The Voice of Business in the Charlotte Region

Hugh McColl turns 90 and McColl Park opening: “If you let yourself do nothing, you’ll die”

CLT Alliance and Charlotte Business Journal Season 1 Episode 5

As Hugh McColl approaches his 90th birthday, he shows no signs of slowing down. 

“As long as you’re busy, you don’t have a lot of time for dying,” said McColl, the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Falfurrias Management Partners and former chairman and CEO of Bank of America. 

In this special episode of The Voice of Business in the Charlotte Region, a podcast miniseries brought to you by CLT Alliance and the CBJ, McColl sits down with Andrea Smith, strategic advisor for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, and Kieth Cockrell, president of Bank of America Charlotte, for a wide-ranging interview. In the conversation, McColl discusses the grand opening of McColl Park, shares stories from early in his career, as well as the lessons and philosophies that continue to drive him to this day. 

Listen to this episode to learn more about: 

  • How the Marine Corps became McColl’s “graduate school” in management 
  • Why McDonald’s inspired McColl’s vision for banking expansion 
  • What makes Charlotte unique — and the people shaping its legacy of community impact 
  • Bringing an NFL team to Charlotte 
  • Attracting and retaining young talent
  • McColl’s secret to success
  • The impact of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine on the Queen City 


To learn more about the Charlotte Region and discover why business is better here, visit charlotteregion.com.