Erskine Bowles President, UNC System Longtime Charlottean Bowles spends his time in Chapel Hill and Raleigh now, but Bill Clinton's former chief of staff still holds plenty of sway here, if for no other reason than he controls the purse strings for UNC-Charlotte.
Brian France CEO, NASCAR NASCAR's emperor lives in Daytona Beach, where the sport that his family owns is headquartered, but he will have an office in the new tower going up adjacent to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
John Spratt U.S. Congress The Democrat congressman may represent York County, but one top political observer called him "far and away" the most connected and powerful local member of Congress. He’s chairman of the Budget Committee, and his sister is married to Hugh McColl.
John Stumpf, CEO, Wells Fargo At press time, it looked like San Fran-based Wells Fargo would end up with all of Wachovia. That means Stumpf, assuming there's not another twist in this saga, will be responsible for big changes in Charlotte.
