Earlier this year, CNBC once again named North Carolina the No. 1 state for business. As a lifelong North Carolinian, I can tell you there’s more to that ranking than tax incentives and talent pipelines. We are blessed with genuine people, world-class education institutions, innovative businesses, affordable energy, abundant natural resources, and first-class infrastructure, from […]

Trust is at a tipping point – and for businesses looking to grow, it’s the ultimate competitive advantage. Here’s what we know: according to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, business is now the most trusted institution globally, surpassing government, media, and nongovernmental organizations. At the same time, traditional news sources are losing credibility, creating a […]

It’s 2 p.m. on a Tuesday. An employee posts allegations about discriminatory treatment at your company on social media. Within the first few minutes, the post has 100 likes and 10 shares. By 2:30 p.m., the post has 450 likes and 30 shares, and a local reporter is calling for comment. By 3 p.m., the […]

In the Green Industry, growth shouldn’t only be about units sold. It should be about how companies evolve—how they innovate, communicate, and lead. Throughout the past 25 years, this sector has grown (forgive the pun) beyond the basics of maintaining lawns and landscapes. It’s become more sophisticated, more valuable to the economy and intertwined in […]

The Bottom Line: AI is rewriting the rules of online visibility. Google is being replaced by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini as the first stop for research, and to make decisions about products and services. These tools don’t just show results, they deliver direct answers from sources they view as credible – news outlets, trade […]