The Charlotte Business Journal’s sixth annual Most Admired CEO list highlights top leaders in the region in categories for commercial real estate; education; engineers, architects and contractors; financial services; hospitality; health and wellness; government, civic business and advocacy; nonprofits; professional services – accounting and consulting; professional services – advertising and marketing; residential real estate; retail; and technology.
This year’s list includes six Charlotte alums:
- Josh Cox ’14 is the CEO of Oxit, an IT engineering services and consulting firm in Charlotte. He completed a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. According to the Charlotte Business Journal, Cox is very involved with the Lee College of Engineering's senior design program and enjoys helping prepare students for the job market.
- David Ravin ’94 leads Northwood Ravin among the Charlotte area’s largest commercial real estate developers. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture.
- Brian Smith ’97 is the owner of Urban Design Partners, a land development design consulting firm based in the Carolinas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
- Amy Sullivan ’91 is president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
- Tony Vo ’04, is the founder and co-owner of Waterbean Coffee, the Charlotte region’s quickly growing specialty coffee shop; he completed a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering
- Jane Wu ’07 M.S. is founder and president of Panorama Holdings; she completed a Master of Science in Business (Mathematical Finance). She noted in the CBJ special section that Panorama is “prioritizing access to education and training for underrepresented students by establishing scholarships at UNC Charlotte, creating workforce training opportunities through our own construction and development and hiring students as interns to expand their experiential learning.”
According to the Charlotte Business Journal, Most Admired CEOs were chosen following a nomination process. Each holds the title of chief executive or an equivalent, such as president or managing partner. Honorees were recognized at an event Thursday, June 16, and featured in the publication’s print edition, Friday, June 17.