What You Need to Know:   Building relationships locally and beyond is most valuable when those efforts continue long after a facility opens, not just during the pre-launch phase.  Manufacturing growth across the Carolinas is creating real opportunity — and raising understandable community questions. Companies that acknowledge both are better positioned to earn lasting credibility.  Manufacturers that become part of their communities in a real way — as […]

Last November, on a quiet Sunday morning spent watching CBS Sunday Morning, I heard Ken Burns say something that stopped me cold.  Sitting across from John Dickerson, Burns was previewing his new PBS documentary, “The American Revolution” a six-part, 12-hour epic nearly a decade in the making. He called the American Revolution the most significant event since the birth of Jesus Christ. And then he observed that the second […]

If you ask CEOs what’s standing between their company and growth, they’ll talk about capital, competition, maybe technology. But ask what keeps them up at night—it’s people.  In North Carolina, we’re living in one of the fastest-growing economies in the country.   According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the state is projected to add more than 445,000 new jobs by 2030—nearly double the national […]

In public relations, staying ahead means anticipating how people want to receive and engage with information. For years, “new media” reshaped our field as blogs, social platforms, and influencers opened doors beyond traditional gatekeepers. But within this digital transformation, one medium has surged ahead: the podcast.   What started as a niche audio format has become a mainstream […]

Public Engagement Isn’t About Getting People to Agree  In my years of experience working with organizations on complex projects – regulatory approvals, rezonings, and economic-development incentives – one truth has become clear: public engagement isn’t about getting people to agree with you. It’s about making them feel heard. That distinction matters.   Fundamentally, public engagement […]

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 […]