The Best Doctors in North Carolina by specialty.

Patients are willing to pay a premium to get extra time from physicians at concierge medical practices.

Superstorm Sandy was a nasty trick for the East Coast, but what it brought to North Carolina’s mountains was a treat for the ski industry.

Leading up to the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, the host committee kept saying fundraising was “right on track.” But somewhere along the line it ran off the rails.

Free & Clear: The expected tax-reform battle might not end up being much of a battle at all.

Up Front: Time is money when it comes to medical care.

The Triad recently became the only region with five of the state’s 10 largest health systems after Carolinas HealthCare System and UNC Health Care made inroads there.

Crescent Financial Services has been growing through acquisitions.

Small Business of the Year: In a bleak economy, our Small Business of the Year, Johnson Nursery Corp., relieved its growing pains by making color count.

Capital Goods: Republican Pat McCrory breaks the so-called Charlotte curse by winning the governor's race.

A bid to bring minor-league baseball to the banks of the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington struck out with voters in November, when they rejected the use of public money to build a $37 million stadium for an Atlanta Braves affiliate.

Small Business of the Year Runner-up: Fuentek LLC is based on a simple premise: Brilliant minds often have tunnel vision. Potentially lucrative findings and inventions collect dust at academic institutions and government agencies because their creators don’t envision their commercial viability.

Small Business of the Year Runner-up: Powder-coating company New Finish is expanding in Norwood.

Small Business of the Year Runner-up: Prima Tech USA Inc. is the nation’s largest maker and distributor of animal-health applicators.