They say success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out — whether you’re striving for a degree, teaching high schoolers, opening a small business, managing a successful blog, or simply showing up for yourself every single day. This year’s group of Movers and Shakers — all accomplished young professionals — share what they have achieved, one step (and page) at a time.
Stephanie Hall & Tisha Shah
Co-Founders of TheraFriends
ORIGIN STORY: When two Cary moms — Tisha Shah, a speech therapist, and Stephanie Hall, an occupational therapist — met while developing a PTA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion committee at Penny Road Elementary School, they began sharing with each other their concerns about health care access for families they serve. They then formed TheraFriends in 2021 to help improve access to pediatric therapy services and programs for families in the Triangle.
CORE VALUES: We: 1) value and honor the expertise of parents, caregivers, and children by partnering with families and community stakeholders, 2) provide child-centered and neurodiversity-affirming practices, and 3) are dedicated to developing an equity-driven and inclusive community.
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: Health care equity and access are a human right, not a privilege. To ensure all families of the Triangle have access to quality services and programs, we have focused our organization on these four pillars: 1) pediatric services, 2) community programs, 3) support for caregivers, and 4) educational support. Our community programs support the unique needs of disabled children and their families, such as outdoor therapeutic playgroups, co-treating groups, and recreational programs.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Our biggest challenge is acquiring funding or finding funding sources so we can provide these services and programs. Most programs do not award grants to newer nonprofits, so we know that we have to think outside the box to raise funds. Has it been smooth? Not always. But we feel passionate about filling the gap for services in our community, and when you are working your passion, we know it is worth the extra work. We are excited that we won’t have to turn families away because of financial barriers.
Alyse Arnold
Emergency Department Nurse Manager at WakeMed Cary Hospital
ORIGIN STORY: I have lived in the Cary area my entire life. I graduated from NC State with a degree in human biology and a plan to work as a medical assistant while applying to medical school. About six weeks into my job, I recognized my passion for nursing. I fell in love with the ability to consistently use hands-on clinical skills and to build relationships with patients and their families. After attending nursing school at UNCChapel Hill, I got a job as a nurse resident in the WakeMed Cary Emergency Department and have been here ever since! I became the manager in February 2021, after two years as a supervisor/educator and four years as a night shift nurse.
FUN FACT: My husband, Michael, and I are the proud “paw”rents of two retired racing greyhounds. Captain is 9 years old and raced in Florida; King is 4 years old and raced in Ireland!
LEADERSHIP STYLE: I would consider myself to be a transformational leader. I have seen our hospital grow so much over the past eight years, both in size and in the amount of services we offer to our patients. Any time there is a new change or initiative, I make a point to always provide the “why” so we can be knowledgeable as a team about the care we’re providing. Everyone on my team knows my mantra is, “I won’t ask you to do anything I can’t do.” And to me, that’s the best part of leadership — being able to work alongside my team every day to take care of our community.
RECENT CHALLENGE: I transitioned from the role of supervisor/educator to manager at the height of the pandemic in 2021. So many nurses were leaving the bedside because we were going through yet another COVID surge, and we were all exhausted and mentally drained. I was trying to balance learning my new manager role, while also staffing at all hours of the day and night. Did I mention I was also planning a wedding during this time? It was a crazy time, but I learned a lot, and I know now more than before that I couldn’t (and wouldn’t) be able to do this job without my team.
Sarika Bansal
Chief Executive Officer of Raj Jewels
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I immigrated to the USA as a young adult and then persevered through hard work, determination, and focus to becoming a successful businesswoman, cyber security executive, mom, wife, daughter, and friend. I am living an American Dream today. Being a community leader and focusing on philanthropic work gives me balance in life.
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: I firmly believe that leadership is not a title or position but a responsibility. Having the long-term vision but not losing sight of the short-term tactical goals is important. Representing your people without thinking about what’s in this for me is very critical. I have a servant leader mentality that has helped me be successful in various leadership roles.
IMPACTFUL LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED: Nothing comes easy in life. Define your hard. Work toward your goals and be honest with yourself.
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: Working hard in life is the only option to success. Work hard and let success be your noise.
Pavel Chtcheprov
Senior Robotic Controls Engineer at Intuitive and Owner of Bottle Theory
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: My wife Kelly and I started a craft beer and wine shop in Apex. It became my engineering playground where I used my skills as a software/mechanical/electrical engineer and physics background to design a foam-free tap system, real-time inventory management system sitting atop our point-of-sale API, and automate/optimize the back end of the bar. We brought engineering and innovation into the bar scene.
My PhD dissertation was on carbon nanotube cathode array X-ray devices for imaging and therapy. One of the things I built was the world’s first hand-held, freeform CT imaging machine that could take X-ray shots from a bunch of random positions (either manually holding it, or in the later version, I put it on a drone) and determine the appropriate back-projection algorithm to create a 3D image of the inside of the object.
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: Everything can be improved. Never stop looking for a better solution, a more optimized method, and a more pleasant outcome.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Pick a flower on Earth and you move the farthest star.” — Paul Dirac Aside from the physics joke, it shows our connection to all things around us and how our actions impact everyone and everything. We all know about the time travel movies that tell us not to touch anything because any tiny change could drastically alter the timeline, but no one thinks that a small, positive change they make today will impact the future. We all need to be more aware of the impact of our actions.
Shannon Cox
Long Range Planning Manager for Town of Apex
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: My two favorite career-related accomplishments have both been while working for the Town of Apex. The first is the development of our Downtown Apex Master Plan and Parking Study, which will guide the vision for downtown Apex over 10 (or so) years. Three of the major public project recommendations from that plan are in design now, and many of the smaller changes have been implemented.
My other favorite accomplishment is the start of our GoApex Route 1 bus service — the first local transit service in Apex. It’s free to ride and runs every hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., six days a week. This July will be the one-year anniversary of the route.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: In my field, the biggest challenge is the long process from project planning to completion. You have to keep the end goal in mind, persevere through the process, and be able to explain to the public why it all takes so long. If I could find a way to make the process twice as fast, that would be my new favorite accomplishment.
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: Finding the right work/life balance has taken deliberate effort. For me, it has also changed as my kids have grown and our family dynamic and needs have shifted. When my kids were small, working part time was the best of both worlds, but it was not easy to manage, and I wouldn’t say it was very balanced. Working full time with teens is much easier. The biggest challenge now is mentally shifting gears when the workday is done.
INSPIRATION: The great thing about being a planner is that inspiration is everywhere. I’m always looking around Apex with the community’s long-range plans in mind, thinking about how we can get to the next step.
Ryan Doggett
Athletic Director at Panther Creek High School
ORIGIN STORY: Before becoming the athletic director at Panther Creek, I went to school at NC State and began working at Holly Springs High School in 2015. I served as a marketing teacher, head wrestling coach, assistant football coach, and assistant athletic director. I moved to Panther Creek High School in January 2022. I’m still coaching wrestling, and I’m involved with organizations outside of the school, like the North Carolina Governor’s School.
CORE VALUE: Living without regret, but with purpose is one of my core values. I believe that I am on this Earth to live life, love people, and follow my purpose. For years in my classroom, I had a poster on the wall that said, “What would you do if you could not fail?” That’s what led me to my role at Panther Creek High School. I wanted to take the next step in my journey, taking a risk in moving from a successful wrestling program and athletics department. I have been so happy since taking that leap and have enjoyed each day in this role. No two days are the same. I try to instill these same values in our students — enjoy your four years here playing and participating in one of the last pure forms of competitive sports.
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: Over the last few years, I have tried to intentionally set some boundaries so I could enjoy life outside of high school athletics. My advice to new leaders: It’s OK to take some time for yourself and put trust in your staff. I have an amazing coaching staff and athletic leadership team, and an incredibly supportive school administration team that allows me to take breaks while also staying involved as much as I can. Communication and calendars have been the key!
CURRENT GOALS: My biggest current goal right now is to help revitalize and increase school spirit and pride, connect more students with sports and extracurricular activities, and truly help Panther Creek become a bigger member of the Cary community. I truly want to create the best version of our athletics department.
Anna Haley-Liu
Owner of KHL Bookkeeping
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I started in 2018 on my own, and now there are 16 of us, so it’s like growing a garden. New people are like seeds that are coming through, and they slowly grow into bushes and trees — that’s how I see team building.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge I see everywhere is finding the people. I’m originally not from the US; I’m from Ukraine, and I travel a lot to Europe. A lot of owners all over the world have said that it’s finding the people and keeping them that’s the biggest challenge today.
INSPIRATION: Part of my team is in Ukraine, so I have to find jobs for people who have many years of bookkeeping experience and retrain them to be bookkeepers for US companies, with a different level of bookkeeping. Fostering that big community and helping them inspires me, especially after the war started.
ON OVERCOMING FEAR: Feel the fear, but do it anyway, right? As a business owner, that’s something I have to do every single day. I think the more you have to do, the less you have to fear, because fear is actually timing. Fear is future projection, but if you don’t have time to think about the future, you just make decisions in the moment and you start planning. So I think planning helps overcome fear — just make decisions and know that you can fix it later if you need to!
Carita D. Hyman
Business Owner / Consultant / Sales Development Manager for Genetec Inc.
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Foremost, my favorite accomplishments in life are my two beautiful kids. They are truly a huge motivating factor around everything that I do in my day to day, as well as the success goals I set for myself. Another of my favorite accomplishments is having created a successful consulting agency amidst a pandemic that brought on a surge of unemployment, layoffs, and uncertainty for most businesses. It was a true testament of my strength and determination and what can be possible, even in the most trying of times.
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: My guiding philosophy in life is my spirituality. I aim to be connected to my surroundings, this amazing universe, and the beauty of life. I work to constantly evolve myself as a human each day and look for ways to improve on various aspects of my life and let the universe guide my decisions.
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: This is essential to my individual happiness. I have learned the importance of not spreading yourself too thin. Taking small time outs for myself has become a huge practice, especially as a parent.
ON OVERCOMING ADVERSITY: Facing adversity is something that I have become quite accustomed to as a minority woman operating successfully in a predominantly male industry — manufacturing. However, overcoming it can be thrilling! Funneling the energy, determination, and courage you have deep down is liberating. Adversity is where your true character and capabilities are shown. My advice: View adversity as a critical challenge to overcome, meticulously plan what your success will look like, and execute that plan with everything you have. You’ll be the victor!
Simone Lawson
Owner / Marketing and Catering Director of Sassool
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: I’ve learned that when you’re running a business, especially a family business, work comes home with you, and every little thing feels very important. But what has worked well, so that I can fully enjoy playing with my little boys or eating dinner with my husband, is putting the phone away. It’s easier said than done, but releasing yourself from being contacted and all the emails, et cetera, is so important to be able to separate your mind.
INSPIRATION: Telling a story and creating an experience (paired with a good meal) is what inspires me. Myself, my father, and my sister (the ownership team) are so inspired by Lebanese hospitality and the example that my grandmother (Sassool) showed to anyone she met. At Sassool, having our guests enjoy tasty food is so personal to us; we are literally living out the tradition of our culture. Seeing people’s eyes light up when I hand them their plate or when I uncover dishes at big caterings makes me want to be in the food business forever.
ON OVERCOMING ADVERSITY: It is so tough to work with and work WELL with family. It is tough to keep the family dynamic out of big business decisions. But after a few years of us all working SO hard to do EVERYTHING, we divided to conquer — putting each executive responsible for the department that they thrive in. We have become so much more successful since doing this.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “If you roll out the red carpet for a billionaire, they won’t even notice it. If you roll out the red carpet for a millionaire, they expect it. If you roll out the red carpet for a thousandaire, they appreciate it. If you roll out the red carpet for a hundredaire, they tell everybody they know.” — Patricia Fripp
Michael Lee
Chef and Founder / Owner of M Restaurants
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENT: Marrying my wife and having our kids!
CURRENT GOALS: Becoming a good leader to my work family and kids.
ON CONTINUING TO GROW AS A LEADER: Working to become a better leader every day is one of the most important things to me. I aspire to be the type of leader that helps the team succeed and grow into leaders themselves. “Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.” — Steve Jobs.
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: Maintaining a good work/life balance is very important for me. I have been working on being more efficient with how I schedule my days so that I can get the things I need to do for work in a manner that allows me time with my family and kids. I used to have way too many things on my calendar every day. I have learned to be more realistic on my daily goals and duties to allow myself some breathing room. I am thankful to have my wife and the team at all the restaurants to help with that as well. Having an amazing team at all the restaurants is a blessing that I’m thankful for every day.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Train yourself to find the blessing in everything.”
Stephanie Llorente, APR
Owner of Prep Communications and Restored for Moms
ORIGIN STORY: I spent my childhood in Clayton and graduated from NC State. I’m so proudly homegrown — and any achievement or accolade I earn is a pure credit to those who raised me.
I cut my teeth at two local public relations agencies and then shifted to corporate PR. After paying my dues in cubicle conversations and airline miles, I started my own public relations consultancy in 2015.
Somewhere between booking TV interviews and drafting news releases, Restored was formed to help Christian mothers in the workplace find their people. Since its formation more than five years ago, Restored has welcomed hundreds of like-minded women to in-person and virtual spaces, and I consider that one of my greatest accomplishments.
ON SUCCESS: I often get asked, “How do you do it all?” The honest answer? I don’t do it all. Success in one space always equals failure in another. There’s always a tradeoff. So, when I humbly accept a (really exciting!) award from Cary Magazine, I’m missing family pizza night. When I host a team meeting or produce a Restored event, I’m skipping bedtimes. Where I succeed, I also fail, and I’m learning to be wise in my choices so I can succeed in spaces that matter most.
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: It’s my personal opinion, based on real-life examples from everyday women, that the ability to manage home and career is less of a balance, and more of a dance that speeds and slows with the rhythms of life. There are dance moves we know by heart, and those we must make up on the spot. I’m learning that helping others learn how to dance well with me leads to more fulfilling, less stressful situations at work and at home. My husband, co-workers, kids, neighbors, friends, and the Restored community are all part of my dance team, and I’m so thankful for them every day!
ADVICE TO OFFER: If someone at a career crossroads asked for my advice, I’d say this: If it doesn’t exist, create it … even when it’s hard. Even when your time is strapped. Even when you have no money. Even when people tell you no. Even when people don’t get it. Do it anyway.
Stephanie Logsdon
Owner of Wild You Handmade
ORIGIN STORY: Born and raised in Cary, I spent a few years in California working with local food systems and then five years in Colombia, where I met my husband and worked as an English Language teacher. I knew I wanted to work with women artisans and bring their handmade jewelry and accessories to the US, but I also wanted to make sure I was doing it respectfully and responsibly. I followed new accounts on Instagram as artisan groups jumped to move online, and was fortunate to connect with a couple of women leaders that I still work alongside today.
Over the next few months, we spent hours chatting back and forth, with me looking through hundreds of photos of handmade earrings and bags. Those first small orders were shipped to Cary, where Wild You Handmade was started as an Etsy shop. By the following year, I was able to travel back home to participate in local popup markets for the summer. Since late 2021, I have been living back in NC sharing handmade Colombian accessories in local stores and markets, as well as online.
CORE VALUES: Wild You emphasizes the vibrant symbolism of traditional designs, and while we have modern styles as well, culture and the individual creativity of each artisan comes first. The name Wild You was inspired by the Wayuu (pronounced “why-you”) Indigenous community, with whom we partner to share their traditional crocheted bags. Wild You is also about expressing yourself freely in your most authentic way.
IMPACTFUL LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED: Through living in Colombia, and doing business with artisans in Colombia, the most impactful lesson I’ve learned is to expect the unexpected! A national strike can close the roads for weeks and delay product shipments. Materials are often unavailable in certain colors, and material costs have risen significantly. However, this can also go the opposite way. By being open to new connections with artisan groups, I’ve stumbled upon beautiful handmade work that I wasn’t already thinking about, like the loom-woven poncho I’m wearing in the photo.
FUN FACT: The Inga and Kamentsa Indigenous artisans we partner with have a new year celebration called the Carnaval of Forgiveness (El Carnaval del Perdón in Spanish). My husband and I were fortunate to attend last year and were inspired by the true acts of asking for forgiveness that we witnessed each person make to their family and community members.
Todd Mozingo
Serial Entrepreneur: Owner of Chatham Station and Flour Power Kids Cooking Studios — North Hills
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: You have to. We don’t live to work, and that’s a lesson I learned as my kids got older when I realized I didn’t remember significant portions of their youth. None of us is pleased long term with the decision to prioritize work over loved ones, so having a reliable team and scheduling lots of quality time outside of work is essential.
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: Do a good job, be generous, and treat people well. The rest will fall into place.
FUN FACT: I was once an attorney.
LEADERSHIP STYLE: I’ve had to evolve as the workforce has evolved. Being open to change and cognizant of what today’s employees expect is paramount, as is remaining focused on those expectations and finding ways to incorporate those that I reasonably can into the vision for the company.
FAVORITE QUOTE: My grandmother was a big influence and used to say, “Just take the dread out of it and get the job done.”
Melissa Phillippi
Vice President of Organizational Development and Talent Management for Vaco Holdings
ON FOSTERING A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT/CORE VALUES: The bulk of my career has been in helping foster positive work environments, which, in turn, drive better business results. The moment of inspiration for me came during the financial crisis of 2008-09, where I witnessed a market falling by half its value and layoff decisions being made based on a broken, widget-driven performance metric system — a system that was not considering the core value alignment of the individual to the organization. Many of the wrong individuals were laid off and the wrong individuals were retained. Fast forward to the (multiple) debacles Wells Fargo faced amidst unethical employee actions involving customer accounts, and we understand that hiring, retaining, and rewarding simply for performance metrics is a dangerous and risky business.
The Performance-Values Matrix management methodology, instead, clearly outlines how core value alignment (evidenced by appropriate behavioral displays) is equally as important as performance metrics. Performance and values must be separately evaluated and coached. What gets rewarded, gets repeated.
ON MAINTAINING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE: This is an area I have recently become keenly aware of, having made the decision to step down from my role as CEO of the company I cofounded, WorkDove. After eight years of running an HR technology startup, I found myself regularly working nights, weekends, and holidays, and my personal health started to deteriorate. I also noticed my lack of availability (especially mentally) for my children when they needed me during the workweek.
While a true balance moment by moment or week by week does not exist (I’m convinced), the “average” of a person’s life must feel balanced. Meaning, when work is “ebbing” because you have a big project due soon and must pull longer hours to make it a success, that’s OK, as long as you can “flow” when it’s done and recharge, returning to a more sustainable level and type of work.
ON LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: When a leader gets better, everyone wins. Good leaders know that in order to keep being a good leader, they must continually strive to grow, submitting themselves to the hard work of evaluating themselves and allowing others to evaluate them as well.
Sam Price
Partner at Stephenson Law, LLP
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: One of my favorite professional accomplishments has been the relocation of our firm’s office into downtown Cary. The acquisition of our current office was one of the first real estate transactions in which I was involved at the beginning of my career. The building was then substantially renovated and fully leased. As a new attorney at the time, I came to appreciate being involved in a project from start to finish. Being a part of the downtown Cary community has allowed me the opportunity to participate in all that is going on in Cary, right from its heart.
IMPACTFUL LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED: To a large extent, our job as transactional attorneys is to paper up a deal in a way that meets a particular client’s objectives and mitigates risk, and then execute the transaction. One of the most important lessons I have learned while practicing law is to take a step back at the very beginning, and as often as necessary, to gain an understanding of the deal and a client’s particular objectives. As easy as it can be to counsel a client against taking any risk whatsoever, that’s not how the real world works, and my job is to understand my client’s objectives to help analyze what risk is reasonable to take in light of the circumstances.
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: In my experience, one of the best qualities strong leaders project is knowing that everyone brings something to the table. Being able to spot individual and group talent to position a team so that everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are leveraged to get the job done builds trust with your team and a positive culture that people are happy to be a part of.
FUN FACT: My career has allowed me a front-row seat to the development of downtown Cary and the surrounding areas, and I love spending my time with my wife and 1-year-old son exploring the town. We also spend a lot of time in the North Carolina mountains with my family. My family grew Christmas trees when I was growing up, and recently I’ve been trying to grow some of my own.
Leroy Salazar
World Languages Department Chair and Spanish Teacher at Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies
ORIGIN STORY: My elementary school teachers saved, guided, and loved me at an early age, when I most needed it. I completed elementary, middle, and one semester of high school in Tequila, Jalisco, México. At the age of 14, I ended up in North Carolina. I started high school in the 10th grade, with very limited English. As a senior, I applied and got accepted to East Carolina University. I graduated for the first time in 2001 and started working as a Spanish teacher at J. H. Rose High School in Greenville. Five years later, I moved to Raleigh and started my career with WCPSS. Currently, I am at Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies.
A PROUD MOMENT: This semester, our Spanish 2 students have been busy writing their own personal children’s book! Some books are written totally in Spanish, while others are written bilingually in English and Spanish. Our students have learned so much from this process. They all have now published their own original piece of literature for generations to come! It truly has been a challenge for all involved, including me! I am so proud of all our students who can now say that they’ve published a book while in high school!
MENTORS: My biggest mentors have always been my teachers from when I was a student (and the teachers with whom I have worked). I am not so sure other professions would exist without the guidance and nurture of teachers at all grade levels. In my current role, we serve many students who will be first-generation college students. Since I am a first-generation college student, I like to think that I am a positive role model and mentor for our students.
ADVICE TO OFFER: The advice that was given to me by one of my high school English teachers was, “You’re never alone if you have yourself.” This thought has accompanied me in many of my personal and professional hurdles. We must always remember to treat others with respect, as we do not know their story. I leave you with my favorite quote by Socrates: “All I know is that I know nothing.”
Eric Sherman
Operations Manager at Bost Construction Company
RECENT CHALLENGE: Certainly the past few years have been challenging for many industries, but the local custom luxury home market has seen tremendous growth during a time of extreme supply chain upheaval and a shortage of buildable lots. I am proud of the way our team was able to adapt as each day brought new challenges that many of us had never experienced before in our careers. Fortunately, we were able to quickly identify the most critical areas of concern and adjust our operations accordingly to stay ahead of the worst of it. We had our issues like everyone else, but I feel like we did the best possible job of understanding the pain points and staying ahead of them for our clients.
ORIGIN STORY: I was two years into a criminal justice degree at App State when I took a building science class as an elective. I decided then and there that I wanted to be a homebuilder. I changed my major to construction management at the end of the semester and graduated shortly before the housing crash of ’08. I was fortunate enough to find a job in commercial construction management and later got my real estate license before ultimately landing my dream job building dream homes at Bost!
FAVORITE QUOTE: I am a big Ted Lasso fan, and one of my favorite lines is, “I feel like we fell out of the lucky tree and hit every branch on the way down, ended up in a pool of cash and Sour Patch Kids.” Ultimately it is all about gratitude, and I try to maintain that perspective.
ADVICE TO OFFER: Be your own advocate and trust your gut. If you have an idea or if you see a solution for a potential problem, go ahead and put it out there for consideration. At best you will make a positive impact on the situation. At worst you will gain invaluable experience and personal growth. Don’t be afraid to be an active participant in your own development!
Devin Singley
Head Brewer at Local Time Brewing in Holly Springs
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: Plan your work; work your plan.
ORIGIN STORY: I actually used to be a librarian. Before the economic fallout from the recession that started in 2008, I was the youngest professional librarian in the public library system of Charlotte. Budgetary changes led to several branches being closed and half the staff being laid off. I found myself without a job and needing to find a new industry as the region just got flooded with 200+ other applicants, all of whom had more experience than me.
I love beer. I was always fascinated by the history of beer. One day I had this crazy idea to work in a brewery. I applied to a couple breweries in the conventional way, then one day I walked into a brewery and told them I was there for an interview (I did not actually have one scheduled). I went on to work at that brewery for two and a half years.
MENTORS: I was heavily mentored by Chris Buckley, the brewmaster at Red Oak Brewery. He would stay after work, sometimes for hours, every day to mentor me and teach me. He would push me and encourage me to study. Among the decorations in his office was the German symbol of a master brewer. A version of the symbol has existed for over 700 years, and in English its name translates to “Hops and malt, God provides.” The version of the symbol that was in his office — that I would look at daily while studying — is now tattooed on my left arm.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “If you want to win, do the ordinary things better than anyone else does them, day in and day out.” — Chuck Roll, former head coach of the Steelers
Caitlin Sockin
Author of Dig It! Archaeology for Kids
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with highest distinction dual degrees in Archaeology and Classics, completing my higher education in three years. During the pandemic as an ACE-certified group fitness instructor, I started my own YouTube channel called Caitlin Sockin Dynamic Fitness, providing free at-home workouts for step aerobics, cardio dance, cardio kickboxing, and more. I pursued my passion in music composition by professionally recording and releasing three songs.
In high school, I was heavily involved in the theater department, cast as Ariel in our musical production of The Little Mermaid. I was a Gamemaster at Chapel Thrill Escapes, the country’s first student-built escape room. And here is a wacky one: I was in a MrBeast YouTube video challenge in which the last to take their hand off a Lamborghini kept it (suffice to say I do not have a sweet new ride, but hanging on for dear life to a car for nearly two days is an experience I will never forget).
FUN FACT: I have a knack for finding four-leaf clovers! I can be on a casual walk and just glance down at a patch of grass and spot one.
ON CONTINUING TO GROW AS A LEADER: I have gravitated towards leadership positions throughout my life with the goal of inspiring others in different niches. In middle school, I wrote a kids/teen column called “Caitlin’s Corner” for Wild Bird Club to inspire kids to get into birding. In high school, I ran the A-Capella club to inspire peers to create joy through song. In college, I taught group fitness to inspire others to move in a fun way to improve their mental and physical well-being. I recently released my book, Dig It! Archaeology for Kids, to inspire children and teens to get excited about the fascinating world of archaeology and engage with fun activities inside and outside of the classroom.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” — Rumi
Keit Spahiu
Owner of Translation Link & Notary
INTRODUCTION: I am the founder and owner of Translation Link & Notary based near downtown Cary. Translation Link provides translation services in 180 languages currently. My company also offers notary services for state, federal, and international documentation. I was born and raised in Tirana, Albania, and moved to NYC 30 years ago. I founded Translation Link in NYC in 2006, one year before moving to Cary.
CORE VALUES: The business values reflect my personal values, which are honesty, integrity, respect, accountability, and trust. These values are inherent in our company’s actions and can never be compromised.
GUIDING PHILOSOPHY: My guiding philosophy in life and business has always been to help people as much as possible. In our business, we do not only provide translation and notary services, but also resources and references. I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Mother Teresa, who is also Albanian. “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and start with the person nearest you.” More than half of our customers come from different countries around the world, and they always ask us questions. We love helping all of our customers by providing the information they need.
FUN FACT: My first official job as a professional translator and Albanian news broadcaster was in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, on a DOD contract. My first visit and work experience in the great state of North Carolina was in 1999, and I decided to move here eight years later.
Garren Washington
Owner of Norton Property Services
CURRENT GOALS: To continue to grow the company in a way that is organic and inspiring. Currently I serve companies and individuals in the Cary area, and I would like to expand my services to penetrate deeper into the market while increasing the amount of units and the quality of furnishings for all my guests.
CORE VALUES: My company’s core values reflect my personal values. They are to conduct business with integrity and authenticity in a way that is helpful to everyone I meet. It is to make someone’s life easier or simpler and to treat people with respect. I believe when you truly become a helpful resource that everything else will fall in line.
BIGGEST RISK: Over the last eight years, I learned more about myself and what I’m capable of through the mistakes I’ve made. This never would have occurred had I not believed in myself and taken a huge leap of faith. At the end of the day, I believe the biggest risk is the one you don’t take due to fear or lack of conviction.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford
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