Business North Carolina has been describing how the Tar Heel State economy ticks since 1981. The consistent mission is sharing, in a vivid way, the ups and downs of people, companies and institutions that play key roles in our dynamic state.
Combining talented writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists, BNC’s goal is to continuously inform and entertain readers who share a passion for their communities and state.
We want to introduce dynamic newcomers and groundbreaking trends, describe the impact of long-term influencers, provide unique information and report on questionable business-community behavior in an accurate, fair manner. A history of industry awards reflects the success of that mission.
Above all, the goal is for a fun, compelling monthly look at North Carolina. The mantra of longtime Publisher and Editor David Kinney was simple: “Business journalism doesn’t have to be boring.”
Since 2015, the magazine has been part of a group that publishes lifestyle magazines including O.Henry in Greensboro, PineStraw in Southern Pines, SouthPark in Charlotte and Walter in Raleigh. The privately held group also owns The Pilot newspaper in Moore County.
BEN KINNEY
publisher
Ben has been on the Business North Carolina staff since 1999. He has served on the boards of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance of Area Business Publications and serves on NC State alumni magazine’s advisory group and the leadership committee of the board of directors for the NC State Alumni Association. He is active in the North Carolina Committee for Business and Education, North Carolina Economic Developers Association and is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina.
DAVID MILDENBERG
editor
David joined Business North Carolina in 2014, continuing a lengthy career in Tar Heel journalism. The Minnesota native has spent most of his career at publications in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, along with stints with Bloomberg News in Atlanta and Austin, Texas. He has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, with an MBA from UNC Charlotte. From 1987-90, he was BNC’s managing editor, learning much about journalism and life from three talented colleagues named David: Kinney, Bailey and Newton. He and his wife, Janet, have a grown son. Off the job, he enjoys walking his incomparable dog, Maggie; reffing soccer; and lip-syncing in the church choir.
KEVIN ELLIS
managing editor
Kevin joined Business North Carolina in January 2023 after more than 25 years at The Gaston Gazette, including a stint as managing editor. He had previously worked as a reporter at The Morganton News Herald. He began his newspaper career as a 10-year-old paperboy for The Hollywood (Florida) Sun-Tattler. A decade later, the same paper hired him as a sportswriter.
CHRIS ROUSH
executive editor of digital
Chris joined Business North Carolina in June 2023 after serving 21 years in academia as a professor and senior associate dean at UNC Chapel Hill and as dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. That work, including 10 books about companies and business journalism, have made him among the nation’s best-known journalism professors. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Tampa Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and at Bloomberg News and BusinessWeek magazine.
RAY GRONBERG
editor, NC Tribune
The California native started his media career as a photographer at South Carolina’s Union Daily Times and Greenville News-Piedmont before returning to North Carolina in the early 1990s to begin a long stint as a reporter and editor for the Durham Herald-Sun. In 2018, he became managing editor of the Henderson Dispatch in Vance County. He also worked in Japan in 1991, editing English-language investor-relations materials for some of Tokyo’s most prominent banks, finance companies and tech firms. He joined Business North Carolina in March 2023.
CATHY SWANEY
creative director
Cathy is a Michigan native and graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Cathy began her design career working on award-winning automotive advertising for Chrysler Automobile and Ford Motor Co., primarily focused on interactive, web-based design. Later moving to Charleston, South Carolina, she worked in marketing and design for the College of Charleston and Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International Real Estate. She joined BNC in March 2023.
JENNIFER WARE
marketing coordinator
Jennifer joined BNC in April of 2016, helping provide marketing and design services that keep Business North Carolina magazine in the forefront of news and information. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, received her MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has more than 26 years of marketing experience specializing in graphic design and events. Jennifer and her husband have two grown sons and are trying to embrace the empty-nest life. She enjoys playing tennis, listening to music, and traveling with friends and family.
MELANIE WEAVER LYNCH
advertising sales account director
Melanie joined Business North Carolina magazine in 2002. The North Carolina State University graduate grew up in the Triangle area. She is married and has two children. She has spent more than 28 years in the publishing and advertising industry. Prior to BNC she worked with Palm Beach Media Group and started a company generating advertising revenue and consulting for multiple national inflight magazines. Her greatest joy is being a mom and giving thanks to God for all her many blessings.
SCOTT LEONARD
account executive and subscription audience development manager
Scott transitioned to Business North Carolina after a couple years with our sister publication in Charlotte. He handles advertising sales for the Charlotte market along with western North Carolina, and oversees statewide subscriptions. For over twenty years, he worked with a large national real estate publisher, and owned a local publishing company in the metro area. Scott most appreciates the daily interaction with clients, and their welcoming nature across the state whenever he drops in for a visit. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC Charlotte. Outside of work, Scott enjoys golf, landscaping, the beach, and helping with his son’s little league baseball teams.