Business North Carolina January 2021

2021 LEGAL ELITE: THE STATE’S TOP LAWYERS N.C.’S BACON BATTLE • BEST STOCK PICKS FOR 2021 • CHIP MAHAN SHAKES UP BANKING

JANUARY 2021 Price: $3.95 businessnc.com

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Over a treacherous course, Jeff Wise steered the U.S. National Whitewater Center to prosperity, aided by benevolent banks and a Charlotte icon.

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+ DEPARTMENTS 4 UP FRONT 6 PILLARS

JANUARY 2021

From humble beginnings, Steve Stroud rose to become a highly regarded commercial real estate pro.

10 POINT TAKEN

COVER STORY

North Carolina has changed mightily since 1971 — for the most part.

WISE GUY

12 NC TREND

Top stock picks for 2021; A highranking Fidelity exec’s personal motivation; Pork powers parse the piggy bank.

82 TOWN SQUARE

Louisburg’s growing downtown scene and proximity to Raleigh attract newcomers seeking a small-town lifestyle.

+ SPONSORED SECTIONS 68 COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

CO V E R P H O TO B Y P E T E R TAY L O R

Moore County scored big with the United States Golf Association’s second headquarters. It’s leveraging that move to attract development, businesses and people countywide.

January 2021, Vol. 41, No. 1 (ISSN 0279-4276). Business North Carolina is published monthly by Business North Carolina at 1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 308 Charlotte, NC 28208.

Telephone: 704-523-6987. Fax: 704-523-4211. All contents copyright © by Old North State Magazines LLC. Subscription rate: 1 year, $30. For change of address, send mailing label and allow six to eight weeks. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Business North Carolina, 1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 308 Charlotte, NC 28208 or email circulation@businessnc.com.

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U.S. National Whitewater Center CEO Jeff Wise hung on through a recession, restructuring, tragedy and pandemic at one of N.C.’s hottest visitor attractions.

BY DAVID MILDENBERG

BARGAINING CHIP

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Wilmington’s Chip Mahan motivates his colleagues to reboot the financial services landscape.

BY MARK TOSCZAK

LEGAL ELITE North Carolina’s top lawyers describe hobbies and pastimes picked up during the quarantine.

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UPFRONT

► Taylor Wanbaugh

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TURN ON THE LIGHT

Ben Kinney

bkinney@businessnc.com EDITOR

David Mildenberg

dmildenberg@businessnc.com MANAGING EDITOR

Taylor Wanbaugh

twanbaugh@businessnc.com

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his new year feels very different than last year’s. Last January, we were blissfully unaware of COVID-19 and the havoc it would wreak and hopeful for further economic prosperity. Obviously, 2020 had a different plan in mind. In North Carolina, January’s unemployment rate was at 3.6% — by April, it would hit a high of 12.9%. We’ve faced months of economic slump and personal heartbreak as health care workers worked long and stressful hours taking care of the sick and many lost their jobs as businesses shut down. People were forced to cancel or postpone major life events as the world was put on hold. As we enter the new year, many are wishing to put the horrors of 2020 behind us.

But not everything has been bleak. The pandemic has put some things in perspective for me more than ever. I’ve learned to embrace technology in a whole new capacity — I’m a self-proclaimed Zoom expert, though I still can’t figure out how to add wacky new backgrounds. Much like this year’s Legal Elite winners, whom we asked to describe a hobby they picked up during quarantine, I’ve experienced a burst of creative energy and a desire to try new pursuits, such as home-improvement projects like Ben Martin (Page 40), playing games with my family like John Cross Jr. (Page 52), or cooking like Charlotte lawyer and foodie Rick McDermott (Page 54).

And though we’ve had to stay physically distanced, I’ve felt more gratitude and appreciation toward my friends and family, who I know are just a phone call away.

2020 marked the year I got married to my best friend, and though it looked very different from our original plan that involved nearly 150 guests, it couldn’t have been more perfect. (The Zoom knowledge really came in handy for live-streaming the

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small outdoor ceremony with our friends and family.)

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Cathy Martin

cmartin@businessnc.com SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Edward Martin

emartin@businessnc.com SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR

Pete Anderson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Dan Barkin, Mark Tosczak, Vanessa Infanzon, Bryan Mims CREATIVE MANAGER

Peggy Knaack

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Peter Taylor

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jennifer Ware

jware@businessnc.com AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Scott Leonard

Most important, perhaps, is that there is hope for the future. COVID-19 vaccinations started rolling into North Carolina in mid-December. Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts the U.S. could start to see early stages of herd immunity against the coronavirus by late spring or summer and says “we could really turn this thing around” by the end of 2021.

So while 2020 brought horrible, horrendous things, it also brought gratitude, love and perspective. As every book nerd knows (and Harry Potter’s Albus Dumbledore once said), “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

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BNC ONLINE is located in my district. Thrilled to see a local company honored!

Small Businesses of the Year: Barking Buddies

Leslie Boney @lboney

We love getting feedback from our readers.

Here’s a sampling of what you had to say about Business North Carolina on social media last month.

Susan McCracken @mccracknsd

What a legacy of service. Thank you Scott.

Great blog post from @BusinessNC @dbarkin getting internet access and adoption across NC is like our Good Roads initiative. We may be at an "inflection point." @NCDIT @BelkEndowment @RepGregMurphy @jay_chaudhuri @NC_Governor @emergingissues #bandnc

Urban, rural divide exacerbated by internet access

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Arthur Salido

Director of Business Strategy and Economic Development at WithersRavenel Scott Daugherty is a great guy and an honor to work with! He will be missed.

Scott Daugherty retires after 36 years at N.C. Small Business and Technology Development Center Scott Daugherty retires after 36 years at N.C. Small Business and Technology Development Center

Brian Farkas @Brian_Farkas

Congrats to Julie Linder and Phyllis Manning of Barking Buddies, one of @BusinessNC’s Small Businesses of the Year! Barking Buddies of #GreenvilleNC employs 20 people and

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Julia Bennett

Sales/Marketing Associate at CKJ Building and Design All great stories about the link between passion and success!

Small Businesses of the Year: Bolton Construction & Service of WNC

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Check out Business North Carolina’s weekly podcast on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at

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12/18/20 9:34 AM

STEVE STROUD From humble beginnings, Steve Stroud rose to become one of the state’s most highly regarded commercial real estate pros.

BY VANESSA INFANZON

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Where I grew up, the Saturday night Grand Ole Opry didn’t get there till Wednesday. I truly grew up in the foothills of North Carolina out in the country. The house my brother and I were both born in had no electricity, no running water, no indoor facilities. It was three rooms and about 600 square feet.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEVE STROUD

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ommercial real estate professional Stephen Stroud remembers taking Christmas treats to another family when he was a child. Although the Stroud family didn’t have much to give, it was an attitude and environment that he says shaped his life.

Stroud, 77, grew up near Hollis in Rutherford County. He came to Raleigh in 1961 to attend N.C. State University. While working at an appliance and furniture store, he met local real estate broker Clarence Adams; Stroud asked him for a job. While he left school early to pursue commercial real estate, he’s stayed heavily involved in N.C. State affairs for decades.

By 1972, Stroud founded Carolantic, a commercial-property brokerage that later affiliated with NAI Global, a national group of independent firms. In late 2019, Stroud merged NAI Carolantic with Raleigh-based Tri Properties. Greg Sanchez serves as president, while Stroud is senior executive vice president of land services.

Over more than 50 years, Stroud has influenced much of the Triangle’s development, including a part in the creation of the PNC Arena; persuading the Hartford Whalers to move its NHL team to Raleigh, later becoming the Carolina Hurricanes; assembling land for Durham’s Imperial Center office park; and assisting with the creation of the Highwoods Properties real estate investment trust. He’s rarely shy about sharing his opinions, as the following conversation suggests.

Stroud and his companies have received various honors including the A.E. Finley Distinguished Service Award, the Pinnacle Business Award by the Raleigh Chamber, and The Order of the Long Leaf Pine from former Gov. Jim Hunt.

Stroud recently moved to a townhouse in downtown Cary.

Between real estate deals, he’s often found sipping an orangeade from Ashworth Drugs’ old-school soda fountain. His comments are edited for length and clarity.

▲ Dale Folwell, N.C. state treasurer, left, Greg Sanchez, president of Tri Properties; Steve Stroud, and Jimmy Barnes, president of NAI Carolantic Realty, at the 35th annual Triangle Commercial Real Estate Conference

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For some reason [Clarence Adams] took a liking to me and agreed to let me come to work. I sat out in the reception area. I took a call one day, and it was Temple Sloan. Of course, I didn’t know who Temple Sloan was. He was getting started in the auto-parts business, and I was trying to get started in the real estate business. I didn’t know anything about auto parts, and he didn’t know anything about real estate. The truth is, I didn’t know much more than he did. He told me he wanted to find a piece of property to build a distribution center on.

I did find [Sloan] a piece of land that met his requirements. The bill was $35,000. He bought the piece of land only to find out after he bought it, it didn’t have a dedicated street to

it. I said, “Temple, it was my responsibility to know that, and I’ll take care of it.” The fact is, I spent more than I got in commission solving that problem. Temple and I became friends, and he appreciated that I didn’t collect my money and run. We still do business together and that was over 50 years ago. [Sloan formed General Parts International, which was sold to Advance Auto Parts for $2 billion in 2014.]

I think 2021 will be a good year for North Carolina. This combination of the pandemic and civil unrest is giving us a lot of looks from companies from other parts of the country that are having more trouble than we are. We’re going to start benefiting from some of the flights from some of these major cities. Our

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residential markets are the strongest they’ve ever been. The business opportunities and the employment opportunities are growing daily. We’ve got available resources, available land and quality of life — everything you’d put on a list that companies are looking for. It would be hard for anyone to beat what we have to offer.

If I don’t get out and [drive] around at least once a month, I can’t keep up with it. [The Triangle] is changing so rapidly. It’s almost beyond imagination about what has happened in a fairly short period of time. I think we are just at the beginning of what’s going to happen. We just have to be smart enough to manage that growth in a fashion that keeps the quality of life and the good environment that we currently have.

Well I’m going to get in trouble here. I’ve probably said for years that Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill all need to get together and have a metropolitan planning unit, a metropolitan police force, a metropolitan utility division for water and sewer.

They should be much more collaborative than they have been.

Everyone has their fiefdom and once you start messing with police chiefs and fire chiefs and people like that, no one wants to give up their fiefdom.

It’s going to be a contiguous region regardless of what the politicians might think. We could operate so much more efficiently, and we could prevent a lot of problems if we had it under a metropolitan unit where we planned highways [together]. Raleigh plans a highway going west, and Durham plans a highway coming east, and they’re a half a mile apart when they should have been connecting.

It would be so much simpler to explain to someone new to this area with a business or a development if we didn’t have a dozen sets of rules that they have to wade through. You’d have common zoning so people would know exactly what they can build, where they can build it and how they can build it without having it change when you cross over a county or city line.

In the ’70s, Roddy Jones, Temple Sloan and I were able to put together the initial land for Highwoods Properties. We started setting some new trends on how good development could be done in a way that benefited the city and the people who worked within the boundaries of that development. We were able to grow that company into a Southeast region business that still ranks pretty high among all those development-type companies.

I would give the airport more protection. They’re letting development, particularly residential development, creep in too close to the airport. We have become a major international airport. We’ve seen what happens in Atlanta. As Atlanta’s airport grew, they had to spend millions of dollars to buy residential communities to allow the airport to grow. When you come into Raleigh/Durham and you’re ready to land and you look out the window and see people grilling in the backyard, you know that’s a problem. ■

▲ Steve Stroud rubs elbows with other N.C. movers and shakers such as Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, top. One of Stroud’s biggest contributions to the state was helping attract the Hartford Whalers NHL team — later renamed the Carolina Hurricanes — to Raleigh in 1997.

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P O I N T TA K E N

► Dan Barkin

A HALF-CENTURY LATER North Carolina has changed mightily since 1971 — for the most part.

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Culture and the want ads

For a close-up look at the culture of 1971, browse the employment classifieds in what was then considered a progressive newspaper, The News & Observer of Raleigh, my employer of more than two decades. Some of us may have this notion that the ’60s happened and everything changed, but no, not everywhere.

In Raleigh, the help wanteds were divided between jobs that were seeking men and jobs that were seeking women. The male jobs were technical, manufacturing and managerial.

“Need a man who can dry clean and press, to work full time,” read one ad.

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The female jobs were looking for waitresses, dental hygienists, receptionists and secretaries.

Racial preferences were similarly right up in your face.

“Wanted: White lady companion with driver’s license,” read one ad.

Another: “Settled white lady, to live in as housekeeper companion.”

The Klan

And in some places, the racism was right up there in big letters. If you were driving on U.S. 70 in Smithfield in 1971, you saw a massive Ku Klux Klan billboard towering over the road. The sign, which went up in 1967, would stand for a decade, off and on, in this town just a couple dozen miles southeast of Raleigh. It wasn’t the only one in North Carolina.

To those of you reading this and saying, “Oh, that was just a bunch of isolated crackpots,” listen to Milton Ready, a retired UNC Asheville historian.

“Don’t ever forget the KKK in North Carolina,” says Ready, who recently updated his 2005 history book of the state. “There were more KKK members in North Carolina in the ’60s and up through the mid-’70s than in all the rest of the South combined.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STATE ARCHIVES OF NORTH CAROLINA

ou forget how quickly time passes. It has been 50 years since I celebrated the new year in 1971, which seems impossible, but the calendar and mirror don’t lie.

Folks my age remember being high school seniors when it turned ’71. We are reminded of how long ago this was when we encounter 40-year-olds who weren’t born by the end of the seventies, for goodness sakes.

You think that Research Triangle Park is shiny and new, but by 1971, it was 12 years old. It had already landed its biggest trophy, IBM, and Big Blue’s RTP employees were part of the influx of newcomers who would transform the Raleigh region.

Every industry recruiter in North Carolina should name their first child after Willis Carrier, the father of modern air conditioning, which made it possible for northerners like me to live here. Fortunately, you could go down to Sears in 1971 and buy a central air system for $650, suitable for a 1,200-square-foot house.

The North Carolina that was welcoming, sort of, to the influx of Yankees 50 years ago was still evolving when it came to gender and race.

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The impact of the Hispanic community

One of the biggest differences between today and 1971 is the Hispanic population. It grew from fewer than 50,000 to 1 million, nearly 10% of the current population. Ready likens it in significance to the 18th-century arrival of the Scots-Irish in western North Carolina and the Piedmont. Hispanics have started up half of the state’s new small businesses since 2010, Ready says.

“And yet, I’m not quite sure that a great many chambers of commerce and business organizations pay attention to them as much as they should.”

The dramatic increase in the Hispanic population is one reason why North Carolina has doubled in population since 1971.

There were more than 5 million North Carolinians 50 years ago. Latest estimates put us now at about 10.5 million.

The metropolitan surge

North Carolina developed over the centuries as a collection of small towns, without a dominant urban center like Atlanta.

When the 1970s dawned, Mecklenburg County had about 350,000 residents, and Wake County had fewer than 230,000.

Today, each has 1.1 million.

When UNC Chapel Hill plays N.C. State University in the regular season, there are a lot of people in the office who don’t have a dog in that fight because they aren’t from here. But that changes around ACC Tournament time, because the conference now extends from south Florida to upstate New York and points west, with 15 teams (for basketball, including Notre Dame), not the seven after the South Carolina divorce 50 years ago. It still surprises me that some folks around here get excited to watch Syracuse play Pitt on the ACC Network.

All this population growth led to the arrival of major league teams. In 1971, Charlotte did not have the NFL or NBA, and Raleigh did not have the NHL. We did have the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association, coached by the colorful Bones McKinney at sparkling venues such as Dorton Arena at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh.

The old economy

North Carolina was beginning to change 50 years ago in many ways, and whether these changes were good or bad depended on who you were and where you lived. In 1971, we had a lot of manufacturing jobs, a third of the workforce. Textiles were coming under foreign pressure, but the mills still operated in dozens of towns. Politicians complained that these were low-paying jobs that kept North Carolina near the bottom in wages nationally, but they were jobs you could easily get with a high school education or less.

Because those jobs were still here, there weren’t as many incentives to get an education. People mostly didn’t.

Fifty years ago, only 19% of North Carolina adults ages 25 to 64 had some education after high school. This made North

Carolinians employed in textiles and furniture particularly vulnerable to the twin hammer blows of lower-wage foreign competition and job-eliminating technology. The consequences were witnessed by the next generations, who learned from this wrenching transformation.

Today, more than 60% of North Carolina adults have postsecondary education and the community college system, which was in its first decade in 1971, now enrolls about 700,000 fulland part-time students.

Tobacco was still thriving 50 years ago, with more than twice the acreage of today’s post-buyout industry and tens of thousands more farms growing the crop. The handwriting, however, was on the wall. The government ban on cigarette advertising was taking effect, and the last big buys on TV were the New Year’s Day bowl games and Johnny Carson.

Kmart shoppers

The big discount retailer in 1971 was Kmart. Walmart was a small regional chain in a handful of states. Jeff Bezos turned 7 that January. The Belk stores were just starting to move to the new malls such as Charlotte’s SouthPark. Sears would not only sell central air but nearly everything, including an 18-inch portable TV for $248, which, in today’s dollars, would buy a 75-inch Samsung, maybe two.

In 1971, we had more than 300,000 troops in the southern half of Vietnam, and Green Berets from Fayetteville were handing over their last two camps to the South Vietnamese army and preparing to return to Fort Bragg. In four years, Saigon would fall to the Communists.

Vietnam is making our TVs now. Time passes, things change.

But some things don’t really change that much. Racism isn’t on billboards anymore. Instead, we are debating about statues that are offensive to a sizable portion of residents and about the names of Army installations that, like Fort Bragg, honor generals who fought for a Confederacy that enslaved 4 million.

An October march to the polls in the Alamance County town of Graham ended in pepper spray and arrests when police attempted to clear the racially diverse crowd from the street.

Marchers, who started at a nearby African Methodist Episcopal church, had stopped at the courthouse for a moment of silence for George Floyd. The episode has a throwback feel to it — a pastor/march leader charged with felonies — that may be disturbingly familiar to old-timers of my generation.

It’s been 50 years since 1971, and senior year, and that was a long time ago. But, as Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner wrote, the past is never dead. It’s not even past. ■ Veteran journalist Dan Barkin went to high school in Newton, Mass., arrived in the South for college in 1971 and moved to North Carolina in 1996. He can be reached at dbarkin53@gmail.com.

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NC TREND ■ INVESTING Page 14

First take: Stock picks

■ AGRICULTURE Page 16

■ STATEWIDE Page 18

TOP STOCK PICKS FOR 2021

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ontier CEO Mark Morelli faces enough pressure without Business North Carolina’s annual stockpicking contest adding fuel to the fire. (Forgive the pun — Vontier owns the No. 1 gas-station pump brand, Gilbarco Veeder-Root.) But three of our five selectors independently chose his Raleigh-based industrial company as a favorite choice for 2021.

Vontier is little-known, having spun off from Everett, Wash.-based Fortive in October. But nearly $3 billion in sales and 40%-plus gross margins impressed our stock mavens. In addition to pumps, it makes auto-repair tools and transportation technologies and software to keep traffic moving.

The investing quintet made their picks in early December with U.S. stocks trading at record levels. The annual feature limits the choices to companies based in North Carolina or having significant operations in the state. This year’s selections reflect an unusually conservative outlook that includes blue

WEYERHAEUSER (WY) MARKET CAP: $25 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 2.6%

BOBBY EDGERTON co-founder, Capital Investment Cos., Raleigh

head of equity strategies and director of research, Franklin Street Partners, Chapel Hill

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WALMART (WMT) MARKET CAP: $413 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 1.5%

IBM (IBM) MARKET CAP: $112 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 5.2%

The world’s largest private owner of timberland with 12.4 million acres in the U.S. is North Carolina's largest landowner. Cash flow conditions took a large positive turn in the second quarter. Weyerhaeuser will exceed $1.2 billion in cash flow this year. The wood-products business is booming.

Walmart has gigantic real estate holdings. Its land and buildings have a book value of $130 billion, far less than they are truly worth.

The retail giant has a huge cash flow of $33 billion. Purchasing Walmart stock may be the best COVID-19 play, and Doug McMillon is Walmart’s best CEO ever.

With its $33 billion acquisition of Red Hat, depressed price and the 5% dividend secured by $12 billion in free cash flow, IBM could be the best-performing tech stock of 2021. CEO Arvind Krishna is adding to Red Hat’s Hybrid Cloud strategy. Red Hat's customer base has tripled under IBM ownership.

ADVANCE AUTO PARTS (AAP)

HONEYWELL (HON)

LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA (LH)

MARKET CAP: $11 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 0.6%

CHRISTY PHILLIPS

chips such as Cisco, IBM and Walmart.

Bobby Edgerton, the co-founder of Raleigh’s Capital Investment Cos., often suggests a small cap with a big upside. But this year, he picked giants Weyerhaeuser, IBM and Walmart.

The latter is his favorite because of its vast, undervalued real estate holdings. Walmart has a distribution network that Amazon.com is spending heavily to match, he says.

Honeywell was favored by both Christy Phillips of Franklin Street Partners and John Stamas of Defenders Capital. The Charlotte-based aerospace and industrial products manufacturer is transitioning into more of a recurring revenue business, seeking to be less tied to economic cycles.

As of mid-December, the S&P 500 Index had gained about 14% since Jan. 1, a strong performance given the unexpected recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar showing in 2021 would be appreciated, most investors agree.

Advance Auto Parts moved its headquarters to Raleigh in late 2018, part of a major transformation that began in 2016 with a greater emphasis on do-it-yourself customers, significant technology spending for a more robust online platform, and better optimization of its supply chain and store footprint.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Advance has gained market share and reported attractive comparable sales. The purchase of the DieHard battery brand from Sears and the number of cars entering the “peak repair” age of six years provides attractive growth opportunities.

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MARKET CAP: $150 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 1.8% The Charlotte-based company successfully navigated a difficult 2020 as its largest two segments (aerospace and performance materials and technologies) suffered slowdowns due to COVID-19. However, the company’s significant growth opportunities in safety, automation, and space and defense provide attractive near-term revenue prospects. Honeywell has arguably the best balance sheet in the industrial space and a long history of shrewd acquisitions at reasonable prices.

The company should be able to deliver strong earnings growth in 2021 and beyond.

MARKET CAP: $20 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: NA Operating with two distinct lines of business, LabCorp should benefit from a post-pandemic world. The company's testing business should see increased demand as testing becomes a more routine part of life, even after a vaccine is implemented. Legacy testing was impacted during the stay-at-home period as people shied away from nonemergency medicial trips. However, as employment and routine doctor's visits rebound, the need for increased testing should grow. LabCorp's clinical trials business should also see increased demand as universities reopen and medical studies resume.

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VONTIER (VNT) MARKET CAP: $5.5 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: NA

FRANK JOLLEY

Vontier was a spinoff from Fortive and began trading as an independent company on Oct. 9.

Vontier retained the transportation technolomanaging director, co-chief gies and franchise distribution businesses from Fortive including Gilbarco Veeder-Root investment officer, Jolley Asset Management, and Matco Tools. In its first quarterly earnings a Live Oak Private Wealth since the spinoff, Vontier grew revenues by 5.6% and adjusted earnings by 25%. The business, Rocky Mount company possesses a strong balance sheet with no long-term debt. Like most spinoffs, we believe Vontier is flying under the radar.

HONEYWELL (HON) MARKET CAP: $150 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 1.8% Charlotte-based technology giant Honeywell has been transforming its business for the past decade and is finally getting appreciated. With low rates increasing the ability co-founder and chief to finance acquisitions, the few companies investment officer, with successful mergers and acquisitions Defender Capital, Charlotte track records look more appealing. By owning Centene, Vontier and Honeywell, investors own less leveraged businesses with greater liquidity and better strategic leadership.

JOHN STAMAS

DENTSPLY SIRONA (XRAY) MARKET CAP: $12 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 0.7%

ANN ZURAW

president, Zuraw Financial Advisors, Greensboro

The highly competitive dental-supply business has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Charlotte-based Dentsply Sirona faces pricing pressures in its consumables business, but the merger with Sirona Dental Systems expands the firm’s exposure to higher-margin dentistry equipment.

The pandemic hurt sales, but we believe that the industry will eventually increase its investment in equipment.

CISCO SYSTEMS (CSCO) MARKET CAP: $189 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD 3.2%

RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES (RTX) MARKET CAP: $108 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: 2.6%

Cisco shares have lagged the strong technology sector as the pandemic has hit sales in key product areas. Shares trade at about 14 times earnings. Cisco’s most recent quarter was better than expected, and the share price decline has resulted in an attractive entry point. Cisco has a strong balance sheet with more than $29 billion in cash versus $11.6 billion in long-term debt. The strong dividend enables investors to get paid to wait for an economic recovery.

Raytheon is an aerospace and defense contractor that combined with United Technologies. Reduced air travel due to COVID-19 has resulted in sales declines for Charlotte-based Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney, which plans a $650 million plant in Asheville. The defense part of the business has been resilient. We believe shares will recover as air travel begins to rebound. In early December, Raytheon shares were 22% below its 12-month highs.

CENTENE (CNC)

VONTIER (VNT)

MARKET CAP: $35 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: NA

MARKET CAP: $5.5 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: NA

Insurer Centene, which is moving its headquarters from Missouri to Charlotte, focuses on delivering preventive health care, a concept that the health care industry is only starting to incorporate. Insurance premiums have increased at double-digit rates for decades, partly because of health care’s opaque nature. Centene is positioned to benefit as businesses and the government rethink how to administer care.

The company operates in diverse industries and is gradually transitioning to faster-growing markets with more recurring revenues and higher margins. While this is a goal for several companies, not many are successful.

On the negative side, private equity has had a great 10-year run and is attracting significant capital. This war chest has to be spent and, as a result, Vontier will have to compete against financial buyers who can pay more and saddle companies with more debt.

VONTIER (VNT)

PPD (PPD)

MARKET CAP: $5.5 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: NA Fortive's spin off allows Vontier to redeploy capital with new research, development and acquisitions. Vontier has a large installedbase business that generates recurring revenue. Increasing use of electric vehicles is affecting its retail fueling business and pressure hand-tool distribution business. But electric vehicles also create growth opportunities in the charging-solutions space.

TA L E O F T H E TA P E Looking at last year’s results, stock pickers Ann Zuraw and Frank Jolley made the best choice by picking lithium producer Albemarle Corp. The Charlotte-based company nearly doubled through mid-December, buoyed by increased enthusiasm for electric vehicles powered by lithium batteries.

Christy Phillips had the most consistent performance, with Lowe’s, Honeywell and Kontoor Brands each showing doubledigit stock gains. She accurately predicted that Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison’s strategic plan would increase sales, though no one could have expected the boost provided by the pandemic.

John Stamas scored with Honeywell, but LendingTree proved

MARKET CAP: $12 BILLION DIVIDEND YIELD: NA The Wilmington-based company has a clinical-research business with annual revenue of $1 billion, up 27% year over year.

PPD is benefiting from the biopharmaceutical industry’s increased spending on research and development during the COVID-19 pandemic. It went public for $27 in February and traded for $35 in mid-December. The success of vaccines for the virus encourages regulators to fast-track drug development, which helps PPD.

disappointing. Shares of the Charlotte-based online marketplace have been stuck in a trading range for the last three years after soaring at an astounding pace between 2014 and 2017.

Bobby Edgerton enjoyed success with Honeywell and Weyerhaeuser, while Cisco Systems barely moved. He picked the giant paper company again this year because he thinks its massive landholdings are undervalued and the soaring price of lumber will eventually benefit shareholders.

With 20/20 hindsight, our gang would have picked these three N.C.-based stocks that more than doubled in the last year: Bandwidth, Live Oak Bancshares and Cree. Albemarle came close.

We thank the participants for their wisdom and wish everyone good luck investing in 2021.

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Investing

CONFIDENCE BUILDER RECALLING HER MOM’S STRUGGLES MANAGING MONEY MOTIVATES KATHLEEN MURPHY IN HER SENIOR POST AT INVESTMENT GIANT FIDELITY.

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Family-owned Fidelity Investments is based in Boston, but North Carolina is a hub with more than 3,000 staffers, mostly at a Durham operations center. Kathleen Murphy, president of personal investing, expects continued growth as people park their money with bigger, trusted companies amid the pandemic. Overseeing a business unit managing $3 trillion in client assets, Murphy, 57, regularly ranks among the nation’s most powerful women in business and finance, according to business publications such as Barron’s. She is a former general counsel at Aetna and later was CEO of ING U.S. Wealth Management before joining Fidelity in 2009. Her comments were edited for brevity and clarity. ► WHAT HAS BEEN FIDELITY’S EXPERIENCE IN OUR STATE? While we do have a big investment in North Carolina, we feel very lucky to be there. It is one of our largest sites in the U.S., and we continue to grow there. In fact, we’re hiring hundreds of new people again this year in technology roles and customer service roles in our branches across the state with our financial advisers. First, there’s a very talented employee base, and we have been rewarded with the high quality of the people that have come to Fidelity. But the other key thing for us, obviously, is our client base in North Carolina continues to grow as we serve people in our branches and across workplaces, whether it’s hospitals, health care systems, universities or corporate America. ► FIDELITY RELEASED RESEARCH SHOWING FOUR IN 10 WOMEN MAY STEP BACK FROM CAREERS BECAUSE OF COVID-19 ISSUES. DID THAT SURPRISE YOU? The [multiple] challenges that this COVID environment has presented has been stressful for everyone at different ages and life stages.

But working women have really felt it from the perspective of children. Remote learning and how do we take care of children while we’re trying to be on Zoom calls all day? Or maybe someone has toddlers but no longer feels comfortable putting one’s children in a day care situation. Or I have elderly parents and with COVID, they need more of my time. All the stresses of trying to balance all these things seems to have fallen a lot on women. Women have made a lot of advances in the workplace, [but] it’s not perfect yet, for sure. This COVID environment has challenged that in terms of continued progress while people sort out how best to meet both their family needs as well as what they can do in their careers.

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▲ Kathleen Murphy

► YOU’VE SAID THAT 90% OF WOMEN WILL OVERSEE THEIR FINANCES AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES. COULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT AND THE IMPLICATIONS? On average, women live longer than men by five to seven years.

So if you are married, you will likely outlive your husband. Also, 50% of people get divorced in this country, or they never get married. What we have found is that women have been historically underserved by the financial-services industry. This is something I’m really passionate about because of what happened to my mom a long time ago. It’s not that women aren’t smart enough to engage in investing, it’s that they often don’t have the confidence. In fact, when women do invest, they actually do quite well. But it’s that confidence gap.

So we set up an entire business unit at Fidelity focused on helping women engage and invest in their finances because of the impact it will have on them across their lifetime. Women have made progress in terms of advancing in the workplace, but if you are going to live to 90 or 100 years old, we have to make that money work hard for us. ► WHAT WAS YOUR MOM’S STORY? I’m that problem middle child, the third of six. My dad died of a massive heart attack unexpectedly at the age of 57, and my mom was then working part time. My mom and dad had the traditional division of duties: My mom paid the bills and saved, [and] my dad did the investing. And unfortunately, that pattern persists 30 years later.

When he died unexpectedly, she didn’t know where to turn.

And she didn’t know anything about investing. She was intimi-

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dated and didn’t know whom to trust. She wasn’t as well positioned as she could have been or should have been.

I wasn’t in financial services at the time, but fast forward 30 years and now she has Alzheimer’s. Now I’m dealing with another area that I have become passionate about, which is how to help our elderly maneuver through all the things you’ve got to think about as you approach your 70s and 80s and making sure you’re protected against a variety of circumstances, whether it’s cognitive abilities or just physical health care abilities. ► WHY IS FIDELITY HIRING SO MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING AN OCTOBER ANNOUNCEMENT OF 4,000 MORE JOBS NATIONALLY? We hired 2,000 over the summer, and a lot of those jobs are financial professionals because of increased demand and engagement from existing clients as well as new clients. I want to make sure every one of our associates takes our clients’ issues as personally as they do. We need to step up and provide broader support because of this increased demand.

In my business, we’ve had a 55% increase in new client accounts this year. So as more and more people turn to Fidelity to help them, we need to make sure that we’ve got all the right financial professionals and advisers to be there for them. ► WHAT CAUSED THAT 55% INCREASE? We’ve seen an acceleration in our business over time in any event, but I think that this environment has caused people to say, “I really need to make sure I know what’s going on, and I

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want to work with a firm I can trust.” Frankly, in challenging times, people switch to brands they really trust. And I’m pleased to say I think Fidelity has a strong brand. ► THIS PANDEMIC HAS CRUSHED MANY SMALL BUSINESSES. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT? Small businesses have been so hurt. Big businesses like Fidelity, particularly those that have invested in digital capabilities, will ride this out. But it is those small businesses that are so vibrant and the local community that we have to watch out for. I think it’s a big worry, and it’s important from a policy perspective to do as much as we can to help them get through this. We’d hate to see all these small businesses that have worked so hard get crushed by this, where if we provided a little more help, they could make it through. ► HOW DID YOU COME TO BE THE VICE CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION, WHICH SPONSORS THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME? I’m responsible for our 403(b) program, which supports universities and hospitals, including some very big ones in North Carolina. Because of that, we’ve sponsored the scholar-athlete program at the foundation, which celebrates both the scholar athletes and the teachers who helped them become scholars. As a result, they asked me to be the vice chair of the board.

So Archie Manning is the chair while Kathy Murphy is the vice chair. Who knows her? I have a lot of fun, even though I don’t know enough about football. ■

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Agriculture

PARSING THE PIGGY BANK A WAYNE COUNTY LAWSUIT PROVIDES AN UNUSUAL LOOK INSIDE THE MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR GLOBAL PORK TRADE AND EXPOSES A RIFT AMONG OLD EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FARMING POWERHOUSES.

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or more than 25 years, Goldsboro-based Maxwell Foods provided as many as 155,000 hogs a month to Smithfield, Va.based Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer.

But in a lawsuit filed this summer, family-owned Maxwell says Smithfield took advantage of the partnership through a series of deceptive acts, including paying less than agreed-upon prices.

The broken relationship played a role in Maxwell’s August decision to exit the hog industry in which it once was among the nation’s largest producers. The company has about 120 contract farmers and expects to shut down its hog production in mid-2021, citing financial losses.

Maxwell Foods attorney Reid Phillips says the company, which is a subsidiary of Goldsboro Milling, had no comment beyond the legal filings. They paint a scenario in which Smithfield, Maxwell and a handful of other major Tar Heel pork producers quietly cooperated to sway hog production and prices for 25 years.

The state ranks second to Iowa in pork with more than $2 bil-

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lion in sales of hogs in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Maxwells have been influential N.C. farmers since at least 1916, when Hugh Gillespie Maxwell Jr. started selling livestock feed, later branching into turkeys and hogs. Goldsboro Milling’s holdings include a 50% stake in the Garner-based Butterball turkey brand, which posts annual sales of more than $1.8 billion.

Merriam, Kan.-based Seaboard Foods owns the other half.

Keira Lombardo, a Smithfield executive vice president, denies Maxwell’s allegations, noting that all facets of the pork industry have been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic with ensuing restrictions, plant closings and other consequences. Smithfield and companies like Maxwell have been affected by nuisance lawsuits filed by neighbors of hog farms and international trade disputes, she notes.

In a mid-November ruling, a federal appeals court in Richmond upheld a jury verdict against a Smithfield affiliate’s hog operation in Bladen County that neighbors contended made their homes and property unusable because of the odor. However, the judges also

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said multimillion-dollar awards aimed at penalizing the business for wrongdoing needed to be reconsidered.

Smithfield had lost five such cases, including one in which jurors awarded neighbors $94 million in damages, mainly because of the intense smells coming from hog-waste lagoons. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that the punitive damages were excessive. Then Smithfield settled the cases out of court after years of litigation. Financial terms are secret.

Smithfield, which is owned by Hong Kong-based WH Group, had succeeded in getting the Maxwell Foods lawsuit moved from Wayne County to a federal court. That decision is now being reviewed. “The contract says any dispute should be litigated in state court,” Phillips says.

That contract and the current dispute shed rare light on the usually closed workings of a major N.C. industry. The lawsuit describes how, in 1994, Smithfield, Murphy Family Farms, Prestage Farms, Carroll’s Foods and Maxwell Foods formed what they called “The Circle” to discuss trends affecting the pork industry, prices and other issues.

Within five years, Smithfield clearly occupied the head of the table, having bought out the state’s second- and third-largest producers, Murphy and Carroll’s, the latter for $500 million in 1999, the lawsuit says. Maxwell and Prestage remained but were much smaller operators. In 2013, WH Group bought Smithfield’s shares

for nearly $5 billion and now controls about a quarter of the U.S. pork-processing market.

Maintaining a stable of contract growers is common in the pig business, but most North Carolina hogs ultimately go through Smithfield sites in Clinton, Smithfield or Tarheel (home to the largest pork-processing plant in the world). Clinton-based Prestage, which also is family-owned, has sidestepped Smithfield recently by shipping some hogs to a new plant in Iowa. That has left Maxwell in a weaker competitive position.

In the early years of The Circle, Smithfield agreed to pay producers a price determined by a formula based on auction bids for hogs in the Midwest, according to the lawsuit. Over the years, a new formula based on prices available for cuts of a hog — pork chops, tenderloin and so forth — took hold.

Maxwell contends Smithfield continued paying the old rate until the N.C. company asked to renegotiate the deal in 2016, when it was rebuffed. Maxwell claims Smithfield also cut the number of hogs it was buying by half, and it learned in mid-2019 that Smithfield was paying other suppliers more, despite a contract agreement that it would be paid the same.

Smithfield’s Lombardo calls the dispute “regrettable” and says the essence of Maxwell’s complaints boil down to low livestock prices “from which we have also suffered.” ■

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RTP’S $795M INJECTION INDUSTRY VETERAN FRANCO NEGRON LEADS A HUGE DURHAM SYRINGE PLANT.

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fter retiring from a senior job at pharmaceutical manufacturer ThermoFisher Scientific in March, Franco Negron was studying how injectables — what laymen call syringes — could be produced more effectively.

Then he got a call from Jay Walker, the famed founder of Priceline and other companies, including one that also wanted to revolutionize the syringe industry amid the global pandemic.

“I said, ‘I’m absolutely in,’” Negron says he told Walker. “This is what I was looking for as a way to transform this critical area of the industry.”

Since July, Negron says he and Walker have worked 24/7 to build ApiJect Systems, culminating in a plan to build a $795 million factory in Research Triangle Park that is expected to employ 650 people. The site will produce billions of syringes initially used to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.

Financing is coming from public and private sources. The U.S. International Development Finance Corp. is lending $590 million at 4.5%, while New York-based investment bank Jefferies Financial Group is raising $200 million for the project.

While COVID-19 is the initial focus, ApiJect expects the N.C. plant to be a long-term force in creating products to battle other diseases including cancer. The Durham site was chosen after Negron considered many locations, including Columbia, S.C., where it has already rehabbed an older facility to make syringes in partnership with another company.

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▲ ApiJect Systems plans a $795 million factory in Research Triangle Park that is expected to employ 650 people.

“There was no doubt in our mind that RTP was the right location for many reasons, including access to technical expertise, academia ... and easy access to suppliers nationwide. This will be a national asset,” Negron says.

He has lots of experience in North Carolina manufacturing, having worked for Durham-based Patheon, which was acquired

by ThermoFisher, and Raleigh-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals — now Bausch Health.

ApiJect didn’t provide specifics on a groundbreaking date or expected completion of the plant. Its syringes still need approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Financing has to be completed, followed by due diligence by government officials.

But the South Carolina plant is on pace to produce as many as 45 million syringes a month, triple the number in mid-2020, Negron says.

ApiJect benefits as a startup by having industry veterans and a small size that allows it to be nimble, Negron says. Its inexpensive syringes will be both a complement and competitor to Corning’s more elaborate glass vials for delivering COVID-19 drugs. New York-based Corning plans to make its Valor Glass vials at sites including a new plant under construction also in Durham.

The importance in fighting the pandemic inspires Negron, a Puerto Rico native who has five grown children. “I want them to know that I did everything I could to bring a solution to the front.

I’m inspired to think that Franco did something about this crisis.”

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TRIANGLE RALEIGH Video game startup LightForge, led by former Epic Games’ executive Matt Schembari, raised $5 million from 10 investors including Sam Englebardt, managing partner at Galaxy Interactive in New York. Glenn Rane, a video game artist who has worked on several major games, was named as an executive and promoter for LightForge.

DURHAM Oakland, Calif.-based Clorox is moving its Better Health Vitamins, Minerals and Supplement group headquarters here, promising 158 jobs and a $7.5 million investment. The jobs will have an average annual salary of $123,000 and will include product researchers and developers. The company may receive more than $2 million in incentives if it meets hiring goals.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, part of Japan’s Toshiba Tec, named Rance Poehler CEO. He was president of Panasonic Systems Communications.

Poehler succeeds Scott Maccabe.

Software company Adzerk changed its name to Kevel and raised $11 million.

The funds came from Fulcrum Equity, Commerce Ventures and angel investors.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SBA.GOV

KBI Biopharma is opening a $150 million manufacturing plant with 200 jobs in Research Triangle Park. The building will be constructed in partnership with an unnamed pharmaceutical partner.

KBI has a development lab in Patriot Park.

A Catholic-affiliated college prep high school seeking students from low-income families will open next fall at the American Tobacco Campus. The Cristo Rey Research Triangle High School will be the 38th Cristo Rey school nationally.

Board members include former CEOs Ed Fritsch of Highwoods Properties and Chuck Swoboda of Cree.

GARNER The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is building a $100 million, 244,860-square-foot outpatient multispecialty clinic here, adding 400 jobs.

Services could include cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, pathology, audiology and speech, rehabilitation medicine, and imaging services including CT and MRI.

SANFORD Auto-parts manufacturer Marelli North Carolina USA, a subsidiary of Italy-based Marelli, is closing its plant here after more than 40 years and relocating operations to Mexico. The company will cease production by the second half of 2021 and lay off 329 employees.

Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Verona Pharma entered into a debt financing agreement for as much as $30 million with Silicon Valley Bank.

Verona has its U.S. headquarters here and focuses on respiratory diseases.

N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Anthony “Tony” Copeland is departing at the end of January. Copeland led the department throughout Gov. Roy Cooper’s first four-year term during which state officials announced nearly 79,000 jobs and more than $17.4 billion in capital investment.

Thomas Stith III was named president of N.C. Community Colleges, effective Jan. 11. Stith has been N.C. district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration since September 2019.

He succeeds interim President William Carver and former President Peter Hans, who became president of the UNC System in August.

CHAPEL HILL Health care app startup Well Dot closed on $40 million in first-round funding. The company raised $25 million in a funding round last year.

Thomas Stith III

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International coatings giant PPG Industries is paying $1.15 billion to acquire pavement-marking products manufacturer Ennis-Flint. The deal is slated to close in the next few months. Ennis-Flint, now owned by a private equity company, has $640 million in revenue and 560 staffers.

RALEIGH New York technology firm Phreesia is moving its headquarters here. The firm has leased more than 16,000 square feet of space in downtown through 2023, though the CEO and COO will remain in New York City.

The John Locke Foundation and Civitas Institute, 501(c)(3) nonprofits that promote free market conservative policies, are combining forces. Amy Cooke will remain CEO of the John Locke Foundation and publisher of Carolina Journal. Donald Bryson, president and CEO of Civitas Institute, will become John Locke Foundation president and chief strategy officer. The combined entity will be the Southeast’s largest state-based think tank.

MORRISVILLE Liquidia, a life-sciences firm, named Damian deGoa as CEO, succeeding longtime leader Neal Fowler. deGoa had been CEO of RareGen, which was acquired in November. Liquidia also named Michael Kaseta as CFO. He was formerly with global pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Kaseta is replacing Steve Bariahtaris, the company’s interim CFO since August.

Six years after selling software company SilverSky to British defense contractor BAE Systems, the former company CEO Richard Dobrow and a group of private investors purchased the company and announced headquarters here. SilverSky was originally sold for $232.5 million. Financial details for the latest deal have not been disclosed.

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TRIAD MEBANE Chick-fil-A plans to create a $52 million distribution center here, adding an estimated 160 jobs. Ohio, Indiana and Texas were also in consideration for the project. State and local governments are pledging as much as $1.5 million in incentives. The center will support 175 restaurants regionally.

MAYODAN Connecticut-based firearms maker Sturm, Ruger & Co. plans to add 60 jobs and invest $10 million at its plant here over the next three years. The plant currently has 490 staffers. The new jobs will have an average annual salary of about $44,000, higher than Rockingham County’s average of $35,146.

MOUNT AIRY North Carolina Granite was acquired

by Canadian firm Polycor for an undisclosed amount. The company was founded in 1989 and employs about 100.

GREENSBORO The Atlantic Coast Conference switched to the Greensboro Coliseum as the site of its men’s basketball tournament in March, citing pandemic concerns. It had been scheduled to take place in the Capital One Arena in Washington. The conference also named Northwestern Athletics Director Jim Phillips as its new commissioner. He will succeed John Swofford by midyear.

HIGH POINT Arkansas-based Riverside Furniture is investing $5.4 million in a distribution warehouse in Caswell County as well as $10 million in a showroom here. The distribution center is expected to create 50 jobs. The showroom, a 70,000-squarefoot building purchased for $1.3 million, will be the first company-owned, freestanding one in the state.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREENGRASS090, PPG INDUSTRIES

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CHARLOTTE SALISBURY Integro Technologies will expand here by investing $2.6 million and creating 30 jobs. Integro works in artificial intelligence, machine vision, logistics and robotics integration. The investment includes installation of new equipment.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARRIVAL.COM

CHARLOTTE Sealed Air named Christopher Stephens chief financial officer. Stephens comes from industrial-products company Barnes Group, where he was CFO since 2009. He succeeds James Sullivan, who replaced Bill Stiehl, who was fired as Sealed Air’s CFO in June 2019 following the board’s internal review.

British electric-vehicle startup Arrival Automotive is investing $3 million to open a North American headquarters in the South End neighborhood that will employ 150. It plans to make electric buses at a Rock Hill, S.C., plant that is expected to employ 240.

FedEx signed a lease for a 641,550-square-foot industrial building under construction at Metrolina Park.

There isn’t any information yet on what FedEx plans to use the building for or how many jobs the move will create. The building is expected to be complete in mid-2021.

Wake Forest University plans to open a new professional studies school here, offering classes toward master’s degrees and certificates. The school is Wake

Forest’s first new academic unit in 20 years and its first stand-alone academic unit outside Winston-Salem. It will offer training in finance, technology, education, health care leadership, clinical research and nonprofit management.

Lonely Planet, a global media travel company started in the 1970s, was acquired by Red Ventures, which is based in nearby Fort Mill, S.C. Financial details were not disclosed.

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EAST FREMONT Mask-maker Sanctuary Systems is creating 118 jobs through an $4.9 million expansion here. The new positions will have an average annual salary of $41,000. Sanctuary Systems is an N.C. State University startup that develops specialty fibers and non-woven materials including face coverings and other personal protective equipment.

Software and video game design company Grover Gaming will invest $12.5 million to expand its headquarters and add 200 jobs. The new positions, which will include software developers, game designers and artists, project managers, quality assurance engineers, and accounting and human resource specialists, will have an average annual salary of $50,645. O East Carolina University named Philip Rogers chancellor. Rogers is a senior vice president at the American Council on Education and was chief of staff to former ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard. N

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MAXTON Bulgarian veterinary pharmaceutical company Huvepharma is expanding its poultry vaccine plant here, investing $1.9 million and adding 10 jobs. The new positions will have an average annual salary of $39,900.

LUMBERTON UNC Health finalized a deal to acquire Southeastern Health. The health system has been renamed UNC Health Southeastern. The acquisition includes the 452-bed Southeastern Regional Medical Center.

Dog and cat food manufacturer Farmina Pet Food USA is investing nearly $28.5 million to establish its North American headquarters here. Farmina, which is part of Italy-based Farmina Pet Foods Holding, says it will create 129 jobs over five years with an average annual salary of $46,722.

WILMINGTON The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners approved contracts and other measures for a 200-bed, $25.5 million opioid and alcohol treatment facility. The Healing Place of New Hanover County is expected to open in May 2022.

GREENVILLE Thermo Fisher Scientific plans a $500 million investment to create a 130,000-squarefoot manufacturing plant here by 2022. The expansion will create an additional 500 jobs, adding to 1,500 employees working at the medical-products company.

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Wilmington Downtown Inc. named Holly Childs as its new president and CEO, succeeding Ed Wolverton, who stepped down earlier this year to head Uptown Columbus Inc. in Columbus, Ga. Childs has experience in private commercial real estate as well as development leadership roles in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Phoenix.

WEST ASHEVILLE The Asheville Tourists minor league baseball team has been invited to be the Houston Astros’ Advanced Class A affiliate starting with the 2021 season.

The team is expected to accept the offer and would become the fourth Minor League affiliate for the Astros.

LENOIR Westlake, Ohio-based textile manufacturer MMI Textiles is opening a 30,000-square-foot production plant here. MMI will manufacture narrow fabrics including a full line of military-spec webbing and binding tape products, starting in early 2021.

BOONE Area real estate agents sold 2,960 homes worth $1.06 billion in Ashe, Alleghany, Avery and Watauga counties through November, according to the High Country Association of Realtors, a 43% increase in sales from a year earlier and double the level of 2017. The median sale price was $280,000, while the average price was about $357,000.

FLETCHER Renewable energy equipment manufacturer Low Impact Technologies is investing more than $5 million in a manufacturing plant here. The company says it will add 60 jobs with an average annual salary of $65,000.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC

GREENVILLE

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U.S. National Whitewater Center CEO Jeff Wise hung on through a recession, restructuring, tragedy and pandemic at one of the state's hottest visitor attractions.

BY DAVID MILDENBERG keptics who thought it was crazy to build a world-class whitewater rafting center near the Catawba River in west Charlotte looked like savants in 2009. The 270-acre project had opened three years earlier and was swimming in debt.

The opening coincided with the worst recession in decades, limiting the number of folks who had the money to spend $50 on a thrilling trip over the rapids. It was a time when it wasn’t clear if major banks would survive, much less a misunderstood water park. Nor did it help that getting to the park required driving on a winding road through neighborhoods filled with residents who didn’t appreciate the increased traffic in lightly populated west Mecklenburg County.

In its first few years, the U.S. National Whitewater Center broke even on its operations but lacked money to repay $38 million of loans issued by banks, foundations and wealthy local family offices. The initial plan of quickly repaying much of the debt had proven wildly optimistic.

CEO Jeff Wise recalls an early meeting with the project’s lenders in which he tossed his keys on a table and offered to hand over control to whoever could do a better job. After the banks spent $1 million on three consulting groups looking for improvements or a viable exit, they stuck with him.

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There are a lot of people who said we were dead on arrival.

Jeff Wise, CEO

“They said, ‘We could go hire somebody at a lot more money and throw them in that fire. But Wise created this mess, and he’s probably going to work harder than anyone because he owns the mess he created.’

“It wasn’t because I was a good guy. But if you are going to lay a big turd out there on the street, you’ve got to clean it up.”

A decade later, the U.S. National Whitewater Center is among North Carolina’s most popular tourist attractions, with more than 1 million visitors annually, many of whom enjoy hiking, biking or beer drinking while never getting on the water. The center has turned into a marketing advantage for Charlotte as it competes with Atlanta, Nashville and the Raleigh-Durham area to recruit young professionals who enjoy outdoor fun.

Meanwhile, Wise is earning about $350,000 annually, running a not-for-profit with annual revenue topping $25 million and a payroll of 1,000 full- and part-time workers. Plans call for park expansions in Columbia, S.C., and Greenville, S.C., and a hotel at the Charlotte park, once the pandemic subsides.

The center has overcome pushback from ungrateful neighbors, a deep recession, a tragic fatality and the 2020 pandemic. The reasons, according to people long affiliated with the park, include Wise’s single-minded determination, critical backing from one of Charlotte’s

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most influential power brokers, and the exploding popularity of outdoor adventure sports.

“Jeff Wise and [Chief Financial Officer] Jeff Shelton have done a phenomenal job broadening the scope and interest at the center,” says Bradford Barry, a Charlotte banker and former whitewater center board member.

The story would be entirely different if BofA and other lenders had not written off most of their loans in the recession, Wise says. No one else has replicated the project in the U.S., he says, “because who else is going to get $25 million of capital that they will never have to pay back?”

Things have changed: The center now produces cash flow to have paid off the loan had the lenders restructured the debt instead of canceling it, Wise says.

Envisioned as a warm-weather operation, the center is drawing crowds year round as it adds attractions. On a Saturday evening in December, a mile-long parade of cars was entering the center, full of people wanting to ice skate and view the holiday lights.

“There are a lot of people who said we were dead on arrival,” Wise says. “I will tell you that I live to prove them wrong. No, I’m not really that shallow: I don’t do things to prove people wrong. But there are a lot of people who have written us off several times because they didn’t understand [the concept].”

PHOTO BY PETER TAYLOR

▲ An outdoor sports enthusiast since his youth, Wise has led the center since 2001. He returned to his hometown of Charlotte after practicing law in Atlanta.

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Vic Howie’s dream

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTER

Jeff Wise didn’t come up with the idea for the whitewater center. Vic Howie did. Now a financial adviser in Charlotte, Howie worked for NationsBank’s sports-marketing division in the mid-1990s when the predecessor to BofA was a key sponsor of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. One of Howie’s assignments was to work with the U.S. whitewater team, which trained at the Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City.

After seeing Sydney, Australia, create a downtown whitewater course for the 2000 Olympic Games, Howie and Charlotte lawyer Chet Rabon started promoting the idea for a similar venue in Charlotte’s center city. In early 2001, they joined others to incorporate Charlotte Whitewater Park Inc., which Howie calls “easily the most outrageous nonprofit ever created in North Carolina.”

The idea impressed some local leaders who wanted to revitalize downtown Charlotte, which went to sleep after office workers signed off by 6 p.m. every night.

Politicians liked tying the city to the top teams of U.S. whitewater rafting — like gymnastics, the sport gains popularity after every Olympic Games, Howie says.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attack froze planning for many ventures, including the center. Howie remained confident, though he didn’t want to give up his bank job

to work on the project full time. “I know how to start an entrepreneurial business, but then I know enough to get out of the way.”

The timing was right, then, when Wise called Howie and asked how he could become the project’s executive director. “I told Jeff that he would have to raise his own salary, which didn’t bother him. He said, ‘I’ll figure out how to make the money.’”

Wise, 55, had learned the art of fundraising after an unusual career switch. The Charlotte native earned a bachelor’s from the University of Richmond then a law degree at Emory University in 1989. He spent the next six years as a litigator at a law firm in Georgia’s capital, growing disenchanted with legal work.

“Atlanta was a great place to be a young, single professional, but it wasn’t where I wanted to put down roots. I was trying to figure out how to get back home, but I knew I didn’t want to practice law anymore. When I got to law school, I thought I’d do it for a few years, and all of a sudden, you get stuck doing a job.”

In 1995, Wise quit, packed up his apartment and moved back to Charlotte with no definitive plans. “Everybody looked at me and said, ‘What are you going to do?’ I came back, and I was bartending just to figure out how to make some money. I just started networking.”

A friend suggested Wise contact Charlotte banker Wes Sturges, who hired him to help raise $11 million to

▲ The recirculating river for whitewater rafting is not connected to the nearby Catawba River. But visitors have lots of paddling options.

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start First Commerce Bank. “I was literally smiling and dialing,” Wise says, calling potential investors. “It was fun, and it was one of the best business-development experiences you could ever want. There were times when we thought, ‘Man, we gotta shut the doors because we’re not getting there.’ But we got it done.”

Wise was a big asset, says former First Commerce CFO Pressley Ridgill, later the CEO of Greensboro’s NewBridge Bank. “Jeff was an attorney and a smart guy who could talk to anybody. He didn’t mind if the people had money or not. He could talk to a wall.”

First Commerce opened in 1996, but Wise had no interest in a bank job. He joined the late Charlotte commercial contractor and developer David Sidbury, helping raise money and connect with other real estate companies on various projects. Wise also helped a Charlotte surgeon start Consentys, an electronic medical-records business that never thrived.

The essential backer

Facing a personal fork in the road in late 2000, Wise says he told his friend Jeff Shelton — who became the center’s longtime CFO — that he wanted to focus on one of two projects: Form an investor group to buy the

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Charlotte Hornets NBA team or develop the whitewater center championed by Howie and others. The basketball idea was a lark: Hornets owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge were losing tens of millions of dollars and feuding with city leaders over plans for a new arena. They decamped for New Orleans in 2002, prompting the NBA to put a new franchise in the Queen City that is now owned by Michael Jordan.

Instead, Wise wrote a business plan for a whitewater park that he shared with Howie. He concluded that the preferred downtown site, which now houses the AvidXchange Music Factory, was too small. Instead, Wise focused on a county-owned plot near the Catawba River, 13 miles west of the center city. Few Charlotteans knew of the site except for Wise and other avid mountain bikers. The county had long-term plans to make it a park.

By then, Wise had learned a fact of life in Charlotte fundraising: Little happens unless a major corporate leader steps out front. One such elite was Alan Dickson, whose family-controlled Ruddick Corp. owned the Harris Teeter grocery chain before its $2.4 billion sale to Kroger in 2013.

Wise arranged a meeting at Ruddick’s downtown of-

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTER

▲ The center has hosted the Olympic Games trials for the U.S. canoe and kayak teams, a connection that helped spark early interest in the project.

C A R O L I N A

12/18/20 9:57 AM

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES A. CANNON FREE ENTERPRISE HALL OF FAME

fice. “Mr. Dickson came out and, as always, looked very dapper with a coat and tie. He said, ‘I don’t know why we’re here, but you’ve got five minutes. If you’re looking for money, I don’t think this is a good fit because our foundation focuses on health issues.’”

The duo met for two-and-a-half hours. “It was classic Mr. Dickson. It was really a due diligence session because he was asking all kinds of questions and trying to shoot things down,” Wise says.

“The thing hit several of his hot-button issues. He loved anything that’s got a bit of challenge but that made sense. And it made sense to him. He really liked the fact that there was a business model behind it. It was market driven, though he understood we were a not-for-profit.”

Dickson told Wise he thought a well-run center would attract many visitors, which would enable private financing rather than relying on philanthropy. He also said he didn’t want to be on the board because he was nearing 70 and seeking to wind down his affairs. (He died in 2012 at age 81.)

Dickson later chaired the center’s board for many years. A love for nearby Gaston County, where his family’s American & Efird textile company operated for generations, also inspired him. (It is now owned by Greensboro-based Elevate Textiles.)

“[The center] didn’t become real until you had Mr. Dickson putting his arm around us for all of the leadership in this community to see,” Wise says. Over the next few months, he and Dickson made many visits to local leaders, asking for financial commitments.

“I had the vision,” Howie says, “but Alan Dickson convinced his friends to bring in big money to the project.”

Ultimately, about nine local banks lent the center about $23 million, while a second $15 million note included local foundations run by Duke Energy, TIAA and families. Giants BofA and First ▲ Alan Dickson Union, then run by locally based CEOs, took part along with smaller ones including NewDominion Bank and American Commercial Bank. Dickson was a BofA director, while his brother, Stuart, was on First Union’s board. First Union later merged with Wachovia and was bought by Wells Fargo in 2008.

Wise also structured $7 million of financing from Mecklenburg County, $2 million from the city of Charlotte and $3 million from Gaston County and the towns of Belmont and Mount Holly. The local governments agreed to pay the center $1.7 million annually for seven years, a key cash flow. Because Mecklenburg County had planned to spend at least $7 million to develop a park at the site, it got a recreational and economic development asset essentially for free.

By comparison, the city and Mecklenburg County invested about $193 million of public funds into the downtown NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened in 2010. The racing museum has never met its attendance projections.

The write-off

In its first two years, 2007 and 2008, the whitewater center made a tiny operating profit, buoyed by the local governments’ payments. But repaying the $38 million in private-sector debt looked highly unlikely. While the center was popular, Wise overestimated the ability to collect $1 million in annual sponsorship revenue and underestimated operating costs. Instead of two marketing staffers, for example, the center employs nine.

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over more years. Instead, they agreed to write down the $38 million to about $12.5 million, including about $6.4 million to be repaid if the center’s fortunes improved significantly. The latter payment, which bankers call a “hope note,” was Dickson’s idea, Wise says. The entire $12.5 million was repaid over the next few years.

“We were the luckiest sons of guns because we raised the money and built the center in the best economic times, and we got the loan forgiven in the worst of times,” Wise says. “You have to remember that the

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banks were writing stuff off left and right, and we were a blip on their spreadsheets. They had auditors on their backs. They needed to get their books right-sized.”

It was painful for some, says Howie, who had joined American Commercial Bank. “We and other bankers had pie on our face, and we had to deal with it. Fortunately, the foundations and family offices got to write off their [loans] as contributions, which benefited their taxes.”

The period also marked an occasionally tense transition as the center’s initial backers gradually left the board. Howie, who departed in 2011, says Wise’s direct style turned off some people. “Jeff can be a very difficult person, and he and I went nose to nose and got in each other’s face at times,” he says. “There were times when we would try to bring in people who could help the center, but Jeff wouldn’t talk to them.”

A few politicians and media outlets criticized Wise, citing his salary and refusal to share information promptly. Wise says he attended every required meeting but never felt beholden to the government or press. “I don’t work for those people,” he says.

Ultimately, Wise had an ace in the hole. “There was a lot of discussion if Jeff was the right person,” Howie says. “But Alan Dickson was treating Jeff as if he was his son. … And if Alan hadn’t joined our board, we wouldn’t have gotten done what we needed to do.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF U.S. NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTER

▲ Whitewater is the brand, but operators realized greater potential in land activities including zip lines, ropes courses and biking.

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PHOTO BY PEGGY KNAACK

Growth spurt, then tragedy

Amid a recovery in which Charlotte became a hot spot for millennials, the whitewater center’s popularity surged. Revenue grew 30% to $20.4 million over the three years through late 2015. Augmenting its initial focus on water sports, the center gained broad appeal for its biking, hiking, zip lines, ropes courses, and rock climbing. A seasonal ice skating rink was added in 2019.

Selling annual passes for $219 and $6 parking passes for those who just enjoy the atmosphere proved effective.

Things were rolling until June 8, 2016, when Lauren Seitz and her Ohio church youth group visited the center. A few days later, Seitz, 18, died of a rare brain infection caused by the single-cell amoeba Naegleria fowleri, prompting a lawsuit against the center that was settled for undisclosed terms in early 2019.

While Seitz’s group had also visited Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, hotel pools and the nearby Carowinds theme park, her family concluded that she had contracted the infection at the center after riding in a raft that had overturned. The park shut down the water feature for two months and changed its filtration and disinfection systems.

Wise calls it the “worst day of his life” but says it is unclear if Seitz contracted the disease at the center.

The settlement was a legal decision, he says. “It absolutely is the worst thing that ever happened. A young woman died. I don’t know that she died because of anything that happened out here. We’ll never know that. I know she was in a number of other water sources, and all of those will generally test positive.”

The incident underlined the risks of outdoor activity.

“Everything out here can kill you,” Wise says, citing

a November incident in which a climber failed to clip into a wall and fell about 40 feet. “He’s fine, but you know, if he had fallen the wrong way, he’s dead.” About 1,500 people a day use standup paddle boards on the Catawba River, creating an inevitable drowning risk, while whitewater rafting is notoriously dangerous, the CEO says.

Wise’s initial fears that the death might force the center to close proved alarmist. After a 17% decline in revenue in the next fiscal year, the center rebounded nearly 50% to a record $25 million in the period ending in October, Wise says. Operating income, which is tied to volume, is also peaking, he says.

“The reason I think we have survived and come back is that the brand stands up. We are very, very serious professionals about creating this type of experience.”

The center plans to open affiliated outdoor parks in Greenville and Columbia over the next few years. Wise declined to share details but says they will have large climbing and fitness complexes and not focus on rafting.

In Charlotte, Wise foresees a hotel appealing to couples who want to raft, hike or bike during the day, enjoy a good meal and then spend the night.

Like golf and fishing, the center has benefited from the pandemic in a curious way. While the center's food and beverage revenue has declined sharply, the desire to get outside has boosted visitor counts.

“I had a great job as a lawyer, but I got comfortable.

I saw that it wasn’t going to challenge me,” Wise says.

“That’s why we’re doing Greenville and Columbia. I need to keep making sure we are getting off the couch.

Because we sell getting off the couch.” ■

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A veteran banker motivates his colleagues to reboot the financial services landscape.

n 2013, Live Oak Bank got interested in chickens. The bank, which formed five years earlier, had grown fast by making Small Business Administration loans nationally to veterinarians, medical practices, funeral homes and other businesses that it understood well. CEO Chip Mahan wanted to add poultry farmers to the bank’s collection of specialty industries.

He called an El Dorado, Ark., banker who was the nation’s most successful lender to chicken farmers, recalls Lee Williams, Live Oak’s co-founder and vice chairman. “The guy said, ‘I’m perfectly happy down here.’”

That didn’t discourage Mahan, says Williams, who met him in the 1970s when both worked for Wachovia Bank in Winston-Salem.

“Just like he’s always done, he called him in June, and he called him in September,” Williams says.

On the latter call, the El Dorado banker revealed that he had developed cancer and that his employer was “‘treating me really, really bad related to me being really, really sick. And I’m ready to talk to you about taking my chicken-lending team and coming to work for Live Oak,’” Williams says.

Live Oak started poultry lending in January 2014 and has since issued $1.2 billion in loans. It’s part of the reason the Wilmington-based bank with no branches, tellers or ATMs has made more Small Business Administration 7(a) loans than any financial institution over the last three years.

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C A R O L I N A

12/18/20 11:34 AM

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHIP MAHAN

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Live Oak and its technology offshoot nCino, which have a combined stock market value of nearly $10 billion, are built in large part on the 69-year-old Mahan’s ability to recruit talent. So is Canapi Ventures, the Washington, D.C.-based investment firm that has raised $545 million for financial-technology investments, and Apiture, another affiliated tech company.

Mahan certainly has some technology credibility. In the 1990s, he started the country’s first online-only bank in Atlanta. The Wilmington campus housing Live Oak, nCino and Apiture has a design that has drawn architectural industry raves. But he takes issue with being portrayed as a Silicon Valley-style entrepreneur.

“We’ve got to get one thing straight,” he says. “I am not a technical guy, and I am not a visionary. I hang around guys that are really, really smart. And then you give them a little capital, and it’s amazing what they do.”

Those people say there is something amazing about Mahan. They’ve watched as he’s grown Live Oak from an idea to a bank with $8 billion in assets and $1.8 billion market value while developing other enterprises with potentially even greater prospects.

“He had the self-confidence of a successful entrepreneur,” says Joseph Smith Jr., the N.C. banking commissioner when Live Oak was chartered. “He was a tough son of a bitch. He had a good idea. And he was willing to put his own money up and make a go of it.”

Mahan lured Huntley Garriott from Goldman Sachs Group to Wilmington to run Live Oak Bank in 2018. He calls his boss “a larger-than-life persona. … This company, in a lot of ways, is Chip’s persona.”

But Mahan’s entrepreneurial instincts haven’t always been so sharp.

In the 1970s and early ’80s, the Washington and Lee University graduate traveled across Tennessee and Kentucky for Wachovia, selling cash management and other services to distilleries and other businesses. But he wasn’t happy working for someone else or with his $9,000 annual salary. An early attempt to buy an equipment-rental franchise fizzled. In the early ’80s, he spotted an opportunity: Farmers Bank & Capital Trust Co. in Frankfort, Ky., the capital city where he spent his teenage years.

The stock was trading at just 25% of book value. “I got to thinking if I could get somebody to lend me the money — lend me three times what the stock’s trading for, but still under book value — then we could basically buy the bank for free,” he says.

Auto dealership owner Bill Gatton overheard Mahan talking about his idea on a flight between Lexington, Ky., and Bristol, Tenn. “I got off the plane, and I went to his house, and we talked until 3 a.m.,” Mahan recalls. “He said, ‘I’ll back you.’”

Before Mahan left his job in late 1982 to pursue the deal, Wachovia CEO John Medlin gave him a warning: “‘You can’t do a hostile takeover of a community bank,’”

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Mahan recalls Medlin saying. “‘It’s just not going to work.’”

Mahan was undeterred. “I thought I knew where the largest shareholders were because this was a small community where I grew up,” Mahan says. He rented an office and started calling people. “I’m offering three times what the stock’s trading for. You know how much stock I got?

Not one share.”

With a 3-year-old and 6-year-old at home, Mahan had to “crawl on his belly” to get his job at Wachovia back. “But it was over after that. You just can’t go back,” Mahan says.

“It was exhilarating to think that you could actually own something.”

Within a few months, connections made during the Farmers Bank venture led to a chance to run another small community bank in Kentucky and then buy it with some other investors.

In 1985, that bank was acquired by Columbus, Ohiobased Bank One, which later became part of today’s JPMorgan Chase. Two years later, Mahan raised $16 million and started Lexington, Ky.-based Cardinal Bancshares, which went public in 1992.

In 1993, over dinner with his brother-in-law, Atlanta software company owner Michael McChesney, Mahan heard about the internet for the first time. “I said, ‘Well, if people are going to go look at this stuff nationwide, why don’t I advertise CDs [certificates of deposit] on the internet?’” Mahan says. “He said, ‘You’re a dumbass’ — he’s way smarter than me — ‘What we need to do is put [budgeting software] Quicken on the web.’”

Mahan and McChesney flew to San Francisco and met with Marc Andreessen, who helped create the first widely used web browser, NCSA Mosaic, and co-founded Netscape. Andreessen offered to write its software for $1 million.

McChesney nixed the deal, insisting the company couldn’t let someone else own the source code. He would hire the programmers himself.

In 1995, they launched Security First Network Bank in Atlanta as the nation’s first FDIC-insured, branchless, online bank. It attracted just a few thousand customers, who had to mail checks to the bank to deposit funds. In 1998, Mahan sold the banking operations to Royal Bank of Canada. (He’d sold Cardinal Bancshares a year earlier to another Kentucky-based community bank.)

While Security First had little success, Mahan and McChesney knew they were on to something big. They spun off the technology created to develop Security First, calling it S1. In the next few years, it became one of the key early providers of online-banking technology for thousands of companies, including JPMorgan Chase.

In 2000, Mahan’s wife, Peggy, whom he’d met in Kentucky at age 11, developed cancer. Mahan quit his job as S1’s CEO but remained chairman, and the couple moved

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PHOTOS: LIVEOAKBANK.COM, NCINO.COM, GENE-LUDWIG.COM, APITURE.COM

Chip Mahan has surrounded himself with these executives to lead Live Oak, nCino, Apiture and Canapi Ventures. Some are former colleagues at S1 or Wachovia.

■ NEIL UNDERWOOD president, Live Oak Bancshares The Miami native is a former S1 general manager who co-founded nCino. He is a partner at Canapi Ventures.

■ HUNTLEY GARRIOTT president, Live Oak Bank He joined Live Oak in 2018 after 20 years at Goldman Sachs, where he became a partner in 2014. He is a University of Virginia graduate.

■ LEE WILLIAMS III vice chairman, Live Oak Bancshares He met Mahan at Wachovia in the early ’70s, joined him at Cardinal Bancshares in 1992 and helped found Live Oak in 2007. He’s a UNC Chapel Hill graduate.

■ DAVID LUCHT executive vice president of credit, Live Oak Bank The Ohio native worked at two big Buckeye State banks before joining Live Oak in 2007.

■ PIERRE NAUDÉ CEO, nCino The veteran fintech exec met Mahan at S1 and joined nCino in 2012. He’s a South Africa native and graduate of Upper Iowa University.

■ JOSH GLOVER chief revenue officer, nCino A Naval Academy and Duke MBA graduate and former Marine Corps Special Operations officer, Glover worked at Live Oak before moving to nCino.

■ TRISHA PRICE chief product officer, nCino The N.C. State University graduate joined nCino in 2016 after working for Primatics Financial and Fannie Mae. She has a master’s in liberal arts in extension studies and software engineering from Harvard University.

■ GENE LUDWIG managing partner, Canapi Ventures The former U.S. comptroller of the currency is a veteran banking industry fundraiser, investor and consultant. He started Promontory Financial Group in 2001 and sold it to IBM in 2016.

■ CHRIS BABCOCK CEO, Apiture A former S1 manager, he later cofounded Clear2Pay fintech, which was acquired by FIS. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Duke University.

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Live Oak’s stock trading history

Share price $47

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to Wilmington to be closer to Duke University Hospital, where she was being treated.

By 2005 Peggy’s cancer was in remission, but S1 was struggling financially amid increased competition and management turmoil. Mahan returned as CEO just as activist investor Jeffrey Smith of the Starboard Value hedge fund was circling the company. Rather than wage a proxy battle, S1 gave Smith a board seat, where he exerted pressure successfully to put the company up for sale.

S1 directors met with 28 potential investors but attracted just one bid — from Mahan, with backing from a San Francisco billionaire — for about $4 per share. The board turned it down. Mahan quit and sold all his stock the next day; it was trading at about $1.

The next week, he was sitting around with Williams, who had gained expertise in SBA lending while working with Mahan at Cardinal Bancshares. “We ought to start an SBA-only bank,” Mahan suggested. And so, Live Oak was born, opening in 2008 as a state-chartered bank with a national online-lending platform.

Live Oak’s business model was to make SBA loans, which are partially guaranteed by the government, in industry sectors that have low default rates. It would hire lenders with deep expertise and connections in what is now 33 industry sectors.

Smith, the banking commissioner, says Live Oak showed a way to diversify business lending across the nation. “It wasn’t ‘bank everybody locally,’ it was ‘bank everybody in an industry we understand deeply.’”

An initial Live Oak investor was Neil Underwood, who had met Mahan when he joined S1 in 2001 to head that company’s enterprise sales unit. Mahan told him about the new bank as the pair were sitting in a duck blind.

When Underwood expressed interest in investing, Mahan inquired about his liquid net worth. After his hunting pal gave a number, Mahan said, “‘OK, that will do,’” Un-

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derwood says. “[I said,] ‘You want all my liquid net worth that I’ve earned over the years in this bank?’

[Mahan replied,] ‘Yep! Our interests have got to be aligned, son.’”

Underwood joined Live Oak full time in 2010 and is president of the holding company. He didn’t give Mahan all his liquid net worth, “but I gave him a large portion.”

Government filings show Underwood now holds about 1.3 million shares, or about 3.2% of the company, with a midDecember valuation of about $60 million. Mahan owns nearly 16%, worth about $300 million.

David Lucht, who had worked with Mahan at Cardinal, left the $10.5 billion, Ohio-based FirstMerit Bank, where he had been chief credit officer, to join the new company.

“Although it was a startup, I had kind of an inside knowledge that Chip usually had really good ideas,” Lucht says. “I jumped at the chance.”

The idea has worked. Loan volume surged from $162 million in 2008 to $848 million in 2014, a year before the IPO. Three industries made up about 60% of the lending back then. Now, the three biggest sectors — agriculture, health care and veterinary — account for 30%, with total loans topping $4.5 billion as of Sept. 30.

The lending is largely fueled by consumer deposits that grew by 60% to $4 billion over the previous 18 months.

Live Oak sells online certificates of deposit that pay higher interest rates than most peers, typically earning a wider profit margin because it doesn’t have the expense of branches.

The rapid growth hasn’t produced steady profit because of fluctuations in the sales of loans to other institutions.

Net income peaked at $100 million in 2017, then slumped to $18 million in 2019. Shares that sold for $19 at the IPO reached $30 in mid-2018 before selling off over the next 20 months. Last March, amid the stock market’s pandemic panic, shares traded under $10. Since then, they’ve qua-

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Live Oak Bank became a state-chartered bank in December 2008. Growth accelerated after a June 2015 initial public offering, with total assets soaring from $1 billion in 2015 to $8.1 billion as of Sept. 30.

Loan origination volume (million) 2011 $ 307 2012

414

2013

499

2014

848

2015

1158

2016

1537

2017

1934

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1765 2001

2019

0

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$ 14

2012

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2013

28

2014

10

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21

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14

2017

100

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51 18

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drupled to more than $46 in mid-December.

In October, Raymond James analyst Ammar M. Samma upgraded Live Oak from “outperform” to “strong buy,” calling the third quarter the strongest in the company’s history. Live Oak “blew away our expectations this quarter” for its net interest margin and loan growth, he wrote.

A few days later, the SBA named Live Oak the agency’s largest lender by dollar volume, processing more than 1,000 loans worth nearly $1.5 billion in the 2020 fiscal year. It also ranked first in the two previous years.

While loans and deposits are Live Oak’s core, what sets Mahan apart is his growing collection of financial-technology companies. The bank spun out nCino as a separate company in 2011 to focus on cloud software developed by the bank to manage its lending. Mahan and Pierre Naudé, another former S1 colleague hired to run the business, figured other companies would pay for the technology.

Revenue is expected to top $170 million this year, and nCino (a play on encino, the Spanish word for oak) calls itself the “worldwide leader in cloud banking.” It went public in July at $71 and traded for about $75 in midDecember. Though it has never reported a profit, nCino’s market cap of $6.9 billion dwarfs Live Oak’s. Mahan owns more than 2 million shares, or more than $150 million.

In 2018, Mahan partnered with Gene Ludwig, founder

and CEO of Promontory Financial Group (which is now owned by IBM), to found Canapi Ventures. The group raised $545 million from about 35 investors, including banks and trade associations, and lists seven fintech portfolio investments on its website.

Then there’s Apiture, which has signed more than 400 financial institution clients for services to improve digitalbanking offerings since Mahan’s team started the business nearly three years ago. The business is led by Chris Babcock, another former S1 executive. In July, it raised $20 million from investors affiliated with Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Associates and Nashville-based Pinnacle Bank. Mahan says Apiture has nCino-type potential.

Mahan’s success is having a big impact on Wilmington, where the network of companies has become an important economic force. Live Oak’s three-building campus near a man-made lake seems more Silicon Valley than southern.

Employees enjoy a 25,000-square-foot fitness center, fully paid health care with no copays or deductibles, and an onsite cafeteria.

Because it profited from issuing Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020, Live Oak paid $10,000 bonuses to each of its 600 employees, including cafeteria workers. A few senior executives were excluded.

“The people that he hires, the way that he invests in them, is unique, and it has landed them at the top of the list of the best banks to work for,” says Peter Gwaltney, president and CEO of the N.C. Bankers Association. “Part of their secret sauce is hiring smart people and letting them work in a casual, relaxed environment with high expectations and the ability to make a really good living.”

Mahan sees his role as bringing people and money together and pointing them at problems.

Garriott says that he and Mahan talk frequently, usually starting with a 5 a.m. exchange of emails, but the elder banker almost never tells him what to do.

“He always has the veto since he’s the CEO and chairman,” Garriott says. “But he hasn’t exercised it — maybe once in two years. ... He’s really let me do my job, which is probably hard for someone who actually made every decision for this company for so long.”

Mahan knows that managing senior executives isn’t so much about managing as it is about aiming and aligning.

“I never say ‘You work for me,’” he says. “A Huntley Garriott or a Neil Underwood — unless they feel like they’re in charge, they’re probably not going to do it. …

You paint the target — we collectively paint the target — and then they go get that.”

But Mahan knows what the target is. And it’s not chicken farms or veterinarians or even software companies. The key is to reboot the “280 billion lines of code [that] run the entire banking business in the U.S. It’s 40 years old. None of it works worth a damn,” he says. “Now you’ve got a chance to change the entire infrastructure of the largest industry in the U.S. and, fundamentally, the world.” ■

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Creative QUARANTINE H

ome became a much more important place amid the 2020 pandemic for everyone, including the N.C. legal community. Statewide restrictions limited access to courthouses and office buildings for lengthy periods, prompting lawyers to shift their working environment to kitchens, dining rooms and home offices.

Change inevitably sparks creativity, so we asked the category winners of Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite to describe a pastime or activity they picked up during their quarantine period. The lawyers submitted snapshots of their newfound interests, which ranged from cooking to mountain biking to fishing to volunteering.

This marks the 20th Legal Elite class. Each year, BNC has invited active members of the N.C. State Bar to vote for their most-esteemed peers. Attorneys can’t vote for themselves or for members of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame — previous top vote-getters in a particular specialty. Votes for lawyers from another firm are weighted more heavily than votes for one’s colleague at the same firm. This year, 982 lawyers were selected as Legal Elite, which represents fewer than 4% of the state’s 28,000 active attorneys.

Hall of Fame members are listed by their firm at the time of selection unless otherwise requested.

Thank you for all who have made the Legal Elite a success for two decades.

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— A P P E L L AT E—

BETH BROOKS SCHERER Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh Vita 46; born in Cornelia, Ga.; bachelor’s and law degrees from University of Georgia (Double Dawg!); married for 17 years with three kids.

Quarantine pastime ► My quarantine hobby has been the game of “never have I ever.” For example, never have I ever selected home-school curriculum for a kindergartner, given a second-grader unfettered access to her own laptop, and feigned competence in high school math. My more shameful confessions include encouraging mutiny on Pluto’s planetary downgrade and teaching the dark mathematical art of “carrying the one.”

Why she chose to specialize in this field I love how appellate law allows me to be both pupil and teacher. I get to learn about different substantive areas from some of North Carolina’s finest trial attorneys. My role is to make those substantive topics easier for generalists (like myself) to digest, while filtering trial counsel’s arguments through the procedural standards and concerns that drive appellate review.

Most memorable case

What she’d be if not a lawyer A vacuum-cleaner salesperson. I acquired my first cleaning “bot” over 13 years ago. I have raved about them for so long that my husband insists that we would be living in the Caribbean if I had abandoned the law for commissioned robot sales.

Best advice received

A criminal appeal once involved a technical error that required resentencing. While most believed the same 20-year sentence would be imposed on remand, I decided to craft a compelling appellate story for why a lesser sentence might be warranted.

The appellate court’s opinion picked up on that theme. On remand, the trial judge surprised everyone by saying, “I can read between the lines. The appellate judges think the guideline sentence is too harsh,” and resentenced the defendant to 10 years (the statutory minimum). Lesson: Factual presentations can have a meaningful impact even when decisions are technically outside of the appellate judges’ hands.

Early in my career, retired Judge Sid Eagles and I worked on a line of appellate rules violation cases. No matter the mistake, his public and private response to the lawyer was always the same: “There but for the grace of God go I.” His example of humility and kindness to wounded lawyers has guided my approach to appellate law and professionalism.

Proudest moment

The Bible reminds me how far I have to go but also gives me peace that perfection is not expected.

Nothing beats watching your children take their first breaths, but I recently published a treatise on North Carolina appellate practice and procedure with my colleague, Matt Leerberg. The treatise cannot coo or smile at me, but writing it took substantially more time, effort and sleep-impaired nights than producing those three tiny humans.

I glow with pride when someone finds it useful.

Favorite place Two places where I can disconnect from the world and truly relax: Abingdon, Va., (which is where I worked while clerking on the 4th Circuit) and Edisto Beach, S.C.

Favorite book

Favorite movie Life Is Beautiful. Roberto Benigni takes one of the most evil points in human history and focuses on the human spirit’s ability to harness courage, imagination and laughter to get through the unthinkable. No other movie has left me sobbing and laughing simultaneously.

ANTITRUST

ALAN DUNCAN, Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro; Dhamian Blue, Blue LLP, Raleigh; George L. Little Jr., Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, WinstonSalem; Lawrence C. Moore III, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; John A. Price, Calhoun, Bhella & Sechrest LLP, Durham; Erik R. Zimmerman, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Chapel Hill

HALL OF FAME: Matthew W. Sawchak, Ellis & Winters LLP, Cary, (2002, 2003); Rodrick J. Enns, Enns & Archer LLP, WinstonSalem, (2004); Larry B. Sitton, Smith Moore LLP, Greensboro, (2005); Everett J. Bowman, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2006 ); Douglas Wayne Kenyon, Hunton & Williams LLP, Raleigh, (2007); Mark W. Merritt, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2008); Mark J. Horoschak, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Charlotte, (2009); Jennifer K. Van Zant, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, (2010); Catharine B. Arrowood, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh, (2011); Jonathan Heyl, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Charlotte, (2012); Noel L. Allen, Pinnix & Nichols PA, Raleigh, (2013); John F. Graybeal, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh, (2014); Press Millen, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Raleigh, (2015); W. Andrew “Andy” Copenhaver, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Winston-Salem, (2016); Stephen Feldman, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh, (2017); Brad Evans, Ward and Smith PA, Greenville, (2018); Henry “Hal” L. Kitchin Jr., McGuire Woods LLP, Wilmington, (2019); Brian Hayles, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Charlotte, (2020)

APPELLATE

BETH BROOKS SCHERER, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Norris A. Adams II, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Julia C. Ambrose, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Gary L. Beaver, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; Allison J. Becker, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, Raleigh; Jonathan “Jon” A. Berkelhammer, Ellis & Winters LLP, Greensboro; Jaye Bingham-Hinch, N.C. Court of Appeals, Raleigh; Alison R. Bost, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Charlotte; Christopher “Chris” G. Browning Jr., Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, Raleigh; William “Will” S. Cherry III, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Michelle D. Connell, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Angela Farag Craddock, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; Alexander “Alex” C. Dale, Ward and Smith PA, Wilmington; Joshua “Josh” B. Durham, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Charlotte; Stephen D. Feldman, Robinson, Bradshaw J A N U A R Y

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—CONSTRUCTION—

BENTFORD “BEN” MARTIN Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte Vita 67; born in Winston-Salem; bachelor’s from Wake Forest University and law degree from UNC Chapel Hill; married to Jane Ann Baker with daughters, Caroline and Laurel.

Quarantine pastime ► Pre-COVID, my home-improvement skills could best be described as primitive. The early stages of pandemic quarantine finally afforded me the opportunity to spend more extended time at my “second home” in the mountains near Roaring Gap, where I quickly became acutely aware of several long overdue maintenance needs. ... Over the spring and summer, I was able to successfully complete several miniprojects involving interior and exterior painting, deck and siding repairs, as well as landscaping and gardening. In addition to brightening the house and providing a sense of accomplishment, the experience helped me appreciate all the more the skills, hard work and dedication of my clients in the construction business.

Why he chose to specialize in this field When a younger lawyer, I was assigned to work on a couple of construction cases and immediately fell in love with the synthesis of legal, engineering and economic issues. Soon afterward, I began to represent a large regional electrical contractor whose owner tolerated my relative inexperience because of my enthusiasm and hard work. Over the years, I’ve found it exhilarating to work with companies and individuals dedicated to constructing buildings and other improvements for the betterment of their communities.

Most memorable case In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I had the privilege of representing a contractor on one of the last “multi-prime” projects contracted by the state: a large public hospital owned by UNC. The project spawned a plethora of claims, issues, lawsuits, administrative hearings and multiple mediations involving numerous contractors, subcontractors and design consultants. I was able to settle all of the claims involving my client and, in the

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process, gleaned invaluable experience and made lasting relationships and friendships.

Proudest moment In different matters, achieving successful resolutions of significant construction claims involving the city of Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County Bar, both of which I was honored to represent.

What he’d be if not a lawyer History teacher

Best advice received Listen carefully and treat people (clients, other lawyers and everyone else) the way you would want to be treated.

Favorite place The North Carolina mountains, especially hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and biking the New River Trail.

Favorite book Many works of history, lately: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson about the bombing of London in early World War II

Favorite movies and TV show Movies: Witness and The Last of the Mohicans TV show: Season 3 of True Detective

& Hinson PA, Chapel Hill; Lucas D. Garber, Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; Edward S. Garrett, Garrett Law PLLC, Charlotte; Daniel “Dan” Gibson, Stam Law Firm PLLC, Apex; Bonnie Keith Greene, The Green Firm PLLC, Charlotte; K. Edward Greene, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Ann-Patton Hornthal, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Jill Schnabel Jackson, Jackson Family Law, Raleigh; Patrick M. Kane, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte, Greensboro; J. Blakely Kieffer, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; John Korzen, Wake Forest Law / Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem; John M. Martin, Ward and Smith PA, Greenville; Jonathan G. McGirt,, Raleigh; Joseph “Joe” P. McGuire, McGuire, Wood & Bissette PA, Asheville; Allison Mullins, Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro; Kip D. Nelson, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro, Raleigh; Preston O. Odom III, James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte; Matthew “Matt” W. Sawchak, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Raleigh; Steven A. Scoggan, Ellis & Winters LLP, Greensboro; Troy D. Shelton, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Mark Sigmon, Sigmon Law PLLC, Raleigh; Amie C. Sivon, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Jennifer K. Van Zant, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Jon Ward, Pinto Coates Kyre & Bowers PLLC, Greensboro; Rebecca “Becky” Watts, Collins Law Group PLLC, Monroe; John R. Wester, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Rebecca Wofford, Wofford Law PLLC, Charlotte; Erik R. Zimmerman, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Chapel Hill

HALL OF FAME: Matthew Nis Leerberg, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Raleigh, (2018); Toby Hampson, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP / N.C. Court of Appeals, Raleigh, (2019); Drew Erteschik, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh, (2020)

BANKRUPTCY

JOHN “WOODY” C. WOODMAN, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Shelley K. Abel, U.S. bankruptcy administrator, Western District, Charlotte; Rayford “Trip” K. Adams III, Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC, Winston-Salem; Brian R. Anderson, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro; Charles “Chuck” N. Anderson Jr., Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; James “Jim” B. Angell, Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, Angell & Davis PA, Raleigh; David R. Badger, David R. Badger PA, Charlotte; Paul Baynard, Offit Kurman PA, Charlotte; Laurie Beth Biggs, Stubbs & Perdue PA, Raleigh; John C. Bircher III, White & Allen PA, New Bern; Blake Boyette, Buckmiller, Boyette & Frost PLLC, Raleigh; William “Will” E. Burton III, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro;

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— FA M I LY—

CARY CLOSE Close Smith Family Law, Raleigh Vita 61; born in Norfolk, Va.; bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and law degree from Campbell University; married to James Crouch with children, Ben and daughterin-law Catherine, son Colt, and daughter Millie, and 2-year-old Aussiedoodle Banjo.

Quarantine pastime ▲ Shelling, which is finding, observing and collecting shells from the beach. I have loved shelling since I was old enough to walk. My maternal grandparents used to take us to Ocracoke Island, where they would hire a local fisherman to drop us off on Portsmouth Island for the entire day to look for shells. ...

During the pandemic, I have been able to spend a lot of time working from our home in Emerald Isle. ... I was able to fill a huge jar with perfect lettered olives found on my early morning walks with Banjo. I also found a pristine white channeled whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus) at Cape Lookout and in April, I found my first common nutmeg (Cancellaria reticulata), which was thrilling.

Why she chose to specialize in this field

Of many memorable cases, one that I will always remember was in 1998 when I was still at Manning Fulton. John McMillan and I represented the wife, and Robert Ponton and Whit Clanton represented the husband. The case was a doozy. A big issue was alimony, and the trial was held when

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Proudest moment Without a doubt, taking a gigantic leap of faith and starting my own law firm in 2006.

What she’d be if not a lawyer An innkeeper

Best advice received Never shade the truth, even if it hurts your client.

Favorite vacation spot

After law school, I spent two wonderful years clerking for Judge Eddie Greene at the N.C. Court of Appeals, a time during which I happened to be going through my own divorce. Judge Greene’s expertise in family law along with my personal experience made family law a natural choice for me.

When I began practicing law at Manning Fulton after my clerkship, my mentor, John McMillan, gave me the freedom to focus on family law cases. I will be forever grateful for his confidence in me to handle even the most complex cases early in my practice.

May he rest in peace.

Most memorable case

my third child, Millie, was just 4 weeks old.

Mike Payne was the judge, and anyone who remembers him will know what a lively time we had. Let’s just say that the definition of “condonation” played a huge role in this case, which we actually were able to settle before Judge Payne gave us his ruling!

Other than Emerald Isle, Charleston, S.C. The first trip I ever took with my husband was to Charleston, and we have been going back every year since for 28 years. It’s just a magical place. My second favorite spot is the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Favorite book The Overstory by Richard Powers.

My father was a timber consultant and outdoorsman, so I have a lifelong appreciation of trees. I read this book after he passed away last year and so wished that I could have talked with him about it.

Another favorite is All the Right Circles by John Russell, which is rich with references to our great state and the challenges of practicing law.

Favorite TV show Breaking Bad. If you don’t know why, then you haven’t watched it.

Algernon L. Butler III, Butler & Butler LLP, Wilmington; Oliver Carter III, Carter & Carter PA, Wilmington; Clyde Cash, Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP, Winston-Salem; Stacy C. Cordes, Cordes Law PLLC, Charlotte; Damon Duncan, Duncan Law LLP, Greensboro; Al Durham, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; Erich M. Fabricius, Fabricius & Fabricius PLLC, Knightdale; Joseph “Joe” Frost, Buckmiller, Boyette & Frost PLLC, Raleigh; John R. Gardner, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; Douglas “Doug” R. Ghidina, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; David G. Gray, Westall Gray & Connolly PA, Asheville; Joseph W. Grier III, Grier Wright Martinez PA, Charlotte; J. Baron Groshon, J. Baron Groshon PA, Charlotte; Cole Hayes, Moon Wright and Houston PLLC, Charlotte; James “Jim” H. Henderson, The Henderson Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; Jason L. Hendren, Hendren, Redwine & Malone PLLC, Raleigh; Charles M. Ivey III, Ivey, McClellan, Gatton & Siegmund LLP, Greensboro; William H. Kroll, Stubbs & Perdue PA, Raleigh; Lance P. Martin, Ward and Smith PA, Asheville; Michael L. Martinez, Grier Wright Martinez PA, Charlotte; Jack Miller, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; Clint S. Morse, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Jeffrey “Jeff” E. Oleynik, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; George Mason Oliver, Oliver & Cheek PLLC, New Bern; Felton E. Parrish, Hull & Chandler PA, Charlotte; Vicki L. Parrott, Northen Blue LLP, Chapel Hill; Mark Pinkston, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Asheville; Rebecca F. Redwine, Hendren, Redwine & Malone PLLC, Raleigh; Ciara L. Rogers, Oliver & Cheek PLLC, Raleigh; Parker Worth Rumley, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Raleigh; Philip Sasser, Sasser Law Firm, Cary; Travis Sasser, Sasser Law Firm, Cary; David M. Schilli, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Dirk W. Siegmund, Ivey, McClellan, Gatton & Siegmund LLP, Greensboro; Kevin L. Sink, Nicholls & Crampton PA, Raleigh; Zachary H. Smith, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Glenn Thompson, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Scott P. Vaughn, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Thomas W. Waldrep Jr., Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey PLLC, Winston-Salem; Cort Walker, Sasser Law Firm, Cary; Danielle Walle, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Jill C. Walters, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Raleigh; Margaret R. Westbrook, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh

HALL OF FAME: J. Michael Booe, Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman LLP, Charlotte, (2002, 2003); Gregory B. Crampton, Nicholls & Crampton PA, Raleigh, (2004); Richard M. Hutson II, Hutson Hughes & Powell

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PA, Durham, (2005); C. Richard Rayburn Jr., Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte, (2006); Terri L. Gardner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Raleigh, (2007); John A. Northen, Northen Blue LLP, Chapel Hill, (2008); Holmes P. Harden, Williams Mullen, Raleigh, (2009); Christine Myatt, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro, (2010); Gerald A. “Jeb” Jeutter Jr., Gerald A. “Jeb” Jeutter Jr. Attorney at Law PA, Raleigh, (2011); Kenneth M. Greene, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro, (2012); Trawick H. “Buzzy” Stubbs Jr., Stubbs & Perdue PA, New Bern, (2013); Benjamin Kahn, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro, (2014); James S. “Charlie” Livermon, Poyner Spruill LLP, Rocky Mount, (2015); Richard S. Wright, Moon Wright and Houston PLLC, Charlotte, (2016); Heather W. Culp, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte, (2017); William P. Janvier, Janvier Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh, (2018); Richard D. Sparkman, Richard D. Sparkman & Associates PA, Angier, (2019); George Sanderson, The Sanderson Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh, (2020)

BUSINESS

GEORGE STEPHEN DIAB, Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC, Wilmington; W. Sidney Aldridge, Nicholls & Crampton PA, Raleigh; Angela M. Allen, Siemens Corp, Raleigh; Beth Ferebee Atkins, Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, Angell & Davis PA, New Bern; E. Kent Auberry, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro; Benjamin “Ben” W. Baldwin, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; S. Eric Bass, Venn Law Group, Charlotte; Rachel Blunk, Forrest Firm PC, Greensboro; Curtis “Curt” C. Brewer IV, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Helene Brodowski-Stein, The Cato Corp., Charlotte; Charles Gordon Brown, Brown & Bunch PLLC, Chapel Hill; Patrick “Pat” S. Bryant, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Michael A. Burger, NC Planning, Raleigh; Chris Clark, CLARK.LAW, Charlotte; Ryan W. Coffield, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Asheville; Scott Cooper, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; Galen G. Craun III, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; John M. Cross Jr., Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Anne E. Croteau, McGuireWoods LLP, Raleigh; J. Scott Dillon, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; John N. Fleming, McGuire, Wood & Bissette PA, Asheville; Paul J. Foley, Akerman LLP, Winston-Salem; Kerry A. Friedman, Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore PA, Asheville; Ross Fulton, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; M. Heath Gilbert Jr., Baucom, Claytor, Benton, Morgan & Wood PA, Charlotte; Joseph W. Grier III, Grier Wright Martinez PA, Charlotte; William “Bill” B. Gwyn Jr., Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; James M. Hash, Everett Gaskins Hancock LLP, Raleigh; Steven A. Hockfield, Erdman J A N U A R Y

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— C R I M I N A L—

CHRISTOPHER L. ORING Oring Law Firm PLLC, Wilmington Vita 50; born in Fairview Park, Ohio; bachelor’s from University of Akron and law degree from University of Toledo; married to Lauren with children, Audrey, Calvin, Luciano and Giavanna.

Quarantine pastime ► Fishing. I grew up fishing with my dad, and I have wanted to pass on the joy of fishing to my kids but sadly never had enough time to devote to teaching them. ... Obviously once COVID-19 descended upon us, we had all the time ... we wanted to fish. I am blessed enough to live on a lake with large bass and sunfish. ... It has been a wonderful summer passing on my love to my children.

Why he chose to specialize in this field I found that criminal law was the most interesting and the clients were the easiest to deal with (relatively speaking). While a lot of clients proclaim innocence at first, most just want you to help them get out of some awfully bad decisions or addictions/ mental health issues. ... I also found that with criminal and traffic, I was able to get out of the office every day by going to different courthouses. If it were not for relationships with other attorneys, clerks, courthouse bailiffs and security, this job would be a lot less fun. Dealing with the clients is often the most stressful part. It is the relationships at the courthouse that keep me going. Grateful clients are also extremely rewarding.

Most memorable case Early on in my career, I had a jury trial with another attorney involving an armed robbery at a Papa John’s pizza store. ... I called the client’s brother to the stand to help show the jury that my client couldn’t be the culprit because similar armed robberies kept occurring while my client was in custody. The brother tried to act like he was the masked man and not my client. This made me look like I had no idea about the facts of the case ... because the brother tried to take the blame and was just making up answers. It was so embarrassing, and my client got convicted and received a long prison sentence. It was humiliating but taught me to never ask questions that I do not know the answer.

Proudest moment When I received an award for pro bono work. Accepting the award in front of a crowd of attorneys was memorable because I remember going off on attorneys in general for charging too much and making pro bono

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work necessary. My speech was met with silence. Only afterwards in the parking lot did I receive validation for standing on my soapbox.

What he’d be if not a lawyer I would be an artist. I was an art major/ English major in college. Specifically, I would love to be a tattoo artist. In college, I had an airbrush studio. I tried to quit college and move to Myrtle Beach to paint T-shirts. My parents convinced me to stay in school.

Best advice received Never be afraid to ask for help.

Favorite place Pigeon Forge, Tenn. ... Incredibly beautiful.

So much to do. Dollywood, dinner theater, putt-putt, go-cart racing. But especially the mountains. ... Just beautiful rapids and waterfalls and cliffs. It’s the thing that the kids remember the most — not all the money we spent on everything else.

Favorite book Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. The author is such a gifted storyteller. I read the book as an assignment in college, and it hooked me. ... The names and places in the book evoke images like those from a Dr. Seuss book. I have given this book as a gift to dozens of friends over the years.

Favorite show Lost. I’ve never been so intrigued by a show as Lost. I sincerely get lost in a fantasy world every time I watch it. I have watched it from beginning to end five times.

and Hockfield LLP, Charlotte; Nathan M. Hull, Hull & Chandler PA, Charlotte; Fred D. Hutchison, Hutchison PLLC, Raleigh; Jonathan L. Jenkins, Jenkins Haynes PLLC, Greensboro; John L. Jernigan, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; H. “Morry” Morrison Johnston, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; W. Scott Jones, Barbour, Searson, Jones & Cash PLLC, Asheville; Jesse Jones, Fourscore Business Law, Raleigh; Ben E. Klein, Sigmon Klein PLLC, Greensboro; Christopher Kouri, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Charlotte; Deana A. Labriola, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Robert, J. Lack, Bray & Long PLLC, Charlotte; Stephen F. Later, Robbins May & Rich LLP, Pinehurst; Robert “Bob” J. Lawing, Robinson & Lawing LLP, WinstonSalem; Hal A. Levinson, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; David K. Liggett, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Harrison A. Lord, Lord Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; John Love, Forrest Firm PC, Raleigh; Ryan S. Luft, Luft Law Group, Greensboro; Jack R. Magee, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; J. Adam Martin, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Chapel Hill; Gary T. McDermott, McDermott Law PLLC, Waxhaw; Carolyn P. Meade, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; John R. Miller, John R. Miller PLLC, Charlotte; Jason A. Miller, Miller Monroe & Plyler PLLC, Raleigh; Stephen “Steve” H. Morris, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Julie Mueller, Premier Inc., Charlotte; Michael Murray, Murray Moyer PLLC, Raleigh; William “Bill” G. Pappas, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Lonnie M. Player Jr., Player McLean LLP, Fayetteville; Kevin A. Prakke, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Carlin “Carly” G. Robertson, Terpening Law PLLC, Charlotte; Bobby Robinson, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Charlotte; Jason Schneider, Schneider Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; Caroline Wannamaker Sink, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Aaron G. Spencer, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Joseph “Joe” H. Stallings, Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, Angell & Davis PA, Raleigh; Paul A. Steffens, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, Charlotte; Kimberly “Kim” Quarles Swintosky, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Glenn Thompson, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Daniel “Dan” S. Trimmer, Skufca Law PLLC, Charlotte; H. Lawrence Warner Jr., Warner Law Offices PLLC, Raleigh; Jennifer L. Weaver, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Lance White, Apollo Sports & Entertainment Law Group, Charlotte; John C. Woodman, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Louis E. Wooten III, The Wooten Law Firm, Raleigh

C A R O L I N A

12/18/20 10:49 AM

— A N T I T R U S T—

ALAN DUNCAN Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro ◄ Quarantine pastime

Best advice received

As a member of the State Board of Education, my quarantine time focused on dealing with the effect of the pandemic on the education of our children.

If you like what you do, like who you work with, and strive to do excellent work, everything else will work out.

Why he chose to specialize in this field

Favorite place

Litigation has always interested me because you are constantly learning new things as you work on cases that involve something new and different.

Most memorable case Vita 66; born in Falkirk, Scotland; bachelor’s from Davidson College and law degree from Vanderbilt University; married to Pam with children, Molly and Abby.

An antitrust case brought by TNN against ESPN over the right to telecast NASCAR Winston Cup races.

Tybee Island, Ga., because we have had so many great family gatherings there.

Favorite book I enjoy Ken Follett books.

Favorite movie Chariots of Fire. It speaks very meaningfully to my Scottish roots.

What he’d be if not a lawyer Basketball coach (if anybody would be foolish enough to hire me).

HALL OF FAME: Russell M. Robinson II, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2002;2003); Doris R. Bray, Schell Bray PLLC, Greensboro, (2004); J. Norfleet Pruden III, Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman LLP, Charlotte, (2005); William M. Flynn, Hunton & Williams LLP, Raleigh, (2006); Robin L. Hinson, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2007); Peter C. Buck, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2008); Gerald F. Roach, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh, (2009); Mark Davidson, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, (2010); Stephen M. Lynch, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2011); Amalie L. Tuffin, Whitmeyer Tuffin PLLC, Raleigh, (2012); Grayson S. Hale, Morningstar Law Group, Morrisville, (2013); David D. Beatty, Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec PA, Raleigh, (2014); Charles S. Baldwin IV, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Wilmington, (2015); James R. Forrest, Forrest Firm PC, Durham, (2016); Gregory S. Connor, The Connor Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh, (2017); John Babcock, Wall Babcock LLP, Winston-Salem, (2018); M. Keith Kapp, Williams Mullen, Raleigh, (2019); Matthew Marcellino, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte, (2020)

CONSTRUCTION

BENTFORD “BEN” MARTIN, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin, Charlotte; Greg J A N U A R Y

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— E M P L OY M E N T—

DAVID C. LINDSAY K&L Gates LLP, Charlotte, Raleigh Proudest moment I have coached my two sons in baseball for many years, and I love when they figure out a skill — such as learning to throw a new pitch — and apply it successfully in a game.

What he’d be if not a lawyer I’m not sure, because law really fits me.

Perhaps a college professor?

Best advice received Always order the tiramisu.

Favorite place Cooke City, Mont., just north of Yellowstone National Park. This is my favorite place to get away with my family, do some fly-fishing and relax.

Vita 49; born in Rock Springs, Wyo.; bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and law degree from Duke University; married to Anu Mannar with kids, Sanjay and Sunil.

Quarantine pastime ► When we taught our first son to ride a bike, we realized how much fun it would be to ride bikes again as adults.

My wife and I bought bikes. We were lucky enough to live right off a greenway that connected to Umstead State Park and beyond. It was the perfect way to take a break from the office and enjoy the scenery and peacefulness. During the quarantine, biking became even more important as it was one of the few activities available to us.

Why he chose to specialize in this field

Favorite book

Employment lawyers get to deal with interesting legal issues and even more interesting facts. It’s also an area of law where you can make a practical difference for clients every day.

Most memorable case I love projects where I get to learn something new about a product, a business or an industry and help people solve problems.

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The Walt Longmire Mysteries series. This mystery series mixes fantastic writing with humor, and the stories are set in the shadow of great western mountains.

Favorite movie A River Runs Through It — I love this movie because it tells a great story about two brothers and also features great fishing scenes and phenomenally beautiful Montana scenery.

C. Ahlum, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Christopher “Chris” K. Behm, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington; Eric H. Biesecker, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; Steven Allen Bimbo, Smith Terry Johnson & Windle, Charlotte; H. “Arty” Arthur Bolick II, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, Raleigh; Matt Bouchard, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh; Melissa Dewey Brumbeck, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Daniel “Dan” K. Bryson, Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP, Raleigh; Carl Burchette, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte; Christopher “Chris” Campbell, McAngus, Goudelock & Courie PLLC, Charlotte; B. David Carson, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Becky Cheney, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; David S. Coats, Bailey & Dixon LLP, Raleigh; Keith E. Coltrain, Wall Templeton & Haldrup PA, Raleigh; Paul E. Davis, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Raleigh; Luke J. Farley Sr., Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; David Hamilton, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; H. Mark Hamlet, Hamlet and Associates PLLC, Wilmington; J. Patrick Haywood, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Edward “Ted” F. Hennessey IV, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Robert Jason Herndon, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; William E. Hubbard, Law Office of John T. Benjamin Jr. PA, Raleigh; Jessica Soles Humphries, Hamlet and Associates PLLC, Wilmington; Edward Jesson, Jesson & Rains PLLC, Charlotte; Neale T. Johnson, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro, Charlotte; Daniel “Dan” G. Katzenbach, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Raleigh; Kimberly “Kim” J. Kirk, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Rebecca A. Knudson, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Wilmington; Gilbert “Gib” C. Laite III, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Kenneth “Kenny” Lautenschlager, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Aaron Lay, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; David “Dave” L. Levy, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP, Charlotte; Nancy Litwak, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte; John I. Mabe Jr., Nexsen Pruet LLC, Raleigh; Carmela Mastrianni, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Parker E. Moore, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Joseph “Joe” W. Moss Jr., Erwin, Capitano & Moss PA, Charlotte; John M. Nunnally, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Joseph “Joe” Pellington, Redding Jones PLLC, Charlotte; J. “Andy” Anthony Penry, Penry Riemann PLLC, Raleigh; Steve M. Pharr, Pharr Law PLLC, Winston-Salem; Jeffrey “Jeff” M. Reichard, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; Joel R. Rhine, Rhine Law Firm PC, Wilmington; R. Lee Robertson

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Jr., Richard L. Robertson & Associates PA, Charlotte; Whitaker Rose, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte; Erik Rosenwood, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte; Stephen Safran, Safran Law Offices, Raleigh; Perry Safran, Safran Law Offices, Raleigh; Byron L. Saitsing, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, Raleigh; Brian Schoolman, Safran Law Offices, Raleigh; Bryan G. Scott, Akerman LLP, Winston-Salem; David A. Senter, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Raleigh; Gregory “Greg” L. Shelton, Shelton Law PLLC, Charlotte; Ronald “Ron” A. Skufca, Skufca Law PLLC, Charlotte; M. Riana Smith, Smith Bowers PLLC, Raleigh; Kevin J. Stanfield, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Jason T. Strickland, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Walter “Walt” L. Tippett Jr., Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Jay P. Tobin, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; Matt Van Sickle, Van Sickle Law PLLC, Cary; Judson “Judd” A. Welborn, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Martin “Marty” L. White, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Steele “Al” B. Windle III, Smith Terry Johnson & Windle, Charlotte; Benjamin “Ben” L. Worley, Longleaf Law Partners, Raleigh

HALL OF FAME: James A. Roberts

III, Lewis & Roberts PLLC, Raleigh, (2004); Jeffrey J. Davis, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte, (2005); John L. Shaw, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh, (2006); Dudley Humphrey, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem, (2007); James S. Schenck IV, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Raleigh, (2008); Michael Wilson, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte, (2009); John B. “Jack” Taylor, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Charlotte, (2010); Peter J. Marino, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh, (2011); William H. Gammon, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Raleigh, (2012); Richard D. Conner, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Greensboro, (2013); Joseph H. Nanney Jr., Meynardie & Nanney PLLC, Raleigh, (2014); Bob Meynardie, Meynardie & Nanney PLLC, Raleigh, (2015); Harper Heckman, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro, (2016); Nan E. Hannah, Hannah Sheridan Loughridge & Cochran LLP, Raleigh, (2017); James Johnson, Smith Terry & Johnson, Asheville, (2018); Tracy James, Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin PLLC, Charlotte, (2019); Jason James, Bell, Davis & Pitt, Charlotte, (2020)

CORPORATE

JOHN M. CROSS JR., Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Diana G. Allen,

ChannelAdvisor, Morrisville; Angela Allen, Siemens Corp., Raleigh; Tara Regimand Anstett, InstroTek Inc., Raleigh; Yoel Haim-Lev Balter, Liberty Healthcare Nursing Properties of Brunswick County LLC, Wilmington; Douglas Britt, Syneos Health, Morrisville; Matt Cordell, VF Corp., Greensboro; Pat Fogarty, Raytheon Technologies Corp., Charlotte; James Forrest, Forrest Firm PC, Raleigh; M. Heath Gilbert Jr., Baucom, Claytor, Benton, Morgan & Wood PA, Charlotte; Joshua W. Goodman, MEDICI Global, Charlotte; Suzanne Griffin, Butterball LLC, Garner; Paul J. Griffin, The Select Group LLC, Raleigh; William “Bill” B. Gwyn Jr., Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Greg Higgins, Volvo Group North America LLC, Greensboro; Thomas Huyck, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Boone; Kevin D. Israel, Kevin D. Israel PLLC, Raleigh; David Keim, SAS Institute Inc., Cary; Jeremy Leonard, Special Counsel, Greensboro; Kristen Lingo, FHI360, Durham; Ryan S. Luft, Ryan S. Luft PLLC, Greensboro; Jack R. Magee, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Carolyn P. Meade, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Timothy R. Moore, Allegacy Federal Credit Union, Winston-Salem; Benjamin Pickett, Nucor Corp., Charlotte; Kevin A. Prakke,

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— I M M I G R AT I O N —

GIGI GARDNER Gardner Law PLLC, Raleigh Vita 40; born in Raleigh; bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and law degree from Campbell University; daughter of Buck and Margaret Gardner of Clayton, sister to three brothers, three sisters-in-law, aunt to six nieces and nephews, one niece-in-law, one nephew-inlaw, and great-aunt to four great-nieces.

Quarantine pastime ► Mountain biking. My brother and nephew took up mountain biking about a year ago, and I wanted to get in on the fun. I bought a Kona Fire Mountain hardtail from Oak City Cycling and started exploring all the awesome trails and greenways we have throughout the Triangle. I’m still a beginner, but I’ve absolutely loved cutting my teeth on all the singletracks right here in my own backyard. It’s a great workout, you get to be outside in nature, and it’s a huge adrenaline rush — three of my favorite things.

Why she chose to specialize in this field It allows me to defend a vulnerable population against an oppressive, unforgiving system while satisfying my deep curiosity about the world and adventurous spirit. I love the freedom of being able to practice federal immigration law anywhere in the country or the world. My clients come from all walks of life from all over the globe, and it’s so rewarding when I’m able to help them achieve their dreams here in the U.S. It’s also incredibly challenging and I often have to get really creative with my problem-solving, so that keeps me from ever getting bored.

Most memorable case Winning asylum for a young teenage boy who had fled Central America to escape being murdered by gang members. I had my whole firm helping me on that case.

Thankfully, we won and literally saved that kid’s life.

Proudest moment One of my first clients that I represented after I started my own firm had a difficult case. Fortunately, I was able to keep him from being deported and get him permanent residency. Years later, he reached out to me and sent me a picture of his U.S. passport.

He had become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and he thanked me for giving him that opportunity. When he first hired me, he was so depressed and defeated, and I’m so proud of how far he has come.

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What she’d be if not a lawyer A general contractor and real estate broker because I’m slightly obsessed with renovating old homes.

Best advice received Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul!

Favorite place My favorite vacation spot is the next one I’m going to! But my favorite countries I’ve explored so far are Mexico, Vietnam and Croatia. The people, food and wonder of those three countries just blow me away.

Favorite book Lonely Planet Costa Rica. I bought it before I moved to Costa Rica by myself to teach English as a second language when I was 23 years old. That travel guide enabled me to explore the most remote parts of the country. I’d load up my backpack with my tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, travel pillow and guidebook and take off on the public bus — a decommissioned school bus — for a different beach every weekend.

Sometimes there’d be live chickens on the bus. Sometimes all the seats would fill up and I’d have to sit in the floorboard. But I always made it safely to my destination and had the time of my life.

Favorite movie Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese is my favorite director of all time. His use of music in that film, especially the “Layla” scene when they find Carbone in the meat truck, is just perfection.

Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; David Robinson, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Raleigh; Lenor Marquis Segal, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Raleigh; Brett Shockley, Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte; Nathan Standley, SECU, Raleigh; Julie Szeker, U.S. Radiology Specialists, Raleigh; Michael “Mike” Wilson, Northwood Ravin LLC, Charlotte

HALL OF FAME: Russell M. Robinson II, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2002); James E. Creekman, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co., Raleigh, (2003); David L. Ward Jr., Ward and Smith PA, New Bern, (2004); Douglas R. Edwards, Wachovia Corp., Charlotte, (2005); Stephen K. Coss, Sonic Automotive Inc., Charlotte, (2006); Keith Smith, Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, (2007); John Taggart, Genworth Financial Inc., Raleigh, (2008); B. Judd Hartman, Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc., Wilmington, (2009); Gaither M. Keener, Lowe’s Cos., Mooresville, (2010); Meredith B. Stone, NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc., Greenville, (2011); Lisa D. Inman, Waste Industries USA Inc., Raleigh, (2012); Robert Wicker, General Parts International Inc., Raleigh, (2013); Michael A. Springs, Bank of America Corp., Charlotte, (2014); Santiago Estrada, Quintiles Transnational Holdings Inc., Durham, (2015); Jeffrey M. Davis, Lincoln Financial Group, Greensboro, (2016); Gerald L. Walden Jr., The Fresh Market Inc., Greensboro, (2017); Andrew Spainhour, Replacements Ltd., Greensboro, (2018); Chris Matton, Bandwidth Inc., Raleigh, (2019); Jennifer Venable, Capitol Broadcasting Co., Raleigh, (2020)

CRIMINAL

CHRISTOPHER L. ORING, Oring Law Firm PLLC, Wilmington; A. Brennan Aberle, Aberle & Wall LLC, Greensboro; Elliot Sol Abrams, Cheshire Parker Schneider PLLC, Raleigh; F. Hill Allen, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh; Thomas Amburgey, Amburgey Law PA, Asheville; Russell D. Babb, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh; Rosalind Baker, Lexington; Christopher “Chris” A. Beechler, Beechler Tomberlin PLLC, Winston-Salem; Ellie Bragg, Leitner & Bragg Law PLLC, Monroe; Meghann Burke, Brazil & Burke PA, Asheville; Jones P. Byrd Jr., Crumpler Freedman Parker & Witt, Winston-Salem; Tim Cannady, Jetton & Meredith PLLC, Charlotte; Katie Clary, Rawls, Scheer, Clary & Mingo PLLC, Charlotte; Andrew C. Clifford, Clifford & Harris PLLC, Greensboro; Christopher “Chris” R. Clifton, Grace, Tisdale & Clifton PA, Winston-Salem; Christopher A. Connelly, Law Office of Christopher A. Connelly PA, Charlotte; Collin P. Cook, Cheshire Parker Schneider PLLC, Raleigh; Russell “Rusty” W. DeMent III, DeMent Askew & Johnson LLP, Raleigh;

C A R O L I N A

12/18/20 10:50 AM

Sean Patrick Devereux, Devereux & Banzhoff PLLC, Asheville; T. Greg Doucette, Law Offices of T. Greg Doucette PLLC, Durham; David Driscoll, RTS Law Group, Charlotte; Brandon Ector, Ector Law Firm PLLC, Graham; Paige Feldmann, Law Office of Paige Feldmann PLLC, Raleigh; Chris Fialko, Fialko Law PLLC, Charlotte; Mark Foster, Foster Law Offices PLLC, Charlotte; Michael A. Frickey, The Frickey Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; Aaron Michael Goforth, Hatch, Little & Bunn LLP, Raleigh; Stephanie Goldsborough, Garrett Walker Aycoth & Altamura LLP, Asheboro; Michael “Mike” A. Grace, Grace, Tisdale & Clifton PA, WinstonSalem; Michael J. Greene, Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine & Greene PLLC, Charlotte; Kelly L. Greene, Greene Wilson Crow PA, New Bern; Christon S. Halkiotis, The Law Office of Christon S. Halkiotis PLLC, Greensboro; Daniel A. Harris, Clifford & Harris PLLC, Greensboro; W. Rob Heroy, Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine & Greene PLLC, Charlotte; Josh Howard, Gammon, Howard & Zeszotarski PLLC, Raleigh; Banks Huntley, Law Offices of Banks Huntley PLLC, Charlotte; Emily C. Jones, Burney & Jones PLLC, Wilmington; Aaron R. Lee, The Law Offices of Aaron R. Lee PLLC, Huntersville;

Thomas C. Manning, Manning Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; Ed Martin, Seifer Flatow PLLC, Charlotte; Hart Miles, Cheshire Parker Schneider PLLC, Raleigh; Patrick M. Mincey, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Raleigh, Wilmington; Robert O’Hale, CCO LLC, Greensboro; C. “Missy” Melissa Owen, Tin, Fulton, Walker & Owen PLLC, Charlotte; Corey V. Parton, Parton & Associates PLLC, Charlotte; Caitlin M. Poe, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Brad Polk, Tarlton Polk PLLC, Raleigh; Bill Powers, Powers Law Firm PA, Charlotte; Jan Elliot Pritchett, Schlosser and Pritchett PA, Greensboro; Matthew “Matt” G. Pruden, Tin, Fulton, Walker & Owen PLLC, Charlotte; Amy E. Richardson, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, Raleigh; Edd K. Roberts III, Roberts Law Office PA, Raleigh; Steven Saad, Saad Law PLLC, Raleigh; Tony Scheer, Rawls, Scheer, Clary & Mingo PLLC, Charlotte; Jacob H. Sussman, Ferguson Stein, Charlotte; Raymond Tarlton, Tarlton Polk PLLC, Raleigh; Noell P. Tin, Tin, Fulton, Walker & Owen PLLC, Charlotte; David W. Venable, David W. Venable Attorney at Law, Raleigh; Nancy E. Walker, Tin, Fulton, Walker & Owen PLLC, Charlotte; Brett Wentz, Wentz Law PLLC, Burgaw, Wilmington; Edwin “Ed” L. West III,

Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh, Wilmington; Woody White, Woody White Law Firm PA, Wilmington; S. Frederick Winiker III, Winiker Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; William “Bill” D. Young IV, Hatch, Little & Bunn LLP, Raleigh; Joe Zeszotarski, Gammon, Howard & Zeszotarski PLLC, Raleigh

HALL OF FAME: Wade M. Smith, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh, (2004); James F. Wyatt III, Wyatt & Blake LLP, Charlotte, (2005); David Freedman, White and Crumpler, Winston-Salem, (2006); Joseph B. Cheshire V, Cheshire, Parker, Schneider, Bryan & Vitale, Raleigh, (2007); James P. Cooney III, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Charlotte, (2008); Stephen T. Smith, McMillan, Smith & Plyler, Raleigh, (2009); T. Patrick Matus II, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte, (2010); David S. Rudolf, Rudolf, Widenhouse & Fialko, Charlotte, (2011); Locke T. Clifford, Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale LLP, Greensboro, (2012); Peter C. Anderson, Beveridge & Diamond PC, Charlotte, (2013); Michael J. Greene, Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine & Greene PLLC, Charlotte, (2014); Robert K. Corbett III, The Law Offices of Harold Cogdell Jr. PC, Charlotte, (2015); Ryan T. Smith, RTS Law Group, Charlotte, (2016); George V. Laughrun II, Goodman, Carr, Laughrun,

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— B A N K R U P T C Y—

JOHN “WOODY” C. WOODMAN Essex Richards PA, Charlotte Vita

EMPLOYMENT

39; born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; bachelor’s from Flagler College and law degree from Wake Forest University; married to Rebecca with children, Lila, Hali, Ella and Justice.

Quarantine pastime ► I have always enjoyed smoking meats and grilling out. But while being at home during this quarantine, I have been able to smoke and/or cook on my Big Green Egg more than just the regular Sunday family dinner.

Staples for me on the Big Green Egg are steaks, ... pork butt or shoulder, ribs, chicken and oysters when they are in season. During quarantine, I have tried to expand my menu with vegetables such as Mexican street corn, asparagus and brussels sprouts as well as desserts such as apple pie or cookie cake. I think my family is ready for quarantine to be over (for many reasons, obviously) so they can enjoy a regular meal from the kitchen oven.

Why he chose to specialize in this field Not only does bankruptcy afford me the opportunity to be exposed to many areas of law, but it allows me to be creative and pragmatic with solutions for issues brought to me by debtors. Very rarely do I ever hear the same story twice. It also does not hurt that the members of the bankruptcy bar are extremely collegial and enjoyable to practice with.

Most memorable case One of my first bankruptcy matters as a young attorney was representing a Chapter 7 trustee who was discovering fraudulently hidden assets. Through years of litigation over complex issues involving competing interests between the bankruptcy estate and a revocable trust, we were successful in our assertions that the assets were property of the bankruptcy estate. Ultimately our success allowed for a significant increased distribution to creditors which would not have occurred otherwise. With the mentorship of the trustee and my firm at the time, this case allowed for me to be counsel before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. A nice bonus was that we prevailed at every stage of the litigation.

Proudest moment Cliche, I know, but personally, the birth of my three daughters and the adoption of my son. My greatest joy is my wife and family.

Professionally, being able to help my clients

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Levine & Greene PA, Charlotte, (2017); Les Robinson, The Robinson Law Firm PA, Greenville, (2018); Wes J. Camden, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh, (2019); Kearns Davis, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, (2020)

through some of their darkest financial moments and being able to (hopefully) celebrate the outcome with them afterwards.

What he’d be if not a lawyer I would likely be a college baseball coach or work in the front office of a professional sports team. Prior to law school, I worked for the NBA Charlotte Bobcats — now Charlotte Hornets — in the event presentation department.

Best advice received It’s simple but so very true at every stage of my life: “There is always someone trying to outwork you and take your spot. Be sure you outwork them.” — Richard Woodman (my father)

Favorite place Earlier in life (and still one of my favorite locations) my favorite place certainly would have been St. Augustine, Fla. This is where I went to college. Now, though, when I go home to Calgary and visit Banff and Lake Louise, I realize there truly is nothing like the Canadian Rockies.

Favorite book With four children, I cannot remember the last time I’ve been able to sit down and enjoy a book that isn’t The Giving Tree or a Robert Munsch children’s book. However, I enjoy the wisdom and depth of books written by C.S. Lewis. Before becoming a lawyer, I regularly read John Grisham books anytime I would fly.

Favorite movie While I have a lot to choose from (Elf, The Natural, Legends of the Fall), my favorite move is Field of Dreams. Any movie that ends with a father and son having a catch in its purest form has to be the greatest movie ever.

DAVID C. LINDSAY, K&L Gates LLP, Charlotte, Raleigh; Heather Adams, First Citizens, Raleigh; G. Bryan Adams III, Van Hoy, Reutlinger, Adams & Pierce PLLC, Charlotte; Hannah Aukland, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Randall “Randy” D. Avram, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Raleigh, Winston-Salem; William Barrett, Barrett Law Offices PLLC, Raleigh; Patricia “Patti” T. Bartis, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Jenna C. Borders, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; John E. Branch III, Shanahan Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; Katie D.B. Burchette, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Connie Elder Carrigan, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, Raleigh; Kevin Ceglowski, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh; William “Will” S. Cherry III, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Jonathan M. Crotty, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Kelly Margolis Dagger, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; M. Robin Davis, Jackson Lewis PC, Charlotte, Raleigh; Brodie D. Erwin, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Raleigh; Kerry B. Everett, Everett Law PLLC, Charlotte; Gretchen W. Ewalt, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Raleigh; Ashley L. Felton, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Raleigh; Kristen Finlon, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Patrick “Pat” Flanagan, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Charlotte; Jared Gardner, Gardner Skelton PLLC, Charlotte; Elizabeth R. Gift, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Charlotte; Jennifer Gottsegen, GlaxoSmithKline, Durham; Marc E. Gustafson, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Charlotte; Holly Hammer, Hammer Law PLLC, Raleigh; Michael Harman, Harman Law PLLC, Charlotte; Katie Weaver Hartzog, Hartzog Law Group LLP, Charlotte; Faith Herndon, The Law Office of Faith Herndon PLLC, Durham; Sean Herrmann, Herrmann & Murphy PLLC, Charlotte; Benjamin “Ben” R. Holland, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Charlotte; Tamara Huckert, Strianese Huckert LLP, Charlotte; Kelly S. Hughes, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Charlotte; John C. Hunter, John C. Hunter Law Firm, Asheville; Meredith Jeffries, Alexander Ricks PLLC, Charlotte; Lori P. Jones, Jordan Price Wall Gray Jones & Carlton PLLC, Raleigh; Kenneth “Ken” R. Keller, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Patrick “Pat” E. Kelly,

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Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Michael A. Kornbluth, Kornbluth Ginsberg Law Group PA, Durham; D. Beth Langley, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Jessica E. Leaven, Grimes Teich Anderson LLP, Asheville; Gwendolyn W. Lewis, Lincoln Derr PLLC, Charlotte; Michael “Mike” C. Lord, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Carlos E. Mahoney, Glenn, Mills, Fisher & Mahoney PA, Durham; Alexander “Alex” L. Maultsby, Ramseur Maultsby LLP, Greensboro; Christine F. Mayhew, Anderson Jones PLLC, Raleigh; John G. McDonald, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Karin M. McGinnis, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Michael D. McKnight, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Raleigh; Bill McMahon, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP, Winston-Salem; Kevin Murphy, Herrmann & Murphy PLLC, Charlotte; Laura Noble, The Noble Law Firm PLLC, Chapel Hill; William “Will” A. Oden III, Ward and Smith PA, Wilmington; Grant B. Osborne, Ward and Smith PA, Asheville; Nicole Patino, Law Offices of Fred T. Hamlet, Greensboro; Tyler Peacock, Gardner Skelton PLLC, Charlotte; Arlen Rebecca Percival, N.C. Division of Employment Security, Raleigh; J. Heydt Philbeck, Bailey & Dixon LLP, Raleigh; C. Grainger

Pierce Jr., Van Hoy, Reutlinger, Adams & Pierce PLLC, Charlotte; Patti Ramseur, Ramseur Maultsby LLP, Greensboro; Sabrina Presnell Rockoff, McGuire, Wood & Bissette PA, Asheville; Robert “Bob” A. Sar, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Raleigh; Jeremy “Jerry” R. Sayre, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Edward S. Schenk III, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Kerry A. Shad, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Russell “Russ” F. Sizemore, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Mimi E. Soule, Soule Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; Jennifer “Jennie” Staples, Littler Mendelson PC, Charlotte; Mark Sumwalt, Sumwalt Anderson, Charlotte; Jessica “Jessi” Thaller-Moran, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Benton L. Toups, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Wilmington; Joshua “Josh” R. Van Kampen, Van Kampen Law PC, Charlotte; Angelique R. VincentHamacher, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Jonathan Wall, Higgins Benjamin PLLC, Greensboro; Reagan H. Weaver, Capital Law Resolutions, Raleigh; John R. Wester, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Devon D. Williams, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Danae Woodward, Woodward & Woodward PLLC, Charlotte; Kathleen N. Worm, The

Worm Law Firm PC, Raleigh; David C. Wright III, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; John A. Zaloom, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Maureen McDonald Zyglis, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh

HALL OF FAME: Philip M. Van Hoy, Van Hoy, Reutlinger, Adams & Dunn, Charlotte, (2002); George J. Oliver, Smith Moore LLP, Raleigh, (2003); Penni Pearson Bradshaw, Constangy, Brooks & Smith LLP, Winston-Salem, (2004); Jonathan R. Harkavy, Patterson Harkavy LLP, Greensboro, (2005); Patricia L. Holland, Jackson Lewis PC, Cary, (2006); Louis L. Lesesne Jr., Essex Richards PA, Charlotte, (2007); Robert M. Elliot, Elliot Pishko Morgan PA, Winston-Salem, (2008); Sarah J. Kromer, Sara J. Kromer PLLC, Charlotte, (2009); Susan Brown Grady, SPX Corp., Charlotte, (2010); Lisa Grafstein, Disability Rights North Carolina, Raleigh, (2011); N. Renee Hughes, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte, (2012); W. Randall Loftis Jr., Constangy, Brooks & Smith LLP, Winston-Salem, (2013); Amie F. Carmack, Morningstar Law Group, Morrisville, (2014); Nicole Gardner, Gardner Skelton PLLC, Charlotte, (2015); Mike Okun, Patterson Harkavy LLP, Chapel Hill, (2016); Bryan L. Tyson, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte, (2017); Susie Gibbons, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh, (2018); Denise Smith

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— C O R P O R AT E—

JOHN M. CROSS JR. Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro Vita 50; born in Asheville; bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC Chapel Hill; married to Jennifer with kids, George, Caroline and Sam, and dog, Willow.

Quarantine pastime ► My family has always enjoyed playing card and board games. Right before N.C. shut down, I ran out and bought a few games to keep us busy (including one called Pandemic). We have played old and new games. The biggest change is that our kids are now old enough to legitimately beat their competitive attorney parents.

Why he chose to specialize in this field I practiced both litigation and corporate law for a couple of years. Although I enjoy the art of debate, I quickly learned that I was much more of a “win-win” rather than “win-lose” personality when there are actual stakes involved. I also enjoy strategizing the best paths for clients to achieve their business and personal goals.

Most memorable case I deal in transactions, rather than cases.

However, one of my transactions ended up in litigation because our client (the seller) believed it had earned its entire earn-out (a part of the purchase price to be paid if certain post-closing performance metrics are achieved). The buyer claimed that the purchase agreement was incorrect and that it never intended for the earn-out to be paid under the circumstances. During discovery, I had to be deposed, and I was defended by our firm’s current managing partner. It was a little nerve-wracking for a non-litigator.

We won the full earn-out, as well as interest at the contracted rate, which more than covered our legal fees.

Proudest moment Each year, a new partner at Brooks Pierce is put in charge of the firm’s annual United Way campaign. Prior to my stint, the assigned partner would typically go office to office and solicit pledges. During a training I attended for campaign coordinators, I learned these campaigns are more successful if you get others involved, have events and make it fun. That year, we had our first campaign committee and campaign events, and we raised more funds than ever before.

The campaign committee persevered, and what makes me proud is that each year since, our United Way campaign committee does a better job than its predecessors.

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The efforts of our entire firm have made us one of the leading business campaigns in Greensboro, and we have raised more than $2 million since the time we started raising money as a team.

What he’d be if not a lawyer I have had the opportunity to serve in leadership roles with a number of local nonprofits. My family thinks I may want to operate a private foundation one day. If we win the lottery, we have agreed that I might be considered to fill that position at our new family foundation.

Best advice received When I was growing up, my father emphasized the Golden Rule. I haven’t come across a better one. It also helps professionally. If you can empathize with all parties and fully consider what is most important to each, you are much more likely to come to a mutually agreed upon resolution.

Favorite place My parents used to have a house on Lake Tahoma, a very small lake where I am originally from. My great-grandfather helped build it, and it is where my children have spent the most time with their cousins.

We hope to do something similar for our grandchildren someday.

Favorite book The Harry Potter books. The second time I read the series was with my oldest son when he was a child as a bedtime story. My wife read the books to my daughter. Our third child is pure Muggle and didn’t like them.

Favorite movie It’s a Wonderful Life. George Bailey’s life didn’t change at the end of the movie to become wonderful; his perspective did. His life was always wonderful because it was centered with kindness.

Cline, Law Offices of Denise Smith Cline PLLC, Raleigh, (2019); Kyle R. Still, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh, (2020)

ENVIRONMENTAL

SUSAN H. COOPER, Womble Bond Dickinson, Charlotte; Jeffrey “Jerry” S. Bolster, Bolster Rogers PC, Charlotte; F. Bryan Brice Jr., The Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice Jr., Raleigh; Charlie Carter, Burns, Day & Presnell PA, Raleigh; James “Jim” L. Conner II, Calhoun, Bhella & Sechrest LLP, Durham; Boyd “Alex” Alexander Correll, Caudle & Spears PA, Charlotte; Alexander “Alex” Elkan, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, Raleigh; Hayes Jernigan Finley, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; David “Dave” A. Franchina, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte, Raleigh; Blakely Hildebrand, Southern Environmental Law Center, Chapel Hill; Kym Hunter, Southern Environmental Law Center, Chapel Hill; Peter J. McGrath Jr., Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Natalie D. Potter, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Amy L. Rickers, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Emily S. Sherlock, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Mary Katherine H. Stukes, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; James “Jamie” S. Whitlock, Davis & Whitlock PC, Asheville; Noelle E. Wooten, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Charlotte; I. Clark Wright Jr., Davis Hartman Wright PLLC, New Bern

HALL OF FAME: Charles D. Case, Hunton & Williams, Raleigh, (2002;2003); H. Glenn Dunn, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh, (2004); George W. House, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, (2005); William D. Dannelly, Hunton & Williams LLP, Raleigh, (2006); Benne C. Hutson, Helms Mulliss & Wicker PLLC, Charlotte, (2007); Amos C. Dawson III, Williams Mullen, Raleigh, (2008); Richard C. Gaskins Jr., Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation Inc., Charlotte, (2009); Stephen W. Earp, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro, (2010); Ramona Cunningham O’Bryant, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro, (2011); William Clarke, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville, (2012); Grady L. Shields, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh, (2013); Craig A. Bromby, Hunton & Williams LLP, Raleigh, (2014); Garry S. Rice, Duke Energy Corp., Charlotte, (2015); Sean M. Sullivan, Troutman Sanders LLP, Raleigh, (2016); Carol Jones Van Buren, Van Buren Law PLLC, Charlotte, (2017); Steve Berlin, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, WinstonSalem, (2018); Keith Johnson, Poyner Spruill LLP, Raleigh, (2019); Amy Wang, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern, (2020)

FAMILY

CARY CLOSE, Close Smith Family Law, Raleigh; Carole R. Albright, Black,

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Slaughter & Black PA, Greensboro; Lisa M. Angel, The Rosen Law Firm PA, Raleigh; Erik Ashman, The Olsinski Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte, Concord; Shelby Duffy Benton, Law Office of Shelby Duffy Benton PA, Goldsboro; Anna Blood, Blood Law PLLC, Waxhaw; Heidi C. Bloom, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Andrea Bosquez-Porter, Andrea Bosquez Porter PLLC, Raleigh; Ashton Bowns, Blood Law PLLC, Charlotte; Jenny Bradley, Triangle Smart Divorce, Cary; Amy Britt, Parker, Bryan, Britt, Tanner and Jenkins PLLC, Raleigh; Jon R. Burns, James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte; Laura B. Burt, Wofford Burt PLLC, Charlotte; Tom Bush, Law Offices of Tom Bush PA, Charlotte; Ashley B. Callahan, The Callahan Firm, Huntersville; Holden B. Clark, Holden B. Clark, Attorney at Law PLLC, Gastonia; Charles W. Coltrane, Coltrane & Overfield PLLC , Greensboro; Michelle D. Connell, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Stephen Corby, The Law Office of Stephen M. Corby, Charlotte; Amanda M. Cubit, Sodoma Law PC, Monroe; Nicholas Cushing, Miller Bowles Cushing Law PLLC, Charlotte; Lindsey Sink Dasher, Dasher Law PLLC, Matthews; Joslin Davis, Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler PA, WinstonSalem; Lindsey Easterling, Easterling Law PLLC, Matthews; Steve Epstein, Poyner

Spruill LLP, Raleigh; Melissa J. Essick, Gailor, Hunt, Davis, Taylor & Gibbs PLLC, Raleigh; Candace S. Faircloth, Collins Family Law Group, Monroe; Ashley C. Foley, Cordes Law PLLC, Charlotte; Katie F. Fowler, Fitzgerald Law PC, Winston-Salem; Katherine Frye, Frye Law Offices PA, Raleigh; Richard Bruce Gantt, Gantt Family Law, Raleigh; Wesley “Wes” P. Gelb, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Kelly L. Greene, Greene Wilson Crow PA, New Bern; Jordan M. Griffin, Stepp Law Group PLLC, Monroe; Jordan Hardy Gross, Stauff & Gross PLLC, Raleigh; Monica R. Guy, Kurtz Evans Whitley Guy & Simos PLLC, Winston-Salem; Tara A. Harrawood, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Meredith D. Harris, Law Office of Meredith D. Harris PLLC, Thomasville; Penelope L. Hefner, Sodoma Law PC, Monroe; Jessica B. Hefner, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Kara Quadland Helms, The Helms Firm PC, Winston-Salem; Elizabeth “Beth” T. Hodges, Offit Kurman PA, Charlotte; Dave Holm, Parker, Bryan, Britt, Tanner and Jenkins PLLC, Raleigh; Evan Horwitz, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh; Lindsey Houk, Waple & Houk PLLC, Charlotte; Robert “Rob” E. Howard Jr., Howard, McCoy & Bolton LLP, Raleigh; Hilary Workman Hux, Garrett and Walker PLLC, Greensboro; Jill Schnabel Jackson, Jackson

Family Law, Raleigh; Elizabeth “Libby” James, Offit Kurman PA, Charlotte; Robert Paul Jenkins, The Graham Nuckolls Conner Law Firm PLLC, Greenville; Emily C. Jones, Burney & Jones PLLC, Wilmington; Bradley “Brad” C. Jones, Parker, Bryan, Britt, Tanner and Jenkins PLLC, Raleigh; Irene King, Irene King Law PLLC, Charlotte; Katie Hardersen King, Schilawski O’Shaughnessy Grace King & Mauney PLLC, Raleigh; Carolyn “Lynn” KruegerAndes, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Dara Duncan Larson, Duncan Larson Law PLLC, Charlotte; James W. Lea III, The Lea Schultz Law Firm PC, Wilmington; Kyle LeBlanc, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Anna Gray LeBlanc, Offit Kurman PA, Charlotte; Lauren V. Lewis, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; Jeffrey “Jeff” E. Marshall, Marshall & Taylor PLLC, Raleigh; Dustin S. McCrary, The Law Office of Dustin S. McCrary PLLC, Statesville; Patrick S. McCroskey, Gum, Hillier, McCroskey & Amburgey PA, Asheville; Joy G. McIver, Montford Family Law, Asheville; Lynn Wilson McNally, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, Raleigh; Jonathan Melton, Gailor, Hunt, Davis, Taylor & Gibbs PLLC, Raleigh; Eric S. Meredith, Jetton & Meredith PLLC, Charlotte; Jaye Meyer, Tharrington Smith

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— I N T E L L E C T UA L—

RICK MCDERMOTT McDermott IP Law, Charlotte Vita 51; born in Milwaukee, Wis., and raised in New Orleans; bachelor’s and law degrees from Marquette University; married to Rob Willard with German shepard/chow mix, Mandy (who passed away in October).

Quarantine pastime ► Prior to COVID-19, my husband, Rob, and I had been splitting time between Charlotte and New York City for several years. ... As a result ... we spent a lot of time eating out. We love our favorite restaurants in Charlotte, and we loved exploring NYC restaurants as well. ... I would say that we were very “vanilla” chefs prior to quarantine, but I quickly worked on elevating our “game” in the kitchen once we were confined to our home in Dilworth. ... We started buying produce and meat from local farms — random selections — and experimented with meals based on what we received. ... What we found is that we loved it.

Why he chose to specialize in this field

I’m fairly certain I’d be working for a nonprofit organization in our community — or maybe I’d give this chef thing a try.

Best advice received Having been educated by the Jesuits for many years, I have received lots of great teaching, advice and examples. At the root of all of it is “being a man for others,” and I try to remember that in everything I do.

Most memorable case In 2009, I was engaged by a small N.C.based technology company. They had a few patents that had already been issued and several patent applications still pending.

Their issued patents were being infringed by several much larger tech companies, and there were many more tech companies who were potential licensees of their technology.

They had no in-house legal team, and they needed IP expertise and guidance. They hired me as their lawyer, and I essentially became part of their leadership team. I assisted them in enforcing their existing patents through litigation, expanding their patent portfolio, and securing numerous patent licenses. All of this work led to an acquisition of the company and a successful exit for the investors and employees.

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In 2014, I was recognized by Charlotte Magazine for my volunteer work in the community. While it was an honor to receive such recognition, I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to work with such great organizations such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Relatives, Community Building Initative, Equality North Carolina, and others.

What he’d be if not a lawyer

I have been practicing intellectual property law for 26 years. Initially, it was the opportunity to pair my electrical engineering background with a law degree that led me to IP law. Since then, my passion for partnering with my clients to assist and guide them in protecting, enforcing and monetizing their intellectual property — their inventions, their brands, their creative and original works — has kept me in this work.

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Proudest moment

Favorite place Rob and I own a motorhome. ... Our favorite vacation place is anywhere we are in the motorhome. ... There are so many great places still to travel and explore, and we look forward to doing that.

Favorite book A Wrinkle in Time. It was the first book I remember feeling the enjoyment of reading and losing myself in the story. That feeling has kept me reading through the years.

Favorite movie Up — What a great movie, such great lessons — “Adventure is out there!”

LLP, Raleigh; Christopher D. Miller, Miller Bowles Cushing Law PLLC, Charlotte; Jennifer Paternostro Moore, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Randolph “Tré” Morgan III, Law Office of Randolph Morgan III PA, Raleigh; Barbara R. Morgenstern, Morgenstern & Associates PLLC, Greensboro; Carolyn T. Peacock, Peacock Family Law, New Bern; Robert A. Ponton Jr., Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; LeeAnne Quattrucci, LeeAnne Quattrucci PA, Wilmington; Mark D. Riopel, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Courtney Roller, Roller Law PLLC, Thomasville; Kelly R. Routh, Dozier, Miller, Pollard & Murphy LLP, Charlotte; Barbara J. Rynne, Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine & Greene PLLC, Charlotte; Linda B. Sayed, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington; Leah Shellberg, Garrett Walker Aycoth & Altamura LLP, Asheboro; Jim Siemens, Siemens Family Law Group, Asheville; Grant Sigmon, Sigmon Klein PLLC, Greensboro; Amy E. Simpson, Sodoma Law PC, Charlotte; Tonya Graser Smith, Graser Smith PLLC, Charlotte; Ketan P. Soni, Soni Brendle PLLC, Charlotte; Julia Kirby Stage, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Dale Stephenson, Linda Ward Law PC, Cary; Robin J. Stinson, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; Alice C. Stubbs, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh; Gene Brentley Tanner, Parker, Bryan, Britt, Tanner and Jenkins PLLC, Raleigh; Nicole Taylor, Gailor, Hunt, Davis, Taylor & Gibbs PLLC, Raleigh; Shannon Barclay Tuorto, Tuorto Law PC, Asheville; Tamla Tymus, Frasier & Griffin PLLC, Durham; Jason Vaughn, The Law Office of Jason Vaughn PLLC, Wilmington; Theresa E. Viera, Modern Legal, Charlotte; Tamela T. Wallace, The Law Office of Tamela T. Wallace PA, Charlotte; Danielle Walle, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Elise Morgan Whitley, Kurtz Evans Whitley Guy & Simos PLLC, Winston-Salem; Mallory A. Willink, Conrad Trosch & Kemmy PA, Charlotte; Lindsay Willis, The Rosen Law Firm PA, Cary; J. “Hunt” Huntington Wofford, Wofford Burt PLLC, Charlotte

HALL OF FAME: John H. Parker, Cheshire, Parker, Schneider, Bryan & Vitale, Raleigh, (2007); Carlyn Poole (retired), Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh, (2008); Richard D. Stephens, Dozier, Miller, Pollard & Murphy LLP, Charlotte, (2009); Lana S. Warlick, Law Office of Lana S. Warlick, Jacksonville, (2010); Michael F. Schilawski, Wake Family Law Group, Raleigh, (2011); D. Caldwell Barefoot Jr., Barefoot Family Law, Raleigh, (2012); Stan Brown, Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin PLLC, Charlotte, (2013); Lori M. Vitale, Vitale Family Law, Raleigh, (2014); Kimberly Bryan, Cheshire Parker Schneider & Bryan PLLC, Raleigh, (2015); Rob Blair, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte, (2016); Afi S. Johnson-Parris, Ward

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Black Law, Greensboro, (2017); Chris Eatmon, Eatmon Law Firm PC, Wake Forest, (2018); Kristin M. Hampson, Hampson Family Law, Raleigh, (2019); Mariana Godwin, Barefoot Family Law, Raleigh, (2020)

IMMIGRATION

GIGI GARDNER, Gardner Law PLLC, Raleigh; Laura Deddish Burton, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro; Daniel D. Christmann, Christmann Legal, Charlotte; Rosa M. Corriveau, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Raleigh; C. David Creech, Harris Creech Ward & Blackerby PA, New Bern; Steven “Steve” H. Garfinkel, Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm, Charlotte; Vanessa, A Gonzalez, The Law Office of Vanessa A. Gonzalez PLLC, Wilmington; Alan S. Gordon, Law Offices of Alan S. Gordon, a Professional Association, Charlotte; W. Rob Heroy, Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine & Greene PLLC, Charlotte; Hannah F. Little, Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm, Charlotte; Catherine Magennis, Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm, Charlotte; Jeremy L. McKinney, McKinney Law PLLC, Greensboro; George N. Miller, Dozier, Miller, Pollard & Murphy LLP, Charlotte; Rishi P. Oza, Robert Brown LLC, Durham; Helen Parsonage, Elliot Morgan Parsonage PLLC, Winston-Salem; John “Jack” L. Pinnix, Allen & Pinnix PA, Raleigh; Nicola Ai Ling Prall, Jackson Lewis PC, Raleigh; Susan Waller Ramos, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Charlotte; Benjamin A. Snyder, Muntean Snyder PLLC, Charlotte; Julie C. Spahn, Spahn Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; Doug Thie, Clawson & Staubes PLLC, Charlotte; Carla Vestal, Vestal Immigration Law, Hickory; Jessica L. Yañez, Yañez Law PLLC, Greensboro

HALL OF FAME: Laura Edgerton, Edgerton Immigration Law, Raleigh, (2018); Gerard M. “Gerry” Chapman, Chapman Law Firm, Greensboro, (2019); Murali Bashyam, Bashyam Shah LLP, Raleigh, (2020)

INTELLECTUAL

RICK MCDERMOTT, McDermott IP Law, Charlotte; Keith Agisim, Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte; Albert “Al” P. Allan, Allan Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; Stephen S. Ashley Jr., Ashley Law Firm PC, Charlotte; Leon T. Cain II, Schwegman Lundberg Woessner, Cary; Richard “Rick” A. Coughlin, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte, Greensboro; Ticora E. Davis, The Creator’s Law Firm, Charlotte; Arthur “Art” J. DeBaugh, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; Angela P. Doughty, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern; Kathryn Eyster, Tepper & Eyster PLLC, Raleigh; Eva Gullick Frongello, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; William “Evan” S. Fultz, Womble J A N U A R Y

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—BUSINESS—

GEORGE STEPHEN DIAB Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC, Wilmington Vita 56; born in Martins Ferry, Ohio; bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC Chapel Hill; married to Margaret for 33 years with kids, Walker, Jackson and Sarah Catherine, and dogs, Colby, Chloe, Arlo and Dixie.

Quarantine pastime ► Salt air adventures. My wife is from New Bern, and I am from Wilmington, so we have saltwater in our blood. We have spent many days in the past, and especially during this pandemic, heading to Masonboro Island on our skiff to read books and relax with our feet in the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean and Masonboro Inlet.

Why he chose to specialize in this field I love math. In 1981, I made the varsity basketball team for Hoggard High School in Wilmington. More importantly, that also happened to be the year Michael Jordan was a senior at Laney High School. I saw how incredible he was in basketball and realized that I needed to focus on what I could do best — analyze problems. So, I joined the math club and took my dad’s advice and played basketball for fun and solved problems for a living.

Most memorable case I helped two lifelong friends, whom I have known since I was 15, sell their business in the middle of a pandemic. They had worked more than 40 years to build that business, and I could not think of two more deserving individuals who had achieved the American dream through hard work.

Proudest moment Professionally: Earning the Silver Medal on the 1986 Uniform CPA Exam for my mom and dad. The celebration dinner with them and my future wife at the time was very special.

Best advice received From attorney Wade Hargrove: You will be successful and content in the practice of law if you choose to live in a place that you love. It was good advice.

From my dad: My father, the late George Diab, was in the broadcasting business.

His company had a corporate attorney in a large firm out of West Virginia that was both a CPA and an attorney, and my dad told me that this corporate attorney was the smartest businessman (not attorney) he had ever met. My dad said to me, “Stephen, get a CPA and a law degree and that combination will allow you to do anything in life that you want.” He meant it, and I followed it.

Favorite place For beautiful views of North Carolina’s coast: Masonboro Island near Wilmington.

For chasing wildlife: Elk Mountain, Wyo.

Favorite book For inspiration: Keeping Pace — Inspirations in the Air by Dr. Ernest A. Fitzgerald. A collection of short inspirational essays that appeared in Pace magazine, an in-flight magazine of Piedmont Airlines. For fun: The Lord of the Rings. I enjoy a good dose of fantasy combined with a great story to escape everyday reality.

Personally: All of our children have graduated from college and live in Wilmington. We see them often, and Margaret and I think that means we all love and appreciate each other and enjoy spending time together.

What he’d be if not a lawyer

Favorite movies

Something in computer science. My parents gave me a TRS-80 Radio Shack computer for Christmas in 1977 (I believe). It had 4K of memory, and I loved the challenges of writing code to solve problems or create games.

A Good Year, Pride & Prejudice, The Choice, The Holiday, and The Lord of the Rings.

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Bond Dickinson LLP, Raleigh; John M. Fuscoe, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Kimberly “Kim” Bullock Gatling, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro; Jamila Braswell Granger, Premier Inc., Charlotte; Arlene D. Hanks, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Jonathan M. Hines, Trego, Hines & Ladenheim PLLC, Huntersville; Patrick B. Horne, Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; Seth L. Hudson, Clements Bernard Walker PLLC, Charlotte; Brandon J. Huffman, Odin Law and Media, Raleigh; Blake P. Hurt, Tuggle Duggins PA, Greensboro; J. Christopher Jackson, Morningstar Law Group, Raleigh; Ashley Johnson, Dogwood Patent and Trademark Law, Raleigh; Shawna Cannon Lemon, Stanek Lemon Crouse & Meeks PA, Raleigh; James “Jim” L. Lester, MacCord Mason PLLC, Greensboro; Richard “Rick” T. Matthews, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Robert “Rob” A. Monath, Robert A. Monath, Raleigh; Justin R. Nifong, NK Patent Law, Raleigh; David W. Sar, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Andrew “Drew” R. Shores, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Randel “Randy” S. Springer, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Winston-Salem; Michael A. Springs, Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte; Elizabeth “Liz” A. Stanek, Stanek Lemon Crouse & Meeks PA, Raleigh; Steve Terranova, Withrow & Terranova PLLC, Cary; Christina Davidson Trimmer, Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; Douglas “Doug” C. Tsao, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Robert “Rob” Van Arnam, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Thomas G. Varnum, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Wilmington; Jennifer Venable, Capitol Broadcasting Co., Raleigh; Douglas Wilner, Nucor Corp., Charlotte

HALL OF FAME: Mitchell S. Bigel, Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec PA, Raleigh, (2002;2003); Kenneth D. Sibley, Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec PA, Raleigh, (2004); Wesley Thaddeus Adams III, Adams Evans PA, Charlotte, (2005); J. Scott Evans, Yahoo! Inc., Charlotte, (2006); Philip Summa, Summa, Allan & Additon PA, Charlotte, (2007); Susan Freya Olive, Olive & Olive PA, Durham, (2008); David M. Carter, Carter & Schnedler PA, Asheville, (2009); David M. Krasnow, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Raleigh, (2010); William J. Mason, MacCord Mason PLLC, Wilmington, (2011); E. Eric Mills, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern, (2012); Anthony Biller, Coats & Bennett PLLC, Cary, (2013); Larry L. Coats, Coats & Bennett PLLC, Cary, (2014); Sarah E. Nagae, The Nagae Law Firm PLLC dba Triangle Trademarks, Raleigh, (2015); Maury M. Tepper III, Tepper & Eyster PLLC, Raleigh, (2016); John C. Nipp, Additon, Higgins

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& Pendleton PA, Charlotte, (2017); Matthew Ladenheim, Trego, Hines & Ladenheim PLLC, Charlotte, (2018); Julie H. Richardson, Myers Bigel PA, Raleigh, (2019); Russ Racine, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Charlotte, (2020)

LITIGATION

KRISTEN L. BEIGHTOL, Edwards Kirby LLP, Raleigh; Noah Breen Abrams, Abrams & Abrams PA, Raleigh; David N. Allen, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Charlotte; Matthew “Matt” F. Altamura, Garrett Walker Aycoth & Altamura LLP, Asheboro; Phillip Scott Anderson, Long, Parker, Payne, Anderson & McClellan PA, Asheville; Deanna Davis Anderson, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Elizabeth “Liz” K. Arias, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Raleigh; Christopher “Chris” K. Behm, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington; M. Ryan Bisplinghoff, McAngus, Goudelock & Courie PLLC, Wilmington; Dhamian Blue, Blue LLP, Raleigh; Rachel Blunk, Forrest Firm PC, Greensboro, Winston-Salem; Robert “Bobby” C. Bowers, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Matthew “Matt” Buckmiller, Buckmiller, Boyette & Frost PLLC, Raleigh; Jason Michael Burton, Burton Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; Bo Caudill, Weaver,

Bennett, & Bland PA, Matthews; Andrew S. Chamberlin, Ellis & Winters LLP, Greensboro; Karen Chapman, Poyner Spruill LLP, Charlotte; David S. Coats, Bailey & Dixon LLP, Raleigh; Stephen E. Coble, Coble Law Firm PC, Wilmington; Heather Connor, McAngus, Goudelock & Courie PLLC, Charlotte; Stephen Corby, The Law Office of Stephen M. Corby, Charlotte; Amanda K. Cutler, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Kelly Margolis Dagger, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; Richard “Rick” S. Daniels, Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore PA, Asheville; Eric M. David, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Kearns Davis, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, Raleigh; Paul E. Davis, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Raleigh; Tricia M. Derr, Lincoln Derr PLLC, Charlotte; Fred W. DeVore IV, DeVore, Acton & Stafford PA, Charlotte; Jake Epstein, The Epstein Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; Jason D. Evans, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, Charlotte; Andrew “Andy” L. Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Law PC, Winston-Salem; J. Scott Flowers, Hutchens Law Firm LLP, Fayetteville; Ross Fulton, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; Will Graebe, Graebe Hanna & Sullivan PLLC, Raleigh; Matthew J. Gray, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; W.

Daniel Grist, Law Offices of W. Daniel Grist PLLC, Charlotte; Scott C. Harris, Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP, Raleigh; James M. Hash, Everett Gaskins Hancock LLP, Raleigh; J. Alex Heroy, James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte; Sara “Sally” W. Higgins, Higgins & Owens PLLC, Charlotte; H. Clay Hodges, Harris Sarratt & Hodges LLP, Raleigh; Morgan Holt, Holton Law Firm PLLC, Winston-Salem; Ann-Patton Hornthal, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Jason B. James, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Charlotte; Neale T. Johnson, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte, Greensboro; W. Scott Jones, Barbour, Searson, Jones & Cash PLLC, Asheville; Patrick M. Kane, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte, Greensboro; Lori Keeton, Law Offices of Lori Keeton PLLC, Charlotte; Kimberly “Kim” J. Kirk, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Henry “Hal” L. Kitchin Jr., McGuireWoods LLP, Raleigh; Bradley “Brad” R. Kutrow, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Aaron Lay, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; E. Hardy Lewis, Blanchard, Miller, Lewis & Isley PA, Raleigh; Gwendolyn W. Lewis, Lincoln Derr PLLC, Charlotte; Trey Lindley, Lindley Law PLLC, Charlotte; Harrison A. Lord, Lord Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; Jeffrey “Jeff” P. MacHarg, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte; Edward “Ed”

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— E N V I R O N M E N TA L—

SUSAN COOPER

Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Charlotte Vita 53; born in Statesville; bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC Chapel Hill; married to college sweetheart Scott with kids, Michael and Danielle, and a cuddly dog named Charlie.

Quarantine pastime ► Exploring nearby trails became one of my favorite things to do during quarantine. ...

My husband indulged me for a hike on the Buffalo Creek Preserve Trail, and we both became hooked. In the past few months, we’ve hiked in nearby trails, parks and in the mountains. We created an online account with Carolina Thread Trail to find new trails and keep track of those we like.

It’s now a simple pleasure I look forward to where we just appreciate the freedom of nature.

Why she chose to specialize in this field Out of law school, I was offered an opportunity to work with some very talented environmental lawyers that made practicing environmental law fun and challenging. I stayed with it because I like the hybrid practice it offers — it’s a mix of regulatory, transactional and litigation work. I particularly like helping clients solve regulatory issues and redevelop impacted property.

Most memorable case Co-chair of a federal jury trial involving environmental issues and lost profits. I was involved from the beginning as a new associate when a client asked for help on a narrow due diligence issue. Over several years, the case evolved into complex issues, and ultimately we filed a complaint and tried the case — it’s unusual for environmental matters to go to trial. I got to work closely with a lot of talented people and learned a lot.

Proudest moment I’m always happy when we can help a client resolve their problems — that’s the best feeling. But overall I think I’m happiest about how I’ve been able to practice law over the past 27 years with the work/life balance I wanted for my family. I paused my practice briefly when my kids were small, and over the years, I’ve worked different schedules as needed for my family. I’m very thankful for my colleagues and family that supported me along the way.

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What she’d be if not a lawyer Teaching and coaching youth girls’ basketball.

Best advice received When I was a young associate worrying about balancing family and work, a partner encouraged me with some practical advice: “You can have it all — just maybe not all at the same time.” It was great advice that gave me the freedom to appreciate each stage of my life. The second one comes from my husband to my kids: “Do what you’ve got to do, and then you can do what you want to do.” My kids used to hate it, but I catch them saying it now.

Favorite place Wrightsville Beach. Lots of family summer vacations there, and it’s our quick go-to.

I love the quaint island with the beach, marsh, and timeless places to eat and relax, walking the “loop” is fun, and Wilmington has some really good local restaurants.

Favorite book My most recent favorite book is The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. This book has a lot of layers to it — historical events from World War II but also deeply personal, tragic, yet inspiring stories that influenced me and my faith in the best way.

Favorite movie I will watch Harry Potter movies all day long. My kids and I read the books several times and watched the movies together.

The movies are fun, there’s a lot of “good” in them, and they remind me of those special times with my kids.

H. Maginnis, Maginnis Law PLLC, Raleigh; Robert “Rob” R. Marcus, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Charlotte; Brenda S. McClearn, Sharpless McClearn Lester Duffy PA , Greensboro; Andrew “Andy” K. McVey, Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC, Wilmington; Patrick “Pat” M. Meacham, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Philip R. Miller III, Blanchard, Miller, Lewis & Isley PA, Raleigh; Kevin L. Miller, Kevin L. Miller, Attorney PLLC, WinstonSalem; Jason A. Miller, Miller Monroe & Plyler PLLC, Raleigh; Patrick M. Mincey, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Raleigh, Wilmington; Benjamin “Ben” Moeller, McAngus, Goudelock & Courie PLLC, Raleigh; Jeffrey “Jeff” R. Monroe, Miller Monroe & Plyler PLLC, Raleigh; Jon R. Moore, Brown Moore & Associates PLLC, Charlotte; Parker E. Moore, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Kemp Mosley, Narron Wenzel PA, Raleigh; Julie Mueller, Premier Inc., Charlotte; Allison Mullins, Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro; Brandon S. Neuman, Shanahan Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; John D. Noor, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Philip Olivier, Garrett and Walker PLLC, Greensboro; Justin N. Outling, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Leslie C. Packer, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; Alan Parry, Parry Law PLLC, Chapel Hill; Gavin B. Parsons, Coats & Bennett PLLC, Cary; Joseph “Joe” Pellington, Redding Jones PLLC, Charlotte; Caitlin M. Poe, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Paul J. Puryear Jr., Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; David Redding, Redding Jones PLLC, Charlotte; Joel R. Rhine, Rhine Law Firm PC, Wilmington; Amy E. Richardson, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, Raleigh; Gary J. Rickner, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Neil Riemann, Penry Riemann PLLC, Raleigh; James “Jim” A. Roberts III, Lewis & Roberts PLLC, Raleigh; Erik Rosenwood, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte; Alan M. Ruley, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; Thomas “Tom” H. Segars, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; Kieran J. Shanahan, Shanahan Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; Dawn Sheek, Sheek Law, Thomasville; Timothy “Tim” A. Sheriff, Crumley Roberts LLP, Charlotte; Ryan M. Shuirman, Yates McLamb & Weyher LLP, Raleigh; Grant Sigmon, Sigmon Klein PLLC, Greensboro; William L. Sitton Jr., Law Office of William L. Sitton, Charlotte; Christopher “Chris” J. Skinner, Yates McLamb & Weyher LLP, Raleigh; Samuel “Sam” A. Slater, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Jeff S. Southerland, Tuggle Duggins PA, Greensboro; Eric Spengler, Spengler & Agans PLLC, Charlotte; Joseph “Joe” H. Stallings, Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, Angell & Davis PA, Raleigh; Luther D. Starling Jr.,

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Daughtry, Woodard, Lawrence & Starling LLP, Smithfield; Wyatt S. Stevens, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Colin Stockton, Regent Law, Charlotte; M. Todd Sullivan, Graebe Hanna & Sullivan PLLC, Raleigh; Clark Tew, Pope McMillan PA, Statesville; Benton L. Toups, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Wilmington; Andrew Ussery, McAngus, Goudelock & Courie PLLC, Charlotte; Robert “Rob” Van Arnam, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Cindy Van Horne, Poyner Spruill LLP, Charlotte; Jennifer K. Van Zant, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Austin R. Walsh, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP, Charlotte; Judson “Judd” A. Welborn, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; David C. Wright III, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte

PLLC, Raleigh; Justin “Nick” N. Bolling, Hankin & Pack PLLC, Charlotte; Michele Callaway, Adams, Howell, Sizemore & Adams PA, Raleigh; Alison R. Cayton, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; L. Penn Clarke, Longleaf Law Partners, Raleigh; Donna R. Cohen, Donna R. Cohen Attorney at Law PLLC, Raleigh; Katherine “Katie” M. Dowell, Katherine Dowell PLLC, Raleigh; Matthew Doyle, Doyle & Wallace PLLC, Charlotte; Jeff Dunham, Tuggle Duggins PA, Greensboro; Garth K. Dunklin, Venn Law Group, Charlotte;

Jerome “Jerry” R. Eatman Jr., Lynch & Eatman LLP, Raleigh; Scott Eggleston, Ivey & Eggleston LP, Asheboro; Randall Faircloth, Regent Law, Charlotte; Samuel “Sam” B. Franck, Ward and Smith PA, Wilmington; Elizabeth Betsy Gold, Bagwell Holt Smith PA, Chapel Hill; Jon Goldberg, Alexander Ricks PLLC, Charlotte; W. Daniel Grist, Law Offices of W. Daniel Grist PLLC, Charlotte; Philip K. Hackley, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Jon Hankin, Hankin & Pack PLLC, Charlotte; James B. Haynes, Jenkins Haynes PLLC,

HALL OF FAME: James T. Williams Jr., Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, (2002;2003); Clarence W. Walker, Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman LLP, Charlotte, (2004); Gary S. Parsons, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh, (2005); William K. Davis, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem, (2006); Dan J. McLamb, Yates, McLamb & Weyher LLP, Raleigh, (2007); Robert D. Walker, Walker, Allen, Grice, Ammons & Foy LLP, Goldsboro, (2008); J. Donald Cowan Jr., Ellis & Winters LLP, Greensboro, (2009); G. Gray Wilson, Wilson, Helms and Cartledge, WinstonSalem, (2010); James H. Kelly Jr., Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem, (2011); Daniel L. Brawley, Williams Mullen, Wilmington, (2012); Lee M. Whitman, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh, (2013); Michael J. Byrne, Byrne Law PC, Raleigh, (2014); Jonathan D. Sasser, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh, (2015); Jean Sutton Martin, Law Office of Jean Sutton Martin PLLC, Wilmington, (2016); Greg Merritt, Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby, New Bern, (2017); Ward Davis, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Charlotte, (2018); Elizabeth Scott, Williams Mullen, Raleigh, (2019); Clay A. Campbell, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte, (2020)

REAL ESTATE

Diana R. Palecek, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte; Charles “Chuck” N. Anderson Jr., Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; Jonathan “Jon” W. Anderson, The Law Office of Jonathan W. Anderson PLLC, Raleigh; Charles V. Archie, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Calvin G. Armstrong, Norwood, Armstrong & Stokes PLLC, Charlotte; Mary B. Ashley, Ashley Law Firm PC, Charlotte; Susan Strayhorn Barbour, McGuire, Wood & Bissette PA, Asheville; Angela Berland, Hankin & Pack PLLC, Charlotte; Camden C. Betz, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Ashleigh E. Black, Ragsdale Liggett J A N U A R Y

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—TA X & E S TAT E P L A N N I N G —

JESSICA MERING HARDIN Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte Vita 39; born in Baltimore; bachelor’s from Davidson College and law degree from Wake Forest University; married to Burgin with children, Annie and Grace.

Quarantine pastime ► Juggling two small children and two careers during the pandemic hasn’t left time for much else, but my family has enjoyed getting to know our new neighborhood. We moved right before everything shut down, so we have spent a lot of time meeting new neighbors and exploring the many nearby walking trails — including the path to my 7-year-old’s favorite destination: Ben and Jerry’s.

Why she chose to specialize in this field

What she’d be if not a lawyer

The trusts and estates practice lets me work on complex legal issues alongside the people who are directly affected by that work — clients and their families.

That combination of sophisticated work and meaningful client relationships is a special one.

I was the editor in chief of the college newspaper and I worked as a TV news writer/producer before law school. I like to think I could have been the next Katharine Graham or Lesley Stahl.

Best advice received

Most memorable case The best part of my job is that I have very few one-and-done cases — it is such a privilege to work with my clients as they grow families, build businesses and plan their legacies.

Proudest moment I chose Robinson Bradshaw because of the unique community and reputation that its lawyers — from Russell Robinson on — built and cultivated. The opportunity to join those role models as a partner was — and continues to be — an extraordinary privilege.

Each day, tackle the least favorite — or most dreaded — task first.

Favorite place A beach — any beach. Crashing waves are the ultimate backdrop for relaxation.

Favorite book It’s hard to choose just one, but I particularly like narrative nonfiction.

Right now, I’m reading David Halberstam’s The Children at the recommendation of one of my partners.

Favorite TV show We’ve been watching The Office on Netflix lately — no other show makes me laugh even after multiple viewings.

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Greensboro; Solomon I. Hejirika Jr., Knipp Law Office PLLC, Charlotte; David L. Hillman, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh; Thomas P. Hockman, Schell Bray PLLC, Greensboro; Brian D. Holofchak, Kirk Palmer & Thigpen PA, Charlotte; Scott T. Horn, Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler PA, Winston-Salem; Justin K. Humphries, The Humphries Law Firm PC, Wilmington; Susan K. Irvin, Irvin Law Group PLLC, Cornelius; Marc L. Isaacson, Isaacson Isaacson Sheridan Fountain & Leftwich LLP, Greensboro; Peter U. Kanipe, McGuire, Wood & Bissette PA, Asheville; Jeffrey “Jeff” P. Keeter, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington; Meredith Kittrell, Getter Law Offices PA, Raleigh; Benjamin “Ben” R. Kuhn, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Michael Lee, Lee Kaess PLLC, Wilmington; Robert “Bobby” G. Lindauer, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; G. Grey Littlewood, Littlewood Law PLLC, Raleigh; John C. Livingston, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Raleigh; Nicole Sabourin Loeffler, Weatherspoon & Voltz LLP, Raleigh; Sarah Lucente, Kunkleman & Lucente PLLC, Charlotte; John Maheras, Essex Richards PA, Charlotte; William “Bill” C. Matthews Jr., Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Charlotte; James “Jamie” C. McCaskill, Longleaf Law Partners, Raleigh; Gary T. McDermott, McDermott Law PLLC, Waxhaw; Heather McDowell, Ellinger & Carr PLLC, Raleigh; Peter McLean III, K&L Gates LLP, Charlotte; Danny Merlin, Alexander Ricks PLLC, Charlotte; Peter F. Morgan, Morgan Law, Charlotte; Preston Nelson, Nelson Law Firm PLLC, Greensboro; James A. Oliver, Hatch, Little & Bunn LLP, Raleigh; Jacob R. Parrott III, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; James K. Pendergrass Jr., Pendergrass Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; Jason Pfister, Middleburg Communities, Raleigh; Tonya Powell, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Raleigh; Robert “Bob” J. Ramseur Jr., Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; R. Graham Renfro, The Law Office of R. Graham Renfro PLLC, Charlotte; John Renger, Renger & Reynolds PLLC, Charlotte; Julian Robb, Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP, Winston-Salem; S. “Bo” Leigh Rodenbough IV, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Robert C.M. Rountree, Narron & Holdford PA, Wilson; Lawrence “Larry” J. Shaheen Jr., The McIntosh Law Firm PC, Davidson; Douglas “Doug” J. Short, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Caroline Wannamaker Sink, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Jonathan T. Sizemore, Adams, Howell, Sizemore & Adams PA, Cary; Richard “Rick” C. Stephenson, StephensonLaw LLP, Cary; Gary W. Swindell, Swindell & Visalli PLLC, Charlotte; Lindsay Parris Thompson, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Asheville; William T. Wallace, McMillan,

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Psaroudis & Markey PA, Charlotte; William “Will” H. Weatherspoon Jr., Weatherspoon & Voltz LLP, Raleigh; A. Grant Whitney Jr., Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Guilford “Matt” Mattern York, York Kimble Law PLLC, Winston-Salem

Voltz LLP, Raleigh, (2018); Annika M. Brock, The Brock Law Firm PLLC, Asheville, (2019); Allen York, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh, (2020)

HALL OF FAME: Alfred Adams,

Jessica Mering Hardin, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; S. Kyle Agee, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; David E. Anderson, David E. Anderson PLLC, Wilmington; Erin C.V. Bailey, Tuggle Duggins PA, Greensboro; Jackie Bedard, Carolina Family Estate Planning, Cary; Brian Bernhardt, Forrest Firm PC, Charlotte; Everett M. Bolton, Howard, McCoy & Bolton LLP, Raleigh; R. “Dan” Daniel Brady, Brady Cobin Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; Martin M. Brennan Jr., Brennan Law Firm PLLC, Huntersville; Gwendolyn “Wendy” C. Brooks, Kennon Craver PLLC, Durham; Stephen A. Brown, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; Joshua “Josh” D. Bryant, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Andrew S. Bullard, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, Raleigh; Madison “Matt” E. Bullard Jr., Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Stephen “Steve” T. Byrd, Manning, Fulton &

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Winston-Salem, (2004); Barry D. Mann, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh, (2005); Brent A. Torstrick, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2006); Samuel T. Oliver Jr., Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh, (2007); Charles Gordon Brown, Brown & Bunch PLLC, Chapel Hill, (2008); C. Steven Mason, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh, (2009); Timothy G. Sellers, Sellers, Hinshaw, Ayers, Dortch & Lyons PA, Charlotte, (2010); Frank M. Bell Jr., Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, WinstonSalem, (2011); George W. Sistrunk III, Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin PLLC, Charlotte, (2012); Robert Charles Lawson, Williams Mullen, Raleigh, (2013); Michael G. Winters, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh, (2014); Holly H. Alderman, Schell Bray PLLC, Chapel Hill, (2015); Brian W. Byrd, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro, (2016); Anna P. McLamb, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh, (2017); Beth Voltz, Weatherspoon &

TAX & ESTATE PLANNING

Skinner PA, Raleigh; Taylor Callicutt, Ivey & Eggleston LP, Asheboro; John “Jody” J. Carpenter, Culp Elliott & Carpenter PLLC, Charlotte; Ansley Chapman Cella, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; John R. Cella Jr., Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Christian P. Cherry, Crisp Cherry McCraw PLLC, Charlotte; Andrea C. Chomakos, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Sandra Martin Clark, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Thomas “Tom” H. Cook Jr., Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; C. Michael Crisp, Crisp Cherry McCraw PLLC, Charlotte; Stephanie C. Daniel, Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; Andrew Darcy, Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP, WinstonSalem; R. Walton Davis III, R. Walton Davis III PA, Black Mountain; Justin R. Ervin III, Johnson, Peddrick & McDonald PLLC, Greensboro; Daniel Brinson Finch, Pinna, Johnston & Burwell PA, Raleigh; Elie J. Foy, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Raleigh; Kimberly A. Gossage, Garrity & Gossage LLP, Matthews; Edward W. Griggs, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Winston-Salem; C. Wells Hall III, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Charlotte; John “Jay” Hemphill, Hemphill Gelder PC, Raleigh; Cory Howes, Forrest Firm PC, Raleigh; Kevin Huston, Huston Law Firm PLLC, Durham, Raleigh; Brooks F. Jaffa,

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— L I T I G AT I O N —

KRISTEN L. BEIGHTOL Edwards Kirby LLP, Raleigh Vita 45; born in Morristown, N.J., and grew up in Raleigh; bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and law degree from Campbell University; dog named Jackson.

Quarantine pastime ► I have become a long-distance runner.

Why she chose to specialize in this field I practice in the area of medical malpractice because I bore easily and love to travel. Medical malpractice offers me the opportunity to learn different medicine in each of my cases and to travel (at least pre-COVID-19) around the U.S. to take or defend world experts in different medical fields.

Most memorable case

Best advice received

One of my first cases resulted in an extraordinarily large settlement. It was a case involving a catastrophic birth injury.

I have kept in touch with the family over the years. Through my contact with the family, I had the privilege of watching the little girl grow up and the funds we recovered for her enable her to have the medical care she needed to live her best life for the years that she had.

I have had amazing mentors over the years who have given me advice that I use every day. Some of the best advice has been be honest, be prepared, be yourself and pick your battles.

Proudest moment Because our cases are complicated and involve so many witnesses, we generally work on them as a team. Our clients are catastrophically injured. My proudest moments are when our collective hard work results in a meaningful recovery for our clients that enables them to get the health care and resources they need to live their best lives under their difficult circumstances.

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My favorite vacation spot right now is Whitefish, Mont. I have family there. The scenery there is so different from where I live that it is a great place to unwind. The bonus is that I am able to visit with family while I do that.

Favorite book My favorite book is The Great Gatsby.

I enjoyed it because so much in life is not what it seems until you really get underneath and learn the true character of those involved.

Favorite show

What she’d be if not a lawyer If I were not a lawyer, I would be a political journalist. My undergraduate degree is in journalism and mass communication. I love to write, and I enjoy politics.

Favorite place

Does a podcast count? My favorite podcast is Crime Junkie. I like it because it is so intense that it distracts me from what I have going on in my life. The distraction helps me unplug.

Cranford, Buckley, Schultze, Tomchin, Allen & Buie PA, Charlotte; Linda Funke Johnson, Senter Stephenson Johnson PA, Fuquay-Varina; Timothy “Tim” W. Jones, Jones Branz & Whitaker LLP, Raleigh; Christopher “Chris” J.C. Jones, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Jill Peters Kaess, Lee Kaess PLLC, Wilmington; Warren P. Kean, Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; John G. Kelso, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Asheville; Adam G. Kerr, Kerr Law PLLC, Greensboro; Amy H. Kincaid, Schell Bray PLLC, Greensboro; Amy Smith Klass, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro; Anthony A. Klish, Maginnis Law PLLC, Raleigh; Harris M. Livingstain, McGuire, Wood & Bissette PA, Asheville; Paul H. Livingston Jr., Schell Bray PLLC, Greensboro; James “Jim” M. Mabon, Law Office of James M. Mabon, Charlotte; Lauren Campbell Maxie, N.C. Planning, Raleigh; Chadwick “Chad” I. McCullen, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; William “Bill” L. Mills IV, Culp Elliott & Carpenter PLLC, Charlotte; Jared D. Mobley, K&L Gates LLP, Charlotte; Ryan Monk, Monk Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; Christopher “Chris” S. Morden, Monroe, Wallace & Morden PA, Raleigh; Jeffery J. Morris, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Marcus L. Moxley, Edwards Craver Veach PLLC, Winston-Salem; Lawrence “Larry” A. Moye IV, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, Raleigh; Michael Murray, Murray Moyer PLLC, Raleigh; Andrew L. Nesbitt, Nesbitt Law PLLC, Charlotte; Timothy “Tim” A. Nordgren, Sands Anderson PC, Durham; Tanya Nicole Oesterreich, Oesterreich Law PLLC, Concord; Erin B. Patterson, Erin Patterson Law PLLC, Charlotte; Gregory “Greg” T. Peacock, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern; Christian L. Perrin, Hickmon & Perrin PC, Charlotte; Allie Petrova, Petrova Law PLLC, Greensboro; Justin Plummer, Law Offices of Cheryl David PLLC, Greensboro; Thomas “Tad” J. Rhodes Jr., Narron & Holdford PA, Wilson; Larry H. Rocamora, McPherson, Rocamora, Nicholson, Wilson & Hinkle PLLC, Durham; Heidi E. Royal, Heidi E. Royal Law PLLC, Charlotte; Maria Satterfield, Satterfield Legal PLLC, Charlotte; Rebecca Smitherman, Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP, Winston-Salem; Sue A. Sprunger, Sprunger Law PLLC, Raleigh; Rebecca L. Stevens, Stevens Law Firm PLLC, Cary; Kimberly “Kim” Quarles Swintosky, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Adam PM Tarleton, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Bradley “Brad” T. Van Hoy, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Sara Page H. Waugh, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Sabrina Winters, Sabrina Winters Attorney at Law PLLC, Charlotte; Keith A. Wood, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Bradley S. Wooldridge, Manning, Fulton

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& Skinner PA, Raleigh; Louis E. Wooten III, The Wooten Law Firm, Raleigh; Paul Yokabitus, Yokabitus Law PLLC, Cary

derson PA, Raleigh, (2020)

HALL OF FAME: Robert C. Vaughn

Holden B. Clark, Holden B. Clark, Attorney at Law PLLC, Gastonia; Derek P. Adler, DeVore, Acton & Stafford PA, Charlotte; Shannon L. Altamura, Garrett Walker Aycoth & Altamura LLP, Asheboro; Charles V. Archie, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Lisa W. Arthur, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro; Nana A. Asante-Smith, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Erik Ashman, The Olsinski Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte, Concord; Timaura E. Barfield, Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; Mary Aiken Barrow, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh; Steven Allen Bimbo, Smith Terry Johnson & Windle, Charlotte; Katie D.B. Burchette, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Carl Burchette, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte; Kelsey Hendrickson Butler, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Heather G. Carson, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Kelly A. Chrisman, K&L Gates LLP, Charlotte; L. Penn Clarke, Longleaf Law Partners, Raleigh; M. Cabell Clay, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Brittany N. Conner, DeVore, Acton & Stafford PA, Charlotte; Matt Cordell, VF Corp., Greensboro; Alec Covington, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte;

Jr., Vaughn Perkinson Ehlinger Moxley & Stogner, Winston-Salem, (2002; 2003); W. Curtis Elliott Jr., Culp Elliott & Carpenter PLLC, Charlotte, (2004); Ray S. Farris, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte, (2005); Elizabeth L. Quick, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Winston-Salem, (2006); James W. Narron, Narron, O’Hale & Whittington PA, Smithfield, (2007); E. William Kratt, Herring Mills & Kratt PLLC, Raleigh, (2008); Christy Eve Reid (died May 8, 2014), Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2009); Michael H. Godwin, Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC, Greensboro, (2010); Maria M. Lynch, Lynch & Eatman LLP, Raleigh, (2011); Graham D. Holding Jr., Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte, (2012); Andrew H. Veach, Edwards Craver Veach PLLC, Winston-Salem, (2013); Robert H. Haggard, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Asheville, (2014); Michael A. Colombo, Colombo, Kitchin, Dunn, Ball & Porter LLP, Greenville, (2015); Jason Walls, The Walls Law Firm PLLC, Apex, (2016); Debra L. Foster, Foster Royal PA, Charlotte, (2017); Elizabeth “Liz” K. Arias, Womble Bond Dickinson, Raleigh, (2018); Jean Gordon Carter, McGuireWoods LLP, Raleigh, (2019); Rudy Ogburn, Young Moore and Hen-

YOUNG GUNS

Lee D. Denton, Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC, Winston-Salem; Kimberly N. Dixon, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Nicholas Dowgul, Law Office of Nicholas Dowgul PLLC, Cary; W. Michael Dowling, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Jordan Duhe Willetts, Duhe Law PLLC, Wilmington; J. Porter Durham III, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Kyle Frost, Offit Kurman PA, Charlotte; Lauren E. Fussell, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; Katie Walsh Gilbert, Rech Law PC, Charlotte; Taylor Goodnight, federal public defender Western District of N.C., Charlotte; Norlan Graves, N.C. Department of Justice, Raleigh; Karl S. Gwaltney, Maginnis Law PLLC, Raleigh; Tara A. Harrawood, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte; Daniel A. Harris, Clifford & Harris PLLC, Greensboro; Meredith D. Harris, Law Office of Meredith D. Harris PLLC, Thomasville; R. Maria Hawkins, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Solomon I. Hejirika Jr., Knipp Law Office PLLC, Charlotte; Lindsey Houk, Waple & Houk PLLC, Charlotte; Matthew T. Houston, K&L Gates LLP, Charlotte; Samuel “Sam” P. Hyde, Hyde & Brown PA, Waynesville; Chris Jackson, Ellis & Winters LLP, Greensboro; Brooks F. Jaffa, Cranford, Buckley, Schultze, Tomchin, Allen & Buie PA, Charlotte; Emily C. Jones, Burney &

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—YO U N G G U N S —

HOLDEN B. CLARK Holden B. Clark, Attorney at Law PLLC, Gastonia Vita 32, born in Gastonia; bachelor’s from Appalachian State University and law degree from Charlotte School of Law; married to Andrea with daughters, Mackenzie and Caroline, and fourlegged son, Wrigley.

Quarantine pastime ► This year, I became focused on starting my own firm, running a campaign and spending time working on my favorite charities. I am a big supporter of the Alliance for Children & Youth Communities In Schools of Gaston County, Hope United Survivor Network, The Lighthouse of Gaston County, and unofficially chair a committee overseeing charity work for our local bar.

Why he chose to specialize in family law I have spent my career working in criminal, civil, and family law. All which have brought me a great amount of joy and experiences. My passion is in helping individuals and families struggling with mental health issues. I owe my passion to this as a thank you to a dear but departed friend. We can all look over and help our neighbor; even a smile and a nice word can be the difference in a good day or not.

Most memorable case My most memorable case comes from working and learning from Assistant Public Defender Rocky Lutz and Public Defender Stuart Higdon on a first degree murder case when I was 27 years old. This was a case of actual innocence. The case took long hours and great attention to detail to show the true picture that was otherwise overlooked.

Proudest moment When I was a young assistant public defender, I was asked to help revise the local rules of Criminal Court in Gaston County by then-Chief District Court Judge Ralph Gingles. Unfortunately, before we could complete our task, we lost a titan of the Gaston legal field. It was such an honor to be included in a working group with such an impactful judge and friend.

What he’d be if not a lawyer I would have studied psychology or psychiatry and focused my career on treating mental health conditions.

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Best advice received Everyone has some good in them; find that good.

Favorite vacation spot Hilton Head Island, S.C. Nature, beach, golf and shade. Most importantly: a lot of shade.

Favorite book The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff. I am a huge fan of the art of stand-up comedy. I love listening to folks tell stories and think it’s an important part of the work that we do. The evolution of comedy is interesting as it relates to our history and societal tastes. Lawyers can take themselves way too seriously, and my outlet is to remember there is a lot of laughter to be shared in the world.

Favorite TV show Any stand-up special (blue, clean, even in Spanish). I enjoy watching all stand-up and really find it interesting to watch stand-up from different countries. We are all very similar.

Jones PLLC, Wilmington; Kristen M. Kirby, McGuireWoods LLP, Raleigh; Kimberly “Kim” J. Kirk, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Daniel J. Knight, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Matthew “Matt” W. Krueger-Andes, Fox Rothschild LLP, Charlotte; Carolyn “Lynn” KruegerAndes, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Mary Kathryn Kurth, Edwards Kirby LLP, Raleigh; Peter Lamm, Law Office of Peter R. Lamm PLLC, Greensboro; L. Bree Laughrun, James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte; Kyle LeBlanc, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Benjamin “Ben” F. Leighton, Alexander Ricks PLLC, Charlotte; Patrick Lineberry, Forrest Firm PC, Greensboro; Micheal L. Littlejohn Jr., Littlejohn Law PLLC, Charlotte; Luis M. Lluberas, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Jeremy S. Maddox, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, Charlotte; Michael L. Martinez, Grier Wright Martinez PA, Charlotte; Katie McAbee, Legal Aid of North Carolina Inc., Charlotte; Chadwick “Chad” I. McCullen, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; Catlin A. Mitchell, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; Jeffrey “Jeff” R. Monroe, Miller Monroe & Plyler PLLC, Raleigh; Parker E. Moore, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; William “Will” K. Morgan III, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Jacob M. Morse, Miller Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; Kip D. Nelson, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro, Raleigh; John D. Noor, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Douglas D. Noreen, Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, Angell & Davis PA, Raleigh; Charise S. Patterson, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Allie Petrova, Petrova Law PLLC, Greensboro; Caitlin M. Poe, Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins PC, Raleigh; S. “Will” Wilson Quick, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Bryan Radford, The Radford Law Firm PLLC, Wilson; Kate Rech, Rech Law PC, Charlotte; Bobby Robinson, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Charlotte; Courtney Roller, Roller Law PLLC, Thomasville; Stephen “Steve” M. Russell Jr., Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro; Joseph “Joe” R. Shealy, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Charlotte; Troy D. Shelton, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh; Grant Sigmon, Sigmon Klein PLLC, Greensboro; Susan Sullivan Simos, Kurtz Evans Whitley Guy & Simos PLLC, Winston-Salem; Kelly Smith, Cary E. Close PA, Raleigh; Eric Spengler, Spengler & Agans PLLC, Charlotte; Dale Stephenson, Linda Ward Law PC, Cary; Zephyr Jost Sullivan, McAngus, Goudelock & Courie PLLC, Asheville; Anna H. Tison, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Christopher “Chris” D. Tomlinson, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; Daniel “Dan” S. Trimmer, Skufca Law PLLC, Charlotte; Elizabeth L. Troutman, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Meghan L. Van

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Vynckt, Cordes Law, PLLC, Charlotte; Sam Viscuso, Garrett and Walker PLLC, Greensboro; Suzanne R. Walker, Yates McLamb & Weyher LLP, Raleigh; Patrick M. Wallace, Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP, Raleigh; William T. Wallace, McMillan, Psaroudis & Markey PA , Charlotte; Devon D. Williams, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; C. Rob Wilson, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP, Raleigh; Jeremy M. Wilson, Ward and Smith PA, Wilmington

2021 LEGAL ELITE LAWYER PROFILES

HALL OF FAME:

J. Christian Stevenson, Kirk Palmer & Thigpen PA, Charlotte, (2012); George Mason Oliver, Oliver Friesen Cheek PLLC, New Bern, (2013); Michael F. Easley Jr., McGuireWoods LLP,, Raleigh, (2014); Alvaro R. De La Calle, Calle Law PLLC, Greensboro, (2015); Aaron Lay, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte, (2016); Elie Foy, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh, (2017); Matthew T. Marcellino, Marcellino & Tyson PLLC, Charlotte, (2018); Nancy S. Litwak, Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak PLLC, Charlotte, (2019); Antonia A. “Toni” Peck, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Raleigh, (2020) ADVERTISEMENT

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2021 LEGAL ELITE LAWYER PROFILES

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COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

PHOTO COURTESY OF PINEHURST RESORT

MOORE COUNTY

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GAME ON

PHOTO COURTESY OF PINEHURST RESORT

Moore County scored big with the United States Golf Association’s second headquarters.

It’s leveraging that move to attract development, businesses and people countywide.

Liberty Corner is an unincorporated community in north-central New Jersey’s Somerset County, 45 minutes west of New York City via Interstate 78. It’s home to Bernards Township’s oldest elementary school, which was built in 1904, and a historic district that was added to the National Register in 1991. It also is home to the United States Golf Association, its museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History.

USGA’s museum is a dressed up two-story brick building with four tall white columns, dormers and a manicured lawn. Opened in 1935, it preserves the game’s past and includes a Hall of Champions with rooms dedicated to Palmer, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan.

The nine-hole putting course out back is modeled after St. Andrews Links in Scotland, birthplace of the game it honors.

With that dedication to golf heritage, it only made sense that in September, USGA announced it will build a second headquarters in Pinehurst, the southern Moore County village where there are 40 golf courses within a 15-mile radius and its convention and visitors bureau self-identifies as Home of American Golf. “It’s a positioning statement, meaning that the USGA said we’re coming to your community to be a key institution in your community, and we’re there for the duration,” says Pat Corso, executive director of Pinehurst-based economic development group Moore County Partners in Progress.

“In terms of impact, that means it enhances and ensures the sustainability of the community; it creates established stability. So, anyone thinking of coming here as a business to relocate,

there’s an anchor that’s not going away.

And there are parts — the residential and the business. We are not an expensive place to live; the state income tax is low, and you have the climate. It all makes a pretty clean statement.”

USGA’s second headquarters — Golf House Pinehurst — is the result of a big-money deal that includes $18 million in performance-based incentives, a $100,000 Job Development Investment Grant, $3.5 million from the One North Carolina Fund and $14.4 million over four fiscal years from the General Assembly. Pending Pinehurst’s formal paperwork approval, USGA will construct a research and test center, museum, visitors center and offices for its foundation and Green Section, which researches and develops management practices that improve playing

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Pinehurst No. 2, designed by Donald Ross, has hosted several tournaments including the U.S. Open in 2014. Its Walk of Fame features statues of famous golfers such as Arnold Palmer and Payne Stewart.

conditions. Work is expected to be complete in 2023.

The local benefits of welcoming Golf House Pinehurst are numerous. While it’s an attraction in itself, it’s expected to bring businesses and move people to Moore County, too. “There’s a saying that golf was born in St. Andrews and lives in Pinehurst, and this reiterates that,” says Charles Hayes, managing partner of Sanford-based Hayes Group Consulting and a senior fellow at East Carolina University’s Economic Development Academy. He also served as president and CEO of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership for 20 years.

“If you play golf or are interested in golf as an industry, Pinehurst is where you want to be. The headquarters can do

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very well here because we have the workforce and amenities people look for. They’ll do very well in the Pinehurst-Southern Pines area.”

USGA’s move is like a well-placed drive. “One of their key motivations was to try to put more of their organizational assets in a golf-centric community with a great, extended heritage and a place that owns a unique position in golf,” Corso says. “They call us the Home of American Golf, so it’s a strategic approach.”

The tacit link to St. Andrews is gratifying to people with an affection for playing the game in a revered atmosphere. “I was in awe when I visited St. Andrews and the Old Course for the first time,” says Pinehurst Resort

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President Tom Pashley. “Even though it was my first visit, it felt like I’d been there before, having watched the Open Championship played there so many times. The combination of the Old Course, the Open Championship and the Royal & Ancient [Golf Club] is incredibly powerful. The USGA having a physical presence in Pinehurst and hosting the U.S. Open Championship on Pinehurst No. 2 every five to six years places us alongside St. Andrews.

Any similarity to St. Andrews is a high honor, and I’m incredibly excited that some may begin to think of Pinehurst in that same vein.”

The USGA will return its U.S. Open to Pinehurst Resort in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. That commitment goes beyond competition days.

It attracts golf-related business and develops the next round of players yearround. “One of the things I love most about the U.S. Open is that it brings a new generation of golfers to Pinehurst,” Pashley says. “We enjoy saying that every great player to play golf in the United States has played Pinehurst No. 2. Hosting the U.S. Open ... allows Pinehurst to stay relevant with each new generation of golfers.”

Norcross, Ga.-based U.S. Kids Golf manufactures lightweight clubs and accessories for the game’s youngest players. It purchased Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines in 2015 and announced last summer that its foundation’s offices were headed to Pinehurst. “We aren’t just a retirement community,” Corso says. “We have a lot of children. But if you go to the commercial side, the USGA says it will introduce us to every company that comes to their testing center. So, that’s a big deal that will bring golf industry suppliers to Moore County and the region.”

Ireland-based Eaton subsidiary Golf

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M OO RE COUNT Y

*Per capita income is for 2018, the most recent year available. source: 2021 North Carolina Economic Development Guide

Pride completed its 36,000-square-foot headquarters near Pinehurst No. 8 in 2019. It houses corporate offices, a consumer interactive wing and a rapid prototype laboratory. “In my mind, Pinehurst and the surrounding area is a great place for design development operations, because the world of golf

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has a way of flowing through Pinehurst on a regular basis that is quite unique in the world,” says Golf Pride President Jamie Ledford. “We set up our Golf Pride Global Innovation Center here for that very reason. We do all of our design and development work here on new products before we transfer it to

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our factories for production. Whether it is concept development, visual design, rapid prototyping or consumer-use testing, we do it all here in Pinehurst. And we have a steady stream of golfers to involve in our product testing.”

Ledford believes other brands inside and connected to the golf industry would benefit from having design and development operations in southern Moore County. “I can’t think of very many places in the world where you have access to such a diverse population of golfers from all over the world,” he says. “That population can contribute to new ideas and also help you validate new ideas quickly. Whether it is equipment brands, golf accessory brands, apparel brands, golf electronics brands or really any golf product category, I think this is a really unique place for a golf brand. It is easier to recruit top talent because of the connection to golf and the great lifestyle here. It also is easier to stay in touch with all sorts of golfers from around the world traveling to Pinehurst to play.”

Pinehurst Resort’s Pashley says the commercial side, especially Golf House Pinehurst, will encourage tourism.

“This is a partnership that will require significant collaboration,” he says. “I’m excited to think of the possibility to create experiences for visitors at the test center and museum. The USGA has one of the largest collections of golf artifacts in the world. We hope to be able to bring many of them to Pinehurst and rotate them on a regular basis, so there is always something new for visitors to see.”

USGA’s Green Section has funded $40 million of research at universities since 1920. It also provides on-site course-consulting services, an education and outreach program that uses multimedia platforms to solve environmental problems and teach course

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management and economics, and championship agronomy — growing healthy grass on courses.

If future plans call for an USGA commitment to local land-use projects and other agronomic work, several colleges are ready to help, Corso says. “There is interest in finding turf and sod-research opportunities with N.C. State [University] that would bring N.C. A&T [State University] and Sandhills Community College to the table,” he says.

“Those three would be key players.

Turf management is their key focus, and they would be based here. They do golf courses but other professional sports as well, like Arrowhead Stadium [home to the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in Missouri]. The farmers would grow grass for us to play on, and we can create educated agronomists for golf and other things as well.”

“We would be thrilled to be a part of it,” says Sandhills Community College president John Dempsey, who adds he would welcome a potential group effort, should the USGA seek local collaboration. “I would love to work with N.C. State and help in acquiring the land that they need. The two engineering schools would do the research, and we could assist. It would be a big economic asset to Sandhills to be affiliated with them.”

Sandhills Community College is prepared. It offers a LSG — Turf Grass Management associate-degree program. Its students study plant identification, pest management, plant and soil science, irrigation, fertility and grounds management. Dale Haney, current superintendent of grounds at the White House, is a Sandhills graduate.

“Our students have internships at the great golf courses in the U.S. and one even went to St. Andrews,” Dempsey says. “We would be excited, should the USGA want us to be part of it.”

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MOORE COUNTY Carthage, about a dozen miles north of Pinehurst, is Moore County’s seat.

Its golf course at Little River Resort on U.S. 15-501 closed in early 2019 after a pump station failure caused a reported $1 million in damage to its greens. In town, the two-story brick Tyson & Jones Buggy Factory, a busy manufacturer in the late 1800s before

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automobiles rolled in, is boarded shut.

It serves as the backdrop for the town’s annual Buggy Festival, which draws about 20,000 people.

Corso and others believe the “Buggy Building” has a future as coworking space. “We were able to get a [U.S. Economic Development Administration] grant to determine the feasibility,

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with the outcome focused on creating an entrepreneurship hub,” he says.

“And the reason we got the grant was to propose a way to address the issues of the northern part of the county and draw talent from the southern end to come to Carthage and get all the services they need. … And if it works that we can create that entrepreneurship hub, we’ll go after a second EDA grant [in December] for construction, and go eight months from there, then we’ll know.”

Corso describes a hub-and-spokes approach — with southern Moore County as the center and spokes reaching out to Carthage, UNC Pembroke in Robeson County, Sandhills Community College and others. “If we resource the regions anchored by a micropolitan hub that would energize development in a multicounty region,” he says.

Carthage has held two public hearings, the most recent in November, to discuss the Buggy Building. It is applying for a $760,000 Community Development Block Grant for what town Planning Director Kathy Liles calls “a historically compatible restoration.”

It would reopen the building to help businesses and individuals that were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liles says the state has $26 million available for CDBGs, with a maximum award of $900,000 per application.

“Most [applicants] are going with utility assistance and rental issues, but one of the components is economic recovery and job recovery,” she says. “And the Buggy Building looked like a place for a hub for coworking space or startup space. We’re trying to help people who have had business reductions.

Plus, it’s in the county seat and one block off the courthouse square.”

Carthage recently hired a contractor to assess the Buggy Building’s condi-

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tion. “It’s not in good shape, but it does have good bones,” says town Development Administrator Dorothy Dutton.

“An entrepreneurship hub would be awesome, maybe with administrative offices. The Buggy Building is part of our heritage, so any life that comes back to it would be fantastic. We definitely need businesses in Carthage, and I know the town manager and planner would also like to see small boutique businesses that are destination shops.”

While shopping may still be on the drawing table, Carthage is laying the groundwork for development in other ways. “Projects have been approved for townhomes, single-family homes and some senior housing,” Liles says.

“We’re allocating for water and sewer,

and we have developers committed to make them go.”

One potential suitor is Richard Hilliard of Southern Pines. An emergency room physician and former Green Beret with 33 years of Army service, he and his company — Raptor Medical — are purchasing the Gilliam-McConnell Airfield in Carthage. “Katherine [Liles] was thinking we could have an office in [the Buggy Building],” he says.

Hilliard’s business employs and trains veterans to handle aircraft maintenance, flight training, construction and geographic information systems.

“We’ve done a lot of high-end GIS work with the military, and that could be one of our training pipelines,” he says. “We absolutely would consider an office, because one of the things

we want to do with the veterans is, for those who don’t know how to run a business, have a couple of offices there and let them have the GIS portion in there.”

Plans for the airfield include campsites, an outdoor amphitheater and 13 houses, where owners can taxi their plane to their home hangar. “Raptor is an up-and-coming company for vets,” Hilliard says. “It’s going to manage the airfield, and we will have a veterans nonprofit 501-(c)3, and it will have several lines — how to fly, how to work on airplanes, construction. We’re in the process of finishing one large hangar, and we’re using the veterans, and Raptor manages the construction.”

Working at Hilliard’s business helps veterans transition to civilian life, in-

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MOORE COUNTY cluding sharpening job skills and meeting personal needs. “A lot of veterans are special ops guys, and they’ve been at [Fort] Bragg forever, and it’s very stressful not knowing the unknown,” he says. “So, what we plan on doing out there at the airfield is a very calming environment, where you can see plans come together and tinker around with things and be around people who have had the same experience.”

Carthage’s Liles says economic development — personal, private or public — requires partnerships. “People are restoring buildings on the courthouse square,” she says. “We need to bring resources together that can share and support each other. When

businesses don’t talk to each other, you miss so much. You miss those connections. Let’s bring our resources together.”

There should be plenty of people to help. Moore County’s population is expected to swell to more than 127,000 from almost 103,000 in the next 15 years, according to N.C. Office of State Budget and Management.

“Moore is such a huge county, and the northern area, with the pottery and outdoor activities, is a different kind of attraction to people,” Hayes says. “And in the rural areas, you don’t have the medical facilities or the tourism. It’s a different kind of attraction, so how do you expand on that? I think Moore

County is well-situated culturally and talent-wise to do not only golf and golf-related business but also agriculture, medical-related jobs and work with our military. And, growth in light manufacturing. Whether it’s sustainable or not, only time will tell.”

— Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.

Village of Pinehurst is home to restaurants, boutiques, specialty shops, inns and more.

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COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

MOORE COUNTY

SOUTHERN PINES HAS ITS “SITES” SET ON LIFE SCIENCES The renderings show four buildings, each in a colored square and adorned with details such as parking, sidewalks and landscaping. The bottom quadrants on the Morganton Road end are labeled Pinehurst Medical Clinic and Pinehurst Surgical Clinic. The others are marked Site 3B and Site 4B. Phase 1 construction is projected to end in October, and all the sites at Health & Life Sciences Campus at Morganton Park North in Southern Pines are expected to be filled by fall 2022.

Developers have their sights set on life-sciences companies, medical-training centers and, possibly, a connection to Moore County’s favorite game — golf — for sites 3B and 4B. “We knew that health care expansion needed to happen, and because there was limited space in Pinehurst, we needed to look at a site to expand for the future of the whole Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen area,” says Charles Gregg, CEO of Pinehurst Surgical Clinic, which has offices in Moore, Hoke, Scotland, Lee, Richmond and Montgomery counties.

“It’ll be a comprehensive medical campus for all outpatient medical services.

That’s our long-term goal.”

Gregg labels the two yet to be claimed sites a blank canvas. “We’re

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not married to one plan; we’re married to doing what the market needs and what it will need five years from now,” he says. Life-sciences companies are one possibility. Historically connected to Research Triangle Park, the industry is on the move as are people. “People are moving away from dense populations, whether they’re metropolitan areas or just downtowns, and going to smaller towns,” he says. “We don’t intend to take anything away from them — the RTP is the RTP. But there are companies that realize they don’t need 50,000 square feet anymore. And Southern Pines is ideal for a company in life sciences that would like a small-town kind of place.”

Several variables are playing to the life-sciences plan. “Migration of companies from larger markets has been going on for some time, and it’s been accelerated to some degree by COVID,” says Charles Hayes, managing partner of Sanford-based Hayes Group Consulting and senior fellow at East Carolina University’s Economic Development Academy. He also served as president and CEO of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership for 20 years. “Whether it’s sustainable or not, only time will tell,” he says. “That’s why [the] Raleigh-Durham C A R O L I N A

[region] has grown so much. There aren’t so many Fortune 500 companies, but there are smaller companies. I think there’s some demand [for smaller locations], but there’s also something to say for collaboration and the intersection of innovation and different cultures.”

Hayes says Sanford, for example, has seen several multimillion-dollar investments in life sciences within the past year. “There are a lot of regions trying to do that,” he says. “The whole thing is talent and innovation, and [the] Pinehurst-Southern Pines [region] is suited for that. But they aren’t the only ones out there.”

The two sites could host collaborations among FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina Biotechnology Center and North Carolina Military Business Center, says Pat Corso, executive director of Pinehurst-based economic developer Moore County Partners in Progress. “This is part of the overall strategy and focus for Partners in Progress, to leverage the robust and clinical trials program they’re doing at FirstHealth, and that can lead to small pharma, medical-equipment companies and other life-sciences companies that are in the Triangle who can look at why they might want to come here.”

FirstHealth’s network serves 15 counties, has nearly 5,000 employees and operates specialty locations in Pinehurst and Southern Pines. It’s participating in the Mayo Clinic’s convalescent plasma expanded access program, which is providing plasma-transfusion treatment for patients with COVID-19 symptoms that are severe or life-threatening.

FirstHealth collects the plasma from participants who have recovered from the virus, according to a news release, while the Mayo Clinic handles regulato-

PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN GESSNER ON BEHALF OF FIRST FLIGHT AGENCY, PINEHURST

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic staff at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Morganton Park North site.

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da Vinci robot.”

John Moore is an orthopedic surgery specialist who has practiced with Pinehurst Surgical Clinic since 2001 and has surgical privileges at several FirstHealth hospitals. He performed the first local ROSA surgery.

“Moore County has a very high-volume joint-replacement program that’s been around a number of years,” he says. “And I think this is just the next step in providing a more specialized program for our region. We do have some Titleist trainers in our area who our golfers see for physical therapy, and I could see our [physical-therapy] department having a ‘Return to Golf’ program. We don’t have that now, but [it] could work for all the orthopedic procedures we do.”

Gregg sees a golf connection, too.

“We’re reaching out to TaylorMade as well, and those companies that have performance labs, for ways we can have a state-of-the-art performance

and physical-therapy place here and partner with a [golf-equipment] manufacturer,” he says. “We are in the cradle of golf, so we see our PT group partnering with a golf manufacturer to help take those people’s game to the next level.”

Hayes visited TaylorMade’s California headquarters during his time as Moore County’s economic development director. “So, this is not a new thing,” he says. “People may look at RTP as being an overnight success, for instance, but it’s 50 years old. I think TaylorMade and others would be well-suited, especially with FirstHealth and the whole network of medical facilities here. They certainly would be well-served by having a testing facility.

It’s all interrelated.”

— Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.

PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN GESSNER ON BEHALF OF FIRST FLIGHT AGENCY, PINEHURST

ry compliance. Other research underway at FirstHealth focuses on cancer and vascular medicine. Trials for spinal fusion devices and molecular analysis of pathology specimens will launch soon.

Pinehurst Surgical recently purchased a ROSA Knee System, using it to totally replace a joint for the first time in November. It’s made by Warsaw, Ind.-based Zimmer Biomet, which staffs offices worldwide and designs, manufactures and markets robotic technology that supports orthopedics. While it hasn’t committed to the Southern Pines campus, the company reportedly mentioned exploring the possibility of putting a training center there. Doctors would welcome it. “[Zimmer has] shopped this robot all over the Southeast,” Gregg says. “And they would be the ideal candidate to have a facility here for training, similar to Intuitive Surgical’s training center near Atlanta for its

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Louisburg

REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS

+ TALKING POINTS

Louisburg’s growing downtown scene and proximity to Raleigh attract newcomers seeking a small-town lifestyle.

L OUIS B U R G

3,535

ESTIMATED POPULATION IN 2018

1779

YEAR ESTABLISHED

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MILES NORTHEAST OF THE STATE CAPITOL IN RALEIGH

KING LOUIS XVI

▲ Louisburg has a historic district benefiting a town dating to

NAMED AFTER FRENCH ALLY DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

ROSANELL EATON

BY BRYAN MIMS

LOUISBURG COLLEGE

STATE’S ONLY RESIDENTIAL TWO-YEAR COLLEGE

NUMBER OF FOUR-YEAR TERMS KARL PERNELL HAS SERVED AS MAYOR

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n a cold, quiet Tuesday night, on the mostly empty roads of downtown Louisburg, the red “open” sign in a window on Nash Street radiates like a guiding light. The sign hangs over the sidewalk, announcing a “Bar and Social Club” called Tonic and at this late hour, it’s drained of people, save for the bartender and cook.

“Tuesdays are our slow night, but we have good crowds during the weekend,” says 50-year-old bartender and owner Bill Opal. His cook, Steve Frazier, is readying one of the bar’s signature turkey bistro sandwiches. The bar opened last summer — “right in the middle of COVID,” Opal says — and is gaining a loyal clientele. The pandemic has claimed a handful of downtown businesses, including a Mexican restaurant, a gift shop and an art gallery. “It has been tough sledding, but we’re doing OK.” Opal and his wife, Kathy, opened the original Tonic in their hometown of Wake Forest in 2017 and decided to open a second bar in nearby Louisburg, a much smaller town of nearly 3,600.

Louisburg, the seat of Franklin County, sidles up to the Tar River about 30 miles northeast of downtown Raleigh. The brick courthouse with white Doric columns stands as a focal point of town, whose welcome sign proclaims “Charming Since 1779.” The Louisburg Historic District, filled with homes dating from the early 1800s to the 1920s, exudes charm and nostalgia. But downtown Louisburg is still short on after-hours gathering places, something that enticed Opal to bring a little vigor in the form of a second Tonic location.

“This particular building caught our eye,” he says. “We like being in a historic downtown area.

There are all these great downtowns that have all this character and not a lot of business.”

Tonic occupies a building dating back to the early 1900s that housed the H.C. Taylor Furniture Warehouse for decades. It sat vacant for about 15 years until local auto-repair chain owner Keith

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOWN OF LOUISBURG, JAMIE THAYER

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the 19th century. The Nicholson-Bickett-Taylor House, top, was built in 1897, while the Louisburg Baptist Church held its first service in 1901.

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▲ Bar and social club Tonic is among new businesses helping to grow Louisburg’s lively downtown scene, which was boosted by community events prior to COVID-19 restrictions.

Smith and electrical contractor Glenn Swanson bought it and began recruiting tenants. After a major renovation, the Taylor Furniture family presented Opal with a sign from the original furniture store that pledges “Furniture at Discount Prices.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONIC, TOWN OF LOUISBURG, JAMIE THAYER

New life for old buildings

Louisburg has gone on a sprucing-up streak for the last five years, setting the table for new businesses to set up shop.

The town’s 34-year-old administrator, Jonathan Franklin, says nearly every building in downtown has found a new owner or undergone a makeover. “You had folks who really just didn’t have the want or ability to improve their property,” he says. Earlier this year, his wife, Lauren, opened a stylish dress shop for women called Audrey Hazel Boutique in the same building as Tonic. “Now you have this beautiful building with two great spaces,” he says. “I think we have really set a great foundation and a framework for what will be a bustling downtown in the next 10 years.”

Franklin grew up in Climax, near Greensboro, and his wife is from Concord. He says they’re both enamored with the small-town life. He took the position in Louisburg when he was 29, marking quite the contrast with Mayor Karl Pernell, who is 85.

A lifelong resident of Louisburg, Pernell has been mayor for nearly two decades. He welcomes the infusion of new blood and fresh ideas. Its population barely budged in the second half of the 20th century but is picking up steam as Raleigh sprawls north.

“We’ve had more houses built in Louisburg in the last 18 months than we’ve had in the last five or six years,” Pernell says.

“We’ve had folks who moved here, I would say in the last year, saying they’re trying to find something out of the hustle and bustle.”

Locals expect growth to accelerate when U.S. 401 is widened to four lanes all the way to Raleigh. Part of the expanded road that is 7 miles south of town is slated to open next year, but the final stretch isn’t planned for about a decade Pernell applauds the town’s efforts to encourage property owners to beautify their buildings. “If it costs $2,000 to paint the front of your building, we’ll pay $500 of it,” he says. “People jump on it when normally they wouldn’t do anything.”

More concepts are filling these fixed-up facades. At 118 N. Main St., building owner Ron Cox, who grew up down the road in Rolesville, plans to open a boutique hotel with six or seven rooms on the second floor and a few shops at street level. COVID-19 has delayed the project, but he hopes to get the infrastructure in place “as soon as we can.”

In 1999, Cox and a partner bought a rundown downtown structure because he couldn’t stand to see it in such terrible shape.

“Nobody seemed to be doing anything about it,” he says. “It should have been condemned. We bought it, fixed it up, and I just got the fever. So we bought another building.”

People thought he was crazy. They laughed at him for harboring the notion that anything viable would come from the crumbling shells. “After the second building, nobody was laughing,” he says.

“They still thought we were crazy, but they weren’t laughing because we were at last showing that it could be done and were starting to fill these spaces up.”

The tenants were offices — not shops and restaurants, but law firms and bail-bonding companies with court-related businesses.

“We were stuck in being an 8-to-5 town,” Cox says. To change that, he had the idea of opening a brewery on Main Street, something he calls “a midlife crisis hobby.” Before Tar Banks Brewing opened its doors in May 2017, he says downtown Louisburg had no place to grab a beer or sip a cocktail. “We wanted to be a catalyst,” he says. “We decided to take a stab at it, assuming that if we did, we’d get other restaurants and places to come. And that started happening a little bit.” The brewery, open Thursday through Sunday, creates its own ales and hard seltzers while also serving beers from other microbreweries.

One of Louisburg’s most talked-about (and long-awaited) undertakings is the Depot Hill project. The town is transforming the old railroad station on South Main Street into a 16,000-square-foot event center, complete with a commercial kitchen and meeting rooms. Construction is set to start early this year.

“We hope to have that open in the next few years,” Franklin says. “We’re a little short on funding, as most government projects are in small towns.” But the $1.5 million project is already sparking

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Louisburg

▲ Louisburg College, top right, is the state’s only residential two-year

other entrepreneurial ventures. Across from the town hall, Sean and Christine Kingsley are refurbishing another once-neglected building, where they run a candle-making business called Tar River Candle. In that same building, they’re embarking on the town’s

▲ Louisburg is transforming an old railroad station on South Main Street into a 16,000-square-foot event center called Depot Hill.

first multiuse project, which will include a market, retail space and two residential units upstairs. “A town project is doing its purpose,” Franklin says. “It’s bringing people to Louisburg and creating ancillary businesses around it.”

College town with historic roots

In the late 1770s, the General Assembly chartered the town as the seat of the newly formed Franklin County, named for Benjamin Franklin. The American Revolution was still raging at the time, and the town founders chose the name Louisburg to honor America’s ally, King Louis XVI of France. Given its spot on the Tar River and on a post road, the town attracted settlers and shopkeepers.

In 1787, the town commons was designated for a school called the Franklin Male Academy, though it wouldn’t have its first class until 1805. A few years later, the state chartered another school — the Louisburg Female Academy — on the property. The schools eventually merged and became what is now Louisburg College, a private school affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 600 students and is the only two-year residential college in North Carolina.

The intimate, oak-shaded campus bolsters the town’s charm quotient, but Louisburg also boasts an industrial component. In

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April 2020, the N.C. Department of Commerce awarded a $2.4 million grant to help the town pay for water, sewer and electric service at the Louisburg Industrial Park. The site is home to Advance Metal Processing, which removes paint and other contaminants from metals so they can be reused. Novozymes, a Danish biotechnology company with its North American headquarters in nearby Franklinton, has a warehouse in the park. Just south of town is the Triangle North Executive Airport, which has undergone millions of dollars in improvements in recent years.

As for ground transportation, U.S. 401 is Louisburg’s main artery to the Triangle. Skirting downtown, it’s lined with fast-food restaurants, big-box stores, strip malls and gas stations. But local boosters and entrepreneurs know the future of Louisburg isn’t on the bypass: It’s in reviving the town’s downtown.

On a cold, rainy weekday morning, steam rises from the lattes and espressos at the Blue Collie Coffee Shop, next door to Tar Banks Brewing. It’s a cozy, lively place. Blue Collie opened in May 2017 as a program of the Z.B. Collie Foundation, a nonprofit that provides work for students and young adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“It was a leap of faith on my part,” says owner and founder Paige Sayles. “I have no business knowledge whatsoever.” But the community has given her a shot of confidence, bringing that convivial character downtown Louisburg is poised to cultivate. “We have a great cohort of regulars,” she says.

It has scaled back hours of operation because of the pandemic to Thursday through Sunday.

Like an “open” sign glowing in a window, downtown Louisburg is a beacon for opportunity seekers and creative types to come and fill the empty spaces. Buildings once dead and decaying are now a grand canvas, just waiting for a burst of energy. ■

Bryan Mims is a writer and reporter at WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOWN OF LOUISBURG, JAMIE THAYER

college. The Franklin County Courthouse is a fixture of Louisburg’s city center, while Riverbend Park offers views of the Tar River.

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