{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Chatter with BNC | Zeb Smathers - Mayor of Canton","description":"Welcome to&amp;nbsp;Chatter&amp;nbsp;with BNC,&amp;nbsp;Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. In this episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, North Carolina, about how his small western North Carolina town has weathered an extraordinary run of adversity \u2014 from COVID to Tropical Storm Fred's devastating floods, the sudden closure of the paper mill that employed 1,100 people, and Hurricane Helene. A Duke undergrad and UNC law graduate who returned home to practice law with his father, Zeb shares how Canton went from a 20% downtown occupancy rate to nearly 90% by embracing its authentic mill town identity rather than trying to become something it wasn't. He lays out his bold vision for &quot;The Hometown of Tomorrow&quot; \u2014 redeveloping the 150-acre former mill site into an economic engine for the entire region \u2014 and reflects on the grit and grace that define not just Canton, but North Carolina's small towns. ","author_name":"Chatter with BNC","author_url":"http:\/\/businessnc.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/40612505\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/40612505"}