Lauren Ohnesorge’s Post

A month into maternity leave… and starting to go (just a bit) stir-crazy. But loving the snuggle time with the baby. We have… in no particular order: Explored the North Carolina Museum of Art for the first time in years. Walked the river trails in Knightdale. Joined a stroller walking group. Made new mom friends. Found out what the North Carolina Farmers Market’s weekday vibe is - and (of course) visited our friends at 321 Coffee. Made marinara from scratch. Reintroduced sushi into our diets. And yes, wrote a quick story or two to bank for my return in September. (Couldn’t resist) What else should we be doing? and what’s the biggest news story that I have missed over the past month?

TODAY (June 6) is a huge day for Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) - and the Triangle region. That's because Lufthansa is scheduled to debut its nonstop flight to Frankfurt, Germany. It's a big deal, even if you're not planning to utilize the connection anytime soon. Millions are on the line, as the state of North Carolina included a budget earmark of $3 million in incentives to support the new flight. But it's not just about the connection itself, but what it represents: International access. When big, job-creating projects announce plans to relocate or expand in North Carolina, I routinely file public records requests. My goal with the FOIAs is to fully understand why companies are moving to North Carolina - what the trends are. And what the state needs to do to stay competitive in site selection searches. While talent is almost always the number one factor behind their decision to expand here, transportation considerations are often in the top three. Global, job-creating companies want to be in close proximity to an international airport. And the Lufthansa announcement, coupled by other recently-announced or expanded international service at RDU, is something these companies and their consultants are watching as they craft their shortlists. I also file FOIAs when we lose out on major projects. And guess what? Sometimes we lose because it's Atlanta, not RDU, that has the connection they are after. Every flight we add puts us on someone's radar. And the Frankfurt flight, which better connects companies to a slew of destinations in Europe and beyond, is high stakes - whether you're taking the flight or not. att: Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), Raleigh Chamber, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce https://lnkd.in/gDFticCw

Out of the office! Back to it in 12 weeks! Thanks to the team at WakeMed for helping us feel so supported over the past few days! But we are about to break out! 

The biggest new challenge for community banks is technology adoption, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. That’s according to Brandon Milhorn, the president and CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) in Washington, D.C. https://lnkd.in/geuWe63k

First Bank has settled - dropping its lawsuit against a pair of former employees it had accused of taking trade secrets to a competitor. The original lawsuit was filed last year and accused defendants of jumping ship in October to take on similar roles with Southern Bank. https://lnkd.in/eTp7QY2S

Festival drama: Remember the country music festival that sued Etix, claiming it duplicated tickets - giving away the show for free? Now, not only has the #Morrisville company flatly denied that claim, it's also filed a suit of its own... https://lnkd.in/e_8zSb-p

As Apple takes its time planning for its Research Triangle Park campus... it's working to convince regulators that the environment is top of mind. https://lnkd.in/e6HT_Ffp  

A married couple who sued Wells Fargo and Truist last year over their seemingly vanished funds has reached a confidential settlement with the banks: https://lnkd.in/eRg8TAS5

A new lawsuit claims a group of legal migrant workers in North Carolina were held captive without passports at a bug-infested Lumberton motel, and were never paid what they were promised for harvesting blueberries at North Carolina farms. https://lnkd.in/etevUYiX