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MORE THAN JETS: SUMITOMO, SCOUT, JABIL PLOT BIG N.C. EXPANSIONS SOLAR SECTOR’S STRUGGLE | HIGH POINT’S MARSH DYNASTY | MOORE COUNTY’S SPURT BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA

JULY 2026

WHERE BUSINESS IS NEVER BORING

PERFECT LANDING JULY 2026

JetZero tops BNC’s annual list of the leading job-creating projects.

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JULY 2026

COVER STORY

UP FRONT

POWER LIST INTERVIEW

N.C. A&T State University Chancellor James Martin discusses the keys to success at the nation’s largest HBCU.

HORNER’S CORNER

Relationship building helps Carlie C’s IGA stores grow rapidly, mostly in small N.C. towns.

NC TREND

Cone Health’s new boss pledges a community-first strategy; Albemarle Boats stays afloat in choppy times; Titanic tragedy still sells; Vic’s Restaurant’s old-world charm.

SCENESETTERS

2026 NC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BNC’s ranking of the state’s top job-creating projects demonstrates a diversity of industries led by financial institutions, drug manufacturers, logistics companies and JetZero’s bold vision to disrupt the aviation industry. Also, successful economic development leaders are honored. BY LAWRENCE BIVINS, KEVIN ELLIS AND DAVID MILDENBERG

Photos from Business North Carolina’s events including the NC Manufacturing conference, the 2026 Power List Awards and the NC Leadership conference.

SANDHILLS ECONOMY

104 BRICK + MORTAR Adapting to a historic area in Asheville sets apart a purveyor of conformity.

28 ROUND TABLE: MANUFACTURING Technology transforms the state’s manufacturing sector, providing better pay and career opportunities.

70 RESEARCH NC A spotlight on research programs, innovation and achievements in the Tar Heel state.

COVE R PH OTO : J E T Z E R O

BY BRAD KING

SUN BURNS

Policies stripping incentives for solar power spark debate over how to meet surging energy demand. BY MIKE MACMILLAN

FAMILY RECIPE

94 COMMUNITY CLOSE UP: HIGH COUNTRY

After Hurricane Helene, the region found strength to bounce back through persistence and collaboration.

Golf remains the driver as Moore County builds on a broader economic base.

At 120 years old, Marsh Cabinet remains owned by its namesake family. Its “secret sauce” includes taking the long view. BY TUCKER MITCHELL

Start your day with business news from across the state, direct to your inbox.

July 2026, Vol. 46, No. 7 (ISSN 0279-4276). Business North Carolina is published monthly by Business North Carolina at 1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 308, Charlotte, NC 28208. Phone: 704-523-6987. All contents copyright © by Old North State Magazines LLC. Subscription rate: 1 year, $30. For change of address, send mailing label and allow six to eight weeks. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Business North Carolina, 1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 308, Charlotte, NC 28208 or email circulation@businessnc.com.

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UPFRONT

Ben Kinney VO L U M E 4 6 , N O. 7 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 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lawrence Bivins, Brad King, Tucker Mitchell, Mike MacMillan, Kristy Tolley, Rachel Simon, Harris Vaughan and Lori D.R. Wiggins CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Cathy Swaney

NEXT STAGES

MARKETING MANAGER

Mercy Clark

mclark@businessnc.com MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jennifer Ware

his month’s issue has a regular feature which I love. Our annual focus on the state’s top economic development projects is an excellent example of why our state is a great place to plant, expand, grow or relocate a business. This year’s rankings include the usual mix of manufacturers, financial services, life sciences and other industries that show a strong diversity of industries. There are a lot of factors involved in how we got to where we are, but one that stands out is our workforce. North Carolina is a leader in developing a qualified workforce for businesses. Our community college system provides an excellent model for investing in programs, talent and training to help recruit industry and jobs to our state. Speaking of workforce, last month I had a very interesting lunch with some folks. We were discussing this topic (which happens quite a bit with me), and the topic of trades came up. We all agreed that trade jobs in industries such as welding, electrical and plumbing were growing. There are still challenges in terms of the marketing of such things but that was being addressed in relevant manner through apprenticeship programs and higher pay at an earlier stage of one’s career. One aspect I brought up that probably needs to be addressed was the path from entryway to a trades career to the next stages of that career. Sure it’s great to get a high salary as one begins a career as a welder, but what happens next? What’s the next stage to being a manager or owner of your own company? What does our state do to encourage more entrepreneurship for these folks? Are there programs in place for this type of guidance? These are the questions we need to ask as North Carolina maintains its No. 1 place for business in various national rankings.

cswaney@businessnc.com

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

Cindy Poovey, western N.C. cpoovey@businessnc.com

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

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

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JAMES MARTIN

LIST INTERVIEW

with Nido Qubein

RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE Chancellor James Martin of N.C. A&T State University, 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.

hat attracted you to the Triad and to North Carolina and allowed you to step up to be the leader of A&T State University?

This has always been a special region. I have a strong sense of place. I was born in upstate South Carolina. I was very familiar with the Triad, and most of my career was at Virginia Tech. I was never too far away. I had a lot of exchange back and forth with this region, kept up with the economic development, kept up with higher education institutions, and I have lots of friends and relatives here. So I was always a part of this ecosystem and not too far away. This is a special time for higher education. It’s a special time for this region. It’s the right time, at the right place, to really represent the future. It’s an incredible place of purpose. It’s an incredible place of extraordinary talent and extraordinary possibility. I want it to be part of shaping the future.

James Martin became chancellor of N.C. A&T State University in 2024. The Greensboro institution is the largest U.S. Historically Black university with about 15,300 students, including 45% who live on campus. The university employs about 2,000 faculty and staff members. N.C. A&T has a research portfolio topping $350 million and is working to become the first public HBCU to attain Research 1 status under the Carnegie classification. Martin previously was vice chancellor for STEM Research and Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh. He also has been a chair of the civil engineering department at Clemson University, after spending most of his career as a professor and center director at Virginia Tech University. He has a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel and master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech.

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You say that it’s a special time for higher education. Everything we read says it is also a very difficult time. What makes you say this is a great time?

I think higher education is at a pivotal inflection point. If you look back right after the post-Civil War period in the 1860s, this country had to pull itself together to meet the challenges of a war-torn country, but also the challenges of the Industrial Age. We did that through access to higher education. We had land-grant institutions that we established in all the states. A&T is a land-grant established in 1891. There are usually one or two per state, and they were based on land allocations to be a state university that is focused on agricultural and mechanical work. They usually are a big, strong anchor for each state. It has a specific mission to really look at economic development across the state. People looked at the anchor institutions to get this country accelerated into the Industrial Age. Do land-grant universities have a responsibility for access?

Absolutely. That is a big part of the original idea of land-grant institutions. When they were established in the 1860s, we were not the greatest economy. Great Britain had the largest economy. By providing access to hundreds of thousands of people across this country, we became the world’s greatest economy, tied with Great Britain in 1890. And so that worked. If we fast-forward about 80 years, we look at World War II. That was a big challenge for the entire world. We faced lots of threats. We had to meet the challenges of global conflict. We had the GI Bill, which allowed 10 million Americans to experience post-secondary education. We had 20 million women that entered the workforce between 1950 and 1980. We had the National Defense Education Act in the 1950s. We had a lot of innovation and a lot of production that allowed us to be the big dog on the block. That was about 80 years after the Civil War. The result was a higher standard of living for Americans. What’s really incredible about that time period is we grew economically and we grew militarily. We took off as the world’s superpower, both economically and militarily.

Now we’re about 80 years again. And we’re at an inflection point. Others are catching up with us a little bit. We invented the best higher education system in the world. We invented innovation. We invented how to invest in national research platforms. We won the space race. It is important that we understand what’s different about this time period is that others are catching up to us. We’re not as far ahead as we used to be in those other time periods, so it’s important for higher education to really double down. So there’s a role for higher education to step up and make a difference to move us onward and upward.

It’s about investing. We really do have to increase access to more people. We do have to be more relevant. If you look at polling, people want to be closer to their universities. They want to not only have greater access. I think, for higher education to continue to evolve, to be relevant, [we need] to also look at lifelong engagement. We can’t just look at 18- to 23-year-olds. We’re going to have to look at evolving and connecting, being platforms for upward mobility for 60, 70 years over a career. It’s a great time. So, you’re not bothered much about the relevance of higher education. And furthermore, you are not as bothered that artificial intelligence will play a significant role in replacing what is needed to resource companies and industries that would otherwise depend on students from colleges and universities?

We live in a world of dynamic change. None of us know of the implications of AI. I am concerned that we’re not acting urgently enough to be relevant in higher education to make sure that we maintain affordability, and maintain relevance. But as far as AI, if we look at all the Promethean moments, every time we have introduced a major technology, it has created more opportunities than jobs that were lost. Artificial intelligence is not going to take our jobs. It’s people that can use and leverage artificial intelligence that are going to take jobs. The bottom line is to have people, students and citizenry that are exposed to that technology to be able to use it, leverage it, connect together, and innovate using artificial intelligence. There is a world of incredible possibility there. What does higher education have to do to retain its relevance and to create some degree of distinction?

We’ve gone through this period, especially over the last 35 or 40 years, where we’re talking about rankings and comparisons. I think in some ways, we have gotten away from the individualism and the unique strengths of our regions. We have to connect and be closer to our universities. One example is we have to stop looking at what higher education has always been [focused on] 18 to 23 or 24-year-olds. We have to engage people before they get to college. We have to have different dynamics, different modes of delivery. Some will be hybrid. Some will be traditional didactic students. Some will be online. The biggest opportunity is to serve as platforms for learning over a lifetime. So I think part of the answer is we have to stop looking at education as an event. Instead, we have to look at learning as a lifestyle. There is a big difference. We’re still looking at the paradigm of you have some sort of educational experience over four or five years at a formative time in your life, and then you go through life with that as a base, and you get into the economic engine, whether it’s government, industry, academics, or

starting a business. The really important thing is to set up a platform to learn, unlearn and relearn. As Eric Hoffer says, the future belongs to the learners, while the learned are perfectly adapted to a world that no longer exists. Our world has changed. We’ve got to be more dynamic, more adaptable, more responsive to people in general over a lifetime. I observe large institutions, like A&T, are attracting more students. Research suggests that is because young people are looking for the excitement of football, tailgating and social life. They want to go to that place that has access to it all. Is that right?

In the last four or five years, we’ve had this just exponential increase in technology. We have social media. We have artificial intelligence. What people are really looking for is connection with each other, the humanness, and connection and meaning. People are looking to connect with other people. As much as we live in a world of technological change, I think we also live in a world where people are looking for purpose and meaning. People are going to those institutions where they can find purpose and meaning. We have gone through the agrarian economy. Next was the industrial age, the industrial economy. Then we had this service economy. Now we’re in the information and knowledge age. I’m firmly convinced that the next economy will be the relationship economy. We’re going to have enough artificial intelligence and enough data-driven science that now it’s going to be the opportunity to really relate to people. We’re going to have to innovate. We’re going to have to connect. At A&T and some of these other places that are growing, I think they’re highly relational, where people have access, but they can connect to each other. A lot of our people, they have resilience. They have grit. They’re innovative. They connect with each other. They have confidence. They have leadership skills and great emotional intelligence. I think that’s what we see that’s emerging. When you came to A&T, you inherited a pretty strong organization. Your predecessor, Harold Martin, was a skilled and talented gentleman. What is the springboard for that next chapter?

We always have to focus on student success. That’s number one. Our students are just incredible. They’re the most innovative, most competitive students with adaptability that I’ve ever seen. So we want to increase student support. We want to increase the amount of experiential learning. We want more of our students to have research experiences. We want more of our students to have international experiences. Then there’s placement. Our students are No. 2 in the state in terms of starting salary. We’re doing really well as far as adding value. And we are the most affordable doctoral research university in the country. We’re right at the threshold for becoming a Research 1 institution, which is the top designation. Only 2.4% of those 4,000 universities we talked about achieve R1 status. It’s critical to make sure we get that right. One key is to rightsize our support systems to are to right-size our support systems to continue to invest in high ROI activities. Strategic partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, and industry are also critical. We’re talking about real strategic partnerships, not transactional partnerships. It takes a little longer to do that because you have to plan together. We’re taking our time to do that. ■ J U L Y A U G U S T

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RURALROUTE

MACK ATTACK

A ‘love, bless, serve’ focus in small N.C. towns helps a second-generation grocer expand the family business. BY BILL HORNER III

f you start with the day 4-year-old Mack McLamb cut open his finger trying to slice meat, his work at Carlie C’s IGA spans 57 years. He no doubt was emulating his father, Carlie C. McLamb, whose early focus was in the meat department of the grocery store and Dunn-based company that would eventually bear his name. Carlie C. died, at age 78, in 2015. Carlie C. McLamb Jr., who has always been called “Mack,” is still working to honor the family-infused culture his family created. The DNA of Carlie and Joyce McLamb runs through Carlie C’s IGA. But the business’s growth? “Mack’s fingerprints are in everything,” company President Elwyn Murray says. ▲Mack McLamb leads a family-owned supermarket chain

based in Harnett County.

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Undivided Attention Carlie C’s origins date to 1961, when Carlie and Joyce opened a country store in Johnston County. Unbowed by a series of challenges, the couple kept at it, working extraordinary hours, and Joyce taking on a second job to allow Carlie C’s to extend credit to local farmers who’d not yet harvested their crops. “Our vacation was leaving late Saturday evening, after the store closed — we were closed on Sundays — and then coming back Sunday night from the beach,” Mack McLamb says. The first week in business, the canonical family story goes, the store sold $892 worth of groceries. By getting to know everyone who walked in the door, his parents earned a trusting, loyal customer base. A second store opened in 1979, then a third four years later. There were 14 Carlie C’s IGA stores when McLamb lost his father just over a decade ago. (Joyce, a store manager until age 75, died in 2023.) Today, there are 32 locations, mostly in rural N.C. communities. Halfway through 2026, no new locations have opened, but three may be on tap before the end of the year, McLamb says. (Chicago-based IGA is an alliance of about 2,600 independent U.S. grocery stores.) Meanwhile, there’s lots else to keep busy with: Carlie C’s entities also own two Ace Hardware stores and about a dozen shopping centers, along with warehouses and a meat processing plant attached to the company’s modest offices in Dunn. The company also has partnerships in a dozen or so hotels. The business, which employs 2,000 people, is still primarily family owned, and another generation is involved: McLamb and wife Zada’s son, Zack, manages a hardware store and their daughter, Ariel, is a category manager for Carlie C’s.

▲ Brian Roberts (above) In some of its towns, Carlie C’s is the

sole grocery.

▲ Carlie C’s has 32 locations and annual revenue topping $300 million.

Growth Through Opportunity Carlie C’s growth model is simple: take over underperforming grocery stores, rebrand them, and then foster a culture where a “love, bless and serve” mindset is the best pathway to profit. Those opportunities come when a Lowes Foods, Food Lion or another larger chain seeks an exit strategy for a store not meeting expectations. Carlie C’s examines a dozen or so potential acquisitions each year, usually in rural markets within two hours of Harnett County. Exceptions include stores in Durham, Fayetteville and Raleigh. Once a deal is consummated, there’s sharp emphasis on robust produce, deli and meat sections, an array of popular Carlie C’s “signature” items, and a heavy dose of attention to customers and their wants. “We’re going into a building where somebody else wasn’t successful, thinking that we can do enough business to be successful,” McLamb says. “We’ve got to wait for the opportunity to come to us.” The growth is a testimony to his parents, with a remarkable second act. McLamb’s role became more pronounced in 1992 after emergency blood clot surgery considerably slowed his father. Then in his late 20s, the younger McLamb was relishing his support role, and wasn’t fond of being out front, or even speaking to groups of employees. “My goals were really wrapped around things I wanted to do with my father, as opposed to me,” he says. “I always loved working for my dad. He was a really good man. And I liked being the No. 2 guy. I liked trying to make things happen.” Carlie McLamb often told the story, in those early days, of dreaming of hitting $10,000 in sales in a single week. He later shared a quiet ambition with his son: becoming a millionaire by age 50. The younger McLamb committed to his father’s goal, and by 2009, after steady expansion, he realized that by year’s end the company’s cash flow would top $1 million. He told me the story of offering a prayer of thanks for that milestone — then immediately hearing God’s voice. “He said, ‘Well, that wasn’t my number,’” McLamb recalls. Almost reluctantly, he waited for God to share his vision: $1 billion in annual revenue, an unimaginable goal at the time. Today, Carlie C’s is roughly a third of the way there.

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RURALROUTE ‘Just How Bad Can I Be?’

Murray, the company president, spent 16 years as an executive at Food Lion, reporting directly to former CEO Tom Smith, before moving to Advance Auto Parts and later, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Border Cafe & Jose Tejas, where he was CEO. Mulling retirement, he connected with McLamb through mutual friends. Murray joined Carlie C’s a year and a half ago to help build scale and explore new markets, possibly including the Triad region. He describes McLamb as “remarkably faithful, remarkably diligent and remarkably caring,” a leader guided by “God’s will, God’s way, God’s timing.” When Murray spoke about Carlie C’s success with “second-generation real estate,” it reminded me of the rehabilitation thread running through the company. A core tenet of Carlie C’s culture is seeing potential where others don’t. It insists on embracing communities and serving customers, even on their worst days. ▲President Elwyn Murray is a McLamb knows about former Food Lion executive. redemption. One source of devotion to his father was knowing that no matter “how badly I drove it into the ditch,” Carlie C. would be there for him. Such a moment came when McLamb was attending college. After a difficult breakup with a girlfriend and realizing his dream of playing college baseball wasn’t going to materialize, McLamb began experimenting with drugs. “I can remember consciously thinking to myself, ‘You know, I’ve tried to do the right thing. I’ve tried to be good, blah, blah, blah,’” he told me. “And I thought to myself, ‘Let’s just see how bad I can be.’” Cocaine and other drugs became a part of his life. “And it just spiraled,” he says. “It was just so out of control.” McLamb’s path to recovery was a difficult one, including time in treatment and relapses. It culminated one night in another prayer. “I said, ‘God, you’re going to have to do something. I can’t stop. So if you need to take me home, then do whatever you need to do. But I just can’t do this by myself.’” Now clean for 37 years, McLamb related a particularly difficult struggle. “I can quit for 15 minutes,” he told himself one night at 1 a.m. “At 1:15, I’ll figure out what I’m going to do then.”

Love Never Fails

There was never a moment where McLamb quit using drugs. He simply kept putting off using, with strong support from home.

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▲ Joyce and Carlie McLamb started the business in 1961.

Likewise, there was never a moment when Carlie C. formally handed his son the company. Leadership arrived gradually as he assumed more responsibility and his father stepped back. By then, another question consumed McLamb: How could Carlie C’s continue to grow without losing what made it successful in the first place? “The Golden Rule says that I want to treat you the way I want to be treated,” he says. “That’s kind of wrong. I like to say, ‘We want you to love people the way they want to be loved.’ And how do I know that? Well, you don’t know that answer unless you get to know the customer … Our love is volitional, which means that we choose to love — not because we feel like it. We’ve got to figure out how they want to be loved, and then we’ve got to do it.” McLamb recalled a conversation with a mentor, T.C. Godwin, the late founder of Dunn’s T-Mart Food Stores. Godwin’s simple wisdom: every strategy eventually fails. Low-price marketing, loyalty programs, self-checkout and branded merchandising will all stop working, he contended. Rather, he told McLamb, “The only strategy we have that never fails is love. It never ceases.” It’s the same lesson his parents practiced in that first country store: learn people’s names, serve them well, care about your community and give others your undivided attention. Carlie and Joyce McLamb lived that culture one customer at a time, while Mack McLamb is taking it across the state. Perhaps their son’s greatest accomplishment is demonstrating that in the grocery business, the thing most worth scaling wasn’t a grocery strategy at all. ■ 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 lives in Sanford. Reach him at bhorner@businessnc.com

▲ Former Carlie C’s staffer Cameron Dockery is a pastor and the

mayor of Robbins in Moore County.

COMMUNITY PULSE “(Mack McLamb) just gave it a facelift. He revamped everything, cut meat prices and offered a lot of stuff they didn’t have in the store before. And the town just responded. They loved it. This is the epicenter of town — it’s the pulse of this town.”

PHOTO CREDIT: BILL HORNER III AND CARLIE C’S IGA

- Cameron Dockery

In Robbins, the produce section and the checkout line double as unofficial town hall, church social and community bulletin board. That’s life at Carlie C’s IGA. It’s the community hub and only grocery store in this Moore County town of 1,200 residents. On the day I visited, Cameron Dockery popped in to order 400 chicken quarters for an event at First Wesleyan Church, which he pastors. Dockery moved to Robbins from Alaska nine years ago and spent three years moonlighting at Carlie C’s. No longer an employee, he still drops by almost daily. He’s also mayor of Robbins and set to become a Moore County commissioner in December. McLamb bought the store and others in Graham and Ramseur four years ago from Hickory-based Merchants Distributors, which owns the Lowe’s Food and Just Save Foods chains. “He just gave it a facelift,” says Dockery. “He revamped everything, cut meat prices and offered a lot of stuff they didn’t have in the store before. And the town just responded. They loved it. This is the epicenter of town — it’s the pulse of this town.” During his cashier days, it wasn’t uncommon to see long lines form at Dockery’s register. “Everybody wanted to talk to me — as either the mayor or the pastor,” he told me. “I was saying, ‘Guys, I’m at work.’ But Mack would say, ‘Let Cam do his thing.’ He didn’t care, because it created an environment.” McLamb says he’d “been pressing [MDI] about buying those locations because we felt like what we did, the way we did business, would probably work better than what they were trying to do there.” For residents of rural towns, grocery stores are among the last institutions keeping community life stitched together. Brian Roberts, an operations manager who oversees 15 Carlie C’s locations, credits the Robbins store’s inviting atmosphere and loyal employees for making it a “5-star” unit, the company’s designation for its best performers. Among the other draws: Certified Angus Beef and a signature nine-layer chocolate cake, inspired by a treat cofounder Joyce McLamb once brought to church potlucks. N.C. Rep. Neal Jackson, whose district includes Robbins, says the company’s success matters. “Everybody’s going to the big cities, and nothing’s wrong with that,” he says. “(Carlie C’s) is going to rural markets and succeeding in rural markets. They’re doing it the right way, with good morals, good values, good reputation.” That’s just part of what keeps customers coming back, according to Dockery. “The big thing for Carlie C’s is love, and that we love customers,” he says. “Happy customers might buy somewhere else, because they’re happy. But loyal customers will stay. They’re loyal when you love them.” ■

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NCTREND ››› Healthcare

BENDING THE CURVE A new CEO wants Cone Health to be distinctive in helping rein in medical costs in the Triad.

ewly appointed Cone Health CEO Paul Krakovitz thinks he has the best of all worlds as the leader of a healthcare system that is relatively small within North Carolina, yet backed by the largest U.S. hospital operator. With annual revenue of about $3 billion and the dominant medical business in the state’s third-biggest city, Cone Health is hardly small. Still, its board had long concluded that it needed a bigger partner to stay competitive because it is boxed in by four larger groups, Atrium Health and Novant Health to its west in the Winston-Salem area, and UNC Health and Duke Health to the east in the Triangle. After a previous agreement with Norfolk, Virginia-based Sentara Health fell through, Cone chose to merge in December 2024 into the new Risant Health unit of Kaiser Permanente, which posted annual revenue of $128 billion last year. The new owner pledged to invest at CEO Paul Krakovitz joined Cone Health in March. least $1 billion in capital projects and health equity over five years; that a local board would remain in charge of hospital governance; and the 70-year-old Cone brand name would be retained. 12

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When CEO Mary Jo Cagle stepped down in May 2025 because of a family health matter, Risant shopped for a new leader. Their choice was Krakovitz, who is a physician specializing in ear, nose and throat disorders in children. (Otolaryngology is the medical term.) Early in his career, Krakovitz spent more than a decade at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, where he was a vice chairman of surgical operations, and then six years at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health. His posts at Intermountain included working as chief medical officer and leading the system’s Desert region, which included three acute hospitals and more than 9,500 physicians and other caregivers. For two-and-a-half years before joining Cone Health, Krakovitz was an executive-in-residence at Cressey & Company, a Chicagobased private-equity and consulting company focused on healthcare. “I learned a lot when I was out in the consulting world, particularly around financial and growth strategies,” he says. “That was really important for me when I wanted to go back into health systems. I got introduced to Cone Health, and really fell in love with the mission, and something I’m passionate about, which is this intersection between community and providing care. Cone Health walks the walk.” An example of that mission, he says, was the opening earlier this year of the Resurgent development in east Greensboro, which provides urgent care and women’s healthcare services in the area, which has some of the city’s lowest-income ZIP codes. The project is a partnership with N.C. A&T State University that is expected to attract 25,000 annual visits. (Cone has a 40% stake.)

PHOTO CREDIT: CONE HEALTH AND PAUL KRAKOVITZ, MD

By David Mildenberg

While Kaiser Permanente operates its own network of hospitals and insurance system under the health maintenance organization model, Washington, D.C.-based Risant runs independently and serves multiple payers and providers in its western Pennsylvania and the Triad markets. Physicians who work directly for Cone Health and independent practitioners are both welcomed, Krakovitz says. Risant’s key mission is to emphasize value-based care, which Krakovitz says means seeking optimal patient outcomes while “bending the cost curve.” Value-based care aims to organize and bill for patient care with cooperation among multiple providers, rather than charging for each service as is the dominant healthcare model. On its website, Cone Health makes a bold statement on the promise of value-based care. “Patients can expect to be seen quicker, with a greater focus on their well-being, more investment in their health and increased collaboration between all members of their healthcare team.” Cone Health leaders could have auctioned off the operation to the highest bidder, which might have created a large community foundation such as those developed after hospital sales in Asheville and Wilmington over the past decade. It also most likely could have signed up with Atrium Health, which had a management services agreement for eight years with Cone Health that ended in 2020. The Charlotte-based system is now seeking to combine with Raleigh-based WakeMed, which is about the same size as Cone Health and is Wake County’s largest hospital operator. But Atrium Health is also building a $246 million hospital in north Greensboro that Cone Health fought for years. The 36-bed site is expected to open in 2029. “Instead of looking for the big dollars, [Cone Health] looked for what would give long-term stability and have the tools to come in to make sure that it is successful for the long run,” Krakovitz says. “My hat goes off to the board for making a very bold decision like that. My belief is that’s going to pay off well in the long run.” But promises of reduced medical inflation through value-based care have proven difficult to achieve for decades. Why will things be any different for Risant and Cone Health? “Well, look at Kaiser’s outcomes,” Krakovitz says. “They have great outcomes and their costs are lower. The same was true at Intermountain Health. Yes, it is very doable and believable.” Pressed to elaborate, the CEO says the key measuring stick is comparing how much medical care costs are escalating compared with general inflation. “We want to improve the lives of our community, and of course we need a healthy margin for two reasons. One, so that we can give appropriate care within the community and expand that, and two, so that we can be innovative and grow.” With greater resources enabled by a larger organization, Cone Health’s ongoing efforts in value-based care will be turbocharged under Risant’s ownership, he says.

“We already have proof points since I’ve been here,” he says, pointing to establishing more than 500 measurable standards for what makes up quality care and the Care Without Delay program that tries to “move patients quickly through the hospital in a very safe manner so that they don’t stay longer than they need to.” Krakovitz envisions a “virtuous cycle” in which effective cost controls can benefit local employers while also providing good care for their employees. “Are we able to take our excellent care and provide it to any community and do that in a cost-effective way,” he says. “That’s what excites me about what we are trying to do.”

Cone Health is adding a hospital in Mebane in Alamance County and seeking approval for a southeast Forsyth County operation.

Cone Health’s strategy doesn’t include a new medical school. “We’re fortunate in North Carolina to have a plethora of medical schools. It really doesn’t make sense for us to start one,” says Krakovitz, whose medical degree is from Indiana University. Meanwhile, the organization is working with N.C. A&T, UNC Greensboro and Triad community colleges to expand their output of nurses, helping solve a long-term shortage. Expanding in the Triad is also part of Krakovitz’s agenda. In mid-June, Cone Health asked state regulators to approve a $320 million, 56-bed hospital in southeast Forsyth County. The nearly 199,000-square-foot facility would be its most significant capital investment in the neighboring county, where Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Novant Health are the hospital leaders. Meanwhile, Cone Health is building a 46-bed hospital in Mebane that is expected to cost $250 million and open in 2029. The eastern Alamance County site is in a fast-growing part of the Triad and will supplement the system’s 238-bed regional hospital in Burlington. Krakovitz expects Risant to grow its Tar Heel state presence. “We look for the best opportunity that fits our strategy and we’ll be diligent on that. That could be organic growth or inorganic growth and partnerships. We’ll look at all of it as long as it stays with our strategic vision of being able to grow value-based care.” ■ J U L Y

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NCTREND ››› Manufacturing Economics

NEVER SAY DIE Eastern N.C. boatmakers refuse to quit amid choppy seas. By Harris Vaughan

n a spring day, the kind of day that wakes the soul, Dell Murphy and Jeff Turner are visiting a 100,000-square-foot building situated on the edge of the Albemarle Sound outside of Edenton. It’s 2015, and the eastern N.C. investors are about to merge two rival boat companies that have been building nearly identical sport fishing vessels a mile apart for 25 years. But this isn’t really about business deals or even boats, exactly. It’s about water — the kind of water that builds better boats, and the kind of people who refuse to let rough seas sink them. Those who have never crossed the Albemarle Sound on the Intracoastal Waterway might not understand why this particular body of water matters. It’s the largest brackish estuary in North America. Boaters transiting from north to south will tell you it’s one of the roughest inland waterways, too. Driven by the wind, 6-foot seas can stack close together on a rough day and then lay flat as a lake on a calm one. 14

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“That rough water makes better boats,” says Burch Perry of Albemarle Boats, standing in the same building where industry giant Chris-Craft tried and failed to build boats in the late 1960s. “If it’s going to break, I want it to break here.” That philosophy has driven Albemarle Boats since 1978. That’s when Burch’s grandfather, Scott Harrell, and his fishing friend and eventual business partner, Mac Privott, were literally breaking apart Fiberform runabouts fishing off Hatteras Island, the hulls cracking loose from the decks. Those cheap West Coast boats weren’t built for North Carolina’s waters. So, they made their own. The first Albemarle was built in the back of a tractor shop in Edenton, a town that’s been shaping American history since Colonial times. It’s where commercial fishermen became charter boat captains who later became boat builders — crafting boats sturdy enough to cruise out to the Gulf Stream and back. Every boat bearing the Albemarle name since 1978 has been tested in the sound with the same name. Around 1990, after building Albemarle Boats together, Scott Harrell and Mac Privott decided to go their separate ways. Mac started Carolina Classic while Scotty Harrell, Scott’s son and Burch’s uncle, stepped in to run Albemarle. Fifteen years of strong growth and friendly competition followed, with Burch at Albemarle and Keith and Wade Privott working for their father at Carolina Classic. Two families with two brands of boats so similar that even they couldn’t tell them apart from half a mile offshore. What was foreseen, however, was that those two brands were among the few competitors that would survive the Great Recession in 2008. Rampage went under. Cabo got mothballed. Bertram shuttered for a while. The fate of every major boat builder hung in the balance while these two North Carolina companies held on through the storm.

PHOTO CREDIT: ALBEMARLE BOATS

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them on the Albemarle Sound when it’s blowing 20 knots, letting Brunswick, the world’s largest pleasure boat manufacturer, them feel what their work is like bouncing through nasty seas. purchased Albemarle in 2005, and Scotty Harrell retired a year There’s a doctor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a tackle later. When the recession hit, Brunswick started locking gates. room full of antiques, including rods that belonged to Ernest Entrepreneur Scott McLaughlin bought Albemarle on Dec. 31, Hemingway and Zane Grey. “He learned about Albemarle from a 2008, then Carolina Classic two years later. The companies built 28-footer we built in 1998 for Tahiti,” Burch says. “Twenty years 14 different models, barely surviving. later, he’s building a 36-footer with us.” In 2015, the Murphy family of Duplin County, famous for The boats go everywhere. One’s making a 1,900-nautical-mile their pork operations and civic leadership, arrived. By May, journey across Southeast Asia. They’re on Lake Michigan and the they’d purchased both companies and merged them, with Gulf Coast, in Italy and Japan, wherever people need a boat that Burch Perry as general manager, Keith Privott as director of won’t quit when the water gets mean. sales and product development, and Wade Privott as REFUSING TO SINK production manager. Albemarle boats range from Fresh eyes matter. Local $300,000 to $4 million-plus. knowledge matters. The Semi-custom means every boat is ability to navigate rough water slightly different because customers matters most of all. Albemarle put their fingerprints on it. A Lake is a marriage of cutting-edge Michigan customer built three technology and ancient 41-footers in 4 1/2 years. craftsmanship that produces The waters of the Albemarle boats purchased by clients from Sound aren’t going to change. the Philippines to Turkey, And neither will its people. They Lake Michigan to the understand that the place shapes Mediterranean Sea. the boat, the boat shapes the Marine architects create 3D experience, the experience shapes computer-aided design models. the people who come back and The files go to Sarasota, Florida, build another one, even better than where a five-axis computer the one before. numerical control router cuts “If it’s blowing 20 knots and the foam into exact boat hull shapes, truck’s coming to pick it up, we’ll accurate to 3/1000 of an inch — run it,” Burch says. “That’s when the width of a human hair. you learn what you built.” Burch Perry, second from left, is general manager of Albemarle What used to take months now Eighty-five people show up every Boats. He’s joined by colleagues and family. takes a day. day to a building 11 feet above sea But technology can’t sand level in a town that’s shaped eastern that plug to a mirror finish. Can’t know a hatch should open North Carolina since before it was a state. They make fiberglass differently. Can’t feel when the fiberglass layup is right. dust, sand parts, wire electronics and craft cabinets. Most will For that, you need the crew in lamination, many from the never own what they build. Some have never fished offshore. But Outer Banks, building parts in heat and fiberglass dust. You need on splash day, when that boat touches water and heads out into cabinet makers crafting custom interiors with different wood, the sound that has broken lesser vessels, they know somewhere fabric, layouts. You need souls who’ve been there for three decades someone’s pulling a marlin aboard an Albemarle. or longer, who know without asking whether something’s good “We love what we do because every day is a challenge,” Keith enough. They build them “like they’re going to fish on them Privott says. “You start with an idea, then it comes into this themselves,” Perry says. building as resin in a drum. And then you’re out there on the Parts arrive from everywhere — Yamaha outboards from water, running that boat for the first time. That’s a sense of Japan or Mercurys from Wisconsin, Cummins diesels from accomplishment. Rocky Mount, Volvo Pentas from Sweden, fabrics from around “It’s not just a boat story. It’s a water story. A people story. the globe. But the fiberglass work, cabinet building, wiring, A story about what happens when you refuse to sink, when, finishing involves local hands turning global components into in coming back together, the ride gets smoother, even in something that can survive anywhere. choppy seas.” ■ After months or years of work comes “splash day,” when a new This story previously appeared in EastBound, a sister publication to boat touches water for the first time. The bosses often bring guys Business North Carolina. from lamination who’ve never seen the finished boat and put J U L Y

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NCTREND ››› Tourism

DOWN BUT NOT OUT The story of the sunken Titanic still captivates entertainment seekers — and rings the register. By Kristy Tolley

ECONOMIC IMPACT ew historical events have proved as commercially durable as Touring exhibitions operate less like museums and more like mobile the April 1912 sinking of the Titanic. More than a century entertainment startups — moving city to city, negotiating venue leases, after the ship slipped beneath the North Atlantic, the and generating short-term economic activity. Imagine has refined disaster continues to inspire movies, books, documentaries that model across more than 45 experiences on six continents. Zaller — and now a touring exhibition drawing visitors to The Park Expo and estimates that Titanic exhibitions connected to his work have drawn Conference Center in Charlotte through Sept. 7. more than 50 million visitors globally, making it one of the most Recent stops in Chicago, Dallas, and Salt Lake City welcomed reliable anchors in the company’s more than 700,000 visitors touring portfolio. combined. Between 80,000 Charlotte is performing in line and 100,000 are expected with those ambitions. More than in Charlotte, according to 26,000 tickets were sold through Monica Wood, a Park Expo May, with purchases spanning spokesperson. The Queen 19 states. The cost ranges from City’s population growth, about $30 to $60. The marketing proximity as a regional hub approach includes digital and social for both Carolinas and campaigns, influencer partnerships, its expanding appetite for broadcast advertising, and targeted experiential entertainment efforts to pull visitors from across the made it an attractive target Southeast. for Imagine, the AtlantaThe exhibition may be a national based company behind the touring production, but organizers production. say local relevance still matters. Traveling immersive While the core experience exhibits eflect a museum and entertainment industry trend, Interactive, traveling exhibits are a growing part of the entertainment industry. remains consistent from city to city, Imagine tailors each presentation to proving a popular, technologyits local market. In Charlotte, that enabled alternative to means incorporating North Carolina’s surprisingly deep ties to the traditional displays. Blumenthal Arts, which is Charlotte’s dominant arts Titanic disaster. venue operator, formed Blume Studios in 2024 as a home for immersive Local stories include Roxboro postal clerk Oscar Scott Woody, who exhibits. It operates on land near uptown Charlotte owned by Charlotte died on his 41st birthday while helping fellow railway mail clerks safeguard Pipe & Foundry. roughly 200 bags of mail as the ship sank. Exhibit visitors will also learn that Since its opening, Blume Studios has offered a variety of immersive operators at the Hatteras Island Weather Station reportedly received Titanic performances and interactive theater and game shows. Some have distress traffic before the ship’s fate was widely confirmed, though officials included dining and wine tasting experiences. initially dismissed the report and accused the station staff of being drunk. The Titanic exhibit marks the first time the Park Expo has The exhibition’s creative producer, Mark Lach, in 2000 descended more committed a showroom hall to a single tenant for four months. The than two miles beneath the North Atlantic in the Russian submersible Mir site three miles east of uptown was formerly the Charlotte Merchandise 1 to recover artifacts at the wreck site. It was the last manned expedition Mart before its 2006 sale to Park Ministries, an affiliate of the city’s Park and a 12-hour journey few humans have ever made. Church. Typically, the expo hosts trade shows and seasonal events such as “Titanic is one of those rare stories that continues to connect with people the Southern Christmas Show. of all ages because it sits at the intersection of history, innovation, ambition, Imagine’s portfolio includes events such as Harry Potter: The and human emotion,” Lach says. “People know the ship, but what truly Exhibition, Jurassic World: The Exhibition and Downton Abbey: The connects with our guests are the personal stories of her passengers and crew.” Exhibition. When he founded Imagine 17 years ago, CEO Tom Zaller The stories and lessons learned from Titanic remain relevant today, didn’t have a plan for a Titanic project. “But then someone asked, and it he adds. “The exhibition gives our guests the opportunity to experience was a very natural fit — but it had to be the largest touring set that I had those stories in a tangible and personal way.” ■ ever done, so that’s what we did.” 16

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NCTREND ››› Dining Out

POPULAR PASTA A family and community focus has made the Longos a venerable part of Raleigh’s restaurant scene. By Rachel Simon

BETTING ON DOWNTOWN Michael Longo is among several family members leading the group.

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Born in Calabria, Longo came to the U.S. as a teenager, armed with zero English but an entrepreneurial spirit. After stints washing dishes and doing similar odd jobs in U.S. cities,

PHOTO CREDIT:FORREST MASON

f you’ve eaten Italian food in the Triangle sometime over the last four decades, there’s a decent chance you have Mario Longo to credit. The Italian-born owner of Raleigh’s Vic’s Ristorante & Pizzeria franchise has opened 20 heritage-inspired restaurants since he moved to North Carolina in the late 1970s, including the Moore Square eatery. As anyone who has enjoyed the penne alla vodka or fried calamari at Vic’s can attest, Longo saved the best for last. Since its 1993 launch, the family-run restaurant has become one of Raleigh’s go-to Italian dining options. With three other locations in north and west Raleigh, plus two more locations in development, its reputation for “authenticity” remains steady, says Longo. “There are a lot of places that open up with Italian names, but they aren’t from Italy,” says the restaurateur. “If you try my food and then try the other food, you see the difference.”

including Brooklyn, he moved to Cary in 1979. He started a family with his wife Lucia and launched a pizzeria at what was then the Cary Village Mall. In the early 1990s, after a series of short-lived restaurant attempts, Longo and a business partner learned that the owner of a casual pizza joint in downtown Raleigh’s City Market, the titular Vic, was looking to sell. Despite the risk of setting up shop in a then-unpopular location, the duo opted to “take a big chance,” Longo recalls. “I saw potential.” A few months later, he bought out his business partner to become Vic’s sole owner, keeping the restaurant’s name but changing nearly everything else. Longo transformed the to-go spot into a sit-down eatery with a long list of homemade entrees and high-quality wines imported from Italy. He covered the walls in murals depicting scenes from his home country and filled the shelves with collected decor. Longo’s Calabrian origins also heavily influenced the restaurant’s menu. Dishes such as calamari fra diavolo incorporated the southern Italian city’s famous love of spice, while vegetableheavy options like the portobello alla baggio made use of Calabria’s staple ingredients. Longo hired a chef hailing from Naples to educate the staff on Italian pasta-making techniques while relying on his own experience operating New York pizzerias to create his pies’ sauces and doughs from scratch. To date, the owner says, every one of Vic’s dishes is made “fresh and à la carte” for customers, created “right on the spot.” As the restaurant gained attention, Longo put his three children to work. Michael, 43, runs the Glenwood location and will oversee a new site in Wendell Falls after its expected January opening. Mario Jr., 45, is the owner of the Lake Boone outpost; and Mia, 39, runs the City Market restaurant alongside her father. Their matriarch Lucia, 69, is an avid baker who turns out the tiramisu and limoncello cake. “I was fortunate enough to have learned from the best,” says Michael of working alongside his father.

The menu at Vic’s is only part of why some patrons keep coming back. “Vic’s helps the community,” says Claire Bigham, a 28-year-old Raleigh social worker. The restaurant sponsors the Raleigh chapter of the LGBTQ+ athletic league Stonewall Sports, Bigham explains, and she and her teammates find themselves at the restaurant for post-game meals “almost every week.” That loyalty goes both ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many small businesses to shutter their doors, Vic’s devoted fanbase kept it from meeting the same fate. Michael remembers how customers bought Vic’s pizza ingredients to make at home and downtown building managers ordered pies for their tenants. Adds Mario: “They helped us a little bit here, a little bit there. We made it.” Within a few years, the owner says, he’ll likely step back and pass his duties onto his children. “I want to keep it alive, keep it going,” says Michael, who hopes to interest his 8-year-old daughter in the family legacy. For now, Mario can still be found working behind the City Market counter or sitting out on its patio every day, watching a steady stream of customers. “Every year, we add something, we take something, but we keep it going,” he says. “Thirty-three years, and I’m still here.” ■

COMMUNITY FOCUS Over the years, the Longos’ continued involvement has given the restaurants an inviting, family-friendly atmosphere. On a given night, you can find high schoolers grabbing slices before a big dance, tourists enjoying heaping portions of linguine and regulars who have eaten at Vic’s for decades.

Mario Longo has lived in Wake County since 1979.

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NCTREND ››› Statewide

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financial technology and payments company, since January 2025. He previously worked as president of PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh. Rogers had been CEO of SunTrust Banks since 2012 and engineered the Atlanta-based company’s $66 billion merger of equals with Winston-Salem-based BB&T Financial to create Truist in 2019.

CHARLOTTE The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization voted to rescind its October 2024 endorsement of the I-77 South toll lanes expansion, effectively killing the $4.3 billion project and triggering the loss of $700 million in committed state transportation funding for the region. The plan would have added two toll lanes in each direction along 11 miles of Interstate 77 between Uptown and the South Carolina line. Charlotte Douglas International Airport extended its current lease agreement with American Airlines and other carriers through next June after failing to reach a new longterm deal. Airlines accounted for $216 million, or 44%, of CLT’s $487 million in total revenue last fiscal year, with American supplying roughly 90% of the airport’s flights. Truist Financial named Michael Lyons to succeed Bill Rogers as CEO on Sept. 1. Lyons has been CEO of Fiserv, a Milwaukee-based 20

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Martha Stewart and several former Red Ventures executives raised $10 million for startup Hint, an AI-powered home management platform launching this summer. The company aims to help homeowners proactively manage maintenance, energy use and expenses through personalized recommendations driven by property data and uploaded documents. Alcohol beverage wholesaler Republic National Distributing is seeking a buyer for its operations here and in Raleigh, but says it will close the locations by July 31, putting 53 people out of work. Nationally, it plans to cut as many as 4,600 people. The Texasbased company distributes multiple brands including Tito’s and Sazerac. Minnesota-based Onward Investors paid $26 million for two Class A office buildings near Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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that sold for more than $46 million in 2020. The properties are about 80% occupied. Carowinds plans a log flume ride it expects to debut in 2027. The multi-million dollar Rip Roarin’ Falls’ final plunge of 100 feet will hit 50 mph, and is being billed as the biggest drop on any log flume. The eight-passenger boats will take guests on a 6.5 minute ride through an “abandoned lumber mill.” Edifice Construction opened a 39,000-square-foot headquarters, nearly doubling its previous office footprint. The adaptive-reuse project, housed in a former warehouse purchased for $7.4 million, provides capacity for 130 employees. DAVIDSON Ingersoll Rand cracked the Fortune 500 for the first time, ranking No. 494 with $7.65 billion in revenue. The Charlotte region has eight Fortune 500 headquarters. Bank of America remained North Carolina’s highestranked company at No. 20. GASTONIA Family-owned Biggerstaff Furniture will close after 78 years of business. The store led

by third-generation owner Ray Biggerstaff has operated out of a former church building the past several years, just a few hundred yards from where the Franklin Boulevard business started in 1948. HICKORY Corning struck a multi-billion dollar deal with Amazon to provide optical fiber for data centers to power AI. Amazon says the multi-year agreement will create 1,000 jobs at Corning’s manufacturing facilities across the Tar Heel state and support hundreds of construction jobs to expand Corning’s multiple facilities. Amazon will also expand a training center for fiber optic technicians at Catawba Valley Community College. KINGS MOUNTAIN Gastonia-based CaroMont Health wants to add an 18-bed hospital in Cleveland County. It would compete with Atrium’s 241-bed hospital in Shelby, the county seat. Atrium also has a 67-bed hospital in Kings Mountain. The state’s health plan suggests Cleveland County is short by 86 hospital beds. CaroMont estimates the hospital would cost $115.6 million. MATTHEWS Elevation Church is launching Elevation College this fall in partnership with Florida’s Southeastern University. The program will offer ministry, media and leadership degrees, combining online academic coursework from Southeastern with hands-on training and mentorship through Elevation Church in Charlotte. MONROE Bedding manufacturer Downlite International closed its site after the business was bought by Live Comfortably, one of the largest U.S. bedding companies. The plant employed 113 people.

SALISBURY Cheerwine purchased a 176,000-squarefoot facility for $7 million and plans to consolidate its Salisbury and Greensboro distribution operations here by the end of 2026. The move will double the company’s Rowan County workforce from about 100 to 200 employees in space being vacated by Packaging Corp. of America.

EAST FAYETTEVILLE Methodist University named Suzanne Blum Malley as president as of July 1, 2027, succeeding Stanley Wearden, who is retiring next year after holding the post since 2019. Blum Malley has been provost at the Fayetteville university since 2020, when she left Columbia College Chicago. Cape Fear Valley Health and Methodist University also opened their medical school. The first class of 65 students arrives in July. Maryland-based Obrecht Properties acquired a 30-acre site near Fort Bragg and plans a six-building flex-industrial park totaling 325,550 square feet. The Gateway at Military Business Park will target defense, medical and call-center tenants, with construction on the first two buildings beginning immediately and delivery expected next summer. Upcycle Feed Commodities will invest more than $6.5 million and create 25 jobs with its first manufacturing facility in Cumberland County. The company plans to produce animal feed blends from food waste and agricultural by-products at a 55,000-square-foot facility near Interstate 95. JACKSONVILLE Carolina Museum of the Marine opened in Jacksonville, near the Lejeune Memorial

Gardens. The 25,000-square-foot museum gives the history of the military branch, which has been in the Carolinas since 1891. The $36 million construction cost came from state, local and private sources. More than 41,600 Marines are based in the state. KINSTON Lenoir Community College opened the Sen. Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence at the North Carolina Global TransPark. The 57,024-square-foot workforce training facility aims to connect students to careers in aviation, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. MAXTON Campbell’s celebrated the completion of a $150 million expansion, where about 1,150 people work on products for the Swanson, Pacific Foods, Campbell’s, Campbell’s Chunky, Campbell’s Homestyle and SpaghettiO’s brands. Campbell’s has been in the Robeson County facility since 1979. Its last expansion of the 2.2 millionsquare-foot facility was in 2009. The plant produces roughly 8.2 million cans/cartons per day, which equals 110 to 115 truckloads per day. MOREHEAD CITY A record-breaking catch proved untouchable as Marlin Fever captured the 68th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Angler Connor Daniel aboard the Wilson County-based boat won a record $6.5 million in a tournament featuring 270 boats chasing their share of a $9 million purse. WILMINGTON Atlantic Packaging launched New Earth Ventures, a venture capital arm targeting a $25 million fund focused on packaging startups. The firm plans Seed and Series A investments in areas

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NCTREND ››› Statewide

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including sustainable materials, automation and AI-driven supply chain tools, with support from Atlantic’s packaging and logistics network. Off the Hook YS rebranded as NextBoat and changed its New York Stock Exchange ticker to NXB. The company, which buys and sells new and used boats, became a public company in November. Greenlight Ventures sold its PONM digital health platform to Houston medical device company Nexalin Technology in a $1.3 million stock transaction. The deal deepens a partnership while providing Greenlight an equity stake in Nexalin and supporting expansion of Nexalin’s brainhealth treatment platform. Vantaca launched HOAi Fleet, a new suite of AI agents designed to automate backoffice functions for community association management companies. The company says the platform could boost AI coverage of administrative work from about 30% today to 90% by the end of 2026 as it expands its AI-driven software offerings.

Neese’s Country Sausage has been acquired by Raleigh-based Jesse Jones, which says it plans to restore production and return the products to grocery stores and restaurants soon. The White family, owners of Jesse Jones, said the original recipes will remain unchanged while investments are made to address recent production and supply issues.

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Novant Health assumed operation of Community Hospital of Stokes and its affiliated medical facilities after reaching a lease agreement with Stokes County and paying $5 million for operating rights. Novant pledged to invest $55 million in local healthcare facilities and services over five years while retaining about 200 hospital employees. GREENSBORO GREENSBORO JetZero held a groundbreaking ceremony for its $4.7 billion, 8-million-square-foot production facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport. The California startup announced plans last year to build its first factory for the first “blended wing” commercial jet. If JetZero hits a target of 14,564 employees by 2036, it would be the largest economic development project in North Carolina based on job creation. It would also make the company eligible for $1.7 billion in North Carolina and Guilford County incentives. Tanger purchased the 300,000-squarefoot Town Center at Levis Commons near Toledo, Ohio, for $60 million. The open-air retail center is 97% leased and marks Tanger’s fifth acquisition since 2022 as the company continues expanding beyond its traditional outlet-center portfolio.

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HIGH POINT A New York finance company affiliate acquired about 80 acres through foreclosure for $1.1 million, taking control of land once slated for the proposed $500 million Oasis Village for Wellness & Aging. The longplanned research campus, housing and retail project never advanced beyond zoning approvals. C A R O L I N A

LEXINGTON Indian-owned Supreme Nonwoven will create 50 jobs and invest $25.8 million in its first U.S. factory. Supreme Nonwoven is a subsidiary of Supreme Group, India, which was founded in 1986 by Mohan Kavrie. Plans call for using a 200,000-squarefoot Lexington plant to enabled the company to work with its North American customers in apparel, automotive, filtration and other industries. RURAL HALL DHL Supply Chain, part of the giant German logistics business, is closing its warehouse, putting 81 people out of work. DHL Supply Chain, which has US headquarters in Westerville, Ohio, acquired the site in January 2025 from Inmar Supply Chain Solutions. WINSTON-SALEM Wake Forest University named Peter Rodriguez as its new president. Rodriguez has been dean of Rice University’s business school for nearly a decade. He will succeed Susan Wente, who announced plans to retire in October. Wake Forest enrolls 5,600 undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Industrial fan-maker Ziehl-Abegg is expanding its hub by opening its first U.S.-based research and development unit. The German company, which opened a 520,000-square-foot plant in 2024, now employs more than 400 workers locally and expects continued growth tied to North American demand. Cone Health wants to add a $320 million, 56-bed hospital in southeast Forsyth County, expanding its Triad operations into an area dominated by peers Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Novant Health. Greensboro-based Cone Health is seeking state regulatory approval for a nearly 199,000-square-foot hospital. The state’s annual plan that oversees hospital bed expansions has noted that Forsyth and

adjoining Yadkin counties are short by 103 beds. Forsyth’s two big hospitals, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist and Novant’s Forsyth Medical Center, now have more than 1,570 beds combined in the county Hobby Lobby purchased nearly 50 acres and the 466,782-square-foot former HanesBrands headquarters for $8 million. Developer Tony Alford retained about 75 acres and plans a mixed-use project featuring apartments, single-family homes and commercial space on the rest of the property. Macon, Georgia-based American Pride Bank plans to acquire Encore Bank’s branch here as part of a broader Southeast expansion strategy. The deal includes branch employees and follows American Bancorp’s 2025 merger with Charlotte-based New Republic Bank. Veteran bankers Michael Sharpton and Leigha Smith will help lead the bank’s regional growth efforts.

TRIANGLE BENSON ProPublica reports White House adviser Peter Navarro urged the Pentagon to fast-track a $620 million loan to North Carolina rare-earth startup Vulcan Elements, a company backed by Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm. Defense officials said the deal moved unusually quickly after intervention from the White House. CARY Utah-based Bed Bath & Beyond is acquiring real estate services firm Fathom Holdings for about $53 million. Fathom Holdings provides back-office functions for real estate

agents under a flat-fee arrangement. The transaction is expected to close in the s econd half of 2026. The move came after Fathom fired CEO Marco Fregenal for engaging in “conduct inconsistent” with the company’s policies. CLAYTON Target purchased more than 11 acres off Clayton Boulevard for $3.3 million. The land is part of a major assemblage by Ohio-based commercial real estate company Casto, which is planning a $100 million shopping center. DURHAM North Chicago, Illinois-based AbbVie purchased 171 acres for about $49 million as it advances plans for a $1.4 billion drug manufacturing campus expected to create 730 jobs. The project, supporting production

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NCTREND ››› Statewide of immunology, oncology and neuroscience therapies, is scheduled to begin construction this year. Raleigh-based Beacon Street Development began construction on The George, a sevenstory condominium building across from Durham Athletic Park. The 34-unit project will feature residences priced from $695,000 to $2 million.

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Canadian coffee and restaurant chain Tim Hortons has filed permits for its first North Carolina location, targeting a former Dairy Queen site. Former NHL player Tim Horton founded the chain in 1964. The Torontobased eatery now has 4,000 locations across Canada and is expanding in the U.S.

First Carolina Financial Services, the owner of First Carolina Bank, had an initial public offering that raised about $69 million. The shares opened in late June at $12.50 and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “FCBM.” An investor group led by former RBC banker Ronald Day formed First Carolina 14 years ago in Rocky Mount. Assets have soared from $658 million in 2019 to $3.3 billion at the end of 2025.

Liquidia was added to the S&P SmallCap 600 Index. The index includes 600 U.S. small-cap companies selected by S&P Dow Jones Indices based on market capitalization, liquidity, shares available for public trading and profitability criteria.

Duke University started construction on a $40 million data center designed to expand computing power for artificial intelligence and advanced research. The 13,000-squarefoot facility is expected to open by the 202728 academic year and will use a heat-recovery system intended to support the university’s sustainability and net-zero goals.

OXFORD

Arpio, whose software helps companies automate disaster recovery and restore operations after various attacks and outages, raised $15 million to continue its growth. The investment was led by Austin, Texas-based S3 Ventures and Washington, D.C.-based Paladin Capital Group. Other investors were Draper Associates, Uncorrelated, Valor Ventures, CreativeCo Capital, and Lookout Ventures. Arpio raised $8.2 million in 2023.

Startup Plantd, founded by former SpaceX engineers, says 2026 marks its transition from research and development to full-scale production of building panels made from perennial grass. CEO Nathan Silvernail expects the company’s valuation to grow significantly as it expands manufacturing and adds customers.

Fast-growing Cardinal Infrastructure Group acquired Piedmont Pipe Construction, its second acquisition since becoming a public company in December and its eighth since 2021. Terms weren’t disclosed. Piedmont Pipe Construction was founded in 1999 and was headquartered in the Lincoln County town of Denver, about 25 miles northwest of Charlotte. Piedmont Pipe provides water systems, sewage, and storm drain work for residential, commercial, and industrial projects. Florida-based Millennium Physician Group partnered with Raleigh Medical Group,

N.C. Central was the only UNC System school not considered ‘financially healthy,’ according to a Composite Financial Index. NC Central scored below the CFI threshold in both 2024 and 2025, failing all four assessment questions in each year. The CFI is a measure that evaluates reserves, debt coverage, financial trajectory and whether an institution is living within its means. MEBANE Texas-based Buc-ee’s started construction on its first North Carolina travel center. The $60 million to $70 million project will feature a 75,000-square-foot store, 120 fuel pumps, 600 parking spaces and roughly 300 jobs. It is expected to open in late 2027. Buc-ee’s had considered a site in neighboring Orange County in 2021.

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RALEIGH The Carolina Hurricanes won their second Stanley Cup, besting the Vegas Golden Knights in the best-of-seven series. The Hurricanes had a 16-3 record in the playoffs, second best in NHL history, behind Edmonton’s 16-2 record in 1998.

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a 53-year-old independent practice with about 170,000 patients across the Triangle. The arrangement will help Raleigh Medical Group remain independent. Work began on a new N.C. State Bureau of Investigation headquarters campus on Garner Road. The multi-phase project will consolidate employees from several locations into a modern campus featuring a headquarters building, logistics facility and renovated existing offices, with construction expected to finish in 2027. Liberty Waste Solutions, a private equitybased waste and recycling company, bought M&M Garbage Disposal of Asheboro. Terms weren’t disclosed. M&M overlaps with Liberty’s existing operations in the Triad. Liberty recently bought AJ Disposal and Randolph County Garbage Services, which have clients in the Asheboro and Greensboro areas. Liberty is backed by Houston-based Allied Industrial Partners. Mordecai Beverage will close after more than six years in Raleigh. The closure adds to a string of recent restaurant and brewery shutdowns in the Triangle. Florida-based law firm Morgan & Morgan has leased 11,150 square feet at 150 Fayetteville in the center city and plans to grow from 15 local employees to as many as 100 workers. The Centennial Authority secured approval for $310 million in financing to fund a major renovation and expansion of the Lenovo Center, home of the Carolina Hurricanes and N.C. State basketball. Planned upgrades include new entrances, expanded public spaces, restaurants, retail, club-level improvements and restroom renovations as the arena prepares for its next phase of growth. The Raleigh Convention Center could become the Atlantic Union Bank Convention Center under a proposed 15-year naming-rights agreement. The bank would pay more than $500,000 upfront, with annual payments increasing 2% each year.

City leaders are considering the deal as the downtown venue prepares for an expansion scheduled for completion in 2029. Aston Power raised $20 million to accelerate its services to coordinate the delivery of electricity to U.S. data centers. The venture capital arms of Japanese electronics components maker TDK and JLL, the Chicago-based commercial real estate and property investment firm, provided funding.

easily integrated lethal payloads for small drones. Winners receive $10,000 and become part of a preferred munitions solutions list. Brian Davis founded the company three years ago after almost three decades in the Army, much of it in special operations.

WEST

SELMA Crystal Window and Door Systems decided against investing $83.7 million to create a factory here that was expected to create 500 jobs. The New York-based company cited economic and geopolitical factors in abandoning the plan announced last year. It terminates an economic grant with the state that would have been valued at $4.1 million over 12 years. SOUTHERN PINES Texas-based drone maker Delta Black opened an office , citing the region’s proximity to Fort Bragg, Research Triangle Park and aerospace manufacturers in the Triad. The company plans to grow its presence in North Carolina as it develops military and commercial unmanned aircraft technologies. WEST END Defense-tech manufacturer Kraken Kinetics was one of five winners of the Drone Dominance Program Lethality Challenge sponsored by the Defense Innovation Unit. The Lethality Prize Challenge addresses the need for cost-effective, mass-producible and

ARDEN Christ School is planning to add 12 faculty housing units and a new academic building as part of a campus expansion. The private Episcopal boarding school, which enrolls about 308 students on a 450-acre campus, said the project will increase on-campus housing options for existing faculty members. ASHEVILLE The city of Asheville established a $14.6 million grant program aimed at helping small businesses recover from Hurricane Helene. Funded through federal disaster-recovery dollars, the program will offer grants ranging from $5,000 to $75,000 to eligible businesses within the city limits. JPMorgan Chase opened its first branch here and plans to open three more in the region over the next three years, including a second here later this year. The largest U.S. bank by revenue opened its first N.C. branch in Chapel Hill in 2019, and now has nearly 60 branches in the state. BOONE Samaritan’s Purse deployed a 50-bed Ebola treatment unit and 23 medical specialists to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in response to an Ebola outbreak. The ministry may eventually staff up to 60 workers and plans to partner with local churches on education and prevention efforts. ■ J U L Y

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2026 EVENTS

SCENESETTERS The NC Manufacturing Conference Benton Convention Center | April 14-15, 2026 NC Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Business North Carolina powered the North Carolina’s manufacturing conference. MFGCON was held at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem. MFGCON offered opportunities to meet vendors, network with industry peers and learn about resources to grow manufacturing in N.C. Photos by John Gessner.

NC Leadership Conference NC Museum of Natural Sciences | May 16, 2026 Business North Carolina and The N.C. Tribune partnered with Leadership North Carolina for a series of conference discussions covering statewide business, government and public policy issues. Speakers included Tim Reeder, (R) Pitt County, Susan Mims, CEO, Dogwood Healthcare Trust, Sydney Batch, (D) Wake County, Adrienne Cole, CEO, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Chris Chung, CEO, EDPNC, Morgan Jackson, Co – Founder, Nexus Strategies, Tim Moffitt, (R) Henderson, Polk, Rutherford Counties, Leigh Cockram, Economic Development Director, Rockingham County and Andrew Tate, Managing Director, Economic Development, Duke Energy. Photos by Bert VanderVeen.

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2026 Power List Awards Reception NC Museum of Natural Sciences | May 14, 2026 Business North Carolina honored more than 100 members of the 2026 Power List at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Thad Walton, Cecilia Holden, Curt Ladig and Dave Simpson were among the leaders who attended the event. The evening was sponsored by the Brooks Pierce law firm. Photos by Bert VanderVeen.

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MANUFACTURING REVOLUTION Manufacturing historically has conjured a certain perception, one of low skills, low pay and low advancement. But times are changing, and they’re changing fast. Spurred by North Carolina’s often lauded economic environment, manufacturers from a variety of sectors are advancing, investing and expanding across the state. But those moves come with challenges, including finding workers and adopting artificial intelligence, whose potential seems to touch every job. Norwood Teague, Business North Carolina events director, recently led a discussion of industry leaders, who shared how they’re building a strong manufacturing future in the state and overcoming challenges along the way. Their conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.

Wendy Laing assistant executive director NC State Industry Extension Services Professional Learning

Davis Basden vice president of operations SMT

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Josh Lewis president and CEO Invest Greenville

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WHAT’S THE CURRENT STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA’S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY? SILVER: I’m very positive about manufacturing in our state. Business news outlet CNBC named North Carolina its 2025 Top State for Business, the third time it earned that title in four years. Our order bookings are up compared to last year. Our head count is 21, and we have numerous front-office and shopfloor positions open. It would be great if I could hire five or six people today. And I’d continue to hire. LEWIS: North Carolina has set itself up for success. Its tax policies will only get better, and economic development is a strong focus. Its population is one of the nation’s fastest growing. Companies follow people. We work closely with state leadership, and our success is directly connected to the state’s health. We’re trying to capture our fair share of the state’s growth, and we’re doing so. Greenville, Pitt County and eastern North Carolina in general probably hasn’t been a forethought in growth or

recognized for their successes. But we’re doing quite well. We’re the state’s sixth fastest growing MSA. We’ve had 6.5% population growth during the last five years. Area Development magazine’s annual report ranked it North Carolina’s No. 1 MSA for business opportunity. We’re a small part of North Carolina’s big picture. Everybody agrees that Charlotte, Raleigh and the Triad are doing well. But it’s an overall growth story. Some smaller secondary and tertiary markets will become even more attractive for onshoring manufacturing. They’re more cost effective and growing. If they can attract the people who these companies need to be successful, then some will do well. We track our local industries. We know when steel orders increase. We know the indicators before you see the announcement. Are other industries seeing their books backed up? We’re starting to see that here. I don’t foresee this slowing anytime soon. BASDEN: I’ve worked in several states. North Carolina stands out for many reasons. Companies are investing. We’re close to ports and have well-connected interstates. We’re in Raleigh and never

struggle to find people; it’s a matter of finding the ones with the skills that we need. Training has been huge for us. We work closely with nearby community colleges. The state is home to strong universities. SMT is in the middle of many industries. Its customers are in the EV space, medical, pharma and power centers, and it’s transitioning to data centers. We’re looking for business that makes the most sense and turning away what doesn’t. We’re managing that growth instead of asking what are we going to do next. There’s more than enough work for everyone. We’re expanding. We could hire 10 to 20 people right now and not be done. LAING: North Carolina has many manufacturers. There are beveragemakers and sock knitters. Some work in automotive and machining. Companies are investing in their workers, including promoting from within. They’re investing in some automation and energy efficiencies. They’re exploring artificial intelligence. It’s a strong and growing industry for the state. IES will continue to serve them as they need.

The discussion was sponsored by: •Invest Greenvile •The Rise Companies

Andres Naranjo Villamizar CEO Software Toolbox

Courtney Silver president and owner Ketchie

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VILLAMIZAR: The state has an endowment of terrific end markets. In manufacturing, you have process industries, which can be cyclical. If you’re indexed to oil, for example, those prices rise and fall. Some discrete manufacturing can have a low margin or be commoditized. But some industries are a hybrid and very high value. North Carolina has those, too. There’s more than 860 life-sciences companies in the state. Aerospace companies are determining the future of flight; JetZero is building a $4.7 billion factory in Greensboro to build a blended-wing jet that offers exceptional fuel efficiency.

WHAT CONCERNS MANUFACTURERS?

We’ve served about 120 manufacturers in North Carolina during the last four years. We closely track economic development announcements, naturally, because we’re trying to sell industrial software, data platforms and AI to them. There’s about $27 billion of announced investment, but the next step is turning announcements into production.

Workforce concerns me, though I’ve found some peace. I feel we’re using our entire toolkit in regards to recruiting and developing our workforce pipeline. Our well-established high school internship program has taken the next step, registering as a pre-apprenticeship program. Six students from two high schools took part this past semester. It feeds our apprenticeship program. We’ve been doing this for three years, and we have success stories. We must continue workforcedevelopment innovation. Keep thinking about summer camps and partnering with public and private schools and community colleges to provide opportunities for kids. Many students want a hands-on job. They

I came from California. It’s the land of scarcity. Everything costs a fortune, including housing. There is little to no child care. But those are extremely manageable and affordable here. As long as they’re treated as economic infrastructure, people will move here, and they’ll be happy here. That’s my personal experience.

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SILVER: We’re not supposed to worry; we’re supposed to pray. As a business owner, it’s always what’s outside my control — the economy’s direction, the uncertainty of tariffs and uncertainty within our industry. They impact all manufacturers, including whether or not to make a large investment, expand operations or add locations. It’s the regulatory and tax environment. It’s overall state and federal leadership. It’s big events such as the COVID pandemic. How will we react to them? How will they affect business?

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don’t want to sit behind a desk. That’s exciting. Manufacturing jobs are full of purpose and dignity. They are highly compensated and offer good benefits. It’s a lifelong career filled with learning. I believe our country is going in the right direction with respecting skilled trades. I’m encouraged by all of it. BASDEN: We deal with two major issues on a day-to-day basis. Workforce is the first. It’s not a labor shortage. We get 50 to 100 applicants for a job posing. It’s a skills shortage. We have good pipelines to the community colleges, but manufacturing becomes more technical every year. We’re investing in new machinery, which has a lot of automation. We need operators for these machines, which aren’t necessarily point-andshoot operations. Operators must troubleshoot in real time, understand data and program the machine. Industry awareness is a challenge, too. I graduated school about 10 years ago. Manufacturing wasn’t really presented as a career option to me when I was in school. We were pointed toward service industries. I thought manufacturing was dirty, poorly paid and required few skills. But after working in it for so long, I’ve realized that’s not the case at all. You can earn an excellent wage in manufacturing. There are opportunities for advancement. We must communicate that to the next generation.

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LAING: Manufacturers are investing in what they can afford. We recently visited a company that purchased property for an expansion in Garner. Its current space is filled with equipment, so it can’t go further without expanding. But it can’t qualify for the loans to make that happen. So, it’s maximizing its current space. It’s investing in automation and its workforce. We see many promotions from within from a standpoint of investment in the workforce. There are fewer hirings but more investment in promotion. I worked with NC State’s College of Engineering’s faculty this past semester. We looked at being more intentional about getting students into manufacturing. That’s not at the master’s or Ph.D. level. It’s at the undergraduate level. NC State’s Rural Works! program places engineers in North Carolina’s rural counties. It’s a treat to see these engineers go there and absolutely love it. They’re staying in these rural counties. They’re finding affordable housing. They can own a house and land and grow a family all while doing interesting work and collecting a good salary. LEWIS: Everyone’s worried about the late-night post on social media and what’s happening with international trade and agreements. The good news is some of it has slowed. These things

come with every generation and administration. Everyone knows that businesses dislike uncertainty. It’s about mitigating risk and what we can’t control. We should sleep well, but I don’t. I’m concerned about reacting to the AI transition fast enough. Manufacturing left quickly in the 1990s. During the 1992 presidential debates, third-party candidate Ross Perot warned that U.S. manufacturing job losses created by the North American Free Trade Agreement would create a “big sucking sound.” Then we ran into the internet age, the dot-com era of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It took about a decade for the economy to really catch up with that massive transformation. Now the world is moving faster because of AI. Is our workforce training and perspectives correct? Will people learn the right skills to power this technology during the next decade? That’s a major concern for everybody, and nobody really knows the answer yet. We need to do something different. Our educational institutions are like big ships —how do you turn them quickly? VILLAMIZAR: Manufacturing has the lowest AI penetration of any industry in North America. It’s on par with government. That keeps me up at night. We must lean into it, so folks adopt it. And when they go somewhere else to

work, they implement it there. While we could be moving faster in regards to AI, the world isn’t incredibly ahead of us. Europe’s AI use is far behind because of the General Data Protection Regulation data privacy and security law that was enacted about a decade ago. I came from Japan, which is one of the least digital nations on the planet. Japan loves robots and shiny lights, but it does not like software. It likes the man, the method and the process. China is dramatically ahead for many reasons. It embeds AI in hardware. The lead time to get hardware here is 60 days. If you’re in Shenzhen, you can get whatever you need by going down to the corner. They have many open-source models. Southeast Asia, where there is much semiconductor manufacturing and which has been going after China, is fairly advanced. People wouldn’t put a credit card on Amazon at first. In the early 2000s, nobody would enter their data in customer relationship management software. And many people resisted personal finances apps in the beginning. But we came around on all those, and we need to come around quickly on AI. We’ve been gifted a powerful technology. AI takes off because of labor vacuums. A shortage of 3 million manufacturing workers is forecasted from now to 2030.

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My clients have Gen Z attrition of 40% on average. It takes three to five years to properly train a supervisor. None of those helps the industry, but AI helps. HOW CAN AI CHANGE MANUFACTURING? VILLAMIZAR: AI is a series of technologies. There’s machine learning, which manufacturers use to make predictions such as energy consumption or when a machine is most likely to fail. Most manufacturers could be gathering a comprehensive data set of their machines’ performance and raw-material use to predict when their production line is likely to stop. The second is computer vision, which reads images. It’s extremely powerful

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and has may applications for manufacturing. It can monitor safety protocols such as workers wearing hardhats or steel-toe boots. It can discover defects such as the weld quality of data-center cabinets. Image acquisition is inexpensive. You can purchase Wi-Fi modem-equipped cameras for $25 from Amazon. They can upload images to a variety of platforms. At first, your quality expert needs to label those images as bad or good. But once that’s done, cameras can snap pictures of your finished products, allowing AI to monitor quality. Quality is a real problem, because we’ve offshored manufacturing for a long time. Now that we’re reshoring, quality gets lost in the shuffle. You can ratchet up a line, but you need quality. Third is generative AI such as ChatGPT

Enterprise, which is relatively inexpensive. We have 30 people on it, and it costs us about $10,000 annually. It’s versatile. Load your standard operating procedures, manuals and set points, any information that lives in network drives. It provides a better way to get bills of materials, set points and other pertinent information. It can generate content, code or creative composition. One of our customers is a factory in Slovakia, where one guy knows how to enter set points on the machines. We’re codifying that in a generative AI application, so a new worker can simply ask AI for the set points for his shift. Certain jobs are impossible to fill. One of my clients processes beet sugar, which apparently is the stinkiest product on Earth. You can’t hire someone to

check alarms inside the factory. And one of our data center clients has 250,000 alarms from environmental sensors going off at any moment. No human being can manage that amount of data efficiently. You must build an AI agent. While AI is a new technology, there are many opportunities for quick wins. We live in a world of citizen developers. People build apps. They only need space, tools and a problem to solve, whether that’s better planning, lower defects or higher performance. Recently I was at a summit where someone mentioned that AI is expensive. People in Silicon Valley are compressing AI’s cost by 98% every 18 months. It’s only going to get cheaper. It’ll only get better.

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SILVER: We recently invested in software with embedded AI. It’s available to us from the machine tools that we run on our shop floor. It has reduced our offline programming time, which could be more than 30 minutes down to a few minutes. It makes a digital twin of our physical machines with the tools loaded. You can load in a model from your customer and quickly get a program for a complicated machine part that you can tweak. That helps with part development and quoting on the front side. And the investment wasn’t that large, to be honest.

when AI is adopted by the machinist or operator on the shop floor. The younger generation is growing up with AI. They’re comfortable with it. It’s going to be really neat to see all this integration that’s going to happen with manufacturing systems. I’m excited.

We want to see AI adopted on the shop floor. Management can monitor things and load data sets, but manufacturers will see the most gain

We recently scheduled an in-person webinar about AI that was limited to 20 seats. A scheduling issue forced us to take it virtual, and within 24 hours, we

LAING: We see a lack of AI use among manufacturers in general. It seems to be pockets of comfort. Some individuals at a location have an interest, so they find a way that it can benefit their process, whether improving efficiency or learning a data visualization.

had 100 people for the webinar. They wanted to learn how to apply AI for quality management processes. We’re helping a couple manufacturers with their engineers and the safe deployment of AI. But the environment is still very cautious. LEWIS: Large companies have capital, so they can afford to take a risk. Small to mid-size manufacturers are less likely to be out front in terms of AI implementation. The low-hanging fruit for most includes supply chain. They want to optimize packaging and shipping products in the most costeffective way if they’re not using thirdparty logistics or other things. It’s an interesting time. We’re at an all-time low birth rate. Immigration is why the U.S. population is growing aggregately. China is expected to lose about half its population by 2100. We’re going to have fewer people working and more people retired. More people will be subsidized, because they’re out of the workforce. We need productivity. Only those who can produce more with less will keep up. AI can increase productivity. The next year or two will be extremely important. Whoever figures it out the fastest will be well positioned to help their communities. We need to join educators, helping companies implement best practices. I look forward to participating in that, whatever it may look like. ■

Miguel Carrillo, left, talks with Ketchie CEO Courtney Silver, middle, and Jay Timmons, president of the National Association, who stopped in Concord as part of his national State of Manufacturing Tour.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Planes, chains and automobiles Job growth in North Carolina is highlighted by JetZero’s Greensboro plans and Charlotte’s success attracting financial powerhouses and an automotive headquarters. By Lawrence Bivins

orth Carolina had another substantial year of economic development, the annual Business North Carolina list of the state’s largest job-creation projects indicates. In any other year, massive investments in the Triangle region by large drug manufacturers AbbVie ($1.4 billion), Johnson & Johnson ($1 billion) and Novartis ($771 million) might have been list toppers. But this year’s rankings are led by startup JetZero’s astounding plans for nearly 15,000 jobs in Greensboro; Amazon Web Services’ record $10 billion commitment for data centers in Richmond County; and Scout Motors’ headquarters in Charlotte. The Queen City shows up as the clear winner in the Top 25 list, which is based on announcements made in the year ending May 31. Eight Charlotte projects are featured, including six financial services expansions that include global giants Citigroup and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and new corporate offices for shipping giant Maersk and Scout. “Charlotte’s firing on all cylinders these days,” Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said when Newport Beach, Calif.-based Pacific Life Insurance announced its East Coast hub last year. The city’s pool of finance workers, abundant office space and strong airport make it a favorite for investment and banking companies. It’s wise to be cautious about corporate job projections, of course. Last year’s list was topped by Natron Energy, which pledged a $1.4 billion plant in Edgecombe County that boosters said would employ more than 1,000 people. The Santa Clara, California-based company hoped to make sodium-ion energy batteries for use at data centers, EV charging stations and other outlets, and secured potential state incentives of $21.8 million. It’s now liquidated, waylaid by shifting technology and financial pressures. Virtually all of the companies on this year’s list, however, are large, blue-chip enterprises deemed capable of meeting job and investment targets required to secure the state’s backing. Project details are collected through state reports, press releases, media accounts and interviews with economic development officials. Industry leaders say the trend for more domestic manufacturing and the need to make supply chains more efficient bode well for continued growth in North Carolina.

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BIGGEST JOBS ANNOUNCEMENTS 2025

2024

2023

Natron Energy

3,000

Toyota Motor

3,000

Amazon

1000

Boviet Solar

908

Novo Nordisk

1000

Ross Stores

Fleet Readiness

444

Johnson & Johnson

420

Wolfspeed

2022

2021

1,802

Centene

3,237

Lowe’s

1,600

Siemens Mobility

500

Apple

3,000

Amazon

1,200

852

GE Hitachi Nuclear

485

Google

1,000

Bandwidth

1,165

Fujifilm Biosynth

680

SoPakCo

440

BioAgilytix Labs

878

Microsoft

930

Siemens Energy

559

Bank of London

350

Pratt & Whitney

800

Q2 Solutions

769

source: Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA’S TOP 25 JOB PROJECTS 1. JetZero, Greensboro

9. U.S. Forged Rings, Winton

18. Johnson & Johnson, Wilson

2. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., Charlotte

10. Capital Group, Charlotte

19. Pacific Life Insurance, Charlotte

3. Scout Motors, Charlotte

11. Zhejiang Kingsun Eco-pack, Robbinsville

20.(Tie) Environmental Air Systems,

4. Jabil, Salisbury

12. A.P. Moller – Maersk, Charlotte

5.(Tie) Aspida Financial, Durham

13. Citigroup, Charlotte

5.(Tie) Vulcan Elements, Benson

14. Amazon Web Services, Hamlet

7. AbbVie, Durham

15. Lenovo Group, Whitsett

8. Novartis Gene Therapies,

16. Lumentum, Greensboro

Durham and Morrisville

17. BorgWarner, Hendersonville

Asheboro 20.(Tie) Walmart, Kings Mountain 22. BuildOps, Raleigh 23. Ahold Delhaize, Burlington 24. AssetMark Financial, Charlotte 25. SoFi Technologies, Charlotte

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1. JETZERO

Long Beach, California

▪ NEW JOBS: 14,564 ▪ COUNTY: Guilford ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $47 billion ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $1 billion over 37 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $784.7 million

4. JABIL

5. (TIE) VULCAN ELEMENTS

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ NEW JOBS: 1,000 ▪ COUNTY: Johnston ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $918 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $17.6 million ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $94.7 million

St. Petersburg, Florida

Durham

NEW JOBS: 1,181 COUNTIES: Rowan PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $500 million N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $11.3 million over 12 years LOCAL INCENTIVES: $2.3 million

Electronic parts-maker Jabil plans a fourth N.C. location in its 30-plant operation around the U.S. The company’s 140,000-person workforce supports a global customer base that spans data centers, healthcare, automated warehousing and robotics. Founded in 1966 as a repair shop for circuit boards, Jabil will occupy a former Gildan building on 50 acres at Salisbury’s Granite Industrial Park. Operations are expected to begin later this year. The company already employs about 1,000 North Carolina workers at plants in Asheville, Hendersonville and Mebane.

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Vulcan Elements is partnering with the U.S. government to produce rare earth magnets at Crosspoint Logistics Center, a 90acre industrial property in Benson. The products generate intense magnetic fields used to create smaller, efficient components in electric motors, renewable energy and other industries. The move is expected to spur economic activity in mostly rural parts of Johnston and Harnett counties. Because defense applications increasingly rely on a strong supply chain of rare earth magnets, the massive facility also may offer benefits for U.S. national security. The federal government owns a $50 million equity stake in the company. Vulcan’s site selection team liked the community’s proximity to exiting military personnel, as well as Johnston County’s new $40 million Advanced Manufacturing Training Center.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMAZON, NOVO NORDISK AND FLEET READINESS CENETER EAST

Startup aircraft manufacturer JetZero wants to disrupt the global aviation market with a “blended-wing-body” design that it says creates a better travel experience with half the fuel consumption. CEO Tom O’Leary pledges an 8 million square-foot site at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, marking a record jobs announcement for North Carolina that could turbocharge the Triad economy. JetZero considered 25 locations in 17 states before selecting the 700-acre site. Investments by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and the U.S. Air Force adds credibility to those projections. Construction started in June on renovating a 120,000-square-foot former Spectrum call center that will house the company’s HR operations.

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9. U.S. FORGED RINGS Greenwich, Connecticut

11. ZHEJIANG KINGSUN ECO-PACK Xianju, China

▪ NEW JOBS: 575 ▪ COUNTY: Graham ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $80.5 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $3.4 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $2.9 million

NEW JOBS: 625 COUNTY: Hertford PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $875 million N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $0 LOCAL INCENTIVES: $0

Leaders in Hertford County, which has fewer than 20,000 residents, hope a new piece of state-funded transportation infrastructure can invigorate the local economy. U.S. Forged Rings, a unit of Italy’s Sozzi family of industrial companies, plans to produce piping, fabrication and ring-rolling products at the River Industrial Park by the end of 2029. State legislators approved $51 million to build an inland barge facility along the Chowan River, and an access road, to help U.S. Forged Rings connect to eastern U.S. buyers. The county-owned port is an hour from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia.

EcoKing Solutions’ factory in Robbinsville will make disposable, biodegradable tableware, clamshell containers and other products for the retail and food service industries. The company is a U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese business formed in 2008. The company’s first North American investment joins three Chinese plants. North Carolina competed against neighboring sites in Tennessee. While the project offered the rare opportunity for a rural “Tier One” county to participate in the state’s Job Development Incentive Grant program, the award nonetheless sparked grumbling from EcoKing’s North Carolina competitors. The plant is expected to start production in late 2026 or early 2027.

15. LENOVO GROUP LIMITED

16. LUMENTUM HOLDINGS

▪ NEW JOBS: 420 ▪ COUNTY: Guilford ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $77 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $0 ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $1.2 million

▪ NEW JOBS: 400 ▪ COUNTY: Guilford ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $570 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $0 ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $0

Beijing and Morrisville

Tech manufacturer Lenovo Group wanted to move quickly on plans for its 130,000-square-foot plant in Whitsett and didn’t seek financial incentives from the state. Bobbitt Construction is reconfiguring warehouse space into a production site for advanced AI servers. Lenovo officials also considered Dallas, Memphis and Canton, Ohio, for the investment. The Chinese company has based U.S. operations at Research Triangle Park since buying IBM’s personal computing division in 2005. The eastern Guilford facility opened two years later.

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San Jose, California

Lumentum is a leader in optical- and photonics-based applications for AI data center technologies, with its market value soaring eightfold over the past year through mid-June to $65 billion. The company acquired the 240,000-square-foot site in Greensboro from Qorvo, which was ending operations there as part of its $22 billion merger with SkyWorks Solutions. Lumentum was established in 2015 as a spinoff of JDS Uniphase, which is now called Viavi Solutions. Lumentum intends to retain Qorvo employees and add more workers.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF E JOHNSON & JOHNSON, GENENTECH AND AMGEN

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MANUFACTURING

17. BORGWARNER

20. (TIE) ENVIRONMENTAL

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High Point

Auburn Hills, Michigan

NEW JOBS: 378 COUNTY: Henderson PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $100 million N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $3.7 million LOCAL INCENTIVES: $4.1 million

BorgWarner, a $14 billion (annual revenue) leader in airflow management and automotive propulsion systems, is growing its western North Carolina presence at the 65-acre Blue Ridge Commerce Center. In 2022, Minnesota-based Oppidan Investment began developing the property adjacent to Interstate 26 in Hendersonville. BorgWarner considered sites in Germany, Spain and South Carolina before selecting Henderson County due to its labor supply, ready industrial buildings and local incentives programs. The company has a plant in Buncombe County that employs more than 700.

AIR SYSTEMS

▪ NEW JOBS: 300 ▪ COUNTY: Randolph ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $20 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $3.3 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $506,000

Environmental Air Systems is expanding its production of subassemblies for the pharmaceutical, data center, semiconductor and healthcare industries. The company, founded in the Triad in 1953, aims to meet growing demand for specialized prefabricated equipment for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Since 2011, it has been owned by Houston-based Comfort Systems USA. EAS is leasing former Klaussner Furniture plants in Asheboro that are owned by locally based Schwarz Properties.

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2. SUMITOMO MITSUI

BANKING CORP. Tokyo

▪ NEW JOBS: 2,000 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $50 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $70 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $1.3 million

5. (TIE) ASPIDA FINANCIAL

13. CAPITAL GROUP

Durham

▪ NEW JOBS: 600 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $60 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $17 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $1 million

GROUP

▪ NEW JOBS: 1,000 ▪ COUNTY: Durham ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $28 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $21.8 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $750,000

Aspida sells annuity products for consumers and offers reinsurance solutions for insurance companies. Its expansion in Durham will add jobs in technology, customer service and corporate operations. The firm started in 2020 and is owned by Los Angeles-based Ares Management. It outgrew its previous space and signed a lease in late 2025 for three floors at Imperial Tower off I-40. Aspida also considered Richmond, Virginia, for the expansion. It has $30 billion in assets.

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Los Angeles

Founded in 1931, privately held Capital Group is among the largest U.S. wealth managers with $3.4 trillion in assets under management. It plans an East Coast operations hub at Charlotte’s One Independence Center building at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets. The firm owns the American Funds mutual fund group. “North Carolina’s strong financial services ecosystem, growing talent base and long-term outlook align closely with our priorities as a firm,” Chief Operating Officer Rob Klausner says.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EAVL MAUFACTURING, AMERICAN TITANIUM METAL AND MOTORSPORT IP ACQUISITION COMPANY

While Charlotte has been a major banking center for more than 40 years, the city’s reputation soared with the decision by one of Japan’s three megabanks to set up a second U.S. headquarters there. Recruiting efforts by Gov. Josh Stein and other state and local business promotion groups sealed the deal. The world’s 12th largest bank by assets doesn’t have an East Coast retail operation, but has plans for HR, cybersecurity, technology and capital markets activity to complement its New York office. SMTB thrilled Uptown Charlotte boosters by signing a lease at the 301 South College building, formerly One Wells Fargo Center. Real estate services firm CBRE represented the bank, while Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys worked with local and state governments on incentive arrangements.

FINANCE

13. CITIGROUP New York

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NEW JOBS: 510 COUNTY: Mecklenburg PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $16.1 million N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $8.9 million over 12 years LOCAL INCENTIVES: $375,000

19. PACIFIC LIFE INSURANCE Newport Beach, California

▪ NEW JOBS: 301 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $12.3 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $5.5 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $333,684

Charlotte’s fintech talent pool helped convince the third-largest U.S. bank to create 500 new positions at a technology unit in the Ballantyne area. The move consolidates numerous remote positions for the company, which has about 275 local employees. Salaries for the new jobs will average nearly $132,000, with positions in risk management, client credit, personal banking and support operations. Charlotte competed with Jacksonville, Florida, for the expansion.

One of the nation’s largest insurers, Pacific Life is leasing three floors at Queensbridge Collective, a new 42-story office-apartment tower that links Charlotte’s Uptown and South End districts. The company employs nearly 5,000 people and is hiring for actuarial, finance, tech and HR positions. Pacific Life is mutually owned by its 1 million members, and it has $1.6 trillion of life insurance in force.

24. ASSETMARK FINANCIAL HOLDINGS

25. SOFI TECHNOLOGIES

Concord, California

▪ NEW JOBS: 225 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $3 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $1.9 million ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $80,000

▪ NEW JOBS: 252 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $10 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $1.9 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $170,000

AssetMark provides wealth management guidance and customized consulting to more than 10,000 financial advisers. Its expanded presence will include the top two floors at the 2825 South building in Charlotte’s South End. The company also considered Atlanta and Phoenix for the expansion. It was founded in 1996 and was acquired by the Chicago-based GTCR private equity firm in 2024 for $2.7 billion. It has 1,000 employees and oversees about $160 billion in assets.

San Francisco

SoFi Technologies’ Galileo platform serves as digital architecture for fintech systems across consumer transaction networks. The public company’s expansion in Charlotte’s Ballantyne area would more than triple its existing 100-employee office, which opened in 2023. New positions include sales, management, loan officers, processors and underwriters. “The region’s energy, talent and quality of life make it a natural fit,” SoFi executive Eric Schuppenhauer said when the plans were announced.

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PHARMACEUTICALS

7. ABBVIE

North Chicago, Illinois

▪ NEW JOBS: 734 ▪ COUNTY: Durham ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $1.4 billion ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $19.4 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $24.8 million

AbbVie’s first investment in North Carolina centers on a 185-acre campus that will encompass advanced manufacturing, laboratory technologies and AI-related activities. The company, which was spun off in 2012 from Abbott Laboratories, produces medications for immunology, neuroscience and oncology. The Durham site is part of a $100 billion R&D and manufacturing capital spending plan across the next decade. Upon its completion in late 2028, the campus will be manufacturing AbbVie’s small volume parenterals, which are injectable pharmaceuticals with volumes typically less than 100 milliliters.

8. NOVARTIS GENE THERAPIES Basel, Switzerland

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NEW JOBS: 700 COUNTY: Durham and Wake PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $771 million N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $7.6 million LOCAL INCENTIVES: $12.6 million

The latest expansion by the Swiss biopharma giant combines new construction with the renovation of existing sites in Durham and Morrisville. It will nearly double Novartis’ footprint in the Triangle to more than 700,000 square feet. The company launched manufacturing operations in North Carolina 20 years ago. Its current build-out will expand its manufacturing of active ingredients through finished drug products, enabling a broader portfolio of products.

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18. JOHNSON & JOHNSON New Brunswick, New Jersey

▪ NEW JOBS: 320 ▪ COUNTY: Wilson ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $1 billion ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $0

J&J showed up on last year’s Top 25 list with its planned $2 billion biologic medicines plant in Wilson. This year, the company unveiled plans for an adjacent facility to finish and ship drug products. Both facilities are supported by Wilson Community College’s Biomanufacturing Education and Skills Training Center, which is funded by the state and the Golden LEAF Foundation. The combined operation is expected to employ more than 600 people over the next 10 years for J&J, which ranks 45th on the Fortune 500 list.

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LOGISTICS

14. AMAZON WEB

SERVICES

Seattle and Arlington, Virginia

▪ NEW JOBS: 500 ▪ COUNTY: Richmond ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $10 billion ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: NA

Abundant water and the presence of a major Duke Energy generating station convinced the biggest U.S. private employer to invest $10 billion in a 20-building data campus in Hamlet in Richmond County. It’s among the largest corporate capital investments in state history and is adjacent to Duke Energy’s 1,247-megawatt Smith Energy Complex, a natural-gas-fired power plant that launched in 2001. The e-commerce company says it employs 27,500 people in North Carolina and has invested $17 billion since 2010. That includes a $350 million, 4-story fulfillment center employing 1,000 that is expected to open in Wilmington this fall.

20. (TIE) WALMART

23. AHOLD DELHAIZE

▪ NEW JOBS: 300 ▪ COUNTY: Gaston ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $300 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $3.7 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $9.8 million

▪ NEW JOBS: 285 ▪ COUNTY: Guilford ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $860 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $0

Bentonville, Arkansas

Walmart’s fulfillment center at Kings Mountain Corporate Center will facilitate next-day shipments of household products like lawnmowers and patio furniture directly to consumers. North Carolina’s second-largest private employer (behind Atrium Health) intends to open the 1.2 million-square-foot facility next year. Average wages will approach $67,000 GDP over the next 12 years, state officials said. The company also explored location options in South Carolina. Walmart has 192 stores in North Carolina.

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Zaandam, Netherlands

The Dutch owner of Salisbury-based Food Lion is building 1.1 million square feet of refrigerated distribution space at an industrial park straddling the Alamance/Guilford county lines. Blackstone Credit & Insurance is investing $475 million to construct the facility, which Ahold Delhaize will lease with an option for possible purchase. Food Lion has 1,100 stores in 10 states. Ahold also owns the Hannaford, Giant Food and Stop & Shop chains.

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TECHNOLOGY

22. BUILDOPS Santa Monica, California

▪ NEW JOBS: 291 ▪ COUNTY: Wake ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $770,000 ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $1.84 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $87,300

Founded in 2018, BuildOps Inc. offers a software-as-a-service platform for building contractors. Raleigh will join Los Angeles and Toronto as an operational hub for the company, which aims to help commercial contractors operate more efficiently. BuildOps’ June 2025 expansion announcement came after the company raised $127 million from investors, prompting a company valuation topping $1 billion. Raleigh edged out Austin, Texas, after a search that explored 10 potential destinations.

HEADQUARTERS

3. SCOUT MOTORS

12. A.P. MOLLER –

▪ NEW JOBS: 1,200 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $207 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $46.5 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $20 million

Copenhagen

Charlotte

The Volkswagen-backed maker of electric vehicles picked Richland County, South Carolina, for its $2 billion assembly plant that is expected to employ 4,000. But Charlotte won the corporate headquarters. The decision ticked off some Palmetto State leaders, but CEO Scott Keogh cited Charlotte’s airport, business climate and talent pool as advantages over Columbia. Scout is planning to sell its vehicles direct to consumers, which is sparking a lawsuit by Volkswagen dealers. Scout’s offices are slated for the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, an unusual choice in a city where most major businesses opt for Uptown, South End, Southpark or Ballantyne.

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MAERSK

▪ NEW JOBS: 520 ▪ COUNTY: Mecklenburg ▪ PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $16 million ▪ N.C. CASH INCENTIVES: $7.95 million over 12 years ▪ LOCAL INCENTIVES: $530,259

Maersk’s new North American headquarters in south Charlotte will be home to key finance, human resources, commercial strategy and technology operations. The Danish company’s presence in Charlotte dates to 2006, with plans to add 520 jobs by 2029 and eventually employ 1,300. Atlanta also was in the running for the shipping and logistics giant’s HQ, which is leaving New Jersey. Three months After announcing the expansion in November, Maersk pushed back its hiring plans a year because of delays in renovation work at its existing Arrowpoint Boulevard campus.

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25 front runners The N.C. Economic Development Association honored eight leaders in its annual program saluting key accomplishments and career achievement. Economic developers work with consultants, companies, real estate developers and local governments to attract investment and jobs to North Carolina. Their success is evident in frequent plaudits for the state’s pro-business climate.

By Kevin Ellis and David Mildenberg

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BRENT CHRISTENSEN

BRENT CHRISTENSEN CEO Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Education: B.A., Duke University When he took current post: 2015 Previous job: Executive director, Mississippi Development Authority Recent successes: JetZero and Lumentum

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When Greensboro construction executive David Ramsey first met Christensen, the chamber CEO showed him a photo of an employee recently hired at a company recruited to the area. Because of health benefits from his new job, the man had received dental surgery to repair a significant disfigurement. “Brent didn’t sell me on the fame and access allowed by economic development. Instead, he told me how it affects lives,” says Ramsey, who works for Landmark Builders. “Brent is called to this field to help others. When working on his team, you are motivated to work hard and win, not just for the headlines but for the opportunities that will come to others.” The Greensboro area has enjoyed some of the state’s key economic development wins during Christensen’ s 11 years in the region. A key factor, local officials say, is his role in helping unify the region, which hadn’t been known for collaboration. “Brent is known across North Carolina as a collaborative leader of integrity, professionalism and substance,” says Loren Hill, a veteran Triad economic developer. “He builds trust. He shares credits. He supports peers. Brent is a tireless advocate for regionalism.” Christensen’s “mastery of the Greensboro region and the broader North Carolina business landscape was a decisive factor in our site selection,” says Julie Felgar, JetZero’s vice president of government affairs and defense strategy. “When we asked difficult questions, he gave us honest, informed answers rather than polished talking points.” The chamber CEO’s genuine nature also impressed JetZero, she says. “There is no performance, no pretense … He is whip-smart without being arrogant, strategic without being transactional and effective without losing his humanity.”

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PRESIDENT’S AWARD ANDREW TATE NCEDA President Brittany Brady chose Tate for this recognition because of his leadership in economic development over the past 20 years. “He is a strategic thinker, team player, and humble leader who has had his fingerprints on projects across the state. His selfless leadership has positioned NC and NCEDA in strong standing through the years,” says Brady, who leads the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. Duke Energy plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining businesses, though usually in the background. Tate led Henderson County’s economic development group for nearly 11 years before moving to the N.C. Railroad Company as vice president of real estate in 2017. Four years later, he moved to the Charlotte-based electric utility, which is experiencing a massive increase in power demand because of data centers, large manufacturing plants and population growth. Tate’s nine-member team focuses on industrial site preparation and technical support to provide solutions. An example is how Duke needed to make significant modifications in its infrastructure to support Toyota’s huge battery manufacturing site in Randolph County. Duke site-readiness program has evaluated 175 sites in North Carolina since 2005. Ninety-two sites have attracted projects totaling $52 billion in capital investment and nearly 48,500 jobs.

ANDREW TATE Managing director Economic development (Carolinas) Duke Energy Education: B.A. UNC Chapel Hill When he took current post: 2021 Previous job: Vice president, N.C. Railroad Company Recent successes: U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center East (Lenoir County) and BorgWarner plant (Henderson County.)

DEAL OF THE YEAR MIDSIZE MARKET PROLEC GE WAUKESHA

JULIE GRAHAM

Existing industry director, Wayne County N.C. Global TransPark Economic Development Region Goldsboro Education: B.A., University of Mount Olive When she took current post: 2021 Previous job: Sanderson Farms, human resources director Deal of the Year: Prolec GE Waukesha, energy/manufacturing, $140 million investment, 330 jobs, $71,912 average wage (50.6% above current average of $47,739) Groundbreaking: March 17

Economic development success is often measured when company officials and a mayor deliver the good news. The decisive moments before an idea becomes a jobs announcement are also critical, and that’s when Graham delivered, says Benjy Woodard, project manager for Goldsboro’s Prolec GE Waukesha plant. “She helped ensure that momentum did not stall at ideation or early development, but progressed from announcement to groundbreaking and, in the coming years, to a fully operational facility,” says Woodard. Prolec GE’s Goldsboro facility started in 1966 as Hevi-Duty Electric, and is now owned by GE Verona. The expansion will double its 171,500-square-foot facility, which employs 374 workers. Production capacity will go from 220 to 420 medium power transformers. Economic developers spent two years to land a project with high-paying jobs in the economically distressed county, Graham says. Competition for the plant initially included a site in Mexico, then a Louisiana city. At a point when company officials went silent, “We thought we had lost the project,” she says. The company eventually chose Wayne County, aided by more than $10 million in incentives and an available workforce. The project will make a difference in the county of 122,000 residents. “We want to see our area grow and have good-paying jobs for our kids coming out of college so they’ll come back to eastern North Carolina,” Graham says. “I’m just so excited that this is in Wayne County because it’s huge.”

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DEAL OF THE YEAR LARGE MARKET N.C. CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL The numbers behind the NC Children’s Hospital reflect what N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley describes as one of the largest economic projects in state history. “But at the end of the day, we’re talking about world-class healthcare for children,” says Helms. It promises to transform the ability to care for children with serious illnesses across the southeast. The project involves a partnership between UNC Health and Duke University Health, bolstered by large state and private investments. Officials considered more than 15 sites, so Helms and her team had to bring together parties related to utilities, infrastructure, transportation and land negotiations. “It had all the same elements of a traditional manufacturing recruitment project, it was just 10 times larger,” she says. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and take as much as six years till completion. It is slated to include a 500-bed children’s hospital, 103 behavioral health beds and a major research and education enterprise for the two universities. The 230-acre site, which cost $90 million, is at the intersection of U.S. 1 and N.C. 540, and will be part of Veridea, a 1,000-plus acre mixed-use development led by New York-based RXR. It is expected to eventually have 8,000 homes, 12 million square feet of office space, 3.5 million square feet of retail and restaurants, and a Wake Tech Community College campus.

JOANNA HELMS Economic development director Town of Apex Education: B.S., Western Carolina University When she took current post: 2014 Previous job: Wayne County Development Alliance, president Deal of the Year: NC Children’s Hospital, healthcare, $3 billion investment Groundbreaking: Expected 2027

DEAL OF THE YEAR small MARKET EKOKING SOLUTIONS

Josh CARPENTER Founder Carpenter Economic Advisors Robbinsville

Education: B.A., KenNesaw State University, MBA Western Governors University When he took current post: 2022-June 2026 Previous job: Existing industry expansion manager, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina Deal of the Year: EkoKing Solutions, manufacturing, $80.5 million investment, 515 jobs Status: Renovations underway; production to start late 2026 or early 2027

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Higher education officials help recruit industry by touting their workforce training strengths. Carpenter’s needs were more immediate. Before the first meeting between Graham County leaders and EcoKing Solutions, Carpenter realized none of the N.C. team spoke Mandarin. He asked Western Carolina University professor Yue Hillon, who is from the same region as China-based EcoKing’s parent company, to be a translator. From there, recruitment followed a normal process, says Carpenter. How does a company 7,500 miles away find a county in western North Carolina with fewer than 8,500 residents? EcoKing sought its first U.S. factory to make biodegradable paper products for customers including Chipotle and Panda Express. Customers wanted a U.S.-made product and EcoKing wanted to avoid tariffs, says John Lin, company vice president. The 601,000-square-foot building in Robbinsville had been mostly vacant for almost a decade when Carpenter convinced the owner in 2023 to list it with a real estate broker. A phone call from an Atlanta real estate broker set the project in motion. Stanley Furniture had operated in the building for decades, but closed in 2014, eliminating 400 jobs. EcoKing’s plans will make it one of the largest manufacturers west of Asheville, says Carpenter. EcoKing hopes to start production late this year or early next year. In June, Carpenter left the regional economic development organization to start Carpenter Economic Advisors in Robbinsville. He now advises EcoKing.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR MARTIE BUTLER Richmond County had always dreamed of landing a big project, says former Rockingham Mayor Gene McLaurin. But Amazon Web Services plans to invest $10 billion to build a campus of data centers exceeded his imagination. “It’s a truly transformational project for a small rural county that has faced economic challenges due to job losses in textiles and other traditional industries,” says McLaurin, who is chair of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Amazon’s announcement in June 2025 represents the largest initial investment for a North Carolina project, though Toyota Motor says it is spending $15 billion on its electric vehicle battery plant in Randolph County. Amazon is one of the five largest U.S. companies based on a $2.5 trillion market cap. Amazon plans a 20-building data center on a nearly 800-acre campus in Hamlet. Abundant water and Duke Energy’s adjacent 1,247-megawatt Smith Energy Complex helps make the project possible.

It was Butler who guided the proposal from its initial inquiry through the final approval, says Womble Bond and Dickinson attorney Dave Efird, who represented Richmond County on the project. “Her ability to manage confidentiality, navigate competing interests, and present a compelling case for a rural community competing at a global scale was pivotal to the project’s success,” says Efird in his nomination of Butler for the award. Butler also helped facilitate the return of NASCAR racing to Rockingham Speedway after a 12-year absence. For the past two years, drivers have competed during Easter weekend in O’Reilly Auto Parts Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series competition. Butler’s “laser focus on creating quality, high-paying jobs and investment will put Richmond County on the map leading to future prosperity,” says County Manager Bryan Land.

MARTIE BUTLER Management analyst and economic developer Richmond County Education: B.A., UNC Chapel Hill, MBA Gardner-Webb University When she took current post: 2013 Previous job: Economic developer, N.C. Department of Commerce, revenue officer, N.C. Department of Revenue Recent successes: Amazon Web Services and NASCAR

EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR BAYLEE FOX

baylee fox Business development consultant Hickey Global Economic Development Consulting Raleigh Education: B.S., NC State University, MBA Auburn University When she took current post: April 2025 Previous job: Invest Greenville Recent successes: Launched Business Retention and Expansion and Small Business programs at Invest Greenville

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After almost three years at Invest Greenville as a business development manager, Fox joined New York City-based Hickey Global in April. Fox also spent almost two years at the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Before joining Hickey Global, she supported key recruitment project wins in Pitt County. Those include Vietnam-based Boviet Solar’s plans to invest $294 million and create 908 jobs for a solar panel manufacturing facility and Japanese medical devices company Nipro, which expects to invest $397 million and create 232 jobs. She also managed business expansion projects ranging from $10 million to $26 million in investment, supporting 10 to 25 new jobs per project. While at Invest Greenville, Fox launched the Business Retention and Expansion framework in coordination with city, county and state stakeholders, a small business program that included a webinar series and a Small Business Administration-hosted event designed to support local entrepreneurs. “Baylee is deeply committed to the communities she serves, extending her impact well beyond traditional job creation metrics to support small businesses, emerging professionals, and the broader economic development

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field,” says Maria Satira, a vice president at Invest Greenville. During Economic Development Week, she designed a scavenger hunt through downtown Greenville that turned community engagement, driving foot traffic to small businesses and showing participants what the city has to offer. “Baylee entered the economic development field full time at just 20 years old, stepping into a profession that typically demands years of experience and seasoned judgment. Rather than waiting until she felt ready, she jumped in, learned quickly, and began making a real difference almost immediately,” says Satira. “By the time she was 25, she had contributed to hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment, launched programs that supported small businesses and entrepreneurs, helped communities tell their stories, and taken on leadership responsibilities that many professionals twice her age have yet to encounter.” Five years after starting as an intern for an agency promoting agricultural exports, Fox is a national consultant advising economic development around the nation.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR TIFFANY HENRY When a childcare facility closed in Jackson County, Henry started seeking a solution to a persistent obstacle for parents to join the workforce, and a contributor to workforce shortages. Under Henry’s leadership, Jackson County acquired the former Southwestern Child Development facility and is redeveloping it into an innovative ChildPlex model designed to expand childcare capacity and support independent childcare providers. The model is intended to be scalable and replicable for rural communities across North Carolina facing similar childcare challenges. The childcare concept is being modeled after co-working spaces. Each classroom operates as an independently owned business, creating a more sustainable model for providers. By having operators in different parts of the building, they can share resources, like a playground. In the best-case scenario, a business can eventually go out on its own. In the worst case, a failed business will not have tallied massive financial losses. The program is expected to launch soon. Henry also helped lead Webster Village, a collaborative mixed-income housing initiative involving Jackson County, Western Carolina University, Mountain Projects, and Givens Communities. The project has secured significant public and private investment, including a $1.5 million commitment from the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and a $2.53 million grant to support water and sewer infrastructure as it continues through development. She also led Project Shift, an initiative to acquire what will become Jackson County’s first industrial park. The project has received the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s SelectSite designation. She launched BLOOM, or Business Leaders Opening Opportunities in the Mountains, to connect local entrepreneurs and small businesses. And she assisted more than 40 small businesses that relocated because of the expansion of a highway in Sylva.

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tiffany henry Executive director Jackson County Economic Development Sylva Education: A.A., Southwestern Community College, BA Western Carolina University When she took current post: 2021 Previous job: Small business director, Southwestern Community College Recent successes: Webster Village and Main Street Childcare initiatives Services

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

CLOSING CALLS By David Mildenberg and Kevin Ellis One of Ronald Reagan’s more famous quotes was that “free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately, human fulfillment are created from the bottom up, not the government down.” That is evident as the churn of a capitalist society prompts disappointments along with great advances in the business world. The following list shows 33 companies that eliminated at least 100 jobs in the year ending June 1, according to reports filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce. Federal law requires companies to report plans to close operations that affect at least 50 employees, or layoffs affecting more than 50 employees who make up at least one-third of the employer’s workforce. Businesses making job reductions span the gamut of industries, including finance, manufacturing, retailing, transportation and video games.

The list is topped by layoffs at the Daimler Truck plant in Gaston County that opened in 1979. The Germanowned company announced about 2,000 layoffs at five U.S. and Mexican plants in 2025, reflecting restructuring and shifting demand. The other big closing occurred at Blue Ridge Power, which shuttered its Fayetteville and Asheville sites late last year. The business was owned by Ashevillebased Pine Gate Renewables, which is liquidating after declining sales in the solar industry. The list doesn’t include Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s plans to phase out its 1,700-employee Fayetteville plant by the end of 2027. The Akron, Ohio-based tiremaker announced the move in May, but hasn’t filed an official report yet. Goodyear has struggled to compete with foreign-based rivals, reporting a $1.7 billion loss last year. The Cumberland County plant opened in 1969.

largest layoffs These were the state’s major job cut disclosures between May 31, 2025, and June 1. EMPLOYER

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Daimler Truck North America 577 Mount Holly July 11, 2025 Blue Ridge Power 517 Asheville, Fayetteville Sept. 18, 2025 Thermo Fisher Scientific 423 Asheville Jan. 8, 2028 Family Dollar 373 Matthews March 16, 2026 Mannington Mills 296 McAdenville Oct. 28, 2025 Kroehler Furniture 275 Conover Dec. 29, 2025 East Coast Migrant Head Start 258 12 N.C. locations * Oct. 17, 2025 Pine Gate Renewables 223 Asheville Nov. 6, 2025 Epic Games 211 Cary March 24, 2026 Prepac Manufacturing 200 Whitsett March 3, 2026 Wells Fargo 196 Winston-Salem June 24, 2025 AmeriPark 188 Charlotte March 20, 2026 Lowe’s 178 Mooresville Feb. 13, 2026 TTI Floor Care 172 Charlotte Oct. 8, 2025 Fortrex 170 Siler City Jan. 12, 2026 Federal Express 164 Greensboro June 30, 2025 ECU Health 161 5 N.C. locations ** March 19, 2026 1 Squared Logistics 160 Garner Dec. 16, 2025 Merck Sharp & Dohme 154 Durham Feb. 24, 2026 Daniel RP Management 151 Cashiers Oct. 29, 2025 Mars Petcare US 149 Henderson April 20, 2026 Wells Fargo 138 Raleigh Feb. 3, 2026 Southern Veneer Specialty Products 130 Salisbury Oct. 6, 2025 Vitacost 130 Lexington April 29, 2026 S&N 126 Youngsville Aug. 18, 2025 Corning 123 Tarboro Feb. 19, 2026 Baker & Taylor 112 Charlotte Oct. 6, 2025 Packaging Corp of America 108 Salisbury Oct. 3, 2025 Lions Services 107 Charlotte May 1, 2026 Red Storm Entertainment 105 Cary March 19, 2026 Perdue Foods Feed Mill 104 Cofield March 16, 2026 Solero Technologies 102 Shelby Sept. 29, 2025 Source: N.C. Commerce Department * Whiteville, Rocky Mount, Bailey, Booneville, Wilson, Hendersonville, Fountain, Faison, Clayton, Dunn, Angier and Raleigh

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* * Ahoskie, Washington, Windsor, Greenville, Kenansville

Pinehurst Resort expects to open its No. 11 course next fall. It's about four miles south of the downtown area, which includes the Drum & Quill pub below.

SHIFTING SANDS Golf remains the driver as Moore County builds on a broader economic base. By Brad King

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or a century, Moore County’s economy was built on a singular premise: a pilgrimage to Pinehurst, where golfers came to walk in the footsteps of course architect Donald Ross. The world-renowned Pinehurst No. 2, the grand hotels and the village’s pine-filtered calm defined the experience and sustained the local economy. Drive four miles south today and the picture changes. On 900 acres of a former sand mine, earthmoving equipment, newly shaped fairways and timber-frame buildings now signal the next phase of North Carolina’s golf economy. With the debut of Pinehurst No. 10 and next year’s expected arrival of an 11th course, the Sandhills has reached an inflection point. The transformation is defined by new golf courses, along with long-term capital commitments, the permanent presence of the sport’s governing body and a hospitality sector evolving into a year-round industry. While the area is developing a broader economy, tourism remains the bulwark. Moore County reported about $860 million in visitor spending for 2024, nearly 7% more than the previous year. While ranking 27th among N.C. counties by population, Moore County is 10th in tourism spending, supporting nearly 6,300 jobs. That visitor spending saves each county resident about $550 annually in state and local taxes, officials said.

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“Sometimes it’s not as exciting — what we do in the back-ofhouse — but it’s critical for an organization this size to have that operating properly,” says Calvin Burkley, Pinehurst’s director of projects and planning.

SANDMINE TO SHOWCASE

Final 2025 tourism figures are not available, but industry officials say activity has remained robust, aided by the opening of Pinehurst No. 10 and continued national exposure generated by the 2024 U.S. Open. “We anticipated a sizable increase in visitor spending for 2024 due to the impact of the U.S. Open,” says Phil Werz, CEO of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen. “The key is maintaining and increasing that momentum as we approach the next U.S. Open (in June 2029).” The growth is visible beyond tee sheets. Moore County’s population reached an estimated 110,619 in 2025, up from 99,727 in 2020 and about 75,000 in 2000. The nearly 48% gain over the past 25 years is about 10 percentage points higher than the state average. It reflects a growing appeal to retirees, remote workers, military families, second-home buyers and golf travelers who eventually become residents. More than a dozen homes were listed for sale for more than $2 million in Moore County in mid-June, according to Realtor. com. The average home value is about $416,00, compared with about $220,000 a decade ago.Local offices credit growing demand for second homes and retirement properties. The broader economy is expanding, too. Moore County is a regional retail hub, with taxable retail sales topping $2.6 billion in fiscal 2025. Manufacturing remains the sixth-largest private industry sector, employing more than 1,700 workers. The largest employer, with more than 6,000 employees, is FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a private, not-for-profit authority that has four hospitals that serve a 15-county region. Recent non-golf development includes Morganton Park South in Southern Pines, an $80 million retail project anchored by Target, and Reliance Packaging’s planned $7.4 million Aberdeen expansion, which is expected to add 32 jobs. Pinehurst Resort, the area’s third-largest employer with more than 1,300 staffers, has invested more than $250 million in the resort, club and community over the past five years, owner Robert Dedman Jr. said earlier this year. Some of that growth is highly visible, including the new Cottages at No. 8, improvements at the Carolina Hotel and the resort’s first new 18-hole course in three decades. Some is not, such as a $2.45 million purchase last year of a warehouse to support storage and internal logistics.

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Long before No. 10 opened, the Sandmines tract cycled through multiple identities. It was mined for sand in the early 1900s, later reclaimed by nature, then transformed in the mid1980s into The Pit, a golf course designed by Dan Maples that eventually closed and sat dormant. Pinehurst assembled the Sandmines property and waited for the right time to redevelop with a new course. “This is the culmination of a lot of years of patience,” CEO Tom Pashley says. “Pinehurst acquired a part of this land as far back as 2000, and we showed restraint over the years not to do the wrong thing at the wrong time.” Pinehurst No. 10 opened in May 2024. Now Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are shaping No. 11 on adjacent ground, with an opening planned for next spring. “At Pinehurst, it’s always been about No. 2 — and rightfully so,” says Coore. “But No. 10 and No. 11 will be a huge step forward. No homes, just golf.” By moving south of its signature course, Pinehurst is creating a second campus with a pro shop and the Station 21 restaurant. It may add cottages, a 36-room lodge and a short course. The goals include longer stays and higher per-visit spending. At the resort’s main clubhouse, recent additions include Wiregrass, a farm-to-table restaurant at the main clubhouse, and a Peter Millar store inside the Carolina Hotel. Next up is Pinehurst No. 11, scheduled to open next spring as the latest addition to the Sandmines campus. Pinehurst is also leveraging its status as a U.S. Golf Association anchor site to attract corporate partners. In April 2026, the resort signed a deal naming Lexus its preferred vehicle partner, marking Pinehurst’s first shared brand partnership with the USGA. “We want people to come here to connect with the soul of American golf and the spirit of Pinehurst,” Dedman says. “Some people think of Pinehurst in the past tense, instead of the transformation that’s taken place in the last 10 years.”

Near the main Pinehurst campus, the USGA’s Golf House Pinehurst complex is the sport’s center for governance, research and championship planning. The World Golf Hall of Fame returned to Pinehurst in 2024 after more than two decades in Florida. The USGA’s decision to stage six U.S. Opens at Pinehurst between 2024 and 2047 has created a long-term runway for investment, helping support workforce initiatives such as the Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program at Sandhills Community College. The 2024 U.S. Open alone generated more than $240 million in statewide economic impact.

BEYOND THE FAIRWAYS The Sandhills story isn’t just about Pinehurst. Across Midland Road, Pine Needles and Mid Pines are entering a $47 million reinvestment cycle through a joint venture with Nashville-based Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts and longtime owner Kelly Miller. His portfolio includes Foxfire Resort and the Country Club of Whispering Pines. Elsewhere, Talamore Golf Resort has added Legacy Golf Links to create a three-course rotation, strengthening its position in the mid-market segment while helping preserve public access as golf-travel prices continue to rise. Philadelphia businessman Bob Levy has owned Talamore for decades. Those higher costs are emerging as one of the industry’s quiet tensions. As destination golf demand increases, so do rates — widening the gap between national golf tourism and local accessibility. Some operators emphasize more premium experiences, while others target volume and affordability. Greater interest in golf has pushed prices higher. A peakseason Pinehurst package of three nights and three or four rounds commonly runs about $2,000 to $3,000 per person, depending on lodging, courses and dates. Industry executives say comparable Pinehurst trips often cost roughly half that amount a decade ago. Prices can decline meaningfully outside peak periods. Competing Sandhills operators preserve a lower-cost lane. Talamore often markets similar multi-night golf packages in the roughly $800 to $1,200 range, depending on season and course mix. Golf Pride represents another piece of the cluster. The golf-grip maker is a division of Eaton Corp. and operates its Global Innovation

Campus in Pinehurst, near the entrance to Pinehurst No. 8. Corporate offices and research-and-development operations, including a consumer fitting studio, reinforce Moore County's role as a place where golf products are designed, tested and marketed. Meanwhile, the First Tee of the Sandhills nonprofit, part of a national group that promotes golf to younger, diverse groups, is building a 34-acre campus to ensure local access to the game. Geography helps explain why the Sandhills continues to attract capital. Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and other bigger Southeast cities are within easy driving distance. Access, however, remains a constraint. For visitors who want to avoid the commute between Pinehurst and Raleigh-Durham International Airport, local businesses are working to add more airline service. The Moore County Airport and its partners have raised more than $1.3 million toward a $3 million minimum revenue guarantee fund designed to restore commercial air service for the first time in nearly two decades. Backed by Pinehurst Resort, the USGA and other private-sector donors, the effort aims to secure a daily regional jet connection to Washington Dulles International Airport. The flights could start as soon as next spring. Airport officials say roughly 1,275 passengers within a 30-minute drive of the airport board flights each day, more than 80% currently driving to Raleigh-Durham. Most of those trips involve overnight stays, a key indicator of leisure demand, and officials believe capturing a portion of travelers headed to Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. could support daily service. The airport already generates more than $135 million in annual economic output, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Officials project commercial service could bring an additional 6,300 visitors annually. Moore County’s economy now reflects a broader industry cluster built around golf. Repeat visitation helps create unusually stable economic activity compared with other tourism sectors. U.S. Opens come and go. So will the rankings and the superlatives. But the more durable shift is already in place: The Sandhills is no longer just a place people visit to play golf. It is becoming a place where the business of golf — and the business built around it — operates yearround, at scale and with growing national reach.

Wiregrass, a farm-to-table restaurant at Pinehurst's main clubhouse. The Carolina Hotel's updated lobby. Half Moon Outfitters is a new tenant at Morganton Park South. Moore County home values have soared in the past decade. J U L Y

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SUN DRENCHED Policies stripping incentives for solar power spark debate over how to meet surging energy demand.

In 2007, North Carolina became the first state in the Southeast to adopt a rule requiring its publicly owned utilities to rely on renewable energy sources for as much as 12.5% of its energy needs by 2021, a requirement Duke Energy met by using a combination of renewables, increased efficiencies and other sources. Environmental groups cheered the standard. Last year, solar made up about 9.7% of electricity generation in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nationally, the figure is about 7% for utility-scale solar systems, or 9% if rooftop installations are included. Utility scale is typically a large solar installation of 1 megawatt or more, designed to feed electricity directly into the grid. Since the 2007 action, a significant solar industry developed in the state, including privately held firms such as Strata, Cypress Creek, Delafield Energy, Carolina Solar Energy and Pine Gate Renewables. North Carolina generated about 11,000 megawatt-hours of utility-scale solar in 2024. Then, seemingly in a flash, the sun went down. On April 23, the N.C. Utilities Commission said it was effectively canceling all proposals related to the industry’s expansion this year, eliminating 770 megawatts of future production.

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PHOTO CREDIT: DUKE ENERGY, LISA STRONG AND GETTY IMAGES

By Mike MacMillan

The move followed the legislature’s 2025 decision to eliminate the state’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030, while keeping in place the requirement for carbon neutrality by 2050. One reason cited: a need to review Duke Energy’s updated Carbon and Integrated Resources Plans. Commission Chair Bill Brawley declined a request for an interview. Others suggested a different motivation. Chris Carmody, executive director for the Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association, which is made up of alternative energy developers and manufacturers, notes that, “The White House has singlehandedly blockaded permitting for industries the president doesn’t like.” Solar, for example. President Donald Trump has not been shy about expressing his point of Chris Carmody view. "I don't want these solar things where they go for miles and they cover up a half a mountain that are ugly as hell,” he told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo in June 2025. Solar’s delayed progress in North Carolina isn’t the industry’s biggest story, to be sure. The headline news is demand growth, which Duke Energy projects to be running about eight times more than its estimate of two or three years earlier, an extraordinary rate of change in the generally sclerotic utility world. This is being driven by emerging data centers for artificial intelligence computing and advanced manufacturing plants for pharmaceutical companies and electric battery and automotive businesses.

Duke Energy’s Shearon Harris nuclear plant in Wake County.

Debates continue over the form that new energy generation should take — natural gas, nuclear, or renewable with battery storage. What confounds solar backers is that there’s a consensus that the quickest way to add generation is solar power. “What we need is speed to power,” Carmody says. “Solar is the fastest.” The second headline story is the rising cost of electricity, which is pressuring utilities and elected officials nationwide. In North Carolina, Duke Energy filed in November for an average 18% residential rate increase over the next two years, potentially adding around $28 per month to the typical retail customer’s bill. That might suggest it’s a wise time to add solar, but current policy decisions argue otherwise. “It seems like we’re removing the easiest, cheapest and quickest form of adding electrons to the grid just when we need them most,” says Josh Brooks, chief of policy and strategy innovation at the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association.

BOWED, NOT BROKEN

Duke Energy opened its Duette Solar Power Plant in Manatee County, Florida, in 2021.

In North Carolina, Duke Energy generally acts as both buyer and seller of solar energy, acquiring power from independent producers and selling it to commercial and residential customers. It’s also sometimes a competitor, developing its own greenfield projects in the solar energy market. The company has about 4,000 megawatts of solar capacity in its six-state region. Under its 2023 “all of the above” energy strategy, Duke had envisioned adding around 11.9 gigawatts of solar by 2035. The 2025 plan reduced that target to 9.2 gigawatts. At the same time, the commitment to battery storage was increased from 4.3 gigawatts in 2023 to 6.55 gigawatts. (Battery storage can be used for non-solar applications.) Says company spokesman Bill Norton, “Solar continues to play an important role in diversifying Duke Energy’s generation portfolio – particularly when paired with energy storage. It’s clear that changing market and policy conditions are impacting solar development. These dynamics include revisions to existing federal energy tax credits, a more rigorous federal permitting process, and new and expanded tariffs. These changes add risk to the development and construction of solar resources.” J U L Y

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gigawatts - Total solar installed

Duke typically contracts with independent producers who in turn manage land acquisition and build out the installations. Duke agrees to buy the power with contracts that typically range from 15 to 25 years. On occasion, it buys a project outright. “Solar is one of the few opportunities to have a competitive (energy) market in North Carolina,” says Carson Harkrader, CEO of Durham-based Carolina Solar Energy. She also chairs the Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association. She cites a challenging environment beyond the Utilities Commission action. Contract terms are getting shorter, making projects harder to finance, she says. That tends to favor bigger companies, which often can secure cheaper financing. Another issue involves the time it takes for a new project to be approved for connection to the grid. “[The queue] used to be six months to a year. Now it can be five years,” Harkrader says. Costs in general are moving up. “In other parts of the world, you can get (solar) panels for around 11 cents a watt. Here they’re over 30 cents a watt,” says Harkrader. Not everyone is succeeding in the shifting environment. Asheville-based Pine Gate Renewables is defunct after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last November with debt topping $1.7 billion. It once employed 1,000 people and participated in $10 billion of projects in about 30 states. Buyers of those assets include Amazon and Brookfield Asset Management. An undetermined number of alternative energy jobs have been lost. Pine Gate laid off around 220 workers after filing for bankruptcy. Its affiliated engineering and construction business, Blue Ridge Power, eliminated more than 500 positions. Natron Energy, a developer of sodium-ion battery technology, canceled solar plans for a $1.4 billion project in Edgecombe County that pledged as many as 1,000 jobs. The company failed to secure financing and filed for liquidation. Durham-based Strata Clean Energy appears to be faring better, announcing a reorganization in April that it says will position the N O R T H

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Year that solar installations peaked in N.C.

company to succeed in a market driven by “artificial intelligence, data center proliferation and accelerating electrification.” The players in the field remain optimistic. “It has definitely been a tumultuous time both at the state and federal level, (but) the industry has been around longer than people appreciate,” says Matt Delafield, CEO and co-founder of Delafield Energy in Durham. “(It) has been very resilient and I have no reason to think we won’t get through this, especially when you consider the fundamental backdrop and the obvious need for new energy.” Data centers and manufacturing expansions are stoking demand, with the Corporate Energy Buyers Association reporting record clean energy procurement last year. The 12% gain, adding 27 gigawatts from 2024, was largely due to new solar capacity, the group says. North Carolina currently has about 800 utility-scale systems installed, defined as those delivering at least 1 megawatt of power, totaling 7,047 megawatts, according to the Sustainable Energy Association. “We are moving toward a model of fewer, but significantly higher-capacity, installations,” says Jerry Carey, the group’s market intelligence specialist, noting that there are 28 systems totaling 1,400 megawatts slated to come online by 2028.

SOLAR CHANGES Not everyone believes solar alone is the answer. The Carolina Utilities Customer Association, which represents major manufacturers around the state, favors Duke’s “all of the above” approach with a focus on reliable baseline generation, says Executive Director Kevin Martin. “Our members prioritize operating versus not operating,” he says. The canceled solar projects will eventually “catch up,” Solar isn’t considered a baseline energy source. Rather, it is classified as “intermittent” because it can’t be counted on during cloudy days, or at night.

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Percentage of N.C. electricity from solar

Source: Sustainable Energy Industries Association

“Nobody is providing 24-hour-a-day solar,” says Zoe Gamble, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based CleanChoice Energy, which is adding solar projects in eastern North Carolina. It will take further improvements in battery storage technology to reach that goal. The John Locke Foundation, a libertarian think tank based in Raleigh, favors a commitment to energy that is “adequate, reliable and least cost,” says Jon Sanders, director of the group's Center for Food, Power and Life. With solar, he says, “there’s a lot of discussion about fuel costs, but there’s more that goes into pricing these facilities.” He points out two costs that are often overlooked: transmission, getting solar from far-flung installations to the grid and then the customer, and redundancy, which is the need to have baseline production when the sun doesn’t shine. Those, he says, are not generally “counted toward the cost of the new facility but it does get added to people’s bills,” he says. The foundation also questions the amount of land required for solar farms. It concluded that if all the incremental power needed by the state between now and 2050 was generated by solar, about 7.7 million acres would be required, or more than a fifth of the entire state’s 31 million acres. Now, solar farms occupy about 40,000 acres in North Carolina. “A grid full of solar is a bad idea,” Sanders says. Few people expect solar to be the only source added to the grid over the next two decades, however, and Duke is counting on nuclear, gas turbine and other nonrenewable resources to be the major sources. Nonetheless, land acquisition is likely to remain a challenge as more arable land is converted to solar farms.

GROWTH CONTINUES The timing of the canceled RFPs is less than optimal for the industry, says Delafield. The commission is guaranteeing “that there are no projects that will qualify (for the investment tax credit). You create this generation gap that you have to fill probably through

(energy) imports. If you overlay when the expected in-service date of a lot of these large loads is, that happens to be the window covered by the just canceled RFPs. That seems counter to the state’s objectives of trying to bring as much energy online as possible.” “Ultimately, solar is the cheapest form of electricity generation in the history of humanity,” says Brooks. That cost advantage remains, advocates say, despite new tariffs on solar panels and steel, the loss of tax credits and rising labor costs that have pushed up prices. The demand is still there, as evidenced by the recent purchase of two solar installations under development in Halifax and Bertie counties in northeastern North Carolina by CleanChoice Energy. The counties are served in part by the PJM Interconnection wholesale market and Dominion Energy, and the projects will be connected to the PJM grid. In 2028, they are expected to generate enough electricity to power about 130,000 homes. Washington, D.C.-based CleanChoice sells energy to retail customers in deregulated markets primarily in the Northeast and Midwest. Solar alone isn’t likely to be sufficient to meet growing demand, but it will remain an important part of the mix. “Solar helps mitigate against the volatile price of gas (and oil),” says Carmody. “It provides a fixed cost for a long period of time. Regardless of whether or not we get into a war, there’s no shortage of sun.” ■

KEY PLAYERS in N.C. Solar Energy

N.C. Utilities Commission members Bill Brawley John Gajda Floyd McKissick Tommy Tucker Donald van der Vaart

Duke Energy Harry Sideris, CEO Kelvin Henderson, Chief generation officer Scott Batson, Chief power grid officer Kendal Bowman, North Carolina president

Industry leaders John Clapp, CEO, Deriva Energy Markus Wilhelm, CEO, Strata Solar Carson Harkrader, CEO, Carolina Solar Energy Chris Kemper, CEO Palmetto Energy

Environmental group leaders Matt Abele, executive director, N.C. Sustainable Energy Association Chris Carmody, executive director, Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association Jim Warren, executive director, N.C. WARN J U L Y

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AN OLD FAMILY RECIPE At 120 years old, Marsh Cabinet remains owned by its namesake family. Its “secret sauce” includes taking the long view. By Tucker Mitchell

sn Marsh Cabinetry’s sprawling High Point factory, stateof-the-art tools wielded by a well-trained workforce grind and shape the cabinetry that will fill tomorrow’s kitchens. With some regularity, a 90-year-old wooden handcart pulled by an employee rolls by, carrying a finished or partially finished product on its way to its next stop in the manufacturing process. Anachronism? Sure. The fleet of sturdy carts was purchased in the 1930s by company founder J. Everett Marsh, and has a yesteryear patina that can’t be faked. They still work just fine. Besides, they are a powerful symbol for a company that just turned 120 years old and is still owned by the founder’s family. The company recently turned the silhouette of the cart’s wheel into its logo. Marsh is nothing if not legacy. The vast majority of the 550plus employees work at the site where the company started, albeit with a dramatically expanded footprint. “There’s a deep commitment here to our community, our employees, and our customers, and that all starts with the family,” 66

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says David Littlefield, Marsh’s CEO since 2019. “That’s a powerful combination, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.” Mollie (Marsh) Brugh, the chairwoman of the board and granddaughter of the founder, says selling the company is an obvious strategy, especially in a balkanized industry that’s been going through a wave of consolidation. But the Marsh family has “no interest.” “Absolutely none, and that’s across all the generations,” she says. “As part of our ownership vision statement we all said we’d agree to put the well-being of the company first, and not look to the short term, to higher dividends, or whatever. That might sound odd, but we think that’s paid off in the long run. We went from a period of struggling after the Great Recession to where we are thriving now. We think this is the way you ought to do it.” Operating a grounded, ethical operation was prescribed by the company’s founders. Family members say they’ve taken steps to assure that it remains that way for years to come.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL EVANS

Outsiders on board

owned businesses that have shown extraordinary growth. She also talked with Sue Cole, a veteran North Carolina banker whose Sage Marsh Cabinetry began in 1906 as a one-room furniture Strategy consulting firm advises executives and corporate boards. factory making pie safes, cupboards and other kitchen furniture. “She became my most trusted adviser,” Brugh says. “What we When kitchen cabinetry became a kitchen “thing,” the company asked her to do was to take the best practices of public boards, and moved into that field. It carved out a niche in the post-World War other boards that she knew, and put them in place here.” II housing boom as a regional supplier. Today’s main customers are She asked Cole to broach the “big question” — did the family large single-family production home builders and semi-custom or want to sell? Cole’s survey revealed a resounding “no.” custom builders and remodelers. The result today includes a private board of directors with as Marsh operates in the eastern third of the United States, having many as four Marsh family members (two currently serve), and a pulled back from Texas, Colorado and five other western states family council now made up of 12 family members spread across during the COVID-19 pandemic. three generations. It doesn’t disclose names of the board members. “We knew we had to treat (the western customers) fairly,” says The council has a charter, officers and committees. It gathers Littlefield. “But it was a move we needed to make to ensure we quarterly the day before the board could supply our longer-term customers, those closer meets. The two groups, plus the to our factory. This is a relationship business, and we company’s executives, come together are a relationship company.” for dinner the night before the With about $120 million in annual revenue, board meeting. Marsh is among the 10 largest U.S. cabinetmakers. The family council can weigh The privately held company doesn’t disclose other in on any matter, but its only financial details. certain duties are electing directors Littlefield, 58, is the second Marsh CEO and approving annual charitable who is not a family member. He followed Brugh, contributions. The company doesn’t who shepherded the company through the 2008make its donations public but 09 recession after working for Bank of America Marsh has long supported local predecessor NCNB. schools and charities. It was a major Accepting a CEO from outside the Marsh Mollie (Marsh) Brugh supporter of High Point Regional clan was never a problem because family leaders Hospital before it was acquired by recognize the need to prioritize talent, Brugh says. UNC Health in 2013, and Atrium Wake Forest Baptist in 2018. Bringing outsiders onto the board was a different matter. That “This setup, and meeting together, has produced a really strong subject was discussed for a number of years before it happened in relationship and less chance for surprises,” says Brugh. “It’s important 2013, when Brugh was the boss. for the family to speak with one voice, and the purpose of the family “That was the real turning point, not an outside CEO,” she says. council is to make sure we do that, that we are aligned with the “I think everyone knew [outsiders on the board] had to happen. It company and with each other. was just a matter of getting the timing right.” “We’re proud of our governance,” she says. “One of our directors Brugh sought advice from Arthur Samet of Samet Construction told me they think it (governance) is our secret sauce.” and Biscuitville’s Burney Jennings, scions of two High Point familyJ U L Y

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of the Box Leading U.S. cabinet manufacturers

COMPANY 2025 SALES MasterBrand Beachwood, OH

$2.73 billion

Cabinetworks Group Livonia, NJ

$1.9 billion

American Woodmark Winchester, VA

$1.71 billion **

WF Cabinetry Alexander City, AL

$272 million

Wellborn Cabinetry Ashland, AL

$239 million

Woodmont Cabinetry Dallas, TX

$228.9 million

Trustpoint Cabinetry Houston, TX

$135 million

by Wisenbaker Manufacturing Kent Moore Cabinets Bryan, TX

$126.5 million

Marsh Cabinets/Furniture High Point

$120 million

** (American Woodmark was acquired by MasterBrand in June.)

Source: Furniture Design & Manufacturing CabinetMaker magazine

Family

values

Marsh Cabinet is defined by five operating principles based on traits of the company’s founders. They are shared widely around the company. • Be honorable. • Be considerate • Place a high value on relationships • Be discerning • Be forward-thinking

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A(small) piece of the pie

American cabinetmaking is still a fragmented industry, in large part because it does not lend itself to centralized production and long-distance shipping. Most companies are regional players. The largest cabinetmaker is Beachwood, Ohio-based MasterBrand, which bought No. 3 American Woodmark in June for $3.6 billion. Those two companies, along with No. 2 Cabinetworks Group, now control about a quarter of the estimated $22 billion annual U.S. cabinet market. MasterBrand has factories in Lexington and Kinston, while American Woodmark has plants in Hamlet and Lincolnton. Brugh says Marsh is happy maintaining its veneer-thin piece of the pie. “We’re always looking to improve, but our aspiration is simply to be a better version of what we are now, which is a very strong regional company,” she says. “We don’t need a big percentage of the overall market.” Littlefield views the nation’s accelerating housing shortage as a major tailwind that could spark growth for a decade or more to come. The remodeling market, which spiked during the pandemic, is also expanding. “We’re going to have to be ready to evolve and position ourselves, which you always have to do in this industry, “says Littlefield, “but there’s a really solid, long-term opportunity with steady growth. It all kind of orbits around housing and we’re in a really good part of the country for that. The southeast United States, the U.S. in general, are very strong.”

Almost extinct

Marsh is a rarity as a family-owned cabinetmaker. Its only competition may be Plato Woodwork, which immigrant Theodore Pinske founded in 1893. A sixth-generation Pinske now helps lead the company based in a small central Minnesota town called Plato. Betsy Natz, CEO of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, a Reston, Virginia-based industry trade group, calls Marsh the “rare exception” in the industry, which has been “transformed by decades of mergers and acquisitions … in an industry where independence has become almost extinct.” Littlefield says the future is bright at Marsh, with that “family thing” being a key factor. “Having the ability to take the long view, which always benefits the company and its customers in any number of ways, is a good thing,” he says. “What’s really important is that that has been the disposition of the company for a long time.”

Marsh Cabinets employs about 560 after 120 years in business. Its founding family in High Point insists they plan to stay independent.

Foreign competition could be a hurdle. Littlefield says the makers of “flat pack” cabinets, or packaged components made overseas and shipped to the U.S. for assembly, have improved quality and priced aggressively. Ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinetry, as it’s sometimes called, now accounts for more than 10% of the U.S. market. Littlefield and the industry have championed government action that doesn’t necessarily mean tariffs, but it involves action to “level the playing field. “If we were to become overly reliant on foreign-made components for homes, cabinets for example, it could be that (America) wouldn’t be able to provide housing,” he says. “Is that national security? Maybe,” referring to the trigger for the Section 232 tariffs imposed and/or threatened by the Trump administration. Littlefield’s brow wrinkles at the ruse of assembling a package of foreign-made cabinet parts at a U.S. location, then calling the resulting product “American made.” Marsh sources most of its materials from within 300 miles of its factory. All but a tiny fraction come from the U.S. It makes for a better product and process, he says. “The more of the process that we can control, the better it will be and the tighter that supply chain is, the closer the relationships, the more control you have,” says Littlefield. “The product will be better, and our customers will know that we’ll be able to do what we say. This is a big relationship business and a lot of long and deep relationships are built on the fact that we have been reliable for a long, long time.”

Marsh Furniture relies on materials from the U.S., which it says makes it distinctive from many peer firms.

When the family was considering changing its governance model, Brugh recalls a storytelling session in which family members reminisced about old times and founding fathers who individual family members had known. Those stories helped the company create a set of core values: to be honorable, to be considerate, to highly value relationships, to be discerning while staying open to discussion, and to be forward-thinking. “Those values have really held us together,” she says. “When our HR leader recruits people, and when we recruit directors, we seek people who would appreciate all that. We do look for a fit for our culture and the values of this family, which are kind of unique.”■ J U L Y

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RESEARCH NORTH CAROLINA

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NC STATE UNIVERSITY

RTI INTERNATIONAL

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

N.C. BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER

UNC ASHEVILLE

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

SMALL BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBTDC)

UNC CHARLOTTE

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

N.C. MILITARY BUSINESS CENTER

N.C. A&T COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

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RESEARCH NC STATE UNIVERSITY

NORTH CAROLINA

NC State research continues to be a key resource for growers — and consumers.

AT NC STATE UNIVERSITY, RESEARCH JUST WORKS For nearly 140 years, North Carolina’s premier land-grant university has kept to its mission: preparing the people of our state for what’s next. In the past decade, a staggering $4.5 billion has flowed to 23,000 different research projects at NC State University, fueling economic activity statewide. Last year alone, industry, government and nonprofits awarded us more than half a billion dollars to pursue research and discovery. These are nationally significant figures: Among public universities without a medical school, NC State is No. 6 in the United States in total research expenditures, according to the most recent Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey data. For licensing agreements with industry? First in the nation. Across a range of commercialization activity — new products released, startups launched, agreements executed — NC State University consistently ranked among the top 10 public universities without medical schools in FY24, per the Association of University Technology Managers. Among North Carolina universities, it stood alone at No. 1.

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That same year, NC State led the entire UNC System in expenditures from key federal agencies: the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA. (And it was a three-time NC State graduate, Christina Koch, who became the first woman to travel around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission.) Public dollars ultimately flow to the private sector — and so to North Carolina communities. NC State leads a regional hub to surge semiconductor production and another to reforge metallurgical engineering. Our university is home to globally renowned research powerhouses like the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, nine industry consortia pursuing shared goals, and two NSF Engineering Research Centers tackling the smart energy grid and self-powered wearables. Only one other university in the country has taken part in as many institutes of Manufacturing USA, a national network designed to bolster domestic manufacturing.

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Statewide Service, Then and Always

We were built to do all this. As a public land-grant conceived during the 19th century, NC State was designed to create the workforce for a newly industrial America. In the wake of World War II, when public research became the backbone of U.S. technological supremacy, we became North Carolina’s foremost R&D department. Yet education and research have always been two prongs of the same mission: prepare the people of our state for the shared prosperity ahead. Half of North Carolina’s engineering workforce learned its trade at NC State. The university confers more engineering doctorates than any other institution in the state — and sits at No. 13 nationwide. Our Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center has created more than 1,000 skilled biomanufacturing graduates since it opened its doors in 2007. The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine — renowned for its translational research — is ranked fourth in the country. We host the nation’s largest Science Olympiad. And our 18 agricultural research stations dotted across North Carolina support extension activities in all 100 counties. In short, we have always strived to ensure that the fruits of our work will ripen across the state and nation. Consider NC State’s steadfast support of the textiles industry — one of the “Big Three” that historically drove the North Carolina economy. As traditional manufacturing declined, NC State played a vital role in the high-tech innovation that has reinvigorated the entire sector. Today, the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State is the only school in North America devoted to the field; our Nonwovens Institute is the largest industry-academic cooperative research center in the nation; and North Carolina boasts the second-largest textiles workforce in the country. The Partner of Choice for Industry So far this century, more than 268 startups have launched from NC State’s intellectual property. Major companies that began on our campus include the multinational SAS Institute, which generates more than $3 billion in revenue annually and is still headquartered in Cary, North Carolina. And we don’t just help build new businesses; we attract existing ones.

Half of North Carolina’s engineering workforce learned their trade at NC State.

Companies as diverse as Under Armour, Novo Nordisk, Hitachi and FUJIFILM Biotechnologies credit NC State for their sustained investments in North Carolina, drawn by our talent pipeline, our leading-edge facilities and our world-class faculty researchers. When JetZero selected North Carolina for a $4.7 billion airplane manufacturing hub that will create 14,500 jobs, NC State played a key role in showcasing our state’s highly skilled, homegrown workforce. Innovation is a long game, until it isn’t. Take NC State’s Centennial Campus, first conceived four decades ago. Today, it’s one of the premier research developments in North America, home to more than 70 companies, government agencies and nonprofits alongside an equal number of academic units. Like NC State itself, it’s a place that fosters collaboration between the academy and industry, between students and their future employers, and between North Carolina’s people and the university made to serve them. In three different centuries, investment in NC State continues to pay dividends for all.

Learn more at research.ncsu.edu/research-works

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 919-515-2117 ncstate-research@ncsu.edu

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RESEARCH APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

NORTH CAROLINA

Chelsea Cannon, a physical therapist and practitioner-in-residence at App State’s Growing Well High Country Developmental Clinic, works with a clinic patient to assess their gait and balance. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State students Haley O’Donnell, right, and Daniel Williams, center, work with study subject Mary Sheryl Horine in the Neuromuscular and Biomechanics Laboratory for research examining grip strength as a key health indicator for increased longevity. Photo by Kyla Willoughby

APP STATE: PUTTING INNOVATION TO WORK FOR RURAL NC Like the headwater streams that feed watersheds throughout the region, Appalachian State University’s public impact research flows outward, fueling progress in every corner of North Carolina. Uniquely positioned within and connected to rural communities across the mountains and foothills, the university is driving solutions-oriented work energized by student engagement and community partnerships.

“Whether responding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene or working with our farmers and healthcare professionals to craft region-specific solutions, App State researchers leverage stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration and community partnerships while offering students unique opportunities to participate in research,” said Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren, vice chancellor of research and innovation at App State.

“At App State, our research doesn’t stay in the lab — it drives innovative developments in our classrooms, across industries and in our communities,” App State Chancellor Heather Norris said. “Together, our faculty and students are addressing immediate regional needs and preparing for the future’s complex challenges, contributing directly to a more resilient and prosperous North Carolina.”

Read more about how App State researchers are improving lives across North Carolina by making farms more productive, expanding support for families and healthy aging and safeguarding our communities against future disasters.

Community-Engaged Research App State research begins with engagement and listening, drawing together experts from academia, industry, government, nonprofits, healthcare and more. Universityhosted events such as the recently convened Idea-to-Impact Collider and the 2025 Western North Carolina Research for Recovery and Resilience Workshop (WNC R3) invite regional stakeholders to help match community needs with research expertise, to identify project gaps and opportunities, and to foster partnerships.

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Support For Children with Developmental Delays App State researcher Dr. Gavin Colquitt, executive director of the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness, and his team are developing an interactive digital platform that will provide resources to families of children with developmental delays. Enhanced by artificial intelligence, 3 Moves Ahead NC will offer interactive coaching of parents in early motor development and support services ranging from home-based solutions to customized video content, progress tracking, a peer support network and other resources — helping fill a critical area of need. One in six children in the U.S. experiences developmental delays, and parents often lack support and childcare. The project has received $1.1 million in grant funding from NCInnovation.

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Strength Research to Improve Longevity

Disaster Resilience in Mountain Communities

In other health and wellness advances, research into the connection between grip strength, strength training and longevity at App State’s Beaver College of Health Sciences stands to give the public tools for longer and better living. Dr. Jeffrey McBride and Dr. Andrew Shanely, professors in the Department of Kinesiology, and a team of student researchers are in the midst of a long-range study with a goal of bolstering emerging science around the link between whole body strength and longer life. The science reinforces the importance of strength training as well as aerobic exercise for enduring health.

Infrastructure and home construction innovations

Streamlined Parasite Analysis in Livestock

Community engagement, collaboration and data-driven decision-making

Developing resilient food systems and enhancing North Carolina agriculture are key focus areas at App State. Researchers in Boone lab spaces are busy helping to build a next-generation, AI-enhanced robotic microscope that is compact and simple enough to use in the field. North Carolina farmers will be able to employ the novel tool to quickly and efficiently identify parasites in livestock and poultry, bypassing wait times for professional lab work and potentially saving millions of dollars in losses. Led by Dr. Zachary Russell, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the project was supported in 2025 with a $2.3 million grant from NCInnovation. A New Market for NC Cash Crop Drawing on more than 60 million pounds of surplus sweetpotatoes that would otherwise rot in the fields, Dr. Brett Taubman and Daniel Parker, researchers in App State’s Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, are developing a plant-based milk product line with plans for dual production facilities in Boone and Eastern North Carolina. Called Rootsii, the project will create and scale production capacity for milk, yogurt, ice cream and other sweetpotato-based products with support from a $1.82 million NCInnovation grant and the expertise of numerous local and regional partners. At scale, the startup stands to create jobs and an important niche in an expanding plant-based milk market, which is projected to grow from $22.5 billion globally in 2025 to more than $40 billion by 2035.

Mental health and community well-being Economic revitalization and workforce development Environmental stewardship and disaster preparedness Educational adaptation and support Leveraging arts and culture for recovery

Enhancing Flood Models for Mountain Terrain Among numerous research-informed efforts to armor the region against the impacts of future storms, a project led by App State assistant professor Dr. William Wang is developing more accurate and refined maps of flooding in mountain terrain by incorporating machine learning, community input and new detail on topography and infrastructure. With an end goal of creating a user-friendly digital platform and tools for community outreach, the project aims to offer a dynamic, high-resolution vulnerability index that residents and responders alike can use to plan ahead. Emergency Energy Microgrids for Schools During and after natural disasters, communities congregate at school facilities. Led by Dr. Jamie Russell, director of the Appalachian Energy Center, App State researchers are designing a plan for placing microgrids in schools. Capable of operating independently of the grid, the units could provide critical energy sources when lines go down.

Research to Strengthen Mountain Communities Strengthening mountain communities against disasters such as Hurricane Helene is a central research goal at App State, and ongoing inquiry is applying lessons from the historic storm to identify solutions for the future. Following Helene, App State convened the WNC R3 workshop with a wide range of stakeholders, laying the foundation for a network to help strengthen community-informed public impact research for a resilient Western North Carolina.

App State fermentation science researchers are developing new sweetpotato milk products utilizing surplus North Carolina sweetpotatoes. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Collaborate with us. Learn more at appstate.edu/research and ori@appstate.edu

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION John E. Thomas Building 287 Rivers Street, Room 382, Boone, NC 28608 828-262-6637

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RESEARCH

UNC ASHEVILLE

NORTH CAROLINA

From left to right, Assistant Professor Jeromy Rech and Adam Wold (‘25) display a solar cell panel.

BEYOND THE LAB UNC ASHEVILLE STUDENTS TURN HANDS-ON RESEARCH INTO CAREERREADY OPPORTUNITIES At the University of North Carolina Asheville, almost 3,000 students across more than 60 academic programs take their learning outside of the classroom. As one of a select group of institutions designated as a Research College and University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, UNC Asheville invests on average over $2.5 million annually in research and development while providing undergraduates with a dynamic, leadership-focused, and relationship-driven education. McCullough Fellow Helped Develop Greener Materials for the Future of Solar Power Chemistry & Biochemistry major Adam Wold (‘25) helped shape a more sustainable future through undergraduate research at UNC Asheville. Working with faculty mentor Jeromy Rech, assistant professor of chemistry, and community partner Sugar Hollow Solar, Wold developed environmentally friendly materials for organic solar cells. The project focuses on creating green-solvent solar materials that could reduce the environmental impact of solar panel manufacturing while expanding the use of flexible, portable solar technology.

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The research earned Wold the Grand Prize for his presentation at the Appalachian Energy Summit and was supported through UNC Asheville’s McCullough Fellowship, which funds applied research projects connecting students, faculty, and community partners. Wold joined Rech’s lab in 2023 after learning about the University’s strong culture of undergraduate research, where more than 65 percent of students participate in hands-on projects. Through the fellowship, he gained experience collaborating with industry professionals, conducting independent research, and addressing real-world sustainability challenges. “Ultimately, research is taking what you learn in the classroom and applying it to a real-world problem,” says Rech. “If students want to go to graduate school, if they want to go to medical school, if they want to get a job, these types of experiences are really what train them for that.” Faculty Research Advances Fight Against Drug-Resistant Infections UNC Asheville Chemistry faculty members Amanda Wolfe and Ryan Steed are advancing research that could help address one of the world’s most urgent health challenges: antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Supported by the first NCInnovation Award awarded to UNC Asheville, the researchers are developing a new class of antibiotics designed to target pathogenic bacteria while leaving human cells unharmed. This award will help the team secure patents on their

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From left to right, Professor Amanda Wolfe gives UNC System President Peter Hans a tour of the Steed Wolfe Lab.

From left to right, Professor Camila Filgueiras, Michael O’Cain (‘24), and student Josh Fogel discuss the life cycle of tiny soil-dwelling roundworms.

discoveries and bring the research closer to preclinical studies and potential commercialization.

Developed by SoilTech, a startup company based on UNC Asheville’s campus, the Smart Soil Organism Detector (Smart SOD) uses advanced imaging, artificial intelligence, and laser technology to identify and sort microscopic organisms from soil samples. The tool is creating new opportunities for students to conduct research with realworld applications while working directly alongside industry professionals.

The collaboration began when Wolfe, an expert in antibiotic development, and Steed, who studies how bacteria produce energy, identified a promising connection between their fields. Together, they discovered compounds that can block an enzyme bacteria need to survive and created a potential pathway for new treatments against drug-resistant infections. Their work has been supported through nearly half a million dollars in federal and private grants and has engaged more than 50 UNC Asheville undergraduates through coursework and independent research. Students have contributed to the discovery process, earned authorship on scientific publications, and presented findings at professional conferences. “Our students are the ones who are really driving the research forward,” said Wolfe.

Anaya Harry (‘26), along with alum Michael O’Cain (‘24) are among the researchers using the technology. O’Cain studies soil biodiversity and helps process samples for projects ranging from regional ecological studies to large-scale biodiversity initiatives. Harry is using the Smart SOD to support research on bacteria responsible for staph infections, work that could contribute to future medical treatments.

“It allows them to not only do the research but kind of learn how research works in a real lab setting.”

“I’m learning that there are so many different facets of science that overlap,” said Harry. “I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to work in a lab, and it’s taught me so many skills and about what to expect when it comes to doing research.”

By combining innovative research with hands-on student learning, Wolfe and Steed are preparing the next generation of scientists to create solutions for a growing global health challenge.

The partnership between SoilTech and UNC Asheville gives students experience in biology, technology, and data science, and environmental science.

Biology Students use Cutting-Edge Technology to Tackle Global Challenges At UNC Asheville, biology students are using a one-of-akind instrument to study everything from soil biodiversity to infectious disease.

These opportunities provide UNC Asheville students with a direct pathway to graduate study and careers in biotechnology, environmental science, healthcare, and research. Their access to funding, expert faculty and industry connections turn their classroom learning into discoveries that address challenges facing communities around the world.

A culture of mentorship turn ambitious students into career-ready professionals. Learn more at go.unca.edu

UNC ASHEVILLE 1 University Heights Asheville, NC 28804 828-251-6600

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NORTH CAROLINA

Martin Tanaka works with engineering students on a capstone project.

RESEARCH TO REVENUE: HOW WCU POWERS NORTH CAROLINA’S ECONOMY Western Carolina University is strengthening its role as a driver of research, innovation, and economic development across North Carolina by translating academic expertise into market-ready solutions that create jobs, attract investment, and improve lives. A recent example is the work of Martin Tanaka, a professor of engineering and technology, whose applied research demonstrates how public universities can move ideas from the classroom and laboratory to commercialization. With support from NCInnovation, Tanaka is developing a new medical device to treat lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes painful fluid buildup in the arms or legs and often affects breast cancer survivors. Tanaka has already secured two patents for medical devices— one related to rotator cuff surgery and another for nasal surgical procedures. Now, backed by a $1 million award from NCInnovation, he is advancing a third innovation with the potential for wide-reaching health and economic impact.

Tanaka’s lymphedema device builds on more than a decade of research, including a compression garment donning device he and a team of WCU engineering students developed in 2011. The current project moves far beyond concept, focusing on product design, performance optimization and preparation for clinical testing. The project will employ two full-time researchers and four students, including participants from WCU and Southwestern Community College, highlighting how research investment also supports workforce development and regional collaboration. Clinicians and patients will be directly involved in refining the device to ensure it is practical, effective and positioned for adoption. While the technology aims to reduce physical pain, Tanaka said it also addresses the emotional burden of lymphedema, which can cause patients to withdraw socially due to visible disfigurement. “This is about restoring quality of life and dignity,” Tanaka said.

The funding is part of a $10 million NCInnovation initiative supporting 13 applied research projects across 11 University of North Carolina System campuses. The goal is to accelerate commercialization of university research and strengthen North Carolina’s innovation economy.

Tanaka credits WCU’s leadership with fostering an environment that supports applied research and product development. He noted the support of Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, College of Engineering and Technology Dean Randy Collins and NCInnovation partners in helping move the project forward.

“This project would not be happening without this funding,” Tanaka said. “The idea would have just sat in a file in my drawer, probably until I retired.”

“The university is helping create an ecosystem that supports research, design and development,” Tanaka said. “It’s providing everything this project requires.”

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Equally important is WCU’s role in talent development and retention. More than 63,000 alumni live and work in North Carolina, with 40 percent residing in the WNC region. Their increased earnings strengthen local economies and help communities attract and retain employers. WCU’s economic influence spans a 16-county region including Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon and surrounding counties, where access to higher education, research activity and skilled graduates plays an outsized role in economic resilience. The university’s impact was analyzed in partnership with Creative Economic Development Consulting using IMPLAN, a nationally recognized economic modeling tool. The analysis examined five drivers: university operations, capital investment, student spending, visitor spending and increased alumni earnings, using data from university records, regional tourism reports and U.S. Census-based wage data. While NCInnovation’s mission prioritizes North Carolina, the solutions emerging from WCU extend beyond state borders. Tanaka provides hands-on learning experiences for his students.

Before entering higher education, Tanaka spent 11 years working in industry on commercial products. That background informs his approach to academic research, emphasizing real-world applicability and market relevance. His work reflects a broader shift at WCU toward applied research that aligns with regional economic needs and statewide innovation priorities.

“This is a problem around the world,” Tanaka said of lymphedema. “The solutions we’re developing will benefit North Carolinians—and people everywhere.” For business leaders and policymakers, WCU offers a clear return on investment: applied research connected to regional strengths, supported by public-private partnerships, and designed to translate into new products, companies and jobs. As the university continues to expand its research capacity, projects like Tanaka’s highlight how strategic investment in public higher education fuels innovation, economic growth and long-term prosperity across North Carolina.

Research activity is only one component of WCU’s significant economic footprint. Each year, WCU generates a total economic impact of $894 million for the 16-county region of Western North Carolina and $1.5 billion statewide. The university supports more than 7,358 jobs in WNC and 10,627 jobs across the state, both directly and indirectly. For every $1 invested in university operations, North Carolina gains $5.61 in output. The university employs more than 2,000 people and spends approximately $323 million annually on operations and capital projects. It also attracts an estimated 204,000 visitors each year, contributing to tourism and local business activity throughout the region.

Western Carolina University’s campus is surrounded by one of the state’s most biodiverse regions, offering students unparalleled learning and research opportunities.

Where Learning Meets Life. Visit us online at wcu.edu #LiveWestern

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY 1 University Drive, Cullowhee, NC 28723 1-877-WCU-4YOU

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RESEARCH UNC CHARLOTTE

NORTH CAROLINA

Stephanie Schuckers, Bank of America Distinguished Professor in Computing and Informatics, leads the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR), which focuses on biometric security and deepfake detection.

UNC CHARLOTTE’S EXPANDING ROLE IN DEFENSE INNOVATION Defense modernization, advanced manufacturing and critical technology investment are creating new opportunities for regions that can connect research, industry and workforce quickly. Charlotte is positioned to compete in that environment. As North Carolina’s urban R1 university, UNC Charlotte is making intentional investments to help connect regional strengths in ways that accelerate innovation, strengthen economic competitiveness and expand opportunities across the region. That strategy took shape this year through three connected moves. The university launched the National Defense and Intelligence Innovation Institute (NDI3), joined North Carolina’s First in Defense coalition and signed a memorandum of understanding with RTI International to explore collaboration opportunities connected to a proposed Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) OnRamp Hub, where UNC Charlotte will serve as RTI’s primary academic partner connecting Charlotte and Western North Carolina. Together, those efforts reflect a broader vision: position Charlotte as a region where mission-driven research, technology transition and workforce development come together to accelerate realworld impact.

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Through internationally recognized expertise in measurement science, the Center for Precision Metrology helps solve complex precision and quality challenges for advanced manufacturing and defense partners.

“Charlotte already has many of the ingredients that matter in defense innovation: advanced manufacturing capabilities in defense and motorsports, energy expertise, logistics connectivity, commercialization capacity and a concentration of advanced industry that gives the region unusual depth,” said John Daniels, vice chancellor for research. “UNC Charlotte’s role is to connect those regional strengths with research, talent and partners in ways that accelerate the transition of ideas into real-world impact.”

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At the center of that effort is NDI3. Launched in January 2026, NDI3 serves as UNC Charlotte’s central institute for defense-related research, partnerships, technology transition and workforce development, bringing together faculty expertise with government and industry collaboration to accelerate use-inspired research and move dualuse technologies toward operational impact. Building on capabilities that already exist across the university, NDI3 focus areas include advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, AI-enabled systems, unmanned systems, operational energy, optics and photonics and human performance, capabilities increasingly aligned with federal priorities. Using advanced manufacturing as an example, UNC Charlotte is home to the Center for Precision Metrology (CPM), an internationally recognized research center advancing precision measurement and advanced manufacturing systems. Through work in manufacturing inspection, precision engineering and advanced measurement, researchers support technologies that make next-generation production environments more precise, efficient and reliable. That capability extends into optical science and engineering, where UNC Charlotte researchers advance sensing, optoelectronics and measurement technologies that support advanced manufacturing and emerging technology environments. UNC Charlotte is also building momentum in AI and cybersecurity. Among the research areas in the institute is the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR), which is advancing biometric security through work focused on defending against increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled attacks including deepfakes, identity spoofing and digital manipulation. Researchers work alongside government and industry partners to strengthen identity assurance and develop technologies designed to stay ahead of emerging threats. CITeR maintains one of the world’s largest biometric spoof databases and provides students with hands-on experience in advanced identity security. Across campus, research centers including the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), the Center for Energy Security and Reliability (CESAR), the Charlotte AI Institute (CLTAI²), AI4Health and CIPHER contribute expertise to NDI3 spanning energy resilience, artificial intelligence, health and decision support.

UNC Charlotte’s motorsports engineering program develops expertise in high-performance systems with applications in defense-related technologies.

NDI3 was created to connect research strengths beyond campus by advancing relationships among academia, industry and government to accelerate pathways from discovery to application. That approach is reflected in UNC Charlotte’s participation in the First in Defense coalition. Led by the North Carolina Critical Technologies Alliance and the NC Chamber, the coalition brings together broad organizations to bolster the state’s position in defense innovation and critical technology development. UNC Charlotte’s participation, alongside exploration of collaboration opportunities through the proposed DIU OnRamp Hub with RTI International, expands opportunities to align regional strengths with emerging defense and commercialization priorities. The Charlotte region brings distinct advantages to that work: proximity among research capability, industry expertise, infrastructure and commercialization pathways. That combination creates an environment where technologies can be developed, tested and moved toward real-world application more quickly. As federal investment in defense modernization accelerates, regions that can connect innovation to execution will be positioned to lead. The university is working to ensure Charlotte is one of them.

Learn more at research.charlotte.edu/ndi3

UNC CHARLOTTE 9201 University City Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28223 704-687-8622 charlotte.edu

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PROOF SENT 6/9 , APPROVED 6/11

RESEARCH N.C. MILITARY BUSINESS CENTER

NORTH CAROLINA

The 2026 Summit Organizational Award was presented by NCMBC Executive Director Scott Dorney to the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Carolinas Region at the Southeast Regional Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environmental Summit. This award recognizes the organization’s outstanding contributions and leadership in support of the defense infrastructure ecosystem. Pictured left to right: Brigadier General Ralph J. Rizzo, Rear Admiral Jeffrey J. Kilian, Marty Ray, Lieutenant General Stephen G. Smith, Scott Dorney.

STATEWIDE APPROACH TO FEDERAL OPPORTUNITY IN NORTH CAROLINA By Jaycie Beam, North Carolina Military Business Center

The North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) is a statewide business development and technology transition entity of the State of North Carolina, embedded in the North Carolina Community College System and headquartered at Fayetteville Technical Community College. NCMBC serves businesses across the state through a network of 19 offices.

procurement, and federal acquisition. The team works directly with businesses to identify relevant federal opportunities, government solicitations, review competitive proposals, and provide guidance throughout the contract process.

The mission of the NCMBC is to leverage military and other federal business opportunities to expand the economy, create jobs, and improve the quality of life in North Carolina. Central to this mission is increasing federal revenues for businesses in North Carolina by strengthening their ability to compete in the federal marketplace.

In addition to business development support, the NCMBC hosts several major events each year designed to expand access to information, provide networking opportunities, and access to federal and defense decision-makers. These high-impact events bring together small businesses, federal agencies, prime contractors and industry leaders across the state creating opportunities for engagement, collaboration, and participation in the federal marketplace.

The NCMBC employs a statewide, collaborative approach anchored by a team of experienced business development professionals located across the state to connect firms with current government opportunities. The organization’s Regional Program Directors collectively bring more than 300 years of contracting experience, with expertise across industry,

Why attend? NCMBC provides businesses with a variety of programs, opportunities for networking, and direct access to key stakeholders in the federal workplace. If you are a business exploring government contracting for the first time or an established business seeking to expand, NCMBC offers the tools, expertise, and connections to help you succeed.

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Stantec participated as a gold sponsor for the Southeast Region Federal Construction, Infrastructure and Environmental Summit. Pictured is a networking engagement between representatives from Stantec and Sundance Consultants, LLC, highlighting opportunities for partnership and business development.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Medical, Biomedical, and Biodefense (MBB): Support to the Warfighter Symposium, September 23-24, 2026 in Chapel Hill, NC. MBB connects businesses in North Carolina with military and other federal agencies that require or purchases medical supplies, equipment, devices, staffing, pharmaceuticals, and medical services. Representatives from the DoD, Department of Veteran’s Affairs, and Health and Human Services, highlights current technologies or resource gaps and needs, to supply military and federal medical facilities and agencies. For more information, visit: https://mbb.ncmbc.us/ Southeast Region Federal Construction, Infrastructure and Environmental Summit (Summit), April 22-24, 2027 in Wilmington, NC. The Summit brings together over 800 representatives from the Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Fort Liberty, Marine Corps Installations East, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, US Coast Guard, Department of Veteran Affairs, General Services Administration, and other federal agencies, general contractors, and suppliers throughout the southeast. The Summit provides an opportunity for businesses to meet with these agencies and to market their services and products. For more information, visit: https://summit.ncmbc.us/

Participants engage in active discussion during the US Army Program and Procurement Dialogue. Speaker participation included Fort Bragg Garrison Command, Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works, Fort Bragg Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC), the 596th Transportation Brigade (MOTSU), and the United States Army Reserve Command. These sessions provided valuable insights into current programs, procurement priorities, and collaboration opportunities.

Federal Textile and Defense (FEDTEX), Spring 2027. FEDTEX connects the DoD and federal agency clothing and individual buyers with US textile manufacturers, textile supply chain suppliers, research and development facilities, and academic resources. This event encourages networking with new and existing businesses in the clothing and textile marketplace, and aims to establish a direct dialogue between government, businesses, and academia around critical warfighter issues in the defense textile marketplace. For more information, visit: https://fedtex.ncmbc.us/ Federal Technology Symposium (FTS), Fall 2027 FTS highlights the advanced technology needs of major military commands in North Carolina, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FTS aims to create dialogue between industries, academia, and government to address the technology needs of the warfighters and security agencies. For more information, visit: https://defense.ncmbc.us/ Defense Industrial Sustainment for Combat Systems Summit (DISC), Fall 2027. This event focuses on strengthening the defense industrial base by connecting prime contractors, suppliers, and service providers in the defense aerospace, ground vehicle, maritime, and armaments markets. Businesses will learn about contracting opportunities with the DoD, original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s), and prime contractors. For more information, visit: https://industrial.ncmbc.us/

Additional information about NCMBC and upcoming events can be found at ncmbc.us.

Scott Dorney, Executive Director scott@ncmbc.us

Courtney Smedick, Director of Operations courtney@ncmbc.us

Jaycie Beam, Communications and Program Support beamj@ncmbc.us

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PROOF SENT 6/10, APPROVED 6/15

RESEARCH

RTI INTERNATIONAL

NORTH CAROLINA

Artistic rendering of RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator.

BUILT TO SCALE IN NORTH CAROLINA Inside the push to turn breakthrough research into real-world industry “RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator serves as a hub for developing and scaling breakthrough technologies. Located here in North Carolina, we attract partners from across the U.S. and around the world. RTI’s investment reflects our long-term commitment to advancing scientific discoveries to real-world impact and drives economic development, supports job creation and propels new startups to commercial implementation.” Tim J. Gabel, RTI President and CEO

North Carolina has spent decades building one of the nation’s strongest research ecosystems, powered by universities, startups and global firms that are turning discoveries into new energy solutions, advanced materials and more efficient industrial technologies. But the hardest part of innovation comes after the breakthrough. Moving promising technologies out of the lab and into the world where they can be used is challenging; development stalls; investors hesitate. This is often where things break down, and it’s the gap RTI International is working to close with its expanded industrial prototyping facility, the RTI Pilot Xcelerator on its campus in Research Triangle Park.

What they need is evidence that those systems can operate consistently, safely and economically at an engineering scale. Across energy, chemicals, advanced materials and industrial processes, this is a familiar challenge. Lab results may look promising, but investors, customers and regulators want hard data before they commit. “For new energy and industrial technologies to succeed in the market, they must be proven under real-world conditions. Scale-up and validation are essential.” David Dausch, Vice President, Engineering & Advanced Technology at RTI

WHERE IDEAS MEET REALITY

TURNING DATA INTO DECISIONS

Established in 2012, RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator is built for a specific moment in the innovation cycle: the point where a technology works in principle, but proof at scale is essential.

RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator program provides that proving ground. Systems are designed, built and run in environments that reflect the complexity of commercial operations. Engineers construct integrated pilot prototype systems to collect performance data and work with partners to iterate and optimize the design as it moves toward deployment.

It’s not an incubator or an ideation space. Companies arrive with systems that already function at the laboratory scale. 84

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At this stage, the challenge is not only technical; it’s also financial and strategic. Investors, customers and regulators want more than a working concept. They want credible data, operational insight and a clear view of costs and risk. Without that evidence, promising projects struggle to attract capital or move beyond demonstration scale. This is where RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator bridges the gap from laboratory discovery to commercial reality. PROVIDING PRACTICAL ANSWERS

A walk-through makes one thing clear: it’s an active engineering environment. Teams are testing technologies that span sustainable aviation fuels, materials recycling innovations, carbon capture systems and more. In one project, RTI engineers are preparing to design and operate a modular bioreactor that uses microbial processes to convert gases like methane into valuable chemical products. This work reflects both the complexity and ambition behind the systems being tested. “Our focus is on helping partners answer very practical questions: Does it run the way you expect? Can it scale safely and reliably? What do the data show?” Sameer Parvathikar, Program Director, RTI Pilot Xcelerator

BUILDING FOR WHAT COMES NEXT

Demand for this kind of infrastructure is rising, as demonstrated by the growing roster of commercial companies leveraging RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator to advance their product maturity, from startups to large corporations and RTI is expanding to meet their needs. Once the facility expansion is completed in late summer of 2026, it will include more than 25,000 square feet of dedicated process bay space, more than doubling its capacity. The expansion adds more covered work bays, control rooms and indoor workspace designed to accommodate a wider range of technologies and project needs. The investment reflects a broader shift in how innovation moves forward. Companies are under pressure to shorten development timelines while reducing risk. RTI helps clients reduce that risk by increasing the speed of development and testing, reducing development cost via plug-and-play infrastructure and providing real-world testing, coupled with

RTI transforms early-stage energy research into scalable, market-ready technologies.

in-house engineering expertise. Clients also benefit from RTI’s partner ecosystem, which can help with the development of commercial strategies, providing paths to market, investor connections and an understanding of policy and regulatory requirements. Together, this helps companies advance through critical testing phases and move toward successful product launches. FROM BREAKTHROUGHS TO BUSINESS

The impact extends well beyond individual companies. Access to scale-up and validation infrastructure often shapes where technologies are developed. When those capabilities are available locally, they attract investment, cultivate talent and enable sustained, long-term growth within the region. By providing this advanced infrastructure in North Carolina, RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator allows companies to keep critical development stages in-state, strengthening the region’s position not just as a research hub, but as a place where innovation turns into industry. North Carolina’s strength in research is well established. The question now is how effectively those discoveries translate into companies, industries and long-term economic value. RTI offers a clear answer by creating the conditions where promising technologies can prove themselves—technically, operationally and commercially—before taking the next step. For companies ready to move beyond prototypes, that proof often makes the difference between an idea that stalls and one that scales.

RTI International is an independent scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition.

RTI INTERNATIONAL 3040 East Cornwallis Road Durham, NC 27713 919-541-6000 rti.org

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RESEARCH N.C. BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER

NORTH CAROLINA

Credit: iStock.

ACCELERATING LIFE SCIENCES COMMERCIALIZATION By Mary Hecht-Kissell, North Carolina Biotechnology Center

Since 1984, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center has played a pivotal role in transforming North Carolina into a leading global life sciences hub. As a state-funded nonprofit, NCBiotech champions programs that help move ideas from research laboratories to the marketplace.

hit critical technical and business milestones. In many cases, NCBiotech funding serves as a catalyst that unlocks additional financing from other sources. Portfolio companies have raised $8B+ in follow-on capital. That’s $124 for every $1 invested by NCBiotech.1

North Carolina is becoming well known for its research and development (R&D) prowess. The state has 490 R&D companies employing 13,300 workers statewide.

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North Carolina universities serve as engines for innovation, developing new technologies, from cancer therapies to advanced drug delivery systems. NCBiotech provides grants to academic researchers to support translational research. These grants help researchers begin evaluating commercial applications for technologies, laying the foundation for new patents, licensing agreements, and spinout companies. Early-stage life sciences companies often face difficulty securing initial funding. NCBiotech provides loans ranging from $150,000 to $650,000 to early-stage startups. These loans allow companies to advance product development and

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Developing a commercially viable product is challenging and often necessitates guidance from trusted experts. NCBiotech’s Emerging Company Development (ECD) team serves as a connector for its loan portfolio companies by facilitating meaningful engagement with industry experts. Through its Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) Program, ECD connects startups with successful life sciences executives who can provide coaching, strategy support, and at times, access to helpful resources. EIRs help companies establish business models and operational plans, and provide fundraising guidance, including how to successfully engage and attract opportunities with investors and partners.

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ECD also advises companies, delivering feedback on business plans, investor presentations, and supporting technical and scientific materials. The team maintains strong ties with university tech transfer offices and regional incubators and accelerators. ECD also fosters deep relationships with venture capital investors and angel investor networks, as well as tech scouts from global pharmaceutical companies, enabling matchmaking between these groups and promising startups. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES NCBiotech’s Life Sciences Intelligence (LSI) team provides services that help startups make informed commercialization decisions. This team delivers market data, industry analysis, and scientific insights. LSI also offers fee-based custom research services. NCBiotech’s LSI team maintains a state-wide Company Directory that includes 860 life sciences companies and additional support companies. Startups can use the directory to identify product- and service-providers in the state, such as contract research organizations, IP attorneys and legal counsel, regulatory affairs specialists, and manufacturing and design firms. COLLABORATIVE ECOSYSTEM Many startups leverage partnerships with research institutions, clinical research organizations, manufacturing partners, or large pharmaceutical companies to advance products successfully. North Carolina has five R-1 research universities, offering abundant opportunities for co-development and access to specialized equipment and scientific advisors. As the birthplace of clinical research, North Carolina has 170+ clinical service organizations providing a range of services, including assay development, preclinical and clinical research, and clinical trial management. North Carolina has three designated comprehensive cancer centers, ideal locations for conducting clinical trials. North Carolina has a variety of well-equipped lab spaces statewide. From incubators to accelerators to research parks, startups have plenty of cost-effective options.

With a high quality of life, North Carolina continues to attract strong C-level talent, which is paramount to building resilient, high-performing startups. North Carolina’s highly skilled life sciences workforce, which is 76,000 employees strong and growing, ensures startups can find the talent they need at all levels. NCBiotech champions several workforce development programs and job resources to keep the talent pipeline full. The Conference Center at NCBiotech hosts 480 events annually, bringing together academia, government, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders for networking and educational programs.

PROOF OF A SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: Here are recent examples of North Carolina’s momentum in advancing innovations and attracting outside investment:

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In 2025, venture funding for North Carolina life sciences hit a record $1.6 billion, beating the state’s previous high of $1 billion in 2021.

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In February 2026, Slate Medicines announced a $130 million Series A financing led by RA Capital Management, Forbion, and Foresite Capital, to advance its novel therapy for migraine and headache disorders. The company intends to start Phase 1 clinical trials in mid-2026.

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In May 2026, Bayer AG announced plans to acquire Perfuse Therapeutics, whose R&D facility is based in Research Triangle Park, for its investigational treatments for ocular diseases. Bayer will pay $300 million up front, with additional payments possible if the treatment meets certain development, regulatory and commercial goals, bringing the deal’s potential value up to $2.45 billion.

NCBiotech’s long-standing commitment to accelerating commercialization has contributed significantly to North Carolina’s reputation as a premier destination for life sciences innovation. Startups navigating the complex path from scientific breakthrough to commercial success will find all the resources they need to grow and scale in North Carolina. 1 Source: NCBiotech Business Intelligence and Analytics (July 2025)

To learn more, visit ncbiotech.org

North Carolina Biotechnology Center 15 T.W. Alexander Drive Durham, NC 27713 919-541-9366 ncbiotech.org

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PROOF SENT 6/10, APPROVED 6/12

RESEARCH Small Business and Technology Development Center

NORTH CAROLINA

Roberts and inSoma Bio have received support from Duke as they spun out, including access to discounted lab space. photo by Stefan Roberts/Fedor Kossakovski/Duke OTC

THREE SBTDC TECHNOLOGY CLIENTSARCLET, INSOMA BIO, AND NUREAM ARE MAKING REAL-WORLD IMPACT From the mountains of western North Carolina to the state’s coastal communities, entrepreneurs are transforming innovative ideas into technologies that improve health, advance science, and enhance quality of life. For many innovation-driven startups, turning a promising idea into a viable business requires more than a strong product. It requires customer discovery, market validation, commercialization strategy, funding preparation, and trusted guidance. The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center’s Technology Commercialization team helps entrepreneurs navigate that path, supporting companies as they move from concept to commercialization. Three SBTDC technology clients, Arclet, inSoma Bio, and Nuream, illustrate how North Carolina entrepreneurs are transforming specialized expertise and research breakthroughs into real-world impact. In Western North Carolina, public health professional Adrienne Ammerman recognized a challenge that became increasingly visible during public health emergencies: organizations often struggle to quickly deliver accurate, trustworthy information to diverse audiences. To address that need, she founded Arclet, a company focused on helping public health communicators access, customize, and distribute reliable health information more effectively. Arclet’s platform provides a curated content library and workflow tools that help organizations communicate critical health information with greater speed and confidence.

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“Arclet is a real North Carolina story — an impact-driven company built in western NC that grew out of a regional collaborative and now serves users across 26 states. I couldn’t have built this without the entrepreneurial ecosystem here, including NC IDEA, Elevate Asheville, and SBTDC.” Adrienne Ammerman, Founder & CEO, Arclet

Building on that foundation, Arclet developed Arli, an NSF-funded artificial intelligence communications copilot designed specifically for public health professionals. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, Arli was built to support the accuracy, trust, and evidence-based standards that public health communication requires. As Arclet moved from concept to commercialization, the company worked with the SBTDC Technology Commercialization team on customer discovery, commercialization strategy, and innovation funding opportunities. The company also participated in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps customer discovery program and leveraged the SBTDC’s graduate student internship program support to strengthen customer acquisition and business development efforts. Today, Arclet serves organizations in 26 states, demonstrating how a challenge identified in a local community can evolve into a solution with national reach.

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Moving to the center of the state, Stefan Roberts, Co-Founder and CEO of inSoma Bio, saw an opportunity to translate discoveries from his doctoral research into technology that could address important challenges in regenerative medicine. Turning academic research into a commercial product, however, requires more than scientific excellence. It demands market validation, product development planning, fundraising, and business strategy. The result of that effort is Fractomer™, a nature-inspired injectable protein scaffold designed to help the body regenerate its own tissue. This technology has potential applications in procedures such as breast reconstruction, facial reconstruction, and other soft tissue restoration treatments. By mimicking characteristics of natural human tissue, Fractomer™ aims to improve outcomes while reducing reliance on traditional synthetic implants. The technology also has the potential to improve fat graft retention rates, a key challenge in reconstructive procedures. As inSoma Bio advanced its commercialization efforts, it received guidance from the SBTDC and gained national recognition through highly competitive programs including Y Combinator and MedTech Innovator. Today, inSoma Bio has secured more than $15 million in federal and state grants from SBIRs and organizations like the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to support product development and continued growth.

“I would suggest new businesses to interface with organizations like SBTDC as early as possible because you don’t know what you don’t know, and it’s good to have people that have been there and can foresee some milestones and roadblocks that you can’t see yet.” Stefan Roberts, Co-Founder & CEO, inSoma Bio

Department of Defense, AFFOA, NC IDEA, and NCInnovation. As Nuream moves toward commercialization, its innovative approach aims to help people better understand their sleep and overall health through a simpler, more accessible experience.

“SBTDC has been instrumental throughout our journey and we cannot say enough to the support, assistance and tough conversations throughout. Through one-on-one engagements, summer MBA internships, and discussion at NCInnovation events, we studied the sleep and sleeptech market dynamics, confirmed customer validation, identified go-to-market strategies for early adoption and scale, and developed critical partnerships with stakeholders. We cannot say thank you enough.” Rob Cooley, Co-Founder & CEO, Nuream

While their technologies, industries, and locations differ, these three companies share a common challenge: turning innovative ideas into successful businesses. Whether commercializing university research, developing technology to improve public health communications, or bringing a new sleep solution to market, each company faced critical questions about customer needs, market opportunities, funding, and growth. The SBTDC Technology Commercialization team helps entrepreneurs answer those questions through customer discovery, market validation, commercialization strategy, SBIR/STTR funding assistance, and long-term business advising. By providing strategic guidance and connecting companies with resources across North Carolina’s innovation ecosystem, the SBTDC helps innovators move promising ideas closer to market.

Continuing east to North Carolina’s coast, Nurem, out of Wilmington, represents another example of how entrepreneurs across the state are transforming complex scientific concepts into market-driven solutions. Founded by Rob Cooley, Nathan Munton, and Lauren Munton, Nuream is developing technology designed to gather meaningful health and sleep data through everyday fabrics. The goal is to provide users with valuable insights about sleep, wellness, and recovery without requiring wearable devices or significant changes to daily routines. Developing technology capable of gathering meaningful health data through everyday fabrics, without requiring users to wear devices or change their daily routines, has required extensive market validation and commercialization planning. Nuream worked closely with the SBTDC Technology Commercialization team to explore sleep technology market opportunities, validate customer demand, refine commercialization strategies, and develop key industry partnerships. Those efforts helped position the company for growth and contributed to recent support from organizations including the

SBTDC Technology Commercialization team.

Your Business. Better. Visit us online at sbtdc.org.

NORTH CAROLINA SMALL BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBTDC) 701 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 340 Raleigh, NC 27607 919-715-7272 info@sbtdc.org

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RESEARCH FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

NORTH CAROLINA

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY SECURES NEARLY $500,000 UNC SYSTEM INVESTMENT FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY RESEARCH FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – A research initiative led by Fayetteville State University professor Zhiping Luo, Ph.D., has been awarded nearly $500,000 in first-year funding through the University of North Carolina System Research Opportunities Initiative, positioning the university to expand defense and security research with implications for homeland security, environmental monitoring and advanced manufacturing. The UNC System ROI is funded by the North Carolina General Assembly to support some of the most innovative and important research projects within the system. Awards are designed to expand capacity in research areas that are strategically important to North Carolina. For FSU, this award supports the Nano Consortium for Collaborative Research and Education to Advance Defense and Security through Sensing (NC-READS). The project is a three-year initiative developed by Luo, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Materials Science.

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The project received $499,810 in first-year funding as part of a proposed three-year, $1.5 million investment to strengthen North Carolina’s defense and security research capacity and prepare students for careers in high-demand STEM fields. Selected through a competitive review process among UNC System institutions, NC-READS builds on Luo’s years of research leadership. The initiative also strengthens the research infrastructure Luo helped establish at FSU, including the Southeastern North Carolina Regional Microanalytical and Imaging Consortium and the Interdisciplinary Materials Research and Education Laboratory. Luo said the proposal stood out because it addresses urgent domestic challenges while drawing on FSU’s established research strengths. The initiative brings together faculty expertise across chemistry, materials science, physics and biological sciences. It also uses the university’s existing research infrastructure, national laboratory partnerships and commitment to serving military-affiliated students and veterans.

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(PFAS) - synthetic “forever chemicals” and organophosphorus pesticides. The work has the potential to strengthen military readiness, homeland security, environmental surveillance, and public health efforts while supporting North Carolina’s advanced manufacturing economy. “NC-READS will provide an open platform for conducting interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research and delivering transformative STEM education in response to emerging nanotechnologies for national defense and homeland security,” said Ganesha Bora, Ph.D., FSU chief research officer. “This consortium will engage a broad spectrum of student populations to develop a motivated and skilled workforce for the sector, with impacts extending across the state and the nation.”

Ganesha Bora, Ph.D. - FSU chief research officer

“This award capitalizes on those strengths by establishing NC-READS as a unique defense-focused nanotechnology hub in North Carolina,” Luo said. “It will modernize research infrastructure, support faculty collaboration, train students and position FSU to compete for larger center-level grants in the future.”

Beyond its immediate research goals, NC-READS is expected to strengthen partnerships among universities, national laboratories and industry while increasing FSU’s competitiveness for future federal funding opportunities. University leaders view the initiative as a long-term investment in North Carolina’s innovation ecosystem and the next generation of scientists, engineers and defense-sector professionals.

The consortium will bring together researchers from FSU, North Carolina State University, Argonne National Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to advance next-generation sensing technologies with applications ranging from national defense and infrastructure protection to environmental monitoring and advanced manufacturing. “FSU occupies a unique position within the UNC System because of its strong commitment to serving military-affiliated students and veterans,” Luo said. “This connection makes FSU particularly well-positioned to conduct homeland security research while preparing students for careers in defense, security, advanced manufacturing and related STEM fields.” The initiative is designed to address challenges with both statewide and national significance. Research efforts will focus on technologies for radiation, toxic chemical and explosive detection. The project will also focus on electromagnetic interference shielding and on monitoring environmental contaminants, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Zhiping Luo, Ph.D - Department of Chemistry, Physics and Materials Science Professor

Collaborate with us. Learn more at uncfsu.edu/research.

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION Dr. Ganesh Bora Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Innovation (910) 672-1442 gbora@uncfsu.edu

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PROOF SENT 6/10, APPROVED 6/12

RESEARCH N.C. A&T COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

NORTH CAROLINA

Dr. Hao Feng (far right), Blue Cross/Blue Shield Endowed Professor of Urban Food Systems, shown here with his team, will be director of the new Urban and Community Food Complex. The complex is set to open this fall, and will include a creamery for ice cream production.

THE SWEET TASTE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THE UNIVERSITY FARM’S LATEST BUILDING IS A $12 MILLION FOOD INNOVATION ENGINE, BUSINESS INCUBATOR AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD PROMOTER. BEST OF ALL, IT COMES WITH ICE CREAM. A few months from now, a person may walk into N.C. A&T farm’s $12.2 million Urban and Community Food Complex with their arms laden with tomatoes from their backyard garden. “I want to learn how to turn these into home-made salsa to sell at the Farmer’s Market,” they might say. That request – and thousands of others like it, when the building reaches full use – will spark a chain reaction across the areas of research, teaching and outreach. Working with the building’s personnel, the local grower could get a course in food product development, working up a recipe; changing it into salsa or pasta sauce; cooking a batch in the building’s commercial kitchen; tasting and smelling the result in the sensory lab, and creating a package design with an agricultural marketer. By the time growing season is over, they may have a marketable product – or more than one, complete with packaging and a business plan. Another successful small-scale agricultural business could be under way. Meanwhile, students within the college will be learning: biological engineers will learn by working with the waste products from processing. Food and nutritional science majors evaluate nutritional content, agribusiness students to develop marketing plans, testing products and evaluate their consumer appeal.

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That’s just one aspect of the Urban and Community Food Complex (UCFC’s) mission, according to Hao Feng, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Endowed Professor of Urban Food Systems and professor of food and bioprocess engineering. Feng is the building’s director.: to be a business technology incubator, geared toward local entrepreneurship for multiple crops. “A big piece of the complex is to serve the local community,” Feng said. “Many of the popular products we see in grocery stores started in someone’s kitchen. We can make suggestions on what they can produce and then take home, to establish their own operation. They can use our kitchen or their own at home. We can help them form small company to sell it or they could take it to the farmer’s market. “We can transfer technology; we can patent. We want to have small companies established based on our technology.” In the food desert that is East Greensboro, the UCFC, set to open in 2026, is poised to be a shining star, where farm-fresh foods become commodities before visitors’ very eyes. Staffed by Feng and five other employees, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded building will include a creamery; a food innovation laboratory; a food quality laboratory; a food safety

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A view of the creamery.

Dr. Feng explains his microgreens research at the new complex. Feng researches new market opportunities for such North Carolina crops as muscadines and sweet potatoes.

laboratory (Biosafety Level 2); a sensory laboratory; and a food processing pilot plant. The space will also include a commercial kitchen and a creamery. “There needs to be a driver for promoting access to nutritious, fresh food the East Greensboro area,” he said. “As the largest college of agriculture among all HBCUs, we have a responsibility to be that driver.” Another part of the story is based on Feng’s own Evans Allen-funded grant to study North Carolina crops, among them sweet potatoes, peanuts, muscadine grapes and ginger. In his vision, the university could have its own production lines for N.C. – based crops at the UCFC. “Many universities have famous products produced by their farm or dairy,” Feng said. “That could be us. We could have Aggie sweet potato products, or flavors for ice cream, like muscadine.” It’s the prospect of ice cream that excites the taste buds of alumni, students and community members alike. Long a product of N.C. A&T’s Dairy Unit, farm-fresh milk, butter and ice cream were produced, packaged and sold in the dining hall from the university’s opening in 1891 until 1964, when the university decided to buy the products externally instead. The UCFC will bring the sweetest piece of that process back, reintroducing Aggie Ice Cream, and possibly gelato and other frozen desserts, in its smallbatch creamery.

“We are the only historically Black college and university in the country that has a dairy,” Feng said. “Dairy products like ice cream are consumer favorites that also allow our faculty and students to cover dairy production along its entire continuum, from animal health, nutrition, reproduction and milk production, to consumption – value-added products, quality, safety, consumer research. That allows us to integrate our food and nutritional science program with our animal science program.” Aggie Ice Cream will not only be good to eat, it will also use the milk from the farm’s primarily Jersey herd. The “A2A2” Jersey cows produce milk that may be easier for more people to tolerate and can help introduce children and community members to dairy products. Students can help staff the creamery, but will also bring an element of youthful “coolness” to the project, suggesting names, flavors and formulations and helping to design packaging. “Lots of students can benefit, from the entire experience,” Feng said. “In my imagination, we’d have agricultural economics students analyzing the business side, and animal or plant science involved; food and nutritional science students can do marketing formulation; others can be a focus group, taking products to evaluate for smell, appearance, taste. On the production side, biological engineering students could develop waste plans or environmentally friendly production plans.” “This facility will add a new dimension to the entire university and enable us to better serve our stakeholders,” Feng said. “I am thrilled that we will see this first-of-its kind facility established at A&T.”

For more information, visit ncat.edu/caes and click “Agricultural Research.”

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University 1601 E. Market Street Greensboro, NC 27411 336-334-7500

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The Boonerang Music & Arts Festival is a free, allages community homecoming street festival held in downtown Boone in June. The annual weekend-long celebration highlights musicians, artists and vendors who have deep roots or connections to the High Country region.

WEATHERING THE STORM

Hurricane Helene dropped upwards of 20 inches of rain on Watauga County nearly two years ago. It flooded downtown Boone, leaving businesses along King Street coated in mud after the water receded. Progress was paused on the city’s Howard Street Revitalization project. It’s burying utilities, replacing and improving drainage, and installing new infrastructure under a revamped pedestrian-friendly roadway. The project, which began years ago, has restarted. “There will be significant development opportunities once it’s complete,” says David Jackson, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “This area was one of the most impacted in Boone-proper by Helene, so there is a recovery story, too.” 94

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Across the High Country, which includes Watauga, Avery, Ashe, Alleghany, Caldwell, Mitchell and Wilkes counties, economic milestones and residents’ tenacity are creating a silver lining to the dark, cloudy days immediately in Helene’s wake. Their efforts are bringing economic opportunities and jobs to the state’s northwestern corner. While tourism, which brought more than $1.1 billion of visitor spending to the region in 2024, according to the most-recent data, has always been the region’s economic theme, industries, such as aviation, manufacturing, agriculture and transportation, along with university research, are foreshadowing its future. C A R O L I N A

David Jackson, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO

“We still play to the Main Street vibe, but a block off Main Street we can fill workforce needs and education needs as well as anyone in the state,” Jackson says. “Because of the storm, we have to be great storytellers about our region, and we have storytellers ready to write a new chapter of the book. We can step into a renaissance of our area, as long as we have the Appalachian culture in mind.” SPONSORED SECTION

PHOTO CREDIT: BOONE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND DOWNTOWNBOONE.COM

Counties in northwestern North Carolina were hit hard by Hurricane Helene. But they’re rebounding with renewed strength because of a can-do attitude and community and education investments.

Crews completed the final section of duct bank installation along South Depot Street in Boone. There’s more underground work to do, part of improvement plans to revitalize the city.

Community redevelopment Helene’s timing was disastrous. “[It] struck the mountains just before the busy autumn tourism season on the Blue Ridge Parkway,” says Rita Larkin, Blue Ridge Foundation’s chief communications officer. “That time of year is critical for businesses that rely on visitors coming to experience leaf season in the national park. Travelers explore the surrounding communities for necessities and to enhance their Parkway journey, stopping at galleries, boutiques and cultural attractions. That fall, visitation dropped as many sections of the Parkway were closed due to severe damage.” Helene didn’t spare Spruce Pine. “[It] saw devastation that had been in the rear view since the early 1900s,” says Town Manager Daniel Stines. “Having come back from previous flooding events, landslides, an arson fire that nearly took the whole town and now Helene, Spruce Pine has written the book on resiliency. It’s those people we keep talking about — the grit, hard-earned determination of making-a-life-foryourself vigor that keeps Spruce Pine alive. Visiting downtown Spruce Pine

today barely resembles that town buried with flood waters just 14 months prior. The businesses, streets and shops are back open and thriving.” Set between the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail, Spruce Pine is called Basecamp to the Blueridge because of its location at the base of three prominent peaks, Roan, Grandfather and Mitchell, the highest east of the Mississippi River. Its downtown fronts the North Toe River. “We’re so in tune with nature, we named our east-west streets after trees and our north-south streets after minerals,” Stines says. “And while our location, scenery and vibes are special, it’s the people who really bless Spruce Pine.” A N.C. Main Street community, Spruce Pine’s downtown is home to more than 400 artists who specialize in glassblowing, pottery making, metalworking and other efforts. “[It’s] the best-kept secret in the High Country,” he says. Spruce Pine is home to Mitchell County’s first industrial park. Ninetyacre Mitchell Business Park is built on the promise of businesses and jobs. It’s one of five Selectsites to receive Helene recovery money administered by the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “The town was blessed and remains blessed to have had the support from volunteers and agencies from all over the country,” Stines says. “From mission groups, our state legislature to the common folk who were just willing to lend a hand and their time, Spruce Pine will be forever grateful.” Other High Country communities are rebounding from Helene’s devastation. Banner Elk Tourism Development Authority Director Nancy Owen says the town is 100% up and running, though there’s still some recovery left to button up. “Our businesses have been absolutely wonderful during the past 18 months since the storm,” she says. “They have shown resiliency and all worked together to help Banner Elk get back on its feet. I think I can speak for all our business owners in town when I say they are so

Spruce Pine is called Basecamp to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Located in Mitchell County, it’s a quaint and welcoming mountain town that’s surrounded by natural beauty and filled with an artistic spirit.

ready to welcome folks back for the summer season. We are a tourist town and depend upon tourism to not only help our businesses but our entire community.” Owen says Banner Elk’s Summer Theatre and Ensemble Stage have a full lineup of upcoming productions, and Art on the Greene will be held four times. “Live music will be available in Banner Elk or surrounding areas every night of the week this summer,” she says. Nearby Valle Crucis has completed its Helene recovery agenda and opened a Friday night concert series, Music in the Valley, at its Community Park. It runs through Sept. 4. J U L Y

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A renovated observation platform at Howard Know Park opened in April. It offers views of Boone and surrounding mountains.

Tourists visit Lansing, an Ashe County community that counts 127 residents, to walk Creeper Trail Park, fish for trout and kayak in Big Horse Creek, support local artisans and jam to bluegrass music. N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources promotes its Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts and Barn Quilt Trail, a two-hour drive that stitches together 13 stops. The return of long-standing attractions is bolstered by new offerings. Boone and surrounding mountains spread out below Howard Knob Park, which is 4,396 feet above sea level. Its sky-high views became even better in April, when its observation platform reopened. It features a redesigned ADA-accessible walkway and picnic area. “[It’ll be the] hot new thing in Boone for years to come,” Jackson says. Grandfather Mountain’s 1,300 square foot ADA-accessible Yonni’s Clubhouse opened in April, too. It’s a hands-on science and conservation center geared toward children age 5 through 12. Its 10 exhibits cover climate, weather, ecosystems and pollinators. There’s a nature trail, too. Some High Country communities still face challenges. As of mid-May, the Blue Ridge Parkway from Mount Mitchell State Park’s entrance to Linville Falls was closed, with the exception of a 3-mile stretch between Gillespie Gap to Little 96

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Switzerland. “This portion of the Parkway saw numerous landslides that are currently being repaired,” Larkin says. “The work is slated to be complete by the end of the year. But for now, towns like Spruce Pine, Burnsville and Little Switzerland are cut off from the normal flow of park visitors.”

Education initiatives

Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine felt Helene’s wrath on campus and in its greater community. Getting restarted after the storm was a tall task. Destruction closed college buildings. Power outages fried any chance of internet-based remote learning. So, administrators, faculty and staff first focused on meeting the basic needs of their community, then they adjusted coursework. They received a helping hand along the way from the other side of the state. Craven Community College, whose campuses in New Bern and Havelock are minutes from the beach, shared funds from its Craven CC Foundation. They assisted with Mayland’s repairs and reopening. “Mayland Community College has always been an integral part of the community,” says Ted Ollis, dean of Mayland’s Yancey Learning Center. “We would just like people to know that Mitchell, Avery and Yancey counties are open for business.” Community colleges across the High Country are revamping and aligning

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programs. Wilkes, Caldwell and Mayland, for example, share workforce development goals. “After Hurricane Helene devastated the Mayland service area in 2024, our president, along with the presidents of 10 other community colleges in the west, came together, fueling conversations about what comes next and how to move beyond rebuilding to shaping the economy going forward,” Ollis says. Mayland is one of 11 community colleges selected for the Good Jobs Initiative, which is supported by the Belk Foundation. “In the fall of 2025, all 11 presidents signed on to this Initiative with the goal of connecting residents to good jobs in high-demand sectors,” Ollis says. “The Belk Foundation is a key philanthropic partner and supports this initiative with funding and strategic leadership.” The Initiative first identified workforce needs. “In reviewing the critical industries and looking at all the data, it was determined that the biggest need in our area is healthcare,” Ollis says. “Specifically, we are experiencing a huge shortage of nurses. Mayland has chosen to focus on this area. Our hope is to increase the capacity of our nursing program in order to help alleviate this shortage while also creating opportunities for local residents to obtain good jobs that pay a living wage.” RISE Caldwell-Watauga is one more new workforce development effort in the region. Jackson says it places Watauga High School students in pre-apprenticeship programs in key employment tracks. Watauga County hosted its inaugural Trades Signing Day in April. “The first cohort of RISE students were recognized for earning industry credentials alongside their work-based experience,” he says. Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute added a 10,000-square-foot expansion of its trades building in fall 2025. “This led to significant expansion for its healthcare career pathways — nursing, lab tech, etc. — along with a trades workspace expansion that allows for much more ‘in the lab’ training space, which is key with our winter weather,” Jackson says. SPONSORED SECTION

PHOTO CREDIT:BOONE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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Vision Northwest North Carolina Summit, is an annual economic development event that brings together business leaders, educators, policymakers and community partners for collaborate learning and forward-thinking conversation.

Forward momentum

Vision Northwest North Carolina Summit was founded in 2000 to study trends in economic, workforce and talent development. Representatives from 12 counties gathered for its seventh-annual meeting, which was held at Caldwell Community College’s Watauga Campus in May. They discussed rebuilding and expanding

transportation infrastructure. Aviation and rail are big. The proposed Interstate 777 corridor between Wilkesboro and Winston-Salem is expected to boost regional investments. And U.S. 321 will undergo a widening project. Jackson says regional power is important. “We want to be a Northwest Prosperity Zone, similar to the Carolina Core,” he says. “We have the aerospace

industry. We have manufacturing and agriculture. You can look at the postcard version as a tourist, but when you step off Main Street, there has to be a way to rebuild that can preserve the area for the next 30 years. We have to bring the idea of regionalism to this planning. It used to be where a particular county had a road project, but the most important transportation project in your county may be going into the county next door. Places around us are booming, on the back porch of the aviation corridor, the Carolina Core, so we need a bettercoordinated transportation network. Can we get into the R&D supply chain? And, obviously with tourism, we have to move people. Moving around this region is a little different. Elsewhere, you can go somewhere as the crow flies because the road does.”

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PHOTO CREDIT: GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

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N.C. Department of Commerce’s 2026 strategic plan takes a broad approach to economic development. It believes success is a result of many efforts and assets, including resilient infrastructure, workforce readiness, innovation, housing and strong communities. “Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley was up here quite a bit, asking real time questions, trying to look forward,” Jackson says. Blue Ridge Rising, an initiative of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, began in 2023. “[It] was created to bring together the 29 counties in North Carolina and Virginia that neighbor the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Larkin says. It secured a three-year grant from Dogwood Health Trust in June 2025. Its $750,000 will help implement economic development strategies. “Through Blue Ridge Rising, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is working with a wide

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variety of partners, representing tourism, economic development, education, workforce training, natural resource conservation, cultural heritage, nonprofits and government agencies, to implement strategies that unite the region,” she says. Groups such as Family Forward NC, an employer-led initiative to improve children’s health and well-being and make workplaces more adaptable to family needs, are assisting residents in the High Country and statewide. “Watauga County has led the state in Family Forward NC certifications over the last quarter,” Jackson says. “Our two largest employers have been certified — Appalachian State University and UNC Health Appalachian. Boone is also considering steps to become the second Family Forward certified community in the state, behind Greensboro.” Helene brought destruction, but it left lessons. “If the storm taught us anything,

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it’s the people of Banner Elk and the surrounding communities are resilient, resourceful and the best neighbors and friends,” Owen says. “Tourism played such an important role in our recovery, and we appreciate the continued support as we rebuild stronger together while sharing the beauty, hospitality and spirit that make our town such a special destination.” And with pieces in place or being put there, the High Country is headed in a new and exciting direction. “It’s a line-in-the-sand moment,” Jackson says. “Recovery from Hurricane Helene will continue to influence our region for quite some time.” ■ — Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.

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Appalachian State University held its annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors in April. It featured presentations spotlighting themese ranging from Hurricane Helene’s lingering effects to community-based food systems.

PHOTO CREDIT: KYLA WILLOUGHBY

COMMUNITY PILLAR Appalachian State University counts nearly 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students. They study at its main campus in Boone, a satellite site in Hickory and online anywhere. Its dedication to community engagement only grew after Hurricane Helene, which ravaged the High Country almost two years ago. And that’s strengthening the region and beyond. App State isn’t doing it alone. Its efforts have involved many groups and taken many directions. “The collective response to this crisis and the sustained momentum we are seeing have highlighted how powerful it is when App State leans into our regional relationships, partnering to leverage key areas of our research excellence to build a brighter and stronger future for our region,” says Christine Ogilvie Hendren, the university’s vice chancellor of research and innovation.

Strengthening ties App State hosted an Idea-to-Impact Collider in May. It brought together university research teams and regional leaders, including industry experts, investors, entrepreneurs, nonprofit directors and local government officials. They evaluated faculty concepts at all development stages, from early stage ideas to commercialization-ready projects, to identify opportunities and potential partnerships. “Building on our foundation of teaching, learning and discovery, we are strengthening our commitment to serve as an active, hands-on innovation partner for the communities we call home,” App State Chancellor Heather Norris says. “We are committed to applying the research taking place in our labs and classrooms to improve lives, grow businesses and strengthen our workforce.”

App State’s Office of Research and Innovation hosted a Western North Carolina Research for Recovery and Resilience workshop last year. Funded by the North Carolina Collaboratory, it drew nearly 100 participants, including academic, business, government and community leaders, connecting research expertise with community needs and priorities in Helene’s aftermath. It laid the foundation for a powerful network. It’s equipped to address regional infrastructure and housing, mental health and community well-being, economic revitalization and workforce development, environmental stewardship and disaster preparedness, educational adaptation and support, arts and culture and community engagement, collaboration and data driven decision-making.

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Making investments App State broke ground on its Innovation District in March 2022. The 28 acre sustainable learning hub in its hometown is designed to spur economic development across northwestern North Carolina. It offers academics, research, housing, sustainable energy, and connections between campus resources and private-sector partners.

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Despite delays caused by Hurricane Helene, construction is nearly complete on the District’s Phase 1. It includes a STEM Academic Building, designed for cross-disciplinary collaboration of K-12 partnerships. Its modern teaching laboratories are dedicated to core biological sciences courses. They include a greenhouse, which will support applied life sciences, plant sciences

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and biotechnology, and a molecular research lab. There is faculty and staff housing, too. The 156 units include one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations in five multistory buildings managed by Capstone On-Campus Management and Radnor Property Group. They help meet employee housing needs amid housing scarcity in Boone. The District’s energy will be provided by two wind turbines; a solar photovoltaic array; and a geothermal heating and cooling system consisting of 90 geothermal wells, geothermal heat pump chillers and wastewater heat recovery tanks. A central plant will distribute heating, cooling and electricity. The system also will facilitate education and research opportunities. Students will be able to view the system’s energy infrastructure, and the central plant will feature an immersion room with displays that highlight the system’s wind and solar energy production. The District is among several initiatives pushing the university into larger regional investments and homegrown training for High Country industries that, though very prevalent, sometimes slide under the radar in a region synonymous with tourism. “Appalachian State University is advancing public impact research that solves real-world problems for western North Carolina communities, leaning into our strengths as a research institution and keeping regional impact and applied solutions for economic development as our compass,” Hendren says.

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Construction continues on the STEM Academic Building at App State’s Innovation District in Boone. It was more than halfway completed as of May.

App State researchers Brett Taubman and Daniel Parker have secured a $1.8 million NCInnovation grant to turn surplus North Carolina-grown sweetpotatoes into a plantbased milk product.

PHOTO CREDIT: WES CRAID AND APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Supporting research App State received a Research Activity Designation of Research 2 from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, recognizing research and doctorate production, in February 2025. It set a record for research funding, securing $40.4 million

in awards for faculty and staff projects, in fiscal year 2025. That’s 60% more than the previous fiscal year. Its research funding has increased by 107% during the last five years. “This work yields realworld solutions and technologies that drive innovation, answering the needs of our communities and strengthening economies,” Norris says. Some of the research is aimed at post-hurricane recovery and building resilience to future storms. It includes using artificial intelligence to create more accessible flood models for mountain terrain, microgrid energy solutions for schools, studies of private well-water contamination and measuring the hurricane’s impact on fragile ecosystems. Other projects assessed the mental health of disaster-response volunteers and resilient housing through emerging construction innovations.

App State also is partnering with NCInnovation, a nonprofit that funds research and development at the state’s 16 public universities. Supported research includes $1.8 million for Rootsie, a project to turn surplus North Carolina-grown sweetpotatoes into allergy-friendly milk products and a $1.1 million grant to develop a tool to assist in identifying developmental delays in young children. NCInnovation research also includes $2.3 million to develop an AI-enhanced microscope to identify parasites in livestock and poultry, and a $631,951 grant is being used to develop a tool that decreases honeybee die-off and increases hive production. ■ — Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina

App State STEM Academic Students will study in the university’s Innovation District, a sustainable learning hub that’s under construction and intended to spur regional economic development. J U L Y

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or most businesses, consistency is nonnegotiable for purposes of recognition, trust and value. But sometimes place matters, and it pays to bend the rules, especially when a location holds cultural and economic significance. An example of that trade-off is the McDonald’s in Asheville’s Biltmore Village neighborhood, just down the road from the Biltmore Estate. The fast-food giant with annual revenue of $27 billion is built on consistency. But things are different in Asheville. Rather than the familiar bright corporate design and towering golden arches, the fast-food stop is characterized by a pitched roofline, ornate stonework, timber framing and the aesthetic of a small English villa. (There’s also a player piano.) The Tudor Revival-style architectural tradition fits in with neighboring buildings, including the Grand Bohemian, one the state’s most distinguished hotels, which is situated across Hendersonville Road from the restaurant.

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McDonald’s opened the site in 1971, and it was remodeled by owner, Sherwood Fan, in 2023, a year after he purchased the franchise. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene slammed Asheville with flooding from the Swannanoa River devastating Biltmore Village. The McDonald’s was demolished and reopened last December. Nearly two years after the hurricane, Biltmore Village remains scruffy with many vacant buildings that formerly housed shops and offices. Fundraising continues with hopes of restoring the district’s most famous asset, the Cathedral of All Souls Episcopal church commissioned by George Vanderbilt in 1896. Still, preservation standards of the Biltmore Village Historic Resources Commission protect the community’s renowned sense of place. That includes a nearby Hardee’s franchise. Helene hammered the region, but didn’t diminish the appeal of burgers and fries purchased at unusually welldesigned diners. ■ — Lori D. R. Wiggins

PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID MILDENBERG

BILTMORE VILLAGE MCDONALD’S

Business North Carolina July 2026