NC Business Leader Passion Project Roundup

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to pause and reflect on one of the most rewarding initiatives we’ve undertaken over the past few years: highlighting the “passion projects” of North Carolina leaders who are working every day to strengthen our state.

Stepping away from a formal agenda to explore the why behind some of North Carolina’s most impactful efforts has been both meaningful and energizing—for me personally and for our team at The Results Company. These conversations have offered a rare look at the motivations, commitments, and long-term vision driving real change across our state.

This morning, we revisit several of those stories. I hope you find them as insightful and worthwhile as we did.

Onward!

Mike Rusher 
Chief Client Engagement Officer, The Results Company 

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Before we dive in, let’s set the stage. A couple of years ago, we began producing a series of deeply researched, first-person, source-driven Saturday pieces focused on projects, initiatives, and stories involving notable members of North Carolina’s business community. These columns land in your inbox on Saturdays thanks to the time, care, and effort our team invests in telling them well.

From David Griffin’s inspiring, selfless leadership in the aftermath of Sept. 11, to Ward Nye’s commitment to enhancing the Triangle’s quality of life, to the vision behind Preston Development’s Chatham Park project, North Carolina’s top business leaders have trusted Nexus to tell their stories and spotlight the work that matters most to them—a responsibility we do not take lightly.

These pieces reveal a different side of our state’s business leaders. Behind the titles and accomplishments are everyday people with the same hopes, fears, and aspirations we all share. Together, these stories capture the challenges, ambitions, and successes that define North Carolina’s business community.

Over the past year, Nexus has published six of these features. Today, in lieu of our normal Morning Updates, we invite you to choose one to read for the first time, or perhaps revisit one you’ve already enjoyed. Below, you’ll find brief excerpts from each piece, along with links to the full columns should you wish to read more.

Reflections on a Legacy of Leadership: the Fountain Family and NC State University 
10/04/25
We wrote in June about one name that stands out among notable figures – mostly ball players and war heroes – from Fordyce, Arkansas (population: 4,300):

“Nestled in after Ray Porter (World War II general) and Kevin Williams (defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings) is a name with a different sort of resume attached to it: Dr. William ‘Randy’ Woodson, plant scientist and former chancellor, N.C. State University.”

At a gathering of North Carolina business leaders, recently retired energy executive David Fountain spoke about Dr. Woodson. Mr. Fountain described the impact on his own life of decisions made by his grandfather and grandmother a century ago, and analogized that to the impact Dr. Woodson has had on tens of thousands of NC State students over the years.

We think it contains lessons applicable to most everyone. The Fountain Family has graciously permitted us to recount it this morning. Read more

From Greensboro to Ground Zero: Commemorating Courage and Unity
09/11/25
David Griffin, Jr., like many of us, watched 9/11 unfold from his office at the D.H. Griffin Company headquarters in Greensboro. At 33, Griffin had risen to company vice president after 15 years at the company his father, David Griffin, Sr., built into one of the top industrial demolition companies in the Southeast. 

Griffin watched as the North and South towers collapsed, creating a disaster site that spanned 17 million square feet, with 275,000 tons of steel and 1.8 million tons of debris.

D.H. Griffin typically assists companies with planned demolitions, a dangerous operation that requires proper preparation and execution. The World Trade Center (WTC) collapse was, of course, caused by a terror attack – those cleaning up the debris field faced thousands of serious safety and technical issues that they would have never seen in a controlled demolition. But Griffin knew he could help. 

“I had a strong desire to help,” Griffin told us recently, “and I knew that demolition [of partially remaining structures] was going to be a large aspect of this cleanup.” Read more

A Lesson in Leadership: How Dr. Woodson Quietly Transformed NCSU into a National Powerhouse
06/14/25
The list of notable names to come out of Fordyce, Arkansas (population: 4,300) is what one might expect from a small town in the rural south: war heroes and ball players.

But nestled in after Ray Porter (World War II general) and Kevin Williams (defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings) is a name with a different sort of resume attached to it: Dr. William “Randy” Woodson, plant scientist and former chancellor, N.C. State University.

When Dr. Woodson left a provost job at Purdue University to take the helm at NC State in 2010, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university No. 111 in the country. 

By the time he left this year, North Carolina’s premier land-grant institution had climbed to No. 58. Read more

Building Foundations: The Enduring Legacy of Raleigh’s Martin Marietta Center
05/03/25
One of Downtown Raleigh’s oldest and most iconic anchors is the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. Today, the venue hosts events from orchestral performances to stand-up comedians to holiday ballets. Every year, the entertainment facility generates around $35 million in economic activity and attracts over 400,000 visitors.

The Center is also one of the capital city’s most historic venues. Today, we’ll tell the story of an institution that survived wars, fires, renovations, and more to become Raleigh’s premier arts destination. We’ll also explore Martin Marietta’s championing of the arts and how CEO Ward Nye looks to connect his company with the City of Oaks. Read more

“A win for one is a win for all” – The origin story of the Carolina Core
01/25/25
Today, we’re looking back in time to bring you the story of the resurgence of the Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP) and the Carolina Core in Central North Carolina. Stan Kelly, former Chairman and President of the PTP, recently spoke about the organization’s impact on economic development across the state.

For those unfamiliar, the Carolina Core is an economic development initiative that highlights the potential for advanced manufacturing projects in Central North Carolina. Since its inception, the Carolina Core has attracted major manufacturing companies that have committed billions to projects in North Carolina, including Boom Supersonic, VinFast, Wolfspeed, and Toyota. Read more

Chatham Park: the dream that’s built to last
12/21/2024
“We’re dreamers. And Chatham Park was a big dream for us, probably the biggest dream you could possibly have. We want to change people’s lives when they live here.”

Tim Smith, co-founder of Preston Development Company, isn’t exaggerating. He and Bubba Rawl have been working on the near 10,000-acre, +27,000-unit planned community in Chatham County since the 1990s. When they closed on their first parcel in 2006, the county population was less than 60,000 people. When fully built out, 75,000 people will call Chatham Park home.

This is the story of how it all came together. Read more

King Explains NCInnovation’s Mission and Benefits
07/22/2023
I chair the board of directors of NCInnovation, a not-for-profit corporation more than seven years in the making to help commercialize the research outputs of North Carolina universities, particularly those outside the Triangle.

Doing so will help create more companies and jobs in rural areas. It’s a rural economic development initiative centered on our world-class university system.

I spent five decades of my career in the banking business, and our board of directors has centuries of combined experience in research, academia, and finance. We understand the laborious and sometimes frustrating university R&D process, but those outside of our world have no reason to understand its intricacies or the challenges we face in competing against other states.

Last week, N.C. House of Representatives’ leadership recognized these complexities, as well. Senior Appropriations Chair Jason Saine addressed a question about NCInnovation by saying: “It’s long term, it’s investment into future economic development. And that’s not what’s normal here in our budget, so it’s something that takes a while to digest.” Read more