GLENN DOBROGOSZ: GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER

DENNIS QUAINTANCE: QUAINTANCE-WEAVER RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS

It would be hard to name a person who's had a greater influence on the hospitality industry in North Carolina's Piedmont-Triad than Dennis Quaintance. As Chief Executive Officer, Chief Design Officer and Chief Storytelling Officer of Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels based in Greensboro, he and his team run a company that built and continues to operate 2 upscale hotels in Greensboro along with 3 restaurants and a companion restaurant in Cary. In this episode, Quaintance talks about the mission of each of these establishments as well as his back story. It includes--among many other things-- going to school in a one-room schoolhouse, entering the hospitality industry at age 15, and then meeting and working with someone who persuaded him to come to Greensboro in the late 1970s. His stories are interesting, compelling and worth nearly 57 minutes of your time.

GEOFF FOSTER, CORE TECHNOLOGY MOLDING CORPORATION

Not many companies can claim they've grown 300% in the last 5 years. But Geoff Foster's company can! Foster runs the Core Technology Molding Corporation based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It's in the process of moving into a new $28 million manufacturing facility east of Greensboro. The company takes raw plastic pellets, melts them at high temperatures and injects that material into molds that form precision components for the world's large automotive and pharmaceutical companies. In this episode, Foster describes to Neill McNeill--among other things-- how one of his earliest inventions influenced his success.

BERNIE MANN: PRESIDENT "OUR STATE" MAGAZINE/FORMER BROADCASTER

You may not recognize his name, but there's a good chance he's influenced your life here in North Carolina's Piedmont-Triad in one way or another. 30 years ago, Bernie Mann bought what was a struggling publication and turned it into a "Celebrating North Carolina" powerhouse. But before he became a magazine publisher, he owned radio stations across the northeastern and southern sections of the country. In this episode, he describes how his upbringing in New York City led to one spectacular personal and professional life.

KEVIN BAKER: PIEDMONT-TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

He's been a key figure in turning a quiet travel venue in central North Carolina into an economic development and aerospace powerhouse. Within the next few years, the Piedmont-Triad International Airport will be the home of one of the largest concentrations of aircraft manufacturers in the world! But it's also a traditional airport that--like many others--is facing challenges that include competition from other airports, recruiting airlines and dealing with aging facilities. In this episode, PTI's Executive Director Kevin Baker discusses all this with Neill McNeill including his back story that includes how his much older brother was a major influence.

GLENN DOBROGOSZ: GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER

During the last more than 20 years, Glenn Dobrogosz has turned a sleepy science center in Greensboro, NC into a legitimate tourist draw and--you could argue--an economic development machine. In this episode, the Greensboro Science Center's executive director tells Neill McNeill how and why he arrived in Greensboro, explains the "secret sauce" behind the facility's success and his big plans for the future.