Chatter with BNC

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Blake Moyer, president and CEO of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership. Blake shares his career journey starting in Burlington, his early COVID response experience, and how at 27 he took the...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Kevin Ellis speaks with Dr. Leo Spector, CEO or OrthoCarolina. Dr. Leo Spector has been with OrthoCarolina nearly 20 years, holding multiple leadership positions. After earning his MBA from Duke University in 2020, the spine s...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Craig Alden, Senior Vice President and Area Manager for the Triad at Pinnacle Financial Partners. Craig shares exciting milestones for Pinnacle — including their eighth consecutive Best Places to Work wi...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Jim Thompson, founder and CEO of Tying It Together Consulting, on this edition of Chatter with BNC. A longtime association executive, Jim traces his journey from newspaper reporter to the nonprofit and a...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Tom Looney and John Kane, the chair and vice chair of the North Carolina Community College System, in this edition of Chatter with BNC. The two business veterans and Power List honorees share how they ca...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Dr. Chris Harrington, State Director of ApprenticeshipNC, North Carolina's state apprenticeship agency. Dr. Harrington breaks down what registered apprenticeship really is: an employer-driven model where...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Alex Shuford III, CEO of Rock House Designer Brands, the family-rooted holding company behind Century Furniture, Hancock & Moore, Hickory Chair, and more. A self-described English major turned furniture...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Michael Lemanski, founder and managing partner of NSV Development, about transforming distressed downtowns   across North Carolina. A chemical engineer turned developer, Michael shares   how a job shutti...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Craig Stover, Senior Director for New Nuclear Development at Dominion Engineering, about the rapidly evolving nuclear energy landscape. Craig shares his journey from a high school BMW factory tour to bec...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Whitley Adkins, fashion stylist, creative director, and style editor for South Park Magazine. From playing dress-up in her grandmother's closet in Rocky Mount to chasing her dreams in New York City, Whit...

On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Doug Searcy, president of Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. Doug shares the story of his western North Carolina upbringing, the family courage that opened the door to higher education, and an unforgettable college lesson in accountability after he dented the president's car. He and Ben dig into Barton's growth alongside a thriving Wilson, new prog...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Brian Vigna, cybersecurity specialist at NC State University's Industry Expansion Services, about why small businesses can't afford to ignore cybersecurity. Brian shares his winding path from sports broa...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Adam Sperling, Executive Director of the Truist Championship, about the return of premier professional golf to Charlotte's iconic Quail Hollow Club, May 6-10. Adam shares his winding path into the golf w...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Ken Norton, executive director of Cakeable, a Charlotte-based nonprofit workforce development program that trains adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and places them in jobs throughout t...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Jim Hansen, Regional President and Southeast Territory Executive for PNC Financial Services Group, about his 25-year career journey in banking — from starting at a small North Carolina bank called Centura,...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, North Carolina, about how his small western North Carolina town has weathered an extraordinary run of adversity — from COVID to Tropical Storm Fred's devastating floods, t...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode, Ben Kenney interviews Whit Tuttle, Director of Visit North Carolina, about the state of travel and tourism in North Carolina in 2025, industry trends, and the impact of economic factors. They also discuss Whit's musical interests...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode of "Chatter with BNC", we speak with Sasha Weintraub, the executive vice president and chief customer officer for Duke Energy. He's worked for the company for more than 25 years, including as president of the natural gas busine...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Kit Cramer, President and CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. Kit shares her journey from PR work in Florida to 18 years at the Charlotte Chamber, a stint leading the International Downtown As...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On this episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Kevin Howell, the 15th chancellor of North Carolina State University. As an NC State alum himself, Ben chats with Chancellor Howell about his journey from student body president in the late 1980s to leading...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode of Chatter with Business North Carolina, host Ben Kinney speaks with David Jackson, the president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. They discuss David's journey from working in college athletics to leading the Chamber...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode of Chatter with Business North Carolina, host Ben Kenney speaks with Gary Frey, co-owner and director of business development for BGW Advisors, a Charlotte-based accounting firm. Gary shares his unconventional journey through vari...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode of Chatter with BNC, host Ben Kenney speaks with Jessica Solis Aguilar, the Policy and Program Manager at the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State. They discuss the upcoming Emerging Issues Forum, celebrating its 40th anniver...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode of Chatter with Business North Carolina, host Ben Kenney speaks with marketing expert Winn Maddrey about the evolving landscape of media and marketing, the impact of AI, generational differences in communication, and their shared...

Welcome to Chatter with BNC,  Business North Carolina 's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode of Chatter with BNC, host Ben Kenney speaks with Chris Moeller, founder and CEO of Orion Growth. They discuss Chris's entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of starting a business during the Great Recession, and the evolving land...