BrandBuilders

The basic premise about health insurance has been the same since the beginning of time: You pay a premium every month, and if you need healthcare, your insurance kicks in to pay for some of it, right? But the Affordable Care Act and other innovations have turned the health insurance industry on its ear. While the premise stays the same, the options can take you in a thousand directions. We’re luck...

We love cool shades, and we love the environment too. So does former race car driver Johnny Freeman — who decided to put together new product lines of sunglasses and leather bags, in a more sustainable way. So get this — the frames for the shades are made from recycled cotton, and the arms are made of wood. You heard that right — wood. He sells them online and from his flagship s...

Are you feeling the Olympic spirit? Or want a unique Hornets Tee? Or just want to show some straight-up Charlotte pride? Then you need to show it with some swag with the QC crown or the 704 logo. And yes, the 704 Shop is where you get it. You’ve seen the shirts and masks and hats with the popular logos around town, even on the mayor. Who are these guys? Well, we have them right here in our BrandBu...

You may have heard him on the news — countless thousands of people woke up to his voice over the last five years in our area, and 10 years before that in his home state of Florida. Blaine Tolison recently left the morning news anchor job in Charlotte and is setting his own course using one of the great gifts of his profession — his voice. Robert Blaine Voiceovers is a new venture that...

In an era of products that are mass-produced — especially this year, when we’ve been hesitant to go shopping just for fun and have ordered so much online — one company makes it a priority to offer jewelry and home decor that is completely hand-made and artfully inspired. Mary Hamby and her crew of artists are just settling into their new home in West Charlotte, where her store beckons...

You can find lunch or a cup of coffee in dozens of places in Uptown or South End Charlotte, but you can’t always get them with a side of helping humanity. We know a place where that’s possible — not just easing your hunger but helping men and women who hunger for better lives after recovering from addiction and homelessness. Community Matter Cafe at Charlotte Rescue Mission is helping these...

It’s been said that good marketing in today’s world is about storytelling — that your brand has a story, and it draws people to your product or service and moves them to buy it. Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast is all about storytelling — he’s a former sports reporter, then digital media strategist, and now he’s an author, a keynote speaker, a podcast creator… and even teach...

What do you get when you combine a designer and an engineer into one business? You get a well-run business with great-looking stuff, for one. In this case, you get two businesses — a custom design company, and a popular DIY workshop franchise that has grown to 150 locations in three years. The brains behind it all are two women who were looking for something outside the corporate world when...

Just a few years after its creation, Let Me Run was off and running as a program to give boys a physical and mental/emotional outlet for all of their energy. Best known as the “boy version” of the popular Girls on the Run program, Let Me Run has expanded to 56 regions of the country in just 10 years. Now, after a year off because of the pandemic, Let Me Run will return to schools in the Fall with...

When we think about exciting careers, “accountant” usually isn’t at the top of the list — but BGW CPA firm bills itself as “Anything But Typical.” In fact, they have their own podcast of the same name, and its co-founder and co-host Gary Frey has an anything-but-typical title of “Connector, McGyver, and Confidant.” He’s also had an anything-but-typical career and he joins us today on the Bra...

We’ve all seen a bad horror movie where something sinister creeps up from a drain and frightens the life out of us. Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast says that scenario can be very real… even if it’s not visible to us. Jason Bocchino is an entrepreneur many times over who has led companies from international debt collections to diamond brokerages to now, something greener. It’s called a...

It is rare to find a business these days without a significant web presence. Whether you’re in banking, or health care, or selling pants — you’re online. But most websites now do more than inform customers about products; they’re interactive at multiple levels… which means your company either has to have an IT department to keep up, or hire one. Dualboot Partners has the ability to “start sm...

Everyone loves firefighters — they do only good. They arrive when you call 911, they help with life-threatening emergencies, they even run into burning buildings to put out fires and rescue people. So it seems like a special bit of irony that our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast is a firefighter who USES fire in his “other” line of work, to make cool, artistic furniture. Ferney Mercad...

We loved him on the gridiron, and we loved him off the field too. Greg Olsen not only excelled as a tight end for the Carolina Panthers — with 3, 1000-yard seasons in a row, and more than 8,600 yards for a career (WOW) — but as a community philanthropist, which led to being a 2-time finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award from the NFL. He even took first place in the Chari...

Spring is in the air and you’re probably thinking about your yard. Maybe you want to grow your own food, or have cut flowers all summer. But how do you know what to plant where, and how to make it grow? Flower Child Heirlooms nurtures gardeners and educates them on the importance of growing in a respectful manner. Founder Lauren Child is here to talk gardening – and how she can help with yours. We...

“Heart kids” are a special group — kids born with heart defects who just want to do the same fun things other kids do, like going to camp. Often, that’s not possible because of medical limitations — but in Charlotte, they’re in “LUCK.” In this case, LUCK stands for Lucky Unlimited Cardiac Kids, who have the opportunity to attend a one-week camp just for them, called Camp LUCK. The camp...

Branding and design are important elements in getting your message across as a business, but are you doing that in a sustainable way? Our guest today on the BrandBuilders Podcast can perform the soup-to-nuts of your branding, packaging, and print in a socially conscious way. After all, why not leave the world a little better than you found it? Rachel Martin is the founder and design director at Mi...

Returning to the office should feel like working from home — except maybe cleaner and less noisy. In other words, your workplace should feel comfortable, approachable, and productive. It should reflect the company brand, your professional values, and how you feel about the work you do. That’s a tall order for a designer or architect, but also a mission for today’s guest on the BrandBuilder P...

Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast wears a lot of hats. We mean that literally — David Shaffer started as a Junior Golfer in the American Junior Golf Association, then became a collegiate golfer at Northwestern University. From there, he joined the business world … using his talents and love of his sport to sell apparel used in the game. Now, literally — as we said — he...

These days of staying home A LOT have led a lot of us to feel — well, less put-together on a daily basis than we used to. But ladies, I know the desire is still there to dress up with just the right touch of casual-yet-elegant. Your jewelry is one way to make that happen, amiright? Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast knows how you feel. Erin McDermott designs and creates beautiful ha...

“Office Space” is more than just a movie… it’s a place where we work, or now in a lot of cases, USED to work and would like to someday work again… Soon! COVID has changed our idea of a workspace — both at home and at the office — as companies adapt to keeping people safe. One company that specializes in great interior spaces has its sight on helping people return to offices safel...

We’re checking in today with one of our favorite charities in Charlotte… dedicated to finding a cure for pediatric cancers, and helping families along the way. The Isabella Santos Foundation has already raised and invested more than $4 million dollars in pediatric cancer research locally and nationwide and has spent another half-million dollars supporting families whose children are fighting that...

We don’t have to explain the need for Healthcare Heroes right now. Doctors, nurses, PA’s, and other frontline healthcare workers have been running full speed since the COVID pandemic first surfaced here in March. The need is great. Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast was way ahead of this game before 2020. In 2017, Trey Ennis created a website and app, called HireMe Healthcare, to connect...

If there’s a bright spot in business this year at all, it’s that businesses who helped people out in the pandemic were able to thrive. Now, we understand it’s a weird year to talk about success – but if you’re helping people get outdoors to stay healthy and sane in a year like this, more power to you. Ben Cooley at Bicycle Sport is one of those businesses, as demand for bikes soared during stay-at...

Professional cameras all seem to have one thing in common – like cars 100 years ago, they are available in any color you want, as long as it’s BLACK. But most photographers we know are pretty colorful people – people who see the world differently, and have an innate ability to capture the angle through their lenses. So why shouldn’t their camera’s style reflect their personality? I mean, everyone...