Fondly called "MYEP," the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program works to provide all Charlotte youth with equitable career development opportunities to explore the world of work, build social capital, and enhance economic mobility. On this episode of CLT Alliance Talks, Cherise Walker, VP of Talent & Inclusion, speaks with the City of Charlotte’s MYEP Manager, Dawn Hill, about how this program is connecting our business community with our city’s youth to create pathways to attainable career goals.

This year marks the 35th season of MYEP, and leaders are poised to offer hundreds of work-based learning opportunities.  To participate as a Host Business, or learn the ways your business can support the talent of tomorrow, visit the MYEP website at charlottenc.gov/youth or contact the MYEP team at [email protected] or at 704-336-5577. 

The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance’s Power of Women (POW) is a program series and network platform designed for women business professionals to engage, inform and inspire, as well as connect professionally to women's groups and organizations throughout the Charlotte Region.

 On this episode of CLT Alliance Talks, we host a Power of Women panel to look at the impact the year’s double pandemic of racial injustice and COVID-19 has had on professional women of color. Cherise Walker, Vice President of Talent & Inclusion at the CLT Alliance hosts a candid conversation on how the events of last year have particularly impacted professional women of color in our community. From discussing coping strategies to sharing the important role of allyship in the business community, we are joined by:

•  Carrie Cook, Founder & Executive Director, GreenLight Charlotte 
• Keisha Rivers, President and Chief Outcome Facilitator of The KARS Group, LTD.
• Monifa Drayton, Executive Coach and Consultant of L.E.A.D. Squared Coaching and Consulting and professional for a major healthcare system.

 For more information on the Power of Women network, click here. 

On today’s episode of CLT Alliance Talks, we met with Seemantini Godbole, Chief Information Officer at Lowe’s. From looking at the new Lowe’s Tech Hub coming to South End in Charlotte to exploring the future of tech with Lowe’s Innovation Labs and talent in the region, tune in for an inside look why one of the world’s largest home improvement centers is proud to call the Charlotte Region home.

This recording is part of an ongoing series of one-on-one discussions that were conducted in-studio with C-Suite executives throughout our region. 

The Charlotte Alliance Young Professionals (CAYP) network is a group of future change-makers and budding business minds. In this week’s podcast, 2021 YP Board Chair Michaelina Antahades with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, speaks with YP veteran Ben Lassiter, Director of Business Development & Operations, Carolina Legal Staffing LLC, on how the YP Network has helped him better connect with his hometown of Charlotte.

Interested in learning more about the CAYPs? Join our next Virtual YP Luncheon on Wednesday, April 28 at 11:30 am as CLT Alliance leaders discuss how Diversity Drives Success. Learn more here. 

What do bread makers and PlayStations have to do with FDI? The CLT Alliance’s Akofa Dossou, Director, Economic Research, hosts a dynamic panel to take a look at the latest trends in Foreign Direct Investments in the US and the Charlotte Region. Guests include,

• Paul Brogan, VP of Client Services at ROI Research On Investment
• Chris Knight, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Wavteq
• Eileen Cai,  VP of Business Recruitment - Asian Sector at the CLT Alliance
• Sven Gerzer, VP of Business recruitment - Europe, India & North American Sectors at the CLT Alliance. 

From the impact of international travel to exploring emerging markets and up-and-coming industries for FDI, listen in to this expert panel on what’s happening in the global market. 

After spending nearly two decades as a leader in the Atlanta Metro market, Kari Hackett joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance as our new Chief Development & Investor Relations Officer.

From creating meaningful opportunities for investor engagement to opening new opportunities to make an impact on our community, Kari sits down with Kaitlin Rogers, Director of Communications, to talk about her vision and experience, and some of the exciting opportunities Investors can look forward to with the CLT Alliance.

For more information about Investor opportunities with the CLT Alliance, click here. 

The  CLT Alliance's Power of Women network is designed to engage, inform and inspire, as well as connect professional women to resourceful women’s groups and organizations in Charlotte and our region. In honor of International Women's Month, we connected with the Junior League of Charlotte to talk about how Junior League is developing the potential of women and improving the Charlotte community through the effective action and leadership.

Cherise Walker, Vice President of Talent Insights & Partnerships, speaks with Kellie Lofton, President-Elect of the Junior League of Charlotte about how this organization has created leadership development and community impact opportunities for women throughout our communities.

To learn more about the Junior League of Charlotte, visit jlcharlotte.org. 

The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance has conducted over 65 inter-city visits over the years, which was transformed into our annual Exploring Economies signature event in 2019.  For the first time in the event's history,  we have the unique opportunity to virtually explore multiple metros and bring national, state, and local leaders together to discuss how they are approaching economic revitalization, supporting policies to advance racial equity, and planning for more inclusive spaces.

Today, Dr. Chuck McShane, Senior Vice President of Economic Research, speaks with Laura Ullrich, regional economist at the Charlotte branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, on some of the topics and main discussion points we'll be covering during the  Exploring Economies 2021 event. From the strengths of the Charlotte Region to important lessons in transportation infrastructure, listen in for a sneak peek at some of the major topics we'll be discussing at this year's signature event.

Exploring Economies 2021 is Wednesday, March 24 from 8:45am - 12:00pm.  Joining us is an impressive line up of experts and leaders:

• Tom Barkin, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, will show us how our region stacks up against the competition. 
• Leaders from our peer cities around the US will share their successes and lessons learned around transportation and infrastructure.
• North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster will share their vision for the economic future of our bi-state region in terms of economic revitalization, racial equity, and regional transformation.
• Take a virtual tour of some of our peer cities for placemaking inspiration and discover best practices.

Register today at charlotteregion.com. 


A special thanks to our sponsors at Wells Fargo and PWC for their support of this event. 

This week, Kelly O'Brien joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance as our new Chief Advocacy and Strategy Officer. Kelly joins the team by way of the Chicagoland Tri-State “mega-region,” where she led two sister organizations dedicated to strengthening the economic competitiveness of the Chicagoland Tri-State area.

Kaitlin Rogers, the CLT Alliance's Director of Communications, met with Kelly during her first week in Charlotte to share more about her background and hear what's she's looking forward to the most about joining the Charlotte Region. 

To learn more about Kelly and the CLT Alliance's Advocacy and Public Affairs efforts, visit CharlotteRegion.com.

In a pandemic world where social distancing practices have helped eCommerce to soar, subscription box services have become all the rage. From viral beauty product subscription boxes like Ipsy to monthly pet supply boxes like Bark Box, customers all over the US find joy in unboxing monthly subscription kits.

Today, we’re talking with Big Sky Fulfillment CEO, Patrick Claytor, about their recent East Coast expansion to Charlotte to provide their clients with the growing demand for Warehousing and Third Party Logistics (3PL) solutions. From offering warehouse space, subscription box and kitting services, and pick-pack-ship processes, Steven Pearce, SVP of Business Recruitment, unpacks this booming industry and shares how the Charlotte Region is helping brands get their products closer to their East Coast customers.

For more information on Big Sky Fulfillment, visit bigskyfulfillment.com.