Pro2CEO founder Kevin Carr talks to longtime friend Kim Durand about the past present and future of her career. Kim Durand emphasizes the roles that flexibility and an eagerness to learn played in getting her career to where it is today. As a senior administrator, Kim Durand helps student athletes to succeed and strive for opportunities that otherw…

Jenn McEwan transformed her love of arts and performing into a career of supporting artists and performers, and uplifting the community through art. Today she shares her journey to becoming the head of the United Arts Council, and gives us inside information on what's ahead on the Raleigh and Wake County art scene. --- Jenn McEwen is the President …

In the fourth episode of Season 3 of the HIT Show, Matt Laporta talks to Pro2CEO founder Kevin Carr about what he wishes he had known as a college and a professional athlete. Matt LaPorta gives his advice on how current collegiate athletes can navigate the NIL space and avoid being taken advantage of. Additionally, LaPorta emphasizes the importance…

In the third episode of the season, Traci Gage gets together with Kevin Carr to talk about her career in athlete lifestyle management. From scheduling an athlete's day to making sure that emails get sent out at the perfect time, Traci Gage tells listeners how she is able to stay on top of not only the lives of the professional athletes she works wi…

Orage Quarles served as President and Publisher for the News & Oberserver for sixteen years, and has been on just about every Board you can think of, both locally and nationally, including the North Carolina Museum of History, the Dix Park Conservancy, and the UNC School of Media and Journalism Foundation. Today we talk to Orage about the importanc…

In this episode, Kevin Carr, CEO of Pro2CEO talks with Ashton Henderson, Deputy Athletic Director of Championship Resources and Culture at Michigan State University. Ashton Henderson discusses his path from playing college football to one day becoming an Athletic Director. Kevin Carr and Ashton Henderson share their thoughts on promoting athlete de…

In the Season 3 premiere of the HIT Show on the Athlete+ Podcast Network, Kevin Carr, CEO of Pro2CEO and Industry Professor at the University of Florida reunites with Erjaam Hayes, Program Director of Player Development at the NBA. Erjaam Hayes discusses his work within the National Basketball Organization, more specifically his successes, challeng…

Ernest Dollar calls himself a professional hoarder, but he's actually a historian who has overseen the City of Raleigh Museum , the Pope House, and other important historical sites for over a decade, and whose role is expanding to help preserve and educate on even more of the city's history. We talked to Ernest about the role of museums and histori…

Meg Paradise has nothing against the Raleigh bar scene. Far from it! She was an enthusiastic participant in Raleigh's nightlife, but when she became pregnant, she gained a new perspective on what life without alcohol might look like. Meg went from a fear of missing out, to wondering if a healthier (but still fun) lifestyle was possible. A lot of th…

Terrance Ruth is one of those people in Raleigh who seems to be everywhere at all times. He's been a public school teacher and administrator, a college professor, a policy evaluator, a foundation founder, and a mayoral candidate. But how would he describe himself? First and foremost, a student of the community. Today we talk about policy and politi…

As a high schooler in Columbia, Angela Salamanca had no idea where Raleigh was. Fast forward 30 years later, Angela is one of the most influential chefs and entrepreneurs in our community, owning Centro and Gallo Pelon in downtown Raleigh, as well as Ex Voto in the Durham Food Hall. Plus she's the founder of the Day of the Dead 5K (coming October 2…

Get ready to dive into the vibrant world of Raleigh with our special guest today, Adrienne Cole, the President and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber isn't just about stuffy business talk – it's all about fun, support, advocacy, and community-building! Join us as we uncover the many facets of the Chamber. Sure, they're expe…

Host Kevin Carr invites former WNBA player Rushia Brown to share her journey from being a seasoned athlete to an agent for change. Born in the Bronx and raised in South Carolina, Brown played basketball at Somerville High, eventually becoming a MVP in the Southern Conference and one of the top players in the WNBA. Brown also shares valuable insight…

Today we welcome Donald Thompson, serial entrepreneur, investor, author of Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, host of the High Octane Leadership Podcast, and CEO of The Diversity Movement. Don has so much going on that’s making a difference in both the Triangle business community and the nation at large - and the accolades are starti…

Some of you may know Preeti Waas as a 2023 James Beard nominated chef for her work at Cheeni Indian Food Emporium in North Raleigh. Or maybe you know her for Cheeni's famous chocolate chip cookies. What you probably don't know is the path Preeti took to get where she is today - how she uncovered her love of baking, lessons she learned starting a re…

Today's guest is Les Stewart, a builder, tinkerer, doer, and chief beverage officer and co-owner of Trophy Brewing. Les tells us how he started making beer, what the growing and waning trends in the alcohol industry are, and if you give him enough time, he'll give you dissertations on how to make a proper tomato sandwich and the movie Steel Magnoli…

Today, Lauren Kennedy Brady shares her journey from a successful Broadway career to making great theater in her hometown. Hear her touching memories of growing up in Raleigh, filled with shows, Broadway weekends, and the magic of theater. Tune in to find out about Theatre Raleigh's new state-of-the-art facility and exciting future programming - inc…

In this episode of the HIT Show, we welcome Justin Forsett, former NFL running back and founder of Hustle Clean, and dive into his background and journey to business success after sports. Justin reflects on his NFL journey and highlights three important takeaways: the greatest gains in life and the NFL, the inevitability of adversity, and the power…

If you asked an average Raleigh citizen what the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle does, you'd probably consistently get answers like "help feed people" and "fight hunger"--and both of those would be correct. But did you also know they have a food truck? And run a farm? And a catering service? And will come to anyone's home and build a garden? The Inter-Fai…

Kevin Carr, CEO of Pro2CEO and Industry Professor at the University of Florida, welcomes Tracy Ellis-Ward, Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Pacer Sports and Entertainment, to the HIT Show on the Athlete+ Podcast Network. Tracy Ellis-Ward discusses her early basketball beginnings, playing overseas, networking leading to jo…

What do you do with a future city park site that currently sits kind of as an empty parking lot? Enloe student Adrian Mangano had an idea: why not make it a skate park? And that idea became Skate Raleigh, a venture to build a temporary skate park between Capital Boulevard and West Street on the future site of Smoky Hollow Park. The area has long be…

On this episode of the HIT (How I Transition) Show, Kevin Carr, CEO of Pro2CEO and Industry Professor at the University of Florida, hosts Dr. Chantelle Green, Director of Mind Health and Wellness for the Portland Trailblazers of the NBA. Dr. Green is responsible for helping players deal psychologically with the demands of the sport and to improve t…

Ronnie Burrell, the head coach of the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League, will be the guest on today's episode of the HIT (How I Transition) Show. Burrell, a native of New Jersey, spent more than ten years playing basketball in Europe. After finishing his basketball career, he obtained an MBA from Florida Atlantic University before making a comeb…

Kevin Carr is back for another episode of the HIT Show with Arthur J. Hightower II. Hightower currently serves as the Senior Director of Player Engagement for the Los Angeles Chargers. He is a veteran in the player development space with expertise in athletic advising and over 18 years of experience with the Chargers. Prior to his current role with…

A little more than 5 years ago, Raleigh almost became home to the new USTA headquarters that eventually landed just outside Orlando. But the message was clear: Raleigh has a lot of people who spend a lot of time with racquets in their hands. Now the Triangle is on the verge of getting a 45-acre racquet and paddle sports super park that includes fac…

Jonathan Melton is serving in his second term as an at-large member of the Raleigh City Council, serving on the Economic Development & Innovation and Transportation & Transit Committees. He was inspired by seeing other young leaders run for and take office, and saw a need for the city to have more varying voices making decisions. And calling back o…

Johnny Hackett had a successful stint in the corporate world before deciding to seek out work that had more meaning. This led to the founding of #BlackDollarNC, a black owned business directory, the Black Friday Market, a retail store hosting goods from 60+ small businesses, and The Factory, and co-working and manufacturing space. We talked to John…

We plan to roll out new Podcast Raleigh episodes soon, but in the mean time we’re kicking off the year with a Podcast Swap! Today’s episode will be from Raleigh Magazine’s Office Talk podcast. Raleigh Magazine Publisher Gina Stephens (a Podcast Raleigh guest--check out the episode!) discusses some of the top Raleigh restaurants, including which one…

Clark Kellogg, a former NBA player and current college basketball analyst for CBS Sports, joins Kevin Carr for another episode of the HIT show. Kellogg has years of experience in the basketball industry, both as a player and a commentator. He is also the voice of the popular video game, NBA 2k. Throughout the podcast, he shares his experiences from…

On this episode of the HIT Show from Athlete+, Kevin Carr speaks with Lauren Clayborne, the Director of Community Relations and Player Programs for the Golden State Warriors. Clayborne, a Detroit native, talks about her many transitions through her young life, from her time as a student at Michigan State University to her current role with the Warr…

Kevin Carr and Stacey Garcia meet to discuss Garcia’s background, her current role as the Senior Director of Athlete Brand Partnerships at The SpringHill Company, and the numerous roles she previously served as a Talent Producer earlier in her career. Throughout the podcast, she provides insights and advice for students and young workers on how to …

Kevin Carr meets with former professional basketball player Lou Amundson to talk about his NBA career, his journey from high school ball to college ball at UNLV and eventually to the pros, and his ongoing transition to the next phase of his life. Amundson played professional basketball for 12 years (2006-2018), 10 of which were as an NBA player. Am…

Hazel Clark, a former Florida Gator, joins Kevin Carr for another episode of the HIT Show. Clark, the daughter of famous inner city principal Joe Louis Clark, is a three time Olympian, winning five NCAA titles, seven national titles, and was inducted into the UF Athletic Hall of Fame as a Gator Great. Clark talks about her time as a track star and …

Kevin Carr, founder and CEO of Pro2CEO, is joined by Dwight Howard, former #1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Carr highlights all of Howard’s accolades throughout his career, while Howard provides advice on how to stay in shape, how to be successful in the sport industry, and how important giving back to the community as a professional athlete …

It's been almost a decade since Peace College became William Peace University and, since 2015, its leader under the new banner has been Dr. Brian Ralph. We talked to him about the school's diverse student body and array of academic studies, its focus on immersive learning, the expansion of arts and athletic programs, the growth of the North Person …

Can you name Raleigh's Sister Cities? Do you know what it means to be Sister Cities? And did you know you (yes, YOU) have the ability to help start a Sister City relationship? Cody Charland, President, and Meetal Shah, Development Director, want to take Raleigh Sister Cities--a program that started in the 1980's--and grow it even bigger. More Siste…

Ashley Campbell grew up watching Perry Mason on TV, so it was no surprise that she followed her dream and became a lawyer. Along the way she discovered her passion: helping ensure everyone has access to representation in the justice system. Now--after a decorated career in real estate law with Ragsdale Liggett--that passion is her singular focus as…

Scott Dupree grew up watching and playing sports, now he brings sports to Wake County as the executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. Sports are a major part of any city's tourism plan, and our area has a sterling reputation as event hosts. We talked to Scott about the economic impact of sports in our area, the rise of e-sports, o…

As City Manager, Marchell Adams-David is responsible for a lot of employees (about 9,000) who serve a lot of people (about a half a million citizens, plus a few hundred thousand more who work and play here). So when she hires people to work for the City of Raleigh--she has one of three roles selected by the City Council, the rest are hired, directl…

Rhett Fussell is a transportation engineer, but when he bought some real estate he realized something important: it's not that feasible for everyone to purchase real estate. That sent him down a path that eventually led to him becoming a founder and interim director of the Raleigh Area Land Trust. RALT is Wake County's first land trust; there are l…

It's not hyperbole to say Mitchell Silver is one of the most experienced, most respected city planners in the world. And for a second time, we've got him right here in Raleigh. Silver helped develop Raleigh's comprehensive plan as its chief planning officer before moving to New York City to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recre…

Tinu Diver is an attorney, writer, community activist and filmmaker who went from tinkering with a camera to make her first movie in elementary school in Maryland to being featured at the Sundance Film Festival. In between, she graduated from UNC's Creative Writing Program and UNC Law and pursued (and continues to pursue) a number of different inte…

Up until barely a week before North Carolina Theatre's "9 to 5" opened--its first large production since pandemic restrictions began in 2020--Eric Woodall, the show's director and NCT's Producing Artistic Director, hadn't even seen the faces of all the cast members, since they were still practicing in masks. The precautions, the long layoff, the "w…

Kristen Hess didn't always knew she wanted to work in architecture, but she always knew she should be in charge. Once she discovered an architect is akin to being the conductor of a symphony--bringing out the best of all the various players to create a piece--she knew it was for her. And once she came to Raleigh to study design at N.C. State, she n…

As with any business venture, when deciding how to approach a project developers have to think about whether or not it's profitable. Gordon Grubb and his team almost always have a second, maybe equally as important issue to ponder: what will their neighbors think? When Grubb left running his family business to start Grubb Ventures in the early 2000…

Have you ever constantly walked or driven passed a piece of property and thought, "You know what would be perfect here?" Sarah Shepherd had that same thought and, with the help of her husband Jeff, has turned withering Boylan Heights house Montford Hall into a stunning boutique hotel and event space: Heights House. We talked to Sarah and Jeff about…

When a pivot during college sent him on a track from studying political science to broadcast journalism, Aaron Thomas already had an idea of where the best place to be a TV reporter might be: at WRAL, the local news station he grew up watching. Having now been a reporter at a few other local new stations outside of North Carolina, Thomas now has an…

Sumit Vohra would likely be successful at whatever business he chose to run--he's smart, hard-working, dedicated to his community and philanthropic. So he chose beer. Or maybe it chose him. What began as a hobby became a side project when he was still working in the tech world. And eventually that side project became today's Lonerider: a Raleigh br…

As a child, you could find Carly Jones pretending she was on Star Search (playing the role of both host and contestant), so it's no surprise that she ended up as a performer. She's played to international audiences and still performs music, theatre and opera on stages across the Triangle and beyond. Later came the realization that she is not just p…

Mike Maniscalco grew up and went to college in Buffalo, New York in a time when the Carolina Hurricanes didn’t even exist. His first visit to Raleigh was to see a hockey game....as a fan of the Canes' opponent. But a radio job made him a full-time Raleigh resident, followed by a move to the TV side reporting for the Hurricanes, and now he has becom…