Military.com | By Nick Mordowanec | Published October 31, 2025 Barry Mattson represented his country in the U.S. Air Force and Army. Since his military days, he’s used his experience in community building and humanitarian efforts to pay it forward to the next generation of aspiring business owners and job seekers. Mattson’s leadership as part […]

Disraeli said there are three lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Of course, he forgot the last lie: anything having to do with politicians. North Carolina was recently named the best state in the nation to do business and, at the same time, the worst state in the nation to work. How can one state hold both of […]

For US startups, the past few days have felt like whiplash. President Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B fee threw founders and their employees into chaos, and a fresh proposal to overhaul the visa lottery has left founders fearing they can’t compete with deep-pocketed Big Tech companies for talent. Now, some young companies have frozen hiring as […]

Here we go again. Another policy that lands hardest on the people least able to absorb it: entrepreneurs and small businesses. Last week, the President issued a proclamation requiring a $100,000 payment for each new H-1B visa petition. The intent is to protect American jobs. That’s a worthy goal, but if you subtract out politics and look […]

Brian Hamilton is one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and a leading expert on entrepreneurship. Today, Hamilton serves as chairman of software company LiveSwitch. He is known for his pioneering work in fintech, his advocacy for small businesses, and his commitment to criminal justice reform. As the founder of Sageworks (now Abrigo), America’s first fintech company, […]

Labor Day was created to honor the dignity of work. It’s a day that reminds us the economy isn’t powered by politicians or algorithms. It’s powered by people who get up every day and do the jobs that keep America moving. That makes this a good time to pause and think about the current narrative: […]

In American politics today, our collective energy is being drained at an alarming rate. The culprits? The vampires. Not the tasty ones like Count Chocula; rather, the blood sucking ones, like way too many members of our current Congress. A vampire, by my definition, is someone who takes more energy than he gives. In the […]

In Tuesday, Gov. Josh Stein’s office announced that North Carolina received a $4 million grant for workforce reentry training for incarcerated individuals. “When we prepare people leaving incarceration for success in the workforce, we all benefit,” said Stein in a press release. “With support from this new grant, North Carolina can continue to build a strong workforce, […]

The report card for North Carolina’s economy is terrific — if you live in Raleigh, Durham, Wilmington, or Charlotte. I came up in Connecticut, where there are two distinctly different economies and actually two pretty distinct sets of people. In the bottom of Connecticut, you’ve basically got the New Yorkers, who live in Fairfield County. […]

Operation Jump Start is being hosted by the United Service Organizations (USO), supported by the Brian Hamilton Foundation, on September 29 and 30 to bring together military service members and their families to help them prepare for the transition to civilian life following their service to the nation. All active duty, National Guard members, and […]