Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we sit down with Rick Cummings, project manager at Charlotte-based Cummings Construction. Cummings discusses the ups and downs of working at a family business, the biggest trends in the construction industry, how Cummings Construction is coping with the pandemic and his favorite musical tunes.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we sit down with Andy Wilkerson, co-owner of Blackhawk Hardware, a Charlotte-based home-improvement store founded by his parents, Jim and Barb, in 1977. Wilkerson discusses Blackhawk's origin story, the company's approach as a women-focused hardware store, its ongoing 12,000-foot expansion and more.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we sit down with Laura Leatherwood, president of Blue Ridge Community College. Leatherwood discusses the importance of continuing education, the communities Blue Ridge serves, how the college is addressing the pandemic and health of its students and employees, and the tunes she listens to to wind down after a long day.

Jessica Holmes' mother worked in a meatpacking plant, initially earning $7.25 an hour as she raised five children. Now, the Raleigh lawyer is running for Labor Commissioner, where she would be involved in enforcing safe working conditions in the state's business, including pork and poultry production factories. Holmes grew up near Burgaw in Pender County, then earned bachelor's and law degrees at UNC Chapel Hill. She was elected to the Wake County Commission in 2014 at age 29, the youngest person elected to the board in the state's biggest county.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we sat down with Jennifer Fitzgerald, CEO and co-founder of Policygenius, an online insurance marketplace with headquarters in New York City and Durham. Fitzgerald discusses her journey to founding Policygenius, her time in the Peace Corps, how the company is weathering the coronavirus pandemic and its growth strategy.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we sat down with Leah Wong Ashburn, president and CEO of Asheville's Highland Brewing. Ashburn chats about the company's history, what it's like to be a part of a family business, how the brewery is functioning in the wake of the pandemic and her dad's latest award from the Brewers Association.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we sat down with Amber Scarlett, the new executive director of the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority. Scarlett, who grew up in Randolph County, talks about her journey from her first job as a teenager at the N.C. Zoo gift shop to heading the county's tourism organization, how she plans to deal with major funding cuts and falling tourism numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the resilience of small businesses in the community

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. Eric Kuester, vice president of sales and business development at Pinehurst Resort, joined us on this week's episode. The Charlotte native discusses what initially drew him to Pinehurst, his 17-year journey from a front office associate to a VP, and Pinehurst's response to the coronavirus pandemic. He says though business levels will be off about 40%, mostly in the B2B space including canceled meeting and events, the resort's leisure business "has come back more sharply than expected."

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. Veteran N.C. developer Clay Grubb has lots to say on the state's housing market and economy in this week's episode. The Lexington native recently wrote a book, Creating the Urban Dream, that details his views on why "affordable housing" thrives if compassion and common sense are balanced. Too often, bureaucracy gets in the way, making the shortage of affordable homes and apartments much worse, he says.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week, we talk with Mac Lackey, a Charlotte-based serial entrepreneur who has built and sold six companies. Lackey discusses the entrepreneurial climate in North Carolina, how the pandemic is affecting the market for startup companies, the projects he's working on and his favorite musical tunes.