Spotlight On: Bill Russell, President & CEO, Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce

December 2025 — In an interview with Invest:, Bill Russell, president and CEO of the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, discussed the chamber’s efforts in supporting growth for businesses in the region, including networking events and workforce development initiatives. “Over 30 years ago, businesses and corporations joined chambers because it was the community thing to do. It was considered a civic thing. Now, businesses choose to join chambers because of what they’re going to get back from it. Investing in the chamber of commerce is an investment in their business,” Russell said.

Join us at caa’s upcoming leadership summits! These premier events bring together hundreds of public and private sector leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses and investors. Find the next summit in a city near you!

What recent changes have impacted your chamber and the business community?

Our chamber hosted 101 networking events, 39 professional development seminars, and 78 ribbon-cuttings this past year. That is an aggressive schedule for any chamber. In addition, we continued with our advocacy efforts, alongside our signature events.

In February 2025, we hosted an artificial intelligence seminar at the Cain Center For The Arts, with Meta as one of our sponsors. They said this was the first AI seminar in North Carolina by a business association. It was on how AI is starting to shape business decisions. It is not replacing people, but it is retooling people. We can use that to help market our businesses. I have a radio show every week, and now, I can use AI to polish my questions on certain subjects. In October 2025, we will hold the 24th annual business expo, which has sold out early. It’s our opportunity to showcase our businesses, so we’re looking forward to it.

What makes Lake Norman the place to grow a business within the Southeast?

I can’t think of a better place to work, live, and visit than the Charlotte region, and Lake Norman, in particular. It sometimes feels like being in the Garden of Eden. We have the lake lifestyle right here, with the largest man-made lake in the Carolinas, covering 520 miles of shoreline and four different counties. We’re less than two hours away from the mountains, and about three hours from the coast. There are sports teams, arts, and entertainment, like the Blumenthal Arts Center, available to residents. The weather is also spectacular, with all four seasons.

How has the chamber’s momentum evolved recently?

The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce is a regional chamber of commerce with 850 members. Over 30 years ago, businesses and corporations joined chambers because it was the community thing to do. It was considered a civic thing. Now, businesses choose to join chambers because of what they’re going to get back from it. Investing in the chamber of commerce is an investment in their business.

We encourage people to support their businesses through the business directory in our relocation magazine. We have a visitor center where they can put their materials. We have programs like networking events, which is why 90% of our businesses join the chamber. They want to expand their contact base, and they know they can come to the events to meet like-minded businesses. So, hosting professional development seminars and similar events is extremely important. The chamber has the ability to be the voice for businesses, and we can advocate on their behalf. Oftentimes, when I meet with government representatives, they want to know what the chamber of commerce thinks about certain topics.

We have good contacts and relationships with our delegation, including our senior senator, Thom Tillis, who’s from Lake Norman.

What are your top priorities in supporting the next wave of regional growth?

We’re always playing catch-up in North Carolina when it comes to roads and schools. We build developments and businesses, and then, we decide to get the road. Getting the infrastructure in place seems to be secondary. Those are probably the primary drivers of concern for our local elected officials when they consider whether we have the infrastructure in place to support the wave of growth we’re facing.

Overcrowding in schools and on our roads is a good problem to have. I’ve been in communities that didn’t have that problem. Some places had the infrastructure, but they didn’t have other capacities to facilitate the growth. So, they didn’t have businesses or jobs there. Having congestion on your roads and overcrowding in schools can sometimes be symptoms of a rapidly growing community.

For example, the population of Huntersville was 3,000 people in 1990, and it’s approaching 70,000 in 2025. There are not many communities in the country facing that type of growth. We’re seeing that in multiple locations because more people want to grow their businesses and their families in Lake Norman.

What are the industries driving demand for Lake Norman?

We have a tremendous choice in healthcare here, and it’s a sector that has been growing stronger. Atrium Health recently opened a new hospital, and Lake Norman Regional Medical Center is now affiliated with Duke Health. We also have Novant Health’s presence in Huntersville. We get all the doctors, jobs, and healthcare choices that come with those. We are also seeing growing interest and presence from international companies, from Germany, Spain, and Asia, in making Huntersville their home.

How does the chamber support workforce development for the region?

We have an initiative called the Lake Norman Education Collaborative, which connects businesses with schools. One of its programs is called Journey 360, which takes high-school students, including those from charter schools, on a tour of five different industries. They can learn how the businesses operate, and what skills are needed to be in those businesses. Sometimes, the educators go on the tours to see what they need to teach in the schools.

Not every student is going to go from high school to a four-year college. They may decide to go to a technical school or straight into the workforce through an apprenticeship. Our partners include Southwire, NuBlue, and Champion Tire & Wheel, which sometimes bring some of these students into their facility and offer them job opportunities. We also host career days to expose students to a variety of professions.

What initiatives are you launching to support arts and culture?

We work closely with the Cain Center for the Arts to promote their wide range of acts. They have 400 seats for performances like the Charlotte Symphony, comedy acts, country and western music, and so on. They are going to have a business show, and we had our AI event there. One of the big sports that has been taking off for a while is pickleball, and all of our towns are getting involved in building new pickleball courts. Amateur sports are big in Lake Norman, including softball, swimming, diving, and tennis.

What are your top priorities for the next few years?

We’re going to work closely with our elected officials to make sure we have proper infrastructure, from the roads and public transit to schools, that will support businesses. Our focus is to make sure the infrastructure in place can support that growth. We will identify the business sectors we lack, so we can promote bringing them here. We want to make sure that people don’t have to travel far for their jobs. We also focus on education to produce a skilled workforce for the incoming businesses.

I’m fortunate to work at the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce. When I started here in 1996, I did not think it likely that I would spend the rest of my career at one chamber. I can’t think of a better place to do what I do, though.

Want more? Read the Invest: Charlotte report.