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Chatter with BNC

Chatter with BNC

Chatter with BNC | Ryan W. Simons - President, Wilson Chamber of Commerce

Sep 23, 2026 · 14 min · 10 segments

On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Ryan W. Simons, president of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, about all that makes his hometown tick. Ryan shares his journey from county planner on the Outer…

On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Ryan W. Simons, president of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, about all that makes his hometown tick. Ryan shares his journey from county planner on the Outer Banks to economic development champion, and why Wilson's collaborative "special sauce" between government, nonprofits, and private enterprise drives real growth. The two talk thriving downtown development, the new Wilson Ballpark, a billion-dollar Johnson & Johnson investment, and a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem powered by Gig East. They also dig into the eternal debate: is today's music actually worse, or are we just getting older?

On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Ryan W. Simons, president of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, about all that makes his hometown tick. Ryan shares his journey from county planner on the Outer…

Spotify Website

Speakers: Ryan W. SimonsGuestBen KinneyHost

Top entities: Pinnacle Financial Partners×6 Outer Banks×3 North Carolina×10 Wilson Ballpark×2 Wilson Community College×2

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalAudience≈4k followers

Wilson's Growth and Development4:52 – 5:54

4:52

I love it.

4:53

And, you know, I think I've shared this with you.

4:55

My wife's family is all from Wilson and her sister and my brother-in-law and their people all live there.

5:03

So I have had the opportunity since the mid-90s to visit Wilson on a very regular basis.

5:13

But it's one of those visits where you don't do it every week.

5:17

you know, week or anything like that.

5:18

It's quarterly, it's holidays and things like that.

5:20

And as we move to Charlotte, that's kind of...

5:21

So it gives you kind of a good vantage point to see where growth is happening in those things.

5:26

And it's just been amazing to see, especially really over the past 15 years, how the growth has just really increased with the development of downtown, you know, and the community colleges and community colleges just...

5:42

And Barton, those kind of things are just really amazing in terms of how they've grown so much.

5:49

What's new happening now that our listeners should know about? What are some new upcoming things you guys have going?

Pinnacle Financial PartnersCompanyBanking company
97%6 mentions
Outer BanksTourist AttractionLine of islands in North Carolina
91%3 mentions
North CarolinaAdministrative AreaUS state
85%10 mentions
Wilson BallparkStadium or ArenaStadium in Wilson, North Carolina
79%2 mentions
Wilson Community CollegeCollege or UniversityCommunity college in Wilson, North Carolina
74%2 mentions
Dare CountyPlaceCounty in North Carolina
68%2 mentions
Barton CollegeCollege or UniversityLiberal arts college in Wilson, North Carolina
62%2 mentions
East Carolina UniversityCollege or UniversityPublic university in Greenville, North Carolina
56%3 mentions
SelmaCityTown in North Carolina
50%2 mentions
Johnson & JohnsonCompanyPharmaceutical industry company
44%3 mentions
Johnston CountyAdministrative AreaCounty in North Carolina
38%1 mention
CharlotteCityCity in North Carolina
32%1 mention
Wilson WarbirdsSports TeamBaseball team
26%1 mention
Milwaukee BrewersSports TeamBaseball team
21%1 mention
Nipsey HusslePersonAmerican rapper and activist
15%2 mentions
Alan JacksonPersonAmerican singer-songwriter
6%1 mention
Spice GirlsMusic GroupGirl group
6%1 mention

Economic DevelopmentBusiness
Society
Civic CollaborationSociety > Community Development
Small Business DevelopmentBusiness > Entrepreneurship
Wilson, North Carolina Economic GrowthBusiness > Economic Development > Local Economic Development
Johnson & Johnson Investment in WilsonBusiness > Economic Development > Local Economic Development > Wilson, North Carolina Economic Growth
Wilson, North Carolina Urban DevelopmentGovernment > Municipal Government > Community Planning
Downtown Wilson RevitalizationGovernment > Municipal Government > Community Planning > Wilson, North Carolina Urban Development
Wilson Entrepreneurial EcosystemBusiness > Entrepreneurship > Small Business Development
Gig East Business IncubatorBusiness > Entrepreneurship > Small Business Development > Wilson Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Wilson BallparkSports > Baseball > Minor League Baseball > Wilson Warbirds
Inclusive Community Growth in WilsonSociety > Community Development > Civic Collaboration
Municipal GovernmentGovernment
Community PlanningGovernment > Municipal Government
Minor League BaseballSports > Baseball
Community DevelopmentSociety
Local Economic DevelopmentBusiness > Economic Development
Wilson WarbirdsSports > Baseball > Minor League Baseball
Sports
Government
Business
EntrepreneurshipBusiness
BaseballSports

Wilson's Growth and Development4:52 – 5:54

4:52

I love it.

4:53

And, you know, I think I've shared this with you.

4:55

My wife's family is all from Wilson and her sister and my brother-in-law and their people all live there.

5:03

So I have had the opportunity since the mid-90s to visit Wilson on a very regular basis.

5:13

But it's one of those visits where you don't do it every week.

5:17

you know, week or anything like that.

5:18

It's quarterly, it's holidays and things like that.

5:20

And as we move to Charlotte, that's kind of...

5:21

So it gives you kind of a good vantage point to see where growth is happening in those things.

5:26

And it's just been amazing to see, especially really over the past 15 years, how the growth has just really increased with the development of downtown, you know, and the community colleges and community colleges just...

5:42

And Barton, those kind of things are just really amazing in terms of how they've grown so much.

5:49

What's new happening now that our listeners should know about? What are some new upcoming things you guys have going?

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