North Carolina Business Minds

The newsrooms from Triad Business Journal, Charlotte Business Journal and Triangle Business Journal bring you the top stories and exclusive interviews from across the state of North Carolina throughout the month.

North Carolina Business Minds is a business podcast hosted by Triad, with 64 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Triad hosts North Carolina Business Minds, a business show with 64 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #63

  Inside NC Innovation: Turning Research Into Real Businesses

  Sep 17, 202625 minS1

  Lauren Ohnesorge sits down with Michelle Bolas of NC Innovation to unpack the $500 million public-private partnership designed to bridge the gap between academic research and the private sector. They dig into how the state-funded endowment works, why the funding has faced political pushback, and how NC Innovation is leveraging federal dollars and private partnerships to protect its mission. Michelle shares standout examples of the technologies NCI has helped bring to market — from an App State startup turning surplus sweet potatoes into plant-based milk, to a UNC Greensboro breakthrough purifying lithium from standing water. They also discuss the funding gap facing early-stage startups, the risk of homegrown innovation leaving North Carolina for better-funded opportunities elsewhere, and what it takes to keep the next Red Hat or IBM rooted in the state. Plus: Michelle reflects on her journey from Wisconsin to North Carolina's innovation ecosystem, what she's most proud of after two and a half years running the program, and her vision for making the state a national leader in regional economic development. Mentioned in this episode: Elon University https://www.elon.edu/

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  Episode #62

  From Crisis to Care

  Sep 10, 202628 minS1

  Born from the tragedy of 9/11, E4E Relief has grown into a global platform helping companies support employees through crises. CEO Matt Pierce joins Eric Spanberg to discuss the organization's 25-year evolution — from a handful of Charlotte clients to over 235 companies and 7 million people worldwide — same-day emergency grants, the Brave of Heart Fund for healthcare workers, and how they're preparing for an increasingly unpredictable world. Mentioned in this episode: Elon University https://www.elon.edu/

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  Episode #61

  Allegacy Financial CEO on roots, rebranding and building N.C.'s next banking power

  Sep 3, 202627 minS1

  A native of Singapore, Nathanael Tarwasokono grew up poor in Lenoir, left for 23 years, and returned to N.C. to lead Allegacy's transformation into a statewide competitor. Here's where he plans to grow and how as banking competition has heated up. Mentioned in this episode: Elon University https://www.elon.edu/

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  Episode #60

  WGU Chancellor talks changing landscape of higher education amid North Carolina expansion

  Aug 20, 202629 minS1

  Zac talks with Ben Coulter, Chancellor of Western Governors University (WGU) North Carolina, about the nonprofit online university's decade of growth in the state — including its new 500-employee Raleigh office, its low-cost competency-based learning model, and the degree programs (from nursing to AI) seeing the highest demand. They also discuss WGU's community college partnerships, tackling student debt, and where higher education is headed over the next 5-20 years. In this episode: WGU's growth and enrollment in North Carolina since 2017 How the competency-based model works Top in-demand degree programs, including new AI offerings Why the new Raleigh office matters Affordability and student debt The future of higher education and AI Mentioned in this episode: Elon University https://www.elon.edu/

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  Episode #59

  The Transit Transition

  Aug 13, 202626 minS1

  David Howard has spent a lifetime connected to Charlotte's transit system — literally since age six, when he rode the bus alone to school as a first grader. Now he chairs the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA), the new governing body created to oversee one of the most ambitious infrastructure investments in the city's history. After Mecklenburg County voters approved a one-cent sales tax hike last November, the MPTA took on responsibility for steering $17.5 billion toward expanded bus service, commuter rail, light rail, and streetcar projects — plus another $7.8 billion for roads. The authority will also take ownership of Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) on January 1, 2027. In this conversation, Howard walks through the MPTA's first seven months, explains the difference between the old MTC structure and the new authority, and breaks down what's coming for bus riders, microtransit users, and rail commuters. He also addresses transit safety in the wake of last year's fatal stabbing on the light rail and explains why ridership hasn't recovered to its 2014 peak. And in a moment that might surprise you, Howard shares the outcome he cares most about — one that has nothing to do with shiny new trains. Mentioned in this episode: Elon University https://www.elon.edu/

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