It strikes me that change is inevitable and that North Carolina is getting better all the time. It’s easy to long for the good old days, even if they weren’t all that good, while appreciating enduring values that make for long-term progress.
The thought, and more specifically how Raleigh has changed, was sparked by a chat with Brad Hurley, who with John Vick has run the 42nd Street Oyster Bar restaurant in downtown Raleigh since 1987. They succeeded partner Thad Eure Jr., who envisioned the addition to his hugely successful Angus Barn in west Raleigh. Sadly, he died of pancreatic cancer at age 56 a year after the Oyster Bar’s debut.
The restaurant is famous as the site where many key decisions were hammered out by lobbyists, politicians and Raleigh influencers. An iconic mural at the restaurant shows former Gov. Bob Scott; Eure’s father Thad Sr., who was N.C. secretary of state for 52 years; 36-year Agriculture Commissioner Jim Graham and developer Willie York, who created the Cameron Village shopping center.
Hurley is an East Carolina University grad who in the 1970s joined the upstart Darryl’s chain, formed by the younger Eure and Charlie Winston. He learned the spirits business at the company’s Lexington, Kentucky, restaurant, in preparation for the legalization of mixed drinks in parts of the state in 1978. Darryl’s sent bar trainers from Kentucky to its N.C. restaurants, which benefited from liquor by the drink.
Eure saw the opportunity for a classy, clubby watering hole near the state Capitol when lobbyists could buy dinners and drinks with limited oversight. At its peak, the 240-seat restaurant employed 120 people.
Thirty-eight years later, Hurley and Vick are in their 70s and not ready to commit to another lease with the longtime property owners, the Hobby family. The restaurant closed at the end of March. Hurley and Vick didn’t want to see the restaurant’s reputation decline. While there’s more competition for diners now, the restaurant was doing fine, he says.
“People have said the big, bad landlord wins again, but that isn’t right,” Hurley says. “We had a good run and we chose not to sell the restaurant.”
Yes, change is inevitable and often positive when insightful folks are steering the ship. Many examples of changemakers are evident in this edition.
Christopher Chung’s name pops up a lot this month. State leaders recruited him from Missouri a decade ago to lead the state’s industry recruitment. He’s handled the pressure with aplomb, letting the politicians strut while gaining the confidence of both sides in a highly partisan environment.
Charlotte kingpin Johnny Harris gets a mention in our section focusing on the state’s golf business. His longstanding promotion of the sport’s economic impact in North Carolina has led to global broadcasts of Charlotte’s major golf tournaments. That’s made the Queen City more inviting to CEOs, whose relocation decisions have changed the state. Bobby Long in Greensboro and Robert Dedman and Tom Pashley in Pinehurst have played similar roles with their events.
In the Statewide report, we note Kevin Howell’s selection as chancellor at NC State University in May. He has to sustain momentum from Randy Woodson’s 15-year tenure at the campus. Lacking the Ph.D. pedigree of most university chiefs, Howell is among the state’s most well-liked leaders after two decades of key roles at the Raleigh campus and UNC System.
Vision also can lead to personal fortune. Gambling industry entrepreneur Garrett Blackwelder hit the jackpot in February, selling about half of his Greenville-based Grover Gaming for $1 billion. (See Page 8.) Perhaps more effectively than anyone in state history, he figured out how to tap into the insatiable national obsession for betting.
That vision thing is a pretty rare, unpredictable and amazing beast, don’t you think?
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Business North Carolina is hosting another leadership conference in Raleigh on May 16. We’d love for our readers to attend, so look to our website, www.businessnc.com, for more information.
