Invest: Charlotte leadership summit to highlight the region’s built environment
Key points:
August 2026 — Hundreds of Charlotte‘s business, civic and institutional leaders will gather Sept. 24 at Blume Studios for the Invest: Charlotte Leadership Summit.
Join us at the Invest: Charlotte 6th Edition Leadership Summit! This premier event brings together hundreds of Charlotte’s business and regional leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses and investors. Buy your ticket now!
The event, which marks the report’s sixth edition, runs from 9 a.m. to noon and features three panels on the real estate credit cycle, the role of the region’s education and healthcare anchors, and the construction strategies shaping Charlotte’s growth.
This year’s Leadership Summit will center on a key question: How does a rapidly growing city like Charlotte build for the future while strengthening the institutions and industries that define it? The conversations will dive into real estate and credit, anchor institutions and development, drawing from voices across banking, healthcare, education and construction.
“Charlotte has always been more than its growth metrics. It’s a city with deep institutional roots and a strong sense of momentum,” said Abby Lindenberg, founder and CEO of caa. “What’s striking about this moment is not only the pace of development, but also the way leaders are thinking about it. There’s more cross-sector collaboration with a deep awareness of timing.”
The morning will open with a welcome address from Tom Gabbard, CEO of Blumenthal Arts.
The first panel of the morning, “The Next Credit Cycle: What Borrowers, Lenders, and Investors Need to Know About Charlotte Real Estate,” will bring together banking and finance leaders to discuss the outlook for Charlotte’s real estate market. Moderated by Cheryl Richards, president and CEO of Catapult Employers Association, the discussion will feature Ted Wolfe, president of TowneBank Charlotte; Jim Eubanks, Charlotte hub co-leader at Synchrony; John Bly, South Atlantic regional leader at Aprio; and Zac Snyder, regional executive at Carter Bank.
The summit’s second panel, “Educating, Innovating, Healing: Leveraging the Development of Charlotte’s Anchor Institutions for Long-Term Growth,” will examine the role of the region’s education and healthcare institutions in Charlotte’s long-term growth. Led by moderator Valerie Kinloch, president of Johnson C. Smith University, the panel will feature Gary Paxson of UNC Health Blue Ridge, Chris Socha of Edifice, Anthony Davis of Livingstone College, and Alexis Budge of Flagship Healthcare Properties.
Closing out the morning, the final panel, “From Blueprint to Skyline: How Charlotte Is Building for Growth, Flexibility, and the Next Generation,” will bring together construction leaders to examine the development strategies shaping Charlotte’s next phase of growth. Moderated by Matt Donato, partner at Echelon Risk & Cyber, the session will include Zach Pannier, business unit leader at DPR Construction; Michael Bedell, general manager and vice president at Walbridge; and Steve Smith, executive vice president at McKenney’s.
More than just a celebration of a new publication, the Invest: Charlotte Leadership Summit is a space to examine the forces shaping the region’s growth, and the constraints on it.
Register today for meaningful discussions and networking as well as a complimentary copy of the publication.
About caa & Invest: Charlotte
caa is an integrated media platform that produces in-depth business intelligence through its annual print and digital economic reviews, high-impact conferences and events, and top-level interviews via its video platform, Invest:Insights.
Invest: Charlotte is an in-depth economic review of the key issues facing the Charlotte economy, featuring the exclusive insights of prominent regional leaders. Invest: Charlotte is produced with two goals in mind: 1) to provide comprehensive investment knowledge on the region for local, national and international investors, and 2) to promote the region as a place to invest and do business.
The report conducts a deep dive into the top economic sectors in the region, including technology, real estate and construction, infrastructure, banking and finance, healthcare, education and tourism. The publication is compiled from insights collected from more than 200 economic leaders, sector insiders, political leaders and heads of important institutions. It analyzes the leading challenges facing the market and uncovers emerging opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs and innovators.
For more information, please contact:
Shain Collins
Senior Executive Director
786-598-7526
scollins@capitalaa.com
Want more? Read the Invest: Charlotte report.
