Chatter with BNC

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode, David Mildenberg speaks with U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry of Lincoln County. The graduate of Ashbrook High School in Gastonia and Belmont Abbey College was elected to Congress in 2004, when he was 29. He chairs the House Financial Service Committee. His district ranges from the Lake Norman suburbs of Charlotte to Burke County. He and his wife, Giulia, have two daughters and a son.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Joel Olsen, the CEO of O2 Group Ventures. They talk about his professional journey, how they help farmers, their various offerings, and more.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Chris Platé, the  Executive Director of Monro/ Union County Economic Development Commission. He talks to us about his career, what's new in the world of economic development, and more.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode, Kevin Ellis speaks to Brent Wadas, the CEO and co-founder of Durham-based BotBuilt, which uses robots to help builders frame homes. Brent talks to us about BotBuilt and how it came together, his time in the military, and more.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode, David Mildenberg talks with Kristin Dillard, president of Charlotte-based Team Automotive Group. Since taking over a single dealership in Salisbury from her father in 2017, Dillard has added six more locations selling General Motors or Stellantis brands from Myrtle Beach to Boone. She discusses her strategy and why a small dealership group can compete against giant chains.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Will Hedrick, Founder/Executive Director, The Hedrick Project. Will speaks to us about his professional journey, what they do at the Hedrick Project, and more.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In this episode, Kevin Ellis speaks with Dr. Emily Yeager, a professor at East Carolina University and the interim director of ECU's Crisp Small Business Resource Center. Her focus has been on rural community development, rural tourism and small-town entrepreneurship.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode Kevin Ellis speaks with Vincent Ginski, the Director of Workforce Competitiveness with the North Carolina Chamber Foundation. He works with solving workforce shortages, particularly in healthcare.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's episode David Mildenberg speaks with Mike Bell, senior vice president and general manager of Corning Optical Communications, which makes up more than a third of revenue at New York-based Corning. He discusses Corning's pivotal role in the U.S. broadband and communications industries. The UNC Chapel Hill MBA joined Corning in 1991 and took his post in 2020. The company employs 5,000 people in North Carolina and had annual revenue of  $14 billion in 2022.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.

In today's Chatter with BNC podcast, Ben Kinney talks to Ben Teague, the Vice President of Strategic Development at Biltmore Farms in Asheville, NC. Teague talks to us about his journey and how he landed in Asheville, his work at Biltmore Farms and some recent developments there, AVL Fest, and more.