Trailblazer 2019

Rachel Withrow is owner of The Crooked Door which has become a thriving business and a social hub for McDowell County, hosting events such as the annual Give Back Drive, block parties, open mic [...]

Matthew Vincent, an Appalachian State University grad and Boone native, is owner of a High Country construction business that builds both homes and commercial properties.

Jessica Throneburg launched a monogramming business in 2012, creating custom personalized products at her dining room table. Since opening a storefront in Garner in 2017, she’s expanded the [...]

As club director of the Nashville unit for the Boys & Girls Club of Tar River, Troi Thomas is motivating kids to boost their educational attainment.

Carol Nguyen Steen, a N.C. State Poole College of Management master’s grad, oversees human resources at Biltmore Farms, an Asheville-based real estate developer.

Thomas Rhodes is a risk management specialist and Rocky Mount native. He holds eight professional designations related to the insurance industry and has licenses in property and casualty, [...]

Cory McCall and Rob Gasborro started an outdoor equipment and apparel store, Outdoor 76, best known for helping hikers from the nearby Appalachian Trail find more comfortable footwear.

Bryan Hunter is a graduate of Fayetteville Technical Community College, which boasts North Carolina’s only mortician training program, Hunter worked in the industry for nearly 20 years before he [...]

Paige Dowling is credited as the state’s youngest female town manager after being appointed to the position at age 25 in Sylva. She’s one of North Carolina’s two town managers who also serve as [...]

Under Andrew Crone ’s leadership as president and CEO, Chaddock Furniture Workroom has experienced consistent growth. It opened a 15,000-square-foot showroom at the High Point Market in fall 2018 [...]