About Us

In 2016, Greater Charlotte Biz magazine transitioned from an exclusive print publication to an online publication called CLT.biz available at www.clt.biz to all who subscribe wherever there is an interest in learning more about the greater Charlotte business region, its assets and its abundance of business activity and opportunities.

With the formation of the Global Vision Leader’s Group in 2012 by Tony Zeiss of CPCC, Chase Saunders of Saunders M&A, and Michael Gallis of his own firm, John Paul Galles jumped on board to educate the business community and the region to the vision of Charlotte becoming “a global hub of international commerce.”  It has become quite clear that Charlotte and the Carolinas offer the best location for foreign direct investment to participate in the U.S. domestic market and for advanced manufacturing to be located near major deep water ports for receiving raw materials as well as parts for the making of goods to be distributed globally.

After 25 years of promoting the interests of small business owners nationally, John Paul Galles decided to pursue his own interests and publish a regional business-to-business magazine. He chose Charlotte for its thriving local marketplace and quality of life. His ambition came to fruition as the first issue of Greater Charlotte Biz rolled off the presses in January 2000 to become the community’s only monthly business magazine.

Prior to publishing Greater Charlotte Biz, Galles represented small business owners as the executive director of the Small Business Association of Michigan, and subsequently, as president of the National Small Business Association in Washington, DC. In those capacities, Galles managed several communication strategies that included two key publications – the Journal of Small Business and Small Business USA, which fostered in large part his development of a business publication in Charlotte. “The Charlotte region is growing, vibrant, entrepreneurial, and driven by nationally-recognized leaders and innovators,” Galles says. “That’s a big part of why I founded the magazine in this area. Also, from a business standpoint, the Charlotte marketplace is relatively compact, which makes it easier to help businesses communicate with each other.”

DESIGNED FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

CLT.biz LLC strives to provide business leaders in the Charlotte community with an effective vehicle for building greater brand awareness for products and services. The magazine keeps business executives in the Charlotte region abreast of important issues, emerging technologies, available resources, and people who help businesses operate more successfully. “We want to be the most complete business-to-business publication in the greater Charlotte market,” Galles says. “CLT.biz LLC can help companies grow and succeed because many of our stories are about successful businesses and their leaders.” Editorial content features a number of profiles of area businesses and business people making a notable impact on the business community. The business digest provides a summary of local news releases as well as information about new products and services, market surveys, and other business-related items. A mix of other sections cover developments in industry and technology, regional economic growth, real estate development, organizations and philanthropies supporting business growth, executive perks and employee benefits, and other topical matters of interest. Maryl A. Lane, a corporate and securities lawyer by trade, has been with the magazine since its inception and serves as associate publisher as well as inside legal counsel. The magazine’s additional staff includes the editorial, graphic design, and advertising sales departments, and is rounded out with a cadre of freelance writers and photographers.

TARGETING DECISION MAKERS

A targeted circulation of over 125,000 enables Greater Charlotte Biz to reach a diverse range of business owners, managers, and executives from all areas including manufacturing, service, wholesale, retail, and technology. These are readers with a strong desire for regional business information and significant disposable income. “We reach every business with more than seven employees in the 10-county Charlotte region,” Galles says. “We reach decision makers at their desks in their offices. In my previous work with small business owners around the United States, I learned that entrepreneurs enjoy learning about other businesses and their successes. They learn experientially.” Galles decided to produce Greater Charlotte Biz in a glossy four-color magazine format in part because its stories are timeless and have an extensive shelf life. The publication also has a pass-along rate which averages six to eight additional readers per issue, reaching over 100,000 readers every month. Advertisers have quickly discovered that Greater Charlotte Biz is an excellent vehicle for reaching a broad, successful, and inquisitive audience. “We reach so many decision makers in Charlotte and its surrounding region that it is an attractive buy for national and regional companies and their advertising agencies,” Galles says. Advertisers and readers alike have been generous in their praise of the magazine. Among the comments: “Thank you and your staff for breathing new life into the Charlotte regional business community with your new publication, CLT.biz …We have received more friendly response from six months of advertising with CLT.biz than almost three years of advertising with some of your competition.” Furthermore, “This has been the most concise, well-written, informative, and interesting story on our…victory yet. After relaying it to the national trade magazine that sponsors the event, local Charlotte newspaper reporters and various other media, your magazine generated the most complete and insightful report.”

CONTINUING GROWTH

As a complement to the publication, Greater Charlotte Biz maintains a Web site at www.clt.biz. The Web site features the current edition of our publications, an archive of all articles that have been published, plus a full media kit and links to business resources. The magazine also plans to add more publications to its portfolio. While growth is certainly important to Galles and the staff at CLT.biz, maintaining the focus of the magazine remains a chief priority. “CLT.biz is significant to the community because it connects business owners to business owners and facilitates contacts that might not otherwise take place,” Galles says. “It connects the entire Charlotte region so that a business owner in Rock Hill can learn about a business in Concord that serves the Uptown area.” In a remarkably short period of time, CLT.biz has become a vital part of the fabric of the business community in Charlotte.

Primary Objectives of CLT.biz

• Support and encourage the growth and success of businesses in the Charlotte regional economic community.
• Deliver great stories to our readers about local business owners and executives in a colorful and entertaining format.
• Reach the most important, most affluent and most aggressive business executives in the Charlotte region.
• Promote the abundance of local business resources, products and services that cluster in this region to support mutual economic growth.
• Provide an attractive and effective vehicle for business-to-business marketing to business decision-makers as well as business-to-consumer marketing to high-end business executives.

Distinguishing Attributes of CLT.biz

• Charlotte’s regional business network.
• Targeted to business owners, managers and executives at nearly every business location with seven or more employees and distributed throughout those locations to a total readership of over 100,000 individuals.
• Targeted to large, medium and small business people as well as professionals including doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, engineers and architects.
• Mailed directly to the desks of more than 20,000 business decision-makers by name where they work.
• Reaching the most complete list of business managers in 16 counties that make up the Charlotte regional economic community.
• Exclusively about Charlotte area businesses, executives, and the products and services contribute to the local economy.
• Four-color, glossy magazine format that provides a more attractive display of content and advertising than other local business publications.
• Timeless content that ensures a longer shelf life and an extended readership over time.