Vision Northwest North Carolina

Kenny Flowers serves as the Chief Deputy Secretary at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, where he leads teams in operational areas and provides strategic leadership for the agency on issues related to economic development and external affairs.

From 2017 to 2025, Kenny served as Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development at N.C. Commerce. In that role, he provided guidance for the Department in its efforts to support rural communities and help foster rural prosperity. Mr. Flowers led a team of community and economic development professionals that helps communities make the preparations and infrastructure investments needed to increase competitiveness, attract businesses, and spur economic growth. Under his leadership, the Rural Economic Development Division generated more than $715 Million in grant awards that support over 2000 projects and 28,000 jobs throughout the state. LEARN MORE ABOUT KENNY >>

Joe has served as Executive Director of RTA, the voice of the regional business community on transportation in North Carolina’s Research Triangle metropolitan area, since the organization’s founding in 2002. Joe’s primary role is to provide strategic focus and direction for the regional business community to accelerate success on critical regional priorities. Under Joe’s leadership, RTA has successfully advocated for the construction and advancement of $3 billion in freeway, street, transit, and airport priorities, including the 540 turnpike, the widening of I-40, a regionwide BRT network, a new primary runway at RDU, dedicated revenue for enhanced transit, and America’s first dynamic left turn intersection. LEARN MORE ABOUT JOE >>

Transportation funding and gas tax are shifting, and the State needs new strategies to sustain infrastructure investment for decades ahead. Examine how transportation is financed and future funding models that could replace today's policies. 

Panelists:

• Mark Newsome, Chief Financial Officer, NC Department of Transportation
• Patrick Woodie, President/CEO, NC Rural Center
• Dan Gerlach, Economic Development Strategist, Dan Gerlach, LLC

Getting goods, workers, and customers where they need to go is foundational to every sector of our economy. Explore the economic interdependence of trucking, freight, and regional mobility. 

• LeeAnn Nixon, President, Wilkes Economic Development
• Chris Roland, Plant Fulfillment Leader, GE Aerospace

From regional airports to greenway systems, alternative transportation networks are opening new pathways across Western North Carolina. Learn how these assets connect communities and attract investment. 

• Christina Redman, Camp Grier/G5 Trail Collective
• Eric Payne, Airport Manager, Ashe County Airport
• Dan Gurley, Principal, DGR Solutions, LLC

Transportation funding and gas tax are shifting, and the State needs new strategies to sustain infrastructure investment for decades ahead. Examine how transportation is financed and future funding models that could replace today's policies. 

Panelists:

• Mark Newsome, Chief Financial Officer, NC Department of Transportation
• Patrick Woodie, President/CEO, NC Rural Center
• Dan Gerlach, Economic Development Strategist, Dan Gerlach, LLC

Transportation is a workforce issue: without reliable access, workers can't reach jobs and employers can't fill them. This session looks at transportation barriers, CDL licensure, and how construction intersects with regional workforce development. 

• Scott Hartley, CCC&TI - Truck Driver Training
• Lucas Underwood, L&N Performance Auto Repair
• Dante Besseghini, Plant Manager, Baxter Pharmaceuticals

Real projects come with real complications. Hear from firsthand experiences with corridor development, community trust, and what happens when the process is followed (and when it isn't).

• Ivan Dishman, NC Department of Transportation - Division 11
• Shane Fox, Town Manager, Caldwell County

From community buy-in to funding structures and realistic cost planning, map how transportation projects move from concept to completion across the region's planning organizations. 

• David Graham, High Country Council of Governments - Rural Planning Organization
• Magnolia Long, Foothills Council of Governments - Rural Planning Organization
• Averi Ritchie, Western Piedmont Council of Governments - Metro Planning Organization

Infrastructure alone won't solve traffic challenges. Take a look at demand management strategies, public transit options, and business incentives that can move more people with fewer vehicles on the road. 

• Craig Hughes, Director, AppalCart
• Stephanie Twitty, CEO, Eagle Market Streets Development Corp
• Scott Garland, Stonewalls Restaurant & Catering

Local businesses and residents are often the last to know when a project affects their area. Examine how to improve communication around transportation changes and how communities can better engage in the process. 

• Carolyn Ward, CEO, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
• Jesse Pope, President/CEO, Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
• Meagan Phillips, NC Department of Transportation Board of Directors

In May 2025, Patrick Norman became chief engineer of the N.C. Department of Transportation. As chief engineer, he manages and directs the engineering program activities of NCDOT’s 14 highway divisions, the Transportation Mobility and Safety Division, the Central Units, and the Technical Services Division. 

He is a registered professional engineer and has held several positions at NCDOT during his 24-year career, including chief engineer for the Department’s Turnpike Authority. In this role, Norman oversaw all design, permitting, pre-construction, construction, maintenance, operations, and asset management. LEARN MORE ABOUT PATRICK >>