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For some Charlotte professionals, music, farming, wine and entrepreneurship aren't side hustles — they're lifelong passions that never went away.
By Colleen Brannan
I’ve always been fascinated by what accomplished people do when they’re not doing the thing listed on their LinkedIn profile.
Beneath the job titles, calendars and responsibilities, some professionals are also living a second life. Not side hustles in the way we usually think about them. More like extracurricular activities that let people scratch an entrepreneurial or creative itch. Some create extra income. Some do not. Some eventually become businesses.
What struck me is that most of these part-time passions are actually lifelong interests and fill a void that day jobs don’t deliver.
Take Tony Lathrop, a Parker Poe trial attorney and N.C. Board of Transportation chair, who has been playing bass guitar since middle school.
With two demanding roles that don’t leave much free time, he still creates space to play in Underground Detour, a band made up of bankers, attorneys and contractors, most like him with full-time jobs and some retired. About five nights a year, they play private parties and local bars like The Tipsy Burro. Their next gig is at Reid’s Fine Foods in SouthPark on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Tony Lathrop (third from left) plays bass with Underground Detour, a band of professionals who still make time for their lifelong love of music. (Photo courtesy of Tony Lathrop)
I first became aware of Tony’s band when they played former Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio’s retirement party at the Charlotte City Club. Sadly, he did not remember my tambourine debut. Luckily, there’s video!
Most of his days are consumed with serious business, but he says, “Occasionally, I get to stand on stage and feel like a rock star.”
By day, Courtney Franco is vice president of sales for ImagineSoftware, a medical billing software platform, while also operating Uncorked, a wine consulting business, for the past 17 years.
“I saw a need for a more personalized, consultative approach to wine,” said the busy mom of two boys under 10. “It also allowed me to continue buying wine at cost for my own personal consumption, which was easier on my wallet!”
Her sales skills likely come in handy when convincing people they really can taste notes of cherry.
Courtney Franco turned her passion for wine into a growing business alongside her full-time career. (Photo courtesy of Courtney Franco)
My husband, Scott Brannan, a marketing executive at Bank of America, falls into this category, too. Outside of his day job, he spends some nights and weekends working for Live Nation VIP at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre and Truliant Ampitheater. When I met him, he was following jam band Phish around the country, though it remains unclear whether Phish knew this.
“I guess I never really stopped chasing live music,” said the former college radio DJ, who would likely work concerts for free.
Rashaan Peek, chief of staff at Charlotte Center City Partners, grew up helping her entrepreneurial mother and realized early on that her organizational skills had value to others.
For 22 years, she has run Your Girl Inc. on the side, helping small business owners stretched too thin with the things they do not have time for or simply do not want to deal with. “Many don’t know you can outsource busy work,” she said. “I guess you could say my gift is helping people keep all the balls in the air.”
For Adam Farber, long-time commercial real estate broker at Colliers, music was always part of the family business growing up. His father, Larry Farber, was one of the original partners at East Coast Entertainment and founder of members-only club Music with Friends.
Today, Adam co-owns Middle C Jazz in uptown with his dad but is quick to say he is not involved in the day-to-day operations, only business decision-making.
“Luckily, we have a great team, so I’m not booking the acts or managing staff, which is probably best for everyone,” he joked.
Jacob Felts, regional director of business development for LeChase Construction, has been a farmer before and after hours for the past six years.
Outside of work, he and his wife run Felts Farm in Union County. What started as a family passion project to address food allergies eventually became something bigger, selling eggs, raw milk, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken and seasonal produce.
“Between the animals, gardens and keeping everything moving, it has become part of our family’s lifestyle,” he said.
Which brings me to myself. I originally wanted to be an investigative reporter but recognized while still in college that I wasn’t built for daily journalism. I was good at the storytelling and sleuthing, but writing three stories before noon terrified me. (Somewhere, the Charlotte Business Journal’s Erik Spanberg just breathed a sigh of relief just thinking about the competition.)
So, I pivoted to public relations after realizing the skill sets overlap: curiosity, storytelling, problem-solving and tracking down hard-to-find people and answers. This column allows me to play reporter without the constant threat of deadline-induced panic.
These stories are all different, but they share one thing: None of these people accidentally ended up here. In most cases, the interests came first. Careers came later.
Maybe that’s the lesson. Most people don’t actually become someone different outside of work. They’re just making room for other parts of themselves, though some of those versions require livestock before sunrise and soundchecks after dark.
Colleen Brannan owns BRANSTORM PR and is a 30+ year public relations veteran. Her other part-time passion is owning an Airbnb in the NC Mountains that she wrote about for The Charlotte Ledger here. Find her on Instagram and LinkedIn or drop a line to [email protected].
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This week in Charlotte: CMS superintendent placed on ‘temporary leave’; Morrison YMCA in Ballantyne to be sold to a church; Charlotte City Council picks 5 mayor finalists; Why Mecklenburg doesn’t have more parks
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
CMS superintendent placed on ‘temporary leave’: (Ledger Breaking News) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill has been placed on paid administrative leave while the school board investigates unspecified concerns involving “administrative and operational oversight.”
CMS settles spirit rock lawsuit: (Observer, subscriber-only) The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education settled a lawsuit stemming from the district’s response to a Charlie Kirk tribute painted on Ardrey Kell High School’s spirit rock. The settlement includes $95,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees, and it acknowledges that the display did not violate school policies.
Politics
Meet the mayoral finalists: (Ledger) In anticipation of the Charlotte City Council’s vote Monday selecting a new mayor, The Ledger assembled profiles of the five finalists, including their applications, speeches to council and interviews discussing issues such as I-77 toll lanes, data centers and the business community.
Black Political Caucus endorses Cogdell: The influential Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg said in a Facebook post on Friday night that it supports Harold Cogdell Jr. to be selected as mayor.
Questions raised about city manager’s future: (Ledger) A question posed by a Charlotte City Council member to a mayoral candidate has fueled speculation that City Manager Marcus Jones could leave within the next 18 months.
Local news
Ballantyne ponders a future without the Morrison YMCA: (Ledger) The planned sale of the Morrison YMCA to Moments of Hope Church still depends on the church raising enough money to complete the purchase. As residents grapple with the loss of a major community hub, YMCA leaders say the unexpected deal offers an opportunity to advance the organization’s broader modernization plans.
A closer look at local parks: (Charlotte in Motion, from The Ledger/WFAE) The Ledger’s Lindsey Banks examines why Mecklenburg County still struggles to build enough parks. The answer lies in decades-old planning decisions, soaring land costs and the race against development that leave county leaders scrambling to secure green space before it's gone.
Business
Truist names new CEO: (PR Newswire) Charlotte-based Truist Financial announced that Michael Lyons, most recently CEO of fintech company Fiserv, will become the bank’s next chief executive on Sept. 1. Current CEO Bill Rogers will transition to executive chair before retiring in 2027.
Atrium joins race to expand Wilmington hospital capacity: (Port City Daily) Atrium Health has entered a three-way competition with UNC Health and Novant Health to add more hospital beds in the Wilmington area. The Charlotte-based system filed plans for a new community hospital, citing rapid population growth and heavy demand on the region’s existing medical infrastructure.
AvidXchange IPO regrets: (Charlotte Business Journal, subscriber-only) AvidXchange CEO Michael Praeger said the company's 2021 public offering failed to deliver the acquisitions, talent recruitment and capital advantages executives expected and instead pushed the company to focus on quarterly results over long-term growth.
Sports
Lawsuit against LaMelo Ball ends before trial: (Observer, subscriber-only) Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball has reached a settlement in the case brought by a young fan who alleged Ball ran over and broke his foot outside the Spectrum Center in 2023.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
The heat is on. So is the A/C. Plus: Club West Brewing agrees to ABC fine; Canes win Cup; Why library bookshelves are thinner than usual; Mayoral applicant includes kabob grilling photo; Pricey Counter- dinner; World Cup guide
Wednesday (🔒)
When the cost of helping rises. Plus: The 6 who could be mayor; Charlotte job creation; New podcast episode on Charlotte food scene; Truist names new CEO; CMS settles spirit rock lawsuit; Jelly Roll praises Novant
Friday (🔒)
Ballantyne ponders a future without Morrison Y. Plus: Nearly 500 homes planned for Ballantyne; Toppman reviews 'Evita'; City council interviews mayoral candidates; Juneteenth celebrations; CMS stays mum on superintendent investigation; CRTPO declines to revisit I-77 vote
Why Mecklenburg County doesn’t have more parks: Playing catch-up after generations of growth
‘Evita’ burns with urgency in Davidson: The Tony-winning musical runs through June 28 in Duke Family Performance Hall on the Davidson College campus
500 homes planned down the street from Wegmans. Plus: YMCA to sell Morrison YMCA in Ballantyne; Homebuilders eyeing apartment amenities, New growth numbers incoming, Matthews eyes ordinance changes to allow pickleball