Uniquely Charlotte Gift Ideas
With Christmas less than 2 weeks away and Hanukkah in progress, we know you may be scrambling to find that perfect gift. Why not try out some uniquely Charlotte treasures?
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In November 2017, 
Looking for a unique leather gift from a local company? Check out 
Croixstone is On the Move!
We are thrilled to formally announce the relocation of Croixstone Consulting from our start-up loft in South End to Industrious Charlotte in Uptown. When Croixstone initially opened its doors, we intentionally selected the loft space in South End for many reasons, including its robust history as a center of innovation and entrepreneurialism. South End is home to the nation’s first gold rush, attracting men and women to the Queen City, and in 1926, a pioneer snack company born from an innovative idea of pairing creamy peanut butter with crackers made South End its home. In the early 1990s, the corporate headquarters for Lance Crackers was converted into mixed-use space which kick-started the revitalization of the South End area. Innovation, entrepreneurialism and revitalization mirror the values our maverick consultants deliver to our clients.
Our selection of Industrious in the Bank of America Plaza building as Croixstone’s next home is also intentional. The dictionary definition of industrious captures the spirit of our firm. We are a tribe of industrious, forward-thinking individuals tackling industry challenges and propelling companies forward. Our consultants understand the importance of questioning the status quo and diligently culling through the issues to solve complex problems and advance critical outcomes.
In February 2017, Forbes wrote an article about the Industrious formula for productive coworking spaces. The parallels between our beliefs at Croixstone in a balance of serious business + fun and Industrious’ formula for productive coworking were too coincidental. Our move to Industrious allows us to continue to expand and grow, while surrounding ourselves with other companies, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, working just as hard. The move also allows us to extend an invitation to our consultants to drop in and work in a vibrant, professional community as the need arises. Click here to read more press about Industrious.
Welcoming Week
Welcoming America returned to Charlotte on Friday, September 15th, for a week long series of events to celebrate National Welcoming Week. The events during Welcoming Week are focused on bringing together immigrants and U.S.-born residents to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone – including new Americans. Croixstone’s founder, Mark Weber, is Chairman of the Board of Directors for ourBRIDGE for KIDS, a nonprofit afterschool program for immigrant and refugee children here in Charlotte that provides an inclusive and welcoming environment.
During Welcoming Week, ourBRIDGE is opening its doors and inviting the community to the inauguration of the organization’s new afterschool center in east Charlotte on Sunday, September 17th from 3 – 6 p.m. at 3925 Willard Farrow Drive, Charlotte, NC, 28215. The public is welcome to attend!
- Learn more about ourBRIDGE for KIDS here.
- Read about ourBRIDGE for KIDS’ new home and partnership with Aldersgate here.
- See how ourBRIDGE for KIDS won Amazon’s #TickSaveMyCity contest here.
What’s Happening in the Financial Services Sector?
Those of us who live in the Queen City know that Charlotte is the third-largest banking center behind New York City and San Francisco. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the Charlotte region is home to 16 banking institutions with $2.27 trillion in total assets. So, what’s happening in the USA’s financial services sector overall?
Learn about the future of Financial Services here.
How are tech trends and FinTech affecting the Financial Services industry? Learn how here.
Are technology firms the next Financial Services providers? Let’s see what Forbes thinks here.
Finally, learn about the third way of innovation (AI and machine learning) in Financial Services here.
The Growth of Coworking
The Queen City is continuing to see the growth of coworking space. The coworking concept, paying for access to private and shared workspace, was initially fueled by the rise in mobile technology and the gig economy. More recently, the coworking trend expanded in the corporate and commercial real estate market, with more than one million people worldwide expected to be working in coworking spaces by the end of 2017.
Coworking spaces come in all shapes and sizes and represent the antithesis of yesterday’s corporate offices. With an estimated 14,000 spaces around the world, the spaces are shared by corporate teams, small businesses, tech workers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and more who are looking for the flexibility to be able to expand and add office space as they grow.
Learn more about the coworking trend below:
Pop-Up = Competitive Advantage
The concept of “pop-up” was once limited to the world of retail and public relations stunts. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find business innovators using pop-up strategies in fresh, new ways to gain a competitive advantage.
Most people think of “pop-up retailing” (also known as “flash retailing“) as shops, restaurants, collections of shops or events opening short-term in a temporary location. The concept, however, is now being utilized in other ways including as a business model for temporary, project-based companies and training/professional development organizations.
The New York Times recently ran a story about how “flash organizations” are forming to build products for the on-demand economy. Click here to learn more.
The Croixstone team loves SkillPop, a local organization providing pop-up training and professional development.
For WSJ subscribers, learn how consumer brands create buzz by setting up NYC pop up stores here.
Global Cities 2016
So do you think you know the world’s most powerful “global” cities?
A recently published study by The Brookings Institution and JPMorganChase might surprise you. The study suggests that our idea of a global city has become outdated in a rapidly urbanizing world in the midst of seismic technological change. A handful of financial centers, like New York, London and Tokyo, no longer drive world economy. Instead a “vast and complex” network of cities – some surprisingly small, others mid-sized – powers the international flow of goods, services, people, capital and ideas.
The study identified seven types of global cities comprised of 123 urban areas – including our very own Charlotte (defined by the study as one of sixteen “American Middleweight” global cities).
Learn more here.
Charlotte is One of Top 25 Future Ready Economies in the USA
Last year, Dell introduced its “Future Ready Economies Model” that identified the top 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the country with attributes that enable people and organizations to access new tools and new ideas that deliver better connections, better outcomes – and a better world.
The Croixstone Consulting team has noted with interest that Dell believes that “future ready” cities understand the need to create a collaborative business environment, supporting not only established firms, with their employees and growing number of independent contributors, but also growth-oriented entrepreneurs (knowing that entrepreneurs drive 50% of GDP and 75% of new jobs).
In partnership with IHS Economics, an industry-leading macroeconomics firm, Dell ranked Charlotte at #15 on the USA’s top 25 list of “future ready” cities.
Learn more here.