Dr. James Martin is the 13'th chancellor of the largest historically-black college or university in the United States: North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro NC. In this episode, he shares with Neill McNeill not only his life story but--among many other things-- his compelling takes on the future of higher education, what he calls an unsustainable part of college athletics, how artificial intelligence will affect the future job market, how well-protected our buildings are from earthquakes (He happens to be an internationally-recognized authority on that topic.) and, of course, everything A&T!

Paul Lessard and Greg Commander live and work in High Point, North Carolina. Paul's a prominent liberal arts-educated community foundation president. Greg has two college degrees and runs a non-profit organization. He's also overcome a troubled past. That past includes 18 years in federal prison for crimes he committed while running "The Juice Crew," a group that-at one time-dominated the drug trade in the city. Paul and Greg love young people and share a desire to keep them out of trouble. Their close friendship and how one helped turn the other's life around is a story of struggle, friendship and redemption that includes countless young people helped and young lives saved. Both discuss with Neill McNeill their journey and their new book that describes that journey in this episode.

It would be hard to name a person who's had a greater influence on the hospitality industry in North Carolina's Piedmont-Triad than Dennis Quaintance. As Chief Executive Officer, Chief Design Officer and Chief Storytelling Officer of Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels based in Greensboro, he and his team run a company that built and continues to operate 2 upscale hotels in Greensboro along with 3 restaurants and a companion restaurant in Cary. In this episode, Quaintance talks about the mission of each of these establishments as well as his back story. It includes--among many other things-- going to school in a one-room schoolhouse, entering the hospitality industry at age 15, and then meeting and working with someone who persuaded him to come to Greensboro in the late 1970s. His stories are interesting, compelling and worth nearly 57 minutes of your time.

Not many companies can claim they've grown 300% in the last 5 years. But Geoff Foster's company can! Foster runs the Core Technology Molding Corporation based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It's in the process of moving into a new $28 million manufacturing facility east of Greensboro. The company takes raw plastic pellets, melts them at high temperatures and injects that material into molds that form precision components for the world's large automotive and pharmaceutical companies. In this episode, Foster describes to Neill McNeill--among other things-- how one of his earliest inventions influenced his success.

You may not recognize his name, but there's a good chance he's influenced your life here in North Carolina's Piedmont-Triad in one way or another. 30 years ago, Bernie Mann bought what was a struggling publication and turned it into a "Celebrating North Carolina" powerhouse. But before he became a magazine publisher, he owned radio stations across the northeastern and southern sections of the country. In this episode, he describes how his upbringing in New York City led to one spectacular personal and professional life.

He's been a key figure in turning a quiet travel venue in central North Carolina into an economic development and aerospace powerhouse. Within the next few years, the Piedmont-Triad International Airport will be the home of one of the largest concentrations of aircraft manufacturers in the world! But it's also a traditional airport that--like many others--is facing challenges that include competition from other airports, recruiting airlines and dealing with aging facilities. In this episode, PTI's Executive Director Kevin Baker discusses all this with Neill McNeill including his back story that includes how his much older brother was a major influence.

During the last more than 20 years, Glenn Dobrogosz has turned a sleepy science center in Greensboro, NC into a legitimate tourist draw and--you could argue--an economic development machine. In this episode, the Greensboro Science Center's executive director tells Neill McNeill how and why he arrived in Greensboro, explains the "secret sauce" behind the facility's success and his big plans for the future.

Don Stewart leads what will soon become one of North Carolina's largest employers: Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina in the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite. By the time its fully operational within the next few years, it will employ at least 5,100 people. In this episode, Stewart and Neill McNeill talk about some of the major issues/challenges facing the electric vehicle industry and the facility itself--which is not unlike a small city.

Not many in Central North Carolina have as complex a list of responsibilities as Don Stewart. He's the president of Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina, Toyota's first big effort to make lithium-ion batteries in the United States for its cars and trucks. This operation in the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite in Randolph County consists of multiple large buildings (7 million collective square feet) and is a nearly $14 billion investment. It also plans to have 5,100 employees by the time its fully operational within the next 5 years. But what many don't realize is Stewart has a fascinating back story: much of which he shares in this episode with Neill McNeill.

He's had a front row seat to some of the largest economic development deals in North Carolina history. Mike Fox is the president and CEO of the economic development organization, The Piedmont-Triad Partnership. In this episode, Fox describes to Neill McNeill the history behind the organization, what it's doing today and what it was like to be a part of a couple of major local aerospace negotiations whose results included the largest project (in terms of announced jobs) ever in North Carolina!