Business North Carolina May 2025

A FARM EVOLVES INTO A HUNTER’S HAVEN | A THEATER IS REBORN | AEROFLOW’S ARC A REPORT CARD ON 132 NORTH CAROLINA HIGHER ED

PLEASURE PLACES

How adult products retailer Adam & Eve, after five decades, keeps America satisfied again, and again.

4 UP FRONT

6 POWER LIST INTERVIEW

M&F Bancorp CEO James Sills discusses how he’s creating a sustainable future for the state’s only Black-owned bank.

8 NC TREND

A restored Charlotte theater opens after 47 years of perseverance and $90 million; Net Power’s promising technology is taking longer and costing more than expected; Fayetteville charms arrivals; Cato drifts; The Assembly seeks a profit in news; Asheville’s Aeroflow keeps it simple.

18 RURAL ROUTE

Municipal leaders in Bladen County spar over the direction of the rural southeast N.C. county, creating a messy economic development scene.

26 ROUND TABLE: LIFE SCIENCES

Six experts describe what’s needed to keep North Carolina at the forefront of the growing industry.

35 NC PORTRAITS: DYNAMIC WOMEN

Profiles of three women making a positive difference in their communities and at work.

70 COMMUNITY CLOSE UP: UNION COUNTY

A mix of rural tranquility and big city employment options and amenities create Union County’s unique identity. The combination is attracting business and residential growth.

COVER STORY

THE LOVE BOUTIQUE

PHE, parent company of Adam & Eve, turned a once-taboo shopping experience into a $300 million enterprise. They‘ve even been Hillsborough’s Business of the Year. BY

SHANNON CUTHRELL

PIRATE’S TREASURE

OCU puts the chancellor’s home up for sale as its priorities shift, seven years after an unusual appraisal.

BY NATALIE BRADIN AND McKENZIE BULRIS

COVEY CALLING

How a Richmond County farm transitioned from tobacco to become a popular hunting lodge. years after an unusual appraisal.

BY MAIJA EHLINGER

HIGHER EDUCATION

Our annual guide to the state’s public and private colleges and universities, including enrollment, cost and graduation statistics.

A NEW SCRIPT

A multimedia executive looks to shape the future of work by employing AI for worker training.

BY MAIJA EHLINGER

UP FRONT Ben Kinney

NOT YOUR AVERAGE DELIVERY

Iheard the o ce door open and a voice call out “UPS!” is happens quite a bit at our o ce as we get many di erent bulk shipments of magazines each month in addition to the regular o ce supplies, copy paper and co ee similar to most o ces. It was a Friday a ernoon and only Managing Editor Kevin Ellis and myself were in the o ce.

“Just leave it at the front, thanks!” I yelled back. A few minutes later, I went to our front area and saw a large rectangular box on the front counter. It didn’t look like a box of magazines and I didn’t recognize the return address. I grabbed it and went into the conference room to open it. What I discovered was quite a surprise.

e box must have had 40 or so sex toys ranging from glow-in-the-dark condoms to edible panties and an array of devices in all shapes and sizes. I screamed out loud. “Oh my God!” Kevin came running in. Based on my reaction, he thought someone sent us a carcass because of a past article. Turns out, it had to do with the cover story this month on Hillsborough-based adult toys retailer Adam & Eve.

ey were appreciative of writer Shannon Cuthrell’s hard work on the story, so they sent us a package of their “goodies” as a follow-up.

e story on Page 40 explains that Adam & Eve is a serious enterprise, a major philanthropist and an important part of its Orange County community. It’s a $300 million business that employs about 300 people and has operated for more than 40 years. As we report, times are a lot di erent these days than when founder Phil Harvey started Adam & Eve in 1971. Such adult products businesses aren’t as taboo as they were back in the Reagan era. Opening a box full of their products was a little surprising, but it also made me think what a remarkable state we have with so many varieties of successful businesses. Any suggestions on what to do with those toys? ■

Contact Ben Kinney at bkinney@businessnc.com.

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

Natalie Bradin

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Pete M. Anderson, Dan Barkin, McKenzie Bulris, Chris Burritt, Shannon Cuthrell, Maija Ehlinger

Mike MacMillian, Bill Horner III, Kerry Singe

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

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 VOLUME 45, NO. 5

JAMES SILLS

SELLING THE MISSION

M&F Bancorp CEO James Sills 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.

I’m intrigued that you are CEO of a bank that has been in business for 117 years and is the secondoldest minority-owned bank in the country. Which was the first?

The oldest African-American-owned bank is Citizens Bank of Nashville. They had been in business about three years prior to M&F Bank coming into formation.

How did you arrive at M&F?

I moved down here from Wilmington, Delaware. I was recruited by the board of directors to come transform the bank, to make it more relevant to the markets that we serve all across North Carolina. I love the business of banking because we serve as middlemen of taking the customer’s deposits and redeploying it into the form of loans back out into the communities that we serve. I just think it’s a great business model. And I’ve loved every minute of my banking career.

Sills has led North Carolina’s only AfricanAmerican-owned bank since 2014, after working for the previous five years as chief information officer for the state of Delaware. Earlier this year, he helped M&F Bank win regulatory approval for a plan to convert preferred shares at a major discount. The move boosted capital by more than $50 million and made it harder for an investor group to gain control of the institution. It has 90 employees, assets of $525 million and offices in Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Net income in 2024 was $4.8 million, excluding preferred dividends. Sills has a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and a master’s in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

How would you rank the times we’re in now? Are we in good times?

Banks are a litmus test for how the economy is doing, whether people are building, borrowing, expanding their business, investing in equipment, etc. Banks are doing well where the economy overall is good. It’s not as good as it was a few years ago, but it’s good.

North Carolina is a tremendous state for banking. We have a number of new entrants here. Some of the largest banks in the country are expanding here. That is sign that this is a very healthy state and banking market.

If banks are doing so well, how come the stocks of banks today are not where they should be?

It’s all based on earnings. It’s all based on growth. It is also based on where your bank is physically located. I think bank stocks will come back if we have less regulation.

I think you’ll see interest rates come down a little bit more. I think you’ll see bank stocks continue to increase over time.

Is there a standard ratio of the relationship between assets and liabilities? You are half a billion or so in assets. You have deposits of $372 million. Is there a relationship between those two?

There’s an acceptable relationship. It’s monitored by the state banking department and FDIC. The way I look at it is the percentage of capital to total assets. And so a healthy bank is going to have a capital-to-asset ratio of at least 8% or 9%. Our capital-to-asset ratio is about 15%. So we’re one of the strongest banks in North Carolina.

How do you raise capital?

We are very fortunate. We are capital-rich. We have about $130 million in capital. We’ve raised the majority of that since the murder of George Floyd [in 2020]. And so the bank has actually grown, from about $250 million in total assets to about $525 million over the last five years. So we’ve experienced tremendous growth.

And why is that?

Besides an excellent CEO, ha ha? And we have a great board. We have a great management team. Because of the mission of the bank in terms of serving low and moderate-income individuals, and also providing access to capital to small and medium-sized businesses. People, corporations, non-profits, large banks and others want to support the mission of the bank.

LIST INTERVIEW with Nido Qubein

What is the CEO or your management team looking at when somebody comes to you for a loan to invest in starting or expanding a business?

We look at the total person. We look at the total relationship that the business has with the institution. Do they have management experience? Have they been in business for at least three to five years? Our whole goal is to work with small- and medium-sized businesses to help them expand.

How do you define small and medium businesses?

A small business has gross revenues of less than $5 million per year. Medium-size would be $15 million to $20 million.

For college graduates who have a dream to be entrepreneurs and build a business, where would they go for capital?

It’s going to be tough, but it is possible. You go to friends and family. You leverage credit cards.

There are grant opportunities that they can apply for. There are other programs that they can participate in. There are programs where they can participate in various shark tanks and win prizes. So that’s how they would normally raise capital.

What’s your biggest challenge as CEO of M&F Bank? What is it you worry about when you go to sleep at night?

Can we get the talent? That’s my biggest concern. We have the capital to grow to $1 billion in total assets. We’re a little over half a billion at the moment.

Why aren’t you there?

Because it just takes time. It’s a relationship business. You have to have the people in place. You have to have excellent marketing. You have to have excellent technology. It’s very competitive. The markets here are very, very competitive.

Speaking of technology, how does an M&F Bank with $500 million in assets have a backroom operation to compete with those who have significant funding?

We utilize a third-party vendor that is the core technology provider for about 2,200 banks across the United States. That’s how we’re able to kind of keep pace with some of the larger banks.

So we have online banking and mobile banking and all the technology and all the bells and whistles that the large banks have. We have to continue to invest in technology if we want to stay relevant.

A few years ago, we had roughly 5,000 banks in America, and there was so much chatter that these banks were going to disappear. We were going to end up with 50 big banks, and small community banks were going to disappear. That hasn’t happened. We have about 4,500, so we lost 500 from mergers and acquisitions. A couple went bankrupt, but generally, they get scooped up by somebody. Do you think that’s good?

Yes, I think it’s good. It really helps the end consumer. For small business owners, you always want to have access to financial institutions and to capital. The more banks that you have, the easier it becomes for the consumer and the small business owner to have a relationship with a bank.

We’re the only country in the world that has that community bank model. Most large countries only have a handful of banks. Canada has six banks. So I think it’s great.

One point I want to make sure that I communicate is that community banks normally focus on a specific area and they’re focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses grow, or professionals like doctors and lawyers.

Community banks provide 60% of all the small business loans under $1 million. And community banks provide 80% of all agriculture loans across the country and about 40% of mortgage loans. So community banks are a critical component to the financial system. My definition of a community bank is any bank that is under $5 billion in total assets.

You mentioned talent as being a challenge, meaning attracting the right associates who can help you grow. North Carolina has become a magnet for companies of all sizes to come here. That’s going to put pressure on the existing companies and the communities to create more workforce. How will M&F deal with that?

We have to be creative in how we attract talent to the bank. We have to do a lot of outreach. We’ve had a management trainee program for the past five years and we normally hire two college students and develop them. We rotate them through our departments.

But we also try to take talent from other institutions. People want to work with you because you have a specific vision, mission and values, and they want to be a part of that. We sell the mission.

What do you see as a challenge for North Carolina as it attracts more people here?

Again, I think the biggest challenge is talent. We need to attract more talent here. We have great schools. We have great community colleges. We need to have better relations with the schools and the universities and the state and local chambers and various public-private partnerships to make sure people are aware of all the talent that is here.

When you look at your own position as a leader in the state and as someone who’s trying to educate young people and others to join your group, what is it you sell them on?

I sell the history of the mission of the bank. In terms of personal characteristics, I strongly encourage someone to be a generalist and not a specialist. I’ve been a generalist, and I think that’s how I’ve been able to rise through the ranks. I think you want to be a continuous learner. I’m looking for individuals that have leadership characteristics, good adaptability and they take initiative.

How is artificial intelligence going to affect your bank and other banks of your size?

Over time, it will make our bank more efficient. We will have better interaction with our customers. Our processes will be more efficient. We’ll be faster in terms of how we get capital out on every other institution. But I think for us to be competitive, we have to do that. We have to invest in those types of technology not just to survive, but to be successful.

Is it going to take away the distinction of an institution because we’re standardizing everything?

We want to make sure we’re looking at the data. We want to make sure that there are no biases through AI. And so we’re always going to be checking the AI output, because we want to make sure that we’re not making an incorrect decision based on utilizing AI. You’re always going to have a model where you’re using AI, but you always want to have a human checking behind the AI.

The co-founder of Apple Computer, Steve Wozniak, says you can have all the artificial intelligence you want, but you never have artificial wisdom.

I agree with that. I heard someone say, knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put the tomato in a fruit salad. Life skills, soft skills, communication, connecting with people and understanding people are important. ■

SHOW TIME

A meticulously restored Charlotte theater opens after 47 years of downtime and perseverance.

By Kerry Singe

One day in 2012, then-Bank of America executive Cathy Bessant stood inside the remnants of the Carolina eatre with architect and former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt and banking titan Hugh McColl Jr.

e nonpro t Foundation For e Carolinas was thinking about acquiring and renovating the uptown theater as part of a “mini-campus” focused on philanthropy and civic engagement.

e foundation’s then-CEO, Michael Marsicano, invited them to tour the theater, built when silent lms were popular, to see if a renovation was feasible.

Bessant recalls exchanging skeptical glances with Gantt and McColl inside the abandoned theater, thinking similar thoughts. “It was such a disaster on the inside. ere’s no other way to say it,” Bessant says. “ e three of us, well, we had some experience in real estate, and we looked at each other thinking, you have to be crazy.”

the foundation’s CEO. “We are practical people, and we were daunted by what it would take. Our reaction was that this would take monumental e ort.”

In March, the foundation opened the newly restored Carolina eatre. With 906 seats, vintage touches and modern amenities, such as 10 laser projectors and a modern sound system, the theater will host concerts, plays, lms, speakers and weddings. Extraordinary care was given to match its original elegance while adding the latest technology. e original project cost more than doubled to $90 million, with local, state and federal agencies providing about $19 million and the Belk family and other private donors putting up the balance.

e historic theater was once a lavish cinema palace that also hosted acts such as Bob Hope and Elvis Presley, drawing patrons from across North Carolina. But the venue had sat vacant since closing in 1978 and had been damaged in a re.

“We knew Michael had great vision,” says Bessant, now

E orts to preserve the building, however, spanned several decades and involved hundreds of volunteers, many false starts, and a few dashed hopes and dreams. e restoration demonstrates the determination and vision of civic leaders, say those involved in the project, along with hundreds of people who loved an old building and rallied to protect it.

“You have to be really tenacious to keep with a project like this for 30 years,” says Charlie Clayton, founder of the Carolina eatre Preservation Society. “One of life’s lessons with this whole endeavor is don’t give up.”

Cathy Bessant

Preserving a gem

Debuting in 1927 as part of Paramount Pictures’ Publix eatre chain, the 36,000-square-foot Carolina eatre was considered an architectural gem, its opulence reminiscent of a palace. e Mediterranean-inspired building boasted a co ered ceiling, murals on the side walls, a Spanish cathedral window and wrought-iron chandeliers.

e theater opened with a silent movie, “A Kiss in a Taxi,” with Miss Fae Wilcox at the Wurtlitzer organ, “accompanying a program of novelty slides,” according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. e theater also had vaudeville performers on stage. It later switched to sound lms and attracted audiences from across the state. It was the rst in the Carolinas to screen “Gone With the Wind,” while a young Elvis Presley performed there in 1956.

For 79 weeks in the 1960s, nearly 400,000 people saw the lm adaptation of the musical, “ e Sound of Music” with Julie Andrews. “When I was a kid, we always got dressed up for special things. And going to the Carolina eatre rated high on that list,” says Moira Quinn, chief operating o cer at Charlotte Center City Partners. “I imagine that (the theater) might have been getting a bit run down by then, but my 10-year-old eyes only saw elegance and beauty.”

Black patrons were not welcome at Carolina eatre until 1963, when Charlotte-area theaters started to desegregate. Business also faltered as people started going to multiplexes in the suburbs. On Nov 27, 1978, the theater closed for good a er showing “ e Fist,” a Bruce Lee action movie.

saying it would give $50,000.

He established the nonpro t Carolina eatre Preservation Society to build awareness of the venue. It organized events, including a showing of “Nosferatu,” a silent German horror lm, where the audience sat on folding chairs. e alternative dance troupe Moving Poets eatre of Dance performed “Dracula.”

“People thought, ‘Man, this place is so cool,’” Clayton says. “It was haunting in there. Everyone just went gaga over the place.” Word spread, and an estimated 300 volunteers eventually got involved.

Real-estate developer Jim Donnelly of Charlotte proposed renovating the theater and building a multimillion-dollar residential tower with elevators to carry cars up to garages next to each residence. Donnelly’s company entered into a purchase agreement with the city in 2006.

Various proposals were considered to revive the building, including the CityFair mixed-use project that planned to convert it into a performing-arts center and conference space. But CityFair ran out of money, and the city took ownership of the theater in 1986.

Clayton learned about the Carolina eatre when a job transfer led him to Charlotte around the time the theater closed. A salesman trained in engineering, Clayton fell in love with the building and its history.

Clayton met others who shared his interest in preserving the theater. But no one had the money to do so. In the mid-1990s, he watched developers raze older uptown buildings to build high-rises near the theater, which has a prize location at East Sixth and North Tryon streets.

“We thought, ‘We’re going to draw the line,’” Clayton says. “Someone has to stand up for the Carolina eatre.”

On a whim, Clayton sent an application to state government, requesting $30 million to restore the theater. e state replied by

More than half of the condos were pre-sold when the 2007-09 nancial crisis struck. Promised funding dried up, killing the project. “It was really pitiful and bad timing,” Clayton says. en he got a call from Marsicano, who proposed that the foundation buy the theater. In December 2012, the deal was struck at a $1 price, plus a pledge to renovate the theater and dedicate it to civic use.

“No one could envision how gorgeous it was going to be. But Michael could see it,” Clayton says. “And he could convince other people.”

Charlotte leaders want the Carolina eatre to act as a catalyst for the North Tryon corridor, which has attracted less investment in the past decade than the center city’s southern edge. One block north of the theater, a $137 million library is under construction. Directly across Tryon Street, the Discovery Place Science museum is mulling a renovation.

Plans by Australian investment rm Salter Brothers for a 250room InterContinental Hotel above the theater stalled in 2020. e company hasn’t disclosed its plans.

e theater is being billed as a “community- rst” nonpro t, and to Bessant, that means returning to its roots. Half of the programming is expected to involve partnerships with communitybased groups, such as the library and emerging-arts organizations. ere’s no intent to compete with the Blumenthal Arts nonpro t, which presents Broadway shows and operates a half dozen uptown arts venues within a few blocks.

“ is is a theater for all kinds of endeavors, civic learning, educational programming and, of course, entertainment,” Bessant says. ■

A version of this story appeared in BNC’s sister publication, SouthPark.

Public and private groups invested $90 million for the restoration.

GAS PAINS

By Chris Burritt

FDevelopment of Net Power’s promising clean-energy technology is taking longer and costing more than expected.

lipping the switch on a rst-of-its-kind plant to produce emissions-free natural gas takes many years.

Many investors in Durham-based Net Power have lost their patience in the project that caught the attention of some major energy industry powers.

Shares have lost 75% since a June 2023 transaction in which the business merged with Rice Acquisition, a special-purpose acquisition company, to become publicly traded and raise capital. It closed its rst day of trading at about $12 and an enterprise value of about $1.5 billion.

e stock tumbled in mid-March to less than $3 a er the clean energy technology company disclosed that its rst power plant would take longer to build and cost more than previously projected.

“ is pause is frustrating but necessary,’’ CEO Danny Rice told investors on a conference call. e company said the cost for developing Project Permian in west Texas is now projected at $1.7 billion to $2 billion. at’s roughly double initial estimates, requiring the company to raise $600 million to $900 million to close the funding gap, Net Power said.

e company also pushed back the earliest start date for the operation near Midland, Texas, until 2029. In September, Rice was projecting a debut by the rst half of 2028. In 2022, the company had projected commercialization in 2026.

In mid-April, Rice red Net Power’s president and chief nancial o cer, and promoted Marc Horstman to the chief operating o cer role.

TEXAS TANGO

In an investor’s presentation last fall, Net Power estimated capital expenditures of about $805 million for the plant. In ation, supply chain constraints and other factors have pushed costs higher, leading to a site plan reduction of 25% in an “optimization and value engineering process” started in January.

Peculiarities with the Texas site have also created a more expensive project. While natural gas underground is plentiful, it contains more nitrogen than other North American basins. at requires added spending on puri cation equipment.

Also, some equipment and materials shipped from Texas ports to the site are too heavy to cross some bridges and go under

Danny Rice, CEO

Net Power is innovating a natural gas production process near Midland, Texas.

NET POWER’S MAJOR OWNERS

(March 2024)

Source: company ling

some transmission lines. Weight and size regulations require smaller truck and rail shipments in some cases, raising costs. Since its start 15 years ago, Net Power has sought to commercialize the generation of emissions-free power from conventional fossil fuels.

e business was co-founded by former Duke University Law School professor Bill Brown in 2009 and his a liated 8 Rivers Capital clean-energy investment rm. Brown now heads a New York investment rm and is not a Net Power employee or director.

e company describes Project Permian as “the rst-of-its-kind, large-scale, fully integrated clean gas power plant.”

at thesis has impressed energy-sector powers, including Baker

Hughes, Constellation Energy and, most notably, Houston-based Occidental Petroleum, which owned about 42% of Net Power shares through its Oxy Low Carbon Ventures unit, according to last year’s proxy. Oxy had revenue of $27 billion last year, and is nearly 30% owned by Warren Bu ett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

On its website, Oxy said Net Power’s “low-cost, nearzero-emission facilities will have the potential to deliver 24/7 dispatchable clean power that is cost e ective with limited land use.’’ Oxy executive James Bennett chairs the company’s board.

Net Power ended 2024 with cash and investments of $553 million, a er reporting cumulative net losses of about $250 million over the past four years. It has minimal long-term debt.

Citing “a challenging yet opportunity-rich market,” the company said its liquidity provides “signi cant nancial resources to optimize its technology and establish strategic partnerships to fund its rst utility-scale project and future multi-unit deployments.”

Still, the pace of Net Power’s development costs “may have some shareholders thinking ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash,’’ the Simply Wall Street research rm wrote in March.

Rice has excelled in past ventures, leading Rice Energy through its $1 billion initial public o ering in 2014 and eventual $8.2 billion sale to EQT in 2017. He also led Rice Midstream Partners, which was acquired by EQT Midstream Partners for $2.4 billion in 2018.

Net Power “will be ready to go this decade if we can get costs down and create a viable pathway to economic commercialization,’’ he told investors in March. “We think we’re years ahead of competing technologies.’’ ■

CATO’S COUNTDOWN

Tariffs add to the challenges facing the dwindling Charlotte apparel retailer.

By Chris Burritt

Cato Corp. is showing its age. Approaching its 80th anniversary next year, the Charlotte-based operator of Cato, Versona and It’s Fashion stores is closing discount clothing stores faster than it opens them.

Amid falling sales and profit, it kicked off 2025 by eliminating 40 corporate jobs and warned of further cost reductions as new tariffs increase financial pressure. In November, it suspended its dividend, citing “current economic conditions and current sales trends.” It has also sold its corporate jet.

Once consistently in the black, Cato has reported Cato has reported minimal profit since 2018, including a cumulative $41 million net loss over the past two years. Its 68-cents-per-share payout had been costing the company more than $13 million annually.

Disruptions from three hurricanes last year and supply chain problems compounded cautious customer spending in 2024, with little improvement so far this year.

“While the tariffs are concerning, it is too early to accurately determine the overall impact on Cato, as there are still many moving pieces that we are working through,’’ CEO John Cato said in an email last month. “It would probably make more sense to discuss specifics once everything becomes clearer.’’

He was slightly more forthcoming to the Charlotte Business Journal in April, saying the retailer is “looking to update its merchandise offerings, increase efficiencies such as supply chain and reduce costs.”

Cato is among the few multistate retail chains still controlled by North Carolinians. Exceptions include Ingles Markets of Asheville and Hickory-based Alex Lee, which operates Lowes Foods and is owned by the George family.

Families controlling the Belk, Family Dollar and Harris Teeter chains, each based in Charlotte, sold their businesses over the past decade or so for billions of dollars as brick-andmortar retailing consolidated.

A fat payout seems unlikely for Cato, where the CEO controls 53% of the voting power. The company he’s led since 2004 has been in a long-term descent, with revenue declining from a peak of about $1 billion in the mid-2010s to $650 million last year. Stores open for at least a year reported a 3.6% decline in average revenue.

Cato shares traded for more than $30 a decade ago but were selling for less than $4 in mid-April, their lowest level since the late 1990s. The company’s market value was about $50 million in mid-April.

John Cato, CEO

The good news for Cato is that it has no long-term debt, $80 million in cash as of Feb. 1, and a $35 million asset-based lending facility secured primarily by inventory and third-party credit card receivables. As of March 31, there were no borrowings on the line.

The challenge is attracting folks to Cato stores. This year, it plans to close as many as 50 underperforming stores as leases expire, while opening as many as 15 new ones. Last year, Cato closed 62 stores, opened one and relocated four others. About $7 million in capital spending is projected.

Cato now operates about 1,120 stores in about 30 states, located primarily in strip shopping centers, often near Walmart. That’s 200-plus fewer locations than in 2000.

The shrinkage “reminds me of Sears,” says Mo Moshtaghi, a business professor at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. “The problem with this company is it’s still the old hierarchy.’’

None of its directors are younger than 60. Standing for re-election at the May 22 annual meeting are Theresa Drew, 67, and D. Harding Stowe, 69. Other directors include several veteran Charlotte business and civic leaders, including banker Bryan Kennedy, developer Bailey Patrick and former Queens University President Pamela Davies.

John’s father, Wayland Cato, opened the company’s first store in 1946. It sold shares to the public in 1968 and then went private in 1980. Seven years later, it returned to the public markets. Wayland Cato died in 2023 at age 100. Over the past 20 years, the company has made donations of more than $17 million to charities and endowments, mostly in the Charlotte region.

Higher prices resulting from tariffs are expected to discourage spending by consumers grappling with higher costs. Cato “will continue our focus on reducing expenses,” the CEO said in an earnings-day statement. The company expects to achieve “expense reductions in other areas of our business,” such as distribution and domestic freight costs.

It cited as a risk, however, tariffs imposed earlier this year by President Donald Trump’s administration. While negotiations with some trading partners could change or eliminate such import taxes, Cato expects tariffs on merchandise from China to increase its costs. Sourcing some products such as shoes and handbags elsewhere “will be difficult,” Cato says.

Succession policy is another thing John Cato declined to discuss. He is 74. A company filing says it believes “our Company culture helps to retain our associates’’ and noted it employs several people with more than 40 years of service, including the CEO. On average, sales associates and assistant store managers have been employed for 1.4 years, while corporate managers have been on the payroll for 14.8 years.

Charging customers more isn’t a good option for Cato amid persistently high inflation, adds Moshtaghi of Johnson & Wales. “Their target market doesn’t have that much disposable income to start with.” ■

Cato operated 1,178 stores on Dec. 31. It opened 115 stores and closed 279 in the past five years.

DEADLINE DERRING-DO

A 4-year-old N.C. digital news business looks for a path to sustainability.

By Mike MacMillan

Move fast and break something.

That Silicon Valley mantra works with tech companies, sometimes. But can the same idea be applied to a digital media startup? Kyle Villemain, the 32-year-old founder and editor-in-chief of The Assembly, is giving it a try.

“We’ll know in a few years if we’re someone to emulate or a cautionary tale,” he says.

Launched in 2021 and billed as an all-digital magazine focused on “power and place” in North Carolina, The Assembly is the most aggressive media startup seen in the state in at least a decade. Based in Durham, it has launched news bureaus in Greensboro and Wilmington and partnered with (or invested in) local market publications in the Triangle (Indy Week), Fayetteville (CityView) and four rural southeast N.C. counties (Border Belt Independent). It also publishes four newsletters on law, politics, higher education and statewide issues.

To do this, it employs a team of 43, including 29 editors and reporters supported by about 150 freelance writers.

Initial funding for The Assembly came from some North Carolina-based investors, who put up $200,000 to get things going. It is a for-profit business that has had subscription revenue from its start, though much of its early budget has come from nonprofit groups.

Last year, the publication received a $600,000 two-year grant from the Knight Growth Challenge Fund, created by the Knight Foundation to support news outlets expanding into new markets. It has landed additional money from the nonprofit Journalism Funding Partners, the Greensboro Community Journalism Foundation and others.

The numbers are moving in the right direction, says Villemain, who prior to starting The Assembly was a speechwriter for the UNC System under former President Margaret Spellings. Paying readers stood at about 7,000 in mid-March, versus a little more than 5,000 last summer, he says. Another 110,000 or so subscribe to the various newsletters, most at no cost. A premium subscription level offers additional content and other benefits for $150 a year, versus the base rate of $70.

It adds up, but doesn’t yet add up to profitability, as the publication noted in a recent email pitch to readers.

Penny Muse Abernathy has held senior positions at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and had an endowed professorship at UNC Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism & Media from 2008 to 2020, focused on helping develop digital media companies. She suggests three elements need to be in place to successfully launch a new publication. First, demographics matter. “[You need] a community with average to above-average population and economic growth.” Second, “can you respond to local needs and expectations?” Finally, “do you know your area and do you have access to capital?”

Professor Penny Muse Abernathy

Abernathy’s research shows that roughly 60% of general interest, digital-only state and local news sites fail in the first five years; just 20% make it to year 10. “One of the problems with digital-only is that they have to look at other things in addition to subscriptions and philanthropy,” she says. “That means marketing (advertising) dollars.”

“Nonprofit [support] is not necessarily the answer,” she adds. “At some point, the money runs out.”

Villemain is well aware of all this as he celebrates the outlet’s fourth anniversary. Certainly the demographics are favorable. North Carolina’s urban, educated, professional class is growing, providing readers who are likely drawn to the publication’s coverage of local issues. As for capital, Villemain thinks the business can be “self-sufficient by 2027” without having to raise more money or rely on outside philanthropy.

Having a “pathway to success” was a key consideration in the Knight Challenge’s decision to back The Assembly, says Duc Luu, the fund’s director of sustainability initiatives. “The best way to de-risk is to have multiple revenue lines.”

But Knight’s future contributions are likely to be more in the nature of advice than of money. “We are under no pretense that philanthropy will be around forever,” says Villemain.

“Philanthropy is a catalyst to get us to a larger impact quicker.” The plan is to generate revenues through a mix of subscriptions, advertising, and, increasingly, statewide sponsors and events. About twothirds of the advertising is expected to come from local markets.

e Assembly’s calling card has been long-form journalism, stories on everything from Lake Mattamuskeet and UNC’s push into online education to the impact of Hurricane Helene on western North Carolina and Mark Robinson’s reading habits. Its team of seasoned journalists include Senior Editor John Drescher, a former executive editor of The News & Observer of Raleigh. It has won recognition for its reporting on state government and higher education, among other things.

“We need long-form journalism,” Abernathy says. “We need investigative reporting. We need contextual and analytical reporting. As the major metros have slimmed down their staffs, those are the kinds of things that have been lost.”

Who pays now

About 10% of American adults pay for two or more sources of news, according to Villemain. In North Carolina, the adult population numbers nearly 9 million, suggesting that there are more than 850,000 residents paying for more than one news source. But competition for those subscriber dollars is stiff and there’s no guarantee that local news will be one of the winners.

A 2024 Pew survey showed nearly 85% of Americans view local news as somewhat, very, or extremely important, but just 15% had paid for local news in the last year. This suggests there is an opportunity, but it also highlights how difficult that opportunity has been to monetize.

The Assembly’s answer has been to ”bring together a lot of things under one umbrella to make it easier for our readers,” says Villemain. “I’m confident there’s a paying audience for good news.”

Another reason for ramping up quickly, he says, is that society is approaching the “post-search” era of the Internet, in which context-based answers driven by artificial intelligence will replace traditional search engine links. This will make it harder for potential readers to discover new sources of news like The Assembly. “Ten years ago you could get a lot of traffic from Facebook,” says Villemain. “Now you can’t. We need some level of scale to survive in a post-search world.”

Traditional newspapers that once dominated the local news business have been in a secular decline for decades now. A Pew study in 2021 found that newsroom employment nationally had dropped by 26% over the previous 13 years. That same Pew survey found that 48% of readers now prefer news websites or social media as information sources, up from 37% in 2018.

Still, at some point, readers have to be willing to pay something for the news. It’s a challenge. “One of the problems with being a startup is you have to bet each day on what’s going to be important to people,” says Abernathy. Or as Villemain puts it, “What stories do we focus on? We’re not going to outcompete Bloomberg on Bank of America. But we could outcompete on an Atrium (Health) story because that’s rooted here.”

“There is a deep human demand for information at the local level,” says the Knight Fund’s Luu. “What will make them (The Assembly) great is when they figure out the relationship between the statewide (publication) and these local entities,” leveraging content and resources across the organization to expand readership.

As to moving fast, Villemain says, “We’re taking a riskier approach for years zero to 5, so we’ll be stronger from years 5 to 10. We could have grown more slowly and probably had an easier path to year 5. But I think we will be in a stronger position for those next five years if we can achieve the kind of scale that we’re looking for.”■

Kyle Villemain, founder, editor at The Assembly

DOING LESS, BETTER

Aeroflow has shown Amazon-like skill in serving fast-growing healthcare markets.

By Kevin Ellis

While Asheville-based Aero ow Health hit the 1,000employee milestone in March, it wasn’t an overnight success by any means, says CEO Casey Hite. It took years and a personal crisis for the company to start growing.

In 2014, the company founder and Hite’s brother, Don, died at age 44. e tragedy led Aero ow to discover that doing less, but doing things better, could lead to its ambition of becoming the “Amazon of healthcare devices,” says Casey Hite.

e Hite brothers ended up in Asheville because Don Hite remembered the good times as kids when their parents would take them to the Wolf Laurel ski resort in nearby Mars Hill.

Don Hite thought Asheville would be a good place to raise a family. He founded the business in 2001, providing home oxygen supplies, but things didn’t start well.

“He was about a year into the business and was struggling to drive sales. I was working for a company in St. Louis selling heavy industrial equipment, but I didn’t like my job, so I came in to help drive sales,” says Casey Hite. “Neither of us knew anything about healthcare, and I think that’s one of the keys to our success.”

In the early days, Aero ow tried to be one-size- ts-all, says Hite. In addition to oxygen supplies, the company provided wheelchairs, walkers and a wide assortment of other devices.

“When everything was thrown together, you couldn’t tell which ones were making money, and which ones weren’t,” he says.

In 2009, the company employed about 50 workers. Five years later, Don Hite su ered a fatal heart attack while on vacation with his family.

“I’m sure you’ve heard that most companies that have really sustained the test of time are ones that have gone through a crisis. And I would say that that period was our crisis,” says Hite.

Until then, Hite thought running a company meant telling people what to do and then micromanaging the details. His brother’s death destroyed him emotionally. He called company leaders together and told them he could no longer manage in the same manner.

“Several months later, I realized the company was running far better. And this whole time, you know, we had been holding the company back because we weren’t empowering our people.”

Aero ow narrowed its focus. Gone are the wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks. Instead, the business concentrates on items related to moms and new babies, sleep apnea, diabetes and urology. It will soon add nutrition. Growth took o , and Aero ow has repeatedly appeared on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies over the past decade.

None of Aero ow’s leadership team has a healthcare background, says Hite. Not having the baggage of doing it the routine way allowed the company to apply best practices from other industries, from automation to stacking things in an assembly line structure. He also credits technology that lets customers know in seconds whether their insurance covers a product or service.

“Life is complicated enough for our patients,” says Chief Operating O cer Lauren Bennett, “and we want to take the complication out. You need that monitor, you need those test strips, and we’re going to do all that work in the background, and the system we have allows us to do that almost instantaneously.”

e company keeps track of prescriptions from doctors and o ers services such as online nutrition or lactation counseling, all covered by insurance. “We have thousands of new moms attending our lactation courses online,” says Hite.

“We’ve narrowed our focus, but we’re trying to go deeper in each one of those segments,” says Ryan Bullock, chief strategy o cer.

e company had $600 million in revenue last year and served more than 1 million customers in 2023. Its 1,100 employees work across about 35 states, with about half of the sta based in Buncombe County. It opened a 51,000-square-foot distribution center in nearby Arden in March, where 65 workers will ll an estimated 3 million orders this year.

Rather than Aero ow reps calling on doctor’s o ces, the company drives customer growth by search engine optimization from patients looking at options to treat their conditions. e company’s growth also leads to increasing word-of-mouth referrals. Customers like choosing their brand of device rather than taking whatever is o ered through a doctor’s visit, says Hite.

“We have a group of people here who love solving problems,” says Hite. “What we focus on is really pretty simple.”■

Aeroflow warehouse in Arden.

+ TALKING POINTS

29,777

POPULATION (2023)

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER:

SMITHFIELD FOODS MORE THAN 5,000 STAFFERS

A DIVORCE IN BLADEN

A rural southeast N.C. county, praised for its job recruiting efforts, is fractured by disagreements.

BY BILL HORNER III

ISources:

f you’re curious why economically distressed Bladen County owns a quartet of new airplanes, acquired during a three-day, $2.5 million buying spree last August, buckle up.

at’s part of a larger story with as much turbulence as a willow in a hurricane.

Chuck Huestess, who leads Bladen’s development e orts and orchestrated the purchase of the planes for its nonpro t economic development organization, describes what’s transpiring there as “absolute insanity.” He alleges a litany of misdeeds, broken promises and outright falsehoods — most attributed to the municipal administration of Elizabethtown, Bladen’s county seat.

Dane Rideout, a former West Point garrison commander who serves as Elizabethtown’s town manager, is the prime target of Heustess’ angst. He seems unfazed. “We’re going to come out on the end and x this, and we’re all going to get back on each other’s Christmas cards lists,” Rideout says. “We’re gonna get past this and move forward.”

He blames “the divorce” on a lack of foresight on the county’s part.

Heustess sco s at that. On a visit to his o ce within the 300-acre Elizabethtown Industrial Park, Heustess outlined why. He is director of both the Bladen County Economic Development Commission and its wonderfully named nonpro t real estate developer, Bladen’s Bloomin’ Agri-Industrial Inc. He walked me through a catalogued, three-ring binder of documents, consisting of letters, signed (and unsigned) agreements, correspondence, town and county board minutes and more, annotated and checkered with color-coded sticky notes.

While examining the 4-inch-thick amalgamation, I asked whether Heustess had numbered the grievances that collectively contribute to the ssures between the county (N.C.’s fourth largest in acreage, but a population of just under 30,000) and its seat, which has 3,265 residents.

“It was 70 something,” he says, “but we consolidated and got it down to 44.”

Rideout counters that his team has done nothing wrong. “So we’re gonna keep working,” the town manager says. “We’re being positive. We’re keeping our heads down, right? We’re doing things legally, ethically and morally correct.”

Rural Route is a Business North Carolina column authored by veteran journalist Bill Horner III. He will focus on key issues in less populated parts of the state.

▲Chuck Heustess

U.S. Census Bureau, Bladen County

Taking the gloves off

In recent years, Bladen County has received praise for its rural economic development e orts, buoyed by a strong relationship between the county and Elizabethtown. But Charles Ray Peterson, the county commission board chairman and acting county manager since the end of 2023, characterizes it di erently.

“ ere is no relationship,” says Peterson, a commissioner since 2002. “ ey’ve been dragging, they’ve been putting us o on things, and we’re not waiting another day. I took the gloves o on this one.”

On March 28, Bladen’s Bloomin’ led a civil suit against the town of Elizabethtown for failing to comply with an Oct. 18 public records request. e same day, Elizabethtown issued a press release blaming the county and Bladen’s Bloomin’ with “misinformation” and “divergent views” that have stymied projects.

A day later, Bladen County and Bloomin’ released a 2,700 word statement classifying some of Elizabethtown’s claims as “blatantly false.” It cited the town administration’s “ineptitude,” raised questions about development strategies that impacted the town and county adversely, and examined discrepancies between town board meeting minutes and the wording found in published agreements.

e county and Bladen’s Bloomin’ plan a public hearing to share documentation of their claims, inviting the Elizabethtown City Council and the public.

Housing quarrel

e disconnect began with Elizabethtown’s plan to develop a “live, work, play” community within the industrial park. In 2023, the county gave $100,000 to the town to help fund a master plan for the proposed 33-acre residential and commercial project, which had a primary goal of providing much-needed housing for Bladen’s workforce.

at includes about 5,000 employees at Smith eld Foods’ meat packing plant in Tar Heel (only 6% of whom live in the county, says Rideout) and a burgeoning aerospace industry.

ere was shared enthusiasm for the new plan, now being called “ e Estuary.” But a er the $100,000 check was cashed, the town’s vision for the project suddenly veered from Bladen’s understanding. Among the dozens of problematic issues mentioned by Heustess were revised plans for housing. e parties had agreed to 30 or so “for sale” housing units, while the town’s new plan called for as many as 500 rental homes. ( e Estuary’s current vision now calls for construction of 284 units.)

Aghast at the many revisions, Bladen o cials asked for repayment of the $100,000. en, other projects began sputtering over even newer disagreements.

“ ere’s been a trend of the town giving us inaccurate information or backing out on commitments they’ve made,” Heustess says.

e town hasn’t returned that $100,000. Communication has broken down. Mediation has failed. On April 15, the county led a lawsuit asking for the money back, citing misappropriation by town o cials.

“For over a year we have been asking the town to meet, and they will

not agree to even meet to discuss the issues,” Heustess says. “What’s mind boggling is that millions of dollars have been lost, projects can’t move forward, and they won’t even meet with us.”

Rideout says the ongoing friction and the “strong personalities” involved would make sitting down right now “very unhealthy.”

Disagreements have grown personal. “A lot of it are things that have been said by the town administrators about me, the county manager, and the Bladen’s Bloomin’ organization that are not true,” Heustess says. “And we consider them malicious.”

Rideout, a 30-year military veteran, did meet with Heutess last year. At that confab, Heustess says Rideout’s “choice words were, on multiple occasions, ‘stay the [expletive] out of it.”’

Rideout admits that “the colonel in me came out” during their talk. Still, he says, state o cials and agencies have tacitly signed o on Elizabethtown’s preferred version of the project. e vision for housing changed chie y because more lower-priced, energy-e cient rental homes would better meet Bladen’s needs, he says.

While attorneys now largely drive communication between the entities, Heustess outlines the grievances in detail. Complicated, nuanced elements of the mixed-use development are just one area. Others involve disagreements over infrastructure funding and control over projects within the park, grant monies lost or threatened by the town’s errors, and fears that ongoing and potential development projects could be at risk. e highest pro le is the Vulcanair project, a key part of Bladen’s e ort to create an aerospace sector.

Limbo time?

Some of the more egregious concerns for Heustess are $15 million in state DEQ grants that Peterson says are in limbo; $1.3 million in lost Golden LEAF funding, and another $1 million in road, water and sewer funds from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and Golden LEAF that were lost because, as Heustess says, “Elizabethtown just didn’t do what they said they were going to do.”

at helped lead to the airplane purchases.

In early 2024, the county announced Vulcanair North America would use a 36,000-square-foot building at the Elizabethtown airport to manufacture its four-seat Vulcanair S.p.A-Model V1.0 trainer aircra . Bladen’s Bloomin’ planned to invest $3 million to build the facility, but Heustess says the town decided it would handle construction instead.

Subsequent delays threatened the project’s viability, he says.

e company says the plant will open in September, though no construction had started as of mid-April.

Based on Elizabethtown’s promise to build the facility, Bladen’s Bloomin’ agreed to acquire four Vulcanair aircra . e price tag: about $515,000 each, plus fees and delivery costs.

What might sound like a Hail Mary purchase will prove to be a great investment, Heustess says.

“We made the right decision because from the information that we got, it was the only way to save the project,” he says. “If we didn’t buy the four planes, we were told that the project was going to die … We bought these planes at their cost. ere are a number of ight schools waiting to lease these planes. So we do feel like it was a safe investment because of the value of the planes.”

Once they’re delivered and the Vulcanair plant gets going, Heustess says they’ll be easy to o oad, at a pro t, he adds.

Putting the relationship between Bladen’s economic development entities and Elizabethtown back in the black will be a tougher sell.

“ ey’ve dug their feet in the sand, and we know we’ve dug ours in the sand, too,” Peterson says. ■

Bill Horner III is a third-generation newspaper publisher who was an owner and editor of The Sanford Herald and the Chatham News + Record. He and his wife Lee Ann live in Sanford. Reach him at bhorner@businessnc.com

▲Vulcanair V1.0 sits on the tarmac at Curtis L. Brown Jr. Airport in Elizabethtown.

NC TREND

CHARLOTTE

CHARLOTTE

Honeywell’s plans to separate into three publicly listed companies prompted executive changes. Anne T. Madden, the company’s general counsel since 2017, will now lead its efforts to separate its Aerospace Technologies business and its Advanced Materials division. Su Ping Lu will succeed Madden as general counsel.

Falfurrias Management Partners raised $1.35 billion in its latest fund, topping the $850 million it collected in 2021. The increase reflects strong investor interest in the private equity group formed by Marc Oken, Hugh McColl Jr. and Ed McMahan. Falfurrias is investing $1.75 billion in active funds and has raised approximately $3.6 billion in capital since its inception.

SouthPark Community Partners unveiled a $21 million plan to renovate Symphony Park, aided by mall owner Simon Property Group. The project includes new restaurants, trails, public art and a revamped concert space. The nonprofit is seeking $8 million from the city.

IperionX started a feasibility study of a Tennessee mine with a $47.1 million federal grant as it moves toward developing a mineral-to-metal U.S. titanium supply chain. The study is expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2026. Since January 2023, IperionX has received $60 million in federal grants for the project. IperionX agreed to invest $23.6 million. It has a processing facility in Virginia.

Duke Energy had a new CEO in April for the first time since 2013. Harry Sideris succeeds Lynn Good, a move that the utility announced in January. Good had an unusually long tenure for a Fortune 500 CEO. She remains a director of Boeing.

Packaging company Novolex completed its $6.7 billion acquisition of Illinois-based Pactiv Evergreen. The food, beverage and packaging products company has more than 100 locations and 20,000 employees, mostly in the U.S. The company’s only N.C. operation is its headquarters. Pactiv shut down its paper mill operation in Canton in 2023, putting more than 1,000 people out of work.

The Carolina Panthers are increasing ticket prices for the third consecutive season, citing rising costs and stadium upgrades. Tepper Sports & Entertainment owns the NFL franchise and the team’s 75,000-capacity Bank of America Stadium.

LISC Charlotte, a nonprofit launched in 2019 to address affordable housing, has invested $106 million over six years — surpassing its $60 million goal. It has helped build or preserve 3,100 housing units and supports small businesses, economic mobility programs, and community development in high-need areas.

The International Military Sports Council selected Charlotte to host the 2027 Military World Summer Games, marking the first time the event will be held in the United States. The games are held every four years preceding the Olympics. The games’ economic impact is expected to exceed $1.5 billion, organizers said.

Rob McCain III is the new market president of HomeTrust Bank’s Charlotte metropolitan area. McCain has worked in commercial banking in Charlotte since 1989 with First Citizens Bank and SunTrust. Asheville-based HomeTrust reported assets of $4.6 billion as of Dec. 31 and more than 30 locations in the Carolinas, east Tennessee, southwest Virginia and Greater Atlanta.

Aldersgate retirement community will get financial support, governance and strategic guidance from Ashevillebased Givens Communities. In 2023, Aldersgate was deemed “in imminent danger of becoming insolvent” by state regulators. Givens operates four

retirement communities in western North Carolina. Aldersgate has more than 340 residences, plus about 185 nursing beds and memory support units.

Tariq Bokhari, who had served on City Council for almost eight years, was named the No. 2 executive of the Federal Transit Administration, which doles out billions of dollars for transportation projects nationally.

Piedmont Lithium, which wants to open a lithium mine in northwest Gaston County, will change its name to Elevra Lithium after its merger with Australia’s Sayona Mining in mid 2025. After the merger, Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips will retire. The merger plan was announced in November.

BESSEMER CITY

A $36 million renovation project at a 100-plus-year-old vacant textile mill is welcoming residents into 139 affordable housing apartments. Boston-based WinnCompanies started the Lofts at Osage Mill project in 2023. Town founder John Smith built the mill in 1896. Textile operations ended there in 1995.

CONCORD

Charlotte-based Admark Graphics bought Pro Cal Printing & Graphics. Both companies were started in 1981. Pro Cal has had strong ties to the motorsports industry. Admark’s staff will increase from 40 to 60 employees. Both companies will retain their brands and locations.

Speedway Motorsports and Rick Hendrick’s Ten Tenths Motor Club, a destination for luxury car enthusiasts and collectors, welcomed its first guests. The motor club includes a clubhouse, a 1.7-mile driving circuit with three configurations, and a soon-to-open members’ garage. The Ten Tenths clubhouse is located at Charlotte Motor Speedway and includes hospitality rooms and a catering kitchen.

GASTONIA

Charlotte-based Maya Hotels paid $10.2 million for the 130-room Courtyard by Marriott. The new owners are promising millions of dollars in renovations to the four-story hotel built in 2001. Maya now owns 11 hotels, including three in Gaston County.

KINGS MOUNTAIN

Charlotte-based Coats American will close its Patrick Yarn Mill, resulting in the loss of 173 jobs. Layoffs will begin May 31 and continue in four phases through Dec. 31. Coats acquired the manufacturer of high-performance engineered yarns in 2017.

LOWELL

Bobby Gerald Duncan, the owner of Hillybilly’s Barbeque and Steaks, agreed to pay more than $1.5 million to resolve allegations he fraudulently obtained nearly $763,000 in pandemic relief funds using the money to purchase a FedEx business.

MOORESVILLE

Lowe’s will acquire Dallas-based Artisan Design Group for $1.3 billion to tap into rising home construction demand. ADG, with 132 facilities in 18 states, had $1.8 billion in 2024 revenue. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.

Duke Health assumed operation of Lake Norman Regional Medical Center and related businesses after finalizing its $284 million acquisition from Community Health Systems. The 123-bed hospital will be renamed Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital.

STATESVILLE

Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, founded by NASCAR’s Brad Keselowski, will expand with a $23 million investment, adding up to 20 new jobs at a $92,000 median wage. The 3D printing and CNC machining firm won $235,000 in incentives to support growth in aerospace, defense and commercial space sectors.

EAST

CURRITUCK

Currituck County Travel & Tourism will rebrand its destination name as The Northern Outer Banks. The move is meant to help visitors recognize the region that includes the beaches of Corolla and Carova.

FAYETTEVILLE

Cumberland County commissioners voted to resume work on the $145 million Crown Event Center project after a 30-day suspension. Construction began in October to replace the outdated, nonADA compliant facility downtown with a modern venue featuring bars, concessions and a market. Completion is expected in spring 2027.

Community members celebrated a ribbon cutting for the 59-unit Residences at the Prince Charles apartments in the historic hotel building in the center city. Rory Dowling and partners bought the building for $200,000 in 2015 as part of a larger redevelopment. The group has invested $20 million, aided by federal and state historic tax credits.

LAURINBURG

A New York-based manufacturer of stamped metal automotive parts will invest $4.3 million and create 35 jobs here. Bailey Manufacturing supplies stamped metal components to automotive customers such as General Motors and others. It produces and ships 13 million parts annually throughout the United States, Mexico, China and South America.

NC TREND ››› Statewide

LELAND

LeatherItaliaUSA will pay nearly $1.5 million in restitution and penalties for fraudulently obtaining and seeking forgiveness for two Payroll Protection Plan loans. Prosecutors say the company inflated payroll numbers and required employees to return extra wages to meet forgiveness criteria. A three-year deferred prosecution agreement is in place.

Magnesium oxide panel maker US MgO plans to invest $5 million in a new facility at Leland Innovation Park, creating at least 35 jobs. The company purchased 22 acres from Brunswick County and aims to build the nation’s first manufacturing plant of its kind for the construction industry.

MOUNT OLIVE

As it nears its 125th anniversary, Southern Bank was ranked America’s Best Bank by Forbes magazine. Three others based in North Carolina were cited in the Top 100 list — First Bancorp of Southern Pines, 44th; Raleigh-based First Citizens Bank, 83rd; and Asheville’s Home Trust BancShares, 98th — also made the list. Dating to 1901, the bank operates 57 branches in eastern North Carolina.

SUNSET BEACH

A new paid parking system, managed by a third-party vendor, has prompted widespread criticism and confusion. The southern Brunswick County beach town now requires online payments for island parking, with tickets and disputes also handled offsite. Locals are concerned about accessibility and rising costs.

SURF CITY

Seafood brand Topsail Steamer will open its first Raleigh shop this fall in Quail Corners Shopping Center. The take-home seafood boil concept got a boost and investment after being featured on CNBC’s “Shark Tank” last year. Topsail offers steamer buckets packed with shrimp, crab, veggies and seasoning. It has 10 locations with five more planned.

WILMINGTON

East West Partners and Hardison Building submitted plans for Villa Point, an 18unit luxury townhome development at Wrightsville Beach. The project includes five three-story buildings on a 1-acre site, with sales for the first phase expected by late summer.

Avelo Airlines launched its first operational base at Wilmington

International Airport, stationing two planes and hiring 50 employees. Since debuting ILM service in 2022, Avelo has grown to offer 14 nonstop routes. ILM has seen a 40% increase in air traffic since 2019, and has a $154 million project underway that includes a hotel, additional gates, expanded parking and enhanced loading zone, with completion expected by fall 2026.

Protocase, a Nova Scotia-based manufacturing company, along with its subsidiary 45Drives, started construction on a plant that will assemble data storage and computer servers, marking Protocase’s first U.S. expansion. Plans include a manufacturing facility that could employ around 400 people in the area.

WILSON

Johnson & Johnson started construction on a $2 billion biologics manufacturing facility set to be operational by 2028. The plant will employ 500 people with an average wage of nearly $109,000. Part of a $55 billion U.S. investment, the facility will support innovative medicine production, including cancer and neurological treatments.

TRIAD

GREENSBORO

Tencarva Machinery, a distributor of flow control and process equipment solutions, acquired Richmond, Virginiabased Atlantic Valve & Equipment. Atlantic Valve is a manufacturer’s representative serving municipal and industrial water/wastewater markets in the Carolinas, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Tencarva employs about 525 people at 35 locations in the Southeast and Midwest.

WILMINGTON

The hit Food Network show “The Great Food Truck Race” filmed here in late March, giving a boost to local businesses and drawing excitement from foodies. Producers say they chose the Port City because of its vibrant culinary scene and picturesque locations.

Integrated Power Services will open a business development center at Revolution Mill, creating 60 jobs over three years with average starting salaries of $60,000 plus commission. The Greenville, South Carolina-based firm provides electrical, mechanical and power management systems.

IMC Pro International will pay $400,000 to settle allegations it helped transport chemicals used in fentanyl production. Prosecutors say the company let Chinese firms generate U.S. shipping labels, aiding illegal exports to Mexico. IMC Pro agreed to cease such arrangements and is cooperating with investigators.

Panera Bread is closing its Greensboro fresh dough facility as it transitions to an on-demand baking model. The move affects around 50 employees, who will be offered severance and job placement assistance. Panera says the new model will improve efficiency and reduce waste while maintaining product quality.

KERNERVILLE

A fire at OmniSource Corp.’s metal recycling plant engulfed 2 acres and damaged a conveyor belt structure.

Multiple departments assisted in battling the blaze. One firefighter was hospitalized for observation, but no other injuries were reported.

THOMASVILLE

Cook Out is launching a spinoff, Taco Roos, with a location in Charlotte. A $1.49 million building permit was filed in March. The restaurant’s menu features taco boxes, quesadillas, burritos and more. Taco Roos has a location in Thomasville.

WINSTON-SALEM

Dr. Julie Ann Freischlag, CEO of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, will retire at the end of the year after more than eight years in the role and a 38-year medical career. She will begin transitioning academic duties to Dr. Ebony Boulware, the dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Reynolds American is creating 300 jobs as tobacco consumers shift to smokeless products. The new jobs represent a combination of manufacturing positions at the mammoth 2-million-squarefoot Reynolds Operations Center in Tobaccoville, along with trade marketing roles across the country.

NC TREND ›››

TRIANGLE

BURLINGTON

Greensboro-based Cone Health named Chad Boore as the president of 238-bed Alamance Regional Medical Center and the 110-bed Annie Penn Hospital in Reidsville. Boore had been chief operating officer of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, a 300-bed hospital serving 16 counties in Iowa and Minnesota. Alamance Regional had $1 billion in patient revenue in 2023, while Annie Penn had $86.5 million.

CARY

Forbes’ 2025 billionaire rankings highlight Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS Institute, as North Carolina’s wealthiest resident with a net worth of $9.9 billion. Other notable billionaires include Epic

Games’ Tim Sweeney ($5.7 billion) and Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper ($21.3 billion). Tepper has a home in Charlotte, but resides in Florida.

Rose Lee resigned as CEO of Cornerstone Building Brands, while chief accounting officer Wayne Irmiter also left the manufacturer of windows, siding and other building materials following a $1.19 billion net loss for 2024. Cornerstone was a public company until acquired by New York-based Clayton Dubilier & Rice for $5.8 billion in 2022. Cornerstone then employed more than 20,000 total employees and had $5.5 billion in annual revenue.

CHAPEL HILL

A new analysis ranks UNC Chapel Hill’s men’s basketball team as the most valuable in the country, worth $378 million — edging out Tobacco Road rival Duke at $370 million. The study by Indiana University’s Ryan Brewer calculates value based on revenue, cash flow, and projected sustainability, imagining what college teams would fetch on the open market.

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST

The N.C. Department of Transportation and its contractors will be able to mine stone from Pisgah National Forest to help rebuild Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge in western North Carolina, federal officials say. The stone is needed to rebuild a four-mile section of the highway that was partially washed away last September by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The quarry on federal land nearby could save millions of dollars and shave as much as three years off the time it takes to reconstruct the main highway connection with Tennessee.

CREEDMOOR

Realty Income Corp. acquired a Tractor Supply Co. store, paying nearly $4.7 million for the 11-acre property. While Granville County’s population has dipped slightly, investors like Realty Income and Meritage Homes continue to bet on its long-term potential.

DURHAM

Nonprofit FHI360 will lay off 144 North Carolina workers and 340 nationwide due to Trump administration funding reductions. The global health organization said the cuts, effective May 2, are necessary to preserve long-term operations. Between Feb. 6 and April 4, 81 of FHI360’s federally-funded projects were terminated, leading to an estimated 42% reduction in operating revenue.

North Carolina Central University is establishing the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research, the first AI program at a Historically Black College or University. Supported by a $1 million Google.org grant, the initiative aims to help 200 students through curriculum, research and mentorship in the AI field.

Research Triangle Park-based GreenLight Biosciences has closed a Series C funding round, including a $25 million investment from Just Climate. The company, which develops RNA-based crop protection solutions, will use the money to add R&D and manufacturing capacity. It employs nearly 90 people in the Triangle.

RTI International reported to state officials it plans to eliminate 276 positions in North Carolina. The nonprofit research institute, which has about 6,000 employees and relies on federal support for much of its funding, will eliminate another 250 positions elsewhere. The layoffs are related to the cuts by the Trump administration.

Semiconductor maker Wolfspeed hired Robert Feurle as CEO. The company nears completion of a $5 billion materials plant in

Chatham County that it says will eventually employ 1,800 workers. Wolfspeed fired former CEO Gregg Lowe last year and is negotiating with the Trump administration for $750 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding promised by the Biden administration.

RALEIGH

John McAdams, who has had an enormous impact on North Carolina through the engineering and design firm that he started in 1979, is retiring. McAdams now has nine offices and 500plus employees in four states. Its best-known projects include the Streets at Southpoint regional mall in Durham and the Landfall mixed-use development in Wilmington.

Highwoods Properties purchased the Advance Auto Parts Tower for $138 million from Kane Realty. The 20-story building, located in North Hills, serves as the headquarters for Advance Auto Parts.

WEST

ASHEVILLE

FB Financial, which operates FirstBank Nashville, opened its first office in North Carolina. It becomes the fifth state where the $13 billion bank operates, joining Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. Andy Nadeau is FB’s market president, after holding the same title at Bank of America. Jennifer Arnold and Bryan Boone are commercial relationship managers. FB Financial has 77 branches.

BANNER ELK

Mast General Store will open its 12th location in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, in spring 2027.

BOONE

Colorado-based Kodiak Building Partners acquired the New River Building Supply and Lumber Company, which also has a location in Banner Elk. Kodiak bought the family-owned company from Perry and Anne-Marie Yates for an undisclosed price. Anne-Marie’s father founded New River in 1973. The Banner Elk store was opened in 2003. New River will maintain its name and leadership.

FOREST CITY

Chicago-based Asian food company Wow Bao is opening its first manufacturing facility with a $6.45 million investment that is expected to create 88 jobs. Production should begin in September. Wow Bao now uses external manufacturers to make its food, which is sold frozen in grocery stores and served hot in airports, restaurants and deliveryonly kitchens. It will soon be sold on U.S. military bases. ■

HUNGRY FOR MORE

Laura Gunter President, North Carolina Life Sciences Organization

Rene

Senior vice president of planetary health biosolutions,

Doug Edgeton CEO, president N.C. Biotechnology Center

Jennifer Thomas Instructor Robeson Community College

Garza

Novonesis

Toni Riggin Bucci CEO, founder Sable Fermentation

Erika Milczek CEO, founder Curie Co

The discussion was sponsored by:

•N.C. Biotechnology Center

•NC Life Sciences

•Novonesis

•Robeson Community College

North Carolina’s life sciences industry is strong and growing by most economic measures. And that’s good, because it’s working on some of the planet’s biggest problems, including meeting the needs of a growing population despite finite resources. While North Carolina offers most of what the industry needs, including research, funding, locations and workforce, more support would push its work further and faster forward. Business North Carolina magazine recently gathered industry experts to discuss how biology is and can be used to solve problems and what’s needed to keep the state at the industry’s forefront. Their conversation was moderated by Publisher Ben Kinney. The transcript was edited for brevity and clarity.

Photography by Bryan Regan

WHERE DOES THE INDUSTRY STAND? HOW DOES IT CONTRIBUTE TO THE STATE?

EDGETON: Life sciences is still in its nascent stages. Opportunity abounds. Our world continuously needs things. Population is growing, and there are fewer places to grow crops. There are more pollutants in the water. Biology will solve many of these issues.

The bioeconomy is biotechnology, using biology to enhance lives and solve problems — food production, industrial chemicals, health and healthcare, and more. Bioeconomic solutions are happening statewide. In southeastern North Carolina, for example, methane captured from hog waste lagoons is powering electricity generation. In another case, we’re returning nutrients that are lost when chicken eggs are sterilized.

In 2024, North Carolina announced $10.8 billion of projects and 4,500 jobs across 16 communities statewide. That’s a state record times 10. Opportunities are growing, and current federal initiatives aim to onshore more. We need to stay out of our own way, avoiding things that would deter people and businesses from coming to North Carolina.

We’re focused on opening people’s eyes to bioeconomic opportunities. More than 100,000 people currently work in the life sciences industry. It generates about $82 billion of annual economic impact and about $2.5 billion in state and local taxes, up from about $2.4 billion two years ago. It’s growing.

GUNTER: We’re monitoring federal-level changes. They’re creating concern, though there’s some sense they’ll settle down. We continue to tell our stories and share our pain points with our legislators. When something happens at the federal level that’s good or bad for the industry, North Carolina feels an exponentially bigger impact, because the industry has a stronger presence here than in many other states.

North Carolina is the complete life sciences ecosystem. There are students just getting their foot in the door at community colleges, while others are working on their Ph.D. at universities. There is research and innovation underway at our universities. And manufacturers are pushing out materials. The industry’s growth and employment reveal what’s happening.

North Carolina is business friendly. It regularly ranks well. We have a state level life sciences caucus, which connects the industry to legislators. This year we’ve talked about the economy in general

and what North Carolina looks like. We’ve had the NCBiotech Center share information from its newly released 2024 State of the Life Sciences Economy report. We’ve explored training and educational programs aimed at military personnel leaving the service — about 20,000 annually in North Carolina — who are prime employees for the industry. Those programs could be through a community college and offer a recertification or additional degree. We also discussed opportunities for high school graduates at the same workforce focused meeting.

GARZA: Business is booming. Novonesis posted high single-digit rates of growth in 2024, and our North American business is a big part of that. The biggest challenge we face is that of capacity; we can’t make enough product fast enough. It is predicted that the world’s population will increase by 2 billion people by 2050. How much more food, materials and energy will be needed to address a population that large? Resources already struggle to keep pace with the current population. At Novonesis, we believe biology holds the answer to many challenges.

Our biosolutions are enzymes and microorganisms. We all interact with these tiny agents of change; from the food we eat to the fuel we put in our vehicles. The natural world would grind to a halt without

them. Enzymes degrade fallen leaves, returning key nutrients to the soil and completing the cycle of life. Biotechnology allows us to harness their power, shaping a better world for us and future generations. In short, we exist to better our world with biology.

We’re proud to call North Carolina home and be a part of the remarkable growth of this state. Novonesis employs 800 talented people across three locations in the state. Our Novonesis North America headquarters, based in rural Franklinton and built nearly 50 years ago in a former soybean field, is the continent’s largest multipurpose enzyme manufacturing plant. Here we make products that reach an average of 5.6 billion people a week. We use fermentation to make our products, which improve people’s lives, the planet, crop yields and even the shelf life of bread. We contribute to renewable and sustainable fuels such as corn ethanol, which cuts emissions by 40% compared to gasoline. We want to continue to grow and do more. We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg. We’ve yet to discover 99.9% of all microorganisms. Solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems could be within some of them and could come from innovators and biological discoveries right here in North Carolina.

BUCCI: Our focus at Sable Fermentation is food and agriculture, but we work with many types of biotechnology companies. The amount of innovation underway is amazing. It’s driven by several things, including a desire for healthier food.

People understand how and where food is grown, and they want more sustainable solutions. We’re working on reducing greenhouse emissions and reliance on petrochemicals while sustaining the world’s growing population.

We help drive economic development in the state. Our Rolodex contains about 50 customers, and 80% of them are in North Carolina. Their projects include probiotics for livestock that reduce reliance on antibiotics and soil amendments and biobased crop protection products that reduce petrochemical-based pesticide use. These small- and medium-size companies want to get to market quickly. We help them scale up, so they can go to commercial levels. We want to ensure that North Carolina’s innovation engine continues to be funded.

North Carolina growers need tools and options. There’s no one-trick pony, because the world is changing. Living things adapt to inputs that growers have used for many years, so we need to stay a step ahead. Bio-based solutions add to the toolbox.

MILCZEK: Innovation is fueling optimism nationwide. But there is uncertainty, too. That’s top of mind in many businesses like Curie Co, venture backed earlier stage commercializing companies.

There’s a manufacturing gap — people who could aid and support small-scale manufacturing. That support is limited domestically, so companies go overseas for it. But the uncertainty of tariffs looms. We’re a U.S.-based company that would love to manufacture here. We support onshoring manufacturing, but that doesn’t happen overnight. We need resources and investments in infrastructure to allow U.S. companies to create that kind of manufacturing presence.

HOW CAN INDUSTRY AWARENESS BOOST WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT?

GARZA: Increasing industry awareness is critical to boosting workforce development. Biosolutions are a key enabler of economic development in North Carolina, and Novonesis is committed to growing the biotech industry here. The state is a prime location to grow a biotech company with a talent pool of 75,000 highly skilled workers employed by more than 840 life science companies and more than 400 companies contributing to the bioeconomy.

A primary challenge of Novonesis and other manufacturers is that the demand for people in manufacturing positions outweighs the supply. There will be 2 million manufacturing jobs without people

to fill them by 2030. The hurdle we need to overcome is correcting perceptions about these careers. Manufacturing jobs aren’t usually seen as sexy; younger generations often don’t even consider this field. But manufacturing has evolved dramatically, shifting from manual labor to mass production and automation, driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and advancements in technology, including the use of computers, robotics and AI.

Biomanufacturing is further differentiated as we are using natural resources, such as plant-based or microbial feedstocks, making it more environmentally friendly and providing job seekers the opportunity to choose a profession with a positive purpose. Qualified manufacturing technicians at Novonesis are on the front end of delivering products to the world. Training and development are continuous, leading to rewarding career opportunities in an industry that is ripe with opportunity.

THOMAS: Many students sure about majoring in biology are unsure about a career. I suggest biotechnology. While Triangle students regularly pass biotechnology companies, where family members may work, that’s not the case in many rural regions. If you’ve never seen it, then you don’t know about it.

Students, along with displaced workers, need an introduction, whether that’s companies reaching out or welcoming tours. Companies can partner with universities, community colleges and even high schools to create that exposure. Many rural residents think everything is healthcare related. But there are many ways to help and care for people beyond being a nurse.

We’re teaching community college classes to high school students through partnerships such as Career and College Promise Program. They take them tuition free. Students in the Early College program earn a high school diploma and two-year degree simultaneously.

GUNTER: Through the Build Back Better Challenge Grants, the biosector assembled a cohort of folks. Part of that grant went

toward awareness. There are industry awareness activities underway.

We can’t visit every elementary or middle school. So, alternative efforts are sharing our message with those students. Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh and Museum of Life and Science in Durham, as examples, are hosting students. They learn about biotechnology, the bioeconomy and possible careers beyond healthcare. Plant those seeds early, so kids get interested.

EDGETON: North Carolina’s workforce understood manufacturing in the 1950s. The industry continues today, though it has changed and adapted to life sciences from textiles and furniture. We’ve adapted training programs through partnerships with community colleges and universities. We stay at the center of the industry, facilitating those connections.

Our Life Sciences Manufacturing Ambassador Program, which began in 2023, creates community connections and shares training opportunities, job openings and industry events. We offer headsets that take the wearer on a virtual tour through a modern factory. They provide access without gowning up or going onsite. We bring them to high schools and watch students move items in that environment. The experience is realistic. Thermo Fisher Scientific trains its workers similarly.

Out of the state’s 100 counties, 96 have residents working in life sciences, though some more heavily than others. It’s an impressive spread. We need life science employment to be like the community college system, which has a campus within a 30-minute drive of nearly every resident.

The community college system is a great partner. We created BioWork, which teaches the foundational skills needed by process technicians at biotechnology, pharmaceutical or chemical manufacturing companies. But new things are coming. How will AI change the industry? How do we prepare people for that?

There are more university and community college students looking for careers every day. We want the best and

brightest to stay in North Carolina. We want to connect them to bioeconomic opportunities, which aren’t only for Ph.D. scientists. There are opportunities for people holding high school diplomas, training program certificates, two- and four-year degrees, and master’s degrees. We need them all.

BUCCI: We recently hired a Wake Tech grad who holds a two-year degree. He’s probably the best lab manager that I’ve seen during my 30 years in the industry. He returns to the college to talk with students. They discuss working in the industry and what has made him successful. We need more people like him spreading the message from real experience.

About a quarter of the more than 400 companies contributing to North Carolina’s bioeconomy are developing cutting edge agricultural technology. How and where do we share that message? People need to know that agriculture isn’t only hand harvesting, and other life sciences are as important as healthcare.

MILCZEK: Outreach requires human capital, but sharing it online requires minimal effort and resources. If you request companies to host students, share and promote the event on YouTube afterward. That magnifies its message. This is the TikTok generation. We communicate through social media.

North Carolina and the country have lost many manufacturing jobs. The culture that championed those jobs as great careers disappeared, too. Manufacturing jobs are different than those in retail and other industries. Is today’s workforce mentally ready to return to them?

WHERE DOES THE INDUSTRY FIND SUPPORT?

GUNTER: North Carolina was one of the first states to offer a matching grant program for companies that obtained Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer funding. Unfortunately, demand has outpaced that program. We’re asking the state to address its funding. Every dollar put into it returned about $250. You typically don’t see that kind of return.

Golden LEAF Biotechnology Training and Education Center and Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise started in the early 2000s. BioNetwork followed. Those groups, along with N.C. Biotechnology Center and NCLifeSci, are under NCBioImpact’s umbrella, which covers industry and academia. Within it, we communicate about opportunities, industry shifts and new technologies.

There are many good companies and support systems, including First Flight Venture Center, whose FAST program helps companies understand and secure SBIR funding. They contribute to the larger think tank that looks forward, deciding where we want to be tomorrow. That’s one reason North Carolina has been successful. We think ahead and outside the box.

BUCCI: North Carolina is a special place. Sable Fermentation would be a year from starting operations without its network and ecosystem. We received a competitive loan through an N.C. Biotechnology Center program, which is funded by the General Assembly. We took advantage of an accelerator program at First Flight Ventures. We’re engaged with NC State’s Plant Sciences Initiative and Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center. We belong to NCLifeSci, which offers members equipment discounts and travel programs. Those help start and sustain small businesses.

I co-founded another company, and my co-founder was in a different state. It had an entrepreneurial community centered around a large university, and someone there told her the business would never be funded and to throw in the towel. North Carolina is the opposite. You’re shown funding sources. Raleigh-based Eva Garland Consulting helps write more successful grant proposals. And we have the NC Food Innovation Lab in Kannapolis. It’s why we received $30 million over five years from the Bezos Earth Fund through NC State to create a biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins. It’s amazing.

GARZA: As a global force in industrial biotech with more than 2,000 U.S. employees, a significant footprint across the country and customers representing more than 30 diverse industries, we have a unique perspective in the industry and have found support in many areas. The entire spectrum of the U.S. biotech sector — from startups to multinational

corporations, and from pioneering researchers to regulatory bodies — share an imperative goal: propelling the U.S. to the forefront of biotechnology innovation in order to better our world for future generations.

We find great value in our membership in the National Association of Manufacturers, where I sit on the board, collaborating to build the manufacturing industry and support workforce development efforts.

We see great support from organizations such as BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem, a nonprofit publicprivate partnership dedicated to advancing domestic bioindustrial manufacturing.

We applauded the recent National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology report that catalyzes a unified movement across the industry and proposed dozens of recommendations that will drive biotech in the U.S. forward.

These recommendations extend to North Carolina and, if implemented, could have a real impact. Former Gov. Roy Cooper visited Franklinton a few years ago. He was returning from Boston and was excited about its biotech hub. He wanted RTP to be the next Boston in terms of biotechnology. That dream is alive today, and we share it. But it requires support at the state level, everything from pushing our national representatives for the policies in the NSCEB report — such as streamlined regulatory policy, encouraging bioliteracy education and promoting workforce development — to attracting more businesses to the state that support our industry.

Novonesis’ manufacturing, for example, requires a lot of sugar, the raw material for fermentation. Dextrose, a type of sugar, is derived from corn. A lot of corn is grown in North Carolina. Currently, that corn is shipped to the Midwest, where it’s processed with our enzymes, then the dextrose is shipped back. That’s a long

and expensive supply chain. Novonesis also has a big enzyme manufacturing operation in Blair, Nebraska. We can be more competitive with these products, because nearby processor Cargill ships dextrose to us via a pipe. Imagine if the entire infrastructure — startup, funding, commercialization, and big-scale production — were here, transforming North Carolina crops into high nutrient, healthy and great-tasting food. Support for this kind of infrastructure is what we need to make North Carolina the biotech hub of the U.S.

EDGETON: NC State’s research stations fly under most people’s radar. These 18 plots across the state simulate almost any growing condition in the world.

MILCZEK: We started Curie Co in New York City, where incredibly talented scientists developed much of our early technology. But there was less talent with experience moving new biotech innovation

North

Carolina: Advancing the Bioeconomy for a Better Tomorrow

Ground breaking research. Advanced biomanufacturing. World-class talent. Our state’s formula for developing and manufacturing new, innovative biosolutions to help heal, fuel and feed the world.

Learn more at ncbiotech.org/nc-bioeconomy

Novonesis and Adobe Stock

into the marketplace. So, we relocated to North Carolina during the pandemic, because we found that RTP was rich with talent that had the experience moving technology out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.

During one recent week filled with industry events, I heard stories that reminded me of New York City a decade ago. One person said there are two places where no one complains about money — the Bay Area and New York City. That was wild. When I started in New York City, everyone complained about the lack of investors. That has changed.

New York — the city and state — did one thing that would benefit North Carolina. They were tired of losing talent to Boston, so they spent billions of dollars propping up their life sciences community. They offered matching funding programs, because investors were non-existent.

North Carolina is fantastic at seeding early stage companies. And the founders who I’ve met here are scrappy and resourceful. They’re doing two to three times more with a single dollar and not only because of a lower cost of living. They’re resourceful and rely on a community to build their business. But you must keep them going until they become profitable. Otherwise, you’re seeding great companies that will fail because of the lack of investment capital.

HOW HAS COLLABORATION HELPED THE INDUSTRY?

BUCCI: North Carolina’s collaborative spirit runs deep. Partnerships abound, not just between public and private entities but between small companies, too. We’ve written three grants — one with a university and two with other small companies — in the last six months. We support each other and work together.

EDGETON: Companies that we’re recruiting tell us about internal competition in other states. That’s not North Carolina. We work together to find the best location. We communicate across the state. Companies want a place where they can reach probability quickly. So, they need workforce, sites, support and infrastructure.

We’ve worked on some things, including Bent Creek Institute, which assists specialty crop growers and botanical medicine developers and processors. Innovation has propelled our country time and time again. North Carolina was the country’s thirdpoorest state in the 1950s. Today we’re among the best in a number of categories. What did we do? We worked together. We innovated. We help each other. And that’s evident to anyone we talk to.

One concern is companies needing pilotscale manufacturing. There’s nowhere to do that domestically, so they go international. Poland bought a facility. Ireland and other countries have done it. The state that finds the solution will have a distinct advantage in growing those next companies. We need to unite and solve this problem. A pilot scale fermentation factory would give the state that next leap forward.

Manufacturing institute BioMADE, which was borne from the Department of Defense, helps create and grow companies. After we made our BioMADE application for a bio-industrial manufacturing pilot facility, it has been a little bit one step forward, two steps back. We’ll find a solution, whether through public or private money, to make that happen. Then the world will be our oyster.

GARZA: Collaboration is at Novonesis’ core, whether building internal teams, closely collaborating with customers or finding synergies with like-minded trade organizations, educational institutions and nonprofits. We’re stronger together. In North Carolina, we work closely with NCBiotech Center and Research Triangle Regional Partnership and have established academic and research partnerships with NC State and Vance-Granville Community College. The Novo Nordisk Foundation, which is Novonesis’ owner and one of

the world’s largest charity foundations, provided $30 million to NC State’s Plant Sciences Institute for agricultural research. Novonesis also made an endowment to Vance-Granville Community College. It covers tuition and books for anyone who wants a bioprocessing technician degree, whether or not they work for us. We’re cofounders of the BioWork program.

We’ve been collaborating with a coalition of North Carolina-based companies and NCBiotech to advocate for BioMADE’s infrastructure development in our state. Our aim is to establish a facility that supports food and feed-grade production, enhancing the agricultural value chain and fostering the growth of innovative food and beverage companies. This will reshore well-paying manufacturing jobs, preserve U.S. biotech research and development efforts, bolster national security by securing a domestic supply chain and support American farmers with access to new markets. Public-private partnerships are critical, and North Carolina has the pieces to take them to the next level. ■

BUSINESS POWERHOUSES

While women make up about 47% of the approximately 161 million people in the U.S. labor force, the playing field remains uneven. The wage gap between men and women continues to shrink, but in 2023, full-time working women still earned just 83% of what their male counterparts earned, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Gains have come slowly, but last year women made up 29% of C-suite positions compared to just 17% in 2025, McKinsey & Co. reports in its 10th Anniversary of Women in the Workplace. The women profiled this year include those in leadership positions, although in different stages of their careers. Each talked about being part of a team, making a difference for their firms and in their communities.

DEVON WILLIAMS

CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR

WARD AND SMITH, P.A.

For Devon Williams, leadership was cultivated long before becoming one of the youngest women to helm a major law firm at age 34.

“That skill set has been developing since I was 6 years old, playing softball,” says Williams, who captained her Division I team at the University of Maryland. “Even when I wasn’t a team captain by title, I tried to be that constant teammate, rooting everybody on.”

This team-first philosophy defines the law practice at Ward and Smith, a 115-attorney firm with offices throughout North Carolina. For clients, the firm delivers “responsiveness, practical legal advice, problem-solving, and care,” Williams explains. “We want to take the burden off of them and put it on ourselves to navigate them through that challenging legal issue.”

For colleagues, the firm provides “a truly collaborative work culture where you can build a sophisticated legal career with support both professionally and personally.”

Williams’s journey at the firm has been “unexpected, but incredibly rewarding and humbling.” Starting as a summer associate, she quickly advanced through leadership roles before being nominated for co-managing director while pregnant — just before the 2020 pandemic.

“The practice of law is challenging, particularly when you’re trying to build a family,” Williams notes. “At Ward and Smith, we truly care about each other. We support each other through those times because sometimes performing at your best means knowing your team has your back when your attention needs to be elsewhere.”

This approach is exemplified through policies like genderneutral parental leave. “Men and women alike benefit from that, and the firm benefits from having that kind of environment.”

What drives her passion? “Helping people. Knowing that I’ve earned their trust and confidence, I can help navigate them through a difficult situation and ease their angst.”

Though she didn’t initially plan on employment law, Williams found it “a perfect blend of legal analysis with people dynamics,” allowing her to empathize with clients while sourcing practical solutions.

For young women starting careers, Williams advises: “Work hard. Be a team player. Be willing to pick up tasks others may not want—it makes you indispensable. Push yourself beyond what you think you can do because you are a lot more powerful and capable than you probably give yourself credit for.”

She adds, “Try to find joy in what you do, and if you don’t find joy in what you do, find it elsewhere—life is too short and precious.”

800-998-1102

Asheville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh and Wilmington wardansmith.com

PENNY WHITEHEART

SENIOR CONSULTANT

CREATIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING

Penny Whiteheart, senior consultant at Creative Economic Development Consulting (CEDC), is an expert in economic development with more than 30 years of experience. She specializes in regional innovation, cluster strategies, talent attraction, workforce development, and international trade. Since joining CEDC in 2016, Whiteheart has led economic impact analyses, facilitated strategic initiatives, and authored research and blogs.

Her background includes managing Foreign Trade Zones, regional cluster development, strategic planning and demographic analysis. She is a frequent speaker on economic trends, international trade and advanced manufacturing. With more than 20 years in regional economic leadership, Whiteheart has overseen business development, marketing and program evaluation. She currently serves as executive vice president of the Piedmont Triad Partnership in Greensboro.

Pat Kahle has made a significant impact in both the financial services industry and her entrepreneurial ventures, as well as in her leadership role as president and CEO of the Union County Chamber. Her ability to grow the Chamber and expand its mission to support various sectors like workforce development, manufacturing, small businesses, and specific programming for women and young professionals is truly commendable.

Her focus on attitude over skills in hiring shows her dedication to building strong, collaborative teams that can drive success. Kahle’s recognition as Union County Woman of the Year in 2011 speaks to the deep respect and admiration she has earned. Her retirement from the Chamber in June marks the end of a remarkable chapter, but her legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire those who follow in her footsteps.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

East Carolina University’s chancellor’s home hits the market, well below appraisal value.

By Natalie Bradin and McKenzie Bulris

In March 2018, East Carolina University bought an 8,135-square-foot home about two miles from campus that then-Chancellor Cecil Staton and officials said would facilitate events promoting the 27,000-student institution.

At the time, it was reported by various media that the ECU Foundation paid $1.3 million for the 4-acre property at 3100 Kariblue Lane, which was built in 1997 and abuts the 13th hole of the Greenville Country Club. University leaders endorsed the transaction. ECU and many universities have affiliated foundations that provide financial support that may not be available through other sources.

fair value of the property at $3.4 million. The difference between the sales price and appraisal facilitated a charitable donation to the ECU Foundation by the seller, former Greenville dentist Dr. Thomas “Rick” Webb. He confirms that he received credit for that philanthropy, but declines to disclose the amount.

ECU is now selling the home, with a mid-April listing price of $1.68 million.

The charitable donation was based on a 124-page report for the foundation by Greenville appraiser Bruce Sauter, dated May 17, 2018, that supported the $3.4 million valuation. The report cited the previous $1.3 million transaction as “a bargain sale.” It also noted the property’s assessed value of $932,000.

Left unsaid at the time is that a property appraisal placed the

In the report, Sauter wrote that there were no single-family residences in Greenville that offered similar “size and elegance”

to Webb’s property. Rather, he used eight homes in the Triangle metro area, each at least 90 miles west of Greenville, that had sold for $2.1 million to $3.5 million during the previous two years.

The most expensive comparison cited by Sauter was a property in Durham’s Hope Valley neighborhood. It is a 9,500-square-foot, fivebedroom home that sold for $3.5 million in August 2016. It is now valued at $5.3 million, according to the Zillow real estate service.

“The purpose of this appraisal is to develop an opinion of the fair value of the fee simple interest in the subject property, in terms of cash, on or about the effective date of valuation,” Sauter wrote in his report.

Following the purchase, the ECU Foundation spent additional funds renovating the Kariblue Lane home, which has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a 50-foot in-ground pool, and a three-car garage. Many windows and exterior doors were replaced. Additionally, about $1 million was spent for two adjoining lots, totaling 4.6 acres, to accommodate parking for events, according to Pitt County real estate records.

Last year, ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers and his family moved out of the home and moved to a three-bedroom home in Winterville, a Greenville suburb, The Daily Reflector in Greenville reported last year. The university signed a 12-month lease, the paper said.

The KariBLUE Lane home was put up for sale in March for $1.675 million. It had received multiple offers as of mid-April, says Renee Carter, a Realtor with the Aldridge & Southerland agency in Greenville. The adjoining lots have not been put up for sale.

ECU declined to answer questions about the 2018 appraisal. The foundation is a nonprofit separate from the university and donor records are confidential, university spokesperson Jeannine Manning Hutson said.

The UNC System requires campuses to provide housing for chancellors. Last year, ECU Trustees Chair Jason Poole noted “it was an appropriate time to determine if a smaller footprint better meets the university’s needs and aligns more with university culture,” Hutson said.

That led to the pending sale and the temporary home lease for Rogers. The foundation and university are “exploring options for a permanent chancellor’s residence,” she said.

In an interview, Webb says he’s upset that the university is selling his former home. He calls the 2018 transaction “part sale and part charitable donation. I felt really good about it. I thought it was one of the chancellor’s big responsibilities to raise funding and entertain.”

Now retired and living in Raleigh, he remains a strong supporter of ECU, where his wife, Karen, earned a bachelor’s degree. Webb, 77, has a bachelor’s degree from UNC Chapel Hill, where he played basketball under coach Dean Smith, and and a doctoral degree in dental surgery from the UNC School of Dentistry.

Asked why the Greenville home that appraised at $3.4 million in 2018 is now likely to sell for 50% less, Sauter said, “Maybe they (ECU) just want to get rid of it. I don’t have a dog in the race.”

At the time of the 2018 purchase, ECU Foundation President Chris Dyba said in a release that the group was “excited to have acquired this wonderful property. We are very grateful to the owner, because he allowed us to purchase his home at a price significantly below its appraised and replacement value. We believe this purchase will provide ECU a wonderful residence for its chancellor and a great venue to host functions for alumni, donors, students, corporate leaders and top candidates for ECU leadership.”

The transaction drew criticism on social media and from some officials, The News and Observer of Raleigh reported at the time. Critics included Greenville businessman Harry Smith, then vice chairman of the UNC Board of Governors, who said the house exuded “aristocracy” in a relatively poor region.

Smith, who left the board in 2021, says the matter shows that the UNC System should not buy prestigious homes for chancellors.

“We have students working two or three jobs, and parents working two or three jobs to get their kids an education, and we're buying those types of homes for chancellors,” Smith says.

ECU’s original plan was to renovate the longtime chancellor’s residence, the Dail House, which was built in 1930 and is adjacent to the campus. But the age of the house, asbestos and other code issues and lack of conformity with the Americans with Disabilities Act made a renovation costly, prompting ECU to take a different tack.

Staton was chancellor from 2016 to 2019. Rogers was hired for the position in 2020, after previously working as the university’s chief of staff from 2007-13. ■

Hillsborough’s PHE turned a once-taboo shopping experience into a $300 million adult retail empire.

By Shannon Cuthrell

T love Boutique

he first toy David Groves ever saw was the Caress Vibrator. “Eight inches, hard plastic, white and running on one C-cell battery,” he recalls. “They’d vibrate a little bit, but the quality in those days wasn’t great.” Later came more powerful models like the Prelude 2, still primitive with a 6-foot power cord.

Groves started in Adam & Eve’s mailroom in 1980, back when sex toys buzzed loudly, plugged into the wall and were much more controversial, with weekly U.S. church attendance at least 30% greater than today.

He worked his way up to vice president in 1998 and president in 2014, retiring last year. In his 44-year tenure, Groves watched that clunky white tube evolve into app-enabled, multi-textured gadgets that can warm up, cool down and sync with your partner’s phone. Some new models don’t resemble sex toys at all, says Groves. “They look perfectly at home on your bedside table.”

That transformation didn’t come out of Vegas or Los Angeles. It came out of Hillsborough, North Carolina, growing from a mail-order contraceptive startup into America’s most successful adult retail player. Its parent company, PHE Inc., lives in a lowkey office park, where an 86,000-square-foot warehouse holds more than 8,500 sex toys and accessories. Its 250 corporate staff members make PHE one of Orange County’s leading private employers. Another 55 work in North Carolina’s 16 storefronts, a franchise network that began 20 years ago in Raleigh. The state is now its 12th-highest revenue generator.

In five decades, the employee-owned company added just over 100 stores in about two dozen states, a few in Canada, and an Australian subsidiary. PHE declined to share exact annual revenue, but a spokesperson validated third-party estimates of roughly $300 million. That’s nearly triple the $113 million reported by Business North Carolina in 2009. Not bad for a brand selling products most people wouldn’t openly recommend but still pass along in whispers to close friends.

Through February, Adameve.com brought in 71% of total sales, with the balance from physical stores. Officials say that’s a solid mix despite constant rumblings about brick-and-mortar’s supposed extinction. The website draws 60 million annual visitors and markets more than 2,200 products, shipping around 2.5 million packages annually.

The top product is the Satisfyer Pro 2, a women's toy made by New York-based Satisfyer and sold by Adam & Eve. Last year, Satisfyer President Jeff Garlow said the partnership anticipated "exponential growth" and nine-digit sales.

Men’s bestsellers like Adam's Gawk Gawk 3.0 and Eve’s Realistic Torso are no slouches either, but women’s toys have consistently been the highest performers. “The Rose toys and the air pulse/suction toys have been huge for us,” spokesperson Katy Zvolerin says.

Adam & Eve stores carry lingerie, lubricants and toys targeting couples and solo shoppers alike. The store frontage walks a fine line: provocative enough to entice, yet polished to appear in suburban shopping centers. Inside, you’ll encounter scantily clad mannequins, anatomy-inspired candies, scented oils, erotic jewelry, risqué board games and intriguing brands like Bedroom Adventure Gear, makers of wedge-shaped sex chairs, and Sportsheets, with bed restraints and blindfolds.

Adam & Eve’s top performing products tend to be women’s toys (a consistent trend, according to the company). The 10 top bestsellers are:

‣ The Satisfyer Pro 2

‣ Adam’s Gawk Gawk 3.0

‣ Eve’s Rechargeable Thrusting Rabbit

‣ Eve’s Ravishing Suction + Rose

‣ Lovense Lush 3 Bluetooth Bullet Vibrator

‣ Magic Wand Rechargeable

‣ Fi y Shades of Grey Greedy Girl Rabbit Vibrator

‣ Eve’s Realistic Torso

‣ Eve’s Petite Private Pleasure Wand

‣ Adam & Eve Lube

David Groves, former PHE president

Lewis Broadnax, CEO of PHE

The chain’s name is a conversation starter, conceived in an early discussion between PHE founder Phil Harvey and his original business partner, Tim Black. “The theory was that it was always a company for both men and women — and couples,” Zvolerin says.

The PHE umbrella also includes a DVD marketplace, a gay sex toy website and a film arm, Adam & Eve Pictures, which produced cheeky parodies like “Pulp Friction” and “Carolina Jones and the Broken Covenant.” Its adult movies, which now make up a small percentage of sales, were produced in Los Angeles. Despite competition from Amazon, CVS and Walmart, Adam & Eve holds its own by offering regular can’t-beat deals, free mystery gifts, discounted accessory kits and discreet packaging shielded from nosy neighbors and roommates. It also has its own line of vibrators and dildos.

“We focus on offering curated, high-quality products, educating our customers, and providing a sense of trust and discretion they can’t get elsewhere,” says Lewis Broadnax, who succeeded Groves as president last fall.

A Durham-based Duke University alumnus with past roles at Lenovo, Reynolds American and the Sazerac liquor company, Broadnax sees PHE as both a retailer and a cultural touchstone driving the sex-positivity movement worldwide.

“By 2035, we envision Adam & Eve as the go-to global brand for sexual wellness and intimacy products,” he says. “We created the direct-to-consumer space for our category in the U.S. and want to continue that heritage on a global scale.”

Broadnax hints at a major expansion in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America, though specific markets will depend on consumer interest and demand. Australia is a strong foothold after the 2019 acquisition of retailer Excite Group. PHE intends to leverage its 35-employee Wild Secrets subsidiary as a jumping-off point on that side of the globe.

PRIVACY AND DISCRETION

In 1969, at the peak of the Sexual Revolution, UNC Chapel Hill grad student Harvey had a bold idea for his master’s thesis: A nonprofit that mailed condoms to catalog customers to fund family planning programs in the developing world. At the time, mailing contraceptives was illegal in many states, but Harvey and classmate Black believed privacy would drive more Americans to use them.

That bet launched a shop-by-mail catalog business in 1970, followed by the first store in Chapel Hill in 1971. The Daily Tar Heel called it a first-of-its-kind “love boutique” selling condoms, oils, books, and other intimate products, with trained staff on site to answer questions. Harvey, then 33, told the paper, “We want to bring sex — and the responsibility that goes with it — into the light of everyday society where it belongs.”

By the mid-1980s, Adam & Eve was riding the VHS wave, expanding into adult videos just as the VCR became mainstream in American living rooms. “For the first time, people didn’t have to go to adult bookstores or sleazy theaters to get creative materials,” says Groves. “They could buy things through the mail privately and discreetly, and watch whatever they wanted in the privacy of their homes.”

Adam & Eve began selling videos in 1981 and producing its own films by 1993. But success also brought scrutiny. The Reagan administration’s Meese Commission and Moral Majority figures like Jerry Falwell targeted adult businesses nationwide. PHE spent more than $3 million on legal fees, while many of its competitors folded under threats of jail or forfeiture because they couldn’t afford to fight. PHE’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice reached the Supreme Court, arguing the government violated the First Amendment and right to marital privacy.

“The hero in all this was our founder, Phil Harvey, who strongly opposed the government telling people what they could read, watch and do in the privacy of their homes,” Groves says. “Almost singlehandedly, he kept us fighting back against the government.” In 1992, the company settled a lawsuit against the Justice Department, helping cement First Amendment protections still relevant today. Harvey died at age 83 in 2021.

Adam & Eve is a billboard advertiser..

Even as it grew, the company held fast to its original mission of selling pleasure products to fund global family planning and reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Harvey’s nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based DKT International, now operates in more than 30 countries. PHE still donates 20% of its profits to more than 100 charities, including the American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, Duke Hospice and Meals on Wheels.

DKT had net assets of $240 million as of 2023, according to its last tax filing. By providing condoms and other products and services, it helped prevent 16.8 million unwanted pregnancies and 33,000 maternal deaths, the filing notes.

That philanthropic model might seem surprising coming from a small-town North Carolina company. But closer inspection suggests state residents have long had a quiet, steady appetite for adult entertainment.

Raleigh was home to several adult bookstores in the 1980s. Some served as “cruising spots” for the city’s gay community, such as Bachelor’s Books & Movies. Video-porn viewing booths popped up statewide in the ‘90s, including Greensboro’s Gents and I-40 Video & News, a pair of 24-hour stores allegedly frequented by 2024 gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson in the early 2000s.

Strip clubs like Charlotte’s Paper Doll Lounge and Raleigh’s Capital Cabaret thrived in the state’s metros. Fayetteville’s military population made a natural hub for clubs like Secrets Cabaret, though local zoning regulations often tried to rein them in. The three facilities remain open today.

The industry matured by the 21st century, with Charlotte’s AEBN launching one of the first adult video streaming services.

Adam & Eve started its e-commerce site in 1999, realizing its 250-product catalog couldn’t keep pace with online competitors stocking thousands of SKUs. Groves says it took a few years to master digital marketing, but by the early 2000s, the site was steadily growing and optimized for search engines, email campaigns and customer service.

Then, the DVD market cratered in the 2010s with the rise of free websites like Pornhub, a Canadian-based outlet owned by a private-equity firm. That caused most adult video stores to shut down or pivot to lingerie, high-end toys, and wellness products with stronger profit margins. That was Adam & Eve’s strategy, building a solid web presence while retaining its franchise stores. Adam & Eve’s branding has shifted toward women and couples, favoring app-integrated products with aesthetic appeal and functionality. Sex toys remain a solid market, valued by Grand View Research at $10 billion, with 8% compound annual growth projections through 2030.

1971 ad for Adam & Eve’s first store in Chapel Hill.

A 2007 ad in a Charlotte LGBTQ publication.

‣ Eve’sRavishingSuction+Rose

Business of the Year

Tom Stevens was living downtown in the early 1990s when he read about the controversy of PHE moving its headquarters there. Even then, he says it was obvious most of the stir was coming from out-of-towners.

The company re-entered Stevens’ orbit a decade later after he was elected mayor. The first correspondence he received was from a Missouri resident. “He said, 'You may not know this, but there’s a porn company in your community, and I can help you shut them down,’” Stevens recalls. That same month in 2005, the local chamber named PHE Business of the Year.

“I thought that was an interesting contrast,” Stevens chuckles. When the Missourian followed up later, “I told the guy, ‘Mmm, Thanks for your interest, but this is the Business of the Year, so… please don’t call me.’”

Stevens, who left office in 2019 to become a full-time artist painting nudes and landscapes, has always known PHE to be a “great corporate citizen” that is never loud and showy but always involved. He only received laughter and curiosity when PHE would donate or sponsor baskets of adult products for local charity auctions.

‣ bondageandsextoys

‣ Top seller The Satisfyer Pro 2

“Everyone would nudge each other and go, ‘Who's going to be the first to bid on the PHE basket?’ I mean, how great is that?”

Scott Czechlewski, CEO of the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce, praises PHE’s jobs, contributions to local charities, and yes, for providing “some of the most unique and well-received giveaways at our events.”

PHE employees have served on the chamber board for years.

The company anchors a cluster of mail-order and logistics firms in Hillsborough, such as Soccer.com, Eurosport, and Redeye Distribution, which helped stabilize the economy after the textile mills shuttered in the late ‘90s.

Hillsborough maintains a healthy 40% share of commercial businesses in its tax base. “From the old trading paths to the Civil War to now, we’ve always been a nexus for traders to pass through, cross the river, and travel to the state’s population centers,” says Stevens. “You’ve got I-40 and I-85 intersecting, U.S. 70, good schools, a beautiful town and now you’ve got a logistics and mail-order hub. It makes sense.”

Red Tape, employee ownership

While Adam & Eve stores are familiar fixtures in suburban strip malls, they still face scrutiny. Zoning boards in some cities restrict adult retailers near schools or churches. Broadnax says PHE helps franchisees navigate local laws and to ensure compliance doesn’t derail openings or operations. Online, regulatory hurdles are just as thorny. The company keeps tabs on e-commerce legislation and other regulations regarding accessibility, age-gating and shipping restrictions.

“Regulatory compliance is always a moving target in our industry,” Broadnax says. “Right now, age-verification laws and content restrictions are at the forefront of our concerns. The biggest pressures we face revolve around navigating the patchwork of state-specific laws regarding age verification and product labeling.”

PHE is a co-plaintiff in multiple Free Speech Coalition lawsuits challenging age-verification laws in Tennessee, Florida and Montana, arguing that vague language intended to protect minors also sweeps up e-commerce businesses like Adam & Eve. Much hinges on the upcoming Supreme Court ruling in Free Speech Coalition vs. Paxton, a Texas case that is expected to be decided this year.

“These lawsuits are critical for ensuring that regulations strike a balance between protecting minors and respecting the rights of businesses and individuals,” Broadnax says. “The Paxton decision could set a precedent for how these laws are drafted and enforced going forward, and we’re hopeful for a favorable outcome.”

Inflation and tariffs add more pressure. In March, Broadnax said the company was managing through an additional 10% tariff on goods from China. That doubles the previous tariff. The company remains “committed to affordability,” he says,

pointing to discount bundles and gifts to retain customers. PHE’s latest growth spurt happened during the pandemic, when lonely and bored shoppers boosted sales. That activity has cooled, but physical retail has held steady. David Keegan, head of franchising, says five-year sales trends show stores are maintaining pre-COVID results.

Broadnax is bullish on expansion, developing product partnerships and watching where demand grows before selecting international sites. There aren’t any plans to add new sites in North Carolina now, but PHE sees several untapped areas of the state, including a potential debut in Asheville, which would mark its first shop in western North Carolina.

Broadnax plans to spruce up Adam & Eve’s portfolio, especially categories combining sexual, physical and mental wellness, including a growing lineup of peri-menopause and menopause products.

“We're investing heavily in e-commerce tools, streamlining logistics, and expanding our product offerings,” he says. “We are also looking at new ways to leverage our 100-plus retail stores to provide our customers with a more seamless brand experience.”

Through its history, Adam & Eve has remained a tight-knit operation that is owned by about 80 shareholders. It’s a model neither Groves nor Harvey ever considered changing. “People who have a stake in the game are better employees, more creative and more productive, and it helps us keep up with the changing business climate and industry trends,” Groves says.

Going public was never a serious consideration, either. “When I asked Phil about this back in the old days, he said, ‘We’re having too much fun running the company, so why would we want to change that?’ Bureaucracy and being beholden to outside shareholders, it’s just not something that appealed to anybody here. I suppose it’s possible that some venture capitalists out there would make us gazillionaires, but that’s not who we are.” ■

Adam & Eve's store in Mooresville in Iredell County.

Covey Ca ing

By Vanessa Infanzon

RA creative lawyer repurposes a classic N.C. tobacco farm into a popular hunting enterprise.

iding along sandy paths in a Kawasaki Mule on his 1,400-acre property in Richmond County, The Webb Farm owner Bill Webb points out remnants of buildings that once held tobacco. Indeed, the hilly terrain has changed little from the 1940s through the early 2000s when his family harvested the state's most famous crop.

But the working farm on land owned by his family for six generations has transitioned into a boutique lodge for what adherents call “wingshooting.” The Webb Farm, which opened in 2005, now offers eight rooms and can house more than a dozen guests at a time.

“I can remember when this entire field out here was in tobacco,” says Webb. “I am amazed at how we’ve been able to transform this farm from a tobacco economy to an entertainment economy.”

Converting the land in Ellerbe into a quail hunting lodge wasn’t too far from Webb’s wheelhouse. He remembers his dad and uncle hunting quail in a 1956 Jeep, outfitted with a dog box. At age 10, he joined them as they followed the bird dogs, stopping when they pointed to where a covey of quail

was settled. Those experiences developed into a lifelong hobby for Webb.

A visit in 1986 to Dixie Plantation, a former cotton farm that has become a popular quail-hunting venue in northeast Florida, inspired Webb’s thinking. Changes in the state’s tobacco program provided the signal that Webb needed. He proposed the idea of a new business to his mother, Johnnie Webb, who gave him the green light in 2003. (Mrs. Webb died in March.)

“It really whetted my appetite to take this farm, on a smaller scale, and do what they had done,” says Webb, an only child. “I proposed to my mother that we convert our hobby into a business and try to retain the beauty of open farmland. She was skeptical, but she didn’t stand in the way.”

Bill Webb focuses on the hunting experience, while his wife, Debbie, is the customer service leader. MIchael Hobbs, right, has been a guide for more than a decade.

Quail are typically flushed from cover by dogs trained by local guides.

Baccy' to Birds

Quail season in North Carolina runs from October until midMarch because the hunting dogs need cool weather. While not as famous for quail hunting as Midwest states such as Oklahoma and Nebraska, North Carolina has 19 other private bird hunting preserves, ranging from Bolivia near the coast to Shelby in Cleveland County. Some are solely for quail hunting and don’t offer lodging, meals or guides.

Bird dogs such as Boykin Spaniels, English Setters and Labrador Retrievers are as much a part of the experience as aiming a shotgun with size eight shot at Bobwhite quail. Even in cool weather, guides swap out the dogs frequently for rest and water.

Morning and afternoon sessions each last about three hours, with 10 to 12 hunters at a time. A souped-up, all-terrain vehicle carries two guests, a guide and the dogs to one of six courses.

In one season, The Webb Farm may serve as many as 450 guests. Hunters usually come in as a group. Most hunters are men, but some couples may book a weekend together. The women may hunt or head to Pinehurst for a spa day.

Sunday Succe

When The Webb Farm first opened, Sunday hunting in North Carolina was prohibited. This put the business and other N.C. preserves at a disadvantage versus most other states, which didn’t have the Sunday restriction. State lawmakers changed the rule with the Outdoor Heritage Act in 2015.

“People couldn’t come here for a weekend [and hunt] and that really hurt us financially,” Webb explains. “It really didn’t go through my head that it would be such a big deal, but it was. When Sunday hunting was passed by the legislature,

About 70% hail from North Carolina, though hunters visit from as far as Lebanon and Singapore. Eighty to 90% are repeat customers, often making reservations a year in advance. Corporate groups make up half the business, using the time to build team morale or develop client relationships. Webb likens it to spending the day on a golf course, but adding bird dogs, good food, a fire pit and beautiful scenery.

Guests can stay for the day, or one night or multiple nights. The most popular is the split day hunt: $5,600 includes guides, hunting equipment, lodging and meals for two people. Guests arrive at lunchtime to enjoy a quail dish (it tastes like Cornish hen, most say), then hunt, enjoy another chef-prepared dinner, stay over and then go hunt again in the morning. Some drive to the venue, while others arrange to meet Webb Farm staff at the Greensboro or Raleigh airports for a commute. A few land helicopters at the farm.

essentially, this operation went from running in the red to running in the black.”

The guides are independent contractors, mostly from the area. They bring their own dogs for pointing, flushing and retrieving. Three staff members are full-time, year-round employees. Six to eight other seasonal staff assist with meals, housekeeping and other duties.

Over the years, Webb has added about 200 acres and several rooms, and updated facilities. Meals are prepared onsite by local chefs and many ingredients are provided by the

Building friendships and connections is part of the appeal of quail hunting.

Berry Patch in Ellerbe and Lick Branch Farms in Rockingham.

Each September, The Webb Farm releases thousands of birds and replenishes them after each hunt. High Flight Game Birds in Spring Hope provides the quail. The birds don’t leave the farm for a simple reason: Webb spends $35,000 a year feeding them.

“One of my goals was to show people that you can do things with your land that are responsible from a conservation standpoint and are compatible with use in a rural landscape.”

We -Orchestrated

People return because they feel welcome from the moment they step onto the lodge’s front porch. Mention The Webb Farm to someone who’s been there, and they will share a story about their time around the fire pit or at the dinner table.

Debbie Webb, Bill’s wife, worked as the head caterer at Rockingham Speedway and owned the Steeples restaurant in Hamlet when they met. Bill practices law four days a week in Rockingham as a partner in a general practice law firm. He was the Richmond County attorney from 2018-22.

The couple work well together: Bill’s focus is on the birds, land and hunting experience and Debbie sets the tone for customer service, ensuring that guests have a chance to relax.

“Debbie has a huge impact here,” says Greensboro investor F. James Becher, who has visited Webb Farm every season since 2010. “She manages everything here except for the shooting. It’s a well-orchestrated experience.”

The hunts are designed so that almost anyone can hunt and harvest quail. Although hunters are welcome to walk along the trails, the ATVs can get hunters close to where they need to shoot. Guests’ interactions with the guides and seeing how the dogs work together to find the quail in open fields are at the heart of this business.

“They’re cultivating this multi-generational base clientele,” says Clay Dunnagan, who leads a Raleigh investment firm and is a frequent Webb Farm visitor. “You learn the skills of bird hunting and there are a lot of life lessons that come out of this experience.” ■

Welcome to our annual guide to the state’s higher education sector. North Carolina has 16 public universities, with its largest, NC State University in Raleigh, enrolling more than 37,000 students. e smallest is the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, which has about 1,075 undergraduate students. Also, the state is home to 58 private institutions and 58 community colleges, for a total of 132 di erent institutions.

is list, compiled from data from the UNC System and the National Center for Education Statistics, looks beyond enrollment gures. It also lists overall costs, including tuition, fees and room and board, where applicable, based on the 2023-24 school year, plus the average nancial aid awarded at each institution (based on the 2022-2023 school year).

For public university overall costs, NC State tops the list at $26,604, compared with $24,986 the year before, for in-state students. For out-of-state students, UNC Chapel Hill is the most expensive, with a price tag of $56,450, compared with $52,633.

Since 2016, the Board of Governors has kept tuition rates at for resident undergraduates at its 16 universities. Housing, food and other fees have increased, however.

Wake Forest University and Duke University top the private schools with estimated costs of $87,556 and $87,072, respectively. During the previous year, both schools’ costs were slightly less than $80,000. Duke provides an average nancial aid award of $53,004, compared with $46,077 at Wake Forest. Duke University also provides fulltuition grants to undergrads from North Carolina and South Carolina whose families have a total income of $150,000 or less; if family income is $65,000 or less, Duke will also provide other nancial assistance.

is list also describes acceptance rates; student-faculty ratios; gender ratio for full-time undergraduate students; and the percentage of diverse students, based on nonwhite students enrolled in the fall of 2023.

e overall retention rates refer to full-time students who began in the fall of 2022 and returned in 2023. Graduation rates track the progress of full-time students who entered school in fall 2017 to see if they completed a degree within 150% of “normal time,” typically six years.

Community college statistics are for fall of 2023. e list also provides information on the 31 colleges and universities o ering MBA programs, including online options.

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

BOONE, APPSTATE.EDU

Total enrollment: 21,253; undergraduate enrollment: 19,405; contact: 828-262-2000, admissions@appstate.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 24,001/21,360 (89%); student/faculty ratio: 16/1; total cost (instate/out-of-state): $23,324/$40,320; average financial aid awarded: $8,742; retention/ graduation rate: 85%/73%; undergraduate male/female: 44%/56%; diverse students: 20%

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

GREENVILLE, ECU.EDU

Total enrollment: 26,785; undergraduate enrollment: 21,328; contact: 252-328-6131, admissions@ecu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 22,289/ 20,060 (90%); student/ faculty ratio: 17/1; total cost (in-state/out-ofstate): $24,331/$40,608; average financial aid awarded: $8,790; retention/graduation rate: 82%/62%; undergraduate male/female: 42%/58%; diverse students: 38%

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY*

ELIZABETH CITY, ECSU.EDU

Total enrollment: 2,165; undergraduate enrollment: 2,048; contact: 252-335-3400, admissions@ecsu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 5,360/3,752 (70%); student/faculty ratio: 17/1; total cost (in-state/out-of-state):

$15,081/$19,081; average financial aid awarded: $8,628; retention/graduation rate: 74%/48%; undergraduate male/female: 46%/54%; diverse students: 82%

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

FAYETTEVILLE, UNCFSU.EDU

Total enrollment: 6,847; undergraduate enrollment: 5,845; contact: 910-672-1111, admissions@uncfsu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 5,043/4,034 (80%); student/faculty ratio: 19/1; total cost (in-state/out-of-state): $18,307/$22,307; average financial aid awarded: $6,884; retention/graduation rate: 78%/35%; undergraduate male/female: 31%/69%; diverse students: 84%

N.C. AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE COLLEGE

GREENSBORO, NCAT.EDU

Total enrollment: 13,322; undergraduate enrollment: 11,596; contact: 336-334-7496, uadmit@ncat.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 21,528/12,271 (57%); student/faculty ratio: 19/1; total cost (in-state/ out-of-state): $18,612/$32,122; average financial aid awarded: $9,180; retention/graduation rate: 77%/53%; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 96%

N.C. CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

DURHAM, NCCU.EDU

Total enrollment: 7,965; undergraduate enrollment: 5,973; contact: 919-530-6100, admissions@nccu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 14,192 /12,772 (90%); student/faculty ratio: 16/1; total cost (in-state/out-of-state): $26,788/$39,824; average financial aid awarded: $10,800; retention/graduation rate: 75%/46%; under-graduate male/ female: 30%/70%; diverse students: 96%

NC STATE UNIVERSITY

RALEIGH, NCSU.EDU

Total enrollment: 37,323; undergraduate enrollment: 27,323; contact: 919-515-2011, undergrad-admissions@ncsu.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 40,049/16,019 (40%); student/faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost (instate/out-of-state): $26,604/$49,476; average financial aid awarded: $11,534; retention/ graduation rate: 93%/85%; undergraduate male/female: 50%/50%; diverse students: 33%

UNC ASHEVILLE

ASHEVILLE, UNCA.EDU

Total enrollment: 2,925; undergraduate enrollment: 2,907; contact: 828-251-6600, admissions@unca.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 5,465/5,1371 (94%); student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost (in-state/ out-of-state): $22,279/$39,627; average financial aid awarded: $7,518; retention/graduation rate: 73%/55%; undergraduate male/female: 41%/59%; diverse students: 26%

Enrollment for fall of 2023.

UNC CHAPEL HILL

CHAPEL HILL, UNC.EDU

Total enrollment: 32,234; undergraduate enrollment: 20,681; contact: 919-962-2211, unchelp@admissions.unc.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 57,902/ 11,001 (19%); student/faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost (instate/out-of-state): $26,109/$56,450; average financial aid awarded: $15,215; retention/ graduation rate: 97%/92%; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 46%

UNC CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE, UNCC.EDU

Total enrollment: 30,298; undergraduate enrollment: 23,981; contact: 704-687-2000, admissions@charlotte.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 22,699/18,159 (80%); student/faculty ratio: 21/1; total cost (instate/out-of-state): $24,672/ $39,334; average financial aid awarded: $8,243; retention/ graduation rate: 85%/68%; undergraduate male/female: 52%/48%; diverse students: 52%

UNC GREENSBORO GREENSBORO, UNCG.EDU

Total enrollment: 17,743; undergraduate enrollment: 14,156; contact: 336-334-5000, admissions@uncg.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 12,379/11,141 (90%); student/ faculty ratio: 17/1; total cost (in-state/ outof-state): $22,313/$38,059; average financial aid awarded: $8,642; retention/graduation rate: 76%/58%; undergraduate male/female: 34%/66%; diverse students: 62%

UNC PEMBROKE* PEMBROKE, UNCP.EDU

Total enrollment: 7,630; undergraduate enrollment: 5,485; contact: 910-521-6000, admissions@uncp.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 7,635/7,024 (92%); student/ faculty ratio: 14/1; total cost (in-state/outof-state): $18,665/$22,665; average financial aid awarded: $6,293; retention/graduation rate: 71%/45%; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 65%

UNC SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

WINSTON-SALEM, UNCSA.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,074; undergraduate enrollment: 902; contact: 336-770-3399, admissions@ uncsa.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,423/469 (33%); student/faculty ratio: 6/1; total cost (in-state/out-of-state): $27,036/$44,770; average financial aid awarded: $11,650; retention/ graduation rate: 88%/79%; undergraduate male/ female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 40%

UNC WILMINGTON

WILMINGTON, UNCW.EDU

Total enrollment: 17,987; undergraduate enrollment: 14,494; contact: 910-962-3000, admissions@uncw.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 17,370/12,853 (74%); student/faculty ratio: 17/1; total cost (in-state/out-of-state): $27,030/$42,698; average financial aid awarded: $7,093; retention/graduation rate: 85%/71%; undergraduate male/female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 22%

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY*

CULLOWHEE, WCU.EDU

Total enrollment: 11,628; undergraduate enrollment: 10,009; contact: 828-227-7100, admiss@wcu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 18,183/15,819 (87%); student/ faculty ratio: 16/1; total cost (in-state/outof-state): $20,319/$24,319; average financial aid awarded: $4,607; retention/graduation rate: 76%/59%; undergraduate male/ female: 42%/58%; diverse students: 24%

WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY

WINSTON-SALEM, WSSU.EDU

Total enrollment: 4,776; undergraduate enrollment: 4,260; contact: 336-750-2000, admissions@wssu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 9,273/6,398 (69%);student/ faculty ratio: 16/1; total cost (in-state/outof-state): $23,401/$34,057; average financial aid awarded: $9,021; retention/graduation rate: 75%/49%; undergraduate male/female: 25%/75%; diverse students: 94%

Change in UNC System enrollment

Source:

PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS

Enrollment for fall of 2023.

BARTON COLLEGE

WILSON, BARTON.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,259; contact: 252-399-6300, enroll@barton.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 2,228/2,138 (96%); student/ faculty ratio: 14/1; total cost: $52,150; average financial aid awarded: $23,565; retention/ graduation rate: 65%/52%; undergraduate male/female: 47%/53%; diverse students: 48%

BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE

BELMONT, BELMONTABBEYCOLLEGE. EDU

Total enrollment: 1,650; contact: 888-222-0110, admissions@bac.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,841/1,823 (99%); student/faculty ratio: 12/1; total cost: $36,156; average financial aid awarded: $10,480; retention/graduation rate: 69%/46%; undergraduate male/female: 53%/47%; diverse students: 37%

BENNETT COLLEGE

GREENSBORO, BENNETT.EDU

Total enrollment: 195; contact: 336-5172100, admissions@bennett.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 723/245 (34%); student/ faculty ratio: 7/1; total cost: $41,964; average financial aid awarded: $19,149; retention/ graduation rate: 90%/21%; undergraduate male/female: 0%/100%; diverse students: 99%

BREVARD COLLEGE

BREVARD, BREVARD.EDU

Total enrollment: 787; contact: 828-6410641, admissions@brevard.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 2,582/1,032(40%); student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $47,650; average financial aid awarded: $25,173; retention/graduation rate: 66%/39%; undergraduate male/female: 61%/39%; diverse students: 36%

CABARRUS COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

CONCORD, ATRIUMHEALTH.ORG/ EDUCATION/CABARRUS-COLLEGEOF-HEALTH-SCIENCES

Total enrollment: 753; contact: 704-403-1556, admissions@cabarruscollege.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 63/30 (49%); student/ faculty ratio: 8/1; total cost: $33,162; average financial aid awarded: $5,608; graduation rate: 45%; undergraduate male/female: 9%/91%; diverse students: 49%

CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY

BUIES CREEK, CAMPBELL.EDU

Total enrollment: 5,115; contact: 800-334-4111,admissions@campbell.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 3,680/3,459 (94%); student/faculty ratio: 13/1; total cost: $63,711; average financial aid awarded: $28,179; retention/graduation rate: 75%/56%; undergraduate male/ female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 42%

CAROLINA

CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

WINSTON-SALEM, CAROLINA.EDU

Total enrollment: 74; contact: 336-744-0900; student/faculty ratio: 5/1; total cost: $33,753; average financial aid awarded: $6,339; retention rate: 17%; undergraduate male/ female: 89%/11%; diverse students: 98%

CAROLINA COLLEGE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

FAYETTEVILLE, CCBS.EDU

Total enrollment: 173; contact: 910-323-5614, admissions@ccbs.edu; student/faculty ratio: 4/1; total cost: $24,267**; average financial aid awarded: $5,204; graduation rate: 22%; undergraduate male/ female: 56%/44%; diverse students: 65%

CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

WINSTON-SALEM, CAROLINAU.EDU

Total enrollment: 893; contact:336-725-8344, admissions@carolinau.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 547/186 (34%); student/ faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost: $34,200; average financial aid awarded: $10,244; retention/ graduation rate: 56%/29%; undergraduate male/female: 58%/42%; diverse students: 64%

CATAWBA COLLEGE

SALISBURY, CATAWBA.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,241; contact: 800-CATAWBA, 704-637-4402, admission@catawba.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 2,547/1,986 (78%); student/faculty ratio: 12/1; total cost: $50,799; average financial aid awarded: $27,098; retention/graduation rate: 73%/52%; undergraduate male/ female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 45%

CHAMBERLAIN UNIVERSITY NORTH CAROLINA

CHARLOTTE, CHAMBERLAIN.EDU

Total enrollment: 216; contact: 877-751-5783; freshman applicants/accepted: 3/2 (67%); student/ faculty ratio: 9/1; total cost: $42,634; average financial aid awarded: $4,601; undergraduate male/ female: 10%/90%; diverse students: 70%

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

AND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTECHRISTIAN. EDU

Total enrollment: 82; contact: 704-334-6882, admissions@charlottechristian.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 3/1; total cost: $37,159; average financial aid awarded: $3,179; undergraduate male/ female: 44%/56%; diverse students: 89%

CHOWAN UNIVERSITY

MURFREESBORO, CHOWAN.EDU

Total enrollment: 708; contact: 888-4-CHOWAN, 252-398-6500, admissions@chowan.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 2,360/1,699 (72%); student/ faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost: $39,580; average financial aid awarded: $20,710; retention/ graduation rate: 57%/29%; undergraduate male/ female: 62%/38%; diverse students: 72%

DAVIDSON COLLEGE

DAVIDSON, DAVIDSON.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,904; contact: 800-7680380, admission@davidson.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 7,347/1,028 (14%); student/faculty ratio: 9/1; total cost: $79,475; average financial aid awarded: $47,489; retention/graduation rate: 95%/92%; undergraduate male/female: 47%/53%; diverse students: 39%

DUKE UNIVERSITY

DURHAM, DUKE.EDU

Total enrollment: 17,112; contact: 919-6843214, undergrad-admissions@duke.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 46,365/ 3,245 (7%); student/ faculty ratio: 6/1; total cost: $87,072; average financial aid awarded: $53,004; retention/graduation rate: 96%/96%; undergraduate male/ female: 46%/54%; diverse students: 64%

ECPI UNIVERSITY

CHARLOTTE, GREENSBORO, RALEIGH, ECPI.EDU

Contact: 704-751-4558 (Charlotte campus), 336-792-7594 (Greensboro campus), 919-5710057 (Raleigh campus); total cost: $30,736**

ELON UNIVERSITY

ELON, ELON.EDU

Total enrollment: 7,207; contact: 336-278-3566, admissions@elon.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 18,791/12,589 (67%); student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $62,514; average financial aid awarded: $16,594; retention/graduation rate: 90%/83%; undergraduate male/female: 41%/59%; diverse students: 22%

GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY

BOILING SPRINGS, GARDNER-WEBB.EDU

Total enrollment: 3,125; contact: 704-4062550, admissions@gardner-webb.edu; freshman applicants/accepted:4,670/4,062 (87%); student/ faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $47,620; average financial aid awarded: $26,288; retention/ graduation rate: 69%/62%; undergraduate male/ female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 50%

GREENSBORO COLLEGE

GREENSBORO, GREENSBORO.EDU

Total enrollment: 898; contact: 336-272-7102, admissions@greensboro.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 3,143/2,891 (92%); student/ faculty ratio: 10/1; total cost: $36,845; average financial aid awarded: $20,620; retention/graduation rate: 63%/41%; undergraduate male/female: 58%/42%; diverse students: 60%

GUILFORD COLLEGE

GREENSBORO, GUILFORD.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,208; contact: 336-316-2000, admission@guilford.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 3,775/3,171 (84%); student/faculty ratio: 12/1; total cost: $57,010; average financial aid awarded: $31,860; retention/graduation rate: 66%/48%; undergraduate male/female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 55%

HERITAGE BIBLE COLLEGE

DUNN, HERITAGEBIBLECOLLEGE.EDU

Total enrollment: 33; contact: 910-892-3178, ext. 236, gthomas17@heritagebiblecollege.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 2/1; total cost: $24,868**; average financial aid awarded: $4,614; graduation rate: 40%; undergraduate male/ female: 43%/57%; diverse students: 54%

HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY

HIGH POINT, HIGHPOINT.EDU

Total enrollment: 6,052; contact: 800-3456993, 336-841-9000, admiss@highpoint.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 15,625/12,031 (77%); student/faculty ratio: 17/1; total cost: $66,420; average financial aid awarded: $24,881; retention/graduation rate: 84%/70%; undergraduate male/ female: 45%/55%; diverse students: 24%

JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY

CHARLOTTE, JWU.EDU/CAMPUSES/ CHARLOTTE

Total enrollment: 1,128; contact: 866-598-2427, 980-598-1100,charlotte@admissions.jwu.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 4,677/3,507 (75%); student/faculty ratio: 12/1; total cost: $59,010; average financial aid awarded: $24,651; retention/graduation rate: 64%/52%; undergraduate male/ female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 66%

JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY

CHARLOTTE, JCSU.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,102; contact: 704-378-1010, admissions@jcsu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted:4,273/1,837(43%); student/ faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $35,944; average financial aid awarded: $14,694; retention/ graduation rate: 63%/34%; undergraduate male/female: 49%/51%; diverse students: 99%

LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE

BANNER ELK, LMC.EDU

Total enrollment: 839; contact: 828-898-5241, admissions@lmc.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,787/1,447 (81%); student/faculty ratio: 10/1; total cost: $49,890; average financial aid awarded: $18,773; retention/graduation rate: 62%/44%; undergraduate male/female: 33%/67%; diverse students: 26%

LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY

ASHEVILLE, HICKORY, LR.EDU

Total enrollment: 2,230; contact: 828-328-1741, morgan.logan@lr.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 6,299/5,102 (81%); student/faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost: $48,410; average financial aid awarded: $32,624; retention/graduation rate: 71%/51%; undergraduate male/female: 45%/55%; diverse students: 38%

LIVING ARTS COLLEGE

RALEIGH, LIVING-ARTS-COLLEGE.EDU

otal enrollment: 203; contact: 919-488-8504, info@living-arts-college.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 58/27 (47%); student/ faculty ratio: 6/1; total cost: $31,782; average financial aid awarded: $7,123; retention/ graduation rate: 57%/46%; undergraduate male/female: 45%/55%; diverse students: 74%

LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE

SALISBURY, LIVINGSTONE.EDU

Total enrollment: 814; contact: 800-835-3435, 704-216-6001, admissions@livingstone.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 4,748/3,513 (74%); student/faculty ratio: 13/1; total cost: $28,390; average financial aid awarded: $25,980; retention/ graduation rate: 78%/27%; undergraduate male/ female: 59%/41%; diverse students: 99%

LOUISBURG COLLEGE

LOUISBURG, LOUISBURG.EDU

Total enrollment: 413; contact: 919- 4962521, admissions@louisburg.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 830/266 (32%); student/ faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost: $38,979; average financial aid awarded: $10,587; retention/ graduation rate: 48%/39%; undergraduate male/female: 74%/26%; diverse students: 77%

MANNA UNIVERSITY

FAYETTEVILLE, MANNA.EDU

Total enrollment: 230; contact: 910-221-2224, admissions@manna.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 20/20 (100%); student/faculty ratio: 10/1; total cost: $35,540; average financial aid awarded: $3,601; retention/graduation rate: 60%/69%; undergraduate male/female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 56%

MARS HILL UNIVERSITY

MARS HILL, MHU.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,049 contact: 919-7608581, admissions@meredith.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,563/1,172(75%); student/faculty ratio: 10/1; total cost: $50,497; average financial aid awarded: $31,627; retention/graduation rate: 81%/65%; undergraduate male/female: 51%/49%; diverse students: 37%

MEREDITH COLLEGE

RALEIGH, MEREDITH.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,576; contact: 919-7608581, admissions@meredith.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 1,706/1,194(70%); student/faculty ratio: 10/1; total cost: $59,546; average financial aid awarded: $27,823; retention/ graduation rate: 81%/65%; undergraduate male/female: 0%/100%; diverse students: 38%

METHODIST UNIVERSITY

FAYETTEVILLE, METHODIST.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,768; contact: 800-6307027, 910-630-7000,lcannady@methodist.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 2,738/2,053 (75%); student/faculty ratio: 9/1; total cost: $57,300; average financial aid awarded: $25,655; retention/ graduation rate: 65%/40%; undergraduate male/female: 55%/45%; diverse students: 54%

MID-ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

ELIZABETH CITY, MACUNIVERSITY. EDU

Total enrollment: 177; contact: 252-334-2000, admissions@macuniversity.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 290/220 (76%); student/ faculty ratio: 9/1; total cost: $33,800; average financial aid awarded: $6,952; retention/ graduation rate: 48%/43%; undergraduate male/ female: 66%/34%; diverse students: 46%

MILLER-MOTTE COLLEGE

FAYETTEVILLE, MILLER-MOTTE.EDU

Total enrollment: 169; contact: 910-7597693; total cost: $7,358**; average financial aid awarded: $5,130; student/faculty ratio: 11/1; retention/ graduation rate: 75%/62%; undergraduate male/ female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 86%

MILLER-MOTTE COLLEGE

JACKSONVILLE, MILLER-MOTTE.EDU

Total enrollment: 187; contact: 910-320-8517; total cost: $60,624**;average financial aid awarded: $5,775; student/faculty ratio: 10/1; retention/graduation rate: 90%/59%; undergraduate male/ female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 52%

MILLER-MOTTE COLLEGE

RALEIGH, MILLER-MOTTE.EDU

Total enrollment: 214; contact: 919-855-2506; total cost: $60,624**; average financial aid awarded: $4,405; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; retention/ graduation rate: 63%/59%; undergraduate male/ female: 51%/49%; diverse students: 89%

MILLER-MOTTE COLLEGE

WILMINGTON, MILLER-MOTTE.EDU

Total enrollment: 152; contact: 910-6325542; student/faculty ratio: 18/1; total cost: $60,624**; average financial aid awarded: $4,405; graduation rate: 19%; undergraduate male/female: 7%/93%; diverse students: 68%

MONTREAT COLLEGE

MONTREAT, BLACK MOUNTAIN, MONTREAT.EDU

Total enrollment: 932; contact: 828-6698012, admissions@montreat.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 2,154/1,422 (66%); student/ faculty ratio: 12/1; total cost: $47,290; average financial aid awarded: $19,029; retention/ graduation rate: 62%/41%; undergraduate male/female: 54%/46%; diverse students: 39%

NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE

ROCKY MOUNT, NCWC.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,345; contact: 252-985-5200, 800-488-6292, admissions@ncwc.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 2,417/1885 (78%); student/ faculty ratio: 13/1; total cost: $50,830; average financial aid awarded: $22,983; retention/ graduation rate: 65%/40%; undergraduate male/ female: 49%/51%; diverse students: 76%

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

CHARLOTTE, ONLINE, NORTHEASTERN. EDU/CHARLOTTE

Total enrollment: 31,159; contact: 980.224.8467, charlotte@northeastern.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 96,631/5,798 (6%); student/ faculty ratio: 16/1; total cost: $84,731; average financial aid awarded: $34,044; retention/ graduation rate: 98%/90%; undergraduate male/ female: 44%/56%; diverse students: 60%

PFEIFFER UNIVERSITY

MISENHEIMER, CHARLOTTE, RALEIGH DURHAM, PFEIFFER.EDU

Total enrollment: 954; contact: 800-338-2060, admissions@pfeiffer.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,637/1,555 (95%); student/faculty ratio: 14/1; total cost: $48,950; average financial aid awarded: $25,232; retention/graduation rate: 68%/43%; undergraduate male/female: 52%/48%; diverse students: 41%

QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE

CHARLOTTE, QUEENS.EDU

Total enrollment: 1,846; contact: 704-337-2200, admissions@queens.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 4,357/2,962 (68%); student/faculty ratio: 9/1; total cost: $67,390; average financial aid awarded: $28,922; retention/graduation rate: 76%/66%; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 48%

SAINT AUGUSTINE’S UNIVERSITY

RALEIGH, ST-AUG.EDU

Total enrollment: 943; contact: 919-516-4012, 919-516-4018, admissions@st-aug.edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 3,160/1,864 (59%); student/ faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $33,777; average financial aid awarded: $11,451; retention/ graduation rate: 53%/33%; undergraduate male/ female: 49%/51% diverse students: 95%

SALEM COLLEGE

WINSTON-SALEM, SALEM.EDU

Total enrollment: 519; contact: 336-721-2600, salem@salem.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,951/1,697 (87%); student/faculty ratio: 7/1; total cost: $52,368; average financial aid awarded: $24,275; retention/graduation rate: 67%/56%; undergraduate male/female: 1%/99%; diverse students: 59%

SHAW UNIVERSITY

RALEIGH, SHAWU.EDU

Total enrollment: 962; admissions contact: 800-214-6683, 919-546-8275, admissions@shawu. edu; freshman applicants/accepted: 10,699/3,209 (30%); student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $30,856; average financial aid awarded: $14,185; retention/ graduation rate: 56%/20%; undergraduate male/ female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 97%

SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Total enrollment: 2,926; contact: 919-761-2324, admissions@sebts.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 124/95 (77%); student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $22,632; average financial aid awarded: $8,185; retention/graduation rate: 82%/46%; undergraduate male/female: 58%/42%; diverse students: 21%

SOUTHEASTERN FREE WILL BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE WENDELL, SFWBC.EDU

Total enrollment: 74; contact: 919-365-7711, info@sfwbc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 8/1; total cost: $21,203; average financial aid awarded: $5,619; retention/ graduation rate: 93%/55%; undergraduate male/female: 55%/45%; diverse students: 8%

ST. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY LAURINBURG, SA.EDU

Total enrollment: 832; contact: 910-277-5555, admissions@sa.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: N/A; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; total cost: $51,386 average financial aid awarded: $18,206; retention/graduation rate: 51%/27%; undergraduate male/female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 74%

STRAYER UNIVERSITY NORTH CAROLINA

CHARLOTTE, CONCORD, GREENSBORO, HUNTERSVILLE, MORRISVILLE, RALEIGH, STRAYERUNIVERSITY.EDU

Total enrollment: 3,112; contact: Greensboro –336-315-7800, virtualadvising@strayer.edu, North Charlotte campus – 704-886-6500, South Charlotte campus – 704-499-9200; North Raleigh campus – 919-301-6500; South Raleigh campus –919-890-7500; student/faculty ratio: 27/1; total cost: $25,158**; average financial aid awarded: $6,145; retention/gradudation rate 29%/17%; undergraduate male/female: 19%/81%; diverse students: 78%

UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE

MOUNT OLIVE, DURHAM, GOLDSBORO,

SMITHFIELD, UMO.EDU

Total enrollment: 2,128; contact:800-653-0854, admissions@umo.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,748/1,363 (78%); student/faculty ratio: 19/1; total cost: $40,512; average financial aid awarded: $13,445; retention/graduation rate: 77%/47%; undergraduate male/female: 32%/68%; diverse students: 48%

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY

WINSTON-SALEM, WFU.EDU

Total enrollment: 9,121; contact: 336.758.5201, admissions@wfu.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 17,479/3,845 (22%); student/faculty ratio: 9/1; total cost: $87,556; average financial aid awarded: $46,077; retention/graduation rate: 95%/91%; undergraduate male/female: 45%/55%; diverse students: 36%

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE SWANNANOA, WARREN-WILSON.EDU

Total enrollment: 797; contact: 800-934-3536, admit@warren-wilson.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 943/735 (78%); student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $56,980; average financial aid awarded: $28,822; retention/ graduation rate: 70%/43%; undergraduate male/female: 33%/67%; diverse students: 23%

WATTS COLLEGE OF NURSING DURHAM, WATTSSCHOOLOFNURSING.ORG

Total enrollment: 134; contact: 919-470-7348, wconinfo@duke.edu; student/faculty ratio: 11/1; total cost: $21,822; average financial aid awarded: $6,201; undergraduate male/female: 19%/81%; diverse students: 45%

WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY

DURHAM, ONLINE, WGU.EDU/NORTHCAROLINA

Total enrollment: 5,975 (NC); contact: 866903-0109; student/faculty ratio: 42/1; total cost: $17,600**; average financial aid awarded: $4,580; retention/ graduation rate: 62%/53%; undergraduate male/ female: 38%/52%/10% no response; diverse students: 41%

WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY

RALEIGH, PEACE.EDU

Total enrollment: 730; contact: 919-508-2214, admissions@peace.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 1,286/1,247 (97%); student/faculty ratio: 12/1; total cost: $49,833; average financial aid: $22,768; retention/graduation rate: 61%/44%; undergraduate male/female: 48%/52%; diverse students: 48%

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

WINGATE, CHARLOTTE, HENDERSONVILLE, WINGATE.EDU

Total enrollment: 3,322; contact: 704-233-8200, admit@wingate.edu; freshman applicants/ accepted: 21,210/18,028 (85%); student/ faculty ratio: 15/1; total cost: $58,972; average financial aid: $35,704; retention/graduation rate: 67%/47%; undergraduate male/female: 42%/58%; diverse students: 59%

UNC System Admission Rates

NC State Talley Student Union

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Enrollment for fall of 2023.

ALAMANCE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BURLINGTON, GRAHAM, ALAMANCECC.EDU

Enrollment: 3,739; contact: 336-506-4270 , admissions@alamancecc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 49%

ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ARDEN, ASHEVILLE, CANDLER, MARSHALL, WOODFIN, ABTECH.EDU

Enrollment: 6,297; contact: 828-398-7900, admissions@abtech.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 29%

BEAUFORT COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WASHINGTON, BEAUFORTCCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,785; contact: 252-940-6237, admissions@beaufortccc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 8/1; undergraduate male/female: 34%/66%; diverse students: 49%

BLADEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DUBLIN, BLADENCC.EDU

Enrollment: 990; contact: 910-879-5584, bccadvising@bladencc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 8/1; undergraduate male/female: 32%/68%; diverse students: 57%

BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BREVARD, FLAT ROCK, HENDERSONVILLE, BLUERIDGE.EDU

Enrollment: 2,822; contact: Transylvania County campus — 828-883-2520, Henderson County campus — 828-694-1800, advising@blueridge. edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 28%

BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BOLIVIA, LELAND, SOUTHPORT, SUPPLY, BRUNSWICKCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,845; contact: 910-755-7320, OneStop@ brunswickcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 31%

CALDWELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE

BOONE, HUDSON, CCCTI.EDU

Enrollment: 3,764; contact: Caldwell campus — 828-726-2200, Watauga campus — 828-297-3811, ccctiadmissions@cccti.edu; student/faculty ratio: 15/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 23%

CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BURGAW, CASTLE HAYNE, HAMPSTEAD, WILMINGTON, CFCC.EDU

Enrollment: 14,119; contact: 910-362-7000, admissions@cfcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 47%/53%; diverse students: 33%

CARTERET COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MOREHEAD CITY, CARTERET.EDU

Enrollment: 1,579; contact: 252-222-6000, johnsona@email.carteret.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 34%/66%; diverse students: 23%

CATAWBA VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CONOVER, HICKORY, NEWTON, TAYLORSVILLE, CVCC.EDU

Enrollment: 4,413; contact: 828-327-7000, ext. 4216, admissions@cvcc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 45%/55%; diverse students: 36%

CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DUNN, LILLINGTON, PITTSBORO, SANFORD, SILER CITY, CCCC.EDU

Enrollment: 5,574; contact: Chatham County — 919-542-6495, Harnett County — 910-893-9101, Lee County — 919-775-5401; admissions@cccc. edu; student/ faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/ female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 50%

CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CHARLOTTE, HUNTERSVILLE, MATTHEWS, CPCC.EDU

Enrollment: 18,446; contact: 704-330-2722, navigate@cpcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 15/1; undergraduate male/female: 42%/58%; diverse students: 60%

CLEVELAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SHELBY, CLEVELANDCC.EDU

Enrollment:1,890; contact: 704-669-4081, admissions@clevelandcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 15/1; undergraduate male/female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 30%

COASTAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

JACKSONVILLE, COASTALCAROLINA. EDU

Enrollment: 3,457; contact: 910-938-6394, admissions@coastalcarolina.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 42%

COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE BARCO, EDENTON, ELIZABETH CITY, MANTEO, ALBEMARLE.EDU

Enrollment: 2,582; contact: 252-335-0821, ext. 0, admissions@albemarle.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 39%

CRAVEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

HAVELOCK, NEW BERN, CRAVENCC. EDU

Enrollment: 2,713; contact: New Bern campus — 252-638-7200, Havelock campus — 252-4446005; admissions@cravencc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 41%/59%; diverse students: 40%

DAVIDSON-DAVIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BERMUDA RUN, LEXINGTON, MOCKSVILLE, THOMASVILLE, DAVIDSONDAVIE.EDU

Enrollment: 3,959; contact: 336-249-8186, admissions@davidsondavie.edu; student/faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 34%

DURHAM TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DURHAM, HILLSBOROUGH, DURHAMTECH.EDU

Enrollment: 4,354; contact: 919-536-7200, admissions@durhamtech.edu; student/faculty ratio: 7/1; undergraduate male/female: 40%/60%; diverse students: 70%

EDGECOMBE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ROCKY MOUNT, TARBORO, EDGECOMBE.EDU

Enrollment: 1,036; contact: 252-823-5166, admissions@edgecombe.edu; student/faculty ratio: 10/1; undergraduate male/female: 21%/79%; diverse students: 69%

FAYETTEVILLE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

FAYETTEVILLE, FORT BRAGG, SPRING LAKE, FAYTECHCC.EDU

Enrollment: 10,877; contact: 910-678-8400, admissions@faytechcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 17/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 66%

FORSYTH TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

KERNERSVILLE, KING, WALNUT COVE, WINSTON-SALEM, FORSYTHTECH.EDU

Enrollment: 8,716; contact: 336-723-0371, mtodd@ forsythtech.edu; student/faculty ratio: 11/1; undergraduate male/female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 58%

GASTON COLLEGE

BELMONT, DALLAS, LINCOLNTON, GASTON.EDU

Enrollment: 5,871; contact: 704-922-6200, admissions@gaston.edu; student/faculty ratio: 15/1; undergraduate male/female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 62%

GUILFORD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COLFAX, GREENSBORO, HIGH POINT, JAMESTOWN, GTCC.EDU

Enrollment: 10,443; contact: 336-334-4822, ext. 0, admissions@gtcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 18/1; undergraduate male/female: 41%/59%; diverse students: 63%

HALIFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WELDON, HALIFAXCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,013; contact: 252-536-2551, asquire@halifaxcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 11/1; undergraduate male/female: 33%/67%; diverse students: 67%

HAYWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CLYDE, HAYWOOD.EDU

Enrollment: 1,260; contact: 828-627-4500, enrollment@haywood.edu; student/faculty ratio: 7/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 18%

ISOTHERMAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COLUMBUS, RUTHERFORDTON, SPINDALE, ISOTHERMAL.EDU

Enrollment: 1,810; contact: 828-286-3636, admissions@isothermal.edu; student/faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 28%

JAMES SPRUNT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

KENANSVILLE, JAMESSPRUNT.EDU

Enrollment: 1,376; contact: 910-275-6360, wedwards@jamessprunt.edu; student/faculty ratio: 9/1; undergraduate male/female: 34%/66%; diverse students: 58%

JOHNSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CLAYTON, FOUR OAKS, SMITHFIELD, JOHNSTONCC.EDU

Enrollment: 4,680; contact: 919-209-2128, jccadmissions@johnstoncc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 40%

LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

KINSTON, LA GRANGE, PINK HILL, SNOW HILL, TRENTON, LENOIRCC. EDU

Enrollment: 2,387; contact: 252-527-6223, cesutton12@lenoircc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 10/1; undergraduate male/female: 35%/65%; diverse students: 51%

MARTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WILLIAMSTON, WINDSOR, MARTINCC. EDU

Enrollment: 819; contact: 252-792-1521, admissions@martincc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 11/1; undergraduate male/female: 35%/65%; diverse students: 49%

MAYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BURNSVILLE, NEWLAND, SPRUCE

PINE, MAYLAND.EDU

Enrollment: 863; contact: 828-765-7351, admissions@mayland.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 44%/56%; diverse students: 14%

MCDOWELL TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MARION, MCDOWELLTECH.EDU

Enrollment: 1,203; contact: 828-652-6021, admissions@go.mcdowelltech.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 40%/60%; diverse students: 34%

MITCHELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MOORESVILLE, STATESVILLE, MITCHELLCC.EDU

Enrollment: 3,617; contact: 704-878-3200, janderson@mitchellcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 41%/59%; diverse students: 32%

MONTGOMERY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

TROY, MONTGOMERY.EDU

Enrollment: 1,085; contact: 910-898- 9600, hurleyj1472@montgomery.edu.; student/ faculty ratio: 5/1; undergraduate male/female: 47%/53%; diverse students: 48%

NASH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ROCKY MOUNT, NASHCC.EDU

Enrollment: 2,425; contact: 252-451-8263, admissions@nashcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 20/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 52%

PAMLICO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BAYBORO, GRANTSBORO, PAMLICOCC.EDU

Enrollment: 379; contact: 252-249-1851, ext. 3014, cwarner@pamlicocc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 4/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 45%

PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ROXBORO, YANCEYVILLE, PIEDMONTCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,250; contact: Person County — 336- 599-1181, Caswell County — 336-6945707, admissions@piedmontcc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 40%

PITT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WINTERVILLE, PITTCC.EDU

Enrollment: 7,371; contact: 252-493-7232, pittadm@email.pittcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 52%diverse students: 51%

RANDOLPH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ASHEBORO, RANDOLPH.EDU

Enrollment: 2,648; contact: 336-633-0200, rccreg@randolph.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 36%/64%; diverse students: 37%

RICHMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

HAMLET, LAURINBURG, RICHMONDCC. EDU

Enrollment: 2,411; contact: main campus — 910410-1700, Scotland County campus —910-4101831; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/ female: 34%/66%; diverse students: 58%

ROANOKE-CHOWAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

AHOSKIE, ROANOKECHOWAN.EDU

Enrollment: 591; contact: 252-862-1248,admissions@roanokechowan.edu; student/faculty ratio: 10/1; undergraduate male/ female: 33%/67%; diverse students: 73%

ROBESON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

LUMBERTON, ROBESON.EDU

Enrollment: 1,989; contact: 910-272-3342, erevels@robeson.edu; student/faculty ratio: 16/1; undergraduate male/female: 28%/72%; diverse students: 80%

ROCKINGHAM COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WENTWORTH, ROCKINGHAMCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,777; contact: 336-342-4261, ext. 2333, admissions@rockinghamcc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 37%

ROWAN-CABARRUS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CONCORD, KANNAPOLIS, SALISBURY, RCCC.EDU

Enrollment: 6,862; contact: 704-216-7222, admissions@rccc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 49%

SAMPSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CLINTON, SAMPSONCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,680; contact: 910-900-4008, aelmore@sampsoncc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 32%/68%; diverse students: 57%

SANDHILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

PINEHURST, CARTHAGE, RAEFORD, ROBBINS, SANDHILLS.EDU

Enrollment: 3,842; contact: 910-695-3725, sccadmissions@sandhills.edu; student/faculty ratio: 13/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 47%

SOUTHEASTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WHITEVILLE, SCCNC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,379; contact: 910-788-6247, admission@sccnc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 35%/65%; diverse students: 46%

SOUTH PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MONROE, POLKTON, WADESBORO, SPCC.EDU

Enrollment: 3,548; contact: L.L. Polk campus — 704-272-5300, Lockhart-Taylor Center — 704-2725400, Old Charlotte Highway campus — 704-2905100, recruitment@spcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 17/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 48%

SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SYLVA, SOUTHWESTERNCC.EDU

Enrollment: 2,109; contact: 800-447-4091 ext. 4325,828-339-4352,admissions@southwesterncc. edu; student/faculty ratio: 11/1; undergraduate male/female: 37%/63%; diverse students: 27%

STANLY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ALBEMARLE, LOCUST, STANLY.EDU

Enrollment: 2,527; contact: Albemarle campus –704-991-0123, Crutchfi eld Education Center –704-991-0121, admissions@stanly.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 10/1; undergraduate male/ female:30%/70%; diverse students: 34%

SURRY

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DOBSON, ELKIN, MOUNT AIRY, PILOT MOUNTAIN, YADKINVILLE, SURRY.EDU

Enrollment: 2,758; contact: 336-386-3218, admissions@surry.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 39%/61%; diverse students: 30%

TRI-COUNTY

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MARBLE, MURPHY, ROBBINSVILLE, TRICOUNTYCC.EDU

Enrollment: 969; contact: 828-835-4213, admissions@tricountycc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 14/1; undergraduate male/female: 41%/59%; diverse students: 19%

VANCE-GRANVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CREEDMOOR, HENDERSON, LOUISBURG, WARRENTON, VGCC.EDU

Enrollment: 2,841; contact: 252-738-3327, admissions@vgcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 16/1; undergraduate male/female: 33%/67%; diverse students: 57%

WAKE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CARY, MORRISVILLE, RALEIGH, WAKE FOREST, WENDELL, ZEBULON, WAKETECH.EDU

Enrollment: 22,763; contact: 919-866-5420, admissions@waketech.edu; student/faculty ratio: 17/1; undergraduate male/female: 46%/54%; diverse students: 54%

WAYNE COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOLDSBORO, WAYNECC.EDU

Enrollment: 2,883; contact: 919-739-6720, 919-7396719, wcc-admissions@waynecc.edu; student/ faculty ratio: 12/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 48%

WESTERN PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MORGANTON, WPCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,791; contact: 828-448-3500, lsetzer2@wpcc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 11/1; undergraduate male/female: 38%/62%; diverse students: 29%

WILKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SPARTA, WEST JEFFERSON, WILKESBORO, WILKESCC.EDU

Enrollment: 2,405; contact:336-838-6509, mbstaley687@wilkescc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 8/1; undergraduate male/female: 43%/57%; diverse students: 21%

WILSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WILSON, WILSONCC.EDU

Enrollment: 1,751; contact: 252-291-1195,jgonyea@ wilsoncc.edu; student/faculty ratio: 9/1; undergraduate male/female: 34%/66%

Enrollment data compiled from National Center for Education Statistics, nces.ed.gov; contact info from college websites.

MBA PROGRAMS 2025

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY* Walker College of Business Sandra Vannoy Boone, online business.appstate.edu

BARTON COLLEGE School of Business

Ronald E. Eggers Wilson barton.edu/graduate/master-of-businessadministration/

CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY† Lundy-Fetterman School of Business Kevin O’Mara Buies Creek, Raleigh, online business.campbell.edu

CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Patterson School of Business James Mennie Winston-Salem, online business.carolinau.edu/

DUKE UNIVERSITY* Fuqua School of Business Mary Frances Luce Durham, global locations fuqua.duke.edu

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY* College of Business Michael Harris Greenville, online business.ecu.edu

ELON UNIVERSITY* Martha & Spencer Love School of Business Raghu Tadepalli Elon, Research Triangle Park elon.edu/u/academics/business/

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY* Broadwell College of Business and Economics Ulysses Taylor Fayetteville, online uncfsu.edu

GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY† Godbold School of Business

Mischia Taylor Boiling Springs, online gardner-webb.edu/programs/businessadministration-mba/

HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY Earl N. Phillips School of Business Daniel Hall High Point, online highpoint.edu/business/

LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY† Charles M. Snipes School of Business & Economics Craig Schreiber Asheville, Hickory, online lr.edu/business-administration-mba

MEREDITH COLLEGE* School of Business Kimberly Burke Raleigh meredith.edu/mba

MONTREAT COLLEGE School of Adult & Graduate Studies Paul Gratton Asheville, Charlotte, online montreat.edu/mba

N.C. A&T STATE UNIVERSITY* Wille A. Deese College of Business and Economics Joseph Huscroft Greensboro, online ncat.edu/cobe/mba/index.php

N.C. CENTRAL UNIVERSITY* School of Business

Anthony C. Nelson Durham, online nccu.edu/business

NC STATE UNIVERSITY* Jenkins Graduate School/Poole College of Management Frank Buckless Raleigh, RTP, online poole.ncsu.edu

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY D’Amore-McKim School of Business

David De Cremer Charlotte, online northeastern.edu/charlotte

PFEIFFER UNIVERSITY† Susan Luck Charlotte, online pfeiffer.edu/mba

QUEENS UNIVERSITY* McColl School of Business

ST. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY

Denise Rotondo Charlotte, online queens.edu/mba

Wayne Freeman Online sa.edu/master-of-business-administration/

STRAYER UNIVERSITY† Charlotte, Greensboro, Morrisville, Raleigh strayer.edu

UNC CHAPEL HILL* Kenan-Flagler Business School Mary Margaret Frank Chapel Hill, Charlotte, online kenan-flagler.unc.edu

UNC CHARLOTTE* Belk College of Business Richard Buttimer Charlotte, online mba.uncc.edu

UNC GREENSBORO* Bryan School of Business and Economics Joy Bhadury Greensboro, online bryan.uncg.edu

UNC PEMBROKE* Thomas School of Business

Mohamed Djerdjouri Online uncp.edu/mba

UNC WILMINGTON* Cameron School of Business Robert Burrus Wilmington, online csb.uncw.edu/grad/index.html

UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE Robert L. Tillman School of Business Kathy Best Online umo.edu/mba

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY* School of Business

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY* College of Business

Sherry Moss Charlotte, Winston-Salem , online business.wfu.edu/mba

Angela “AJ” Grube Asheville, online wcu.edu

WINGATE UNIVERSITY Porter B. Byrum School of Business Sergio Castello Charlotte wingate.edu/graduate-programs/master-ofbusiness-administration

WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY School of Business Manju Bhat Online wssu.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/ college-of-business-entrepreneurship

Most popular UNC System master’s programs

(Total degrees awarded 2023-2024 school year/percent change)

Business……3,229 (-9.8%)

Health…….2,202 (1.4%)

Education…..2,029 (-7.8)

Computer/Info science…..1,344 (-9.5%)

Public administration…….1,182 (4.8%)

Engineering …… 1,032 (-2.4%)

Most popular UNC System doctoral programs

(Total degrees awarded 2023-2024 school year/percent change)

Health……1,077 (-5.2%)

Legal…….357 (11.2%)

Education…..331 (23%)

Engineering …… 298 (5.7%)

Biological/biomedical …… 224 (-18%)

Source: The University of North Carolina System

A NEW SCRIPT

A film and digital marketing veteran builds a Wilmington enterprise to train auto mechanics, construction workers and others.

By Maija Ehlinger

Robin Cowie made his mark in the entertainment/ media world, producing the indie classic film “The Blair Witch Project” in 1999 and later helping bring major video games like Madden NFL to life. Now, as the CEO of the Wilmington-based educational technology startup Skillmaker.AI, he is focused on shaping the future. Specifically, the future of work.

“I’ve been very blessed and very fortunate to have a great career in entertainment, but this is probably the most important thing that I’ve ever done in my life,” he says.

Skillmaker.AI is a workforce training platform using AIpowered extended reality technology for vocational training and skill development. The startup delivers “just-in-time” lessons for workers looking to break into or level up in automation, industrial, or construction sectors, each of which is facing critical labor shortages.

It is all about “helping skilled workers at scale,” Cowie says. The platform helps throughout the employment life cycle, from assessing new employees to accelerating learning paths and assisting with on-the-job training.

Skillmaker.AI now has a handful of employees, but Cowie is seeking $3 million to build out his team.

AI IS FOR HUMANS

Skillmaker.AI works with learning and development divisions of companies, which create educational content for employees. The software enables teams to gather data from various sources, build a searchable database and then turn that database into curated educational content and video curriculum.

“Think of it like a movie script,” Cowie says. Skillmaker.AI gives learning and development teams a “script,” which they can then use to create company-specific content, quizzes or interactive simulations.

Teams control the ultimate training offerings, ensuring that Skillmaker.AI content is vetted and compliant with company standards. “We’re trying to use AI to serve humans, and not the other way around,” Cowie adds.

Skillmaker.AI is looking to train workers who work in “critical infrastructure” jobs like energy, telecommunications and transportation.

“There is going to be a great reskilling of America,” given how quickly AI is changing many job descriptions and overall industries, Cowie says. “I think that putting AI into the hands of individuals is really important.”

[Skillmaker.AI] is all about “helping skilled workers at scale,” Cowie says.

THE FUTURE OF WORK, FROM THE BEACH

Originally from South Africa, Cowie says his father introduced him to the intersection of filmmaking and “point of view learning.” After earning a bachelor’s degree in motion picture technology at the University of Central Florida in 1993, he has worked for a variety of film and digital content production companies.

He was working at Haxan Films with fellow Central Florida grads Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick in 1999 when they developed “The Blair Witch Project.” (Cowie was a co-producer, while Sanchez and Myrick were the directors.) A $60,000 investment in the 1999 horror movie led to the highest-grossing independent film at the time, with box office receipts topping $250 million. It was among several motion pictures and television series that Cowie worked on during his 16 years at Haxan.

Cowie later moved to video game leader Electronic Arts and then, London-based HELO, where he was director of technology and worked on digital marketing programs for international brands including McDonald’s, Universal Studios and Amazon.

He ultimately became interested in “helping skilled workers at scale,” which prompted him to launch launch his company in 2023.

After stints in Los Angeles, Orlando, and London, Cowie and his family used the COVID pandemic to find a new home base. They spent months crisscrossing the United States, staying in AirBnbs and eventually choosing Wilmington over Santa Cruz, California.

Skillmaker.AI joins a variety of other tech startups in the Port City. "The startup community here in Wilmington is really cool," he says. "And the quality of life is pretty exceptional. It is a young energy that is really great."

North Carolina has quickly embraced Cowie. He was on stage in March at the popular Venture Connect venture capital conference in Raleigh. He won the audience vote in the AI & Machine Learning category.

In April, he spoke at the NAPA NOW conference in Las Vegas for NAPA Auto Care centers. He showcased Skillmaker.AI's technician educational work. The company has a partnership with NAPA for training auto technicians.

Traditional training methods for auto technicians can take from nine to 24 months. Skillmaker.AI says it cuts that training time down drastically.

“With our combination of virtual reality, mixed reality and smart glasses, [we] ultimately reduce the amount of time that it takes to go from zero to an entry level auto repair technician from two years to 25 days,” Cowie says. ■

▲ Cowie's experience on global brands positions his Wilmington-based startup for success.

A MORE PERFECT UNION

A mix of rural tranquility and big city employment options and amenities create Union County’s unique identity. The combination is attracting business and residential growth.

Union County is part of the growing CharlotteConcord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which counted nearly 2.9 million people in 2024. Monroe, its seat, had more than 37,000 residents in 2023, according to N.C. Office of State Budget and Management. “Union County is an incredible county,” says Monroe Mayor Robert Burns. “The people here are very friendly. They’re hardworking, and they’re family oriented. If I were to brag on anything, I’d brag on the people.”

That hustle and bustle contrasts Union County’s roots, which are firmly planted in agriculture. They deserve some bragging, too. Union produced the state’s most wheat in

2023 and fourth most turkeys in 2024, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. More than half of the county’s 404,347 acres were farmland in 2022, according to the latest USDA Census of Agriculture.

“This county is known for farming and large beautiful plots of land,” Burns says. “And agribusiness is very important to Monroe with the opportunities it creates for jobs.”

Beyond Monroe, Union County is dotted with smaller communities, from Hemby Bridge, whose population was 1,713 in 2023, to Stallings, which counted 17,438 residents that same year, up from 16,116 in 2020.

“Our county includes towns that are attracting new businesses and include emerging commercial centers, while

other communities offer suburban tranquility and convenient access to Charlotte’s urban amenities,” says Pat Kahle, whose 11-year run as president and CEO of Union County Chamber will end with her retirement in June. “Other areas of our county have a stronger rural vibe and offer country living, small town charm and wide-open spaces. Residents and visitors can enjoy Cane Creek Park, the Carolina Thread Trail, along with shopping in charming historic downtowns or attend a wide variety of community events and festivals.”

That expansive rural landscape surrounding an ever-evolving urban core is making Union County a top choice for businesses and residents.

“In the past decade, Union County’s

business community has grown tremendously and diversified greatly,” Kahle says. “While agriculture remains a cornerstone of our economy and the county remains the state’s third-largest agricultural producer, [it] also boasts a strong manufacturing community. In addition, Union County now includes a robust retail and commercial base, particularly in the western part of the county.”

Accelerated by the Monroe Expressway that opened in 2018, Union County’s expanding industrial base includes manufacturing, aerospace and pharmaceutical ventures. There are multiple higher education workforce development options through South Piedmont Community College, helping residents land better jobs and businesses meet their growing needs, along with

community-friendly downtowns.

“[Union has] a sense of community and ambiance that make it a special place to live, work and do business,” Kahle says. “One of the greatest strengths of Union County is the diversity of its 14 municipalities, each with its own unique identity.”

MEET MONROE

Burns was elected mayor in November 2023, when a tie vote forced a coin toss. He inherited a growing city. Toward the end of 2024, the city and county formed independent economic development offices, dissolving Monroe Union County Economic Development Commission in the process. “Union County is growing as a whole, and our efforts have to be about Monroe, so about September or October the county decided to do its own thing,” he says.

“No harm, no foul. With the growth Monroe has had, and having all its own resources — like water, sewer, police, fire — we have a lot of things we’re pushing. We have land and expansive property, and we’re not boxed in.”

Monroe’s municipal gas, electric, water and sewer operations are an incentive to prospective businesses. It serves about 12,000 electric customers with eight substations and 304 miles of power lines. As a public power provider accountable directly to its customers instead of shareholders, it has earned Reliable Public Power Provider Diamond designation from the American Public Power Association. “With Monroe having all its own resources, we have our destiny in our own hands,” Burns says.

City Manager Mark Watson calls Monroe a sustainable community. “Monroe is a place where businesses

can succeed and families can flourish,” he says. “Our strategic location just southeast of Charlotte positions us as a hub for industry, commerce and aviation. We take great pride in our parks, recreation and cultural assets, offering residents and visitors a high quality of life with vibrant community programs, green spaces and entertainment venues.”

Watson points to several city amenities. There’s the 88,000-squarefoot Aquatics and Fitness Center and five community centers, which host private parties, parks and recreation

Downtown Monroe includes retail shops, professional services, restaurants, entertainment and upper floor residential space. That mix creates opportunities for distinct cultural experiences.

leagues, and after-school programs.

Monroe Country Club’s course includes the last nine-hole course designed by golfing legend Donald Ross, and Monroe Science Center opened with 30 interactive exhibits in 2023.

Then there is the Dowd Center Theatre downtown, which opened in 1940. After years as a movie theater, it closed in 1991. After ownership and interior changes, the city purchased it in 2013. It was renovated again and opened as a multipurpose cultural, entertainment and community-events center in spring 2020.

Burns says Monroe’s downtown, which is south of busy U.S. 74, is growing stronger. “You can walk around, shop, get food, see what’s up on a Friday or Saturday night, and what makes it so authentic are the people,” he says. “They recognize you and talk to you. There are more lofts and living spaces, and it’s what people want — the younger generations and the older generations. That’s what we’re finding. It’s a snowball thing. [Monroe] will be more welcoming, more lively. All of that gateway [on 74 off of the expressway] is improving. There will be some kind of entertainment complex, more boutique stores, better parking. People are doing life in this city.”

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AIRPORT TAKING OFF

Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport is home to two flight schools and three private hangar complexes with two more on the way. It’s the state’s only general aviation airport that offers onsite U.S. Customs and Border Patrol service but no commercial flights. And it has become a landing zone for related companies.

“The aerospace cluster is comprised of companies that provide products and/or services to aviation around the world,” says Monroe Assistant City Manager Lisa Hollowell.

ATI Specialty Materials, an international supplier that serves customers in aerospace, defense and other markets, and UTC Aerospace Systems, one of the world’s largest providers of aerospace systems, avionics, interior systems and information management for commercial aircraft, are at the airport.

Burns says Monroe is one of the state’s top manufacturing cities, if not the top.

“And people don’t realize that,” he says. “One of our largest energy consumers is ATI, and they have city power and city natural gas. There are so many manufacturers that surround the airport. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, they want to bring planes in. Hangar space brings awareness to the airport.”

Monroe’s airport offers convenience beyond Customs services. “With the increased air traffic associated with Charlotte Douglas International Airport, many corporate aircraft wait in line with commercial flights then spend additional time moving around the ramps to arrive at the [fixed base operator for private aircraft],” Hollowell says. “In many cases, they can land [here] and be at their destination [in

Union County] before they’d arrive at the FBO in Charlotte.” The airport has been awarded federal discretionary funding through the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program for two major projects — apron rehabilitation in fiscal year 2026 and Taxiway A rehabilitation in fiscal year 2028. Both involve reinforcing pavement and hard-surfaced areas for loading, unloading, boarding and refueling,

Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport’s 7,001-foot runway is long enough for almost any corporate aircraft.

South Piedmont Community College helps Monroe County businesses fill their workforce needs. Those efforts are currently supporting the creation of almost 450 jobs, says Rachel Colquitt, SPCC’s vice president of marketing and communications. opening the door to larger corporate and private aircraft.

The Monroe Corporate Center is near the airport and two of South Piedmont Community College’s four campuses. It has room to add to its mix of local and international companies. “Monroe’s industrial base continues to expand with the Monroe Corporate Center,” Hollowell says. “As a recognized hub for the aerospace industry, Monroe has seen significant expansion in the [corporate] sector, closely aligning with the airport’s ongoing enhancements. The recently extended 7,001-foot runway and its 6,000-square-foot terminal provide a prime location for businesses seeking to land and store private jets, further solidifying Monroe’s position as a key destination for corporate aviation and industrial growth.”

WORKFORCE TRAINING UNDERWAY

Education partners and business leaders comprise Union County Chamber’s Workforce Development Task Force. Its efforts take several directions. “Existing partnerships have strengthened, and new collaborations have formed,” Kahle says. “Through these collaborations, the Chamber is working with South Piedmont Community College, Union County Public Schools and Wingate University to ensure our community’s education system aligns their programs with current and future career opportunities in our community.”

The Chamber’s most recent job fair, held at Union County Agricultural Center in April 2024, was its largest in recent history. More than 530 jobseekers had the opportunity to meet 83 employers. “Interpreters in Spanish and Russian were onsite as well as community organizations that provide services to overcome barriers to work like childcare, transportation and so on,” Kahle says. “In addition, the

Chamber expanded our 15 year old Make It in Union County Manufacturing Awareness program from one week to an entire month. The Chamber partnered with Union County Public Schools, SPCC and local manufacturers to engage almost 2,000 students with local manufacturers to learn about the good paying high demand career opportunities in our community.”

SPCC offers Business and Industry Training, a division comprised of its Corporate Education and Training, apprenticeships, and Small Business Center and Career Connector.

“Corporate Education is currently managing training projects valued at $2.6 million,” says Rachel Colquitt, SPCC vice president of marketing and communications. “We’re also supporting the creation of 448 new jobs across Union and Anson counties through current training initiatives. The progress is a direct result of strong partnerships between industry and community colleges, partnerships that serve as the foundation of a thriving skilled workforce pipeline.”

Corporate Training uses two pathways — state-funded NCEdge and customized training. Companies that have engaged with SPCC include ATI, Icon Aerospace, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, O’Neil Digital Solutions, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Goulston Technologies, ConMet and Decoreative Specialties. “A key theme among all our partners is building from within,” Colquitt says. “Many companies promote employees into supervisory roles, making leadership and soft-skills training a crucial component of workforce development. Our Customized Training Program ensures businesses can cultivate strong leaders while maintaining high-performance standards, supporting long-term success and economic resilience.”

Colquitt says Corporate Training is expected to serve 1,393 more participants this year. “Every program we offer is tied to a local workforce need,” she says. “Manufacturing and IT are in high demand, yes, but so, too, are our medical sciences and services programs, including nursing, medical assisting, EMS and one of our newer offerings surgical technology. We have the most highly respected sonography program in our region, and we field dozens of inquiries for this program each week. We have guaranteed

admission agreements with universities across the state, including our newest partner, UNC Charlotte. Through the 49erNext program, it is possible for South Piedmont graduates to transfer seamlessly to UNC Charlotte.”

Wingate University, a private fouryear school of 3,400 students east of Monroe, offers 37 undergraduate majors and 42 minors. The mostpopular fields of study are biology, psychology, exercise science, criminal justice and sports management. It also has nine master’s degrees and four doctoral programs. ■

— Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.