Newsletter 12/4: Coming this week: 'The Future of Work'
Plus: Chetty earned $50,000 for talk on economic opportunity; Vets 'on pins and needles' over possible dog flu; City Council to choose mayor pro tem; High school sports tickets pricier than pro teams'
Good morning! Today is Monday, December 4, 2023. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Starting tomorrow, we’re taking a closer look at workplaces of the future
Good morning!
We’re excited this week to share with you a special four-part series: The Future of Work.
Our latest in-depth package of stories asks the question: What will tomorrow’s workplaces look like? Perhaps more importantly: What can workers and employers do to prepare?
No one has a crystal ball.
But we have the next best thing: an ambitious team of reporters who spent the past few months digging deep to discover how generational, technological and pandemic-related forces are transforming how we work.
Here’s a bit of what they found:
In one year’s time, Gen Z will make up one-third of the workforce. What do they crave from colleagues and bosses?
A shift away from the office has hit Charlotte particularly hard, with stubbornly high vacancies and nation-leading delinquencies. What will that mean for our economy?
The office of tomorrow is already here — and it does NOT have beige carpets and fluorescent lighting.
Working from anywhere means ANYWHERE. We’ll take you to a corner of the state that is luring young workers from across the country. You won’t guess where.
We’ll kick things off tomorrow with a thought-provoking concern raised by Ric Elias, CEO of Indian Land-based Red Ventures, regarding workers in their 20s — and what his company is doing about it.
This is the fourth time this year that we’ve devoted a week to a single topic. It’s a big investment, but as the editor on this project, I hope you find it useful and interesting — and what you’ve come to expect from The Ledger.
Readers on our free list will get a flavor of the articles, but the full series will be available only to The Ledger’s community of paying members. We’d love to make them available for free to everyone, but the reality is that in-depth reporting and writing requires time and money. This series is important and thought-provoking, but articles like these won’t “go viral” or ever be sustained by mass advertising.
Many thanks to The Ledger’s paying members for making this series possible. If you’re on our free list and would like to join and read this week’s full series, we welcome you.
Enjoy!
— Doug Miller, contributing editor
Doug Miller is the former investigations editor for the Charlotte Observer and McClatchy Southeast newspapers.
Other recent in-depth series from The Charlotte Ledger:
“The Kids Are Not Alright: Inside N.C.’s teen mental health crisis” (in partnership with N.C. Health News, Sept. 4-8, 2023)
“Faces of AI: How Charlotte Businesses are Experimenting with Artificial Intelligence” (🔒, July 10-15, 2023)
“Trials of the Century” — Four blockbuster trials from Charlotte’s history (🔒, April 10-13, 2023)
Today’s supporting sponsor is Landon A. Dunn, attorney-at-law in Matthews:
UNC Charlotte paid economic mobility expert Raj Chetty $50,000 + first-class airfare for speech last month
Raj Chetty, the Harvard economist whose work mobilized Charlotte’s leadership to improve economic mobility, collected $50,000 for a speech here last month — and UNC Charlotte agreed to pay for his first-class airfare.
In a Nov. 14 keynote speech at UNC Charlotte’s uptown campus — part of the university’s Chancellor’s Speaker Series — Chetty praised Charlotte for its progress in addressing economic opportunity for low-income residents since his 2014 study ranked the city 50th out of 50 cities on economic mobility. The ranking spurred private-sector and elected leaders to focus on the issue.
4 1/2 hours of work: Chetty’s contract with UNC Charlotte, obtained by The Ledger under North Carolina’s public records laws, called for him to spend 4.5 hours in a series of events in Charlotte on Nov. 14. Starting at 3 p.m., it said he would spend an hour with UNC Charlotte students at the student union. Then, after an hour-long break, he was to spend 2.5 hours at the main event uptown for a “meet and greet” (30 minutes), a “moderated Q&A” (90 minutes) and a “post-event reception” (30 minutes), which was scheduled to wrap up at 7:30 p.m.
The contract called for UNC Charlotte to pay him $25,000 the month after it was signed, in January 2023, with another $25,000 in early November. It also called for the university to “provide and pay for First class airfare, hotel room and ground transportation (for 2 people if needed).” The contract is with New York-based speakers bureau Gotham Artists. [view Chetty contract here]
Chetty is widely considered one of the country’s leading experts on economic mobility. He’s the co-founder of Opportunity Insights, a “non-partisan, not-for-profit research and policy institute” that has partnered with leaders in Charlotte, Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit and other cities. Opportunity Insights was started in 2018 with big grants from major foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($15.1M) and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative ($15M), the philanthropic organization started by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. —TM
Related Ledger articles:
“Economic mobility professor praises Charlotte’s efforts” (🔒, Nov. 15)
“Taking the temperature on upward mobility,” (🔒, June 9; 🎧 also a podcast)
“Is Charlotte really 50th out of 50 in economic mobility?” (🔒, March 2, 2022)
Taking Stock, sponsored by Topsail Wealth Management
Topsail Wealth Management partners with you to provide personalized advice. Minimizing costs and the complexities of your wealth and investing plan.
How local stocks of note fared last week (through Friday’s close), and year to date:
🎧 New pod: A Roof Above leader on how Charlotte can end homelessness
In the latest episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Joe Hamby, director of community education at Roof Above, discusses the nonprofit’s efforts to achieve an ambitious goal: ending homelessness in Charlotte.
In a discussion with podcast host Steve Dunn, Hamby discusses Roof Above’s efforts including street outreach, emergency shelter services and permanent supportive housing — as well as his career journey, his optimism on ending homelessness and his reflections on aging and finding purpose.
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast features conversations on local topics including business, nonprofits, education and more. It’s available on major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Check it out!
New canine respiratory disease is spreading across the U.S., but so far it hasn’t cropped up in Charlotte; ‘We’re on pins and needles,’ local vet says
A new canine respiratory disease is sickening dogs as it spreads across the U.S., and while cases haven’t yet been reported in Charlotte, a local veterinarian says it's still a good idea to be cautious with pets.
Tom Gawel of Partners Animal Hospital NoDa said he received an email from the N.C. Veterinary Medical Association last month that said cases have not appeared in North Carolina yet.
“We’re on pins and needles looking for any indications, signs, symptoms of an influx here in North Carolina, and there hasn’t really been a report yet,” Gawel said.
Veterinarians don’t know yet if the disease is a strain of bacteria or influenza, Gawel said. Respiratory diseases are most commonly spread through close contact with an affected dog.
Symptoms include nasal discharge, coughing, lethargy and lack of appetite, which are typically associated with respiratory illnesses. However, this particular disease is taking longer to recover than the typical five to seven days.
Last November, Charlotte vets reported a large number of respiratory cases across the city caused by another mystery virus, Axios reported last year. Gawel said that the virus spread to many pups through boarding facilities and dog parks.
Although the new mystery illness hasn’t hit Charlotte yet, Gawel recommends being cautious when taking your dog to high-traffic areas like dog parks. If you’re planning to board your pup this winter, ask your boarding facility about its cleaning protocols and if it has noticed an increase in coughing dogs.
“If you can avoid it, that might be the best thing for now until we get a better handle on if this is going to be a problem in our area,” Gawel said. —LB
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
THURSDAY: Sustain Charlotte's 704 Impact Academy - Session 2, 6-8 p.m., Charlotte Art League. Impact 704 Academy, is Sustain Charlotte’s advocacy-focused series about sustainable land use and transportation. Attend one, two, or all three sessions and meet others who share your desire to make an impact! This no-cost event is supported by Southminster. Light refreshments will be provided. This is an alcohol-free event. While we won't have childcare available, you're welcome to bring your kids and supervise them. Free.
SATURDAY: “Craft Across Continents” Opening Celebration, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mint Museum Uptown. Enjoy free museum admission and activated spaces for the public opening of the exhibition Craft Across Continents — Contemporary Japanese and Western Objects: The Lassiter/Ferraro Collection that features more than 60 contemporary glass, ceramics, bamboo, and textile contemporary objects by artists from around the globe, all from the private collection of Charlotteans Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro. Free.
◼️ Check out the full Ledger events board.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
The topsy-turvy world of Charlotte sports is generating some bargains…
Starting ticket prices for selected Charlotte sporting events through Dec. 18 (in descending price order; prices retrieved over the weekend):
Charlotte Checkers (Dec. 15 vs. Bridgeport Islanders), $25
Johnson C. Smith men’s basketball (Dec. 9 v. Lees-McRae), $15
Queens men’s basketball (Dec. 9 vs. Carolina University), $10
Ardrey Kell High boys varsity and JV basketball (Dec. 8 vs. Sun Valley), $8
Carolina Panthers (Dec. 17 vs. Atlanta Falcons), $6*
Charlotte Hornets (Dec. 8 vs. Toronto Raptors), $6*
* On Gametime app; does not include service charges
In brief:
Council to choose mayor pro tem: The Charlotte City Council is scheduled to select a mayor pro tem on Monday, after the swearing-in of members elected last month. WSOC’s Joe Bruno wrote on X (Twitter) on Friday: “Heading into the weekend, conversations on who should be mayor pro tem have centered on two people: Dante Anderson or Victoria Watlington.” Watlington received the most votes in the at-large race. Anderson was elected to her second term in District 1, which includes uptown, NoDa and Plaza-Midwood. The mayor pro tem is like a vice mayor, who would lead meetings in the mayor’s absence.
A hotel headed to South End? A company called Charlotte Tryon Hotel LLC bought two parcels totaling 0.626 acres on the corner of South Tryon and West Bland streets in South End last week, county property records show. It’s a vacant lot across the street from The RailYard development. The sales price: $8M, which translates to $12.8M an acre. The purchaser appears to be affiliated with hotel management company White Lodging of Merrillville, Ind., which developed the new JW Marriott on College Street uptown.
Lots of money left for property tax relief: Few homeowners are taking advantage of a county program to provide property tax relief to low-income residents. Of a $12.1M fund, $10.7M remains. The application deadline is Dec. 15. (WFAE)
Bowl match-ups announced: College football bowl games have selected their teams. UNC will play West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte on Dec. 27. Other Carolinas teams include Appalachian State (Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl in Orlando, Dec. 16), Duke (Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 23), N.C. State (Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Dec. 28) and Clemson (Tax Slayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 29). (ESPN)
Unemployment rate: Mecklenburg County’s unemployment rate was 3.2% in October, up from 3.1% a month earlier, and below the national rate of 3.9%.
Crescent buys Davidson land: Crescent Communities purchased about 15 acres off Potts Street in Davidson for $6.2M, county land records show. Crescent submitted plans last year for 250 apartments, a neighborhood park and a dog park on the site and has had years of a sometimes contentious back-and-forth with the town over the project, including a lawsuit, The Charlotte Observer reported last year.
Pub poisoning death: A man who drank a beer at a Winston-Salem pub has died, after cleaning solution was apparently left in a beer line and poisoned him. (Fox 8)
In memoriam: Fountain Odom, a Democrat who represented Mecklenburg for 14 years in the state senate and served six years on the county commission, passed away last week at age 85. (Observer)
Holiday cheer:
“14 must-see holiday light displays in Charlotte” (Axios Charlotte)
“A 2023 guide to holiday events in Charlotte” (Charlotte magazine)
🎁 Last call to order crossword puzzle books
We have just 7 copies remaining of The Charlotte Ledger Crossword Puzzle Collection available for online ordering. It could make a nice stocking stuffer. The book has 35 original puzzles with Charlotte themes and clues. Just $19.99+tax, with free shipping.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative