Yahoo Finance CLT Alliance CEO unexpectedly resigns, search for replacement begins
After five years leading the Charlotte region’s only economic development group, CEO Janet LaBar has resigned.
LaBar was Charlotte Regional Business Alliance’s first CEO after Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte Regional Partnership merged in 2018.
“She will work to ensure a smooth transition over the next month,” CLT Alliance said in a statement Wednesday evening.
An interim CEO will be named in the coming weeks during the board’s search for LaBar’s replacement. LaBar remains CLT Alliance’s CEO through May 17, spokesman Rob Horton said.
It’s unclear why LaBar is leaving. Her resignation was a surprise announcement during a regular CLT Alliance board meeting, Charlotte Business Journal reported.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done together to elevate Charlotte as a region where businesses and talent can thrive,” LaBar said in a statement.
LaBar did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Horton, along with CLT Alliance’ other spokesperson Tanya Mendis told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday that LaBar had told the staff about her departure Wednesday morning. She did not share why she was leaving.
CLT Alliance’s revenue was $7.9 million but had a deficit of $1.4 million, according to the group’s latest tax filing in 2022. LaBar’s salary was $434,935 that year. The alliance is in the process of submitting last year’s tax report but Horton said it ended with a balanced budget.
LaBar’s tenure at CLT Alliance
LaBar has 20 years of experience leading business recruiting and marketing groups including Greater Portland Inc. and Greater Phoenix Economic Council. LaBar was chosen to lead CLT Alliance after a four-month nationwide search.
At that time, LaBar was focused on several areas including branding, efficiency and upward mobility. Charlotte needed a brand, something better than “the financial hub of the South,” she said. The business community also needed one voice to work in “a regional way.” Recruiting companies and industries that focus on equity and inclusion was another pillar.
In 2022, CLT Alliance was part of a controversy six months after the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative launched. Kimberly Henderson with CLT Alliance was named the initiative’s first top leader but a day later, local media reported about controversy surrounding her handling of fraudulent unemployment claims while leading Ohio’s Department of Job and Family Services.
While LaBar and Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, where the new leadership position was held, initially defended Henderson’s hiring, she resigned Feb. 14 saying she didn’t want the controversy to jeopardize the initiative’s work.
During LaBar’s tenure, the region generated over 37,000 jobs, $15.2 billion in capital investments and almost 400 companies choosing to expand or relocate, Horton said.
The alliance also advocated for Medicare expansion and sports betting, as well as three bond campaigns for the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools with an economic impact over $2.9 billion, Horton said.
CLT Alliance is 14-county bi-state regional organization focused on growing the economy and advocating for business.
