In a world where the disparity between different socioeconomic classes is increasing, organizations like United Way of Greater Charlotte play a critical role in forging paths toward greater economic mobility for future generations.

United Way of Greater Charlotte is one of the Charlotte region's largest health and human services nonprofits. The nonprofit stands at a unique confluence of the public sector, private corporations, philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, which allows it to harness resources and expertise from different arenas.

United Way has put nearly $18 million in community investments into 134 nonprofit organizations across a four-county area: Anson, Cabarrus, Union and Mecklenburg.

In this episode of the Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, who first joined United Way of Greater Charlotte in 2018 as chief impact officer before becoming president and CEO in April 2025, sits down with Ledger editor Tony Mecia to discuss the organization's mission to lift children and families out of poverty by leveraging community partnerships.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

In a time of economic turbulence and market volatility, understanding where things stand—and where they’re headed—feels more important than ever.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with economist Mark Vitner. Vitner, a longtime Charlotte-based economist formerly with Wells Fargo, is now chief economist for Piedmont Crescent Capital, a boutique economic consulting firm. He explains why the Charlotte region has remained resilient—and what clouds may be gathering on the horizon.

Vitner notes that while the fundamentals remain solid, warning signs are starting to flash—especially when it comes to trade tensions, inflation expectations and real estate. He also discusses how Charlotte’s unique strengths position it better than many peer cities to weather a potential downturn.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Tony Mecia.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Aging is a stage of life that many of us are either confronting personally or experiencing through the eyes of loved ones. Discussing it can be uncomfortable and overwhelming, especially when there is some resistance or hostility toward extra care as you or your loved one gets older.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Caregiving Corner CEO Jennifer Szakaly shares practical and compassionate advice for families navigating aging and caregiving. It's the audio of a webinar held in April 2025 by The Charlotte Ledger and Caregiving Corner, which provides care management and counseling services for older adults and their families.

Szakaly talks with Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling about practical strategies to help families prepare for the aging journey with less stress and more support.

For more information on Caregiving Corner, visit https://caregivingcorner.com/

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is sponsored by Caregiving Corner. Caregiving Corner works with families who are taking care of aging relatives and need assistance navigating the long-term care system. Whether you are planning for aging, or needing help managing a crisis, our team is here for you. For more information, visit CaregivingCorner.com.

April has been dubbed as “sustainability month,” and sustainability and environmental impact initiatives have become increasingly more important for businesses — especially for bottling companies like Charlotte-based Coca-Cola Consolidated, the largest Coke bottling company in the U.S.

Esther Moberly was hired as the company’s first-ever sustainability manager almost two years ago, just a few years after the company created its sustainability department dedicated to ensuring the company follows EPA regulations and minimizes its environmental footprint. Moberly has over 20 years of experience in environmental program design and implementation for organizations.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger staff writer Lindsey Banks sits down with Moberly to talk about the importance of sustainability in corporate operations, Coca-Cola Consolidated's specific initiatives and how residents can engage in environmental advocacy efforts led by the company.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

This episode is sponsored by Coca-Cola Consolidated, Charlotte’s local bottler and the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the U.S. From package recycling, emissions reduction and water leadership, Coca-Cola Consolidated is championing industry-leading sustainability solutions and best practices that put the planet first. Learn more at CokeConsolidated.com/sustainability.

Engaged and motivated employees are more likely to stay and grow. In this third and final installment of the “Trends in the Workplace 2025” series, experts share the secret sauce to retaining talent and how to transform employees into your company’s biggest competitive advantage.

This episode is a recording from March 2025 of the third day of a three-part webinar series, brought to you by Catapult Employers Association and The Charlotte Ledger. The webinar series explores the key trends, technologies and shifts reshaping the workplace in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia talks with:

 ◼️ Dr. Carlie Houchins, who leads Catapult’s learning solutions team responsible for designing, developing and deploying products; and

◼️ Jill Feldman, the director of strategic HR services at Catapult.

Here’s the line-up for the other two episodes, which you can listen to on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast:

Part 1: What’s coming in 2025?

Part 2: Rethinking your hiring strategy

Find out more about Catapult at LetsCatapult.org. Find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

This episode is sponsored by Catapult Employers Association. Catapult empowers Charlotte's business community with trusted, local HR expertise. Join Charlotte's top employers this April in Greensboro, NC, at their 2025 HR Conference: HResilient. Learn more at letscatapult.org/hresilient2025/.

What do recruiters and hiring managers think candidates want? What do job seekers actually need? Rethinking your hiring strategy could be the key to long-term success. In this second installation of the “Trends in the Workplace 2025” series, experts break down the shifting workplace expectations and how to attract and retain top talent.

This episode is a recording from March 2025 of the second day of a three-part webinar series, brought to you by Catapult Employers Association and The Charlotte Ledger. The webinar series explores the key trends, technologies and shifts reshaping the workplace in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia talks with:

 ◼️ Jacqueline Esposito, a compensation advisor for Catapult, who is responsible for advising Catapult's member companies in the areas of compensation and total rewards

◼️ Kendra Stewart, who has expertise in talent development, workforce planning, strategic HR implementation and management consultation; and

◼️ Shannon Leonida, Catapult’s recruiting team lead.

Be sure to check out the other two episodes on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast:

Part 1: What’s coming in 2025?

Part 3: Retaining and developing your employees

Find out more about Catapult at LetsCatapult.org. Find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

This episode is sponsored by Catapult Employers Association. Catapult empowers Charlotte's business community with trusted, local HR expertise. Join Charlotte's top employers this April in Greensboro, NC, at their 2025 HR Conference: HResilient. Learn more at letscatapult.org/hresilient2025/.

Workforce trends for 2025 are taking shape — from AI and automation to evolving employee expectations and hybrid work models. In this kickoff of the “Trends in the Workplace 2025” series, experts break down what’s coming and what it means for the workplace.

This episode is a recording from March 2025 of the first day of a three-part webinar series by Catapult Employers Association and The Charlotte Ledger. The webinar series explores the key trends, technologies and shifts reshaping the workplace in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia talks with:

◼️ Dr. Cheryl Richards, the president & CEO of Catapult, who brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in higher education and workforce development; and

◼️ Doug Blizzard, Catapult’s chief solutions officer with more than three decades in HR, leading service delivery and advising on everything from compliance to talent strategy.

Be sure to check out Part 2 and Part 3, which you can listen to on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.

Part 2: Rethinking your hiring strategy

Part 3: Retaining and developing your employees

Find out more about Catapult at LetsCatapult.org. Find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

This episode is sponsored by Catapult Employers Association. Catapult empowers Charlotte's business community with trusted, local HR expertise. Join Charlotte's top employers this April in Greensboro, NC, at their 2025 HR Conference: HResilient. Learn more at letscatapult.org/hresilient2025/.

Growing up, Courtie Coble’s Saturdays were filled with day trips to Charlotte. Her mother, a self-made entrepreneur who never went to college, would load Coble and her siblings into the car and take them to open houses in Charlotte’s gated communities. Coble would see glimpses of a life that, at the time, felt worlds away from her small town of Burnsville, N.C. But to Coble’s mother, these trips weren’t just outings; they were lessons.

"It’s hard to have what you don’t see," Coble said.

Today, as the visionary and CEO of The Academy of Goal Achievers, she’s passing down that same lesson — showing young people that their futures can be bigger than they ever imagined. Founded in 2015, The Academy of Goal Achievers helps prepare high school students and their families for post-secondary success.

On this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Coble sits down with Ledger podcast host Steve Dunn to talk about the importance of opening up students' horizons and giving them a sense of possibilities.

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 is sponsored by AC Creative Collective. Based in Charlotte, N.C., and founded by sisters Amoura and Avery Carter, AC Creative Collective specializes in end-to-end marketing and learning and development services. They are dedicated to helping businesses and organizations streamline their operations and achieve their goals with creativity and precision. From social media strategies to workshops and brand launches, they’ve got you covered. Visit www.accreativecollective.com to learn more.

This podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

John Short, who writes the "Historical Heavyweights" column for The Charlotte Ledger, talks with Ledger editor Tony Mecia about Charlotte's most fascinating historical figures and the importance of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and early settlers. They also discuss two of Short's other projects: The Charlotte Podcast (which has nearly 300 episodes) and the Elizabeth neighborhood's Halloween pumpkin wall (which Short helps organize).

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Since Marcellus “MT” Turner took over as CEO and chief librarian of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in 2021, the library system has undergone significant transformation — and it’s not over yet.

The library system, which currently has 21 locations, has ambitious plans to expand to 31 branches to better meet the needs of the city’s growing population. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library wants to bring branches to "library deserts," where residents lack easy access to library resources, as well as modernizing existing facilities to provide more meeting spaces, technology access and interactive learning opportunities.

A major highlight of the system’s growth is the new Main Library coming in 2026, which will replace the previous structure at its long-standing Tryon Street location. Slated to be a state-of-the-art facility, the six-story building will feature expanded public spaces, a café, a makerspace and an immersive theater, with no administrative offices taking up space.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, recorded in front of an audience at The Sharon at South Park retirement community in March 2025, Turner talks about the role of libraries in Charlotte, how it’s shifted over the past few decades, and what we can expect to see in the future.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.