Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is the 7th-busiest in the world in terms of takeoffs and landings. It handles more than 118,000 passengers a day. But it’s not done growing. Not even close. In this episode, Stuart Hair of the airport and aviation design expert Ben Goebel of architecture firm Gresham Smith discuss CLT's plans for growth over the coming decades.

They discuss the latest on the renovation and expansion of the airport's main terminal, Concourse A, a new runway, development around the airport, the iconic rocking chairs, how to solve congestion on concourses B and C — and what's coming next.

Hair and Goebel are two of the speakers at the South Charlotte Partners Regional Transportation Summit on September 11, 2023, at The Ballantyne hotel. It brings together policymakers from federal, state and local government to discuss transportation and mobility in the Charlotte region. You can find out more and get tickets here. (The Ledger's Transit Time newsletter is the media partner of the event.)

Today's conversation is with Tony Mecia of The Charlotte Ledger. The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks. You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger and subscribe to our newsletters here.

Crystal Emerick is the founder and executive director of Brave Step, an organization that empowers individuals who have been impacted by sexual abuse. Emerick, a sexual abuse and sexual assault survivor, noticed a gap in sexual trauma support for adult survivors, especially adults who didn’t come forward immediately after their abuse. She founded Brave Step in 2014 to change that.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Emerick discusses why it's important to raise awareness about sexual abuse and empower survivors. This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration.

You can find out more about Brave Step at bravestep.org.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

Terri White is the president and CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History located on Shamrock Drive in east Charlotte. The museum is home to the Rock House, the oldest surviving house in Mecklenburg County, built in 1774. White describes her role as a “dream job” and strives to show people that history is more than just memorizing war dates. 

White joined the museum in 2022. Under her leadership, the museum plans exhibits and programs that highlight different themes in Charlotte’s history — something that she says is key for both Charlotte natives and newcomers, too: “It’s important that if you move to any city, be it Charlotte or somewhere else, that you understand what those people who are from there have done to advocate for themselves and to make the city into a place where you have decided to relocate yourself in the first place. … It’s important to understand how the city got to the point where you decided to show up.”

In a conversation with The Ledger's Lindsey Banks, White shares her philosophy behind planning exhibits, what her goals are in her role as president and CEO, why telling Charlotte's history is important and what museum-goers can expect to see in the future.

To learn more about the museum, or to plan your next visit, go to CharlotteMuseum.org.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted and produced by Ledger staff writer Lindsey Banks.

Mike Boykin is the CEO of Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, an award-winning Charlotte marketing agency. He’s had a career filled with successes and lessons — and he's also part of the team responsible for the idea of dumping mayonnaise on football coaches' heads at the Duke’s Mayo Classic.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Boykin discusses the importance of collaboration in the marketing field, mistakes he's made and how he learned from them, his Charlotte Sports and Business networking group and his thoughts on Charlotte. This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Shawn Flynn is the chief communications officer for Holy Angels, an organization in Charlotte that provides care to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to his role with Holy Angels, Flynn spent 24 years as a TV news reporter. He retired after his son Liam was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2018.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Flynn discusses his family's journey with pediatric cancer, his 24 years as a TV news reporter, and how he uses his storytelling skills to help others.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Artificial intelligence has been getting a lot of buzz in recent months — and Lauren Marturano has a front-row seat on how it works and where it is heading. She's the founder and CEO of Zinnia, a tech platform that helps businesses plan events, and some of the software is powered by AI.

In a conversation with The Ledger's Tony Mecia, Marturano discusses her experience building a tech company in Charlotte, the challenges facing women in the tech industry and advances in AI that are improving companies' productivity. This episode is part of The Ledger's “Faces of AI” series, an up-close look at Charlotte-area people and businesses that are using artificial intelligence.

“This is a huge, pivotal moment for technology, and probably the biggest one we’ll see in our lifetime,” Marturano says. “… AI is going to totally transform the way that businesses run and operate. Companies that don’t adapt to using AI, I think, are going to fall pretty far behind.”

You can find out more about her company, Zinnia, at getzinnia.com.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Ledger editor Tony Mecia. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Elizabeth Hardin, former vice chancellor for business affairs at UNC Charlotte, is a fellow in Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, which is designed to broaden, deepen and accelerate social impact. She’s also an active member of her Charlotte church community and leads a discussion-based book group that encourages community and deep discussions on challenging topics.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Hardin discusses how the UNC system and UNC Charlotte grew during her time working there and her current volunteer work through Holy Comforter Episcopal Church.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Brian Baltosiewich is the founder and executive producer of The Queen City Podcast Network and Balto Creative Media. Since its founding in March 2018, The Queen City Podcast Network has grown to over 35 Charlotte-produced podcasts and is regarded as the first hyper-local podcast network in the country.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Baltosiewich discusses the history of podcasts, how he got into podcasting and what Charlotte's podcast scene is like today.

You can find out more about the Queen City Podcast Network at www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Oscar Wong was born to Chinese immigrants in Jamaica. After an engineering career, including a stint in Charlotte, he retired to Asheville and started the city's first brewery since Prohibition. Today, Highland Brewing is North Carolina's largest brewer, and Wong has become known as the state's "godfather of craft beer."

He turned over operation of Highland Brewing to his daughter in 2015 and is now mostly retired. In May 2023, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's highest civilian honor.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Wong discusses his remarkable background, from Jamaica to the U.S. to Asheville, as well as the history of craft beer in North Carolina, his role in shaping the beer industry in the Southeast, and where he sees the craft beer industry going in the future.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Ledger editor Tony Mecia. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Local cafeterias sometimes produce more food than they need. Local charities need food to serve the hungry. Kim Aprill co-founded an organization called Feeding Charlotte that bridges the gap between those with excess food and the nonprofits and churches that need it — solving a local problem of food distribution.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Aprill discusses with host Steve Dunn how Feeding Charlotte addresses food insecurity, how food waste contributes to climate change and where the nonprofit gets excess food to donate to those who are hungry.

You can find out more about Feeding Charlotte at https://feedingcharlotte.org.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.