Local CEOs talk about returning to office, remote work and more

The Charlotte area’s largest employers have spent the year evolving as the pandemic continues — coming up with a plan, scratching it soon after and then implementing another. Adaptability has been key in staying operational during the pandemic.

Lowe’s Cos. Inc. CEO Marvin Ellison said he learned customers want choices. Some still feel comfortable in the brick-and-mortar store setting. Others have made online purchases a normal part of their routine. Lowe’s also stood up curbside delivery and touchless pickup lockers to accommodate customers. Ellison said the home-improvement company won’t revert back post-pandemic on that type of agility.

Bank of America Corp. CEO Brian Moynihan saw similar challenges with digital services and branches. He also recalled the task of transitioning more than 150,000 employees to remote work.

“There was a time period when people didn’t know what was going to happen here,” Moynihan said. “You learned a lot about the resilience of employees.”

The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance hosted its annual economic outlook at The Westin in uptown this week. Moynihan and Ellison were also joined by Lynn Good, CEO of Duke Energy Corp. Chris William with Carolina Business Review moderated the discussion.

These executives and others are now trying to answer a big question — who needs to be in the office?

Read more here about what they had to say.

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