Winning the Cup, Keeping the Edge
North Carolina brought home a Stanley Cup this year. That's a hockey story. But talk to the people who built that team, and it starts to sound like a familiar economic story. North Carolina wins because it's built to win.
Chairman Woody White sat down with Brian Fork of the Carolina Hurricanes organization and Sen. Michael Lee to talk championships, tax policy, education, and what it takes to stay on top. You can watch the full conversation below.
A Championship Built on More Than the Ice
Fork described the last two years as a "wild ride." The Hurricanes won on the ice. But the organization was also managing a $300 million renovation of Lenovo Center, funded through the Raleigh-Wake hospitality and prepared foods tax. It's also breaking ground on an 80-acre, privately funded mixed-use development around the arena.
But the real story is how the fans responded. Watch parties sold out. Thousands gathered outside the arena. Canes fans filled the stands in Las Vegas for the deciding game. "It kind of felt like a college football atmosphere," he said, "where you have a huge presence of the visiting fans."
Fork compared the Hurricanes to franchises across the league. Markets like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles carry built-in advantages most teams can't match. North Carolina competes differently. Its business climate does the work instead.
A strong economy means fans can afford tickets. It means businesses can afford suites and sponsorships. It means the franchise can meet a demanding payroll every month. "It's a place that other people want to invest in," Fork said, "because they can see the long-term future in North Carolina."
Fifteen Years of Policy, One Broad Economic Story
Sen. Lee connected that business climate to more than a decade of tax and regulatory reform. It's the same policy foundation that has helped North Carolina earn the No. 1 spot in the CNBC rankings for a number of years running.
He pointed to what that growth looks like today: professional sports thriving in Raleigh and Charlotte, aerospace investment from Jet Zero, Corning's expansion in Hickory. Sports add something else too, identity. "You see folks driving to Raleigh with the Hurricanes flags," he said. "You see them coming here with Hornets and the Panthers... it really does give North Carolina a great identity."
Other states would take North Carolina's opportunities in a heartbeat, Chairman White noted. Sen. Lee agreed, and credited the legislature's vision, and the discipline to follow through on it, with building an environment where executives want to move their families here and businesses want to expand here.
Looking ahead, Lee pointed to infrastructure as the next priority. He's introduced a bill called Future NC Infrastructure Act to bring stakeholders together and plan not just 10 years out, but 20. The goal is to build ahead of the state's growth, not catch up to it.
Thoughtful Growth, Not Just Fast Growth
Asked what mistakes North Carolina should avoid over the next five to ten years, Fork pointed to the state's history of spreading growth across regions. Charlotte and Raleigh. The Triad. Asheville. Wilmington. All while holding onto one of the largest rural and agricultural populations in the country. That balance, he said, has been key to North Carolina's success.
The challenge now is keeping pace. Water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure all need to support a state that's still adding roughly a million people every few years. "It's a difficult task," Fork said. But the goal is simple: don't let growth outrun the planning behind it.
Rethinking Education Around What Students Can Do
Sen. Lee has spent years working on education policy, including through the Hunt Institute and his leadership on opportunity scholarships. He sees K-12 and higher education moving toward a competency-based system, rather than one built around seat time.
He pointed to work already underway blending high school and community college credit, so students take a course once instead of twice for the same requirement. He expects personalized learning to expand further, along with more retraining options for adults through community colleges and four-year universities. "Instead of talking about credits," he said, "we're going to be talking about credentials, achievements, or competencies."
Building on the Foundation
Sen. Lee closed by confirming he plans to seek the position of President Pro Tempore of the State Senate this fall. He pointed to the Senate's reputation for thoughtful, policy-driven work as central to the state's growth. His goal, he said, is to build on the fiscal and regulatory foundation laid by past leadership, not shift away from it. "We have a lot of talented folks in the North Carolina Senate," he said, pointing to a deep bench ready to carry the state's growth forward.
The Bottom Line
The Hurricanes' Stanley Cup championship didn't happen by accident. Neither did the business climate that made it possible. Fifteen years of tax and regulatory policy built the conditions for a franchise to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in this state. That same climate brought fans together to fill arenas and watch parties, and it keeps bringing new investment across industries.
Staying on top means doing what got us here. Thoughtful growth. Planning ahead on infrastructure. An education system built around what students can actually do. And leadership willing to build on what works, not tear it down.
Watch the full discussion here:
