Christine Cronin founded Wings of Eagles Ranch nearly 29 years ago, after a horse helped her son blossom physically, mentally, and emotionally. Today the ranch is a therapeutic riding center and outdoor adventure center. She has also spent 25 years working toward a dream of respite cabins for special needs families, and that dream is finally becoming real. Lake Norman designer Misty Molloy of CoCreative Interiors joins her to tell the story of how NARI's Charlotte chapter, local builders, and dozens of volunteers brought five cabins to life.

https://wingsofeaglesranch.org/

Virtual tour of the original, unfurnished cabin:
https://unbranded.youriguide.com/f035e0e7-e236-499d-976b-45d8e6e724f4

Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/37YTC7KLYVNUA/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex

Special thanks to:
Misty Malloy
https://www.cocreativeinteriors.com/

NARI Charlotte
https://www.naricharlotte.com/

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

About the host:

Jeff Hamm is the visionary behind The Best of LKN – a media platform that has been spotlighting and promoting the most adored local small businesses and nonprofits in the Lake Norman area since 2020.

Jeff’s also an expert Lake Norman real estate broker who brings deep expertise in premium neighborhoods and strong ties to the region’s top builders, designers, and service providers.

Learn more:

Lake Norman, North Carolina
www.LKNreal.com

Banner Elk, North Carolina
www.BannerElkLiving.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show

Jeff King took over as general manager of Safe Harbor Peninsula Yacht Club in July. He started as a 17-year-old busboy in Miami and has more than 30 years in hospitality behind him. His first look at the view from the club's veranda convinced him he'd found what he'd been missing. Jeff Hamm sits down with him on location to hear what has stood out in his first three months, starting with a membership that asks, "How can we help you?"

Jeff talks about why hospitality means spotting the look before a guest has to ask, and how social memberships work for people who don't own a boat. He also shares a packed holiday lineup: a Santa brunch, a masquerade ball, a family-friendly "Noon Year's Eve," and a toy-drive party for the Lake Norman Lighted Boat Parade that's open to non-members.

https://www.peninsulayacht.com/

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

About the host:

Jeff Hamm is the visionary behind The Best of LKN – a media platform that has been spotlighting and promoting the most adored local small businesses and nonprofits in the Lake Norman area since 2020.

Jeff’s also an expert Lake Norman real estate broker who brings deep expertise in premium neighborhoods and strong ties to the region’s top builders, designers, and service providers.

Learn more:

Lake Norman, North Carolina
www.LKNreal.com

Banner Elk, North Carolina
www.BannerElkLiving.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show

Maureen Smith of Birkdale Village is back, and the Huntersville favorite has a packed calendar. That starts with the return of Taste of Birkdale for the first time since 2023, now that every restaurant on the property is built out and ready to serve. All ticket proceeds go to Community Culinary School of Charlotte, and Maureen's story about watching Chef Ron welcome a nervous prospective student is worth the listen on its own.

Maureen also covers a Halloween weekend with a Nightmare Before Christmas movie night and morning trick-or-treating through the shops. Then come the ice rink, the tree lighting she calls her "love letter" to the community, and Santa through Christmas Eve. She also looks back on 2026 so far: new comedy and illusionist nights on the plaza, Suffolk Punch's first year, and a hint at new store announcements coming soon.

https://www.birkdalevillage.com/events/taste-of-birkdale-village

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

About the host:

Jeff Hamm is the visionary behind The Best of LKN – a media platform that has been spotlighting and promoting the most adored local small businesses and nonprofits in the Lake Norman area since 2020.

Jeff’s also an expert Lake Norman real estate broker who brings deep expertise in premium neighborhoods and strong ties to the region’s top builders, designers, and service providers.

Learn more:

Lake Norman, North Carolina
www.LKNreal.com

Banner Elk, North Carolina
www.BannerElkLiving.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show

They look like a motorcycle club, but they're a 501(c)(3) with one job: making sure kids who've survived abuse and neglect never have to face it alone. Four members of the Guardians of the Children Mooresville chapter join Jeff at Groomed in Cornelius: Clipper, the barber, child liaison and owner of Groomed; Beck, the chapter VP; Rip, the president; and Wills, the former president. They talk about what the organization really does, and why they show up loud on purpose.

You'll hear how child liaisons walk families through court dates, school shopping and birthday parties. They explain why the Mooresville chapter carries the nonprofit load for all of North Carolina, and how local partners like Dove House and Bella's Backpacks work together. You'll also hear how you can help without ever owning a motorcycle, including volunteering at the Carolina Balloon Festival this weekend.

Website: https://www.gocmooresvillenc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goc_mooresville

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GOCMooresville

Special thanks to:
https://www.groomedsalon.com/

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

About the host:

Jeff Hamm is the visionary behind The Best of LKN – a media platform that has been spotlighting and promoting the most adored local small businesses and nonprofits in the Lake Norman area since 2020.

Jeff’s also an expert Lake Norman real estate broker who brings deep expertise in premium neighborhoods and strong ties to the region’s top builders, designers, and service providers.

Learn more:

Lake Norman, North Carolina
www.LKNreal.com

Banner Elk, North Carolina
www.BannerElkLiving.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show

Nick Sulak runs a whole family of businesses out of Cornelius under one name: One Chaptr. There’s a custom apparel company, a website and CRM platform with built-in AI, and a photo and video studio. Nick also helped launch the Best of LKN Business Network, and he still keeps a corporate job on top of it all.

Nick explains why there’s no “E” in Chaptr and how the brand’s nine letters stand for the company’s nine values. He talks about why most small businesses need simple AI helpers instead of big, expensive systems, and about the custom app that lets him quote a T-shirt order on the spot. He and Jeff also cover the T-shirt fundraisers that raised about $23,000 for Hurricane Helene relief, and Nick’s new life as a first-time dad.

https://www.onechaptr.com/

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

Hosted by:
Jeff Hamm
https://lknreal.com/

About the host:

Jeff Hamm is the visionary behind The Best of LKN – a media platform that has been spotlighting and promoting the most adored local small businesses and nonprofits in the Lake Norman area since 2020.

Jeff’s also an expert Lake Norman real estate broker who brings deep expertise in premium neighborhoods and strong ties to the region’s top builders, designers, and service providers.

Learn more:

Lake Norman, North Carolina
www.LKNreal.com

Banner Elk, North Carolina
www.BannerElkLiving.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show

Marc Wulf got hooked on investing in a sixth-grade stock market game, grew up going to Berkshire Hathaway meetings in Omaha, and spent 16 years as a NASCAR pit crew fueler. That includes a 2014 championship with Kevin Harvick. Today he's a "financial mechanic" at Castle Wealth Group in Mooresville, where he looks under the hood of people's finances and helps them plan for the retirement they actually want.

Jeff and Marc talk about how high-earning W-2 employees and business owners think about tax strategy, why Roth conversions are coming up so often with retirees, and how AI, the infrastructure build-out, and inflation are shaping 2026. They also get into Lake Norman's melting-pot culture, camper-van retirement dreams, and Marc's plan to restore a square-body Chevy C10 with his kids.

https://www.castlewealth.com/

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

Hosted by:
Jeff Hamm
https://lknreal.com/

About the host:

Jeff Hamm is the visionary behind The Best of LKN – a media platform that has been spotlighting and promoting the most adored local small businesses and nonprofits in the Lake Norman area since 2020.

Jeff’s also an expert Lake Norman real estate broker who brings deep expertise in premium neighborhoods and strong ties to the region’s top builders, designers, and service providers.

Learn more:

Lake Norman, North Carolina
www.LKNreal.com

Banner Elk, North Carolina
www.BannerElkLiving.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show

Jeremie Evans is back on The Best of LKN, this time with a new venture. Jeremie has a background in product strategy and financial analysis. He launched StratBuild this year to help small business owners build real AI systems. His point is simple: AI won't run your business for you, but it can be the assistant that lets one person do the work of three.

Jeremie and Jeff talk about why so many founders become the bottleneck in their own business, and how to get what's in your head into an "AI brain" your team can use. Jeremie also explains his growth system for prospecting, customer recovery and reviving cold leads. He shows how a local AI tool can strip private data out of financial statements before anything goes to the cloud, and why his advice is to pick one AI tool and stop chasing the hype.

https://stratbuild.ai/

The Best of LKN
https://thebestoflkn.com/

Hosted by:
Jeff Hamm
https://lknreal.com/

Support the show

Austin Quick spent years engineering suspensions for Stewart-Haas Racing before trading race weekends for family dinners and a real estate career. He's a third-generation Realtor with Ivester Jackson Christie's International Real Estate. His grandmother started the family business in Flagstaff in the '70s, and he grew up cleaning rental houses on weekends.

Austin and Jeff talk about how his mom got through the 2008 downturn by switching from sales to buying and renovating. They also dig into why the Townes at Maxwell in downtown Huntersville are drawing investors, with new construction, strong rents and the future Red Line commuter rail nearby. Plus: why human connection matters more than ever in the age of AI, and what Austin loves most about living on the lake.

https://austinquickrealestate.com/

Links:
thebestoflkn.com

Hosted by:
Jeff Hamm
LKNreal.com

Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie's International Real Estate, serving Lake Norman, North Carolina. He specializes in luxury and waterfront property, golf and lakefront communities, condominiums, active adult and family-friendly neighborhoods, and short-term rental and investment purchases – with a particular focus on buyer representation, where his relationships with the region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of The Best of LKN, a podcast, newsletter, and media platform that has spotlighted the Lake Norman area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs since 2020. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide, regular market reports, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.

Support the show