE Ingles Markets, which is based here, paid $2 million for a 12-acre site in Johnson City, Tennessee for a potential new store, TV station WYCB reported. The grocer has three stores in the Johnson City-Kingsport area.

WEST

RALEIGH

PHOTO CREDITS: SRINI SOMANCHI FOR UNSPLASH; INGLES; VALENTINE COMMONS

Pendo’s Todd Olson was named CEO of the Year by the NC Technology Association.

Separately, venture capitalist Dan Roselli of Charlotte’s CFV Ventures won the group’s Beacon Award.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is shifting its gene therapy production here as it closes a Libertyville, Illinois plant. The company is licensed to make its Zolgensma product to treat spinal muscular atrophy.

Valentine Commons, a student housing development, was acquired by The Preiss Company. The firm, which is based here, paid $102.6 million and plans to invest another $10 million in the property.

Dr. Marcus Wallace was named chief medical officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.C. He has been a regional vice president at Indianapolis-based Elevance Health.

SANFORD

MORRISVILLE Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse, which has a technology center here, will settle tax fraud charges by paying $234 million.

In the settlement, the bank didn’t admit criminal liability.

GKN Driveline North America plans to close its facility here, impacting about 47 employees. The auto-parts company also operates in Roxboro and Mebane.

BOONE Appalachian State University raised $36 million in the fiscal year ended June 30, its best fundraising year in more than a decade. More than 10,000 donors made contributions, including a record $31 million in cash gifts. App State has a $150 million endowment.

HENDERSONVILLE Third Street Sports, owned by Kyle Aldridge, Doug Roper III and Brad Morrison, bought the Hendersonville Honeycrisps summer baseball team. The childhood friends, who work in government, finance and technology, are also baseball players. AT ROC FLAT ROCK Plastic fabricators Elkamet is making its fourth expansion in a $4.6 million project, creating five new jobs paying an average salary of $53,100. FLETCHER D E C E M B E R

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TRAVEL & TOURISM

CHASING WATERFALLS With its long-touted “mountains to the coast,” slogan, North Carolina is one of the five mostvisited states in the country. Attracting all segments of tourism takes new approaches. This is true more than ever as the state’s hospitality industry struggles with immense labor shortages.

Business North Carolina recently gathered top travel and tourism experts to discuss what’s happening across the state. From Serena Williams’s retirement announcement and the global resurgence of golf, to increased interest from foodies and new waterfall photo shoots, many components for drawing visitors are at play from mountains to coast.

Explore Asheville, Greenville-Pitt County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Pinehurst Resort, Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area, VisitNC and Visit Winston-Salem sponsored the discussion. It was moderated

by Business North Carolina Publisher Ben Kinney and edited for brevity and clarity.

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CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF HOW TOURISM IS FARING? TUTTELL: The pandemic was fascinating for North Carolina, because we have everything people wanted during that time. We saw people flock to the mountains and to the coast. Leisure travel wasn’t so good for some of the urban destinations, and meeting and business travel just dried up. So we had a really interesting situation in the state since we had some people barely able to contain the business they were getting yet others weren’t getting the business they were accustomed to. I think that’s leveling

Marcheta Cole Keefer director of marketing and communications Visit Winston-Salem

out now, but it’s not completely leveled out yet. Business travel hasn’t come back as far as we would like, meetings and events are coming, but international travel hasn’t come back yet. What’s really fascinating is the way different areas have adjusted to it. The mountains and the coast are adjusting to staffing shortages. Some of the urban areas are adjusting so they now have leisure travel, instead of business travel being a prominent way of people visiting there.

with the USGA coming into town (building a second headquarters and sprawling campus) that accounts for what the N.C. Department of Commerce has predicted will be a $2 billion economic impact on the state through 2047. So there’s a great future ahead for the destination, we’re just dealing with some growing pains and how that’s going to work out over the next five to 10 years.

WERZ: We’re seeing a boost. Even with COVID, there was a huge boost for our destination, just because we can socially distance and golf enjoyed a global resurgence. Now

MINGES: I hate to be the Debbie Downer in the room, but I hear a lot of challenges from business owners and they run the gamut. But first of all, I think it’s important to know that during COVID, our industry took on significant losses. Many

Lynn Minges president and CEO N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association

Marla Tambellini senior vice president of marketing Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau

PANELISTS

Wit Tuttell executive director Visit NC

Phil Werz president and CEO Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area D E C E M B E R

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employment in what we consider tourism jobs by 10% this year. That’s still down 18% from where we were in 2019. So even though tourism and travel are coming back, employment just hasn’t been back.

Upper Catawba Falls, a 50-feet waterfall that leads to another amazing lower waterfall, is located in Old Fort.

businesses are still struggling, still underwater. And if you look at the rest of North Carolina’s economy, it’s up considerably. Individual business owners (of hotels and restaurants) have taken on a whole lot of debt.

And now they’re finding that those loans are coming due. Profit margins are slim and they face significant supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. We’re seeing a number of closings in recent months that we didn’t even see during COVID. While sales may be up, the cost of labor, the cost of food, and the cost of supplies are so high it’s impacting profits. There’s pressure to not increase menu prices. Hotel rates seem to be increasing and the demand (for rooms) is strong. The biggest concern that we are experiencing right now is the worker shortage.

Some restaurants across the state are closing two or three days a week and they used to be closed just one day a week. We have many hotels in the state that have had to take rooms out of inventory, because they don’t have workers to service those rooms.

I know of a particular hotel that has 100 rooms out of inventory today.

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They’re profitable without those 100 rooms. But what if they could operate at full capacity? It’s a very interesting conundrum. But, we’re positive. We’re growing. But we’re not back to where we could be. We’re not actualizing our real potential. One of the things that we pride ourselves in is this amazing southern hospitality and outstanding service that people have enjoyed in our state. And when you don’t have the people to service in the way that you’re accustomed to, it’s a challenge and a concern.

TUTTELL: We see the labor shortage as well, especially in the restaurant industry. Everyone is working hard on programs to get people back to work. When restaurants are closed, it’s hard for the visitor. They come to town to find this place is closed today, but they were here two months ago, and it was open on this day.

So it makes it a little bit difficult from a scheduling standpoint, and when you’re promoting and marketing a destination. We’re trying to build our destination as one of the best foodie and golf destinations in the country.

Across the state we increased

C A R O L I N A

TAMBELLINI: We’re seeing workforce challenges as well … community restaurants and hotels are still struggling a little bit. Even in our offices, the struggle to get employees is real. It’s one of the big issues we’re all dealing with right now. We have seen visitors come back in droves.

And, as Lynn indicated, there are places they want to go to that they haven’t been able to, because they’re closed. It’s been very challenging to accommodate everyone who wants to eat out or enjoy specific activities.

Even some of our attractions continue to have to limit the number of people who are walking through the door each day. Fortunately, we have other assets, mostly that are free and easy to get to in the great outdoors. And so that continues to be a really big drawing card. People are taking advantage of that. That is what helped us through COVID. People were using the short term rentals, the Airbnb the VRBO, then being able to complement that with an outdoor excursion or experience. We’re starting to see a little bit of leveling off in terms of the demand. It’s up for the year, but it’s flattened in the last couple of months.

Our concern right now is dispersal.

We’re really working on longer length of stay so that we can get people out into the entire county, not just all downtown at the same time. We’re seeing a lot of development along the river corridor in the River Arts District.

West Asheville is also really coming into its own right now and is a gem spot in the community.

KEEFER: We did not do well during the pandemic. We were down about 58% from a monetary standpoint, SPONSORED SECTION

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but I’m very happy to say it’s a very different story than we were sharing with you this time last year. We’re coming back in a big and bold way. We were very dependent on meetings and conventions to drive our hotel occupancy pre-pandemic.

Obviously then, the mass gatherings were off limits. But we started seeing when people felt comfortable to come back to travel, they just needed to get away but they didn’t want to go too far away. Our market traditionally is Raleigh, Charlotte and in the five-hour-concentriccircle range. So the good thing our research shows is once someone comes to Winston-Salem and has the vacation getaway experience, they have a high repeat visitation.

A silver lining is the diversification of our base of business, and that’s really going to help us in the long run.

Corporate is not back. But meetings and conventions are starting to come back in a little different pattern. We’re starting to actually see higher levels of hotel occupancy and higher rates.

Our inventory has pretty much stayed about the same.

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HOW IS THE MEETING AND CONVENTION BUSINESS CHANGING? KEEFER: We’re almost back to where we were in 2019, which was our best year.

TAMBELLINI: I’m gonna say this with the caveat that we’re primarily a leisure destination. Within the framework of our meetings and group business we hit our goal at the end of June for the last fiscal year by the skin of our teeth, but we hit the room night goal. We’re starting to see that business coming back and I don’t see that dissipating.

WERZ: In Pinehurst at the end of September through September, we recorded 19 straight months of record occupancy tax and increased customer inquiries and collections. So coming out of the pandemic, we’re seeing increasing occupancy or ADR (average daily rate). It’s doubled in the last year. So it was 55% business and 45% leisure basically before the pandemic. It’s about 60% to 65%

C A R O L I N A

leisure now. Maybe we’ve missed this all along. … The leisure demand is huge. So it creates an interesting dilemma because when you have so many groups who want to come and get a negotiated rate, but (the hospitality businesses) can get a full rate for hotel, for golf, for spa and for everything with leisure travel. So right now they’re just riding the wave and the destination is riding the wave because a rising tide floats all boats.

Short term rentals have doubled in the last year. We have over 600 in Moore County, and over 400 of those in Pinehurst alone.

TUTTELL: I think that’s fascinating for meetings. So many things have changed since COVID. These destinations now have leisure travelers so the discounts they need (to lure meetings) isn’t as strong.

MINGES: I think in the travel segment, the piece that is hurting most nationwide is transient business travel. It used to be that a sales rep would cal land want to meet, have lunch, visit my office and meet with

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SMART COMEBACK Leading the promotion of Greenville-Pitt County’s tourism, and meeting the needs of the varied professionals within the industry became an even more important and complex job under pandemic conditions.

Andrew Schmidt, president and CEO of Visit Greenville, NC, has led the market in a comeback and is navigating ongoing challenges. With 25 years in travel and tourism and almost 20 teaching at the university level, he is also president of the N.C. Travel Industry Association.

WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY TODAY IN GREENVILLEPITT COUNTY? Travel and tourism in Greenville-Pitt County has rebounded quite well since the height of the pandemic. In fiscal year 2021-2022, our sports commission set a record by booking 64 tournaments generating an estimated economic impact of $22.1 million dollars. Our conventions and meetings business is back to pre-pandemic levels and Greenville is consistently adding hospitality amenities increasing our leisure travel within the arts, entertainment and outdoor adventure markets. The CVB is also increasing its focus on DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion.

WHAT ARE THE LINGERING EFFECTS FROM THE PANDEMIC? As in most cities across the United States, the corporate travel market in Greenville-Pitt County has not fully rebounded from the pandemic.

With many still opting to use one of the many available virtual meeting platforms, our corporate travel is currently about 50% of what we saw in 2019.

WHAT NEW METHODS ARE YOU USING TO ATTRACT INSTATE AND OUTOFSTATE VISITORS? For the first time, our CVB has created a 30-second commercial spot to generate interest from both in-state and out-of-state travelers. The spot ran 126 times on ESPN during the 2022 Little League Softball World Series in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. In addition, we are utilizing audio streaming via Spotify and TV Streaming/OTT (over-the-top content from the internet) to increase our reach and engage new audiences.

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TRAVEL & TOURISM the team. Now we schedule a Zoom.

And so that means they’re fewer people coming into a market to stay overnight. And that’s happening nationwide. I think, as we look at North Carolina, leisure travel is strong, but transient and business travel is projected to be down double digits in 2022. The good part of that for North Carolina is that we’re not nearly as dependent as other states on business travel. Leisure travel accounts for over 90% of all travel statewide. That’s huge. So while other destinations around the country are going to really experience that lack of business travel, I think we’re going to fare a lot better overall.

DO YOU SEE THE DOWNTURN IN TRANSIENT TRAVEL (INDIVIDUAL, MIDWEEK, SHORT TERM STAYS) AS LONG TERM? AND HOW IS REMOTE OR HYBRID WORK AFFECTING THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM? MINGES: If we look at urban areas like downtown Raleigh, uptown Charlotte, Winston-Salem or Greensboro there’s less foot traffic downtown. People aren’t coming into offices the way they were before. Restaurants are missing that traffic for breakfast, lunch, dinner and entertainment. We’re seeing restaurants in particular expanding in suburbia. So it’s kind of the reverse of what we had before when everybody was flocking downtown to open new restaurants. Now we see these incredible chefs and retail business owners scaling back in the urban areas and building out in the suburbs.

KEEFER: Winston-Salem just peaked with about 4,000 rental properties downtown. So it’s a little different.

That’s helping the downtown restaurants and retail to a great extent. I think that’s proof that the $2 billion that’s been invested over the last 20 years in the downtown area has really started to pay off.

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IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES DEPENDING ON THE CITY? TAMBELLINI: Yes, I was out to dinner with a friend the other night. It was last minute. It was a Wednesday night and we couldn’t find (an available table) anywhere.

hearing from all around. The N.C. Department of Commerce just came out with a study on the shortage of restaurant employment. It shows that we really need about 40,000 to 50,000 more hospitality industry employees based on the projections for growth, and the opening of new restaurants and hotels.

MINGES: But there’s another issue.

There’s a shrinkage. The reality is, a year ago, they probably had a seat for you. Now, they’re not taking as many customers. “We’re full” doesn’t mean “We’re full to capacity.” “We’re full” means “We can’t service any more people.”

That is an everyday issue I’m

KEEFER: We are trying to elevate the level of the careers in tourism and hospitality and the perception of that kind of work and opportunities for advancement within our local academies and public schools … through our community colleges and some private organizations that are doing training.

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HOW IS MARKETING CHANGING GIVEN ALL OF THESE IMPACTS? TUTTELL: We found in the pandemic that everybody wanted to get away, but a lot of people went to the same place and it became where everybody was. Visit NC created a whole new program called “Outdoor NC” where we focused on “leave no trace” principles to help destinations deal with overcrowding. We’re trying to get people spread out all across the state and to vary the times when they come to certain places. It’s not just private businesses that have these issues. State parks and federal parks have these issues. So we’ve gotten into more of that managing, as well as marketing to try and get people to come at the right time and do the right thing.

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TRAVEL & TOURISM TAMBELLINI: In the last year or so we’ve completely stepped back from how we were doing things and reevaluated how we could be more responsive to the community while still being mindful of the legislative mandates that we have to generate visitation. We’ve got specific imperatives: balancing sustainable growth, safe and responsible tourism, engaging more diverse audiences, and then supporting our creative efforts. Everything we’re doing, falls within those areas. We’re really putting mandates for ourselves in terms of generating those longer stays that I mentioned previously, and then dispersing people throughout the county. We may be doing bigger content partnerships, we’re able to tell a larger story, put people in different spots in the community and start to inspire people to go to places that are a little bit further out. We’ve looked at our marketing around the diversity sector. We pledged that we would spend $1 million dollars with Blackowned publishers and creators.

WERZ: Going over to Pinehurst Resort and practicing there on weekends, I would deliberately walk through the parking lot and I would see no less than 12 to 15 license plates from other states early on in the pandemic. But we still focused our marketing early on, on just the Carolinas, the primary markets here in the state, and maybe down into

the Columbia area. But then Atlanta and D.C. were kind of a sweet spots for us. … We don’t have a whole lot of podcast sources so we started our own. We just recorded one with Ben Owen, from Seagrove and Elizabeth Hudson, from Our State magazine. Of course social media has been a big focus with video content. So being able to do a ton of content and get a lot of views on our YouTube channel is important. We are being innovative and creative and marketing the destination aside from just golf. In fact, one of our hashtags is “more than just golf.” We’ve done videos on how local chefs work with our local farmers, and how you can get the freshest products right here in Moore County. Being part of the visit NC farms app, which focuses on that agritourism aspect of the county has been a big boost to the farmers in northern Moore County.

KEEFER: We started communicating to our industry partners on a weekly basis as opposed to monthly just to gauge how they were doing, what product offerings they may have, and what we could then promote. … We just had a new photo shoot at our state parks. At Hanging Rock State Park, it looks like you’re in Asheville, but you’re really just 20 minutes from downtown Winston-Salem. … We’re using a lot of radio broadcasting, especially with our National Public Radio affiliates.

MARLA, TELL US ABOUT ASHEVILLE’S U.S. OPEN TENNIS MARKETING. TAMBELLINI: Yes, that also goes into those bigger content partnerships.

That was an opportunity for us.

Winston-Salem had already hosted the Billie Jean King Cup, so this was an opportunity to continue and strengthen our ties with USTA, and the hopes that other tournaments may come down the road. And it was an opportunity to go back to New York and meet with media and meeting planners. It was a compelling invitation. We may not have had those people to sit down with us otherwise. … We were fortunate that Serena Williams announced her retirement because that created a huge amount of exposure. … Our logo appeared in newspaper articles and imagery. We’ve already had interest from a couple of groups from meeting planners.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION AS WE WRAP UP? WERZ: I’d say that we’re very fortunate to be in a state that is in the top five most visited in the United States. I tell my board regularly what we do with the budget we have compared to neighboring states that have significantly more funding and resources is a miracle. We all talk about the mountains to the coast, and everything in between.

North Carolina has everything for everybody, and that’s why we’re so fortunate to be in this state. … And (the various tourism promoting arms) aren’t not competitors. We want everybody to succeed and we want all these destinations to do well. ■

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CAROLINA CORE

By Colin Campbell, David Mildenberg and Ebony Morman

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electing BNC’s Small Businesses of the Year winners is an exciting annual task that culminated this year with these companies: • Core Technology Molding, a Greensboro plastic-injection molding company.

• Firsthand Foods, a Durham distributor for local farmers and meat processors.

• Speckled Paw Coffee, a collection of coffee shops in four small N.C. towns.

• Seaview Crab, a Wilmington distributor of seafood at retail markets and restaurants.

The quartet was chosen from more than 75 applicants. The judges were Byron Hicks, who is state director of the Small Business and Technology Development Center; Anna Lynch, CEO of Raleigh-based Lynch Mykins Structural Engineers and one of the Small Businesses of the Year winners in 2021; and Business North Carolina Publisher Ben Kinney.

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The judges considered creativity, community impact, persistence and other factors in making the selection. The businesses had to be in operation for at least five years.

"Every year, I am amazed at the quality of our winners,” Hicks says. “They are a true testament to what makes our state's economy so awesome. Hard work, dedication and the ability to adapt to changes and challenges are what make these businesses special."

It’s the 27th year that Business North Carolina has published the Small Businesses of the Year award, which is sponsored this year by Duke Energy. The goal is to honor smaller enterprises that form an often overlooked core of the state’s economy.

The state had about 155,000 companies with between two and 19 employees in 2021, along with about 21,200 with 20 to 499 workers, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

There were also about 790,000 sole proprietorships.

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CORE TECHNOLOGY MOLDING CORPORATION PHOTOGRAPHY BY BERT VANDERVEEN

BREAKING THE MOLD

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hile working in the early 2000s at electrical connector manufacturer AMP (now TE Connectivity), Geoff Foster helped develop a patented seal used in tens of millions of new connectors that wound up in Ford cars and trucks.

He received a $99 plaque, a nice gesture that also convinced him it was time to start his own injection-molding business.

Sixteen years later, Foster has built a North Carolina entrepreneurial success story. Core Technology reported revenue growth of nearly 300% in 2021, and even faster profit gains, aided by sales of millions of plunger rods used to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. The company projects sales of more than 100 million rods in 2023. Previously, most revenue had stemmed from supplying vehicle manufacturers.

Much of the company’s growth has occurred since its move in 2018 into Gateway Research Park, a partnership of Foster’s alma mater, N.C. A&T State University, and UNC Greensboro.

Foster, 55, gives much credit for his success to N.C. A&T, which attracted him from New Jersey in the mid-1980s. He’s taught classes at the school for 17 years and started hiring its graduates in 2008.

He also has an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Retaining staff is crucial for the company’s success, Foster says, which is why he sponsors annual employee appreciation trips.

Previous locations have included Cancun, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

Comments are edited for length and clarity.

IS THE LABOR SHORTAGE MODERATING? HOW HAVE YOU ADAPTED?

The labor shortage has improved, but we have also raised our standards significantly due to the higher quality expectations of our customers. We now send employees to blueprint reading courses, partnering with Guilford Technical Community College. Entry-level operators are able to hit the ground running and not just put parts in a box. We have also been supported by N.C. State University’s Industry Expansion Services group with training for medical devices, internal auditing and other requirements to meet various industry standards.

IS GREENSBORO’S GATEWAY RESEARCH PARK A GOOD LOCATION FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

The park has been a great partner. They have supported our exponential growth when Core Tech doubled our capacity during COVID-19. Gateway also submitted a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, while the local city government matched with an additional $750,000. Our plans are to break ground in the first quarter of 2023 with the next phase of our expansion.

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HOW HAVE YOU FUNDED YOUR GROWTH?

Initially, we worked with banking institutions and took out Small Business Administration and capital equipment loans. We are now funding the projects internally and do not require bank loans.

WILL TOYOTA EXPANSION NEAR GREENSBORO BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS?

We have been in meetings and panel discussions with Toyota and believe we can add immediate value as a supplier as we produce about 1 million parts annually for BMW for their hybrid vehicles. Our location logistically makes sense with regards to the ecosystem and having Tier I supplier experience. Since 2015 we have been shipping to Germany, China, Russia and South Africa for BMW. Having a Tier I automotive supplier within 30 minutes of the Toyota battery facility would help reduce shipping costs.

IS YOUR STRATEGY TO PURSUE RAPID GROWTH OR MORE SLOW, SUSTAINED ADVANCES?

I expect controlled growth in biopharma, while the mobility space with automotive sustainable materials will be rapid. Our customers are looking for our innovation with sustainable materials like hemp, allowing us to supply parts that are lighter in weight and stronger. This is already being done in Europe, and we want to bring this to North America through our work with BrightMa Farms in Charleston, South Carolina. Three universities are supporting us with research and development: N.C. A&T, Clemson and South Carolina State.

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WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE ECONOMY?

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING?

Economic experts are predicting a recession, but we are diverse and grew from 5% biological pharmaceuticals to 60% since COVID-19. Our growth is with the biopharma companies including Merck, Pfizer and Eli Lilly, and the heavy truck industry with Volvo and Mack Trucks and Volvo Cars. With our diverse portfolio, we have grown at an exponential rate over the last few years. Snap-on Tool recently became a new customer.

Those who do not dream, have goals and want to reach for the stars. This is a quote from former Morehouse College President and civil rights leader Benjamin Mays: "It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach for the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is a sin.”

WHO HAVE BEEN YOUR KEY CAREER MENTORS?

Dr. Harold Martin Sr., chancellor at North Carolina A&T State University, and Willie Deese, former vice president of Global Manufacturing at Merck.

WHAT IS THE MOST FUN PART OF YOUR WORK?

Bringing aboard new employees who do not have a background in plastic injection-molding or advanced manufacturing, and "molding" them into valuable employees and watching the light come on. Also, we started "Molding Kids for Success" last year, which is a registered 501(c)(3) that offers a free camp targeting middle-school children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have worked with the Greensboro Housing Authority to identify children who have STEM interest and might not be able to attend a STEM camp. One of my strongest graduates from North Carolina A&T during my 18 years as an adjunct professor is Brandon Frederick. He is a project engineer at Core Technology and program administrator for "Molding Kids for Success." Brandon understands the mission of exposing these children to STEM and being a role model. Brandon is obtaining his MBA from N.C. State University and applying what he is learning to get traction for this effort throughout North Carolina.

HOW IS THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH YOUR WIFE, TONYA, AT THE BUSINESS?

My wife came aboard full-time four years ago. Working hard together and staying in our own lanes has helped us work successfully together. We are both good at different things and respect each other's strengths and weaknesses. We are intentional about leaving work at work at the end of the day and do not bring it home and talk about work at the house.

DO YOU HAVE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE BUSINESS?

Our son, Jeremiah Foster, is in business development and joined the company in June after graduating from N.C. A&T in 2021 and later completing his last baseball season. He has helped grow relationships with our existing customers and build new ones with customers that have come on board in the last year. While obtaining his MBA from UNC Greensboro, he is able to apply what he is learning in real time. ■

OWNERS Tonya and Geoff Foster LOCATION Greensboro NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 45 YEAR FOUNDED 2006

SECRET TO SUCCESS “Mediocrity has its place, but it is not at Core Technology Molding.

We never sign up for average.”

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FIRSTHAND FOODS

THE MIDDLE WOMEN

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estaurants and grocery stores are eager to offer meats from local farms these days, but getting a steady supply into the coolers and on customers’ plates is easier said than done.

Individual farms often aren’t large enough to supply restaurants’ menus year-round. And chefs and grocers don’t have time to develop a larger network of farmers to meet their meat needs.

Jennifer Curtis and Tina Prevatte Levy saw the problem and wanted to help. Curtis was working with farmers while managing NC Choices, a project of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems that assists pasture-based livestock producers. Levy was finishing her MBA at UNC Chapel Hill.

Armed with $150,000 in grant funding, they launched Firsthand Foods to connect farmers and meat processors with grocery stores, restaurants and institutional food service companies.

The company now works with more than 35 farms, four meat processors and 200 retailers and food service businesses.

During the pandemic – as many restaurants scaled back or shut down temporarily – Firsthand Foods created its own COVID relief program by raising money to donate meat from its partner farmers to food banks, helping keep the farms and meat processors afloat during a challenging time.

Comments are edited for length and clarity.

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OWNERS Jennifer Curtis and Tina Prevatte Levy LOCATION Durham NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 8 YEAR FOUNDED 2010

WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN SELLING PASTURERAISED MEATS?

As co-founders, Tina and I were looking for ways we could use our passion and skills to support North Carolina's family farmers, preserve our state’s natural beauty and rural communities, and use business as a tool for creating social and environmental good. In a world of commerce dominated by global supply chain arrangements, small-scale farmers are often denied access to market opportunities. We set out to change that by building a robust market for local, pasture-raised meats that consumers can trust were raised humanely in a spirit of fairness and stewardship.

HOW DO YOU SELECT THE FARMERS AND PROCESSORS?

We select farmers based on a set of strict production protocols that requires them to raise their animals outdoors on pasture, humanely, without the use of antibiotics or added hormones using all vegetarian feed. We work with beef cattle, hog and sheep producers who farm in North Carolina. Our processors are selected based on their humane handling, their proximity to our farmers, and the quality of their butchery services.

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WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY DOING TO ADDRESS RISING FOOD COSTS?

We strive to be a consistent and reliable purveyor and only increase our prices when it is necessary to fairly pay our farmers and processors. Rising fuel, feed and fertilizer costs are a real challenge in the food industry right now. More than 75% of our revenues are directed back to the farmers and processors in our network and thus recirculated into rural communities in North Carolina. We purchase whole animals from our network of 30plus farmers and work diligently to utilize all pieces and parts to minimize waste and optimize profits. We partner for distribution with other values-aligned local businesses and thus maintain a lean team.

HAVE YOU FACED CHALLENGES AS A WOMANOWNED BUSINESS IN THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY?

Yes. Probably the biggest challenge was building trust. It took us a long time — five years — to develop the network of livestock producers that we enjoy today. Whether that was entirely due to the fact that we were women is unlikely. We also had no track record as business owners and neither of us came from a farming background. So, skepticism was a natural response. But building trust takes a little longer when you’re not the gender most folks expect to see walking in the door or, in our case, walking across a

pasture. We will always be indebted to the farmers and others who believed in us from the get-go.

Sexism doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can be frustrating. There are many examples where men assume that we are “front of the house” administrators rather than actual owners and decision-makers.

But being women-owned has also afforded us many advantages. We share a strong orientation toward collaboration.

It’s a core value within our business that allows us to focus on our strengths and partner for the rest. Another advantage of being women-owned is that we value flexibility and have established business development goals and weekly rhythms that enable us and our team to have lives outside of work. We also are helping to pave the way for other female entrepreneurs, especially those helping to transform the male-dominated meat industry.

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPANSION PLANS?

Within the year, we plan to expand our office, dry storage and, most significantly, our cold storage space (freezer and walk-in cooler). We've secured loan funding and space at our current location, but can't get started on the build-out for another six months. We're excited as this will allow us to expand our distribution footprint and potentially build out a direct-toconsumer line. ■

SECRET TO SUCCESS “We identified a problem that truly needed to be solved.”

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SEAVIEW CRAB COMPANY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW SHERMAN OWNERS Nathan King, Joe Romano and Sam Romano LOCATION Wilmington NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 72 YEAR FOUNDED 2005

FISH TRICKS

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oe and Sam Roman and Nathan King are three childhood friends who have built a diversified seafood business in the Wilmington area. King has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, while the Romanos gained their degrees at UNC Wilmington. In 2005, they started a business with 50 crab pots, a pickup truck and a hand-painted sign. Now the annual payroll tops $2 million as more than 50 regional restaurants rely on their products and the company operates seven local retail markets.

The pandemic knocked out the wholesale business when restaurants shut down but retail demand increased immensely, King says. In early 2020, Seaview opened a deli to sell fresh prepared seafood at their midtown Wilmington market. The period “reinforced how essential the retail food business is and more specifically, how important our local food supply chain is.” Noting that all stakeholders are important, King emphasizes that “we put our team first. If our team is taken care of well, our customers, vendors and the community will follow in the same path. The fish market allows for often-timid youngsters to interact with all types of people. While the work can be challenging, it is certainly rewarding.

Comments are edited for length and clarity.

HOW DID YOU MEET?

We grew up in the same neighborhood in Virginia Beach. Sam and I have been friends since elementary school. His brother, Joe, is four years older. We grew up teaming up on odd jobs like yard work, so we developed a good working relationship before leaving for college.

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WAS THE BUSINESS PROFITABLE DURING ITS FIRST THREE YEARS, BEFORE BUYING A FISH MARKET?

We were in our 20s, we shared a residence, got a small allowance and put all profits into growing the business. We did not put anything in our pockets but the company was able to move forward. It was more like a hustle at that time.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE IT COULD BE A MUCH BIGGER COMPANY?

At the very beginning, we were solely selling our crabs to local markets and restaurants. After a year or two of wrestling with selling at a wholesale level, we set up a 10’ by 10’ tent and a "Blue Crab" sign on the side of Carolina Beach Road. This allowed us to connect directly with the end customer and sell our catch for retail prices. We only had crabs to sell but it allowed us to see and feel the healthy demand for locally sourced seafood. Once we added shrimp to the roadside pop-up market, the opportunity and vision came together.

WHAT IS THE MOST FUN PART OF THE WORK FOR YOU?

I enjoy seeing a thought or idea manifest itself into something real. With seafood, the work involved can be challenging and fatiguing. After it is all said and done, and we have something to show, it's very rewarding. I enjoy the camaraderie with our team.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING?

Training. Seafood has so many nuances and small idiosyncrasies, it's hard to fit everything into a traditional training manual. Experience is the best teacher.

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YOU FIGURED OUT DIGITAL MARKETING EARLY ON — HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

When we were on the side of the road, we received a healthy tip to start collecting email addresses from our customers. It led us to starting our weekly seafood update that we publish every Friday. It became part of our pitch and way to keep in touch with our clients, highlighting our offerings and telling a seafood story of the week. We have been consistent with the Weekly Seafood Update since 2008. Facebook, Instagram and Shopify have slowly and organically been worked into the mix.

HOW SEASONAL IS THE BUSINESS?

Very seasonal. The summer is obviously the most busy. The holidays are very busy, as well. We slim down after the new year.

We start building the team back up in April and May. During the slower months, we try to keep our willing team members working with growth projects and facility maintenance and improvements.

Many team members enjoy doing something other than regular seafood operations.

AFTER STRONG GROWTH IN 2021, HOW IS 2022 PROGRESSING?

We certainly feel the economy slowing down. There is always a fine line to walk with growing and keeping good standards and consistency. At this point we are more interested in efficiency, organization and structure as opposed to adding other revenue streams. We have some exciting growth plans for the Spout Springs Market near Fort Bragg. Also, we have just purchased a food trailer and are excited to put that to work.

DOES THE COMPANY STILL SOURCE SEAFOOD ON ITS OWN?

We produce crabs, clams and oysters with our own boats and licenses but the great majority of what we sell is from other

fishermen, dockside fish houses and dealers. Sam leads up our production side. We have approximately 200 crab pots in the Masonboro Sound and leases in the Stump Sound area that allow us to cultivate shellfish.

DO YOU WHOLESALE FISH OUTSIDE OF N.C. WATERS?

We look to fill as much demand with North Carolina products as possible. For those that North Carolina does not produce, such as scallops, lobsters, crab legs and salmon, we rely on supply from other areas.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO ENTER THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS?

It is where the seafood can come to life. In the seafood industry, research shows that about two-thirds of all seafood consumed is prepared for diners. The other third is cooked at home. The concept of having a kitchen adjacent to the fresh market was very appealing. It also allows for our team to try seafood that they are selling without them having to cook it themselves. The smell of freshly fried shrimp and seasoned steamed crabs certainly helps with the often stronger smell of raw seafood. The commercial kitchen also allows us to create dips and spreads, seafood cakes, soups and more to sell at our other locations or other businesses.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST BUSINESS DECISION?

Our reinvestment of capital year after year.

WHAT DECISION DO YOU MOST REGRET?

Most poor choices have come back around as valuable lessons.

Starting small and growing into things has always helped hedge our bets and reduce the risk. Perhaps this approach has held us back at times but growing too quickly can be dangerous in its own light. ■

SECRET TO SUCCESS “Our core leaders started from the bottom as dock blasters and fishmongers. They now manage human resources, buying, maintenance, logistics and sales.

They — and a host of others — deserve as much or more recognition than Sam, Joe and I.”

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SPECKLED PAW COFFEE

MORE THAN COFFEE

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hat started as one mom-and-pop coffee shop in Mount Gilead has evolved into four spaces in different cities where visitors can experience custom coffee, baked goods and community conversation. Veteran journalist Kyle Poplin, 63, and his wife Myra, 60, founded Speckled Paw Coffee to create a sense of community in the Montgomery County town after moving from Michigan to take care of an aging parent.

Now, their community-driven company has added coffee shops in Polkton, Rockingham and Wadesboro. Each shop looks different because of a business model that hinges on partnership with local organizations. For example, the Polkton site is a collaboration with South Piedmont Community College.

The downtown Rockingham location is part of the IncSpace business incubator.

One aspect remains the same: Speckled Paw is a place where patrons visit for not only coffee, but news and information about the places they call home.

At the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, the Poplins’ focus shifted to becoming the local go-to source of information through weekly email newsletters. Kyle’s editorial experience and knack for community journalism became an asset.

The newsletters set the business apart, showing the owners’ affinity for their communities and dedication to actively promoting them in a creative way, he says.

Comments are edited for length and clarity.

WHAT MAKES SPECKLED PAW COFFEE UNIQUE?

We publish two weekly newsletters in communities that have been largely abandoned by traditional media — Mount Gilead and Anson County. These hyperlocal newsletters, with a combined weekly circulation of about 2,400, promote basic democratic engagement which is lost when the traditional media leaves a community. We tell people things like where to vote, where they can volunteer and which festivals are upcoming. We tell them about fellow community members who are making a difference.

Our business model is to open shops in places that corporate coffee shops consider too small to be profitable and collaborate with others to keep our overhead as low as possible. Our partners in Wadesboro are the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, Anson Economic Development Partnership and uptown Wadesboro. We’re in the common area of their building. Our partners like the cachet a coffee shop can bring to their organization, and our company benefits by sharing overhead expenses, social media and outreach efforts with 46

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OWNERS Myra and Kyle Poplin LOCATION Mount Gilead NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 15 YEAR FOUNDED 2018

our collaborators. Basically, we seek out and profit from mutually beneficial relationships.

Lastly, we’re so small that we can offer custom coffee. Our baristas ask each customer how their drink tastes and how we might improve it.

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR BUSINESS MODEL?

Kyle was a newspaper editor for more than 25 years. Together with a partner, we owned and operated a monthly news magazine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for several years prior to opening our first coffee shop. Through those experiences, we learned a lot about community pride and sense of place. We learned in the magazine business that collaboration is not only possible, it’s required for survival. We found a photographer who took photos for the magazine because it helped promote his studio, and a tech firm that digitized the magazine as a way to learn more about that business and expand to other small publications. We learned that trading goods and services can be just as good as cash and working from home can be more practical than renting office space. Most importantly, we learned how to cut our highest expenses — printing and distribution — by piggybacking with others. Our magazine was a monthly insert in the

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local version of the New York Times and in the local newspaper. From there, it’s a very small leap to owning coffee shops in shared spaces.

that need — just as coffee shops have done in larger towns — and started thinking about a model that would work in a small town.

WHAT’S THE KEY BENEFIT OF COLLABORATION?

WHAT IS YOUR MOST POPULAR COFFEE AND TREAT?

Cost cutting, plus the multiplier effect. At our shops, it’s not just us who want to see more foot traffic, our partners do, too. That means we have a common interest in promoting events in our buildings and in our communities, reaching more people. Collaborations help us expand our footprint with minimal effort.

Our most popular coffee is a flavored latte. It’s the drink of the day on our menu board. Our customers seem to like trying new things. As for treats, people love cinnamon buns. In Mount Gilead, ice cream is always the favorite, even in the winter months.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF YOUR NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION?

Reestablishing habits. Our area was hit hard by COVID and people got out of the habit of coming to our shops. We’re starting to come back, but it’s been a gradual process. Inflation hasn't been a picnic either; the cost of inventory has caused us to rethink our menus and how much to charge in communities with limited spendable income. Payroll has risen, too. We’re making a conscious effort to pay our baristas what they’re worth. They proved they were essential during the pandemic and we don’t want to shortchange the lifeblood of our business.

We’re able to mix in details about the coffee shop themselves, such as upcoming specials and karaoke nights. We love introducing people to our baristas and bragging about their accomplishments such as awards they’ve won at school as a way to personalize and localize our efforts. If you’re authentic and you can capture that authenticity in weekly newsletters, then they feel different from typical marketing efforts. We sell ads in our Mount Gilead newsletter, which provides a much-needed revenue stream of up to $1,000 a month in our smallest market.

HOW MUCH CAPITAL DID IT TAKE TO START?

Very little, relatively speaking. Our coffee supplier, Cactus Creek Coffee in Aberdeen, has been great about finding and selling us used, high-quality equipment to start our shops. They understand what we’re trying to do and how that might ultimately help them sell more coffee. We keep our overhead, including rent, low because of our collaborations with the owners of the physical spaces.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN 2022?

HOW DID YOUR REVENUE DOUBLE FROM AUGUST 2021 TO AUGUST 2022?

We opened a shop in Rockingham, and COVID eased a bit during that time period. But those were still very challenging months.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY WHEN NOT WORKING?

We close our shop at lunchtime daily and take a walk with our dog, Julia, who has speckled paws and is the inspiration for our company name and logo. The highlight is when we walk by the elementary school and kids on the playground yell ‘Julia!’

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE COFFEE BUSINESS?

The coffee business chose us. We moved to Mount Gilead from Ann Arbor because Myra's ailing mother lived there and we wanted to be nearby. We quickly saw that Mount Gilead didn’t really have a gathering space. We realized that a comfortable coffee shop could fill

WHAT ARE SOME FUTURE PLANS FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

As long as coffee-shopping remains fun, we plan to keep doing what we’re doing. ■

SECRET TO SUCCESS “Find people you respect and would like to collaborate with. Find win-win solutions.”

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A third-generation dealer powers her family business as Toyota presses the pedal to the metal in North Carolina.

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oyota Motor’s plan to produce electric batteries near Greensboro isn’t the first time that the Gate City has played an important role in the Japanese automaker’s history. The Rice family, which had a pioneering hand in popularizing the company’s Corolla sedans in the Southeast in the 1960s, is poised to benefit from ripple effects of Toyota’s Tar Heel expansion.

Mary Rice, the third-generation member of her family to run Rice Toyota, is planning to double the dealership’s physical plant in the next few years. A key reason is the $3.8 billion campus under construction near Liberty in northeastern Randolph County, just 20 minutes from Rice Toyota’s Battleground Avenue site in Greensboro.

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influx of new Toyota drivers after the plant opens in 2025, she says. “That’s 5,000 potential new customers. It’s a phenomenon all the time around Toyota plants.”

While there are four Toyota dealerships within a similar distance of the pending factory, Rice says hers is the closest. The 2,000-plus employees and their families — which is how she gets to 5,000 new customers — are likely to live across the region.

Rice, 43, has been at Rice Toyota for a decade now, including two years as dealer principal, industry jargon for the boss. It remains one of the highest-volume Toyota dealers in the Southeast with annual revenue of $150 million, comparable to prepandemic days. The business employs about 170 people.

She’s likely to be there a while. Rice says she is smitten with the car business, even as it faces an increasingly turbulent automotive

PHOTO BY LINDLEY BATTLE

By Tucker Mitchell

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICE TOYOTA

PHOTO BY LINDLEY BATTLE

Car dealer Garson Rice Sr. saw Toyota's potential long before many peers.

sales environment. The dealership industry has faced chaos in recent years thanks to a global pandemic, the rise of electric vehicles, unprecedented supply chain problems that have curbed production, and a new generation of buyers who rely on cellphones to make purchases. For now, many dealers are benefiting from record prices for cars and trucks and greater profit from servicing cars as owners hold on to their vehicles for longer periods. But that near-term windfall could be swallowed up by the industry upheaval that has some auto dealers shaking.

Rice sounds unfazed.

“I’m so ready for all this,” she says. “This is such an exciting time and this is such an interesting business, what with all the changes. It just makes me want to get up and get started in the morning.”

Rice is always in the minority when auto dealers gather because she’s female; a small fraction of the 16,700 U.S. auto dealerships, including about 570 in North Carolina, are believed to be owned by women. Even fewer hold bachelor’s degrees in marine biology. “There aren’t many of us,” Rice confirms.

Her interest in studying sea creatures led to a brief, sweaty job at the North Carolina coast, followed by a successful career in real estate before she headed back to the Piedmont to help sell more Camrys, Tundras and other models.

Rice’s grandfather, Garson Rice Sr., founded the dealership in 1965 by signing on with a newfangled Japanese automaker just two decades after he’d fought their countrymen on Guadalcanal.

Toyota didn’t have dealerships in the Southeast at the time, according to a 1990 Greensboro News & Record story. By the mid-1970s, Toyota had beat out Volkswagen as the best-selling import brand in the U.S. The elder Rice grew up in Kannapolis and was a wheelerdealer who introduced the 24/7 “sale-a-thon” to Greensboro. He once paid a fine to the state after the N.C. Attorney General’s Office determined he was advertising vehicles that weren’t always available. In the late 1970s, Rice boasted of selling as many as 1,089 new cars in a month, which he called a record at that time for Toyota dealerships.

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degree, then headed after graduation to Wilmington to work as a rep for a tract builder selling homes in three local counties. “I just killed it,” she says. “Then I did some commercial projects with builders, and a few other things here and there. Sold a few homes on Wrightsville Beach, at Figure Eight Island. I made money. I met a lot of interesting people. It was great.”

Then one day, her dad called. There was this thing called the internet and something else termed social media. The Rice Toyota website was a mess.

“Dad, I can help you with that,” she said. The project turned into an unofficial full-time job and residency at her parents' Greensboro home. It soon dawned on Mary that her destiny didn’t lie in coastal real estate.

In a Hallmark movie, perhaps, she would have immediately become general manager of the dealership. That’s what people think happens, she says. “They figure it was just handed to me. But really, this is a huge business. Can you imagine what a catastrophe that would be, if they just let the kids (of dealers), or anyone the dealer wanted, in to run the business?”

In the real world, Rice went to the national dealer association’s “Dealer Academy,” joined a mentoring group, spent years working in various departments at Rice Toyota, and was subjected to Toyota’s evaluation program for prospective dealership executives.

She passed.

In 2012, Rice Toyota’s veteran general manager became ill and her father asked her to step into the role.

Garson Rice Jr. and his father, center, secured Toyotas from a Florida company formed by Jim Moran, right.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF RICE TOYOTA

The pugnacious businessman wasn’t afraid to go to court to assert his rights, even against his own business partners and distributor. In 1986, he filed a $40 million lawsuit against Southeast Toyota Distributors, a Jacksonville, Florida-based company franchised by the car manufacturer to deliver cars throughout the region. Rice alleged that Southeast was allocating new vehicles in an unfair manner that disadvantaged him. The lawsuit was settled out of court two years later. Decades later, the Rices remain in Toyota’s good graces.

The business was a second home to Mary Rice, whose dad inherited his own father’s workaholic genes. It was routine for Mary to take dinner to the dealership, often at 5 p.m., when Garson Rice Jr. had a half hour to spare before the craziness picked up again at 5:30.

Rice’s father, who took over from his late father in 1997, still spends several days a week at the dealership. He shrugs at the lifestyle he’s passing on to his daughter.

“This business just becomes part of you, just grows on you,” he says. “You either want it or you don’t. All the hours, all the time you put in, that just becomes kind of normal.”

Garson Rice Jr.’s three children worked part time at the dealership while growing up but didn’t show an inclination to stick with the business. Mary had her heart set on being a scientist, enrolling in marine biology at N.C. State University. A summer internship with an environmental consultancy based in Wilmington led to hot, sticky work that included days squatting amid mosquitoes in a swamp. During that stint, she had lunch with a real estate agent who explained her work.

“It was all so interesting. I just couldn’t believe it,” says Rice.

She started taking real estate courses while finishing her college

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Mary Rice oversees about 170 employees at Rice Toyota.

PHOTO BY LINDLEY BATTLE

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICE TOYOTA

Eight years later, having gotten the hang of things, she purchased a share of the dealership. Her husband, Andy Slaughter, whom she met at the business, is now the general manager.

The succession plan was unplanned, Garson Rice Jr. says.

“It couldn’t have worked out better. Having your daughter follow you in the business … that’s the best thing that can happen to you professionally.”

“It’s amazing to me the way things worked out. I’m very fortunate," says Mary Rice.

Rice is eyeing the future in the context of a fast-changing industry. She hired a contractor that also builds Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru awning systems to erect one for her service department.

Service reps greet customers in the new space, which keeps customers dry but doesn’t expose them to exhaust fumes and the grit of the old service entry.

When the supply chain seized up during the pandemic, she launched an aggressive parts-buying operation. Rice told her managers to get their hands on every part they could, until they had at least a four-month supply of anything that might be needed. She’d find the money to make it happen.

She turned the top floor of Rice’s body shop — it’s located in northeast Guilford County, about 15 miles from the dealership — into a warehouse that serves as a distribution center.

Because of that strategy, Rice says her dealership was often the only store around that could perform certain work. It allowed Rice to maintain staffing levels when many other dealerships furloughed workers.

Now she’s preparing for a future in which most dealerships operate with fewer new vehicles on site. Buyers will essentially order cars online, or in the showroom, aided by tablet-bearing salespeople who advise customers on choices and financing.

There’s likely to be much less “let me take that offer to my manager” salesmanship, she says.

“The red ink all over the offer sheet and all that. … We’re done with that,” she says.

Staying ahead of the curve won’t be easy, Rice acknowledges.

A long list of potential disruptions lurk. Carvana and other online services are influencing used-car sales. Large conglomerates are scooping up family-owned dealerships. Electric vehicles may not require the same level of service as gasoline models, which may reduce the profits at dealership shops.

Tesla’s direct-to-consumer sales model has also caused other manufacturers to seek ways around dealers. But that’s an uphill battle in North Carolina. The powerful dealership lobby — Charlotte’s Hendrick Automotive and Sonic Auto are two of the largest U.S. industry players — has prompted the N.C. General Assembly to pass laws to protect franchisees.

Rice is confident that local dealers have a bright future, including single-store operators like herself. It helps that Toyota has treated the Rice family like royalty for many years — Garson Rice Sr. once received an heirloom kimono from Toyota’s CEO — and has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to local dealers.

While she fields periodic inquiries from prospective buyers of the dealership, Rice says it’s far more likely she will be an acquirer.

She is a member of the General Motors Dealer Development National Candidate Pool, which identifies opportunities for potential dealership acquisitions by women and minority owners.

With auto sales changing, Rice Toyota is trying to keep pace.

Its service area includes a cozy “water vapor” fireplace, a Toyota “merch” shop is under construction, and Freeman Kennett Architects of High Point is designing the expanded showroom.

In a digital age, Rice emphasizes the importance of human contact.

“The biggest complaint we hear from our customers — people who always bought a hybrid but went and bought a Tesla because it was new, and we get at least one of those a week who come in to trade — is that they just can’t get to a person,” says Rice. “They had to take it to a service center in Raleigh three times, but they can’t get it fixed.

“That’s just not right. When it gets to that point with a customer, I don’t care who you are, or who owns the company, at that point you have to be a person. You’ve got to own it. You get it fixed, once and for all, or you trade it and get the customer in another car. That’s what’s important in this business. It always has been and it always will.” ■ D E C E M B E R

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL A veteran Charlotte doctor bucks the trend toward corporate medical practices.

By Edward Martin

W

hy, he gently chides her, did you wait so long to come in? The woman gazes sternly at the young Charlotte doctor. “To be honest,” the patient says, “I don’t want to see you, but since I’m here, I guess I’ll go ahead.”

Through the birth of her two children and death of her first husband, the doctor’s predecessor had been like family. But that doctor had retired, and she’d let her blood-pressure medicine lapse.

It was the 1980s and her new doctor had recently earned an internal medicine degree from East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. His emphasis was on primary care, the front lines of health care and preventive medicine such as controlling hypertension.

Dr. John Sensenbrenner grew up in Union County and earned a bachelor’s degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University. He has the persona of a pastor -- understandable, considering his Lutheran conviction that medicine is a religious calling. His given names, John and William, were also those of his family doctor, only one of two in the county at the time, who had delivered him and cared for him until he entered college.

The doctor’s patient, Carolyn Dunn, is 82 now. She still drives nearly 30 miles through Charlotte traffic as she has done for years, past scores of other physicians' offices, to see Sensenbrenner. “Friends ask me why,” she says.

“Well, he’s like family.”

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In the airy waiting room, the receptionist greeted her by her first name. During an exam, she playfully patted her stomach and asked the doctor, “Is this fat?”

More than 35 years after they first met, Sensenbrenner, 65, looked up from her chart. With characteristic candor he turned up his mustache at the corners in a smile. “Yes,” he nods. “I got the message,” says Dunn, who wouldn’t have medicine any other way.

Sensenbrenner and his primary care clinic are outliers in today’s health care. In 2004, he rebelled, dismayed at what he says was the shifting focus of the hospital-owned clinic where he was employed “from quality care to the bottom line.”

He chose to practice medicine alone, in the shadow of giants.

Eighty percent of his patients followed, and his independent business now counts 5,000 people on the rolls.

In 2021, the American Medical Association says more doctors were employed by large health care organizations, including private-equity firms, than practiced independently.

The AMA says the split is 51% vs 48%, though some experts say corporate ownership is actually much higher.

“It’s been 10 years at least since solo or partner practices became the minority, and I expect that’s a much smaller minority now,” says Tom Ricketts III, a professor and senior researcher at UNC Chapel Hill’s Cecil Sheps Center for Health Services.

An estimated 17,000 doctors work for hospitals in North Carolina. Large health systems insist the arrangement frees doctors to practice medicine rather than manage a business.

Corporate ownership backs doctors with capital, better technology, legions of specialists and data mines containing best-medicine protocols.

Independent doctors like Sensenbrenner scoff. They say their approach leads to better treatment outcomes and lower burnout rates because there is less pressure to shorten the 30-minute visits to which Carolyn Dunn says she’s accustomed. National studies show employed doctors average less than 10 minutes per patient.

Sensenbrenner sees about 10 patients a day, many of whom belong to MDVIP, an $1,800-per year subscription program that focuses on wellness and prevention, says Tristan Samson, who manages the clinic. It operates in a two-story red-brick building that Sensenbrenner has owned in southeast Charlotte since 1984.

As for compensation, independent doctors make more than their peers working for health care systems and private groups, according to the 60,000-member Medical Group Management Association. The Colorado-based trade association focuses on

the business of medical practices.

Doctors in primary-care practices such as Sensenbrenner’s averaged about $305,400 in compensation in 2021, versus about $283,500 for those who do not have an ownership stake, the group reported. The independent doctors had an average of 240 paid hours off compared with 226, and averaged 200 vacation hours, 40 more than employed counterparts.

SPLITTING OFF Cardiologist Dale Owen was among 88 doctors who quit Charlotte-based Atrium Health in 2018 to form Tryon Medical Partners. He’s now CEO at Tryon, which has grown to 11 clinics, 105 doctors and 185,000 patients.

Owen recalls when he first told patients he was going independent. “I went out in the waiting room and shook everybody’s hands and told them,” he says. “They all stood up and clapped and cheered. Patients wanted to feel like they were important again.”

About 3,600 N.C. doctors are affiliated with the Raleighbased Community Care Physician Network, which assists independent practices in delivering effective care and taking part in various health insurance programs.

Dr. John Sensenbrenner runs his own primary-care practice in Charlotte.

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By comparison, UNC Healthcare employs 7,000 physicians, while Novant Health has about 1,800. Atrium Health will employ 7,600 physicians in the Carolinas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia and Alabama pending completion of its merger with Wisconsin-based Advocate Aurora Health, a spokesperson says.

The combined systems report about $27 billion in annual revenue.

Owen says significant pressure for physicians to see more patients prompted his move to help start an independent group.

“You felt rushed all the time. If the patient has multiple issues to deal with, the physician doesn’t have time, so he winds up sending out a lot of referrals.” The referrals were to specialists who were also in practices owned by the hospital system.

“Referrals then create a lot more testing and more testing drives up the cost of care,” Owen says. “This country has the highest health care costs in the world by a factor of two and yet we are just barely in — or even just outside — the top 30 in outcomes. In what other business would somebody with the highest cost and nowhere near the highest quality survive?”

FAMILY DOCS The American Academy of Family Physicians is the largest U.S. medical society devoted to primary care with about 128,000 members. This survey was recorded in December 2020.

PRIMARY EMPLOYER Hospital/health system • 53% Physician group • 16% Government • 15% University • 10% Managed-care/insurance • 2% Other • 4%

OWNERSHIP STAKE No ownership • 73% Partial owners/shareholders • 14% Sole owners • 10% Not applicable • 3%

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Sensenbrenner Primary Care has two doctors, two physician assistants, four nurses and about eight nonclinical staffers. John’s son Eric, 30, joined in August after earning a degree at the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

It’s been 11 years since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Like many Tar Heel doctors, Sensenbrenner was strongly opposed and feared that the ACA would give government officials too much power over health care decisions.

At the time, Sensenbrenner recalls hoping Eric would enter the medical field but was solemn about the industry’s future. “I’d like for my son to be like that, but in his mind, I know he’s saying, ‘Will I be able to follow in my dad’s footsteps, or will I just become another government doctor?’” (His elder son, Adam, manages professional musical groups.)

More than a decade later, fears over the negative impact of Obamacare have eased for Sensenbrenner, Owen and, according to CEO Chip Baggett of the N.C. Medical Society, many other doctors.

“Ten years ago, the Affordable Care Act was a brand-new thing,” Baggett says. “The federal government had never really jumped into the middle of health insurance except for Medicare, and none of us were certain what was going to happen.”

Obamacare mandated virtually everyone hold some form of insurance. Now, more than 25 million additional Americans are insured. Young people can remain on their parents' insurance plans until age 26 and insurers can no longer cancel a policy if it’s found the holder’s illness existed before he or she was insured.

An August federal report concluded that about 8% of the nation’s population remains uninsured, less than half the percentage in 2010. It credited Obamacare, the Medicaid expansion, subsidies for insurance in the open market and the preexisting-condition provision, which prohibits insurers from denying coverage in many instances.

“We all know insurance is the ticket to good care earlier, when physicians can intervene instead of waiting until someone is at a more advanced stage,” Baggett says. “So that has worked out well.”

On a recent afternoon, Sensenbrenner weighed the decade since the birth of Obamacare. Rapid advances in diagnostic procedures such as MRIs and genetic testing enable doctors to replace faulty heart valves without openheart surgery and diagnose tumors even before a patient has symptoms.

Carolyn Dunn was treated successfully for breast cancer in 2016. “It was very small, and [Sensenbrenner] caught it very early,” she says. “I’d been a good girl and had

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mammograms like I was supposed to.” Even after referring her to an oncologist, he followed her treatment step by step. “He went above and beyond what most doctors would do.”

Doctors still complain that the Affordable Care Act has heaped more administrative burdens on their practices. Mandates for electronic medical records can burden small practices and sometimes trigger merger and acquisition activity.

The requirement that all be covered by some form of insurance and the steady consolidation of hospital groups are also concerning.

“You now have a national law that requires people to purchase something, in this case, insurance,” Sensenbrenner says. “This gives immense power to the health insurance industry, which is doing more and more to try to direct physicians on how they care for their patients.”

Unfortunately, a decade of ACA hasn’t slowed the pace of health care spending. North Carolina's decision to block expansion of the program to include residents covered by Medicaid means the state has more uninsured adults between 19 and 64 than all but six states, according to The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit that tracks health care issues. The state ranks 37th in health care access and affordability, according to this year's study.

A provision in the ACA, the medical-loss ratio, requires insurers to pay at least 85 cents of each dollar of premium collected. It was expected to slow health care cost inflation. Instead, it prompted some providers to raise charges in order to maintain profit margins.

“In order for that 15% to get bigger, the 85% needs to get bigger as well,” says Chris Meekins, a health policy analyst for Raymond James Financial Services.

Mandy Cohen, perhaps the state’s best-known health care expert, shares many concerns of the independent primary-care doctors. She trained in internal medicine, then served in public

health roles, including as the secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

After gaining recognition for leading the state’s fight against COVID-19, in January she became executive vice president of Bethesda, Maryland-based Aledade, which partners with medical practices to improve services and patient care and boost revenue.

She is based in Durham, and the company works with about 250 practices in North Carolina.

“Instead of thinking that the only way in primary care to earn more is to do more, we focus on activities that are going to keep folks healthier and out of the hospital,” she says. Aledade compiles databases on best medical practices that rival corporate hospital systems.

“The proof is in the pudding — physician-led practices are more successful at keeping folks healthy, so they show savings overall,” Cohen says. “Practicing in a value-based context allows you to get off the fee-for-service hamster wheel that rewards you for doing more and instead, rewards you for your patients doing better.”

Amid perhaps the most tumultuous period in modern medicine, John Sensenbrenner ponders the changes he’s seen over his career.

His clinic closed briefly at the start of the pandemic but quickly reopened when it became apparent that many patients weren’t prepared for telemedicine visits.

“When someone calls and needs me, I’ll see them,” he says.

“If God needs me, he can surely find me. It’s my job to minister to my flock.”

Sensenbrenner is proud that Eric, after flirting with a specialty in orthopedics, is now focused on primary care, treating adults with complaints from hiccups to end-of-life illnesses.

“I think he realizes nobody practices much like we do anymore.” ■

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NORTH CAROLINA’S

North Carolina’s most respected doctors in 62 specialties are presented in this annual report.

Those cited were selected by their peers with a goal of saluting the state’s leading medical practitioners.

M

ethodology and disclaimer: This report was produced

by DataJoe Research, a software and research company specializing in data collection and verification. The Lakewood, Colo.-based company conducts various nominations across the United States on behalf of publishers. To create the “top doctors” list, DataJoe Research facilitated an online peervoting process, also referencing government sources. DataJoe then tallied the votes per category for each doctor to isolate the top nominees in each category. After collecting nominations and additional information, DataJoe checked and confirmed that each published winner had a current, active license status with the state regulatory board. If we were not able to find evidence of a doctor’s current, active registration with the state regulatory board, that doctor was excluded from the list. In addition, any doctor who has been disciplined, up to the time-frame of our review process for an infraction by the state regulatory board, was excluded from the list. Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to the magazine for its final review and adjustments.

We recognize that there are many good doctors who are not

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shown in this representative list. This is only a sampling of the huge array of talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on the opinions of responding doctors in the region and the results of our research campaign. We take time and energy to ensure fair voting, although we understand that the results of this survey nomination are not an objective metric.

We certainly do not discount the fact that many, many good and effective doctors may not appear on the list.

DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. DataJoe does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from DataJoe. For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at surveys@datajoe.com.

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ADDICTION MEDICINE

CARDIOLOGY

Robyn Jordan

UNC Department of Psychiatry

Chapel Hill

Stephanie Newby

Atrium Health Behavioral Health

Charlotte

ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY

Benjamin Atkeson

North Carolina Heart & Vascular

Smithfield

Matthew Baker

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Elijah Beaty

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Winston-Salem

Michael Blazing

Duke Cardiology Clinic

Durham

Ker Boyce

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Matthew Cavender

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Peter Bressler

Peter B Bressler MD

Durham

Leslie Cristiano

Allergy Asthma and Immunology Services

Clemmons

Charles Ebert Jr

UNC Ear, Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

Heather Gutekunst

Allergy Partners of Raleigh

Raleigh

Anthony Christiano

Vidant Heart & Vascular Care

Greenville

Caroline Hobbs

Atrium Health Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & George (Craig) Clinard Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Edwin Kim

UNC Hospitals Children's Specialty Clinic

Chapel Hill

David Cowherd

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Mildred Kwan

UNC Allergy & Immunology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Cody Deen

UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus

Hillsborough

Shannon Chadha

Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center PA

Charlotte

Michael Elliott

Charlotte

Mildred Kwan

UNC Allergy & Immunology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Diane Laber

Allergy Partners of Pinehurst

Pinehurst

Joseph Falsone

North Carolina Heart & Vascular

Raleigh

Patricia Lugar

Duke Asthma, Allergy, and Airway Center Durham

David Framm

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

John Norris

Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center

Charlotte

David Frazier

ECU Health Medical Center

Greenville

Anil Gehi

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Maeve O’Connor

Allergy Asthma & Immunology Relief of Charlotte

Charlotte

Christian Gring

North Carolina Heart & Vascular

Clayton

Vandana Patel

Carolina Asthma & Allergy

Gastonia

Joseph Hakas Jr

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Ekta Shah

Atrium Health Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

John Holshouser

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Sofija Volertas

UNC Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology

Brett Izo

Asheville Cardiology Associates

Asheville

Eric Janis

North Carolina Heart & Vascular

Smithfield

Geoffrey Jao

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiology

Winston-Salem

Charles Jones

Vidant Heart & Vascular Care

Greenville

Frederic Kahl

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiology

Winston-Salem

Dalane Kitzman

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiology

Winston-Salem

Jeffrey Klein

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Igor Klem

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Lincolnton Morrisville

Charlotte Chapel Hill

ANESTHESIOLOGY Anil Adusumalli

Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital

Ahoskie

James Balfanz

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

John Berry

FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Inc.

Pinehurst

Dale Buchanan

Novant Health

Charlotte

Matthew Buck

Duke Birthing Center

Durham

David Chiu

Salem Anesthesia

Advance

Ashraf Habib

Duke Birthing Center

Durham

Daniel Koehler

Robert Isaak

Chatham Hospital

Siler City

Richard Krasuski

Duke Cardiology Arringdon

Ben Judd

FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Inc.

Pinehurst

Jack Kuritzky

Chapel Hill Internal Medicine

Chapel Hill

Lavinia Kolarczyk

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Jan Levene

Fryecare Cardiology - Boone

Boone

Daniel LaValley Katherine McNiff Nicholas Bryant Murphy

East Carolina Anesthesia Associates

Greenville

David Mayer

UNC Department of Anesthesiology

Chapel Hill

CaroMont Health

Gastonia

Angelo Milazzo Jr

Duke Children’s Cardiology Creekstone

Durham

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Joseph Mishkin

Charlotte

Kimberley Nichols Anthony Passannante Jay ReVille

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Chelsea Ngongang

WakeMed Brier Creek Healthplex

Raleigh

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Agodichi Nwosu

Carolina Heart Physicians PC

Fayetteville

Providence Anesthesia Associates

Pinehurst

Kenneth Owen Jr

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Farrukh Sair

Novant Health

Charlotte

Chetan Patel

Duke University

Durham

Joshua Schwartz

East Carolina Anesthesia Associates

Greenville

Jan Pattanayak

Asheville Cardiology Associates

Asheville

Thomas Slaughter

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Winston-Salem

Kathleen Smith

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Dermot Phelan

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Emily Teeter

Pinehurst Anesthesia Associates

Pinehurst

Brian Powell

Charlotte

Brian Thwaites

Providence Anesthesiology Associates PA Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Department of Anesthesiology

Winston-Salem

Geoffrey Rose

Charlotte

Chuanyao Tong

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Nancy Wilkes

UNC Department of Anesthesiology

Chapel Hill

Joseph Rossi

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

James Winkley

Pinehurst Anesthesia Associates

Pinehurst

Cheryl Russo

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

David Zvara

UNC Department of Anesthesiology

Chapel Hill

Hari Saini

Carolina Heart & Leg Center

Fayetteville

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COLON AND RECTAL SURGERY UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

John Symanski

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

John Vavalle

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

George Stouffer

Laura Altom

North Carolina Surgery

Holly Springs

Patrick Brillant

Physicians East

Greenville

Charlotte

Bradley Davis

CMC Surgery

Charlotte

Chapel Hill

Jennifer Holl

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Charlotte

Kevin Kasten

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery A Facility of Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Christopher Mantyh

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

John Migaly

Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center

Durham

Joseph Payne

NHRMC Physician Specialists

Wilmington

Reza Rahbar

North Carolina Surgery

Raleigh

Julie Thacker

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Reid Vegeler

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

Andrew Wang

Duke Cardiology Clinic

Durham

Cary Ward

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Thelsa Weickert

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Brandon Williams David Zhao

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiology

Winston-Salem

CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY Bret Borchelt

Novant Cardiothoracic Surgeons

Winston-Salem

Stephen Davies

FirstHealth Cardiovascular & Thoracic, Reid Heart Center

Pinehurst

John Frederick

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

COSMETIC SURGERY Joseph. Clark II

UNC Ear, Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

Brenda Draper

Draper Plastic Surgery

Asheville

J. Garrison

Greenville Plastic Surgery

Greenville

Charles Kays

Wilmington Plastic Surgery Specialist

Wilmington

Jefferson Kilpatrick

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

John Robinson

Atrium Health Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Charlotte

Andrew Schneider

Forsyth Plastic Surgery Associates

Winston-Salem

Jeffrey Gaca

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Donald Glower Jr

Duke Heart Transplant Clinic

Durham

Mark Groh

Asheville Heart

Asheville

Edward Kincaid

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiothoracic Surgery

Winston-Salem

Neal Kon

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiothoracic Surgery

Winston-Salem

Adrian Lata

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiothoracic Surgery

Winston-Salem

Joseph Jorizzo

Wake Forest Baptist Health Dermatology

Winston-Salem

L. Nifong

East Carolina Heart Institute

Greenville

Mashael Al-Hegelan

Christina Barkauskas Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Shannon Carson

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Lydia Chang

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Stephen Cochran

Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants

Charlotte

Elizabeth Dreesen

UNC Hospitals Multispecialty Surgery Clinic

Chapel Hill

Daniel Gilstrap

Duke University Hospitals

Durham

Douglas Haden

Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants

Charlotte

Michael Haley

Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants

Charlotte

Alan Heffner

Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants

Charlotte

Allison Johnson

Haywood Surgical Associates

Clyde

Jacob Schroder

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Eric Skipper

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Medhat Takla

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Concord

John Williams

East Carolina Heart Institute

Greenville

Judson Williams

WakeMed Raleigh Campus

Raleigh

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE Duke University Hospital

Durham

Herman Cheek

Congdon Heart and Vascular Center

High Point

Scott Denardo

FirstHealth Cardiology

Laurinburg

Peter Ellman

FirstHealth Cardiovascular & Thoracic Center

Pinehurst

Lisa Lindauer

FirstHealth Hospitalist Service

Pinehurst

John Fedor

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Casey Olm-Shipman

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Terry Fortin

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

J. Harrison

Duke Cardiology

Morrisville

Jason Katz

Duke Heart Transplant Clinic

Durham

Mark Landers

FirstHealth Cardiology

Pinehurst

Neha Pagidipati

Duke University Hospital

Durham

DERMATOLOGY

Geoffrey Rose

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

James Appel

Wilmington Health PLLC

Wilmington

Cheryl Russo

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Elias Ayli

Wake Skin Cancer Center

Wake Forest

H. Strunk Jr

FirstHealth Cardiology

Pinehurst

April Boswell

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

John Symanski

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Claude Burton III

Charlotte

Marc Carruth

Carolina Skin Surgery Center

Charlotte

Thomas Przybysz II

Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants

Charlotte

Craig Rackley

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

John Wynne

Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants

Charlotte

Christopher Young

Levine Children’s Hospital

Charlotte

James Tcheng

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Elvira Chiritescu

New Age Dermatology

Apex

Kellie Tolin

Wake Psychiatry PLLC

Raleigh

Robert Clark

Cary Skin Center PA

Cary

B. Wilson

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Donna Culton

UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center Chapel Hill

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N O R T H

Charlotte

Logan D’Souza

Forest Dermatology and Medical Spa

Alyssa Daniel

Novant Health Dermatology

Charlotte

Meredith Dasher

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Asheville

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Audrey Echt

Anne Arundel Dermatology

Raleigh

Hazem El-Gamal

Charlotte Dermatology PA

Charlotte

Sarah Fox

NHRMC Physician Specialists

Wilmington

Jennifer Helton

Steele Creek Dermatology

Charlotte

Erin Hodges

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Mark Hutchin

Dermatology of North Asheville

Asheville

Brooke Jackson

Skin Wellness Dermatology Associates

Durham

Martie Jewell

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Daniel Jones

Greensboro Dermatology Associates PA Greensboro

Joseph Jorizzo David Lane

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Dermatology Dermatologic Surgery of the Carolinas

Winston-Salem Charlotte

Aida Lugo-Somolinos UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center Pinehurst Lisa May Amy McMichael

Biltmore Dermatology Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Dermatology

Asheville Winston-Salem

John Murray

Duke Dermatology Clinic

Durham

Sarah Myers

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Patricia Roddey

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Christopher Sayed

UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center Chapel Hill

Lindsay Strowd Michael Sullivan

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Dermatology Carolina Dermatology & Skin Cancer Surgery PA

Winston-Salem Wilmington

Nancy Thomas

UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center Chapel Hill

Carol Trakimas

Forefront Dermatology

Goldsboro

Sarah Vieta

Vieta Dermatology PLLC

Pinehurst

Phil Williford

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Dermatology

Winston-Salem

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Charles Gerardo

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Joseph Grover

UNC Department of Emergency Medicine

Chapel Hill

Matthew Harmody

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

Michael Harrigan

UNC Hospitals Emergency Department Chapel Hill

Laura Hester

Chatham Hospital

Siler City

Amanda Korzep

FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc.

Pinehurst

James Lewis

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

Chad Listrom

FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc.

Pinehurst

Emily MacNeill

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Arun Manikumar

UNC Rex Hospital

Raleigh

David Manthey

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Emergency Medicine

Winston-Salem

Daniel Martinie

Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates PA

Charlotte

Abhishek Mehrotra

UNC Department of Emergency Medicine

Chapel Hill

Jason Mutch

Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates PA

Charlotte

Christina Shenvi

UNC Emergency Medicine

Chapel Hill

Erin Smith

Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates PA

Charlotte

Linda Taylor

High Point Medical Center Emergency Department

High Point

Julie Verchick

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

Matthew Vreeland

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

ENDOCRINOLOGY DIABETES AND METABOLISM Francisco Bautista Vitiello Denis. Becker

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Raleigh Endocrine Associates

Raleigh

D. Brantley

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Cynthia Burns

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Winston-Salem

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill Durham

Deborah Agisim

Charlotte Radiology PA

Charlotte

John Alley Jr.

Raleigh Radiology

Raleigh

John Buse

Ersan Altun

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Donald Caraccio

UNC Department of Medicine

Mustafa Bashir

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

David D’Alessio

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Lauren Burke

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Kelli Dunn

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Adva Eisenberg

Novant Health Endocrinology

Charlotte

Josh Evron

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Cristina Gherghe

LeBauer HealthCare - Endocrinology

Greensboro

Tahereh Ghorbani

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Kristen Hairston

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Winston-Salem

Elizabeth Harris

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Morgan Jones

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Tripuraneni Kirk

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Brooks Mays

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Diana McNeill

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

K. Ober

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Winston-Salem

Tracy Jaffe

Duke University

Durham

Allen Joseph

Pinehurst Radiology

Pinehurst

Lynne Koweek

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Brian Kuszyk

Eastern Radiologists INC

Greenville

Michael Lavelle

Charlotte Radiology PA

Charlotte

Carolyn Maynor

Pinehurst Radiology

Pinehurst

John Roberson

Pinehurst Radiology

Pinehurst

Amy Sobel

Charlotte Radiology PA

Charlotte

Anthony Thaxton

Eastern Radiologists

Greenville

Glen Toomayan

Pinehurst Radiology

Pinehurst

Michael Tripp

Eastern Radiologists

Greenville

EMERGENCY MEDICINE Anthony Allen Bradley Anglemyer

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Emergency Medicine Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates PA

Winston-Salem

Gary Rolband

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Charlotte

E. Story

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Maya Styner

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Charles Upchurch

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Mark Warren

Physicians East

Greenville

Julia Warren-Ulanch

Creedmoor Centre Endocrinology

Raleigh

Thomas Weber

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Don Bahner Jr.

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

Kevin Biese

UNC Emergency Medicine

Chapel Hill

Jane Brice

UNC Hospitals Emergency Department Chapel Hill

John Bridgman

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

Sandhills Emergency Physicians

Pinehurst

Frank Christopher Chad Eller Herbert Garrison

Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates PA ECU Physicians

Charlotte Greenville D E C E M B E R

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FAMILY MEDICINE Mohsin Arshad

Novant Health Inpatient Care Specialists Winston-Salem

Dominick Trapani

WakeMed Primary Care

Raleigh

Angela Bacigalupo

Burlington Family Practice

Burlington

Jessica Triche

Vidant Family Medicine-Chocowinity

Raleigh

John Baker

J Scott Baker MD

Highlands

Donna Tuccero

Avance Health System Inc

Raleigh

Amir Barzin

UNC Family Medicine Center at Chapel Hill

Siler City

Carolyn Vaught

UNC Department of Family Medicine

Chapel Hill

Lateef Cannon

Pardee UNC Health Care

Hendersonville

Jenny Chen

Atrium Health Mint Hill Primary Care

Mint Hill

Clark Denniston

UNC Department of Family Medicine

Crystal Dorsey

Novant Health Maplewood Family Medicine

Andrew Drabick Sandra Farland

Christopher John Vieau Atrium Health Union Family Practice

Monroe

Craig White

Davidson Family Medicine

Davidson

Chapel Hill

Geoffrey Wrinkle

Atrium Health Primary Care Family Medicine

Charlotte

Winston-Salem

Brian Wysong

Gaston Medical Partners

Belmont

Family Medical Associates of Raleigh

Raleigh

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Family Medicine

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Winston-Salem

Amit Aravapalli

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Todd Baron

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Eugene Bozymski

Duke Department of Medicine

Durham

M. Branch

Duke Endoscopy Clinic

Durham

Oscar Brann

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Jorge Franco

Carolina Family Practice Centre

Fayetteville

Garett Franklin

Cary Medical Group

Cary

Elizabeth Fry

Physicians East

Greenville

Steven Gilchrist

Blakeney Family Physicians

Charlotte

Mark Gwynne

Chatham Hospital

Siler City

Rebecca Burbridge

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Michael Harris

Carolina Family Practice & Sports Medicine

Raleigh

John Clements

Lake Norman Medical Group

Mooresville

Margaret Helton

UNC Department of Family Medicine

Chapel Hill

Justin Crocker

Duke Gastroenterology

Raleigh

Milton Hester

Crown Point Family Physicians

Charlotte

Evan Dellon

Laura House

Chatham Hospital

Siler City

UNC Center for Gastrointestinal Biology Chapel Hill and Disease

Amy Howerton

Howerton Family Medicine

Roseboro

Spencer Dorn

UNC Hospitals Endoscopy Center at Chapel Hill Meadowmont (Gastrointestinal Medicine)

Lauren Hull

Atrium Health Primary Care Family Medicine

Charlotte

Darin Dufault

Duke University Medical Center

Crissman Family Practice

Graham

Christopher Ferris

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Eric Frizzell

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Gastroenterology

Winston-Salem

Megan Johnson

Durham

Melissa Jones

Melissa Jones Do Primary Care

Charlotte

Gregory Knapp

East Carolina University Physicians

Greenville

John Gilliam III

Bo Kopynec

FirstHealth Family Medicine

Ellerbe

Ian Grimm

UNC Hospitals GI Procedures

Chapel Hill

Kourtney Krohn

Physicians East

Greenville

Brian Lanier

Promina Health

Wilmington

Hans Herfarth

UNC Hospitals Endoscopy Center at Meadowmont

Chapel Hill

Brenda LathamSadler

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Family Medicine

Winston-Salem

Eric Hilgenfeldt

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Kent Holtzmuller

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Andrew LePorte

FirstHealth Primary Care

Raeford

Christopher Jue

Digestive Health Specialists PA

Winston-Salem

James Liffrig

FirstHealth Convenient Care

Asheboro

David Locklear

Gaston Medical Partners

Gastonia

Jason Lewis

Atrium Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Charlotte

Michael McCartney

Gaston Medical Partners PLLC

Gastonia

Millie Long

UNC Hospitals Endoscopy Center at Chapel Hill Meadowmont (Gastrointestinal Medicine)

Jyothi Mann

Guilford Medical Center PA

Greensboro

David Martin

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Gastroenterology

Winston-Salem

Jeffrey Medoff

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Gastroenterology

Greensboro

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Gastroenterology

Winston-Salem

Marshall McMillan

Crown Point Family Physicians

Charlotte

Mimi Miles

Chatham Hospital

Chapel Hill

Benjamin Missick

Novant Health Blakeney Family Physicians

Charlotte

Mary Moree

FirstHealth Family Medicine

Rockingham

Andrew Morris

Hendersonville Family Health Center

Hendersonville

Dana Neutze

Chatham Hospital

Siler City

Girish Mishra

Justin Parker

Asheville Family Medicine

Asheville

John Moore III

Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology Huntersville

Augustus Parker

Novant Health Blakeney Family Physicians

Charlotte

Murtaza Parekh

REX Digestive Healthcare

Jason Parker

Novant Health Inpatient Care Specialists

Charlotte

Preston Purdum III

Carolina Digestive Health Associates PA Charlotte

Brent Penhall

Novant Health Lakeside Family Physicians Mooresville

Ginger Poulton

Mahec Family Health Center

Asheville

James Powell

East Carolina University

Alicia Reams

Raleigh

James Rholl

Digestive Health Partners

Hendersonville

Martin Scobey

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Greenville

Nicholas Shaheen

UNC Hospitals Endoscopy Center at Meadowmont

Chapel Hill

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

David Smith

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

John Redding II

White Oak Family Physicians

Asheboro

Thomas Swantkowski Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Derek Reed

Gaston Medical Partners

Gastonia

Melissa Teitelman

Duke University Hospitals

Durham

Ann Marie Richards

FirstHealth Family Medicine

Pinehurst

Kerry Whitt

RMG Gastroenterology

Raleigh

Benjamin Simmons III

Atrium Health Primary Care Mint Hill Commons Family Medicine

Monroe

Karen Smith

Karen L Smith MD PA

Raeford

Caroline Stephens

Gaston Medical Partners

Gastonia

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N O R T H

C A R O L I N A

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GENERAL SURGERY Elizabeth Acquista

New Hanover Regional Medical Center

Wilmington

Matthew Alleman

WakeMed Raleigh Campus

Raleigh

GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY Victoria Bae-Jump

UNC Department of Obstetrics

Chapel Hill

& Gynecology UNC Hospitals Gynecologic

Aaron Bergsman

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Huntersville

Dan Blazer III

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Bryan Blitstein

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Huntersville

Jubilee Brown

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Pinehurst

Ashley Case

Hope Women’s Cancer Centers

Asheville

John Boggess

Chapel Hill

Oncology Clinic

Brian Burlingame

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Anthony Charles

UNC Hospitals Multispecialty Surgery Clinic

Chapel Hill

Leslie Clark

Ashley Christmas

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Erin Crane

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Pinehurst

Brittany Davidson

Duke Cancer Center

Durham

H. Chu

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

UNC Hospitals Gynecologic

Chapel Hill

Oncology Clinic

Novant Health Gynecologic

Carolyn Day

North Carolina Surgery

Raleigh

Janelle Fauci

Chirag Desai

UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

Blair Harkness

Hope Women’s Cancer Centers

David Grantham

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

Angeles Secord

Duke Cancer Center

Durham

Diane Semer

Physicians East

Greenville

B. Heniford

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery, A Facility of Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Elizabeth Skinner

Novant Health Cancer Institute

Greensboro

Kent Kercher

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery, A Facility of Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Cynthia Lauer

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Kenneth MacDonald

Physicians East

Greenville

Matthew Martin

Central Carolina Surgery PA

Greensboro

J. Meredith

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist General Surgery

Lexington

HAND SURGERY

Anthony Meyer

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Mark Brenner

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

Natalie Nowak

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Matthews

Erika Gantt

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte Charlotte

John Soper

Charlotte

Oncology Associates

Asheville

UNC Hospitals Gynecologic

Chapel Hill

Oncology Clinic

Erin Stone

Novant Health Mintview Ob/Gyn

Charlotte

Michael Sundborg

FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology

Pinehurst

Linda Van Le

UNC Hospitals Gynecologic

Chapel Hill

Oncology Clinic

David Overby

UNC General Surgery Clinic

Hillsborough

Glenn Gaston

OrthoCarolina

Lee Pederson

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Charlotte

John Gaul III

OrthoCarolina

Arielle Perez

UNC Hospitals Multispecialty Surgery Clinic

Chapel Hill

Christopher Johnson Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Mission Surgery

Asheville

Charlotte Pinehurst

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Kolandaivelu Ramaswamy Jonathan Routh

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Gary Kuzma

The Hand Center of Greensboro

Greensboro

Lynnette Schiffern

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Kevin Kuzma

The Hand Center of Greensboro

Greensboro Asheville

L. Koman

Winston-Salem

Hand Surgery

Courtney Sommer

Mission Trauma Services

Asheville

Christopher Lechner

Carolina Hand and Sports Medicine

Kristin Wagner

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Charlotte

Bruce Minkin

Carolina Hand and Sports Medicine

Asheville

Matthew Wakefield

Central Carolina Surgery PA

Greensboro

Lois Osier

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Eric Wallace Raymond Washington Jr Christopher Watters

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Matthews

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

Duke General Surgery

Raleigh

Leslie Webster III

Surgical Specialists of Charlotte PA

Charlotte

Carl Westcott

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist General Surgery

Winston-Salem

Richard Williams Jr.

ECU Brody School of Medicine

Greenville

Raleigh Hand to Shoulder Center

Raleigh

Orthopaedic Specialists of NC

Raleigh

Lacy Thornburg

Carolina Hand and Sports Medicine

Asheville

Harrison Tuttle

Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic

Cary

Ethan Wiesler Julie Woodside

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Hal Atkinson

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Geratric Medicine

Winston-Salem

Lee Berkowitz

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Maureen Dale

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Darla Liles Alice Ma

OrthoCarolina

Gastonia

ECU Brody School of Medicine

Greenville

David Mack

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center

Chapel Hill

at Eastowne Maria Parham Cancer Center

Henderson

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center

Chapel Hill

Stephan Moll Ifeyinwa Osunkwo

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Robert Pohlmeyer

FirstHealth Outpatient Cancer Center

Pinehurst

Misbah Qadir

Kinston Medical Specialists

Kinston

Laura Hanson

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Jeff Williamson

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Geratric Medicine

Bermuda Run

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Geratric Medicine

Winston-Salem

Chapel Hill

at Eastowne

Hendrik Van Deventer UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

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Winston-Salem

Hand Surgery

HEMATOLOGY

GERIATRIC MEDICINE

Mia Yang

James Post Ryan Tarr

Charlotte

Chapel Hill

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HEPATOLOGY

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Alfred Barritt IV

UNC Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease

Chapel Hill

Carl Berg

Duke University

Durham

Jama Darling

UNC Department of Hepatology

Chapel Hill

Andrew Delemos

Transplant and Liver Center

Charlotte

David Friedlander

UNC Department of Urology

Chapel Hill

Matthew Kappus

Duke Gastroenterology

Durham

Lindsay King

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Mark Russo

Transplant and Liver Center

Charlotte

Neil Shah

UNC Department of Gastroenterology

Chapel Hill

Steven Zacks

Atrium Health Liver Care & Transplant

Pineville

HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE

Megan Alexander

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Internal Medicine

Winston-Salem

Daniel Aquino

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Lorri Ayers

Perspective Health & Wellness

Charlotte

Hendren Bajillan

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Internal Medicine

High Point

Anne Barnard

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Erika Bono

Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Medical Clinic

Charlotte

Kerry Briones

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Jenifir Bruno

FirstHealth Hospitalist Service

Pinehurst

Eric Byrd

Carolina Mountain Internal Medicine

Hendersonville

Aubrey Calhoun

Lake Norman Medical GroupInternal Medicine

Mooresville

Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Group

Charlotte

John Barkley

Carolinas HealthCare System

Charlotte

Faye Campbell

Joshua Baru

Messino Cancer Centers

Asheville

Jason Carnes

Tryon Medical Partners

Huntersville

Iris Cheng

Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Internal Medicine

Charlotte

Alice Cole

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Russell Coletti II

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Cristin Colford

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Gregory Collins

Atrium Health Primary Care Randolph Internal Medicine

Charlotte

Anthony Galanos

Duke Regional Hospital

Durham

Aaron Gavett

FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care

West End

Julie Jones

FirstHealth Physicians Group

West End

Jason Lowe

Cape Fear Orthopaedics

Fayetteville

Gina OMorrill

IPC

Monroe

Emily Sawyer

Four Seasons Compassion for Life

Flat Rock

Beth Susi

Atrium Health Supportive Oncology Clinic

Charlotte

Ellen Willard

FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care

West End

INFECTIOUS DISEASE Gretchen Arnoczy

FirstHealth Infectious Diseases

Pinehurst

Peter Copsis Christopher Cosgrove Michael Daley Darren DeWalt

Tryon Medical Partners

Matthews

Intracoastal Internal Medicine

Wilmington

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill Henderson

Luther Bartelt

UNC Division of Infectious Diseases

Chapel Hill

Laura Diefendorf

Duke Primary Care Henderson

Myron Cohen

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Charles Ferree

Tryon Medical Partners

Pineville

Joseph Eron Jr.

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Benjamin Fischer

Fischer Clinic

Raleigh

Claire Farel

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Kelly Forb

Carolinas Hospitalist Group

Charlotte

T. Gallaher

Physicians East

Kinston

Michelle Foster

Novant Health Southern Piedmont Primary Care

Monroe

Cynthia Gay

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Michael Friedland

Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Medical Clinic

Charlotte

Bruce Israel

Mission Infectious Disease Associates

Asheville

Kym Furney

Tryon Medical Partners

Pineville

Jaspaul Jawanda

FirstHealth Infectious Diseases

Pinehurst

Lawal Garba

Cone Health

Greensboro

Kristine Johnson

Mission Infectious Disease Associates

Asheville

Jane Harrell

H3 Healthcare

Charlotte

Anne Lachiewicz

UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

Jessica Heestand

Wake Internal Medicine

Raleigh

Joseph Lang

ID Consultants PA

Charlotte

Charles Howarth

FirstHealth Hospitalist Service

Pinehurst

Michael Leonard

Atrium Health Infectious Disease

Charlotte

Lane Jacobs

Carolinas Medical Center

Charlotte

Lewis McCurdy

Atrium Health Infectious Disease

Charlotte

Peter Justis

Charlotte Medical Clinic

Charlotte

Christina Kennelly

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Heather Michael

Novant Health Infectious Disease Specialists

Charlotte

Eric Landis

Tryon Medical Partners

Pineville

Christopher Ohl

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Infectious Diseases

Winston-Salem

Andre Leonard

Intracoastal Internal Medicine

Wilmington

Christopher Parsons

Pardee Center for Infectious Diseases

Hendersonville

Catherine Passaretti

Atrium Health Infectious Disease

Charlotte

David Priest

Novant Health Infectious Disease Specialists

Mindy Sampson

Atrium Health Infectious Disease

Adam Ligler

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Bobby Maynor Jr.

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Andrea McGrath

Tryon Medical Partners

Pineville

Winston-Salem

Leigh Medaris

Atrium Health Infectious Disease

Charlotte

Charlotte

Justin Miller

Tryon Medical Partners

Matthews

Daniel Mollin Jr.

Wake Internal Medicine

Raleigh

John Sanders III

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Infectious Diseases

Winston-Salem

Walter Morris III

Walter S. Morris III, MD, FACP

Southern Pines

Nicholas Turner

Duke University Hospitals

Durham

Francis O’Brien

Winston-Salem

David Weinrib

Atrium Health Infectious Disease

Charlotte

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Internal Medicine

David Wohl

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

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Mark Perini

Guilford Medical Associates PA

Greensboro

Elizabeth Perry

Signature Healthcare PLLC

Charlotte

C A R O L I N A

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Shana Ratner Douglas Schultz

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne Randolph Health Internal Medicine

John Sensenbrenner John W. Sensenbrenner, MD

Chapel Hill Asheboro Charlotte

Kevin Shah

Duke University and Duke University Health System

Durham

Amy Shaheen

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Gary Shelton

Tryon Medical Partners

Joshua Shoemake Michael Soboeiro

Jennifer Atlas

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Ethan Basch

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Jeremiah Boles

REX Hematology Oncology Associates

Raleigh

Kathryn Brownlee

Novant Health Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Edward Copelan

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Julie Fisher

Atrium Health Levine Center Institute

Charlotte

Gary Frenette

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Charlotte

Daniel Haggstrom

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

H3 Healthcare

Charlotte

Bei Hu

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

WakeMed Primary Care

Garner David Hurd

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Oncology & Hematology Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem

Ai Jing

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Kunal Kadakia

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Greg Knight

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Mary Ann Knovich

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Alan Kritz

REX Hematology Oncology Associates

Raleigh

Glenn Lesser

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Oncology & Hematology Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem

Charles Kuzma

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Kathryn Mileham

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Matthew Milowsky

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Charles Packman

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Bayard Powell

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Oncology & Hematology Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem

Brittany Ragon

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Brandi Reeves

Nc Cancer Hospital

Chapel Hill

Tracy Rose

Carolina Eye Associates

Chapel Hill

George Sanders

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center Oncology and Hematology - Hayworth Cancer Center

High Point

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Chapel Hill

Michol Stanzione

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

John Tenini

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Lisena Verka

Duke Primary Care South Durham

Durham

Kathleen Waite

Duke Signature Care

Durham

Hala Webster

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Julianne Weidner

Tryon Medical Partners

Charlotte

Amy Weil

UNC Faculty Physicians Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Mary Weitzel

FirstHealth Hospitalist Service

Pinehurst

Caroline Wilds

Tryon Medical Partners

Matthews

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY Peter Belford

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Kurt Daniel

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cardiology

High Point

Keith Davis

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

William Harris

FirstHealth Cardiology

Pinehurst

William Jones

Duke University Medical Center

Sun Kim

FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc.

Pinehurst

Glen Kowalchuk

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Charlotte

Durham

James Mills

Duke University Medical Center

Raleigh

Mohit Pasi

North Carolina Heart & Vascular

Raleigh

Jonathan Serody

Michael Rinaldi

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Gary Sherrill

Cone Health Cancer Center

Greensboro

REX Hematology Oncology Associates

Cary

Jonathan Schwartz

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Amanda Sherrod Charlotte

Sascha Tuchman

Chapel Hill

Michael Sketch Jr.

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Archie Tyson Jr.

Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute

High Point

Hope Uronis

Duke Cancer Center

Durham

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

B. Hadley Wilson

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Peter Voorhees

Charlotte

NEPHROLOGY

MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE

Paul Blake

Metrolina Nephrology Associates PA

Charlotte

Randal Detwiler

UNC Hospitals Kidney Specialty and Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

Kathleen Doman

Nephrology & Hypertension Consultants PA

Charlotte

Winston-Salem

Ronald Falk

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Durham

Maxwell Fisher

ECU Health Medical Center

Greenville

Chapel Hill

Jennifer Flythe

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Chris Fotiadis

Metrolina Nephrology Associates

Charlotte

Nancy Gritter

Metrolina Nephrology Associates

Charlotte Chapel Hill

John Allbert

Novant Health Maternal-Fetal Medicine Cornelius

Carol Coulson

MAHEC OB/GYN Specialists

Asheville

Elizabeth Coviello

UNC Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Raleigh

Chad Grotegut

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Maternal & Fetal Medicine

Brenna Hughes

Duke Birthing Center

Thomas Ivester

UNC Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Julie Johnson

FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc.

Pinehurst

M. Menard

UNC Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Chapel Hill

Alison Stuebe

UNC Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Raleigh

Gerald Hladik

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Geeta Swamy

Duke Perinatal

Durham

Edward Hoehn-Saric

Pinehurst Nephrology Associates PC

Pinehurst

Lorene Temming

Atrium Health CMC Women’s Institute

Charlotte

Heather Jones

Eastern Nephrology Associates

Greenville

John Middleton

Duke Nephrology Clinic

Durham

Shahriar Moossavi

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Nephrology

Winston-Salem

Amy Mottl

UNC Department of Medicine

Chapel Hill

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY AND HEMATOLOGY Asim Amin

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Navin Anthony

Hendersonville Hematology and Oncology Hendersonville

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Michael Rocco Prabir RoyChaudhury Matthew Sparks Jennifer Stoddard Hanna Von Hardenberg Kimberly Yates

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Nephrology UNC Department of Medicine

Durham

Aarti Sarwal

Pinehurst

John Scagnelli

Raleigh Neurology Associates

Pinehurst Nephrology Associates PC

Pinehurst

Alexander Schneider Mission Neurology

Metrolina Nephrology Associates

Mooresville

Mustafa Siddiqui

Charlotte Clemmons

E. Dyer

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Charlotte

The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center

Martin Henegar

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Charlotte

Laith Khoury

Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic

Raleigh

Erin Kiehna

Novant Health Brain & Spine Surgery

Charlotte

Baptist Neurosurgery

Winston-Salem

Charlotte Durham

Angela Wabulya

UNC Hospitals Neurology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Leanne Willis

Regional Physicians Neuroscience Center

Thomasville

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte OB/GYN

Charlotte

Carlos Bendfeldt

UNC Women’s Health

Clayton

Mark Bland

Novant Health Rankin OB/GYN

Charlotte

Allison Bell

Chapel Hill

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Greensboro

Kim Boggess

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Winston-Salem

Breanna Bolivar

MAHEC OB/GYN Specialists

Asheville

Bari Byrd

Kamm Mckenzie OB/GYN

Raleigh

John Byron

Southern Pines Women’s Health Center Southern Pines

Grant Campbell

Atrium Health Women’s Care Eastover University OB/GYN

Charlotte

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Neurosurgery FirstHealth UNC Neurosurgery & Spine

John Wilson Jr.

Neurosurgery

Pinehurst Winston-Salem

NEUROLOGY

Lisa Chitour

Biltmore Ob-Gyn Pa

Asheville

Alice Chuang

UNC Ob/Gyn

Chapel Hill

Ginger Dickerson

Atrium Health Women’s Care Eastover University OB/GYN

Charlotte

Pinehurst

Andrea Dickerson

A Woman’s Place

Fayetteville

Arden

Michael Evers

Chatham Hospital

Siler City

Walter Fasolak

Southern Pines Womens Health

Southern Pines

Amy Fletcher

Thrive Carolinas

Charlotte

Antonia Ahern

Guilford Neurologic Associates

Greensboro

Richard Bedlack Jr.

Duke Nephrology Clinic

Durham

Liya Beyderman

Charlotte Neurological Services

Charlotte

Melanie Blacker

FirstHealth Hospitalist Service

Joel Callahan Jr.

Pardee Neurology Associates

Jill Conway

Atrium Health Neurology Duke University Medical Center

UNC Hospitals

James Walker

Michael Cartwright

Winston-Salem

Mark Skeen

Shawn Quillin

Raleigh

Raleigh Asheville

Rajdeep Singh

NUCLEAR MEDICINE

Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic

Atrium Health Wake Forest

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Neurology

Durham

Lars Gardner

James Caress

Winston-Salem

Duke University Medical Center

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Stephen Tatter

Pinehurst

Pinehurst Nephrology Associates PC

Spine Center

Adams Joseph Stern

Pinehurst Neurology Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Neurology

Charles Branch Jr.

Deanna Sasaki-

Jonathan Richman

Chapel Hill

Anthony Asher

Adrian Laxton

Winston-Salem

Cormac O’Donovan

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

Allan Friedman

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Neurology

Winston-Salem

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Neurology Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Neurology Cmc Neuroscience & Spine Institute

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem Charlotte

Ann Ford

Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center

Durham

Beverly Gray

Duke Birthing Center

Durham

Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte Charlotte OB/GYN

Jeffrey Cooney

Duke Nephrology Clinic

Durham

Leslie HansenLindner

Andrea Diedrich

Atrium Health Neurology

Charlotte

Angela Haskins

Physicians East

Greenville

Danielle Englert

Atrium Health Neurology

Charlotte

Jennie Hauschka

Mintview Ob/Gyn

Charlotte

Chapel Hill

Laura Havrilesky

Duke Cancer Center

Durham

Michelle Homeister

Wilkerson OBGYN

Raleigh

Jennifer Howell

Duke University Hospital

Durham

Kathryn Hull

Novant Health Providence Ob/Gyn

Charlotte Charlotte

UNC Faculty Physicians Center

Ana Felix

at Eastowne

Michael Forbes

UNC Hospitals Neurology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Karissa Gable

Duke Neurological Disorders Clinic

Durham

Gwenn Garden

UNC Department of Neurology

Chapel Hill

Jerome Gardner

Centre Ob/Gyn

Raleigh

Emily Hutcheson

Atrium Health Women’s Care Eastover OB/GYN

Ajmal Gilani

UNC Neurology

Clayton

Mohamed Ibrahim

FirstHealth Ob/Gyn

Rockingham

Lisa Hobson-Webb

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Lisa Jackson-Moore

UNC Ob/Gyn

Chapel Hill

Keith Hull

Raleigh Neurology Associates PA

Raleigh

Duke Electromyography Laboratory

Durham

Astrid Jain

Charlotte

Vern Juel

Atrium Health Women’s Care Eastover OB/GYN

Delores Johnson

Neurology

Mount Airy

Kaiwen Lin

Atrium Health Neurology

Charlotte

Sneha Mantri

Duke Neurology Morreene Road

Durham

Jennifer Kalich

Atrium Health Women’s Care Eastover OB/GYN

Charlotte

Kyle Mitchell

Duke Neurology Morreene Road

Durham

Caroline Lewis

UNC Women’s Health

Clayton

Kathryn Moore

Duke Neurology Morreene Road

Durham

Diana McCarthy

WakeMed Obstetrics & Gynecology

Cary

Joel Morgenlander

Duke Neurological Disorders Clinic

Durham

Maria Munoz

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

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Jennifer Mury

UNC Women’s Health

Smithfield

George Nowacek

UNC OB/GYN

Chapel Hill

Latoya Patterson

Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center

Durham

Laura Pekman

Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte OB/GYN

Charlotte

Christie Secrest

Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte OB/GYN

Charlotte

Kiran Sigmon

MAHEC OB/GYN Specialists

Asheville

Aviva Stein

Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte Charlotte OB/GYN

Charles Termin

Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte Charlotte OB/GYN

Kori Whitley

Physicians East

Greenville

M. Kathryn Whitten

Atrium Health Women’s Care Eastover OB/GYN

Charlotte

Robert Wicker Jr.

Atrium Health Women’s Care Charlotte OB/GYN

John Yoon

Kamm Mckenzie OB/GYN

Raleigh

Kendall Zmiewsky

Southern Pines Women’s Health Center

Southern Pines

Charlotte

OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE Kristen Said

Duke Employee Occupational Health and Wellness Clinic

Durham

ONCOLOGY

K. Mathys

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat AssociCharlotte ates P.A.

Vandana Minnal

Horizon Eye Care

Charlotte

Isaac Porter

Porter Ophthalmology

Raleigh

Nehali Saraiya

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates P.A.

Charlotte

Jan Niklas Ulrich

UNC Kittner Eye Center

Chapel Hill

Keith Walter

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Eye Center

Winston-Salem

Jeffrey White

Carolina Eye Associates

Southern Pines

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY Brian Farrell

Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery

Charlotte

John Nale

Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery

Charlotte

Adam Serlo

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates

Chapel Hill

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY Michael Bolognesi

Duke Orthopaedics

Morrisville

Eben Carroll

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopeddic Surgery

Winston-Salem

Bruce Cohen

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Neil Conti

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic

Pinehurst

R. Creighton

UNC Orthopaedics

Chapel Hill

Cynthia Emory

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopeddic Surgery

Winston-Salem

Adam Kaufman

Mission Orthopedic Trauma Services

Asheville

Andrew Kersten

Emergeortho

Hendersonville

Maxwell Langfitt

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopeddic Surgery

Bermuda Run

Carey Anders

Duke Cancer Center

Durham

Chasse Bailey-Dorton

Atrium Health Supportive Oncology Clinic

Charlotte

Bernard Chinnasami

Hayworth Cancer Center

High Point

Mark Graham

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Cary

Juneko Grilley-Olson

Duke Cancer Center

Durham

Alexander Lemons

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic

Pinehurst

UNC Orthopedics

Rocky Mount

Arielle Heeke

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Greig McAvoy

Shiaowen Hsu

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Christopher Olcott

UNC Orthopaedics

Chapel Hill

Christopher Parks

Emergeortho

Wilmington

David Hurd

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Oncology and HematologyComprehensive Cancer Center

Gary Poehling

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopeddic Surgery

Winston-Salem Bermuda Run

Winston-Salem

Carrie Lee Jessica-Lyn Masterson Stergios Moschos

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

David Pollock

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopeddic Surgery

Daniel Rose

Emergeortho

Wilmington

UNC Division of Oncology

Chapel Hill

Marc Stevens

Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital

Elkin

Hanna Sanoff

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Mark Suprock

OrthoCarolina

Huntersville

Antoinette Tan

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Clifford Wheeless III

Orthopaedic Specialists of NC

Raleigh

Kelly Westbrook

Duke University Dept of Medicine

Durham

ORTHOPEDICS

OPHTHALMOLOGY Arghavan Almony

Carolina Eye Associates

Southern Pines

Andrew Antoszyk

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Charlotte

Leah Bonaparte

Cape Fear Eye Associates

Fayetteville

Donald Budenz

UNC Kittner Eye Center

Chapel Hill

Frank Aluisio

Emergeortho

Greensboro

Christopher Barsanti

Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center

Greenville

Michael Bates

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Christopher Brown

Duke Orthopedics of Raleigh

Raleigh

David Casey

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic

Pinehurst

Milan DiGiulio

Performance Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine

Cary

Michael Dockery

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Reid Draeger

UNC Orthopaedics

Chapel Hill

Josiah Duke

Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center

Greenville

Christina Choe

Carolina Ophthalmology Pa

Hendersonville

Anna Fakadej

Carolina Eye Associates

Southern Pines

John French

Carolina Eye Associates

Southern Pines

Matthew Giegengack

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Eye Center

Winston-Salem

Galen Grayson

Atrium Health Ophthalmology

Charlotte

Herb Greenman

Greenman Eye Associates

Charlotte

Christopher Elder

Asheville Orthopaedic Associates

Asheville

Harold Frisch

Mission Orthopedic Trauma Services

Asheville

Nady Hamid

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Christopher Hasty

Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center

Greenville

David Greenman

Greenman Eye Associates

Charlotte

Craig Greven

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Eye Center

Winston-Salem

Margaret Greven

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Eye Center

Winston-Salem

Scott Kelley

Duke Regional Hospital

Durham

Kerry Hunt

Raleigh Eye Center

Raleigh

Bryan Loeffler

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Joseph Krug Jr.

Horizon Eye Care

Charlotte

Kevin Logel

Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic

Cary

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James McDonald

OrthoCarolina

Mooresville

Patricia McHale

OrthoCarolina

Gastonia

Claude Moorman III

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

David Ruch

Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center

Durham

James Sanders

UNC Orthopaedics

Chapel Hill

Aaron Scott

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopaedics

Winston-Salem

Landirs Williams Atrium Health Pain Management Joanna WroblewskaCarolinas Pain Center Shah

Concord Huntersville

PATHOLOGY Kiran Adlakha

Carolinas Pathology Group Pa

Charlotte

Jared Block

Carolinas Pathology Group Pa

Charlotte Charlotte

Stephen Sims

Atrium Health Orthopaedic Surgery

Charlotte

Arthur Cohen

Presbyterian Hospital Pathology

Bryan Springer

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Megan DiFurio

Pinehurst Pathology Center

Pinehurst

Kevin Stanley

OrthoCarolina

Mooresville

Edward Lipford

Carolinas Pathology Group Pa

Charlotte

Gregory Tayrose

UNC Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Clayton

Chad McCall

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Christopher Tuohy

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Orthopaedics

Bermuda Run

Charles Schirmer

Pinehurst Pathology Center

Pinehurst

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic

Pinehurst

Elton Smith Jr.

Carolinas Pathology Group Pa

Charlotte

Kyle Strickland

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Carol Weida

Carolinas Pathology Group Pa

Charlotte

Herbert Whinna

UNC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Chapel Hill

Kurt Wohlrab

OTALARYNGOLOGY EAR NOSE THROAT Marcus Albernaz

Eastern Carolina Ent

Greenville

John Blumer

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Charlotte

J. Browne

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Otolaryngology

Winston-Salem

Nathan Calloway

WakeMed ENT

Garner

Brian Downs

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Otolaryngology

Winston-Salem

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Michael Ferguson

WakeMed Raleigh Campus

Raleigh

Michael Camitta

John Garside

REX Ear Nose and Throat Specialists

Cary

Willard Harrill

Carolina Ent/Hnsc Pa

Hickory

Steven Heavner

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Charlotte

Hunter Hoover

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Charlotte

Kenneth Johnson

UNC Ear Nose and Throat

Hendersonville

PEDIATRIC ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY Michelle Hernandez

UNC Allergy & Immunology Clinic

Durham

Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center

Durham

Gregory Fleming

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Joseph Paolillo Jr.

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Congenital Heart Center

Charlotte

Matthew Schwartz

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Congenital Heart Center

Charlotte

Gonzalo Wallis

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Congenital Heart Center

Charlotte

Eric Lindbeck

Eastern Carolina Ent

Greenville

Justin Miller

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY

Brendan O’Connell

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Charlotte

Diana McShane

UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center Chapel Hill

Raleigh Capitol Ear Nose & Throat PA

Raleigh

Dean Morrell

UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center

Chapel Hill

Jeevan Ramakrishnan Brent Senior

UNC Ear Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

David Shoemaker

Greensboro Ear Nose & Throat Associates

Greensboro

PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

Michael Sicard

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Matthews

Ali Calikoglu

UNC Hospitals Children’s Specialty Services

Raleigh

Christopher Sullivan

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Otolaryngology

Winston-Salem

Lisa Houchin

Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes Specialists

Charlotte

Brian Thorp

UNC Ear Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

Amy Levenson

Chapel Hill

Mark Weigel

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

UNC Hospitals Children’s Specialty Clinics

Huntersville

Nancie MacIver

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Jakub Mieszczak

Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes Specialists

Charlotte

Diane Miller

UNC Emergency Medicine

Chapel Hill

PAIN MANAGEMENT Puneet Aggarwal

Carolinas Rehabilitation

Charlotte

Hsiupei Chen

American Anesthesiology of North Carolina PLLC

Raleigh

PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY

Kevin Costello

Southeast Pain and Spine Care

Charlotte

Virginia Casey

OrthoCarolina

James Hancock Jr. Jon-David Hoppenfeld

Atrium Health Pain Management

Concord

Jason Dranove

Southeast Pain and Spine Care

Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Children’s GastroCharlotte enterology

Michael Kappelman

UNC Hospitals Children’s Specialty Clinics Chapel Hill

Jennifer Oliver

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Pain Management

Winston-Salem

Jason Ravanbakht

Atrium Health Pain Management

Concord

Richard Sater

Guilford Neurologic Associates

Greensboro

Binit Shah Mohammad Shahsahebi

Carolinas Pain Center

Huntersville

Duke University

Durham

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PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDICS ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY Christian Clark

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

John Frino

WFU Health Sciences

Winston-Salem

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PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

PEDIATRIC OTALARYNGOLOGY ENT Amelia Drake

UNC Ear Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

John Baratta

UNC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Chapel Hill

William Bockenek

Carolinas Rehabilitation

Charlotte

Kevin Carneiro

UNC Spine Center

Chapel Hill

OrthoCarolina

Huntersville

Jonathan Moss

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Sajeev Puri

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates PA

Charlotte

Alexander Chasnis

Austin Rose

UNC Ear Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

Walter Davis

Carlton Zdanski

UNC Ear Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

Kristopher Karvelas

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Daniel Moore

East Carolina University

Greenville

Derek Watson

Orthopaedic Specialists of NC

Raleigh

John Welshofer

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Charlotte

Matthews

PEDIATRIC SURGERY Daniel Bambini

Pediatric Surgical Associates

Charlotte

Katherine Chan Andrea JordanHayes

UNC Specialty Care at Sanford

Sanford

UNC Department of Surgery

Chapel Hill

John Petty

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Brenner Children’s Pediatric Surgery

Winston-Salem

Duncan Phillips

WakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh

PEDIATRICS GENERAL Amina Ahmed

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Infectious Disease & Immunolgy

Charlotte

Jeffrey Baker

Duke Children’s South Durham

Durham

Brian Bowman

Cary Pediatric Center

Apex

Jonathan Brownlee

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Shelby Children’s Clinic

Shelby

Christoph Diasio

Sandhills Pediatrics

Lubna Elahi

Atrium Health Levine Children’s University Pediatrics

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Winston-Salem

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY Matthew Blanton

Specialists in Plastic Surgery PA

Raleigh

Leslie Branch

Forsyth Plastic Surgery Associates

Winston-Salem

Parag Butala

Piedmont Plastic Surgery and Dermatology Gastonia

Peter Capizzi

Capizzi MD

Charlotte

Lynn Damitz

UNC Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Chapel Hill

Lisa David Anthony DeFranzo

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem

Detlev Erdmann

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Eric Halvorson

Halvorson Plastic Surgery

Asheville

Southern Pines

Enam Haque

Queen City Plastic Surgery

Charlotte

Charlotte

Joseph Hunstad

H/K/B Cosmetic Surgery

Huntersville

Thomas Liszka

Ballantyne Plastic Surgery

Charlotte

Marisa Flores

Kernodle Clinic Elon

Elon

Natalee French

Sandhills Pediatrics

Southern Pines

Lillian Harris

Raleigh Children & Adolescents Medicine

Raleigh

Charles Hayek

Twin City Pediatrics Winston Salem

Winston-Salem

Joseph Molnar Christopher Runyan

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem

Michael Zenn

Zenn Plastic Surgery

Raleigh

Richard Zeri

ECU Plastic Surgery Center

Greenville

Lawrence Hurst

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Gastonia Children’s Clinic

Gastonia

Jon Hutchinson

Piedmont Healthcare PA

Statesville

Alison Kavanaugh

UNC Pediatrics

Durham

PSYCHIATRY

Amanda Lanier

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Perspective Pediatrics

Charlotte

Hasan Baloch

Johnston Health

Smithfield

Anthony DiNome

Atrium Health Behavioral Health

Charlotte

Anitha Leonard

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Arboretum Pediatrics

Charlotte

David Freeman

Mission Health Psychiatric Services

Asheville

George Manousos

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Charlotte Pediatrics

Matthews

Gary Gala

UNC Adult Psychiatry Clinic

Chapel Hill

Duke Children’s Primary Care

Durham

Mission Children’s Specialists

Asheville

Michael Minozzi

Chapel Hill Children & Adolescents’ Clinic

Beatriz Morris

Gabriela Maradiaga Panayotti Ansley Miller

Karen Green

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Psychiatry

Winston-Salem

Jason Jerry

FirstHealth Behavioral Services

Pinehurst

David Litchford Jr.

Atrium Health Behavioral Health

Charlotte

Chapel Hill

Scott Lurie

Scott N Lurie MD

Charlotte

Duke Childrens Primary Care

Durham

Erin Malloy

UNC Hospitals

Chapel Hill

Jasna Nogo

Kernodle Clinic

Elon

Mary Mandell

FirstHealth Behavioral Services

Pinehurst

Jodie Prosser

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Charlotte Pediatrics

Matthews

Laurie Pulver

Abc Pediatrics of Asheville PA

Asheville

Amy Ryan

Eastover Pediatrics

Charlotte

Kasey Scannell

Novant Health Pediatrics

Charlotte

Andrea Scholer

Triad Adult & Pediatric Medicine

Greensboro

Hope Seidel

Cary Pediatric Center

Cary

Andrew Shulstad

Novant Health Pediatrics Symphony Park

Charlotte

May Slowik

Duke Pediatrics South Durham

Durham

John Templeton

French Broad Pediatric Associates PLLC

Asheville

Mike Villareal

Cary Pediatric Center

Cary

Laura Windham

Chapel Hill Children & Adolescents’ Clinic

Chapel Hill

Kevin Marra

HopeWay

Charlotte

Mark Mason

Mission Medical Associates

Asheville

Jonathan McKinsey

Atrium Health Behavioral Health

Concord

Jean Melvin

Allen Melvin MD PA

Charlotte

Albert Naftel Jr.

UNC Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic

Kateland Napier

UNC Department of Psychiatry

Jason Peck

HopeWay

Charlotte

Kenan Penaskovic

UNC Adult Psychiatry Clinic

Chapel Hill

Alicia Romeo

Atrium Health Behavioral Health

Charlotte

Donald Rosenstein

UNC Adult Psychiatry Clinic

Chapel Hill

David Rubinow

UNC Adult Psychiatry Clinic

Chapel Hill

Meredith Stanton

FirstHealth Behavioral Services

Pinehurst

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Amy Ursano James Wallace

UNC Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic

Chapel Hill

Eastover Psych & Psychiatric

Charlotte

PULMONARY MEDICINE

Andrew Demmert

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

Michael Fisher

Delaney Radiology

Wilmington

William Hartley

Charlotte Radiology

Charlotte

Valerie Jewells

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Sheryl Jordan

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Maureen Kohi

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Matthew Mauro

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

David Mauro

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

James O’Brien

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

Jorge Oldan

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Kirk Peterson

Raleigh Radiology

Raleigh

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Michael Drummond

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Azeem Elahi

Atrium Health Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine

Concord

Daniel Files

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Pulmonary Medicine

Winston-Salem

John Fogarty

Physicians East

Greenville

Daniel Scanga

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

Ashley Henderson

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Paul Tobben

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

Daniel Howard

Atrium Pulmonary Care

Charlotte

Danielle Wellman

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Radiology

Raleigh

Scott Lindblom

Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine

Charlotte

Leonard Lobo

UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

Drew MacGregor

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Pulmonary Medicine

WinstonSalem

Wendy Moore

Wake Forest Baptist Health Pulmonary and Critical Care

Winston-Salem

Jill Ohar

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Pulmonary Medicine

Winston-Salem

James Donohue

Michael Pritchett

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Jaspal Singh

Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine

Charlotte

James Snapper

Duke Asthma Allergy & Airway Center

Durham

Justin Swartz

Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine

Charlotte

David Thornton

Pinehurst Medical Clinic

Pinehurst

Christine Vigeland

UNC Hospitals Outpatient Center at Eastowne

Chapel Hill

Momen Wahidi

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

RADIATION ONCOLOGY

SPINE SURGERY Adedayo Ashana

Orthopaedic Specialists of NC

Raleigh

Deb Bhowmick

UNC Hospitals Spine Center and Neurosurgery Clinic

Chapel Hill

John Birkedal

Spine Center

Clemmons

Byron Branch

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Concord

Henry Elsner

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Greensboro

Eldad Hadar

UNC Hospitals Spine Center and Neurosurgery Clinic

Chapel Hill

John Hicks

Emergeortho

Hendersonville

James Hoski

Carolina Spine & Neurosurgery Center

Asheville

Hilal Kanaan

Vidant Neurosurgery

Greenville

Moe Lim

UNC Spine Center

Chapel Hill

Keith Maxwell

Southeastern Sports Medicine and Orthopedics

Asheville

SPORTS MEDICINE

Jeffrey Acker

Pinehurst Radiation Oncology

Pinehurst

David Berkoff

UNC Orthopaedics

Chapel Hill

William Bobo

Southeast Radiation Oncology

Charlotte

Joshua Berkowitz

UNC Orthopaedics

Chapel Hill

Courtney Bui

UNC Hospitals Radiation Oncology

Raleigh

Catherine Chang

Duke Medical Center

Raleigh

James Blount

Carolina Family Practice & Sports Medicine

Cary

Carolina Fasola

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Mario Ciocca Jr.

UNC Campus Health

Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill

Megan Ferderber

East Carolina University

Greenville

Greenville

Karl Fields

Cone Health Sports Medicine Center

Greensboro

Brent Fisher

Asheville Orthopaedic

Arden

Brett Foreman

Carolina Family Practice & Sports Medicine - Raleigh

Raleigh

Mark Galland

Orthopaedic Specialists of NC

Raleigh

Aaron Leininger

UNC Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Clayton

John Neidecker

Orthopaedic Specialists of NC

Raleigh

Patrick O’Connell

Sentinel Primary Care

Raleigh

Matthew Ohl

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Augustus Parker

Novant Health Blakeney Family Physicians

Charlotte

Dana Price

Pardee Surgical Associates

Hendersonville

Catherine Rainbow

Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute Sports Medicine

Charlotte

Bryan Saltzman

OrthoCarolina

Charlotte

Brian Waterman

Brian R Waterman, MD

Winston-Salem

Ellen Jones Andrew Ju Eric Kuehn

UNC Hospitals Radiation Oncology Leo W Jenkins Cancer Center

Mountain Radiation Oncology & Mission Asheville

Hadley Sharp

Atrium Health Levine Center Institute

Charlotte

Matthew Ward

Atrium Health Levine Center Institute

Charlotte

Ashley Weiner

UNC Hospitals Radiation Oncology

Chapel Hill

RADIOLOGY Nicole Abinanti Emmanuel Botzolakis Charles Burke Eithne Burke

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

Mecklenburg Radiology Associates PA

Charlotte

UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Radiology

Raleigh

Chien-Chung Chang Charlotte Radiology PA

Charlotte

Karli Chiang

Greenville

Eastern Radiologists Inc

Clayton Commander UNC Department of Radiology

Chapel Hill

Laurie Demmer

Charlotte

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UROLOGY

SURGICAL ONCOLOGY Mark Arredondo

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center, Surgical Specialists High Point

High Point

Ilan Avin

Novant Health Carolina Surgical

Charlotte

Erin Baker

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Anthony DiNome

Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte

Charlotte

Maggie Dinome

Duke Women’s Cancer Care Raleigh

David Eddleman

Joseph Allen

North Carolina Urology Clayton

Clayton

Marc Benevides

Associated Urologists of North Carolina PA

Cary

Marc Bjurlin

UNC Urology Medical Center

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill

Raleigh

Kristy Borawski UNC Hospitals Urology Clinic Robert Chamberlain Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA Jr. Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Peter Clark

North Carolina Surgery

Raleigh

Matthew Collins

ECU Health

Greenville

Michelle Fillion

NHRMC Zimmer Cancer Center

Wilmington

Manish Damani

Urology Specialists of The Carolinas PLLC

Charlotte

Meghan Forster

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Jacques Ganem

Urology Specialists of The Carolinas PLLC

Charlotte

Kristalyn Gallagher

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Manlio Goetzl

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Southern Pines

David Gerber

UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

Chad Gridley

Duke Raleigh Hospital

Raleigh

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA Pinehurst

Pinehurst

Lejla Hadzikadic-Gusic

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute (Breast & Surgical Oncology)

Greg Griewe Charlotte

Jonathan Hamilton

Vidant Urology

Greenville

Joshua Hill

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Brant Inman

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Mark Jalkut

Associated Urologists of North Carolina PA

Raleigh

Carmin Kalorin

WakeMed Raleigh Medical Park

Raleigh

Michael Kennelly

Carolinas Rehabilitation

Charlotte

Michael Lipkin

Duke Urology Clinic

Durham

Pinehurst Charlotte

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Marissa Howard-McNatt Surgical Oncology - Comprehensive Cancer Center

Clemmons

David Iannitti

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Hong Kim

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Jeffrey Kneisl

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Edward Levine

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Surgical Oncology - Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem

John Martinie

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Michael Meyers

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

David Ollila

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Randall Scheri

Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center

Durham

Perry Shen

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Surgical Oncology - Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem

Karen Stitzenberg

UNC Hospitals Oncology Hillsborough Campus

Chapel Hill

Peter Turk

Novant Health Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic

Charlotte

Gregory Waters

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Colorectal Surgery-Medical Plaza North Elm

Greensboro

Mark Weissler

UNC Ear, Nose and Throat

Chapel Hill

Richard White Jr.

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Charlotte

Frank Arko III

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Emmanuel Zervos

ECU Physicians

Greenville

Clinton Atkinson Jr.

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic PA

Pinehurst

Daniel Barzana

Wilmington Health PLLC

Wilmington

Matthew Edwards

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

Winston-Salem

Mark Farber

UNC Hospitals Vascular Interventional Radiology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Peter Ford

Vascular Solutions

Charlotte

H. Hobson

Atrium Health General Surgery

Shelby

John Hobson Jr.

Vascular Surgery at Pardee

Hendersonville

Lemuel Kirby

Carolina Vascular

Asheville

THORACIC SURGERY Jeffrey Hagen

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute

Charlotte

Benjamin Haithcock

UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

John Ikonomidis

UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic

Chapel Hill

William Kitchens

FirstHealth Cardiovascular & Thoracic Center

Pinehurst

Jason Long

UNC Thoracic Surgery Clinic

Chapel Hill

Atrium Health Wake Forest Catherine Matthews Baptist Urology

Winston-Salem

Matthew Nielsen

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Andrew Peterson

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

Glenn Preminger

Duke Surgery

Durham

Mathew Raynor

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

Angela Schang

McKay Urology

Charlotte

Angela Smith

UNC Hospitals Urology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Hung-Jui Tan

UNC Hospitals Urology Clinic

Chapel Hill

Jonathan Taylor

Physicians East

Greenville

Davis Viprakasit

UNC Specialty Care

Pittsboro

Eric Wallen

UNC Hospitals Adult Oncology Clinics

Chapel Hill

John Wiener

Duke University Medical Center

Durham

VASCULAR SURGERY

UNC Hospitals Heart and Vascular Katharine McGinigle Center at Meadowmont Erin Murphy

Charlotte

Luigi Pascarella

UNC Hospitals Heart and Vascular Center at Meadowmont

Chapel Hill

David Weatherford

Coastal Vascular Institute

Wilmington

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TRANSPARK TRANSFORMATION Rural communities unite around new and legacy industries.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NC GLOBAL TRANSPARK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REGION

T

hroughout most of his career, Richard McGaughy drove from his home in Snow Hill to jobs in Kinston. The 25-minute commute each way added time and expense to his workday. Today, however, it takes the lifelong Snow Hill native just five minutes to get to his new job as a mechanical assembler at Precision Graphics, Inc. The New Jersey-based contract manufacturer that arrived in the tiny Greene County town in late 2021.

“I love it,” says McGaughy of his current position. “You have no idea how much stress came with having to commute.”

Precision Graphics, a family firm founded more than 50 years ago, provides advanced electronics systems to buyers in the U.S., Asia

and Europe. When the company outgrew existing space at its longtime location in Somerville, New Jersey, the owners considered an expansion there. But sky-high cost estimates were discouraging. They began exploring potential locations in South Carolina and Texas when a vacant 55,000-square-foot industrial building in Greene County drew their attention.

Tim Dubuque, the company’s chief financial officer, says the building matched the company’s search criteria. “It’s close to I-95 and I-40, which gives us good access both north and south, as well as west,” he says. An analysis of the region’s labor market showed available workers in the area had the skills the company needed. “The labor force

was a good fit,” says Dubuque.

The warm welcome company representatives received from state and local leaders convinced them Snow Hill was the ideal choice for their $5.1 million facility.

The move brings 70 new jobs over the span of five years. McGaughy is one of 11 local hires the company had made by October, says Dubuque, who personally relocated from New Jersey to ramp up Precision’s Greene County operations.

Precision Graphics is one of several companies to relocate or expand in Greene County during the last two years, providing employment opportunities for local residents weary of the daily commute to Greenville, Wilson and other eastern North Carolina cities. Two years ago,

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flyExclusive creates customized private jet experiences.

the sparsely populated county joined forces with neighboring Lenoir and Wayne counties to form the North Carolina Global TransPark Economic Development Region in order to pool resources, create scale and pursue common opportunities.

“Instead of a handful of communities operating in relative isolation, we’re now talking about a micro-region with a total population of more than 200,000 and over 120 manufacturers,” explains Mark Pope, executive vice president of the new partnership, which is based in Kinston and includes the North Carolina Department of Transportation. “We’re now talking about proactive local governments working together,” Pope continues. “We’re talking about private sector leaders coming together. We’re talking about closer collaboration with North Carolina’s Southeast, N.C. Commerce and the 72

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Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. We’re talking about real results that people here can see,” says Pope, an economic development leader in eastern North Carolina for the better part of two decades.

Since its establishment in late 2020, Pope’s organization has helped land 18 economic development wins for the region, along with more than $302 million in announced capital investment and 2,160 new jobs.

At the heart of the Global TransPark region is its namesake transportation asset. Conceived in the early 1990s and operated by the N.C. Department of Transportation, the 2,400-acre Global TransPark was conceptualized as a futuristic center for just-in-time global commerce.

Park planners undertook exhaustive environmental impact assessments and with state and federal funding,

completed an 11,500-foot runway capable of accommodating the largest cargo planes. Ground transportation challenges, however, impeded the TransPark’s development.

Lacking interstate-grade highways, the vision fell out of favor and was soon the subject of scorching criticism from politicians and media pundits.

“From a personal standpoint, I think some of the criticism was fair and some of it was not,” says Jim Segrave, a Kinston entrepreneur and CEO of flyExclusive, now one of largest private jet operators in North America. Early TransPark advocates may have oversold the property’s potential, Segrave believes. Nor did economic convulsions after the 9/11 terror attacks and the Great Recession in 2008-09 help matters. “There were some pretty massive headwinds that weren’t their fault,” he says.

Today, however, with much

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improved highway accessibility, the Global TransPark is getting a lift — led largely by aviation and aerospace companies like flyExclusive, which is currently undertaking significant growth at its operations there. Ground transportation improvements include nearby I-795 and a limited-access highway that now connect the site to N.C. Highway 11 and U.S. 70. A 22-mile segment of U.S. 70 in Wayne and Lenoir counties, in fact, now meets U.S. interstate standards and is designated with I-42 shields.

“It’s coming alive now,” says Segrave, “and we’re proud to be part of it.” In October, flyExclusive cut the ribbon on an immaculate new hangar that will enable the company to continue adding jobs to its 800-person workforce and new aircraft to its growing fleet. With plans for an initial public offering in midDecember, the 7-year-old company is poised to bring additional attention to Kinston from global investors, corporate clients and business media.

Segrave was born in Kinston and his family has deep roots there.

But flyExclusive operates out of the Global TransPark because it makes smart business sense. “For us, a big part of it is geographic location,” he says. About 70 % of the company’s departures are within a two-hour radius of Kinston — from Canada to Cuba and even destinations west of the Mississippi River. “We’re dead center,” Segrave says of his Kinston base. There is also ample real estate at affordable costs. “We need lots of hangars and shop space,” he explains. “That kind of space in a place like New York or south Florida is extremely expensive.”

Kinston’s recent rise as a destination for foodies and craft beer aficionados, along with its convenience to both Triangle metro amenities and Crystal Coast beaches, ease the way for flyExclusive to attract employees to its TransPark operations. “We haven’t had any trouble recruiting or bringing people

into Kinston,” Segrave says. Close working relationships with state and local leaders also make him confident in his plans. “Our relationship with the Global TransPark could not be stronger,” Segrave says. “They’re incredibly pro-business.”

Other aviation and aerospace enterprises are also thriving at the Global TransPark. Across the runway from flyExclusive, Draken International personnel fire up Douglas A-4 Skyhawks for simulated air combat exercises with active-duty U.S. military pilots. The companyowned fighter jets are flown by retired combat veterans who muster out of nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force base and other North Carolina defense installations to take on the role of “enemy” pilots.

Draken also has operations in Nevada, Texas, the United Kingdom and its headquarters in Lakeland, Florida. The firm arrived at the Global TransPark in 2020 to take advantage of proximity to air bases and has

Mother Earth Brewing in Kinston is a green-conscious craft brewery with a solar-powered taproom. It was founded in 2008 by Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring, both from Kinston.

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Aerospace and aviation, advanced manufacturing, logistics and distribution, military and defense and agribusiness are key industries in the region.

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benefited from the region’s military friendliness.

“It’s nice to have that support,” says Charles “Chief” Smith, field operations training manager for Draken, whose workforce there now totals 76. “I’ve met many people in the community, and I’ve yet to have any negative reactions from anyone.”

At a hangar not far from Draken’s, workers busily repair UH-1 Huey military helicopters. The 90-person team is part of Fleet Readiness Center East (FRC East), the U.S. Navy’s aircraft maintenance center in Havelock, N.C., just 58 miles away.

As space constraints hinder FRC’s ability to expand, Pentagon officials are turning to the Global TransPark, with its abundance of space and

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technical talent, to accommodate overflow work.

Additional military-related operations may also be in the works at the TransPark. Officials there are promoting a plan that would bring more hangars, as well as storage facilities, administrative offices and shop space.

“As the needs of the U.S. military change, we believe the GTP is in a unique position to attract more defense operations, workers and dollars,” Mark Pope says. He is working with legislative allies in Raleigh and Washington to highlight the property’s strategic advantages.

“Because of our location and multimodal infrastructure, we’re also an asset for civilian government

operations such as FEMA, which can access communities across the mid-Atlantic U.S. from here,” Pope says. “We expect those needs will also grow.”

Aerospace manufacturers have also found their way to the TransPark.

The 2008 decision by Spirit AeroSystems Inc. [NYSE: SPR] to build 500,000 square feet of production space there changed the game for the region’s economy. The Kansasbased maker of jetliner components ships finished products to its European buyer via air and through deepwater port facilities in Morehead City and Wilmington. While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global aviation industry, Spirit’s 375-person workforce is again busy filling orders.

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A map of eastern North Carolina detailing upgraded surface transportation plans.

“Spirit is the centerpiece of our region’s advanced manufacturing, and we anticipate more growth there as well,” Pope says. “The innovative workforce partnerships we set up to provide them with talent is a model that we can easily replicate for other companies and industries.”

Other advanced manufacturers also are growing in the region.

West Pharmaceutical Services [NYSE: WST], a leading provider of high-quality injectable solutions and services, is currently adding production space and upgrading equipment in order to meet surging demand for its packaging and drug-delivery components. The Pennsylvania-based company has been among Lenoir County’s largest employers since arriving in 1975.

“We are grateful for our longterm partnership with the Kinston community, and specifically with

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the Global TransPark Economic Development Region,” says Tom Gribbin, vice president for global operations at West. “They have been a valuable partner, and we are thankful for their support of West and the overall manufacturing industry within the Kinston region.”

Still more companies are putting a 21st century touch on eastern North Carolina’s legacy industries. Since its founding in the 1920s by local farm families, Mt. Olive Pickle Company has set the standard when it comes to not just pickles, but also peppers and relishes from its operations in the Wayne County town of Mt. Olive.

During the pandemic, as competing brands struggled to keep products on supermarket shelves, Mt. Olive Pickle grew its sales.

“We were able to supply folks that others couldn’t,” says Lynn Williams, the company’s public relations manager. “In the pandemic, people couldn’t find their brand on the shelf, so they tried ours — and they kept coming back.”

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Mt. Olive facility workers meet the demand as the company expands with new products.

An expanded customer base, plus the introduction of new product lines and private-label brands, have created a need for new production space for Mt. Olive Pickle, whose current workforce totals 1,200. While the company feared it might have to secure space outside Wayne County, or even beyond the borders of North Carolina, a vacant building not far away in Goldsboro met the needs of the privately held firm.

“Our story is unique and intricately entwined with our hometown,” Williams says. Its new $35 million facility is set to open in May 2023, employing 167 people.

She cites support from state and local economic development leaders in keeping the expansion local.

“There were a lot of pieces to the puzzle that came together.

We appreciate the support we received.”

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COMMUNITY CLOSE UP

NC GLOBAL TRANSPARK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REGION

Historic downtown Goldsboro is home to shops, entertainment and restaurants.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT The readying of new industrial sites and buildings is a high priority for the region.

“We’ve done a lot of work with shell buildings and pad-ready sites,” says Neal Benton, Goldsboro-based market president for Truist Bank, who also chairs the board of the Wayne County Development Alliance. The arrival of numerous new businesses means leaders have to be proactive in restocking their inventory of quality properties, which can take several years to bring to market.

“It’s important that we have that for them ahead of time,” he says. “Success in rural economic development is all about three things: product, product, product.” ■ —Lawrence Bivins, based in Raleigh, writes about business and the economy.

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GREENSHOOTS

Revitalizing rural N.C.

TAPPED IN

New owners of Mars Hill’s theater-brewpub want to keep the good times rolling.

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hen former owners Marc and Merri Fretwell expanded their Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery in Chimney Rock to a second location about 45 miles north in 2019, the plan was anything but ordinary. They transformed the defunct Mars Theatre in Mars Hill into a destination for local craft beer, bar food, movies and community events.

Now the brewery’s new owners plan to double down on the theme of community and creating a space for people of all ages to enjoy live entertainment, such as open mic nights and comedy shows.

“Our initial move is we’re going to provide more entertainment than just movies,” says Scott Spruill, who joined his siblings Rick Spruill and Susan Echarte to buy the business from the Fretwells in October. Spruill previously owned dry cleaners and mailing and printing companies in New York and New Jersey.

“We’re going to completely open it up to the community and make it more of an option of a variety of things to do other than just go and have a craft beer and watch a movie.”

Rick, who will oversee the Chimney Rock location, has lived in Lake Lure for about two decades.

Over the years, the area became a special place where the men created the tradition of traveling there for father-son trips. Spruill’s 20-yearold son, who passed away last year, was fond of their visits. This, along with the brothers being craft beer enthusiasts, led to the purchase.

The original Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery opened in Chimney Rock in a cozy 1,000-square foot space in 2015. The expansion followed four years later in Mars Hill, a Madison County town of about 2,000 residents that is 20 miles north of Asheville.

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The new location made it possible to brew Hickory Nut’s beer at Mars Hill, add more varieties and distribute ale worldwide. Huge brewing tanks line the walls, lounge seating exists upstairs and several rows of theater seats are on the first level.

Hickory Nut is known for its English-style beer and Spruill plans to keep it on the menu.

“There will be some more American craft beer influence, but we’re not going to fix what’s not broken,” he says.

“So much of the English-style beers we currently brew people love so we’re going to handle that with care.”

The brewery’s arrival helped enliven the downtown, which will soon add a Mexican restaurant, says O’Neal Shelton, president of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce. “It created an avenue for a certain group of people to enjoy the brewery,” says Shelton, who grew up watching movies at the 75-year-old theater.

“We don’t have another venue like that.”

Other plans include making some changes to the outside of the brewery with the addition of a mural and new branding, adding chandeliers to brighten up the inside and adding plaques to showcase the theater’s history, hopefully making it a tourist attraction for people passing through the area.

Spruill is looking forward to relocating to the area from the Northeast and contributing to the growth of the area while still getting inspiration from his son.

“I know he would be so happy I’m doing this,” he says. “Everything’s from the heart, we’re not in it to become millionaires, we’re in it to just enjoy life and have fun.” ■

PHOTO COURTESY OF HICKORYNUTBREWERY.COM/MARS-HILL

BY EBONY L. MORMAN

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