Chatter with BNC

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. This week's podcast features Ronnie Chatterji, a Duke University business and public policy professor who is running for N.C. Treasurer. The Durham resident says he'll work on improving investment returns for the state's $110 billion retirement system and collaborate with physicians and hospitals to reduce costs and improve care for N.C. State Health Plan members. Chatterji was a senior economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama Administration. He has a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On this week's podcast, we sit down with Heath Byrd, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Byrd describes his unconventional path from prospective pilot/veterinarian/doctor to the business world, Sonic Automotive's surprising spike in success during the pandemic, and his varying musical tastes.

Welcome to Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On this week's podcast, we sit down with Colleen Byers of Bell Davis Pitt and John Sarratt of Harris Sarratt & Hodges to discuss the implications of the Uniform Collaborative Law Act, which was passed by the state of North Carolina in July. The act offers parties involved in civil disputes a new alternative to lengthy, public, and expensive court proceedings and goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2020. For more information, visit nccivilcollaborativelaw.org.

This week's BNC Weekly Podcast features Josh Dobson, an N.C. state representative from McDowell County who is running for N.C. Labor Commissioner. He says assuring migrant workers have suitable housing, monitoring wage disputes and supporting the state's right-to-work law are among his key goals. The N.C. Labor Department has responsibilities affecting 4 million workers and 270,000 businesses and institutions, says Dobson, who has a bachelor's degree from Gardner-Webb University and a master's in public administration from Appalachian State University. His election opponent, Raleigh lawyer Jessica Holmes, was interviewed on a recent BNC podcast. 

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.