Let’s take a moment now to check in on the status of one of Charlotte’s most well-known homegrown companies, whose founder and CEO died unexpectedly last fall. Doug Lebda was killed in an off-roading vehicle accident on his country property. He founded LendingTree, an online financial services company, in the 1990s. For more, Ashley Fahey of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

New year, new workforce trends. Let’s take a moment to look at the changes in AI, employer leverage, and more that could force Charlotte-area companies and employees to rethink how they operate in 2026. Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

Last year was a boom year for Charlotte companies on the stock market. It was so good, in fact, that CNBC recently published an article naming the city “king of the stock market in 2025.” For more, Ashley Fahey of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

Before we get too far into the new year, let’s take a brief moment to look back — this time at some of the top Charlotte-area business news of 2025. To do that, Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined our Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

It’s now been a week since Charlotte’s biggest brewery was rocked by the bombshell arrest of its co-owner for alleged child sex crimes. The backlash against Sycamore Brewing has included bars, restaurants, grocery stores, and even the airport pulling their products. For the latest, Morning Edition host Marshall Terry is joined by Ashley Fahey of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter for our segment BizWorthy.

Time is running out for those still working at home since the pandemic. One of the changes that could be coming with the new year is a return to the office for five days a week. That’s according to recent data and a survey of business leaders. For more, Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

This week, the leaders of some of Charlotte's biggest companies gathered uptown for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance's annual economic forecast. The takeaway for next year is that there are some big challenges on the horizon. For more, Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

Let’s turn now to an update on part of Charlotte’s Unified Development Ordinance, which took effect in 2023. The overhaul of the city’s development rules allowed denser housing in more places, including accessory dwelling units or ADUs. But despite high interest and demand for ADUs, so far, few have been built. For more, Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

Charlotte’s immigrant community remains on high alert after federal agents have arrested more than 250 people in an operation that began over the weekend. The fear means businesses are seeing fewer customers as people stay home. Some have even closed temporarily. For more on the impact this crackdown is having on Charlotte’s business community, Ashley Fahey of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.

Let’s take a break from talking about this week’s election results for a moment to look at some business news in the Charlotte area. As usual, Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.