Axios Charlotte

March 16, 2025
👑 Hi, Sunday. It's Alex, who just registered for Around the Crown to lock in the early bird price. The deal ends Friday.
- 😮💨 I struggled through the 5K at the Whitewater Center yesterday, so a 10K should be a fun challenge.
⛈️ Weather: Heavy rain, damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes. High of 74.
- Our meteorologist friends at WBTV advise you to secure loose objects outside your home and charge your mobile devices
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Charlotte members Tracy Abernathy and Barry Linchuck!
Today's Smart Brevity™️ count is 507 words — a 2-minute read.
1 big thing: 🏦 New employee perks at Wells Fargo campus
Back to the office isn't so bad when you have perks to look forward to.
- Wells Fargo recently opened a new employees-only food hall at its Customer Information Center in the University area. The center also features a tech support station, pickleball courts and renovated auditoriums.
Why it matters: The bank hopes these amenities will improve workplace culture and inspire the roughly 10,000 employees at CIC to come into the office.
- Most Wells Fargo employees follow a hybrid schedule, allowing them to work from home two days a week.
What's inside: The seven-station food hall showcasing local restaurants replaces an outdated mall-style food court.
- Haerfest Coffee, a Davidson-based roaster that employs people with disabilities, pours coffee.
- Plus, a 60-seat private dining room designed to resemble a bank vault is reservable for events.
Between the lines: Since 2023, Wells Fargo has been on a five-year, $500 million undertaking to upgrade its assets in the Charlotte region. It's about 64% complete.
- That includes remodeling 14 floors at Three Wells Fargo Center at 401 S. Tryon and 21 floors at 550 S. Tryon, the former Duke Energy Center. Wells Fargo also opened new "Connections" spaces and a 20,000-square-foot food hall at 550.
💼 Fresh openings from our Job Board
If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 15 to get you started.
- Music Ministry Administrative Assistant (Part-time) at First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte.
- Fluency Specialist at Augustine Literacy Project-Charlotte.
- Sr Analyst - Customer Insights at Lowe's Companies, Inc.
- Manager, Customer Marketing at Lowe's Companies, Inc.
- Accounting Specialist at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte.
- Associate Marketer - Category Marketing at Lowe's Companies, Inc.
- Dual Licensed Clinician - Roof Above Men's Shelter at Mecklenburg County.
- IT Lead Senior Internal Auditor at Lowe's Companies, Inc.
- Customer Service Manager at Charlotte Area Transit Systems.
- Executive Director of Digital Experience - (Communications & Marketing) at Central Piedmont Community College.
- Project Coordinator at UNC Charlotte.
- Patient Coordinator at Ageless Remedies SouthPark.
- Chief Development Officer at Hospitality House of Charlotte.
- Landscape Architect/Designer at Little.
- Retül Bicycle Fitter & Bike Fit Business Developer at Bicycle Sport.
Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
2. ⚡️ Biz lightning round
🎰 The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department shut down a west Charlotte illegal gambling operation following a shooting investigation. The ABC Unit seized 106 illegal gambling machines, three payment redemption kiosks and more than $12,000 in cash. (CMPD)
💵 North Carolina Democrats filed a bill to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $22 an hour, though they doubt it will advance with the Republican majority. (CBJ)
🏀 Elevate, a sports and entertainment consulting firm, is the second tenant to relocate from SouthPark to The Station at LoSo, joining architecture and engineering firm CPL.
- Beacon Partners has leased 10,389 square feet to Elevate, pushing occupancy above 80% at The Station. Elevate wanted to be a part of the "booming food and entertainment district," Beacon Partners says.
🛤 The future Red Line commuter rail will likely include a stop at Camp North End. The senior project manager is now recommending that the Metropolitan Transit Commission approve the extra station. (WSOC)
⛲️ Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison and his wife sold their south Charlotte mansion in the Seven Eagles neighborhood for $5.7 million. (CBJ)
🏫 More than 50 universities, including Clemson and Duke, are facing federal investigations as part of President Trump's anti-DEI campaign. (WBTV)
3. 💼 Two new CEOs just dropped
Charlotte had two big CEO announcements this week:
The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance has named Robert McCutcheon, a former executive in the outdoor power equipment industry, as its next president and CEO. He will assume his role Monday.
- McCutcheon previously served as president and CEO of Husqvarna North America in Charlotte and as president and managing director for Britax Child Safety, a car seat manufacturer in Fort Mill.
- Go deeper
United Way of Greater Charlotte hired its interim president and CEO Kathryn Firmin-Sellers to the permanent role, effective April 1.
- Previously, Firmin-Sellers was the organization's chief impact officer and executive vice president.
- Go deeper
Your lifelong dream of owning a private compound where like-minded, naked people can play volleyball is within your reach. This 42-acre nudist resort, about three hours from Charlotte, was listed for a cool $1.8 million.
Thank you to Laura Barrero for editing this newsletter.
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