MANUFACTURING.

BOBBY FRYE

CEO, president | Mt. Olive Pickle Co.

Mount Olive

Family history says Bobby Frye's grandmother, Birdie Robinson, was a star sales representative for Mt, Olive Pickle Co. when it started in its namesake community in the 1930s. He's doing her proud today as leader of the company, which packs more than 130 million jars of pickles, relishes and similar products annually. It operates from a 150-acre campus intersected by Cucumber and Vine streets in this eastern North Carolina town.

Frye, who started as a pickle peddler in 1980 after graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne College, has not rested on tradition. In 1984, he became district manager, six years later, regional sales manager, and in 1997, head of national sales. He became president in 2015 and has pushed company growth. Last year, he announced Mt. Olive would spend more than $35 million to expand manufacturing, warehousing and other operations in Goldsboro with two new sites totaling almost 300,000 square feet and adding 170 jobs.

The new plants will accommodate more growth in the future, he says. Altogether, Mt. Olive has more than 1 million square feet of production space, employs more than 500 and has sales topping $220 million annually.

Favorite family tradition: Christmas Eve dinner

Favorite N.C. place to visit: Pinehurst

What do you listen to on your commute: CNBC

Major inspiration: Building a great team to lead Mt. Olive that continues to innovate and grow our company.

Career highlight: The Mt. Olive team executing our plan to become the No. 1 brand of pickles sold in the United States.

Favorite hobby after work: Exercise and golf

Best advice for industry newcomers: Surround yourself with talented teammates.

LEAH WONG ASHBURN

owner, president, CEO | Highland Brewing

Asheville

Ashburn, 53, leads the city's original craft brewery and was named president in 2015. Her father, Oscar, founded the company in 1994 amid a successful engineering career. He initially nixed his daughter's request to work at Highland, so the UNC Chapel Hill journalism school graduate worked for a Charlotte yearbook publisher before signing on. She has been a leading promoter of Asheville and expanded opportunities for women in business.

Favorite family tradition: Sunday brunch. Slow food on a slow morning.

Favorite N.C. place to visit: Wilmington

What do you listen to on your commute:

NPR

Major inspiration: Oscar Wong, my father. He enjoys life fully and has that rare quality that brings people together with joy and purpose--true charisma.

Career highlight: Being a James Beard Award semi-finalist in the Beer, Wine and Spirits Professional category.

Favorite hobby: Sand volleyball

Best advice for industry newcomers: It really is collegial with fun benefits, fascinating science and great relationships. It's also not an easy road.

Key industry change in next five years: Beverages will continue to divide into smaller subsegments, such as adding alcohol to traditionally alcohol-free beverages, removing it from alcohol beverages, using non-traditional ingredients, and blending beverage categories.

LYNN BAMFORD

chair, CEO | Curtiss-Wright

Davidson

The 30-year company veteran became CEO in 2021, then chair last year. The maker of high-tech components for aerospace, defense and power generation uses has $2.6 billion in annual revenue. She has a master's in electrical engineering from George Mason University. The company's share price has doubled in the past three years.

JAMIE BARTHOLOMAUS

co-owner | Foothills Brewing

Winston-Salem

A North Carolina craft brewing pioneer, Foothills has three Winston-Salem locations including a brewing facility that churns out 40,000 barrels a year. Bartholomaus started brewing as a student at the University of Georgia, where he majored in anthropology.

MICHAEL BELL

senior vice president, general manager | Corning Optical Communications

Charlotte

Bell joined the fiber maker in Hickory in 1991 and became cable manufacturing manager for Corning Cable Systems America in 2004. He moved to his current post in 2012. After graduating from West Virginia University, he served four years as a Navy submarine officer. He has an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill.

ALEX BERNHARDT JR.

president, CEO | Bernhardt Furniture

Lenoir

He's the fourth generation to run the 134-year-old North Carolina furniture company. It's now one of the oldest family-run furniture companies in America. Bernhardt employs more than 1,500 people at eight N.C. factories and has manufacturing reps in 50-plus countries.

STEPHEN BRATSPIES

CEO | HanesBrands

Winston-Salem

The University of Pennsylvania MBA joined the 59,000-employee apparel maker in 2015 after senior management posts at Walmart and Frito-Lay. He became CEO in 2020. Shares have declined sharply over the last two years with a net loss of $127 million in 2022. Bratspies is also a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College.

JIM BRYAN

president | Fairystone Fabrics

Burlington

Bryan managed Fairystone for more than a decade before buying the business from the founder's son, Tom Bobo, in 2011. Bryan spent 17 years with Burlington Industries prior to moving to Fairystone. The...