Inc. Magazine comes out with Inc. 5000, an annual list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing private businesses. And almost 50 companies on the list are in the Charlotte area, however, most are names you probably won’t recognize. This according to the Charlotte Ledger business newspaper. For more, WFAE’s Marshall Terry talks with Ledger’s Tony Mecia.
Marshall Terry: We’ll get to that list of businesses in just a moment. First, I should mention that Brooks Sandwich House in NoDa will be closed tomorrow because Saturday Night Live will be in town filming there. Do you have any idea what they’re going to make fun of?
Tony Mecia: I mean, they usually hold these things very close to the vest until they’re released. Marshall, the manager of Brooks Sandwich House, told the Observer it will be a group of comedians on skates lighting things up. I think the mystery deepens. It’s also reported to be part of a movie, not exactly an SNL skit, but a longer feature for a movie. So that’s, I think, all we know.
Terry: When I first heard about this, my mind went to that 70’s diner skit where everyone is ordering cheeseburgers and there’s nothing else on the menu. Do you remember that?
Mecia: Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, burger. Hamburger with cheese. Yes. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Yes. Yes. I don’t know if they refer to that nowadays. This is one of the oldest. But yes, that’s a good thought.
Terry: Okay Tony I want to go back to the Inc. magazine list. How big of a deal is it to be named to this list?
Mecia: Well, it is very important for these companies. I think it gives them some marketing talking points to show potential customers and post on social media, something like that. And, it’s kind of an honor. I mean, and, you know, as Americans, a lot of times we’re fascinated by these entrepreneurial stories of people, you know, starting companies and really just getting started.
You know, so these are very fast growing companies like the one in Charlotte that has grown the fastest, it was ranked 109th on a list called Hoodsly. They have about 26 employees in Lincoln County and build range hoods for kitchens. So things you won’t always think about. I don’t know how many people have heard of Hoodsly, but, you know, its revenue grew by about 40 times between 2018 and 2021.
Terry: Any other businesses on the list that caught your eye?
Mecia: Well, again, as you mentioned, we don’t really hear about a lot of these businesses because they’re so small, with fast growth, but usually not many employees. But, you know, income is very, very growing. You know, at 248, you had a company called Carewell, which is an online retailer of home health care products. And at 428, you had one called PetScreening, which helps shelter providers digitally manage pets and help animals. So there are all kinds of things that you haven’t really heard of and a lot of us haven’t. But, you know, there are companies among us that are doing quite well.
Terry: Ok, let’s move on to Charlotte’s Unified Development Ordinance, which the City Council approved this week. It sets new rules to guide future growth, including allowing duplexes and triplexes to go up in areas previously zoned for single-family homes only. Some residents are frustrated though that it doesn’t include any regulations for Airbnbs. What exactly are they upset about?
Mecia: Well, Marshall, you may recall that the discussion of short-term rentals and the rules for short-term rentals was one of the most discussed things in previous versions of the Unified Development Ordinance. Many residents had complained about the short-term Airbnb rentals in their neighborhoods, that they were being used as party houses where people would rent these houses and then, you know, invite a few dozen people to come and drink beer, park and all. on the road, leave a bunch of plastic cups all over the place.
Many residents don’t like this in their neighborhood, but the city decided to remove them from the Unified Development Ordinance after a court ruling earlier this year. But the city still has some power to regulate short-term rentals and Airbnb, and we’re seeing other cities do so. Asheville is doing just that. Wilmington. So some residents would like to see some regulations on short-term rentals.
Terry: And does the city plan to do anything about Airbnb regulations?
Mecia: Well, it looks like they might review it, but not as part of the UDO. This court decision really limited the power of cities to require permits, which is one of the things Charlotte was proposing. But it allows for other kinds of regulation.
The city could choose to ban short-term rentals in various zoning districts if it wanted to, but has chosen not to. And it looks like some of the parties are moving on. You know, we had a piece in the Ledger this week looking at that, looking at a particular one. Property in Elizabeth that had been the site of repeated parties. There have also been complaints in Wesley Heights, part of east Charlotte. So it’s really something that happens everywhere.