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November Virtual Luncheon – Community Building Initiative’s Bus Tour: “What’s in the Ground” in our Community

Submitted by Molly Carroll, Trinity Partners

CREW Charlotte’s virtual November luncheon explored “What’s in the Ground” in our community, taking a closer look at the intersection of access, diversity, and inclusion with real estate. The luncheon featured Dr. Tom Hanchett (Community Historian, Levine Museum of the New South, retired) and Annetta Watkins-Foard with CBI (Community Building Initiative) as virtual tour guides.

Tom discussed a broad history of segregation and systemic racism in Charlotte and how it’s shaped Charlotte’s growth and development. Segregation along racial and economic lines was created in the 1800’s and fostered by the government through laws and covenants, continuing through the 1900’s including damaging federally funded urban renewal programs in the 50s and 60s that destroyed Black communities in the urban core of cities across the country.

Things started to shift in with the 1968 Fair Housing Act and 1977 Community Reinvestment Act as the federal government attempted to level the playing field by removing racist and discriminatory policies surrounding homeownership and development.

Our virtual bus tour exemplified what Dr. Hanchett discussed as we learned more about several key Charlotte neighborhoods: Uptown, West Side, East Side, and Central Avenue, and how they’ve evolved over the years and the affect gentrification is having on communities and affordability. One bright spot is “Brightwalk” in the West Side, a thriving mixed-income neighborhood.

For more information, check out the following resources:

Community Building Initiative’s website

Sorting Out the New South City by Dr. Tom Hanchett

Info about Charlotte walking tours, food tips, etc: www.HistorySouth.org

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

Color and Character: West Charlotte High and the American Struggle over Educational Equality

October Virtual Luncheon – Deciphering Healthcare – Trends, Opportunities, and Advice on the Healthcare Industry

Submitted by Keiko Pace

CREW’s October Virtual Luncheon explored healthcare trends and opportunities in our current environment. Bryan Johnson, with Colliers International, was the moderator, and Tommy Catone with Summit Healthcare Group, Tiffany Johnson, with CBRE, and Esezele Payne, with Atrium, were the panelists.

Esezele Payne, with Atrium, spoke about women in healthcare and how covid impacted many women employees, forcing some to leave the healthcare industry due to family obligations. One of Atrium’s main goals is to diversify and create diversity within leadership roles, so attracting and keeping women in their workforce is a huge goal for Atrium Health. Atrium has been expanding in Winston Salem, Macon, Georgia, and other parts of Georgia, and they are looking to grow in areas where they haven’t focused in the past.

CBRE is focusing on leadership diversity. They have a goal of investing over $700 million in diverse suppliers by 2025. They have seen a surge in medical office buildings with an increase in price per sq ft. Many organizations are backlogged in medical procedures and the need for medical real estate is changing the landscape of the healthcare industry.

Summit Healthcare has had to pivot by looking for more creative opportunities and thinking outside the box since real estate is at a premium. They spoke about a project where they took an old Bi-Lo’s building and recently turned it into a healthcare facility.

Covid has affected each of these organizations differently. With Atrium, it has been more difficult to get approvals and therefore restraints on capital funding. They have incorporated more virtual care, more patient needs, and created more urgent care centers. All 3 organizations spoke about the “Retailization” of healthcare, meaning that the healthcare trend is currently heading to more retail focus centers like the banking industry has done in the past. CBRE, Atrium, and Summit Healthcare are all focused on strategic growth, being stable, and finding ways to improve performances in technology, customer care, and remaining connected to patients/ clients in an ever-changing environment.