My name is Katherine Regele, and I joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance’s Young Professionals Board back in January of this year. The opportunity felt incredibly special, as I am a rare unicorn here, having been born and raised (by Midwest transplants) in the Queen City. After attending UNC Chapel Hill, I took a bit of an Eastern Seaboard job tour – working at Comcast/NBCUniversal in New York, Philadelphia, and D.C. And while they say, “all roads lead to Rome,” the roads led me back home in late 2018, where I now work as a director of FP&A at Coca-Cola Consolidated.
This home of mine has changed drastically since the early ’90s, when I was sledding in the field that is now Stonecrest, when South End’s only attraction was Pike’s Soda Shop (RIP), and when the Reid’s Uptown on Seventh Street sat inside a building that sang to you (IYKYK). I could never have imagined how our city has blossomed, but just as the city has evolved and grown, my appreciation for this place has evolved and grown just the same.
When I began working at Consolidated in 2020, it was a complete full-circle moment for me. Growing up, I spent every Sunday in June at the Charlotte Symphony’s “Pops in the Park” right across from our company’s headquarters, never imagining that my career journey would land me sitting in those very offices many years later. Having the opportunity to work at a company that is so ingrained in the city of Charlotte, and whose culture permeates throughout the community, has only made me fall further in love with the QC. I feel a sense of deep pride when I see our products in the hands of fans at Bank of America Stadium, and moreover when I see the impact of the company’s community giving impacts at every turn. I’m not sure that I ever had a specific vision of where I would end up as a young professional, but I am forever grateful that my journey, however windy, led me back here.
My gratitude can be summed up perfectly by a description of the city that our YP Board recently heard from Tracy Dodson, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Economic Development at the CLT Alliance: “Charlotte is easy.” This seemingly simple yet profound sentiment has stuck with me, carrying far more weight than just those three words.
While we all may grumble about traffic on 77 or parking Uptown (don’t get me started on the parking garage at the Metropolitan Trader Joe’s), Charlotte really is just that – easy. Having lived in various other major cities, we are incredibly lucky that while Charlotte’s growth has been unprecedented, the city has still maintained its small-town, hospitable Southern feel. It’s a rare day that you don’t run into a familiar face in the line at Harris Teeter or find a neighbor willing to give you a helpful hint when you’re wandering aimlessly around Lowe’s.
Charlotte transplants have brought a renewed energy to the area, allowing many of us natives to experience our hometown through a fresh lens. The city is richly diverse, meaning there is always a new restaurant to visit, a cultural festival to attend, or a greenway path to explore. We’ve benefited immensely from the economic development in our region, with so many incredible businesses and their talented workforces choosing to plant roots in Charlotte. It makes total sense that 135 people move here every single day, doesn’t it? Charlotte is easy, Charlotte is exceptional, and Charlotte is ready to call you home.
Katherine Regele is a director, FP&A at Coca-Cola Consolidated. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.
