Business North Carolina August 2025 by Business North Carolina

TABLE SETTER

How Raleigh Chamber chief Adrienne Cole helps her red-hot market continue to rock.

We’ve been working on some other ways to provide North Carolina’s decision-makers content in a variety of ways. One of these is a new monthly video series we are pretty excited about.

Business North Carolina and Bclip Productions Inc. are proud to present "On the Ground: The Grit That Drives Carolina Business," a behind-the-scenes video series filmed on location with the entrepreneurs, risk-takers and innovators shaping North Carolina's economy. Each episode offers an unfiltered look at the bold decisions and daily grit required to build impactful businesses.

Over the past few months, we’ve covered two impressive innovators. Riverbend Malt House is a Buncombe County-based business that has been serving the craft beer industry since 2011.

Durham-based custom carwash services group Spiffy has transformed traditional car care in more than 30 cities with a fleet of mobile technicians, backed by custombuilt vans and powerful cloud-based technology.

We’ll be uploading a video each month on our YouTube Channel. You can scan the QR code and check out these cool companies, with more to come.

4 UP FRONT

8 POWER LIST INTERVIEW

The Rev. Franklin Graham juggles leading a nonproﬁt focused on evangelism and another that responds to crises across the state and globe.

POINT TAKEN

Craven County’s Volt Center connects eastern N.C. industry with effective workforce training.

14 NC TREND

The music nut behind ‘45 of the Day;’ Business park buzzes with bees; Disclosing Charles Coddington’s impact; OrthoCarolina’s cutting-edge strategy; Sports broadcaster Jim Lampley dishes on his career; A Greensboro entrepreneur spices up ice cream; Why N.C. lawmakers dawdle on producing state budgets.

80 SCENE SETTERS

The “Best Employers” in BNC’s annual list celebrate their victories.

30 SPECIAL SECTION: NC EAST ALLIANCE

NC East Alliance helps 29 counties coordinate education, economic development and workforce programs to create paths for a prosperous future.

ROUND TABLE: HEALTHCARE

Five healthcare leaders offer prescriptions to lower costs and improve outcomes, and discuss challenges that could derail care for thousand of North Carolinians.

CORPORATE MEETING GUIDE

The tourism industry has overcome challenges in recent years, with the meetings and conventions sector making big investments in cities and scenic spots.

COVER STORY

with

CONSENSUS CONNECTOR

Adrienne Cole builds bridges in fast-growing Wake County by getting teams focused on common goals.

BY LORI D. R. WIGGINS

READY TO ROLL

The Queen City’s key regional business promotion group reloads.

BY KEVIN ELLIS

KIDS FIRST

Crossnore Communities for Children address a broken foster-parent system. One idea: $100,000 for skilled parents.

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

TOP 75 PUBLIC COMPANIES

Ten Tar Heel companies vastly outperformed the S&P 500 Index over the past ﬁve years. Most others didn’t come close.

BY DAVID MILDENBERG

UP FRONT David Mildenberg

KNEE-CAPPED

Whatever enables the air conditioning that makes life livable during this hot North Carolina summer doesn’t matter to most of us. We just want our AC systems to work, while hoping our electric bills don’t get too crazy.

Unfortunately, keeping the system reliable without breaking the bank is getting much tougher. Rumblings that there won’t be enough power generation for reliable service, and that electric bills will skyrocket, are becoming louder. Hopefully, those holding the keys to energy policy are making shrewd moves to address these issues — while the rest of us just enjoy the AC. at may not be happening, says John Szoka. He’s a former Republican state representative from Fayetteville who now heads Conservatives for Clean Energy, formed by Raleigh consultants Paul Shumaker and Dee Stewart in 2014. Szoka says his six-state group, with a $9 million annual budget, believes scal conservatism and support for solar and wind energy aligns with energy e ciency. It isn’t beholden to the oil and gas, nuclear or electric utility industries, or the environmental movement, which may make it unique, he says.

To make progress in Congress and statehouses, Szoka says simplifying issues and sticking to facts is critical because lawmakers are overwhelmed with complex problems. Too o en, the loudest voices have the main in uence, despite holding fringe viewpoints that o en cause more harm than good.

But fewer than 5 gigawatts of additional generation is likely to come on board from non-renewable projects by 2030 because it takes so long to expand existing capacity or add new projects, Szoka adds.

e generation picture gets brighter in the late 2030s if the Trump Administration’s plans for revitalizing the nuclear energy, coupled with the “drill baby drill” strategy for the oil and gas industry, pan out, he says.

For the short term, though, the di erence between 5 gigawatts and 100 gigawatts is a real problem. Logically, one would expect continued investment in solar, wind and other renewables projects, which have added ve times as much energy generation in the U.S. since 2019 versus non-renewable sources, Apollo Global Management reports. North Carolina’s 700-plus solar power farms re ect that trend.

Much of that was spurred by the Clean Energy Act in 2007 and the In ation Reduction Act of 2022, which provided subsidies for clean energy. Szoka and other proponents say it’s worked to keep the lights on and moderate rate hikes. Naysayers call it “greenscam" and a distorted market.

In July, the naysayers won. e “Big Beautiful Bill” phases out most tax credits for roo op solar, battery storage plugins and some electric-vehicle incentives by the end of this year. e change will severely dent clean energy development, Szoka says.

A test case will be Raleigh-based Southern Energy Management, which Bob and Maria Kingery started in 2001 and sold to seven longterm employees in March. Its revenue will likely decline 60% to 80% next year, co-owner Graham Alexander told the Wall Street Journal in July.

VOLUME 45, NO. 8

PUBLISHER Ben Kinney bkinney@businessnc.com

EDITOR David Mildenberg dmildenberg@businessnc.com

MANAGING EDITOR Kevin Ellis kellis@businessnc.com

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ray Gronberg rgronberg@businessnc.com

Cathy Martin cmartin@businessnc.com

EDITORIAL INTERN Robert Speir

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Dan Barkin, Chris Burritt, Cassie Bustamante, Samuel D'Avila, Mike MacMillan, Tucker Mitchell, Randy Wheeless, Lori D. R. Wiggins

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cathy Swaney cswaney@businessnc.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lauren Ellis

MARKETING COORDINATOR Jennifer Ware jware@businessnc.com

EVENT DIRECTOR Norwood Teague nteague@businessnc.com

ADVERTISING SALES

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

ACCOUNT MANAGER Anne Brundage, western N.C. abrundage@businessnc.com

at happened with some energy policy decisions included in the megabill passed by Congress in July, Szoka contends.

e overriding problem, he says, is that the U.S. will need more than 100 gigawatts of additional energy generation by 2030 because of surging demand nationally. e main reasons are data centers needed for arti cial intelligence computing and the expansion of domestic manufacturing, he says. ink of Toyota’s $15 billion investment in Randolph County, and Amazon’s $10 billion plan Richmond County.

Szoka’s group believes in free markets, and agrees that some subsidies are excessive. He hopes utility industry execs will work with Congress to review how the megabill may cost jobs in the renewables sector, reduce competition and aid foreign rivals.

“If you don’t want electric bills going through the roof over the next ve years, you might not want to cut the solar and wind industries o at the knees with very little notice,” he says. “We have a real concern that we may be susceptible to brownouts and escalating prices for electricity.” ■

David Mildenberg is editor of Business North Carolina. Contact him at dmildenberg@businessnc.com

CIRCULATION: 818-286-3106

EDITORIAL: 704-523-6987

REPRINTS: circulation@businessnc.com

OWNERS

Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels III, David Woronoff, in memoriam Frank Daniels Jr.

PUBLISHED BY Old North State Magazines LLC

PRESIDENT David Woronoff BUSINESSNC.COM

John Szoka

Honoring

Celebrating

Recognizing

Photos courtesy of the City of Albemarle, Lumberton, and Wilson

CONGRATULATIONS to Wilson Energy

Recipient of the ElectriCities Horizons in Economic Development Award for Carolina Poultry Power Renewable Energy Facility

A state-of-the-art clean energy facility that transforms poultry waste into renewable electricity and steam, reducing agricultural runo and supporting sustainable energy production in eastern North Carolina.

The Horizons in Economic Development Award celebrates a project that exempliﬁes long-term vision and strategic planning to position a community for future economic growth.

For more information contact: Crystal Hill Energy Services Manager chill@wilsonnc.org visit www.wilsonnc.org

CONGRATULATIONS to the City of Lumberton

Recipient of the ElectriCities

Collaborative Impact in Economic Development Award for Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park

A transformative industrial development created through a city-county partnership that secured land control, attracted major infrastructure funding, and landed large-scale tenants including a 600,000-qsuare-foot distribution center and a cold storage facility.

The Collaborative Impact in Economic Development Award honors a project that showcases exceptional partnership and coordination among stakeholders to achieve shared economic development goals.

For more information contact: Wayne Horne City Manager whorne@ci.lumberton.nc.us visit www.lumbertonnc.gov

CONGRATULATIONS to the City of Albemarle

Recipient of the ElectriCities Innovation in Economic Development Award for Downtown Catalyst Grant Program

A ﬂexible public-private grant initiative launched to accelerate downtown Albemarle’s revitalization by funding building improvements and unlocking private investment in underutilized properties.

The Innovation in Economic Development Award recognizes a project that demonstrates creative, forward-thinking solutions to economic development challenges, with measurable community impact.

For more information contact: Lindsey Almond Economic Development Director lalmond@albemarlenc.gov visit www.albemarlenc.gov

FRANKLIN GRAHAM

OPEN DOORS

YFranklin Graham joined High Point University President Nido Qubein in the Power List interview, a partnership for discussions with inﬂuential leaders. The interview was edited for clarity.

ou have been a committed person of faith, helping people all over the world. I want to dig into some of that with you. But first, how does it feel to be the son of a very internationally famous individual, Billy Graham?

That’s always been a very difficult question to answer because I have nothing to compare it to. He’s just the only dad I have. And he was a very loving person. He and my mother were at a happy home. I never saw my parents argue one time.

But you had a famous, very powerful dad, and then you followed him in wonderful ways. You’ve made sure that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association continues. Some people sometimes struggle with following in their footsteps. You seem to have done amazing things in your own way.

I never tried to be Billy Graham. I never planned to preach. When I was about 18, I was in the Middle East, working at a little hospital in Jordan near the Syrian border. I just felt that I wanted to help people and that’s what I felt God calling me to do. That was my focus.

Franklin Graham, 73, is the president and CEO of the Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse global relief group and Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Asheville native was ordained in 1982, three years after he succeeded founder Bob Pierce as Samaritan Purse’s leader. The group has more than 2,300 employees, 250,000 volunteers and annual revenue topping $1 billion. He has led Christian evangelistic events across the world since 1989. The association had revenue of $174 million last year, and net assets of about $566 million.

Over the years, Samaritan’s Purse grew and the organization got bigger. So when my father didn’t want to run the day to day of his organization, [he asked] “Would you be willing to take the day to day leadership?” I said, if that’s what you want me to do, I would be glad to help you.

He said, “What will you do with Samaritan’s Purse?” I said, I’m not going to do anything. When he said you can’t run both of them. I said, why not? He said, “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

It’s not that I would run every aspect of the organization. And he didn’t do that at the Billy Graham Association.

You have good people. They just have to be given direction. This is where we’re going to go this year. This is what we’re going to do today or this week. This is our focus. Then you let your team do it. I said that’s the way I’ll run it. He said, “OK, we’ll try it.” It has worked just fine.

But it took the pressure off of him.

Yes. I understand that because I will be 73 this year. My youngest son will take over the Samaritan’s Purse. My oldest son will take over the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

I’ve got wonderful children that understand ministry, but also understand business. You’re not there to make money, but you want to spend money wisely.

Give us a quick overview of the distinction between Samaritan’s Purse and the evangelistic association.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is evangelism. And my father believed in taking the stadiums of the world, and taking TV, radio and the internet to use whatever opportunity to tell people about God’s son, Jesus Christ, who preached, “I’m the way, the truth, and the life. And no man comes to the father but by me.”

My father anchored his ministry in John 3:16, “that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It was the focus of his ministry.

At Samaritan’s Purse, we do the same thing, but we take the ditches and we take the gutters, and we take the wars, and we take the famines of the world. We help people, but we do it in Jesus’ name. I want people to know that God loves them, that he hasn’t forgotten them.

Many times when a person goes through that, like what we saw with Helene in North Carolina, people think that God is mad at them. If I lose my house, or I lose my son or daughter, is God mad at me? Is he judging me?

No, God loves us, the Bible tells us. But we go through these storms in life. Samaritan’s Purse takes these storms and we try to find ways to help people in the middle of these storms and do it in the name of Jesus Christ. So the two organizations are different.

How do you distinguish one from the other?

Two different management teams and different budgets. I wear two hats, but I have two wonderful teams that are committed to this Gospel message.

With these difficult times, how do you get in a war torn-part of the world? For example, you mentioned Syria. How do you penetrate a part of the world that is so dangerous?

Very carefully. We set up a hospital in Sudan, and this would be north of Khartoum and south of Port Sudan. We worked with the Sudanese government, and they allowed us to come in. It’s a maternity hospital.

We keep here in North Carolina about five hospitals in our warehouse in North Wilkesboro. If we need to set it up for, like we did for the maternity hospital, we set it up for that here, and then put it on our plane in Greensboro. That includes equipment and supplies.

Then we trucked them up to this area where they wanted us to set it up. And, it was Christmas Day. When we opened Sudan, it was in the middle of a civil war. Right now in Syria, the fighting is still unstable, but Damascus, it’s gotten to what I would say is calm.

Sometimes you get turned away. But we always pray before we go, always, just our teams and myself. “God, if this is what you want us to do, open the door for us. If this is not something that you want us to do, then close the door.” And, God always opens doors for us.

How do you select where you do your work?

Well, we’ve worked in Sudan for 30 years. And that’s been another war zone, where one of our hospitals got bombed by President Bashir. So I went to Khartoum to talk to them about it. “Mr. President, you bombed my hospital.” He turned to one of his aides and asked if they had bombed it. “Yes, Mr. President,” and he kind of laughed. They thought it was funny, I just said, “Well, Mr. President, you missed.”

And then we begin to have a conversation. Sometimes you just have to go and talk to these people. As a result of that conversation, he opened up an opportunity for us to put a maternity hospital in Khartoum.

You’ve had many opportunities to talk to U.S. presidents and other leaders around the world. Is there someone who stands out as a person who has done something or influenced you in some way that is memorable?

George H.W. Bush was an incredible person. A very engaging person. When I was with him and my father at his son’s inauguration as governor of Texas, we were all on one floor at the Omni Hotel, and my father and I had our rooms up there on the same floor with the family.

It was a little unusual to go down the hallway and see President Bush running down the hall in his pajamas to get ice from the machine.

At dinner, we sat together, and he said, “Franklin, let me share with you who my family is.”

And he pointed to each person and told me about them. There was a niece, and he told me her name and a little bit about her. She was very much involved with the Dalai Lama and, he said, if she corners you, she’s going to bring this up.

I said, “Thank you. I appreciate that, Mr. President.”

You cannot be in the presence of Donald Trump and not be impressed. The man is brilliant.

Now he would use salty language in his messages, so I wrote him a note. “Mr. President, people love your rallies, and you do an incredible job communicating. But you don’t need to use that salty language.”

He mentioned that in one of his rallies. “Franklin Graham told me I maybe don’t need to use that language.” And he has mentioned that a number of times.

That’s genius of you to take the initiative to write that note.

If somebody doesn’t tell you, you don’t know. To be honest, too many people in powerful positions have yes people around them. Yes people tell them things that they want to hear, to try to pump up their egos or whatever.

If you want to be a friend of someone, you have to be honest. Not beat them up, but be lovingly honest.

Samaritan’s Purse has certainly done enormous work in western North Carolina. You were born in Asheville and you live in Boone. So that section of North Carolina is dear to you. What is your take on what happened in Tropical Storm Helene?

We’ve never seen anything like this in my lifetime. Just a little mountain stream turned into raging rivers. People that lived along these small streams, their houses were maybe a few hundred feet from the stream. All that got destroyed, their homes were washed away.

The wells were compromised. Septic systems were gone. It was on either side of the streams. Bridges are gone. Culverts are gone. Houses are off the foundations. Barns are gone. Pins for their livestock are gone.

In the rural areas, we’ve never seen damage like this.

We started using a helicopter to go to fire stations and churches to see how we can help them, because people rallied there and went there for help. Joe Gibbs loaned his helicopter. Rick Hendrick said that he would be glad to help with his helicopter.

My son was in the military for 16 years in special operations. He called some of the people he knew at Fort Liberty, and they sent some of their big heavy lift helicopters.

We took generators and tens of thousands of gallons of fuel. The helicopters would come back to the Boone airport, and we’d load them up again. We’ve been told it was probably the largest civilian airlift in the history of our country.

But for this flood, we weren’t ready for it. We needed generators. Nobody had fuel. And you had so many people that were sick, they were on oxygen and so forth, and they needed electricity. We didn’t want to make the decision of who to give the generators to. The local officials let the pastors and fire chiefs do that.

As you look forward to the many years that lie ahead of you, what would you like to do?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a list of things that I want to do or not do. I just wake up in the morning and I ask that God direct me according to his plan. It’s not my plan, but his plan. So if you look at Samaritan’s Purse, it’s not something that I have done. God has brought the people. He’s built the finances. He’s given us the resources.

I’ve always believed in infrastructure. If an organization is going to be successful, you have to have infrastructure. Like having a warehouse, having the right things stored there ready to go. Because when there is a crisis, everybody else is going out trying to buy the same things that you need. But if you already have them, then you are able to get out in front and help people immediately.

In Greensboro, we have our heavy lift department. That’s where we keep our DC-8 aircraft. We have a 757. We’re in the process of buying a 767. ■

POINT TAKEN Dan Barkin

ECONOMIC CHARGE

Ihad been hearing about the Volt Center near downtown New Bern, an operation of Craven Community College. I would hear about it at a workforce event. There would be a panel, and Ray Staats, Craven’s president, would have five minutes. Or Gery Boucher, Craven’s vice president for development, would use his five minutes to talk about it.

I finally saw the Volt Center, and it’s something. Staats and his team, including Volt Dean Jeffrey Schulze, have built an impressive workforce campus out of some old buildings about three miles from the main New Bern campus.

Folks are learning trades in demand at Craven’s industrial park, a few exits west off U.S. 70. They are in demand at Fleet Readiness Center East on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the other direction down U.S. 70 in Havelock, around 18 miles southeast of New Bern. Craven has a Havelock campus, which I will get to in this column, because it is a crucial part of the college’s mission. But first, let me talk about the Volt Center and the forklifts.

As Volt was getting going about five years ago, appliance manufacturer BSH, a major Craven County employer, told the college its distribution center needed 10 forklift drivers with experience operating a clamp shell attachment. BSH had donated such an attachment several months earlier for general training. Now it had an urgent need. Immediately, the staff tweaked their forklift program to create a specific course, with input from BSH. Two classes started up.

This is not unusual, according to Staats, as he showed me around Volt. At one point, we were in the diesel and heavy equipment building. “Gregory Poole comes to us and says we need diesel mechanics,” referring to the Raleigh-based Caterpillar dealership. “We have a conversation. Tell us exactly what you need. Then we go out and find a curriculum and give it back to them. Is this what you want?” The course gets tweaked based on the feedback, and maybe Poole can free up someone to help, and donate equipment so they’re training on Poole’s stuff that the graduates are going to be working on.

HOW IT STARTED

Staats became Craven president a decade ago. He previously spent 14 years in the Air Force, and a dozen years in higher education, mostly running community colleges, including the Community College of the Air Force.

His military background and workforce focus suited the Craven job. Craven County’s economy is tied to the military. FRC East repairs Navy and Marine aircraft and is the largest industrial employer in eastern North Carolina, with 4,000 workers, including 1,000 engineers. This creates demand for skilled trades.

Volt’s nearly 5 acres is dominated by a brick building facing First Street. In 1947, the building opened as the city electric plant. The city later got out of the generation business, and used the building as a warehouse.

The city asked Staats if the college might be interested in it. They asked the right person. Staats had a vision for a workforce center focused on short-term training courses. But he was limited by space on the main campus. HVAC instruction was in an 8-by-8 shed, enough for three students and four air conditioners. The Volt site also was within walking distance for transportation-challenged, low-income folks looking for skills.

“I have enough background in workforce development to know, if I have floor space, I can do stuff. So we just kind of took one step at a time,” he says.

Craven Community College’s Volt Center makes connections between industry and workforce training.

Ray Staats

THE HAVELOCK CAMPUS

And that’s why I drove down to Havelock, to see Megan Johnson, the workforce development coordinator at the 24-acre Havelock campus. It is across the road from the Cherry Point fence. The campus has been there since 2004, when three buildings opened up, including the Institute of Aeronautical Technology, reflecting the campus focus on training workers for FRC East. In 2020, the STEM Building opened up.

She took me around. Most of the folks we bumped into, students or instructors, were active-duty Marines, or recent Marines or were at FRC East. I saw a classroom where Marines were working on math skills. I looked at aviation pathways course materials, where new FRC employees can learn the jargon of jets and tiltrotors. I saw a Lean Six Sigma team, big in manufacturing. We went into the composite lab; military aviation is all about composites. We saw planes and helicopters out back, and toured welding.

With the help of a $1.3 million federal grant, plus funds from the Golden LEAF Foundation, city, county, Craven 100 Alliance and Harold H. Bate Foundation, the Volt Center opened in 2019 with programs that included HVAC, electrical, plumbing and construction. It has expanded since then, filling seven buildings on the site. Classes include carpentry, masonry, small engine/appliance repair, welding, heavy truck systems, as well as diesel and forklift training mentioned above. Many students get tuition funded by the Volt Toolbelt Trust, which costs about $50,000 a year. Staats also moved the Small Business Center to the Volt — more convenient for entrepreneurs — and started an incubator.

Volt also has law enforcement training, which will move to a $12 million public safety training center at the industrial park, thanks to the legislature and a lot of work by the college and the county. That will open up more room at the Volt Center, and Staats has plans.

Some 4,500 students have gone through the center. That’s what Boucher told the North Carolina Defense Summit in April. “That’s pretty amazing when you really think about it,” says Boucher. “These individuals are in short-term training. They’re getting their skills and they’re getting out to the workforce.” People are always asking, “How do we build a workforce?” he says. “Well, community colleges, in my opinion, are truly workforce development centers.”

It isn’t just the Volt Center, Boucher says. This was a defense summit, and so he talked about the unique location and role of the Havelock campus. So did the moderator of a panel at the defense summit, retired Navy Capt. Keith Wheeler, executive director of East Carolina University’s Office of National Security and Industry Initiatives. He made a point of saying, “Craven has one of the most direct pathways to DoD that I’m aware of in the state.”

We visited the NC State engineering program, housed in the new STEM building. Students start as Craven students for their first two years, and then stay on the Havelock campus as NC State students in mechanical or electrical engineering. They are taught by NC State engineering professors 130 miles away in Raleigh using two-way, big-screen video displays. The NC State program has graduated 100 engineers since 2012, including its assistant director, Nathan Rowland, a Beaufort native who worked after graduation at FRC East before his current job. More than 90% of Havelock’s NC State grads are working locally, mostly at FRC East.

There’s a fence that separates Craven’s Havelock buildings from the base, but the campus is truly part of Cherry Point. ■

Veteran journalist Dan Barkin writes the NC Military Report newsletter for Business NC. He can be reached at dbarkin53@gmail.com.

Concentrations in aviation, diesel, carpentry and welding are offered at Craven Community college.

Craven Community College’s Volt Center in New Bern

IT’S STILL ROCK&ROLL TO ME

Forty years later, those ‘Glory Days’ are making a social media return.

By Randy Wheeless

Wile decluttering in 2022, I looked at my vinyl records and faced a tough decision: Was it time to get rid of them?

Parting with my records from the ‘70s and ‘80s was not going to be easy, so I selected another route: I would talk about them. How about a one-minute chat from a retired, Charlotte-based, would-be social media in uencer?

My main talent is knowing lots of music trivia, and being able to research what I don’t know. at’s a far cry from my old career as a Duke Energy spokesman. But what good is retirement if you can’t try something new?

In social media circles, I needed a niche. Cooking? Dog videos? Political discussion? Not for me. I’m strictly ‘80s music, doing one-minute videos about a song or a band that people of a certain age remember. My main visual aid is my ever-growing collection of 7-inch 45 records, complete with original picture sleeves.

For good measure, I rotate wearing a band T-shirt in each video. I have about 40 total, from Tears for Fears to Poison. My setup is simple: My daughter’s old bedroom serves as my studio. My iPhone on a tripod is my camera, and my wife Anita is my videographer.

At rst, my videos were lucky to get 100 views. But slowly my “45 of the Day” segments started to catch the attention of other like-minded people. I tapped that loyal audience of people who have strong feelings about whether David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar is the best singer for Van Halen, and

they want to talk about it. ere are plenty of comments to read and respond to. It’s the most time-consuming part of the day — and the most enjoyable.

Today, adding my best channel (Facebook) with others (TikTok and Instagram) the “45 of the Day” has a combined following of about 90,000. Two-thirds are men. It’s no surprise that 90% of them are over 45 years of age. Sixty- ve percent are over 55. A typical month brings about 1.5 million views. It’s still growing.

My graying music lovers might not be able to name a single song in today’s Top 40, but many remember Styx playing “Mr. Roboto” at the Texas Jam in 1983 (it wasn’t pretty). ey were at Live Aid. ey watched “American Bandstand” and “Solid Gold” and remember when MTV just played music videos.

To avoid copyright issues, I don’t play the songs I talk about. Instead, I give followers a tidbit of info they might not know. One popular segment is about

Former PR manager Randy Wheeless creates “45 of the Day.”

hit songs that were originally recorded by someone else. No song was more popular in the decade than 1981’s “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes. However, Jackie DeShannon wrote and recorded the song in 1974.

A fun part of the channel is talking about the international air of 1980s music. anks to MTV, groups from all over the world were on the American charts during the decade. at helps my appeal, with 20% of my followers from outside the U.S.

One of my rst lessons when I started was that my record collection, although nice, had plenty of missing elements.

ankfully, North Carolina has a robust number of record stores, which I frequent quite o en. And not just Charlotte and Raleigh. Some of my best shopping days were in smaller towns like Kannapolis, Mebane and Wilson.

Granted, most vinyl shoppers are looking for albums and not the jukebox staple 45s. So, I don’t mind sitting on the oor in the back of the store ri ing through boxes of old records. at’s the fun part.

A common question is, “How many 45 records do you have?” Frankly, I’ve never counted. But I’m guessing around 1,500. I may add more soon as I travel on vacation, visiting local record stores.

I’m also asked, “Do I make any money?” Despite not selling anything or having sponsors, I get paid by the tech companies based on views. It’s nice when a few hundred dollars shows up in my account each month. When it’s a labor of love, it’s all gravy.

e “45 of the Day” is an excuse to live in the past, even if just for a minute. It allows people to remember an artist they had forgotten; the famous band they saw at a small club; the song that played at a prom, wedding or funeral.

Social media might be known more for divisive political discussion. But when it comes to a great memory and a great song –that gets my vote every time. ■

HONEY SPOT

By Samuel D’Avila

er spending $1 billion to buy Charlotte’s Ballantyne o ce park in 2017, Northwood O ce has spent many millions of dollars more to reinvigorate the 535-acres development that is home to dozens of employers. e major capital investments include taking out a golf course to make room for buildings and more greenspace. And, the New York-based owners are taking some simple, low-cost steps to make the region’s biggest suburban o ce park distinctive.

ALike adding bees.

In 2021, Northwood formed a partnership with local beekeeper Robert Suydam to install six beehives at the development, which includes 4.5 million square feet of o ce space.

his hives. One of Northwood’s sites is in its fairly secluded Ballantyne Backyard area, while the other is near a pond on the west side of the campus.

Production from the Ballantyne bees varies annually because of many factors, though three to four pounds a week ow in good times. Suydam lls jars with the honey, which Northwood shares with its clients and tenants.

It’s part of Ballantyne’s “rewilding” e ort, an overall strategy of sustainability to make a potentially sterile environment more inviting. Other e orts include the Ballantyne Bolt micro-transit partnership with the Charlotte Area Transit System, in which an electric Volkswagen bus ferries workers and apartment dwellers around the development using a smartphone app. Northwood has also partnered with Queens University biology professor Je rey omas to study birds and the reproduction of native species.

“ is feeds into the think globally, act locally concept,” says Allyssa Calderhead, who joined Northwood as a sustainability analyst last year. “What’s important in the Charlotte metro area is local agriculture and overall health. Honeybees are a cornerstone species, and they touch a lot of our lives.”

Suydam’s day job is in banking, but his passion involves managing beehives in the Charlotte area and producing honey. e Charlotte native rst saw the pollination bene ts of bees while working at a community garden.

“Sustainability is an iterative process,” Calderhead notes, suggesting

more innovative projects are coming at Ballantyne. ■

He started Paddington Honey in 2017 and now oversees several apiaries in the Charlotte area. at includes centercity installations at public parks and atop hotels.

Suydam says bees pollinate an area with a radius of about two miles around

by Gavin Parsons, Joe Schouten and Mark Wigley

In today's digital age, your company's most valuable assets might not be the equipment on your factory ﬂoor or the inventory in your warehouse – they might be the conﬁdential information stored on your servers.

For North Carolina businesses, from small manufacturing companies in the East to growing tech ﬁrms in the Research Triangle, understanding trade secrets has never been more critical.

Recent court decisions have shown just how valuable trade secrets can be. In 2024, multiple companies won verdicts exceeding $400 million, including a $452 million award over an insulin pump design, and a $604.9 million award in a case involving alternative fuel technology. These eye-popping numbers highlight both the value courts place on trade secrets and the risks of inadequate protection.

But what exactly qualiﬁes as a trade secret in North Carolina?

Under both federal and North Carolina law, a trade secret is business or technical information that has commercial value because it isn't generally known or easily figured out by others. This definition is broader than many business owners realize and can include many types of information your company uses daily. For example, a Charlotte manufacturer might have trade secrets in its production processes, quality control methods, and supplier relationships. A Raleigh consulting firm might have trade secrets in its pricing strategies, bid formulas, client proposals, and project methodologies. And a small Asheville brewery might

Your Most Valuable Business Asset Might Not Be What You Think: Trade Secrets for N.C. Business Owners

have trade secrets in its unique recipes, brewing processes, and distribution strategies.

Here are some speciﬁc examples of information North Carolina courts have protected as trade secrets:

▶ Detailed customer information, including purchasing histories, preferences, and requirements

▶ Pricing strategies and cost histories used to prepare bids

▶ Manufacturing processes and quality control procedures

▶ Product designs and development information

▶ Sales strategies and market analysis

▶ Financial projections and business plans

However, not everything your company considers conﬁdential automatically qualiﬁes as a trade secret.

To receive protection under federal law or North Carolina law, the information must meet two key requirements:

First, the information must have independent commercial value speciﬁcally because it isn't generally known. For instance, if your manufacturing process gives you a cost advantage over competitors, that's valuable precisely because competitors don't know how you do it. However, if the information is common knowledge in your industry or could be easily ﬁgured out by others, it probably won't qualify as a trade secret.

Second, you must take reasonable measures to keep the information secret. North Carolina courts don't expect perfection – they look for reasonable efforts appropriate to the circumstances. These might include conﬁdentiality agreements, limited access to information, password protection, and employee training about conﬁdentiality. The key is demonstrating that your company treats the information as truly secret.

In this regard, the rise of remote work and digital storage has made trade secret protection both more important and more challenging. When employees can access company information from home and on personal devices, maintaining secrecy requires new approaches to security and conﬁdentiality. The convenience of digital ﬁle sharing and cloud storage must be balanced against the increased risk of unauthorized access or sharing.

Are trade secrets protected in perpetuity?

Unlike patents, which expire after a set period of time, trade secrets can provide indeﬁnite protection as long as they remain secret and retain their value. This makes them particularly valuable for long-term competitive advantage. However, once a trade secret becomes public, the protection is lost forever. You can't get trade secret protection back once the information becomes generally known.

Non-competes and trade secrets in North Carolina

The growing hostility toward non-compete agreements across the country, and the likelihood that their language will be interpreted against employers, makes trade secret protection even more crucial for businesses. Businesses need to rely more on trade secret protection and less on non-compete agreements to protect their competitive advantages.

For North Carolina business owners, this means taking a fresh look at how you identify and protect valuable company information.

How do businesses protect trade secrets?

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. What information gives our company a competitive advantage?

2. How difﬁcult would it be for competitors to ﬁgure out this information on their own?

3. What steps are we currently taking to keep this information secret?

4. Who has access to this information, and do they understand its conﬁdential nature?

5. How are we protecting this information when employees work remotely?

Remember, you don't need to create an impenetrable fortress around your trade secrets. North Carolina courts understand the practical realities of running a business. They look for reasonable measures to maintain secrecy, considering factors like the nature of the information, the size of your business, and the cost and practicality of protection measures.

However, you do need to be proactive. The time to identify and protect your trade secrets is now, before there's a problem. This is especially true in industries where employee turnover is high or where remote work is common.

The Last Word: Protect Your Secrets

The key takeaway is simple: your company's conﬁdential information may be more valuable – and more vulnerable –than you realize. Not only is taking steps to identify and protect your trade secrets good legal practice – it's also essential to maintaining your competitive advantage. Identify what makes your business unique, then work with legal counsel to develop a comprehensive protection strategy.

Gavin Parsons

Litigation Attorney

gbparsons@wardandsmith.com

Joe Schouten

Litigation Attorney

jas@wardandsmith.com

Mark Wigley

Litigation Attorney

mswigley@wardandsmith.com

wardandsmith.com

This article is not intended to give, and should not be relied upon for, legal advice in any particular circumstance or fact situation. No action should be taken in reliance upon the information contained in this article without obtaining the advice of an attorney.

WOULDN’T YOU RATHER HAVE A BUICK?

A pioneering auto dealer made a huge, little-known mark on North Carolina.

By David Mildenberg

Among the legends of North Carolina business history, Charles Coddington barely gets a scratch. But High Point entrepreneur and Tar Heel history buff J. Phillips “Phil” Johnston is determined to change that.

Earlier this year, he self-published a book, “Charles C. Coddington Pioneer Entrepreneur of the New South.” It describes the mark made by Coddington during his two decades in North Carolina, which ended with his death at age 56 in 1928.

Coddington impressed Johnston for many reasons, but principally for his ability to gain exclusive rights to sell Buicks in North Carolina and South Carolina at the dawn of the automotive age in 1907.

Started in 1899, Buick is the company that established General Motors, and it remains the oldest automobile brand still active in the U.S. (Ford Motor debuted in 1903.)

William Durant, who briefly led GM before his ouster in 1910, picked the 35-yearold Coddington to be Buick’s first dealer in the South. It was a strange choice. Coddington’s main experience was as a former New York City Journal newspaper reporter, and he had no money or connections in the Carolinas.

But the duo clicked.

According to Johnston’s book, “With pluck and charisma backed by no currency, Coddington romanced the future with Durant and secured a new Buick franchise in North and South Carolina. The two like-minded men shook hands on the deal.

They both envisioned that the latest technology was destined to dominate the industry in America.”

Shortly after his move to North Carolina, Coddington met Lee Folger, a former Cone Mills manager who had entered the car business in Greensboro. They became best friends and business partners.

Johnston writes, “Folger was a man with a strict routine and odd habits. He seldom smiled, ran his home like an army base and followed a rigid eating regimen: creamed chipped beef on toast for breakfast and souse meat, rye crisps and six shots of Old Forester bourbon for dinner. He was precisely the backstop and loyal assistant Coddington needed to help manage the explosive growth of his businesses.”

After Coddington’s death, Folger took over the company’s Buick dealership in Charlotte. It was called Folger Buick until 2012, when new ownership took over.

A century ago, in 1925, Coddington built an elaborate mausoleum in Charlotte’s Elmwood Cemetery to honor his deceased wife, Marjorie. He is also buried there. Only the grave of film star Randolph Scott draws more visits in the historic cemetery, Johnston writes. ■

Lee Folger, left, and Coddington pose in a Buick Model F for a publicity photo in Concord.

STURDY BONES

OrthoCarolina is big in its specialty, but small compared with hospital rivals. Here’s how it is adapting.

By David Mildenberg

Getting smaller, more focused and paying close attention to changing rules is OrthoCarolina’s strategy to thrive in a healthcare sector increasingly dominated by larger organizations.

Over the past six months, the Charlotte-based independent physicians’ practice has sold its physical therapy and imaging businesses, which together employed more than 300 people.

Meanwhile, the business is doubling down on its business of providing orthopedic care, with plans to complete more procedures at its own ambulatory surgery centers rather than N.C. hospitals. OrthoCarolina was formed by the 2005 merger of Charlotte Orthopaedic Specialists and Miller Orthopaedic Clinic. It now has 1,600 employees, including 133 physicians and 122 physicians’ assistants. They work at 33 clinics and two surgery centers.

“Like every business, we can’t do everything,” says CEO Leo Spector, who juggles his leadership role while also performing surgeries. “We’ve got to focus on our core competency. We don’t want to be GE and have to sell everything off.”

Physical therapy is a natural complement for an orthopedic surgery practice because mangled limbs often need lots of rehab. But OrthoCarolina concluded that it was a low-margin business with rising costs, and reimbursement rates set by government and private payers weren’t increasing fast enough, Spector says. In February, it sold its 24 clinics to Atlanta-based PT Solutions, which is partnering with Charlotte-based Novant Health on the business. Terms weren’t disclosed.

As for imaging, Spector says it’s become a commodity business protected by North Carolina’s certificate-of-need (CON) laws, which blocks newcomers from adding MRI machines without state approval. But lawmakers have repealed certificate-of-need for imaging services at the end of this year, which is expected to spark new entrants more and lower prices. That’s good for consumers, and maybe less good for imaging vendors.

In April, OrthoCarolina sold its imaging business to a joint venture of Novant and Atlanta-based Medquest for undisclosed terms. The deal included 18 imaging sites in the Charlotte and Triad areas.

Meanwhile, the state has also repealed certificate-of-need requirements for ambulatory surgery centers, or ASCs. That’s where OrthoCarolina expects to invest much capital in coming years, complementing its relationships with hospitals. It now owns two surgery centers, has joint ventures or management agreements with six other sites and expects further expansion, though Spector wouldn’t share details.

Fewer than 50% of OrthoCarolina’s surgeries now occur in those ASCs, but that will likely increase to as much as 80% in coming years. Because of population growth, the Charlotte region needs twice as much capacity for surgeries as now exists, OrthoCarolina believes.

More surgeries out of the hospital likely means a tenser relationship with hospitals, who may lose significant revenue. Orthopedic, cancer and cardiac care have traditionally been the key drivers of hospital revenue, and North Carolina’s big hospital systems employ orthopedic physicians who compete against OrthoCarolina, Raleigh-based EmergeOrtho and other private groups.

But cost pressures are accelerating the trend. “Payers won’t pay hospital rates for surgeries done at AN ASC. That’s where the puck is headed,” Spector says. Still, he says his practice is working amicably with Novant Health, Atrium Health and CaroMont Health in the Charlotte area.

Meanwhile, OrthoCarolina is bucking the industry trend of aligning with private-equity investors to finance growth. The physician-owned group doesn’t disclose its finances, but it is a fraction of the size of major insurers and N.C. hospital systems.

OrthoCarolina considered PE funding in the past five years, but concluded it didn’t need the money and didn’t want to risk the upheaval that such a combination could spark. “Our goal in five or 10 years is that we want to be a very strong, physician-led organization,” Spector says. The decision aligns with the group’s longstanding mission of providing value and access, while staying nimble. “There’s that saying, ’What gotcha here won’t get ya there.’” ■

NC TREND ›››

A famous sports broadcaster and recent author retires to Chapel Hill after an unusual career.

By Mike MacMillian

MAlong the way he managed to report on a record 14 Olympics, did on-air work for ABC, NBC, CBS and TBS, and covered boxing for HBO for nearly 30 years, picking up three career sports Emmys.

uhammad Ali once babysat Jim Lampley’s 8-year-old daughter during a boxing awards dinner in 1991. at may tell you a lot of what you need to know about the extraordinary, improbable journey of the Chapel Hill resident, from college dropout to Hall of Fame broadcaster.

He writes about all this in his autobiography, “It Happened, A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television,” which was published in April with help from co-author and fellow UNC Chapel Hill grad, Art Chansky, a veteran Tar Heel sportswriter.

Jim Heavner, the founder of Village Companies in Chapel Hill and a former owner of the local WCHL radio station, helped give Lampley his start in the early 1970s as a $15-a-show reporter.

Born in Hendersonville, Lampley moved to Miami with his mother when he was 5, following the death of her second husband, Lampley’s father. He returned to North Carolina in 1967 to attend Chapel Hill. Going to class was not at the top of his “to do” list, and

IT’S HER CHURN

Dessert is the medium Shafna Shamsuddin uses to tell her story. e creator of a cardamom-infused ice cream company, Elaka Treats, nds inspiration in childhood Indian traditions, but says her story begins at an American store.

“My story started at Williams-Sonoma,” Shamsuddin says. Born and raised in the United Arab Emirates by Indian immigrant parents, Shamsuddin came to the U.S. to attend Purdue University. She later earned a degree at UNC Charlotte a er being matched with her husband and relocating to Gastonia.

As she threw herself into projects, “plumbing, electrical, carpentry

RING LEADER

he soon became a habitué of the now-defunct Shack, a rundown bar on Rosemary Street popular with the fraternity and sorority set. In 1968, he lost his mother’s car, a 1964 Oldsmobile Cutlass, playing cards at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house. Down $3,000 at a time when UNC’s tuition stood at $700 a year for out-of-state students, he had no other way to settle up but to hand over the keys.

Cardamom is the spice of life for a Greensboro food entrepreneur.

By Cassie Bustamante

— I’ve done all kinds of stu ,” Shamsuddin found herself wandering through the glimmering displays at a Williams-Sonoma kitchenware store. A Cuisinart ice cream maker caught her eye. at small mixer has since been retired, but it got Shamsuddin’s wheels churning. An Indian tradition she learned from her mother is that, when entertaining, everything is made from scratch to celebrate your guests’ presence at the table.

She began testing with friends the confections she made with her ice cream maker. Her dishes featured the exotic avor of cardamom, a warm, aromatic ginger known for its peppery, piney palate.

“Everyone loved it,” she says. Watching others savor her creations con rmed what she had suspected — she was onto something.

In 2013, Shamsuddin and her husband moved to Greensboro. A desire to make her confections into something bigger nagged at her, but she had no idea how to start.

A year or so later, he dropped out. Following a stint compiling mortgage documents in a Florida bank, Lampley reapplied to UNC and returned to campus with a new seriousness. He nished his undergraduate work and went on to pursue a master’s in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures. While he never earned that degree, he beat 431 other contestants to win a role at ABC Sports as the rst college football sideline television sports reporter, debuting on Sept. 7, 1974, during a game between UCLA and Tennessee. His experience at WCHL may have been the key reason for landing the job, he says.

He then spent decades circling the globe, bringing viewers the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” as cited by the intro to the “ABC Wide World of Sports” program that was a Saturday a ernoon staple for 36 years. He covered everything from “ e Miracle on Ice,” USA hockey team’s gold medal victory during the 1980 Winter Olympics to the Indianapolis 500. He became known in part for doing what he calls the “wacky Wide Worlds” such as wrist wrestling and log rolling.

en came the Ironman Triathlon and Race Across America, where Lampley’s interest in new technology and in di erent forms of storytelling helped develop audiences for these emerging sports.

Many A-listers from the ‘80s and ‘90s are mentioned in the book, while the lessons of corporate in ghting are timeless. In 1986, Lampley found himself on the wrong side of an acquisition when Capital Cities Broadcasting bought ABC. His new boss, ABC Sports President Dennis Swanson, was not a fan. “Who is Jim Lampley and why are we paying him all this money?” Lampley recalls Swanson asking by way of introduction. Clearly, Lampley’s days at the network were numbered.

It turned out to be fortuitous, setting him on a path that led to HBO and boxing, which he characterizes as, “ e most personal, the most subjective, the most psychological, the most confrontational sport.

Lampley had a major impact in raising the pro le of boxing during his tenure at HBO. It’s the sport for which he is best known

today, including the 1994 bout between Michael Moorer and George Foreman in which the latter regained the heavyweight title at age 45. “It happened!” exclaimed Lampley at ringside when Moorer went down in the 10th round, coining a signature phrase and a future book title.

In January 2020, Lampley again returned to Chapel Hill with his wife, Debra. “For decades I had the ambition to come here and teach,” he says. At a 2015 fundraising luncheon in California, thenChancellor Kevin Guskiewicz told him that he could “just stand up in front of the students and talk about how the university bene tted you and we’ll call it a class.” Lampley envisioned something more rigorous, a course that would include “all the factors that in uence the way a story is told, and what gets onto the air.” e result was COMM 490: “Evolution of Storytelling in American Electronic News Media.”

He taught the course for ve semesters before running into the latest disruptive communications technology: social media. “I could not convince the students of the importance of the sanctity of truth and the degree to which they will participate in the destruction of truth if they continue down the path of social media,” Lampley says. “I couldn’t get through their social media-addicted skulls.”

NEXT UP

e hair a little grayer but the familiar voice intact, Lampley earlier this year did blow-by-blow for a boxing event held outdoors in New York’s Times Square. e ghts were disappointing, but his performance received generally good notices. He hopes to be tapped for future boxing events. “I’m hoping to call Canelo (Alvarez) vs. Terence Crawford,” referring to two leading pugilists. If I do that, then I’m back to calling arguably the best ght in boxing,” he says.

In the meantime, he has been promoting the book, doing more than 200 interviews to date. In a business where egos tend to run rampant and narcissism is the order of the day, Lampley’s daughter helped to give him a little perspective along the way. Heading up Madison Avenue in a cab a er that evening of rubbing shoulders with one of the greatest boxers who ever lived, she turned to her father and asked, “Dad, who was that man?” ■

As luck would have it, her trainer at a Greensboro gym connected her with another client, Lindsay Bisbee, who had started the homemade pickle brand Kyōōkz. Bisbee introduced Shamsuddin to the Piedmont Food Processing Center business incubator in Hillsborough, which o ers commercial kitchen space and support for entrepreneurs.

Shamsuddin also picked up con dence at the gym. With a newfound belief in herself, she began production in 2019 at the commercial kitchen space, while learning how to launch a business with help from Executive Director L. Eric Hallman.

Elaka is what people in the Indian state of Kerala call cardamom. She was set to launch Elaka Treats at Winston-Salem’s annual RiverRun International Film Festival in 2020.

“And then COVID hit, cancels the [festival], cancels my (state) inspection,” she says, “and I panicked.”

While inspections were on pause, Shamsuddin says, “I found out that if I can convince the Department of Agriculture that I am going to do everything per code and my product is safe to consume, then they will give me a letter that says . . . it is OK for us to be in business.” She received the approval letter and, like many businesses in 2020, made a new plan.

Shamsuddin started peddling her pints at farmers markets from Raleigh to Charlotte. Farmers markets opened doors, allowing

Shamsuddin to adopt a business-to-business model. At the Chapel Hill Farmers Market, Vimala Rajendran, owner of Vimala’s Curryblossom Café, introduced herself. Soon a er, Shamsuddin had her rst wholesale account. She now has 12.

“It’s been a slow build,” she says, but the pace has given her room to expand her part-time teams. She’s relocated her operation to the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship in Greensboro, where she rents an o ce and a warehouse-style storage space, and utilizes its shareduse kitchen.

Her menu now includes a half-dozen collaborations with local brands. She’s added a variety of cream-based avors as well as vegan options and says that every avor has its own story. Z’s lemonade, a avor her son requested on his h birthday, is popular among the kiddos.

Shamsuddin strives to get her products on grocery store shelves. She’d also like to see self-serving freezers in cultural spaces.

“Initially, Elaka was about me. It was about telling my story,” she adds “Over the past six years, it’s grown into something else. It’s about community, belonging “and how, through food, you can see how we’re all connected.”

Cassie Bustamante is editor of O.Henry magazine in Greensboro, where this story ﬁrst appeared.

SLOW BUT

SURE

N.C. lawmakers don’t make a priority of completing the state budget. Here’s why.

By Ray Gronberg

tate legislators le Raleigh in late June for their summer break without having passed a budget for the next two years. at’s become the norm since Republicans took control of both chambers in 2011. Of eight tries, they’ve hit that start-of-the- scal-year target only twice.

Se exceptions were 2011 and 2017, both times a er overriding gubernatorial vetoes. In 2011, Gov. Beverly Perdue’s in uence was ebbing quickly. In 2017, the GOP enjoyed its largest supermajorities in both the House and Senate and didn’t need to worry much about Gov. Roy Cooper’s opinion.

Four other times, the budget became law between late July and mid-November. In 2019, legislators weren’t able to nish the job at all, as Republicans lacked the votes to override a Cooper veto amid a deadlock on Medicaid expansion. e budget for 2018-19 continued as the framework for another two years, though many revisions occurred as the pandemic struck in early 2020.

is time around, the jury’s still out. Just before heading for a break, House Speaker Destin Hall said he’s “con dent we’ll get a deal done on it at some point.”

is begs questions about how the process works, or doesn’t work. For answers, we consulted former Republican Rep. Jason Saine of Lincoln County, who was a senior chair of the House Appropriations Committee before resigning last year. at made him one of the so-called “Big Chairs” driving the process.

ere are some built-in reasons for legislators to temporize, says Saine, who now lobbies for a wide variety of public and private sector clients.

ree key checkpoints occur early. Lawmakers schedule public subcommittee brie ngs with the leaders of various executive branches and Council of State o ces. en the Governor’s O ce of State Budget and Management and the legislature’s Fiscal Research Division issue a joint revenue forecast indicating how much money will likely be available. en the House speaker and Senate President Pro Tem have to agree on the overall spending target.

Legislators also o en prefer to see the state’s revenue results a er the April 15 tax- ling deadline. “Everything kind of somewhat stays on hold until you get that revenue number,” Saine says. “From the prognosticators, they’re giving you a decent idea. But no one really knows until you get those nal numbers.” is year, there was a further reason to wait: the federal government’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” had massive implications for Medicaid and other programs. It became federal law in July.

Each session, the governor takes the rst crack at dra ing a budget proposal. It’s widely assumed that this is an empty exercise, even if the governor’s party matches the a liation of the legislative majority, because the N.C. Constitution provides the legislature with vast powers.

But Saine says it actually does matter because the budget process doesn’t really have de nite starting and ending points. ere are always conversations between legislators, sta ers, their counterparts in the executive branch, and o cials in semiindependent agencies like the UNC System and State Ports Authority.

e governor’s in uence weighs heaviest through his or her appointees. eir behind-the-scenes conversations with the legislative side mean there are a lot of things that “are widely agreed upon because we’ve known for years where agencies are headed and some of their pressure points,” Saine says. “As much as it may disappoint some who are looking for a lot of high intrigue, the di erences many times aren’t that great.”

ere are di erences nonetheless, even within the chambers. e easiest disputes get handled at the subcommittee level. e harder ones land on the desks of the Big Chairs, and the hardest go to the “corner o ces,” meaning Hall and Phil Berger, who has led the Senate since 2011.

e House and Senate take turns every biennium in dra ing the rst legislative budget proposal. e Senate led this year.

e initial proposal is about laying down markers about key priorities, with the understanding that the other chamber will disagree, and negotiations will follow.

is year, the chambers broadly agree that they’ll claw back part or all of the $500 million endowment provided in 2023 to a new state initiative, NCInnovation, to subsidize commercialization of university research.

e Senate wants to divert $400 million of that money to help pay for a new $2 billion children’s hospital in Wake County. But the House has questions about that project, Hall says. Its counterproposal omits the allocation.

Saine notes there are also broader, persistent di erences in budget strategy between the chambers. e House tends to be more generous in raising state-employee pay; the Senate tends to favor deeper tax cuts.

Picking up speed

$29.22 billion

$26.75 billion

$25.79 billion

$23.79 billion

$24.06 billion

$23.66 billion

$22.70 billion

$22.06 billion

$21.19 billion

$20.62 billion

As for negotiations, “a lot of it is driven by personalities,” he says. Democrats aren’t necessarily frozen out, despite the chambers’ supermajorities. ere are e ective Democrats and ine ective Republicans, Saine says.

He cites Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, as capable of in uencing legislation because she has subjectmatter expertise on environmental issues and is willing to work constructively with her Republican counterparts.

Still, “personal ghts” rear up in the committee process, he notes.

Includes spending on education, health, human services and other general fund expenses. Excludes capital projects and transportation spending.

Source: N.C. General Assembly and the O ce of State Controller

“You get days where people get up and leave for meetings because they’re upset, or they’re not agreeing, and it’s exhaustive,” Saine says. “And sometimes, you know, it goes to the weekend and people go home, take a couple days and then come back to the table to try to resolve it. So it’s a process.”

Unlike Congress, the General Assembly doesn’t have to worry about a government shutdown because unlike some states, there is no limit on the length of sessions. If there’s no new budget, state agencies continue to function under the

old one.

Any deadline pressure is mostly linked to mostly linked to construction budgets, which require replenishment to keep contractors paid to keep cranes and bulldozers moving. State employees, meanwhile, have repeatedly had to wait months to receive retroactive pay raises, which is a real cost for corrections o cers, teachers and others making relatively modest salaries.

Overall, Saine describes the state budget as “an elongated process, and it’s designed that way … kind of building the ship while you’re oating down the canal.” ■

We were just talking about that...

Business North Carolina’s Chatter podcast serves up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State’s most interesting people. Each week, we discuss business with the top decision-makers in the state.

at businessnc.com/podcast

CHARLOTTE

Citigroup will invest $16.1 million to create 510 jobs over the next three years. The new jobs are expected to pay a minimum annual salary of $131,832 about 52% higher than the current average Mecklenburg County annual wage. The fourth-largest U.S. bank says the jobs will include finance, human resources support, risk management and wealth management positions.

AssetMark, a California-based wealth management platform for financial advisers, will invest $10 million to create 252 jobs that are expected to pay an average annual wage of $110,518. AssetMark already owns Charlotte-based Adhesion Wealth Advisor Solutions, along with its affiliates AssetMark Trust and Voyant. They support more than 10,700 independent financial advisors and 317,000 investor households.

Assets of the Leon Levine Foundation increased to $2 billion after the April 2023 death of the namesake co-founder, who built the Family Dollar retail chain that was acquired by Dollar Tree for $9.2 billion in 2015. The expansion means the

foundation will be able to pay out grants of $100 million annually, triple the $34.6 million paid in its 2023 fiscal year. It has previously reported total assets of nearly $700 million.

Greensboro law firm Brooks Pierce opened an office here for the first time in its 128-year history. Lawyers David Allen, Ben Chesson and Anna Majestro, formerly of Allen Chesson, joined the firm that now has more than 120 attorneys statewide.

Queens University completed a three-year transition process to become a full NCAA Division 1 member. The move grants full postseason eligibility and solidifies its place in the ASUN Conference.

Krispy Kreme stopped selling doughnuts at McDonald’s, a partnership started last year that reached about 2,400 of McDonald’s 13,500 stores. Krispy Kreme decided the arrangement was not profitable.

Bojangles unveiled a 61,000-square-foot headquarters, combining corporate and culinary operations under one roof. The space supports the company’s expansion to 800-plus locations in 20 states, with plans for nationwide growth.

Tryon Management, which operates one of the state’s largest independent

physician groups, named Lindsay Muns as its CEO. Dr. Dale Owen, the cardiologist who helped form Tryon Medical Partners in 2018, is now executive chair of the partnership and remains a practicing physician.

Marketing agency Wray Ward named its chief creative officer, John Roberts, as CEO. He succeeds Kent Panther, who was named president and chief growth officer. Panther has been CEO since January 2023, when he succeeded longtime leader Jennifer Appleby.

Ballantyne Tower, a fully leased nine-story office building once home to SPX Flow, has sold for $71.5 million. The 240,000-square-foot property was acquired by a joint venture between Estein USA and Vanderbilt Office Properties.

Charlotte FC will host the 2026 Major League Soccer All-Star Game at Bank of America Stadium. Charlotte FC entered the MLS in 2022. Bank of America Stadium hosted four 2025 Club World Cup matches.

ALBEMARLE

The Duke Endowment awarded $4 million to Atrium Health, including $1.45 million to launch rural North Carolina’s first all-virtual nursing facility here. Other grants will support physician

training, AI-assisted translation tools, school health platforms and a health sciences academy in Union County.

CORNELIUS

Atrium Health Lake Norman began seeing its first patients July 1. The 36-bed, five-story hospital is led by Brian Wofford. Kansas City-based general contractor JE Dunn partnered with Charlotte-based McFarland Construction as general contractors on the project.

KINGS MOUNTAIN

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations special agents executed a search warrant at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company, arresting 30 people. Several face charges of coming back into the U.S. after previously being deported, which is a federal crime.

MCADENVILLE

The state awarded Charlotte-based Lane Construction a $337 million contract to widen I-85 from six to eight lanes along a four-mile stretch between Exit 23 (U.S. 7) to Exit 27 (N.C. 273) in Belmont. The project will also replace or rehab six bridges and marks the first of three major upgrades. Work is expected to begin in the summer of 2026.

MOUNT HOLLY

Daimler Truck laid off 573 workers at its plant that manufactures and services Freightliner Trucks. The employees will be paid through Sept. 9 and receive eight months of insurance receive eight months of health insurance. Declining truck sales prompted Daimler to lay off approximately 28% of the plant’s 2,000 employees.

SALISBURY

St. Petersburg, Florida-based Jabil picked Salisbury for a $264 million investment that is expected to create 1,181 manufacturing jobs over the next five years. The new facility will manufacture hardware needed to power AI workflows and data centers. Jabil already has 991 employees in North Carolina working in healthcare and packaging.

EAST

CLINTON

R & R Brewing finished major renovations at the historic Henry Vann building located downtown. The 9,100-square-foot first floor will

house a 2,000-square-foot taproom and 6,000-square-foot restaurant, with historic touches preserved throughout.

FAYETTEVILLE

Yeadon Domes received City Council approval to start construction of a $4.6 million facility. The Minnesotabased company announced in March it would relocate its headquarters and manufacturing operations and bring 72 jobs to the area by 2029. The company makes domes installed at athletic fields and swimming pools.

WILMINGTON

A new eight-episode Netflix series set in a fictional North Carolina town debuted after being filmed here and Southport. “The Waterfront” follows the Buckley family’s descent from coastal respectability into drug-running. It was created by New Bern native Kevin Williamson, known for “Dawson’s Creek.”

Dan Winslow, CEO of the New Hanover Community Endowment since October, resigned. Winslow was hired last year to lead the endowment, which became one of the state’s largest with $1.3 billion in assets after the county sold New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2021.

NC TREND ››› Statewide

A BC will film a pilot here for “RJ Decker,” a potential series based on Carl Hiaasen’s novel “Double Whammy.” It is written by Rob Doherty and directed by Paul McGuigan. A full-season location has not been finalized.

A New York grand jury indicted Michael Collins, a former chief marketing officer at nCino, for allegedly embezzling nearly $6 million from two previous employers. Prosecutors say Collins submitted fake invoices over eight years to fund a lavish lifestyle. The alleged theft occurred before his January hiring at nCino.

A former Budgetel Inn and Motel 6 on Market Street, which was converted into 230 apartments by Vivo Living, has sold for $17.6 million. The new owner, COW Wilmington, plans to maintain the site as workforce housing.

WILMINGTON

Off The Hook Yachts filed for a $29 million IPO. Founded in 2012, the firm reported $99 million in 2024 revenue. It plans to expand inventory, secure institutional financing and expand its marine services network. It aims to become the “CarMax” of used boats.

TRIAD

ASHEBORO

Environmental groups are suing plastics maker StarPet for allegedly discharging the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane into rivers serving 900,000 people. StarPet’s levels were 163 times over the limit.

Pat Simmons, CEO and director of the North Carolina Zoo since 2015, died July 14 after a nearly five-year fight with cancer. A leader and mentor in the zoo community, Simmons previously led the Akron Zoo. She spent 41 years in the field.

ELKIN

Atrium Health is combining with local nonprofit Hugh Chatham Health, pledging $130 million in investment and expanding services in cancer, women’s, and vascular care. The deal adds 70 providers, 25 locations and home health services to Atrium’s network.

Winston-Salem-based Allegacy Federal Credit Union will add 50 operations jobs in Greensboro. The credit union is leasing space in the Key Risk Corporate Center near I-40 and PTI Airport. Allegacy has 173,000-plus members and $2.2 billion in assets.

Marketing agency Bouvier Kelly acquired Canyon Creative, a Las Vegas branding and web design firm. Terms weren’t disclosed. The move expands Bouvier Kelly’s national reach, with Canyon founder Dale Sprague becoming creative director.

Camco Manufacturing hired Chris Metz as CEO, succeeding Demir Vangelov. Metz brings extensive experience leading outdoor brands, including Arctic Cat, Vista Outdoor and Solo Brands, and previously spent nearly a decade at Sun Capital Partners. Camco

produces parts and accessories for the outdoor recreation industry.

FedEx will shut a delivery station in September as part of its Network 2.0 efficiency initiative, affecting 164 employees. The company says customers won’t see service disruptions, and many workers will be offered other roles.

Guilford College averted the potential loss of its academic accreditation after raising more than $5 million in unrestricted cash by June 30. Next, supporters of the 188-year-old private Quaker College will learn about longterm planning aimed at ending years of financial struggles.

Anthony Cordo has been named president and CEO of the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, effective July 14. He succeeds Henri Fourrier, who retired after leading the organization since 1996. Cordo most recently served as executive VP of Visit Lauderdale in Florida. He has also led tourism efforts in Maryland and Texas.

Stephen Fleming, co-CEO of the state’s largest not-for-profit senior living organization, Kintura, will retire at the end of the year. Fleming led The Well-Spring Group since 2000, before it merged with Brightspire last year, bringing together a portfolio of five continuing care retirement communities.

REIDSVILLE

Joyalways, a subsidiary of China’s Jieya Biologic, will invest $18 million to open its first U.S. plant. The wet-wipe facility will create 113 jobs over three years in a former Guy & O’Neill building. The state is providing a $500,000 infrastructure grant.

WINSTON-SALEM

Wells Fargo will close an office here that will result in the loss of 194 jobs. Employees losing their jobs worked in global operations, consumer lending, corporate risk and technology business units.

Strong clinical results for its lead therapy sent ProKidney’s stock soaring as much as tenfold after months trading below $1. The company develops cellular therapeutics targeting chronic kidney disease and diabetes.

TRIANGLE

BUTNER

Town Council approved a $130 million plan by Trinity Capital Advisors to build Falls Lake Industrial Park. The Granville County project will feature five buildings totaling 1.1 million square feet and could create 500 jobs across a range of skill levels.

CARY

Nearly 1 million additional refunds totaling more than $126 million are being issued to Fortnite users as part of Epic Games’ $245 million FTC settlement over deceptive payment practices. North Carolina consumers have already received $2.5 million.

CHAPEL HILL

IotaComm, a wireless communications company focused on indoor air quality, is relocating its corporate headquarters

from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to 200 W. Franklin St. The firm plans to expand its 13-person staff over the next two years.

UNC’s Lineberger Cancer Center received $28 million in federal funds to launch a breast cancer trial called EVOLVE. The trial will personalize therapies in real time for metastatic patients by analyzing cancer evolution. Researchers say it could transform treatment for advanced breast cancer.

Bubba Cunningham will step aside as UNC athletic director after the 2025–26 season, with RFK Racing president Steve Newmark as his successor. A Chapel Hill native, Newmark brings a sports marketing background and will first serve as executive associate AD focused on revenue-driving initiatives. Cunningham has been AD since 2011.

DURHAM

Wolfspeed filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reduce the company’s overall debt by $4.6 billion, or 70%, and reduce annual cash interest payments by approximately 60%. The deal includes $275 million in new financing supported by existing creditors. Wolfspeed also hired Gregor van Issum as chief financial officer.

Roughly 25 National Institute of Health workers at Research Triangle Park’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences campus were laid off after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared

CHAPEL HILL

UNC Chapel Hill will build a 700-bed dorm by 2028 as part of a 10-year plan to add 2,000 new oncampus and 1,450 off-campus beds. A housing master plan also includes renovations and demolitions of aging dorms including Hinton James, Ehringhaus, Parker and Craige. Officials are pushing UNC to expand its undergraduate enrollment.

the way for mass agency staff reductions. The cuts are part of a broader Trump administration push to shrink government and realign public health priorities.

Opus Genetics lined up $2 million in funding for a research program to develop gene therapies for patients afflicted by retinitis pigmentosa. The money is coming from the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Retinal Degeneration Fund, which seeded the creation of Opus in 2021 and remains a significant stockholder.

MORRISVILLE

Wealth management platform Eton Solutions, which is used by family offices to manage more than $1 trillion in assets, raised $58 million in a Series C round. The lead investor is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Navis Capital Partners, a private equity firm that manages more than $5 billion in investments.

RALEIGH

EDJX, a once-promising tech startup, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with $9 million in debt and $10,000 in assets. The edge-computing firm raised nearly $30 million since 2018 but ceased operations in early 2023. Creditors include former executives, investors and vendors.

Crabtree Valley Mall has been sold for $290 million to Santa Monica, California-based Macerich Company. The 1.3 million-square-foot property gives Macerich its first foothold in the Southeast. The firm plans $60 million in upgrades and redevelopment. The seller was CVM Holdings.

Los Angeles-based software company BuildOps will create 291 jobs paying an average annual wage of $110,997 when it creates a third hub here. It also has a hub in Toronto. The company uses software-as-a-service to help construction companies complete projects faster.

New York-based Town Lane acquired six industrial parks in Raleigh and Durham for $554.9 million, totaling

2.6 million square feet of light industrial space. The properties were 94.4% leased at sale. The deal reflects surging demand for industrial real estate across the Triangle.

SOUTHERN PINES

Two historic Moore County hotels are entering a joint venture with a real estate investment firm that owns college hotels and elite golf courses. Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, which opened in 1921, and Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, which followed in 1928, are being sold to Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts, a division of Nashville-based AJ Capital Partners.

ZEBULON

Jernigan Furniture, a 101-year-old Goldsboro-based retailer, is opening a new 26,000-square-foot showroom in downtown, reviving the former home of Whitley Furniture Galleries. The twostory building will spotlight U.S.-made brands and target the Raleigh market.

WEST

ASHEVILLE

Asheville Regional Airport opened its North Concourse, a 136,000-squarefoot terminal featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, modern seating with outlets, and expanded food and retail options. Travelers now enter through a new ticketing lobby and TSA checkpoint, marking a major upgrade.

BOSTIC

Massachusetts-based Haartz Corp. and Portugal-based TMG Group will form a new company, TMG Haartz Solutions, and invest $51 million and create 125 jobs to manufacture synthetic leather materials for automotive trim components. Customers include Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, GM,

Toyota and Ford, according to the state. It will be located in the former Milliken Golden Valley plant.

CANTON

The city will build its own wastewater treatment plant on newly acquired land, ending decades of reliance on the now-closed Pactiv Evergreen paper mill. Mayor Zeb Smathers called it a historic turning point, setting the stage for redevelopment of the shuttered mill site.

CHIMNEY ROCK

After exactly nine months of recovery since Hurricane Helene, Chimney Rock State Park officially reopened in late June. It is 25 miles southeast of Asheville. ■

Marching Forward

Education, economic development and workforce development efforts, orchestrated by NC East Alliance, are embarking on new and promising paths toward a prosperous future for the residents and businesses of 29 counties.

Featuring: Economic and Community Development

STEM East

Hidden and Lost Talent

Who we are

On the surface, NC East Alliance’s 29-county region in the central and northeastern parts of Eastern North Carolina has some of the most attractive and vibrant beaches and sound communities in the country. We also have thriving larger communities, such as Greenville, Wilson and Jacksonville, and growing industry clusters such as biopharma, aerospace MRO, boat building, healthcare, smart agriculture and smart manufacturing, among other highly technical industry sectors. We are the birthplace of a great deal of North Carolina’s deep-seeded culture and history. Our region is home to 1.3 million residents and 227 cities that vary from explosive growth to persistent poverty, and everything in between.

Statistics bear out that 20 of our counties are experiencing long term moderate to severe population loss, as well as a rapidly aging population. While nine counties are prospering, more than a third —10 — suffer from persistent poverty. It is a tale of extremes. These issues throughout much of the NC East territory negatively affect and have the potential to limit, the growth and prosperity of the entire region. This includes limiting our rapid-growth counties by restraining their critical labor sheds. That is where our work really begins.

In 2020-2021 the leadership and board of directors of the NC East Alliance decided to minimize our previous singular focus on traditional industry, recruitment-based economic development. We devised strategies to create a new regional foundational infrastructure development strategy and no longer try to lead the growth of the region by leaning solely on recruitment of new companies. Instead, we created a new regional economic health model with a major focus on a robust talent development and retention network, among other critical interconnected foundational pieces.

The new mission evolved for the purpose of redeﬁning our Rural Economic Development model, because the old models were simply not working. We are implementing a broad-based approach to address the full spectrum of economic challenges

that restrain rural Eastern North Carolina from seeing its full potential. Our places that are suffering did not get to that stage overnight, and the turnaround may be equally slow. But if a turnaround does not begin, the long-term outcomes will be devastating, and we cannot remain on that current downward demographic pathway in our region.

Several of our state legislators, particularly Sen. Bobby Hanig of District 1, our northeastern corner counties, saw our vision. They agreed that what we were planning was desperately needed in most of our region. In 2023, the legislature decided to fund our efforts in what was a major infusion of resources that allowed us to sprint forward with our plans. That support also opened many doors to others who wanted to jump in and help. Our task is large. It is going to be expensive. With partners, such as the state legislature, ECU Health, the BelleJAR Foundation and others, we are free to test our suppositions and see what is going to work where.

Our counties vary wildly in population, general wealth and overall capacity. The new model focuses on five areas of economic health and connectivity of efforts: Education and our STEM East network, Economic Development (existing industries and recruitment), Community Development, Marketing, and Hidden & Lost Talent (folks who may have slipped through the cracks, or who need help returning to the workforce). We are focusing on developing field operations for each of these initiatives throughout the entire 29-country region that will reach down into the smallest places. Via this network, we hope to identify and address shortcomings, capacity deficits and challenges of numerous types to help those who want to help our people and places flourish.

While we don’t have the capacity or funding to save all our troubled places, we can be great teammates and partners in a very difficult struggle. We can build a vehicle capable of bringing customized stepped-up capacity plans to all of our partners. We often say that our job is to bring efficacy, efficiency and added horsepower for those who are trying their best to serve their communities.

An example of our ﬁeld operations is education: Our STEM East team has 30 K-12 school systems and 15 community colleges that are paying members of our education consortium. We employ a large team of education industry experts,

Lenoir Community College President Rusty Hunt, NC East Board Chair Todd Edwards, NC East CEO Vann Rogerson and STEM East Consultant Wesley Beddard.

Sen. Bobby Hanig

“I want the people who live here to see the opportunities that exist.”

- Mark Hamblin, NC East Alliance chief operating ofﬁcer

including a former local community college president and six former local school superintendents. They know the shortcomings and are working to ﬁll gaps, particularly in some of our lower-capacity school systems. This team acts in a very entrepreneurial fashion, and they are seeking to design stepped-up practices at a higher level than some systems are equipped to do on their own.

We act as a force multiplier for these partners.

That is at the heart of our model across all ﬁve of our initiatives.

Our education efforts are aimed at preparing teachers to be the point of the spear, a special set of economic developers. They are the ﬁrst to clearly explain pathways to our future workforce and point them toward optimal local career opportunities, with the blessings and guidance of local industry partners.

and strong motivated populations within those communities. We have a lot of work to do, and it is a different formula from county to county, throughout our region”.

In Economic Development, our support at NC East is impacting many less-populated counties individually. We are helping them ﬁnd their niche, whether in luring big companies or smaller, localized businesses. We focus on making sure existing businesses are primed for success. Donna Phillips, our vice president of economic development, has plans for even the smallest places in our region, saying, “The No. 1purpose for economic development is to assist our 29-county region in creating new jobs and a tax base for these communities and making it a better place to live. That’s it in a nutshell.” And she is not looking past any community with her efforts.

This summer we will have 14 industry cluster multiday workshops throughout the region that will join with local community colleges and industry partners to educate local K-12 teachers on what these numerous careers and pathways might look like. Each workshop will host 35 teachers. These are popular summer programs and ﬁll up quickly. Regrettably, we’ve had to turn away several hundred teachers, but we will be increasing our capacity in the future.

STEM East executive director

“We have seven industry clusters, with two more developing and in the planning stages,” says Bruce Middleton, our executive director of STEM East. “We are looking across the region, at what the needs are, and it’s bringing awareness that these clusters exist and how the students’ future careers can be found in one of these operations.” We believe that through education and customized workforce training we can prepare for future job markets, reduce out migration, support small and rural communities and showcase our part of the state as a great place to learn, work, grow and do business. It will even help us attract new businesses because of this special workforce development infrastructure that will serve our existing industries so well.

We often hear accounts regarding talented potential workers who may have gone unnoticed or had their road to meaningful employment take a detour, for one reason or another. NC East is planning a network of mentorship and skill training programs that can be a tool in helping to address this issue. We are developing plans and pathways to help unemployed youth who are no longer in school, formerly incarcerated individuals and veterans returning to civilian life, among other groups. This is our Hidden & Lost Talent initiative.

In seeking success in this arena, and pathways for those seeking careers, we support our industries’ desire to connect with students, teachers, adult learners and others within their entire labor sheds. In the past, they traditionally have turned to the community college and K-12 schools in the one county where they are domiciled. But if a large company has a 15or 20-county labor shed, its pipeline would include eight or 10 community colleges and a dozen or more K-12 school systems. That is where we come in, to build such networks and consortiums. We also are looking to some non-traditional paths to ﬁnd people our local employers so desperately need.

“Everything we do in the education realm centers around informing and connecting our students, and adult learners, to the opportunities that exist right here, where they live” says Chairman of the Board Todd Edwards. “We are concerned with shortcomings in all the areas of work that we have taken on and how they interconnect to build toward healthy communities,

“Our Hidden & Lost Talent initiative all ties into workforce development,” says Mark Hamblin, NC East chief operating ofﬁcer. “I think Eastern North Carolina has the most amazing potential, and I want the people who live here to see the opportunities that exist. We want these people to understand that they can go out and blaze their own trail and take advantage of the growth that’s to come here in the East.”

Infrastructure often is portrayed as providing of water lines, or construction of highways. We view our citizens and their preparedness for, and connectivity to, future jobs as our greatest asset, our workforce infrastructure. Some of our best and brightest often go off to college, or move on to the big city, without any effort to recruit them or connect them to golden opportunities all around where they grew up. It is critical that we stop, or slow, that talent bleed.

Along those lines, we are in the process of adding a focus on marketing our region, promoting the cool stuff we manufacture

Bruce Middleton,

“There are no other groups integrating and coordinating efforts the way NC East is.”

- Greg Payne, director, secretary and treasurer of the BelleJAR Foundation

and the places and people that make living here special. The unique aspects of life that can only be found in a place like Eastern North Carolina must be put on a pedestal for all to see and appreciate. We must put our best foot forward and let the world know that we are here and that we are pretty darn great! After all, if our young people don’t see Eastern North Carolina as a place where they can advance and want to build a life, then all our other connectivity efforts become a waste of time and money.

Much like what is unfolding in our Education, Industry Connectivity, Marketing and Hidden & Lost Talent focus areas, we must improve on the sense of place in all of our communities. They must become or remain as places where upwardly mobile people want to live. The bar for success will vary widely depending on what part the East you’re in. Our Community Development initiative is critical to this work. Our places that are growing must be constantly pushed to maintain their improvement models. Places that are relatively healthy, but may be bordering on stagnation, must be encouraged and led to take the next steps toward consistent transformational improvement. Places that are ﬂoundering need partners to help them stop the slide. Each plan is different. Stop-theslide plans are the hardest to develop and implement, but when they succeed, our energy and resources can then be turned toward plans to ﬂourish.

Our Community Development Vice President Bianca

Shoneman is offering data-driven tools to help counties with microgrants, lifestyle campaigns, community improvement models and branding. She also will offer strategic collaborations with neighboring counties within our ﬁve initiatives. It’s a movement to redeﬁne what rural success looks like.

We currently are building a county membership model. It is similar to the framework of our STEM East membership network of 30 K-12 schools and 15 community colleges. Once that consortium is completely assembled, we can fully leverage the power of 29 counties and 1.3 million people working together on speciﬁc goals of a broadly healthy and robust region. We are seeking to bring capacity where little to none exists and multiply that capacity even further where it is already plentiful. That is the goal!

We believe all of rural North Carolina should adopt this model. This is a unique, rural regional transformation framework not found on this scale, or depth of reach, anywhere else in the country. We are garnering unprecedented levels of attention for what we are building.

While attending a funding conference in January, representatives of Tesla heard about STEM East and our NC East Alliance. They were so impressed that they invited our team to Reno, Nevada, last May to visit their Giga factory manufacturing facility and a nearby training facility. They wanted to open the door to sharing ideas. That is just one example of our teams playing on very different ballﬁelds and working together, rather than alone.

Back in July 2023, Greg Payne, director, secretary and treasurer of the BelleJAR Foundation in San Francisco, presented NC East with the ﬁrst annual check for a four-year, $1.6 million grant to support STEM East. He saw our potential. Greg said, “I work in 40 states, and you are unique in the United States. There are no other groups integrating and coordinating efforts the way NC East is.”

In all we do, we are constantly impressed with the way our teams and community partners are working together to make a positive impact on the communities that we serve. We are building and fortifying education, community development, economic growth and workforce development, reaching into every sector of our territory as one dynamic force for change. And we’re doing it together. It is meaningful, frustrating and often the most fun we have ever had in our professional careers, all rolled up into one great big pile of little victories that is growing larger by the day here in Eastern North Carolina!

Sincerely,

Vann Rogerson

President/CEO

N NC East Alliance

STEM East Network

Sincerely, STEM East Network

The NC East team visited Tesla.

Trey Goodson and Greg Payne

‘You

don’t do it alone’ Economic and Community Development:

In a broad view, Donna Phillips’ job is multifaceted.

NC East Alliance’s vice president of economic development oversees strengthening regional industry clusters by creating resources for workforce development programs, supporting business retention and expansion, promoting lifestyle marketing and helping devise opportunity programs for young job seekers. But she never does any of it the same way twice.

Each of NC East’s 29 counties has different needs. Some have never benefited from helping hands. “Some of our communities in our distressed areas have not had the wherewithal to have specific people doing economic development because of budget restrictions or manpower, so our role in my office is to support this specific community,” she says. “Economic development means different things for different places. So, what might look right for Nash County won’t look right for Clemmons. My job is to help them, even those that are small.”

Phillips emphasizes Eastern North Carolina is “a different market.” Its main industries — aerospace and aviation, smart agriculture, energy systems, biopharma, smart manufacturing, blue economy and health science — have different impacts in different places.

Phillips grew up in the small community of Murfreesboro, along the Meherrin River in Hertford County, near the Virginia line. Before joining NC East in July 2024, she worked for big companies — Duke Energy and Nucor Steel — and N.C. Department of Commerce. “When I worked for the state, people would say there’s a rural versus urban divide,” she says. “And there’s not. And I have preached this to everybody. It’s a different market. Urban wants to be urban, and rural wants to be rural. It’s a choice; it’s not a divide. Those 50 jobs in Ahoskie are the equivalent of 500 jobs in Mecklenburg. And they’re just as important. My favorite company I ever worked with resulted in 25 jobs.”

NC East Board Chairman Todd Edwards says the Alliance provides the full spectrum of economic development. “We concern ourselves with shortcomings in all of the areas of work that we have taken on and how they interconnect to build toward healthy communities and strong motivated populations within those communities,” he says. “We have a lot of work to do, and it is a slightly to vastly different formula from county to county throughout or region.”

Phillips’ first initiative with NC East was determining which of its 29 counties were members of North Carolina Economic Development Association. NCEDA works with the General Assembly and others in state government, advocating for

Trey Goodson, chief information ofﬁcer, and Donna Phillips, vice president of economic development, attended North Carolina Economic Development Association’s Annual Conference in Wilmington.

policies that promote job creation and investments. “The majority of counties were not members,” she says. “So, we had a membership drive, and there’s only a few now who have not joined. Before, some felt as if they were not part of NCEDA’s statewide effort. Now they are. You don’t do it alone. You’re part of a team.”

Product development is part of Phillips’ work, too. “In economic development, product means buildings or sites,” she says. “You can’t sell out of an empty wagon.” Site assessments, in groups of five counties at a time, are underway. Each takes about nine months to complete.

Phillips says some towns fear big industrial developments. Some favor retail. “They all have different aspects of what they need and what they want it to look like,” she says. “Some communities would like to have distribution or small manufacturing or light manufacturing, and the studies will basically identify properties that have water, sewer, infrastructure. Then we narrow it down. And we hope to offer these sites and develop these sites. And this part of the state hasn’t had this kind of attention before. The cool thing is the sentiment on this team is that everyone wants to help.”

Bianca Shoneman, NC East vice president of community development, helps ascertain each community’s unique recommendation. “What stands out most is the grit and vision of these communities, small towns that refuse to settle for decline and instead lean into possibility,” she says. “I think of places that once felt isolated now finding strength through regional partnerships. The future I see is one where Eastern North Carolina is no longer defined by what it lacks but by what it leads: STEM education, resilient infrastructure, homegrown talent, vibrant main streets and a shared belief that we rise by lifting one another.”

NC East hosted Vision 2025 in January to celebrate Eastern North Carolina. More than 400 people attended. They heard about partnering and working cohesively toward economic prosperity. They heard phrases such as, “How are we collaborating with high schools?” “You’re the drivers, and we’re the pit crews. We keep things running smoothly.” And, “Field operations: That’s the special sauce.”

Focusing on a rural model of economic development, making sure all people have the same opportunities, is among Phillips’ priorities. She mentions a company called Provalus, which is developing three North Carolina locations, including one in Edenton on the Albemarle Sound. Its mission statement is to “transform communities from the inside out,” to create homegrown economic growth. Its website states: “We’re elevating communities by developing undiscovered talent in rural towns across the U.S. to deliver technology, business and support services. We hire and develop the best and brightest talent to deliver a remarkable experience for clients and end-users alike while rejuvenating our economy.”

The mission of connecting talent to technology jobs says: “Through training boot camps, we’ve elevated high-aptitude individuals from jobs at retail stores and gas stations to careers as software developers, quality assurance testers, data security experts, system engineers and more.”

Phillips says not everyone who lives in Chowan County or nearby must go to Charlotte or Raleigh for an IT job. “We can’t overlook the people who live here, the good people who were born and raised here,” she says. “So, how do we help them grow in the way that they want to grow? Provalus wants to find all those students who live in rural areas who want to work in technology and help them. They have that awareness about communities.”

Transactions with individual industries, such as agriculture, may not get the same spotlight as bigger deals elsewhere in the state, but that’s OK. “I think if you look at it, agriculture is our No. 1 industry, but when you announce a food deal, it isn’t as sexy as, say, Amazon,” Phillips says, referring to that company’s June announcement of a $10 billion data center campus near Rockingham. “I’m working with smaller deals to say, what do you want? What can we do? A food processing center isn’t as big a proclamation, but it’s important.”

Phillips also is exploring collaborations with Dominion Energy, public power organizer ElectriCities and the Hampton Roads Alliance economic development agency in Norfolk, Virginia, to assist efforts in this corner of the state. “They’re really strong and strong for economic development,” she says. “There’s more up there in northeastern North Carolina than just a beautiful beach. That region means something to me.”

Phillips says school systems, with NC East’s STEM East and Industries in Schools programs, are economic development’s lifeline. “We need to connect those students early on with these companies, develop their interest in these companies,” she says. “And the companies are realizing they can go ahead and invest early in those K-12s and explain what they do. We need to say here is the problem. What is the long-term solution? How can we be better? It’s a learning curve.”■

Bianca Shoneman, NC East vice president of community development

Inspiring students and equipping teachers to build a future-ready workforce STEM East:

It began as a modest idea more than a decade ago. Expand science, technology, engineering and math — STEM — curriculums in rural middle schools, and students’ awareness of jobs in industries speciﬁc to Eastern North Carolina will increase. They learn through summer programs, science centers and community colleges about an economic ecosystem that supports regional target industries, including aviation, agriculture, energy systems, biopharma, manufacturing, blue economy and health sciences. “It was very logical to think that if we were going to develop the economy of our region, we have to start with the workforce,” says Bruce Middleton, STEM East executive director and former teacher and administrator in the Alamance and Orange County school districts. “We had to develop a knowledgeable, skilled workforce.”

NC East Alliance takes a personalized focus to growing the region’s economy, supporting its 29 counties and 31 school districts. It formed in 2015, when Northeast Commission and Eastern Commission merged. Back then, state funding was divided among eight Prosperity Zones, and STEM education was underway in only a few counties.

“So, I approached the superintendents about a new version of STEM East and was fortunate to get 29 of the counties onboard and 10 of the 16 community colleges,” says Patrick Miller, former Greene County Schools superintendent and current director of regional school district engagement and support. “The teachers

and students had no idea what goes on in those giant shell buildings they pass on the way to school, so we were trying to peel back the curtain on what exists in these industry clusters. Like in aviation, there are thousands of jobs that support that industry such as the Aviation Logistics Center and Aviation Technical Training Center in Elizabeth City.”

“Those aviation jobs have a whole lot of opportunities for people to work with the planes,” Middleton says. “They need electricians [and] welders, and they pay a good [annual] wage, like about $60,000. And they’re constantly looking for people.”

Wesley Beddard, former Martin Community College president, joined the team as director of regional community college engagement and support. Ethan Lenker, former Pitt County Schools superintendent, became director of regional industry engagement and support. Soon, 30 of the school districts were hooked into STEM East. “It was the start to a great conversation,” Middleton says. “We had to organize the districts and their programming to see where we could provide assistance.”

NC East sought funding from Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonproﬁt formed in 1999 to increase economic opportunity in rural communities. That money helped put STEM labs in middle schools.

An initial task was to inform school districts of STEM East’s major pillars or focuses. They include an Industry in Schools program; STEM Schools of Distinction, a N.C. Department of

Public Instruction recognition for schools with a higher standard and level of instruction; and Industry in Schools weeks, recognition of job and career awareness across the region.

“Those were the big three for K-12,” Middleton says. “Then we added our community college program and how to develop and submit advanced technology grants and national science foundation grants. It gives community colleges funds upfront to develop advanced technology programming.”

Miller says the Industry in Schools focus draws the most attention. “But if STEM East were a shopping mall, Schools of Distinction would be the anchor store,” he says. “We don’t have any hard data yet, because we’re still so young out of the gate, but our first strategy was to increase awareness in the teachers, to make them aware that the students are the first part of economic development in our region. So, when a student says, ‘I like this. Can I make a career out of it?’ the teacher knows that they can, says yes and this is how you can do it.”

STEM East emerged from the COVID pandemic with a monumental event in Greenville that drew representatives from 30 school districts and 15 community colleges. “And that became our core membership,” Middleton says.

“About 70% of the jobs only require an industry credential or associate degree to get started,” Miller says. “Then there is more education if needed and, often, the company will pay for it. Not necessarily pay for a bachelor’s degree but pay for the training needed to advance their jobs. And a $60,000 salary goes a lot further in Eastern North Carolina than in a metro area. Students don’t necessarily have to stay in their counties; they can stay in their region.”

Collaboration between regional businesses, school districts, private foundations, state and local governments, and economic development efforts are helping STEM students directly align with career opportunities. About 28,500 students and 770 teachers are engaged in the programs. Thirty-six STEM Outreach Camps bring together community college representatives, prospective employers, and more than 2,500 middle school and high school students.

Industry in Schools weeks culminate with summarizing what K-12 teachers can relate about professions: What does the industry look like? What is the pathway to get there? How can you teach the specific subject you teach and make it relate to this field? “One time, we heard from math teachers who asked how they could use what they learned, saying that math didn’t apply,” Middleton says. “But it applies to aviation. It applies to other fields. We bring awareness and support, and we talk them

through the process. Our biggest message is you don’t have to move away to have your career.”

STEM East launched a Career Coach Network this summer. It’s professional development for career center directors and advisers, furthering education as a major success, along with NC East’s other initiatives — economic development, marketing, community development, and securing hidden or lost talent.

“Because the education initiative is our most robust and most mature initiative, it currently gets the most attention,” says Todd Edwards, board chairman of NC East. “It is also where most of our large victories lie for the moment. But we have other initiatives that will equally bloom in the coming year or so to build a truly unique vehicle for positive change in Eastern North Carolina. Each piece is critical to the overall effort.”

Six new STEM East Schools of Distinction — three from Lenoir County and one each from Beaufort, Wilson and Onslow counties — were announced in May. They join five in Pitt County and three in Greene County. Those 14 schools represent 28% of active STEM Schools of Distinction statewide, and 19 more in NC East territory have expressed readiness to participate in summer workshops.

“Maybe one of the best things is that we’re bringing a regional conversation to them not just a local conversation,” Middleton says. “If they’re only having job fairs in their county, that doesn’t bring a lot of hope, because they may not see very much. But kids are going to be mobile. East of Interstate 95 is constantly losing people, because kids think that to be successful you have to go to the other side. We’re letting them know that is not the case. If I lived in Northampton County, I could still go to work in Washington County or Beaufort or Carteret and commute or be home weekends. They can live in a great place with a low cost of living and have a great career.”

Miller tells the story of a family that lives in the state’s northeastern corner. Several years ago, the oldest son decided he needed to move away to succeed, and he found a career in Charlotte. About three years ago, the father arranged for the middle son, then a high school junior, to job shadow at the Fleet Readiness Aviation Repair and Maintenance Center in Havelock while he was at a business meeting. That son was sold on what he observed, went to ECU’s College of Engineering and Technology to focus on mechanical engineering, and was offered a job with the Department of Defense. He’s interning for two summers then will start at an annual salary of about $70,000. The youngest child, still in elementary school, likes what her brother is doing with airplanes and wants to stay near home when she grows up, too. She wants to be a pilot.

“Soon, our community colleges will be booming with kids going through upskilling or earning credentials that will lead to a better job,” Miller says. “Our vision is to have a bunch of Industries in Schools weeks a year, a blue economy week, a smart manufacturing week. And all that will be not only to build awareness with teachers but also with parents. We want people to see that Eastern North Carolina is a destination. It’s a place to live, not a place to leave.”■

Patrick Miller, NC East director of regional school district engagement and support

‘Truly a mission’ Hidden & Lost Talent:

NC East Alliance’s Hidden & Lost Talent initiative identifies and helps individuals who live in underserved communities or who are restricted in some way from finding employment. It also reaches out to members of the military who are returning to civilian life and want to transfer the skills they learned while enlisted into satisfying employment. Mark Hamblin, NC East chief operating officer, makes all that happen. “Lost and hidden talent is something I’ve had a passion for forever,” he says. “We’re working on ways to bring them back, work with them, give them a pathway. There are people living in counties where the opportunities are really limited.”

The initiative’s goals are to recognize and access talent, provide resources and training, and help people with untapped potential find rewarding work, wherever they live in Eastern North Carolina. It has four platforms: find opportunity youth, ages 16-24, who are out of school and unemployed and connect them with mentorships and skill training; support veterans transitioning to civilian life with job opportunities that leverage their training and skills; provide opportunities for formerly incarcerated people to re-enter the workforce and build rewarding lives by collaborating with prospective employers; and build a network of businesses, educators and nonprofits to pair this untapped talent with economic opportunities.

Hamblin offers a scenario. “A student who turns 16 and isn’t excited about school,” he says. “At 16, the state says they can leave, and once they walk out those doors, you’re not going to get them back. They’re lost. Not only are they unemployed, but they’re unemployable.” Reaching that 16 to 24 age group begins in middle school. “We need to start expanding their opportunities, so we can change the direction of that ship,” he says. “We’re looking at ways to help them learn a trade as a possible pathway as soon as possible.”

NC East will launch a series of trade programs this fall. Initially set for Halifax, Edgecombe and Warren counties, these skill centers will be held in schools with under-utilized or abandoned buildings. “That’s a part of North Carolina where we have to do something,” Hamblin says. “We’re looking to bring the faith community in. We want organizations to help us. We’d like to work with the school systems and keep these kids in school, so the schools can keep their [Average Daily Membership, a statistic used by North Carolina schools to determine enrollment and funding]. They can get pulled from traditional schools for two or three hours at a time.”

Skill centers could offer training in HVAC, plumbing, auto repair, carpentry, culinary and electrical. “In woodworking and

carpentry, you could teach them to make something — a chair or piece of furniture — and when it’s done, you see the pride in them. I did that!” Hamblin says. “Then, for them, opportunities in carpentry are endless.”

Hamblin would like the initiative to include training in other business disciplines such as bookkeeping, marketing and sales. “The goal is when you come through the program you’re more employable,” he says. “The whole idea of mentorship is to walk with these young people, teach them things they may not have thought of before and let them run with it.”

Eastern North Carolina is home to several military installations, including Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and U.S. Coast Guard in Elizabeth City. NC East is committed to financially working with 15 community colleges for the next five years in a plan called Career Concourse, which will match employers with skill sets of former members of the military. “We can expand it to include everywhere in the eastern part of the state,” Hamblin says. “So, if a person is coming out of Jacksonville but wants to work in Elizabeth City, they can do that. We want to say, ‘We want you to stay here, in our state. Here’s your opportunity.’ I really want to emphasize that this is a holistic approach. Lifestyle, marketing, it’s all part of the puzzle.”

The initiative’s incarceration platform would begin six months before a person is released. Career Concourse instruction will help them explore different opportunities to find the right fit. Hamblin says some community colleges could work with prison populations for a couple of years prior to release, developing skill sets and knowledge about what employment is available.

Hamblin says he spends much of his time, “trying to make those connections, planning it out, and also looking for partners on the education side of things.” He says NC East doesn’t claim to have all the answers. If there is an organization somewhere with a plan that’s working, he will study it and try to replicate it. “You can’t just plop one of these things somewhere in our region,” he says. “You have to gather data, make a plan. The bottom line is to set up the first Career Concourse, pilot it, tweak it and if it doesn’t work go back to the drawing board and refigure. It’s all in the planning stages right now.”

A year or two from now, Hamblin would like to be able to say that people within each target group — opportunity youth, veterans and formerly incarcerated — have found hope, employment and reasons to stay in Eastern North Carolina. “They have to walk the path,” he says. “But if we build the path and walk alongside them, the hope is they’ll find something they otherwise would not have had. And again that goes back to our work with youth. You have to have a mentor. This is truly a mission. You have to have a heart for it to be successful.” ■

— Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.

Mark Hamblin, NC East chief operating officer

“They have to walk the path, but if we build the path and walk alongside them, the hope is they’ll ﬁnd something they otherwise would not have had. And again, that goes back to our work with youth. You have to have a mentor. This is truly a mission. You have to have a heart for it to be successful.”

- Mark Hamblin, NC East chief operating ofﬁcer

MEDICAL ASSESSMENT

Experts weigh in on the state of North Carolina’s healthcare industry

North Carolina’s healthcare industry is a point of pride. From teaching hospitals to world-class health systems that keep growing, residents have access to some of the world’s best healthcare. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect. Federal and state policy changes have the potential to reduce care options and eliminate coverage for some residents. More healthcare workers are needed. And many North Carolinians need to see a primary care physician more often, a big step toward lowering healthcare costs. Business North Carolina recently gathered industry leaders to recount the state’s healthcare successes and discuss its challenges and their potential cures. Their conversation was moderated by David Woronoff, president of Old North State Publications, which owns BNC. The transcript was edited for brevity and clarity.

Photography by John Gessner

The discussion was sponsored by:

•Academy of Family Physicians

•CarolinaEast Health System

•Gallagher

•North Carolina Healthcare Association

•Poyner Spruill

Josh Dobson president and CEO, North Carolina Healthcare Association

Mysty Blagg attorney, Poyner Spruill

WHAT’S THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA’S HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY?

BLAGG: Certain portions are seeing rapid growth. Over the years, health systems consolidated, but there are some physicians and mid-levels looking for something a bit different. There are more entrepreneurial physicians.

GRIGGS: There are many political unknowns at the federal and state levels, particularly with Medicaid and Medicare funding. I don’t think many North Carolinians understand the importance of Medicaid and Medicare funding. There are funding cuts to academic institutions through the National Institutes of Health. North Carolina has some of the world’s best healthcare institutions. They’re big drivers of the state’s economy. We need more family and primary care physicians to keep people healthy.

Medicaid expansion has beneﬁted 670,000 North Carolinians. Their coverage is at risk. In the expansion’s ﬁrst year, there were 27% fewer ER visits for opioid overdoses and 29% fewer for opioid overdose deaths, because these folks have healthcare. They’re receiving Suboxone, which controls opioid-use disorder. We must keep these people in care.

PAULIN: I look at it from an employee beneﬁts perspective. We keep our ﬁnger on the pulse of new and unique products that are being introduced. Health systems are becoming integral parts of different carrier solutions.

SMITH: I see healthcare in two pieces — urban and rural. Healthcare in Charlotte or the Triangle is different than in rural communities. Healthcare is fragile right now.

Medicare, Medicaid and TriCare are about 80% of our total. We depend on them. It’s going to be a struggle. Cut directed payments and others for systems like ours and it will be a hardship, not only for our 3,200 employees but for patients, too. If you have a heart attack in Carteret County, we’re your ﬁrst stop. If we can’t provide that care, whether an interventional catheter lab or open-heart surgery, then you must go one more hour to Greenville. Time is important.

DOBSON: While we’re trying to drive down healthcare prices and address workforce challenges, there’s a lot of good when it comes to North Carolina healthcare. I represented three rural western North Carolina counties in the N.C. General Assembly. My mission was preserving and protecting the good things we have, including public education and healthcare.

Healthcare is many rural communities’ economic anchor. It provides jobs and beneﬁts. It’s part of who we are as North Carolina. We have great hospitals and providers in rural and urban communities. That includes teaching institutions such as Duke, UNC and Atrium. When people across the country get sick, they come to North Carolina to access them.

The recently passed Medicaid cuts put a lot at risk. About 670,000 North Carolinians potentially could lose their healthcare coverage. About $6 billion is at stake for NCHA members. Many are already on the margins when it comes to reimbursement rates.

Gregory K. Griggs, MPA. CAE executive vice president and CEO, Academy of Family Physicians

Patrick Paulin area vice president, Gallagher

Michael Smith president and CEO, CarolinaEast Health System

David Woronoff

The Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidies expire at year’s end. I’ve been tasked to ask Congress to extend them, because individuals receiving them will lose their healthcare otherwise. So, it’s not only the Medicaid population that’s at risk. A lot needs to be preserved and protected.

HOW CAN BUSINESSES HELP THEIR EMPLOYEES BECOME HEALTHIER?

GRIGGS: It can seem like we have a sick-care system, not a healthcare system. We have the best places in the world to go if you get sick. But prevention deserves more investment. That’s where we’ve missed out. Most industrialized countries invest 12% to 15% of their healthcare dollars in primary care and prevention; the United States invests 5% to 6%. Healthcare costs are lower in most other countries. That isn’t the only factor, but it’s a factor.

If I have a heart attack, I want a great interventional cardiologist. But I’d rather skip the heart attack. The best heart-attack prevention is receiving care earlier and more frequently.

Adults with a primary care physician have 33% lower healthcare costs than those without.

Many North Carolinians have chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. We must get that under control. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Devdutta Sangvai, previously led Duke Population Health Management Office. He said the best thing it did for high-cost patients was scheduling four primary care visits instead of three every year. That lowered costs. We can conquer healthcare costs if we get people into care early and regularly. If they don’t receive primary care, they’ll land in the ER, the most expensive place to receive care.

BLAGG: Value-based care is pushing us in that direction. The value-based safe harbors and their anti-kickback rules let us be creative about what kind of value-based enterprises we can create that will improve outcomes.

PAULIN: It starts with having conversations with employers. We need new and creative ways to get people to see a doctor, such

as incentivizing wellness programs that encourage routine physicals and preventive care such as cancer screenings. That might mean bringing primary care to them.

DOBSON: We don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. We can double down on certain initiatives such as onsite workout centers, which offer employees the chance to get healthy, or programs, such as we have for the state of North Carolina, that reduce your insurance cost if you don’t smoke.

HOW IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IMPACTING HEALTHCARE?

BLAGG: AI’s long-term impact will be positive, though we’re a long way from that point. AI Scribes, for example, capture physician visits, freeing your physician to look you in the eye and not at a computer. It helps answer emails. It also has the potential to find anomalies within data and solve big problems.

But there’s a lack of trust in AI. What’s in that black box? How does it churn

out answers? So, physicians still review and sign off on all AI-generated notes, and they review the communications it writes before they’re sent. Data-use restrictions create hurdles. So, AI is a tool that decreases the burden but not in total.

GRIGGS: Primary care physicians see many patients every day, so they often must finish their notes and documentation after hours. WAC — work after clinic — steals time from spouses, children and families. It’s causing burnout. AI Scribes can help with that, allowing physicians to finish work sooner, so they can go home and concentrate on something else.

We won’t educate our way out of the primary care doctor shortage quickly, so we must be creative about it. AI can improve access. Less paperwork can mean a physician is able to see one or two more patients each day. We lose physicians who’ve had it with the paperwork every day.

AI is a double-edged sword. We don’t want insurance companies using it to deny coverage. We already have issues with prior authorizations. We want human beings making clinical decisions. Legislation prohibiting insurance companies from using it solely to make those determinations was introduced this year.

SMITH: If a radiologist is focused on one part of an image, AI can look at all of it indiscriminately. That has helped with table times, allowing more people to be scanned and get more of them treated.

PAULIN: If you were diagnosed with a chronic condition, for example, AI can monitor your treatment. We’re starting to see it identify and bring attention to missed medications and appointments, whether with a primary care doctor or specialist.

WHAT OTHER TECHNOLOGIES ARE SHAPING HEALTHCARE?

GRIGGS: Doctors will ask patients to bring their medications to their office visit. But how often is there follow through? Doctors can ask patients at home, especially older ones, to get their medications during telehealth visits. Then they can see where patients are at in their prescriptions, ensuring they’re following orders and keeping chronic conditions under control. Telehealth doesn’t replace in-person care, but it’s a great supplement.

PAULIN: Telehealth is here to stay. The mental health component has become critical over the past four or five years. It’s expanding as it’s added into existing health plans.

BLAGG: One challenge is wearables. Almost everyone has a fitness tracker or cardiology device. They bring them to their physician visits and turn over the data. What do physicians do with it? They don’t have 30 minutes to digest it. There’s a lack of training on what they can do with it and the applications that can help process it. If your patient presents it, you have to review it. If a problem goes undiagnosed, that’s an issue.

HOW IS THE INDUSTRY DEALING WITH WORKFORCE SHORTAGES?

SMITH: We’re New Bern’s largest employer and Craven County’s secondlargest behind Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. While workforce is always a challenge, things are improving. We have about a third of the travelers — temporary workers whose rate of pay is higher than permanent workers and don’t receive benefits — than three years ago. We have 10 traveling certified registered nurse anesthetists, for example, and pay them $250 to $300 an hour. That’s more than a family physician or anesthesiologist can make. Our government payers don’t care if we’re paying someone $50 an hour or $300 an hour. We must absorb that cost.

We built an alliance with Craven Community College. It has doubled the number of nurses that it’s able to train and graduate during the last three years. That has helped us, private practices and nearby health systems. We also helped set up hospital rooms and operating rooms, so the college can teach students interested in environmental services or housekeeping jobs. Those students are taught our standards, so they understand the job’s requirements. They can decide

it isn’t for them before we invest in onboarding. The college also does that with food service and other hard to fill positions.

DOBSON: We must change the narrative around success, reassuring our middle and high school students that it’s OK if you don’t go to a four-year school. Does it make sense to attend a private school, racking up debt for a degree that may or may not be helpful in meeting that financial responsibility? Or does it make more sense to look at the trades, including healthcare? If we do that long term, then we’ll mitigate some of the state’s workforce challenges.

My daughter is starting her second year at McDowell Technical Community College. She’ll leave with a nursing degree, no debt and the possibility of a $75,000 a year job. She can work almost anywhere she wants because of demand and need.

BLAGG: Every New Hanover County seventh-grader attends career exploration class. They don’t think about being a radiology technician, for example, and that’s a workforce that’s needed. If we don’t start young, exposing them to all these wonderful careers, then we’re too late.

I’m a second-career attorney. I had 3-year-old twins when I went to law school, so I needed childcare. Some counties identify childcare as an obstacle to workforce training, especially for people in their 30s and 40s. Many community colleges are offering it in response. I love that they’re helping people return to the workforce in a different career.

PAULIN: When hiring is competitive and an edge is needed, the employee benefits offered usually cost the employer more. The name of the game is to attract and retain talent. You need to decide what to offer to target the workers you need.

GRIGGS: Every level of healthcare, from technicians to nurses to physicians, has a workforce challenge. We need more people to go into family medicine, general internal medicine and general pediatrics. Primary care should be a public utility in our state. Medical schools need to enroll more rural students, who are more willing to work in rural communities. Give first-year med students primary care experience in rural and underserved communities, getting them excited about that work, and you buffer their desire to go for those higher-paying subspecialties. We’re doing a program that places about 15 medical students with primary care physicians working in rural communities. We partner with others, getting these students interested in family medicine and getting them to communities where they are really needed.

North Carolina needs the right specialists in the right places. It’s an economic imperative, though it’s not seen that way. Apple comes to the Triangle, for example, and it gets incentives. Department of Commerce isn’t distributing them for putting a primary care office in a rural community. We must start thinking about it that way. One family physician brings $2 million worth of annual economic benefit to a rural community. And if you don’t have family medicine in your community, you won’t attract other businesses.

WHAT ARE HEALTHCARE CONSOLIDATION’S BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES?

SMITH: There are two types of consolidation: Physician groups join health systems, and health systems join

larger systems. We were affiliated with UNC Health for about two years. It started with good intentions, but it didn’t end up working for either party. Consolidation can help, but it can pull, too. The perfect scenario is when care is pushed to systems capable of handling it.

Shared services is where small hospitals and health systems get their shoes a little tight. While it’s designed to spread cost, it becomes a profit center for some bigger systems. So, when they profit, it means that the dollar is coming out of the systems, and there’s the push and pull. Consolidation is about the only way to sustain rural healthcare. While some physician groups are beginning to understand that the private practice model works for them for autonomy and other reasons, they usually show up at

the health system level for economic reasons. Health systems lose money on them. And it’s not a small amount when they absorb all that infrastructure.

BLAGG: Primary care physicians can do great things when acting as a patient’s quarterback within a health system. Referrals, for example, are usually faster. But there are challenges. Some patients feel choices are limited. And some healthcare workers complain about power dynamics, not getting enough say in the organization. Some health systems do it better than others.

It’s good to see some entrepreneurial physicians creating options such as direct primary care. It’s a balancing act. But healthcare in some communities, especially rural ones, needs consolidation to survive.

GRIGGS: More than 50% of my members work for a major health system. The balance works elsewhere such as a federally qualified health center, rural health clinic or a health department’s primary care. And there’s still a good infrastructure of independent practices. One thing that hampers independent practices is electronic health records. Epic is becoming the preferred EHR with health systems, but independent practices either can’t afford it or get it. Some independent clinically integrated networks are helping by consolidating data, dealing with 40 or 50 different EHRs. If we can get the state’s health information exchange — NC HealthConnex — right, and it’s getting there, the flow of information will increase. Some health systems are allowing independent primary care more access to their EHRs. If they don’t

have Epic, for example, they’re offered logons.

Independents have a say in their practice. They have no say with an insurance company. They’re paid about a third less than a practice associated with a health system. If insurance companies don’t like consolidation, they should pay their independents.

WHICH STATE AND FEDERAL POLICY CHANGES IS THE INDUSTRY WATCHING?

DOBSON: Medicaid expansion included a certificate-of-need agreement. Now those laws, which regulate the placement of hospitals and other healthcare establishments and expansions, are being debated. I realize

one General Assembly isn’t bound by a previous one’s actions, but we should honor the agreement. Let it play out, then move forward together, particularly with the volatility at the federal level. We don’t need one more challenge right now.

SMITH: Health systems don’t get to say no. They provide care to anyone, whether they have a payer or not. Without a certificate of need, ambulatory surgery centers and imaging centers will pop up, taking all the payers and leaving all the no-pays for the local health system. There’s this refrain from some elected officials that they believe in the free market. Healthcare is anything but a free market. We have 94% of our payers tell us what they’re going to pay for our service, and 6% of them don’t pay. Toyota, for example, doesn’t sell vehicles for 70% of the cost and give away 6% of them.

You don’t have to theorize about the importance of the certificate of need. Texas had about a dozen health systems close one year after it repealed its certificate of need. It’s critical to us. The House seems strong on that, but I’m not sure where the Senate stands.

BLAGG: When a certificate of need is awarded, oftentimes litigation kicks off. There’s a big fight for it. There’s still a need for it for some services.

GRIGGS: We’re pushing state legislation to continue a primary care payment task force, which has done good work. The bipartisan effort would require insurance companies to report that information. It’s in the House and Senate budgets. We need baseline data, so we can move toward value-based payments.

Rhode Island, for example, was able to increase the percentage that insurance companies were spending on primary care to 10% from about 5.5% over five years. It was about $27 million extra. Overall, healthcare expenses decreased $115 million during that same time. That’s about a 5-to-1 return on investment. I think you could really amplify that in North Carolina. ■

Connector in Chief

Adrienne Cole builds bridges to the capital city’s future

By Lori D. R. Wiggins

On any given day, Adrienne Cole might be on the phone with a biotech CEO, meeting with county commissioners about transit, forging partnerships with nonprofits on housing initiatives, or helping a small business owner navigate challenges or seize opportunities. Her title as president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce hardly captures the scope of what she does. Still, ask Cole, and she’ll tell you that she’s wired to build the kind of relationships that connect people who turn ideas into action and make things happen.

In a climate of shifting economic tides, political divisions, and post-pandemic transformations, Cole’s work is both urgent and complex. But hers is a leadership style rooted in responsibility, informed by public service and driven by a not-soquiet determination to help one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities grow, with both pace and purpose.

“We are so fortunate to have Adrienne leading the Raleigh Chamber,” says Gary Greene, CEO of Greene Resources, a former Chamber board chair and an advisory board member. “She is a

convener, a connector, a consensus builder, a solution finder — a true difference-maker for this region.”

For Adrienne Cole, it’s personal.

“At its heart, economic development is about creating opportunity,” she says. “Helping people in our communities thrive; that’s always been the goal.”

BIG FISH, LITTLE POND

Cole is a Raleigh-born, North Carolina-bred kid with roots in New Bern. She had an early penchant for public service and a strong sense of responsibility. The oldest of three, Cole was her parents’ only girl. She grew up watching her dad grab the kid closest to him to help with whatever he was working on around the house.

“He didn’t just grab my brothers to help,” she says. “I’m sure that had an impact on me.” In seven of eight positions Cole has filled since graduate school, she was the first woman. “Pretty early on in my career, I was comfortable navigating maledominated roles.”

Wake County's population grew by about 285% between 1980 and 2023. By comparison, Mecklenburg County grew by 190% and the state overall, 140%.

Cole was always driven, so her parents didn’t add any pressure. “They knew I’d already be harder on myself than anyone else could be,” she quips. At Meredith College, she dreamed of a future as a lawyer, like her dad. She majored in political science and American history, with a minor in art. Her father, James “Randy” Hiner, encouraged her to explore opportunities more aligned with her passion for the community. That prompted her to earn a master’s in public administration at Appalachian State University.

Her first job was in Pamlico County, where she wore several hats as the county’s economic planner, building inspector and 911 coordinator. Working in rural economic development made her a “big fish in a little pond,” she says, forcing her to get creative, collaborate deeply, and find answers fast.

“I had so much to learn, but I was given space to do it.” When she asked her first boss, a retired U.S. Army colonel, for advice on prickly issues, his frequent response was, “‘Adrienne, handle it,’” without even looking up. “That experience shaped how I lead today: I don’t take any business, no matter how large or small, that is growing and investing in the community — and the jobs they create — for granted.”

In 2001, Cole returned to Raleigh for her husband Walt’s environmental consulting career and briefly stepped away from economic development. She joined Meredith College, where she led the annual fund. Three years later, she rejoined the Raleigh Chamber as director of the city’s economic development office.

In 2011, Cole “hit a ceiling,” she says, “and believed I needed to go out to go up.” After a stint in the private sector, she returned to the Chamber in 2014 as executive director of Wake County Economic Development. (The chamber and county have had a partnership for many years, unlike many cities where the groups operate as separate organizations.).

In 2017, she was named CEO of the Raleigh chamber, succeeding Tim Guiliani, who had held the post for about 18 months.

“Was it part of a grand plan? Not really,” she says. “But every step prepared me for this.”

Adrienne Cole became CEO of the Raleigh Chamber in 2017.

LEADERSHIP FOR A FAST-GROWING CITY

Since 2014, the chamber and county have landed economic development projects totaling $7.74 billion and 26,000 jobs. The big economic wins include expansions by Fujifilm, Amgen, Genentech and Gilead Life Sciences, following recruitment efforts involving state and local groups. Current projects include the $1 billion Lenovo Center mixed-use project, spearheaded by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, and the proposed $2 billionplus N.C. Children’s Hospital, which is a joint venture of Duke University and UNC Health.

Economic growth is only part of the story. Cole’s vision includes improved infrastructure, inclusivity and livability. The chamber has championed campaigns totaling more than $2 billion, including Wake County’s $275 million parks and greenway bond issue, plus initiatives that support school construction, housing, regional transit planning, childcare and library expansions.

Balancing the need for immediate improvements with a longterm vision is part of Cole’s work. “We want Raleigh to be a great place to live and work now,” she says, “but we also want it to be a great place to live and work 50 years from now.”

She borrows wisdom from her mentor, Harvey Schmitt, who led the Raleigh chamber for 21 years before retiring in 2015:

“You can accomplish amazing things if you don’t care who gets the credit.” For Cole, it’s not about being the loudest voice. A cornerstone of her leadership is getting the right people in the room, and making sure they’re heard and moving things forward for the good of the community.

“From the coast to grad school in the mountains and back to the middle of the state, I have such love and devotion for the state of North Carolina,” Cole says. “That motivates my wanting to make the communities better, and my wanting to collaborate and partner with whoever can make that happen.”

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Spend a day following Cole and you’ll see why her work matters. This particular day began with an early morning gathering of about 100 chamber volunteers at the Lenovo Center, where she meets four times a year with the group’s two key boards. Cole reviewed highlights, including Triangle Small Business Week, Leadership Raleigh and the revitalization of Dix Park.

Two hours later, Cole huddled with six chamber managers to tackle another priority: infrastructure. The conversation spanned municipal borders, with the group focused on crafting a regional infrastructure plan to keep pace with the area’s explosive growth.

NORTH CAROLINA’S THREE BIGGEST CHAMBERS

(Data is from the most recent tax filings.)

Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce

Revenue: $7.33 million (2023 fiscal year)

Net assets: $4.59 million

Employees: 56

Volunteers: 250

CEO Adrienne Cole’s compensation: $369,000

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance

Revenue: $8.69 million (2023 calendar)

Net assets: $1.27 million

Employees: 26

Volunteers: 164

CEO Janet LaBar’s compensation: $514,000**

** Janet Labar resigned in 2024. Robert McCutcheon became CEO earlier this year.

“We have to make sure we don’t outgrow our preparation,” Cole says. “Are we getting the right people around the table and are we projecting correctly? Our business community wants us focused on this, and they’re right. Infrastructure is one of our key pillars now.”

The afternoon started with a recruitment luncheon at Raleigh Country Club, where Cole met with a handpicked group of current business and community leaders who are Chamber members. The table-for-10 allowed for candid conversations.

“We need more people,” Cole says, encouraging the invitees to enter another level of Chamber membership. “We need an engaged business community. We can’t do anything without it.”

She described the Chamber as “large, but friendly and accessible,” and emphasized that deeper engagement comes with higher levels of membership. The group has about 1,700 members. Cole emphasized: “It doesn’t happen without people like you investing in Raleigh. The relationships built around this table are why things happen.”

Cole also walks the talk, serving on numerous boards. The result includes plenty of recognition in the press. Cole has received honors from the Triangle chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women, Raleigh Magazine, Triangle Business Journal and Business North Carolina.

INVISIBLE ENGINE

Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

Revenue: $4.05 million (2023 calendar)

Net assets: $6.41 million

Employees: 52

Volunteers: 125

CEO Brett Christensen’s compensation: $386,000

Cole says she realizes many people don’t understand the Chamber’s broad role until they get involved. Her team tackles topics ranging from business recruitment to workforce development, and from housing policy to entrepreneurship.

“We’re not just a business network,” she says. “We’re building the foundation of a thriving community.” That relies on trust nurtured project by project, meeting by meeting. “You can fake sincerity. But you can’t fake showing up.”

Cultivating talent to build a strong, collaborative team is part of Cole’s success, she notes.

Michael Haley connected with Cole when she led Wake County’s community development efforts. He joined the county agency in 2011 and says he has “really valued Adrienne’s mentorship and partnership throughout my career. She’s helped guide my path, not just within the organization but in the broader community.”

In 2017, when Cole moved up to the CEO role, Haley succeeded her as senior vice president of economic development. “We’ve always shared a vision for what economic development should be,” he says. “It’s about creating opportunity for people, new prosperity, good jobs, and capital investment.” That means finding win-win scenarios with public and private clients, the state and municipalities, he adds.

Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the Raleigh Chamber in 2024.

“Adrienne does that exceptionally well,” he says. “She’s built a reputation as someone who gets things done in a collaborative, trustworthy way. Whether it’s infrastructure, site readiness or regional partnerships, people know they can count on her.”

Yet, Cole doesn’t expect smooth sailing. “Big projects don’t move in a straight line,” Cole says. “I don’t let two steps up, two steps back frustrate me. The problem-solving of it all is exciting to me. No day is the same, and I love that.”

Metro Raleigh’s population has grown from about 700,000 in 2001 to 1.66 million now. From 2010-20, the area grew by 23%, second-fastest of U.S. metro areas with more than 1 million people. But growth, Cole warns, brings its own risks.

“There is so much positive momentum in Raleigh, Wake County and the RTP region, I would not do this work anywhere else in the country,” she says.

Establishing a transportation network and other infrastructure capable of handling the rapid growth are key community challenges cited by Cole. So is affordable housing, with about 39,000 Wake County households having an annual income of less than $40,000. Raleigh rents now average nearly $1,900 a month, according to the Zillow real estate business, while the median home sale price in Wake County this year has topped $450,000.

Addressing concerns about public safety in downtown Raleigh is a positive story, Cole says. Overall crime declined 8% last year, with larceny from vehicles, robberies and aggravated assaults falling sharply. She credits good cooperation between the city, police and downtown officials and aggressive efforts to attract visitors for events.

Cole is hopeful, placing optimism that new leaders are stepping up, public-private partnerships forming, and the region is pushing for inclusive growth.

“We play to a parade, not a crowd,” she says. “A parade is ever-changing. We have to make sure the parade of new leaders is engaged and participating in the future, and keeps moving forward. It’s about making sure the 'new person’ has the opportunity to get engaged, so leadership continues. Like a legacy.”

BLUEGRASS JAMMER

When Cole slows down, she loves to recharge with her family, says Christine McDonald, a close friend for nearly two decades. “We just really click,” says McDonald, the chief operating officer of Loden Hospitality, a Raleigh-based hotel operator. Whether at work or play, Cole is “authentically herself.”

“The same character elements of honesty and integrity guide her,” McDonald says. “That is the thing I’ve always loved about her and why I call her such a close friend.” Cole “tells it like it is, but she's also very kind, very thoughtful and always thinking about the big picture.”

Cole enjoys “family hangs” with her husband and their three children, along with other family and friends. Asked about Cole’s favorite food, McDonald didn’t hesitate: “Something made by her husband, Walt. He’s a great cook.” The two friends also occasionally go out for sushi, another favorite of Cole’s.

There’s also a lesser-known side to Cole: “She is actually a phenomenal singer,” McDonald shares. Cole often gravitates toward bluegrass, Americana or folk music. “I’d say Billy Strings is her favorite artist right now.”

The bottom line: Adrienne Cole brings the same heart to leading billion-dollar initiatives as she does to a bluegrass jam session at home with her family.

In a city where priorities in business, government, and community cross paths, Cole’s greatest strengths are her understanding of how strong communities are built and her ability to bring the right people in the room to keep them moving forward.

The thing is, securing Raleigh’s future as a regional powerhouse isn’t a solo effort. It’s a team sport — and Adrienne Cole is its coach. ■

Adrienne Cole credits her father with helping her succeed in often maledominated roles. In seven of her eight jobs after graduate school, she was the ﬁrst woman.

Adrienne Cole enjoys 'family hangs' with her husband, Walt, and their children.

Robert McCutcheon CEO Charlotte Regional Business Alliance

Similarities exist, says Charlotte Regional Business Alliance CEO Robert McCutcheon, between leading large corporations and heading a 14-county economic development organization. It’s about bringing people together to work together.

McCutcheon gained his new role in March after 35 years as a senior executive at large corporations including ConAgra, Walmart and Gillette. Most recently, he was CEO of Swedish-owned power-tool maker Husqvarna’s North American unit.

“It’s never easy, but I feel like I can bring some experience and leverage because I sat on the other side of the table,” says McCutcheon. “I can speak the same language of my (Alliance) members and I can understand where they’re coming from.”

The Alliance’s recent years have been marked by friction and deficits, leading to former CEO Janet LaBar’s departure last year. It last posted a positive return in 2021, with deficits of $1.38 million in 2022 and $343,464 in 2023. The 2024 return wasn’t available at press time, but Alliance officials say the group will be in the black after cutting its staff.

Local business leaders are seeking a stronger focus from the 450-member organization, McCutcheon says. “We weren’t delivering hard enough on the core mission of economic development and regional growth.”

The Alliance was formed in 2018 through a merger of the former Charlotte Chamber and Charlotte Regional Partnership, which promoted economic growth in about a dozen area counties in North and South Carolina. Group leaders agreed to a national CEO search, prompting the departure of Bob Morgan, who had led the Chamber since 2005. LaBar was hired in 2019.

Adding Tracy Dodson as chief operating officer in February has already paid dividends in boosting the Alliance’s role in job-recruiting programs, McCutcheon says. For the past seven years, Dodson helped lead the city of Charlotte’s economic development efforts. She previously worked with the Lincoln Harris real estate firm.

Ready to Roll Ready to Roll

The Queen City’s key regional business promotion group reloads.

By Kevin Ellis

“I’m not an economic developer, so we’re super complementary to one another’s skills,” McCutcheon says. “She’s got us really engaged in a lot of projects that are coming to market.”

Now, the Alliance is promoting a likely November referendum for a 1 cent sales tax increase Mecklenburg County that could pay for $20 billion of transportation improvements over the next 30 years. The Alliance hopes to raise $3 million to make the case that more mass transit and better roads will improve mobility in the increasingly congested region. County commissioners are expected to vote to put the matter on the ballot, after the Republican-led state legislature approved a referendum in the Democrat-dominated urban county.

“It was something a lot of people probably thought we could never get done,” McCutcheon says. “It’s the biggest example of a challenge that we have, but we have a plan to do something about it. It’s something we can solve and provide us with more confidence that the growth will continue.”

It’s also a prime example of business and government leaders unifying behind an idea to boost an area that’s growing by 100-plus residents per day. The region’s population is expected to top 3 million by 2030, compared with 2.2 million in 2010, according to St. Louis Federal Reserve data.

McCutcheon has spent the first four months meeting with business leaders in six area counties to assess needs. For most development prospects, he notes, the Alliance passes on leads to local counties and then provides assistance as requested.

The region has a strong pipeline of potential expansions, he says, reflecting its status as a hot market. That includes many office projects, which would help reduce Charlotte’s unusually high centercity vacancy rate.

“There are companies that are still wanting to grow their business or that see an opportunity. Maybe they’re in a different area where the cost of living is too high, congestion is too high,” he says. North Carolina’s lower cost of living, talented workforce and business-friendly environment are factors why CNBC ranked the state as the best for business three of the past four years, he says.

The Alliance, McCutcheon says, is now on the right track to keep that progress moving forward.

“I’m riding that wave of momentum, I believe. There’s just so much support. We’re just refocused on what really matters, and that’s a big part of a turnaround.” ■

Formed in 1913, Crossnore says its mission is creating "healthy futures for children and families by providing a Christian sanctuary of hope and healing."

KIDS FIRST

Brett Loftis and

Crossnore Communities

for Children address a broken foster-parent system. One novel idea: $100,000 pay for skilled parents.

By Tucker Mitchell

No one enters the child welfare world looking to make a profit, says Brett Loftis, who leads North Carolina’s Crossnore Communities for Children.

As a business, it’s just a terrible idea.

“One of my board members, who is an investment banker, says no one would go into this if it were a business,” says Loftis. “There’s no money in it, no profit, and there are just these extreme headaches, trying to provide services for some of the most vulnerable people in America.”

It’s ironic, then, that Loftis’s tenure at Crossnore has been marked by his work to make the 100-plusyear-old nonprofit run like a business. Since becoming CEO in December 2012, Loftis has transformed the child welfare organization.

Shortly after taking the reins, Loftis effected a merger with another icon of child-focused charity in North Carolina, the Children’s Home of Winston-Salem. That connection dramatically increased Crossnore’s size and scope; it now has 300 employees and an annual operating budget of $25 million.

Since the merger, Loftis has refocused the organization’s well-intentioned but old-school operations.

At Crossnore’s 72-acre campus in rural Avery County, that meant expanding services to meet evolving needs. In Winston-Salem, he had to right a shaky financial ship and rebuild or, in some cases, tear down most of the 50-plus buildings on a sprawling campus.

A fundraising campaign co-chaired by Charlotte investment banker Charles Izard and Katheryn Northington, a non-profit consultant from Winston-Salem, is fueling the process. The Promise of Home campaign raised $53 million, which was $12 million above goal. A decision to place 93 of the 212 acres in an easement through the Piedmont Land Conservancy provided some cash to begin rebuilding, while preserving a patch of pastureland in the middle of a 253,000-population city.

Now, Loftis is turning his gaze to bigger game: fixing North Carolina’s broken child welfare system.

Kids in North Carolina who lose their parents face a daunting path. These days, most of the breakups result from court-ordered terminations of custody; true orphans in the classic sense are rare.

The lucky kids are eventually reunited with their parents or other family members. Others wind up in residential settings like Crossnore, which houses about 135 kids at any given time, providing safety, stability and help for recovery and dealing with trauma. But Crossnore’s residential capacity is too small to make a dent in the 15,000 to 16,000 kids who pass through the state’s foster care system each year.

Consequently, many kids wind up pingponging around the system, going from home to home, sometimes even “living” briefly in county Department of Social Services buildings or within the healthcare system.

North Carolina’s foster system is managed by individual counties with state oversight. It’s the subject of regular lawsuits, including a new batch that popped up last year. The Jameson Case is in federal court, while the Timothy B case is in state court, among others. The case files contain a litany of missed deadlines and failed service.

Loftis is a Wake Forest University law school graduate whose child welfare chops include a stint as the attorney, and later director, for the Charlotte-based Children’s Council. He predicts the plaintiffs will be victorious, once again.

“As a lawyer, I always won,” says Loftis. “Not because I was that great. But because (child welfare) laws were being violated (by governments and others) every single day. Of course I won.”

The problems are considerable, and the primary solution is obvious if not easily rectified. The system in the state is, he says, “just grossly undercapitalized.”

“As a result, [the system] is usually thinking about getting just enough for the child: a heated, indoor space where the kids are safe, and some food,” says Loftis. “But it doesn’t go much further than that.

“To kind of give you a value prop, it costs me more to board my dog than foster parents get paid.”

Professional Parents

Fixing the system will require lots of work, and still more funding from a legislature that just added $835 million for mental health services, a chunk of which went to children’s services. A new bill passed by state lawmakers promises major reforms for the system, including more oversight of county Departments of Social Service by the state. But that doesn’t include much cash.

BRETT LOFTIS CEO

Crossnore Communities for Children

SALARY: $313,226

AGE: 50

HOMETOWN: Seneca, South Carolina

EDUCATION: B.A., Furman University; J.D., Wake Forest University Law School

CAREER

• Guardian Ad Litem volunteer at age 19 in Greenville, S.C. Became a volunteer supervisor at 21

• Youth ministry after college

• Law school

• Staff attorney, later director, at Children’s Council of Charlotte

• Joined Crossnore in 2012

• In 2018, co-founded the Center for Trauma Resilient Communities with Beatriz Vides

BACK STORY

Helping those in needs runs in Loftis’ family. His grandmother was a foster parent, while his parents regularly took in strangers, including domestic violence victims or runaways.

“I just thought that was the way it was, how normal people lived.. … and then as I got a little older, I ﬁgured out it was not."

Several years ago, Loftis and his wife, Sally, adopted a 16-year-old boy.

Innovation offers the best answer until more resources become available. An example is Crossnore’s Bridging Families foster care program, launched in 2023 with a $692,000 pilot program grant from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Care for children who lost their parents in North Carolina and most other states has long relied on volunteers to provide much care.

The classic system works like this: foster parents (individuals or couples) volunteer to care for children in the volunteer’s home on a temporary basis. In return, they receive some training and professional support from their home county, and are paid a stipend from state and federal funds to cover the expense. North Carolina’s stipend, recently increased by the state legislature, runs between $702 and $846 a month, depending upon the age of the child. (Older kids and those with special needs receive more). Twice a year, a few additional dollars are available for clothes, along with a few other expenses.

North Carolina’s stipend ranks 17th in the country, well ahead of bottom-dweller Utah, which offers $187 a month.

Bridging Families inserts professional foster parents into the mix, which some view as a notable game changer. Although conventional, dedicated foster parents do yeoman’s work, caregivers in the new program are almost certainly more effective. They come to the job with extensive training and take care of the kids around the clock. It is, after all, their actual job.

An additional benefit: they also welcome birth parents into the mix as often as is possible. (Contact between birth parents whose parental rights have been terminated, and their children are regulated by the courts.) That helps teach parenting skills

Caring for kids for 200 years

Crossnore Communities for Children is a combination of two of North Carolina’s oldest children’s charities: Crossnore School in Avery County and the Children’s Home in Winston-Salem.

and improves the chance for reunification, which is the preferred outcome in most cases.

By contrast, most foster volunteers work for a living and then come home to parent. Training is minimal, and contact between birth parents and the foster family where their kids are housed is typically infrequent.

The professional parenting model creates an astounding dynamic, says Leslie Dulcos, who mans a Bridging Families home with her husband Kirk in Avery County.

“You’re just with them all the time, the kids, and, depending on the situation, the parents, too,” says Dulcos. Her first group of six weathered Hurricane Helene last September. “It was kind of scary at times, but (the children’s birth mom) got a lot of one-onone, hands-on work, and it turned out to be a good thing.

“Mom is watching how we do things, picking up cues on that. We’re giving advice and we are really just involved with the whole family. It is a fantastic program that is actually working. That’s what drives us to do this.”

And then there’s the money.

Secret formula

A professional parenting pair in a Bridging Families home can earn around $100,000 a year, plus benefits, while living in a house owned or leased by a sponsoring organization. That is more than enough to lure some folks into full-time foster parent work.

Crossnore cobbled together the funds to pay parents by combining monies from Title IV-E, a part of the Social Security Act aimed at supporting foster children, and Medicaid, the federal health insurance plan for low-income residents.

Dr. Mary Martin Sloop founded Crossnore School in 1913 in the northwestern corner of the state. Trained at a medical school for women in Philadelphia, she was one of the ﬁrst female doctors to practice in North Carolina, working with her physician-husband Eustace Sloop.

Sloop was motivated by the miserable state of schools in the mountainous area. It soon morphed

environment for students who have mainly from western North Carolina, but it takes

into an orphanage, while a weaving room was built in 1920 to give local girls and women a chance to learn a trade and earn some money. The 72-acre campus in Avery County has about 65 resident children, a thrift shop, a café, and now, a school again. The Marjorie Williams Academy charter school creates an emotionally stable environment for students who have suffered various traumas. Crossnore’s clients come mainly from western North Carolina, but it takes referrals from across the state.

North Carolina Methodists started the Children’s Home in Winston-Salem as a traditional orphanage in 1909. It operated for generations as an old-style orphanage, with children in dormitories, a school on site and work opportunities on the home’s farm.

The real key is that Crossnore raises private dollars to cover a lot of the overhead. Counties receive most of the same government funds for managing foster kids in their care, but bureaucratic costs siphon off the lion’s share. What’s left goes to the foster family as their stipend.

With the overhead covered, Bridging Families is able to pay its parents five times more than volunteer foster parents receive.

Bridging Families "allows us to keep siblings together, especially larger groups," says Lisa Cauley, division director for the N.C. Deparmtnet of Health and Human Services. Volunteer parents seldom accept more than two children at a time, and usually accept just one. “The best option is to place (kids) together. They’ve lost their home, their parents. They don’t need to lose (siblings), too. And then the children get to visit with their parents, and the parents learn skills through demonstrated change. The professional aspect means there’s a consistency to it as well, which is rare in this world.”

Parents in Bridging Families also come with no desire to adopt the children for whom they care. That’s a contrast to many volunteer foster parents who view the program as a test run for adoption. That can create problems when a court orders the children to be reunified with their birth parents.

“[Bridging Families] works so well for reunification, which is always our goal,” says Cauley. “We want the children back with their families.”

Eighty percent of the children placed in Bridging Families homes have been reunited with their parents. The state reunification rate is just less than 40% since 2018, according to Department of Health and Human Services statistics.

Franchise growth

Earlier this year Crossnore signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract with DHHS to expand the program across the state, with Bridging Families designated as the state model. The Leon Levine Foundation of Charlotte committed $3.75 million to the project.

Twelve Bridging Families homes are in operation, with three more opening soon. A lot more may be on the way. Loftis is optimistic the number could reach “100, and fairly soon.”

Crossnore operates a few Bridging Families homes itself, having opened a Huntersville office a few years ago, with plans for a Charlotte site next year. It is creating “franchises,” homes run by other organizations who receive training and nurturing.

Loftis says finding partner agencies like Crossnore in the eastern half of the state is the most critical need for now.

“We are part of the community in the mountains and in the middle (the Piedmont),” he says. “But if I go to Fayetteville … I don’t know anybody there and they don’t know me. How is that going to work? The organization doing this needs to have some roots in that area.”

Another major need are the actual homes themselves. Crossnore has been creative in uncovering housing opportunities, too. A developer who has renovated mountain homes to use as Airbnb’s is leasing two houses to Bridging Families. Discussions are underway with Wingate University about some former fraternity houses that might help Crossnore find a way to enter the pricey Charlotte market. It would give students in Wingate’s new Masters in Social Work program a convenient practicum site.

Crossnore has turned former employee residences at its Winston-Salem campus into Bridging Families homes. A Methodist church in Saluda in Polk County donated a home to the program.

With more buy-in from the faith community, Loftis says he could solve the state’s foster care problems.

The site is near downtown Winston-Salem and alongside a railroad track. An “orphan train” formerly dropped off the home’s newest residents. A charter school modeled on the Williams Academy will open on campus this fall.

“There are more than 16,000 Christian churches in the state,” says Loftis. “There are only 12,000 kids in foster care (in North Carolina) today. So we could end it today if every church said, ‘we’ll have one home, ….one kid.’”

This fall, Crossnore is opening a charter school in Winston-Salem, shown in this rendering.

Loftis smiles, and he is joking, but not entirely. He has made a career of calling it like he sees regarding care of North Carolina’s most vulnerable children.

“He has a force of personality that is impressive,” says Patton McDowell, a Charlotte consultant. He has worked with both Loftis and his wife, Sally, an HR consultant for nonprofits. “For the most part, Brett (Loftis) is diplomatic, but he’s not afraid to call someone out. … When he was on my podcast recently, he joked that (his wife) Sally doesn’t like to bring him along to dinner parties because no one wants to hear all that homeless children stuff over dinner, and yet … he can’t help himself.”

Loftis admits he can be intense, but believes he has mellowed over the years. Still, making adults uncomfortable for a good cause doesn’t really bother him. They’re not his favorite people anyway.

“To be honest, I’d rather spend time around children,” Loftis says. “They’re more honest.”

long-Term leaders

A checkup on the stock market performance of North Carolina’s public corporations.

By David Mildenberg

Our annual report on the performance of the 75 largest public companies based in the state always has us looking for the most consistent success stories. The results routinely show that the steadiest winners rarely are the flashiest businesses.

This year, it’s noteworthy that 23 Tar Heel companies have outperformed the S&P 500 index over the past five years. That compares with only 19 from last year’s list. Betting against the index is challenging.

Still, 10 companies had total returns topping 300% over the same period that the S&P gained 94%. Tripling the index over five years is a remarkable success.

Those 10 businesses, in order, are Kewaunee Scientific, CurtissWright, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Trane Technologies, First

Citizens Bancshares, Tanger, Kontoor Brands, Extreme Networks, SPX and EnPro.

Those companies reflect a wide range of sectors, but there are some underlying themes. Opportunistic investments and steady longterm family ownership have been a winning strategy for Coca-Cola Consolidated and First Citizens Bancshares. Trane Technologies, Curtiss-Wright, SPX and EnPro are industrial products companies that have shrewdly focused on fast-growing industries to spur revenue and profit margin growth.

Tanger is proving that brick-and-mortar retailing retains plenty of appeal despite the growth of online shopping. And Wrangler jeansmaker Kontoor is benefiting from a societal shift toward more casual wear.

The list shows how North Carolina is a magnet for skilled CEOs.

We looked at the undergraduate alma maters of the leaders of the 10 top performers, and only two graduated from a North Carolina school. Frank Holding Jr. of First Citizens is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, and Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Frank Harrison III is a Duke University alum. Both are scions of longtime N.C. business families.

On the ip side, readers will see that shares of 17 companies had a negative return over the past ve years. Reasons for the dismal showings are all over the map. But it’s obvious that leadership matters when it comes to long-term stock market performance.

We appreciate Matt West of Capital Investment Cos. for helping produce this report.

1 TO 25

5-YEAR RETURNS

WORST 5-YEAR RETURNS

1-YEAR RETURNS

WORST 1-YEAR RETURNS

** ProKidney shares rebounded more than 500% in early July after a positive research study.

Data for the Top 25 Public Companies was provided by Matt West, Capital Investment Cos. and Nottingham Company.

MARKET MOVERS

Bank of America 1

e second-largest U.S. bank keeps rocking along, while growing more slowly and operating less pro tably than its bigger rival, JPMorgan Chase, which has added about 30 branches in the Charlotte and Triangle in recent years. BofA remains well-capitalized and churned a $27 billion pro t in 2024, and its shares are nearing a record high set in 2006. Brian Moynihan, who’s been CEO since 2008, received $35 million in total compensation last year. More than 19,000 people work for BofA in Charlotte.

Advance Auto 32

September marks Shane O’Kelly’s two-year anniversary as the retail company’s turnaround CEO, aiming to better compete against rivals AutoZone and O’Reilly Automotive. A er closing more than 500 underperforming stores since last fall, the company expects to add 30 new stores this year in U.S. markets where its store density ranks rst or second. Shares rebounded 57% to about $49 in May when O’Kelly rea rmed Advance’s pro t outlook, and were trading for about $60 in mid-July.

Trane Technologies 4

Shares of the Davidson-based company have gained more than 400% over the past decade as revenue soared from about $13 billion in 2014 to nearly $20 billion last year. HVAC equipment sales is the core business, but Trane scores lots of recurring revenue from remote diagnostics, maintenance contracts, and energy services. Its December purchase of Montreal-based Brainbox AI may expand customers’ ability to run their heating and cooling systems more e ciently.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals 37

e Durham company is North Carolina’s most valuable publicly traded biotech on the basis of its Orladeyo drug, which treats hereditary angioedema, a disorder that leads to swelling attacks in various parts of the body. In June, BioCryst sold the European rights for Orladeyo for $250 million, which it will use to reduce its $700 million in debt. Revenue hit $451 million last year, triple the level in 2021.

NET Power 51

Making money in clean energy has gotten tougher with the Trump Administration showing little support for subsidies. Durham-based NetPower has a promising technology to produce emissions-free natural gas, but its proposed west Texas plant is costing more than double its initial estimate of more than $600 million. Its shares tumbled 75% since its 2023 debut as a public company.

MARKET MOVERS

Jeld-Wen 62

It’s turnaround time at window and door manufacturer Jeld-Wen, which was trading in mid-July at about $4.60, near the lowest level since its IPO at $23 in 2017. The Charlotte-based company reported a $189 million loss last year, with revenue down 10% over the past four years. CEO William Christensen was hired as CEO in Decemeber 2022, when shares traded for about $10.

Community banks 38,41,48,68

It was a solid year for North Carolina’s smaller banks, with four showing stock gains topping 25%: Southern BancShares, First Bancorp, HomeTrust Bancshares and Uwharrie Capital. First Bancorp’s first-quarter earnings increased 45% from a year earlier, and Adam Currie was named CEO in February. At Asheville-based HomeTrust Bancshares, shares gained 25% as the company overcame the impact of Tropical Storm Helene.

Highwoods Properties 25

Shares of the Raleigh-based developer returned about 10% over the past five years, including dividends. That performance might be expected given its core business is office space, which has suffered from rising vacancies. Highwoods is battling through the downturn and shares gained 22% in the past year as leasing gained strength in some Sunbelt markets. Raleigh, Nashville, Atlanta and Charlotte make up about 80% of Highwood’s business.

Krispy Kreme 53

Investors got sweet on the iconic doughnut company when McDonald’s agreed in March 2024 to sell the pastries at its U.S. restaurants. But the project ended in July, doomed by weak sales and logistics issues. Krispy Kreme’s share price tumbled to about $3.15 in mid-July, the lowest level since the company’s IPO in 2021 at $17. CEO Josh Charlesworth replaced the chief financial officer and chief growth officer. He says the company is focused on “high-volume” retail distribution spots in the U.S. and “capitallight” growth in other nations.

CommScope 40

The Claremont-based networking equipment company was the bestperforming N.C. stock of the past year, marking a turnaround for the heavily leveraged enterprise. CommScope has struggled after its ill-timed, $7.4 billion acquisition of cable TV equipment supplier Arris in 2019, posting cumulative losses of $3.6 billion over the past four years. But sales have rebounded in the past year and a December refinancing reduced debt. Moreover, the company is seeking buyers for broadband connectivity and cable solutions divisions, Bloomberg reported in May.

BIGGER AND BETTER

North Carolina’s tourism industry, especially its meetings and conventions sector, has faced challenges during the past ﬁve years. But it continues growing, investing in itself and generating business.

North Carolina’s travel and tourism industry has jumped some hurdles during the past ﬁve years. First, the COVID pandemic brought travel and gathering restrictions, keeping people at home. Then there was Hurricane Helene in September, which caused more than $50 billion in damage across western North Carolina, keeping people from many of the places and activities that make the state special. “October is the top revenue month for our lodging partners, and the fourth quarter is the largest in terms of visitor spending,” says Explore Asheville President and CEO Vic Isley. “There would be no good time for a storm like Helene to hit, but this was just the worst time in terms of the revenue our businesses rely on to get through the winter season.”

Isley says Buncombe County and much of western North Carolina have rebounded from Helene, and recovery continues in those places hit hardest. She says the industry’s meetings and conventions sector has been a bright spot in that process. “We’ve heard from a lot of business groups that Asheville’s resilient recovery has given them a sense of purpose when choosing the Asheville area for their meeting location,” she says. Optimism and resilience may best describe the sector. Its ability to overcome challenges, whether environmental or economic, is written in its member businesses’ DNA.

Wit Tuttell is executive director of Visit North Carolina, the tourism promotion arm of Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. He senses vigilance in the meetings and convention

sector, though he’s concerned about potential impacts from general economic uncertainty. “It appears people are more cautious, scheduling their travel closer to their meeting dates rather than booking further out, which is usually a sign they are guarding against the danger of having to cancel,” he says.

Visit NC chose Asheville for its annual tourism conference in 2026. “We move the conference around the state and were just in the mountains a few years ago,” Tuttell says. “But we moved next year’s conference to Asheville to demonstrate that we believe in the mountains.” This year’s conference was in Hickory. It and other midsize markets statewide, including Cabarrus and Iredell counties in the Piedmont and Wilmington on the coast, are seeing more meetings and conventions. Recent investments have

helped attract that business, which in turn is fueling upgrades and welcoming more leisure and business visitors.

Hickory Metro Convention Center was built almost 30 years ago and was expanded in 2005. It recently underwent an $18 million renovation and expansion, which added a 35,000-square-foot exhibit hall capable of hosting shows, expos and sporting events. Hickory and Conover’s occupancy tax revenue and event revenue generated by the convention center funded the project.

Hickory Metro Convention Center and Visitors Bureau CEO Mandy Pitts Hildebrand says the investment was an easy sell to the local tourism board. “We began getting feedback from our clients that the convention center was beginning to look a little tired,” she says. The upgrades are already generating a return. “We’ve gone from having around 170 events a year to over 220 conferences booked so far this year,” she says. “Our community, our local government leaders and our tourism board know that the Hickory Metro Convention Center is an economic engine, not just for Catawba County but for our region.”

Sarah Davis Jones is Hickory Metro Convention Center and Visitors Bureau’s director of sales and marketing. She says Hickory’s strong tourism economy is the result of good fortune and strategic planning. Voters passed a $40 million bond referendum in 2014. Crafting Hickory, as it became known, enabled the city to build Trivium Corporate Center, a Class A business park, give its downtown a makeover and construct Hickory Trail, a 10-mile multi-use path comprised of ﬁve walks. “These pedestrian-friendly options in our community have allowed our hospitality sector to expand outward from the middle of the city, creating connectivity with the other attractions we offer,” she says.

Raleigh Convention Center is a point of pride for the Capital City, which has become a mecca for food and culture,

fostering a sense of community for residents and visitors. “We see a lot of demand when it comes to associations and other types of organizations looking for more than a place to meet, eat and sleep,” says Malinda Harrell, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau director of sales. “They want to feel the energy, enjoy a welcoming destination and find a sense of place where they can bring their colleagues for education, networking and building relationships.”

Harrell remembers when the convention center was built in 2003 as a way of attracting conferences that were bypassing Raleigh because of its lack of space for meetings and conventions. The addition of meeting space has created an economic ecosystem. “We’ve seen job creation and new opportunities, not only for the folks working in the hotels and convention center but other places in town that benefit from conventions,”

Raleigh Convention & Performing Arts Complex

Tryon Palace in New Bern

she says. It’ll do an even better job at that thanks to a 300,000-square-foot expansion that’s underway. The $387 million project includes a new Omni Park Hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2028. It will have 550 guest rooms and 55,000 square feet of meeting space.

Association Executives of North Carolina counted on unique experiences for its members when the organization held its 70th anniversary gala and annual conference at the Raleigh Convention Center in July. Founded in Raleigh in 1955, AENC provides professional development and

networking opportunities for its more than 950 members, including CEOs and staff of trade and professional associations, service providers and the hospitality industry.

AENC Executive Director and CEO

Rich Phaneuf says that while associations suffered during the pandemic’s travel restrictions, they’re making up for it today. “AENC is a microcosm of the larger meetings and conventions picture,” he says. “Not only are people going back to in-person events, but they’re also generating record attendance and are feeling that it’s good to be together.”

Phaneuf points to expansions, such as at the Raleigh and Hickory convention centers, as indicators of the tourism industry’s strength. “There’s been so much investment in our future, and we get to bask in the wonderful qualities of our state and in our economic prosperity,” he says. “There’s really never been a better time to hold meetings in North Carolina than now.”■

— Teri Saylor is a freelance writer from Raleigh.

Pinehurst Resort

DESTINATIONS

for your next corporate meetings and events

EXPERIENCE IT ALL, IN ONE PLACE

Uncover the charm and history of Greensboro while enjoying a distinctive stay at one of North Carolina’s premier resorts. Featuring two challenging golf courses, The Spa at Grandover, tennis, Finial Restaurant, Southern Inspired Fare, handcrafted cocktails at one of our bars, live entertainment, a game room and an art gallery. The conference center features meeting rooms, unique ballrooms and lovely outdoor venues.

1000 Club Road | Greensboro, NC 27407

336-294-1800 | grandoverresort.com

MEETINGS MEAN BUSINESS IN GREENVILLE

Greenville is the vibrant economic, education, medical, and entertainment hub of Eastern North Carolina. Greenville is a growing destination situated conveniently between Raleigh and our NC beaches, where from our Greenville Convention Center Campus, to East Carolina University, to our Downtown Greenville District, you will ﬁnd a community dedicated to ensuring unrivaled experiences and good company at every turn!

Rachel Whitten, CMP, Vice President of Sales & Services 252-329-4244 | VisitGreenvilleNC.com/Meetings

Grandover East Course

IT’S TIME FOR YOUR VISIT

Plan your next meeting in a riverfront town ﬁlled with charm, convenience, and over 400 guest rooms within walking distance of unique venues. With a walkable downtown, welcoming vibe, and coastal beauty, New Bern makes gatherings easy, memorable, and inspiring. Let’s bring your event to life, here.

sales@visitnewbern.com | New Bern, NC 800-437-5767 | www.visitnewbern.com

WELL-CRAFTED EVENTS

Host your next meeting, fundraiser, holiday party or company retreat in one of Highland Brewing’s award-winning venues. The Event Center and Rooftop Bar offer a grand experience with a multi-level venue, stage with AV, sunset vistas and mountain views. The lush Barrel Room features skylights with hanging steel planters perfect for more intimate gatherings and seminars. Discover Highland Brewing, Asheville’s Original Craft Brewery. Now booking for 2026 and 2027.

12 Old Charlotte Highway | Asheville, NC 828-299-3370 | highlandbrewing.com/parties

OH HEY!

At the Hickory Metro Convention Center, we pride ourselves on offering exceptional customer service along with convention planning services. Our team is happy to assist in making your event, meeting, or conference a success in the Hickory Metro. Our new and improved spaces are the sweet spot in meeting destinations located just an hour outside of Charlotte and in the beautiful N.C. foothills.

1960 13th Avenue Dr. SE | Hickory, NC 28602 828-322-1335 | www.visithickorync.com

DISCOVER CHETOLA RESORT & SPA

Chetola Resort offers ﬂexible meeting spaces, premium catering, and a full range of resort amenities - everything needed for a seamless and successful event. The breathtaking scenery and Chetola’s outstanding banquet presentation combine to create the perfect event venue. Our resort guestrooms and spacious condominiums complete your stay!

events@chetola.com | Blowing Rock, NC 828-295-5527 | WWW.CHETOLA.COM

INSPIRING PLACES INSPIRE GREAT MEETINGS

Located in the stunning Virginia mountains, our unique and ﬂexible spaces are designed to inspire creativity and collaboration. With exceptional amenities and a dedicated team of hospitality professionals, we tailor every detail to ﬁt your vision. Enjoy the perfect combination of productivity and relaxation, transforming your gathering into not just a meeting, but a memorable retreat.

888-796-5838 | HOMRST.leads@omnihotels.com TheOmniHomestead.com

MAKE YOUR MEETING OR EVENT EXTRAORDINARY

Experience Biltmore ® in Asheville, NC, where breathtaking beauty meets timeless hospitality in a stunning mountain setting. Explore America’s Largest Home ® , century-old gardens, our splendid overnight properties, a wide selection of venues, and a range of outdoor activities, all skillfully tailored to enhance your group’s experience.

Biltmore Group Sales One Approach Road | Asheville, NC 28803 828-225-1400 | groupsales@biltmore.com

1895.

That’s when Pinehurst began welcoming guests to its tree-shaded grounds. From executive boardrooms to expansive event spaces, our seamless blend of Southern hospitality and innovation sets the stage for gatherings that will leave your attendees energized and inspired. Elevate your meetings at Pinehurst Resort, anchor site of the U.S. Open.

800-ITS-GOLF pinehurst.com

2025 BEST EMPLOYERS GALA

Grandover Resort in Greensboro

June 18, 2025

Business North Carolina’s annual list of Best Employers in the state celebrated for the 12th year. The Best Employer’s rankings are based on employee feedback on company culture, beneﬁts, professional development, and overall job satisfaction. The Grandover Resort was the ideal setting for the gala. The event was a fantastic way to have fun and celebrate with fellow colleagues.

Photos by Johm Gessner