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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Power 100 icons and change agents

Icons

There’s influence, and then there’s serious influence: These senior business leaders are no longer as active in day-to-day affairs but still wield enormous clout.

John Atkins
Durham architect, civic activist in various Triangle area endeavors

Don Beaver
Hickory nursing-home kingpin owns Charlotte’s minor-league baseball team

Smoky Bissell
Veteran developer who sold his Ballantyne office park for $1.2 billion

Erskine Bowles
Charlotte investment banker; director at Facebook, Morgan Stanley

Frank Daniels Jr.
Veteran newspaper executive; part of group that owns Business North Carolina

Dick Daugherty
Retired IBM executive and longtime promoter of Research Triangle Park

Paul Fulton
Ex-Sara Lee president; leads group favoring more higher-ed spending

Allen Gant Jr.
Chairman and former CEO of Triad textile giant Glen Raven

Johnny Harris
Charlotte’s most outspoken developer, heir to Morrison land fortune

Bob Ingram
Former CEO of Glaxo Wellcome; private-equity investor in health care

Leon Levine
Founder of Family Dollar Stores; now a prominent philanthropist

Bobby Long
Sold his life-insurance business; backs many Triad projects and events

James Maynard
Founder of Golden Corral restaurant chain; private-equity Investor

Hugh McColl Jr.
Retied CEO of Bank of America; Charlotte’s most famous leader

Jim Melvin
Ex-banker and Former Greensboro Mayor; heads Bryan Foundation

Wendell Murphy
Leading pork producer; former state Senator; N.C. State University booster

Mack Pearsall
Lawyer who has held key civic leadership roles in Rocky Mount, Asheville

Gregory Poole Jr.
Retired CEO of Raleigh’s Caterpillar Dealership; civic leader

Russell Robinson
Law-firm founder who has represented many key business leaders

O. Temple Sloan Jr.
Founder of General Parts, bought by Advance auto for $2 billion in 2014

O. Bruton Smith
Created public companies for his car dealerships, Nascar Speedways

C.D. “Dick” Spangler
Billionaire investor in banks, National Gypsum; former UNC System chief

Mike Weaver
Greensboro contractor, developer, investor and philanthropist

Smedes York
Former Raleigh mayor, veteran contractor and real-estate investor


Change Agents

“Ones to watch” — while they lead prominent businesses or organizations, these executives are relatively new in their roles.

Adrienne Cole
President and CEO, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce
Raleigh

Ryan Combs
Executive director, Research Triangle Regional Partnership
Cary

Patrick Conway
President and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Durham

Kandi Deitemeyer
President, Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte

Gerald Evans
CEO, Hanesbrands
Winston-Salem

Julie Ann Freischlag
CEO, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Winston-Salem

Scott Levitan
President and CEO, Research Triangle Foundation
Durham

Vincent Price
President, Duke University
Durham

Cecil Staton
Chancellor, East Carolina University
Greenville

Click the links below to read more:

The intro
The Power 100 list
Roy Carroll II
Dale Jenkins
Leah Wong Ashburn
Robert E. Barnhill Jr.
Frank Emory
Mark Bellissimo

Click here to see a PDF

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