Retired Charlotte Observer biz columnist named to hall of fame

Retired longtime Observer reporter and business columnist Doug Smith will be inducted into the N.C. Hall of Fame in Journalism next month.

April Bethea of the Observer writes, “Smith, a native of Charlotte, retired from the Observer in 2009 after four decades with the paper and The Charlotte News. He held a variety of roles, including jobs as a reporter and an editor, and spent 19 years as a business columnist writing about development.

“In 2005, he launched ‘The Next Big Thing,’ a two-page spread on real estate trends across the region. The weekly feature launched during the development boom period, and Smith said he thought it was special to be able to pick the story of the week and home in on special angles about each project instead of writing a traditional story.

“Since retiring in 2009, Smith has done some consulting work. He admits he has missed the deadlines and adrenaline rush of working on a big story and hearing from readers. He still gets recognized by the public, he says.”

Read more here.