Lessons in car buying from Charlotte's 'Car Chick' (free version)
Plus: American Girl store to close at SouthPark; Airport could add flight paths; Atrium expects to break revenue records; Queens president leaving; Front-office changes at Tepper Sports
Good morning! Today is Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying members went out 15 minutes ago. It included:
Solid car-buying advice you’ll want to read if you’re among the many holiday season car shoppers, or you have “get a new car” on your agenda for 2025. We’ve got good tips and info from a Charlotte-area woman who buys cars for clients all over the U.S.
Sad news for lovers of the American Girl brand — the doll store is leaving SouthPark Mall on Feb. 17, after 10 years. We’ve got info on what’s been going on with the company.
What’s that sound overhead? More Charlotteans may be hearing the rumbling of airplanes in the coming years, due to a possible increase in the flight paths that city officials are mulling. We’ve got the scoop — and a map of proposed flight paths!
News that Atrium Health is poised to break revenue records for 2024. In fact, the healthcare company’s net operating revenue has already matched its record total for all of 2023, according to a financial update at a hospital authority meeting The Ledger’s Michelle Crouch attended Tuesday.
Info on changes to the business side of Tepper Sports & Entertainment. The Ledger’s Carroll Walton makes sense of some big announcements that came down Tuesday about high-level staff positions.
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LeeAnn Shattuck traded an IT job for a career helping people buy cars; she now runs an auto buying service, a consumer-focused podcast and an online course from her Fort Mill office
LeeAnn Shattuck helps people buy new cars every day, but her car of choice is a 2004 Mini Cooper S she calls “Maggie.” Shattuck advises car owners to name their cars, because “if you name your car, it's part of the family, and hopefully you'll take better care of it.” (Photo courtesy of LeeAnn Shattuck)
by Cristina Bolling
LeeAnn Shattuck caught the car bug as a young girl, when she’d sit in the passenger seat of her dad’s first-generation Mazda RX-7 and work the stick shift while her dad controlled the clutch and steering wheel.
Fast forward a few decades, and Shattuck’s love for cars kept growing. As an adult, she moved to Charlotte from her native Wisconsin and balanced her career as an IT project manager with racing cars on a motorsports team, all the while voraciously following the auto industry.
In 2006, a visit to the women’s restroom at a client’s site proved to be life-changing when she spotted a pink brochure on the counter advertising a car-buying service aimed at women.
She wound up going into business with the owner, and after a few years the two parted ways and Shattuck became “The Car Chick” with a national car buying clientele, a popular podcast and YouTube channel called “The Straight Shift” in which she breaks down consumer information and news about the auto industry in a straightforward, no-nonsense way. She also has an online course to teach consumers how to buy cars.
These days, from her office in Fort Mill, she helps upwards of a dozen clients at a time identify the right car for them and then handles the arduous task of haggling with dealerships to get clients the best deal possible. (She charges $1,297 for the “My Perfect Car” package, which includes an analysis of car needs and budget, market conditions, payment options, test drives and delivery.)
December is a popular month for car shopping, so The Ledger sat down recently with Shattuck to get her best car-buying tips and insights on what’s coming down the pike in the auto buying world.
American Girl store to close Feb. 17 at SouthPark Mall, ending 10 years in Charlotte
After Feb. 17, the closest American Girl store to Charlotte will be near Washington, D.C., at Tysons Corner Center (pictured above) in McLean, Va. (Photo from Shutterstock)
Farewell to Kit, Felicity and Samantha. The American Girl store in SouthPark Mall will close on Feb. 17, the company announced on its website.
The 12,000 s.f. store opened in 2014 in the mall’s Macy’s wing, featuring a clothing boutique, a full-service “bistro” restaurant and a six-chair doll hair salon.
Multiple American Girl stores have closed across the country in recent years. In 2020, the company closed stores in Atlanta, Arizona, Denver and Kansas City, followed by the 2021 closure of stores in Seattle and Hershey, Pa. The Miami American Girl store closed in 2022 after 10 years.
Future flight paths from CLT could expose more of the city to airplane noise
Leaders of Charlotte’s airport said this week that future flights taking off from CLT could use a wider range of flight paths, introducing the possibility that additional parts of the city would hear airplane noise.
Airport director Haley Gentry told the City Council on Monday that the proposed changes are part of a federal program designed to have a “balanced and cost-effective” plan for mitigating airport noise around airports. Even as the airport has grown, the airport’s takeoff flight paths have not changed since 1979, she said.
The proposal, which still must be studied by the Federal Aviation Administration, would
Atrium set to break revenue records; CEO Gene Woods says bigger is better when it comes to health care
Two years after Atrium Health combined with hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin to form Advocate Health, CEO Gene Woods highlighted the successes of the unified system on Tuesday, making the case that size and scale can lead to higher quality health care.
Speaking at a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority meeting, Woods said the combination has resulted in more than $662M in savings, sharing an example of a consolidated glove contract:
Queens University president Dan Lugo stepping down to be the next president of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.
Dan Lugo will step down as president of Queens University of Charlotte at the end of this academic year to become president of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.
The news was announced Tuesday by Trinity College, and Queens Board of Trustees chairman Jesse Cureton emailed a letter Tuesday morning to members of the Queens community, which was obtained by The Ledger.
Related Ledger articles:
“He’s leading Queens to become ‘a bigger version of itself’” (April 13, 2022)
🎧Charlotte Ledger Podcast episode: “Making Queens University of Charlotte into a top college” (Oct. 23, 2023)
Front-office moves at Tepper Sports and Entertainment include change in roles for Panthers and Charlotte FC presidents
Tepper Sports and Entertainment announced a front office shakeup Tuesday, promoting Carolina Panthers president Kristi Coleman into a new position as CEO in which she will oversee business operations of the Panthers, Bank of America Stadium and Charlotte FC.
As a part of the restructuring, Charlotte FC president Joe LaBue was shifted to a consulting role. A new chief business officer will be hired to focus on Charlotte FC’s business operations and report to Coleman.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
FRIDAY: “Talented Girls in Action Holiday Benefit,” 5:30-7:30 p.m., The Club at Longview, 8801 Longview Club Drive, Waxhaw. Enjoy an evening filled with delicious food, holiday cheer, and the chance to bid on exciting items in our silent auction—all in support of empowering young women in our community. Proceeds from the benefit will support TGIA’s scholarships, mentorship programs, STEAM opportunities, and career readiness initiatives. These programs are designed to help young girls unlock their potential, achieve their goals, and build brighter futures. $100.
DECEMBER 16: “Tosco Music Holiday Party.” 7:30-10:30 p.m., Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. Celebrate the season with this local tradition that transforms Knight Theater into Charlotte’s living room for the holidays, gathering 1,200 friends & neighbors for holiday songs and singalongs with diverse acts & a variety of music styles! Fun for all ages! Cost: $22.50 - $56.50 with 10% discount for groups of 10+.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board
In brief
Jerrell named new commissioners chair: Mark Jerrell has been named the new chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, succeeding George Dunlap, who continues as District 3 representative. Lee Altman was selected as vice chair. (Queen City News)
Charge dropped against former chamber chief: South Carolina prosecutors have dropped a domestic violence charge against Bob Morgan, former president and CEO of the Charlotte and South Carolina chambers of commerce. Morgan was arrested in September after his wife alleged he struck her. The charge was dismissed on Nov. 26 at the victim's request, according to prosecutors. Morgan’s attorney stated he is relieved to move forward and allow his family to heal. (Observer)
South Charlotte development nears city funding: The Charlotte City Council’s economic development committee recommended approving $6.9M in incentives for a $500M mixed-use project at Providence Square, pending a full council vote Dec. 9. Combined with $12.1M from Mecklenburg County, the funds will support infrastructure, affordable housing, small business initiatives and sustainability goals. The project includes 108 affordable housing units, improved mobility and donated park space. Full approval depends on further votes, including a Dec. 16 vote on rezoning the site. (Biz Journal)
Juvenile detention centers under scrutiny: A federal lawsuit alleges that juveniles in North Carolina's detention centers are subjected to prolonged isolation, with some youth spending 23 to 24 hours a day in solitary confinement. The state denies routine isolation, but acknowledges that staff shortages affect how much time detainees spend outside their rooms. (North Carolina Health News)
New N.C. Senate Democratic leader: North Carolina Senate Democrats elected Sydney Batch as their new leader, succeeding Dan Blue, who served as minority leader for over a decade. Batch, a 45-year-old attorney and social worker, has represented Apex since 2021. She previously served as deputy minority leader and is a breast cancer survivor. House Democrats re-elected Robert Reives as their leader. (News & Observer)
Charlotte gets first snowfall in years: Snow briefly fell in Charlotte early Tuesday, marking the first flakes since 2022. However, meteorologists, including WBTV's Al Conklin, note that it wasn’t measurable, so the city’s 1,039-day snow drought persists. The last measurable snowfall was 0.2 inches on January 29, 2022. (Axios Charlotte)
Lovin’ Life gets competition: Grammy award-winning artists Kendrick Lamar and SZA will perform at Bank of America Stadium on May 3, 2025, which coincides with the second annual Lovin' Life Music Fest. Tickets for Lamar and SZA go on sale December 6 at 10 a.m. (WBTV)
Programming note: Ledger editor Tony Mecia appears as a guest on 90.7 WFAE at 6:40 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. on Thursdays for a discussion of the week’s local business news in the station’s “BizWorthy” segment. Audio and transcripts are also available online.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman