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North Carolina aviators discuss development at annual convention

Aviation professionals gathered this week for the North Carolina Airports Association (NCAA) Conference, where an achievement in the Triad garnered some attention.

The annual conference was held in Pinehurst, with economic development as its main theme.

Conversations were held on community marketing strategies and how airports can best utilize grants, technical assistance, and business development support.

There was also a panel discussion on how the city of Greensboro and Piedmont Triad International Airport recruited Boom Supersonic to locate a manufacturing facility at PTI.

The project garnered praise from John Ferguson, current president of the NCAA.

"We take the phrase 'First in Flight' very seriously," says Ferguson. "North Carolina is really becoming a leader in maintenance, repair, and overhaul companies and aircraft manufacturing, such as Boom and HondaJet."

State officials joined Boom Supersonic representatives in January to break ground at the future Overture Superfactory. 

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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