(gentle music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact."

- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are different this year with big changes in CMS leadership.

But are CMS schools better?

I'm Jeff Sonier.

We'll find out from the new CMS superintendent.

- I'm Rochelle Metzger, and tonight we're taking you inside a Charlotte-based technology company that's building drones and robots that can tackle labor intensive and potentially unsafe jobs.

We'll show you how this new technology works, coming up.

- Plus, we'll show you how a weekly classic car meetup brings people together.

"Carolina Impact" starts right now.

(bright uptempo music) Good evening, thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

Change is coming to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

New classrooms after voters approved billions in bond money, new school board members also elected, and this year, another new superintendent.

So what does all that change mean for CMS students, parents, and taxpayers?

"Carolina Impacts" Jeff Sonier and videographer Max Arnell sit down with superintendent Crystal Hill looking for answers.

- Yeah, whether it's your children attending CMS, or your tax dollars they're spending on CMS, you're probably wondering too, will a different CMS really mean a better CMS?

(gentle music) - [All] Five, four, three, two, one!

(all cheering) - [Jeff] It's another ribbon cutting at another brand new CMS campus.

- Good morning, Grove Park Otters.

- [Jeff] And another chance for the brand new CMS superintendent to share her vision of what our schools could be, and should be.

- This brand new facility will help our teachers do an even better job of preparing and ensuring that all of our students graduate from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, either enrolled, enlisted, or employed.

- [Camerawoman] Yay, thank you, guys.

- But after posing for pictures and sharing hugs in the hallway, Dr.

Crystal Hill also has high expectations to fulfill.

New superintendents often get a clean slate.

They get a fresh canvas to work off of.

Do you feel like you've got a clean slate coming in this year as the new superintendent?

- [Crystal] No.

(both chuckle) - Does that make that job harder?

- I think it makes it much more intense and much more difficult.

I've said to many people, "I understand that my runway is this short."

And I think that is certainly because of the instability of leadership that we've had in the past in our district.

- [Jeff] Yep, the new CMS superintendent is talking about the long list of short-time CMS superintendents who came and went before her.

- I'll answer that for you.

- [Jeff] Hill praises Hugh Hattabaugh as a firecracker interim superintendent, but he only lasted eight months until retiring.

- I just wanna be clear, it's not an easy job.

- [Jeff] Earnest Winston is the superintendent who first hired Hill.

He was fired by the school board two weeks later, after less than two years on the job.

- At some point the board may say, "Well, you know, your four years have been enough."

- [Jeff] And Clayton Wilcox was forced to resign by the school board after only two years and one month as superintendent.

- I mean, I think the biggest thing I'd like to see is stability.

- [Jeff] In fact, voters we talked with on election day wonder why the more things change at CMS, the more they stay the same.

- I think that we need some change.

I think it's really sad that our students are doing as poorly as they are.

- [Jeff] Are they satisfied with the direction schools are going now?

- Well, I don't think they're satisfied.

I don't think I'm satisfied.

One thing that I've said in my short time here in Charlotte, that there's absolutely no reason why we can't be the number one school district in the state, and one of the top in the nation.

- [Jeff] Hill claims CMS is already succeeding with early grade math and reading.

CMS shows us the numbers.

- So we saw increases in math and reading, all the arrows were going up.

20 of our schools increased their school performance grade from the year before.

- [Jeff] But in Charlotte's minority neighborhoods, where kids consistently grade lower than their white counterparts, the signs of discontent over years of poor test scores at CMS didn't just disappear after the election was over.

- Why are the EOGs, the EOCs, why are they so low?

Why they are so low, you know, right now?

I'd like for those to be a little higher.

- We're way down on the state list as far as education for our children, and I would like to see that improved.

I wanna know how they're gonna do it, and I wanna see 'em do it.

- Well, I always say the definition of insanity is thinking you can continue to do the same thing and get different results.

- Right.

So you're intending on doing things differently than we've done in the past.

- Things that didn't work.

So, if there are things that we've done that are proven to be ineffective and they're not yielding us the results that we need, absolutely committed to going in a different direction.

- [Jeff] Voters also want some assurances that the billions in bonds CMS is spending on schools and classrooms lead to student success in schools and classrooms.

- It shouldn't be one set of schools got more than the other.

Everybody should have equal opportunity.

- That's a lot of money, and I don't see where anything is going to the teachers.

- As we're making choices with spending our money, what is the data that we're basing it on?

And is it best for kids?

So I think the number one question that we have to ask ourselves is, "Are the buildings that we have that are substandard, are those okay for my Madison and my Morgan?"

And the answer would be a resounding, "No way."

So if it's not okay for my girls, it's not okay for anyone else.

- [Jeff] Yeah, it turns out that the new CMS superintendent is also the mom of two teen girls at CMS.

And Hill says she sees her own kids in the face of every CMS student.

- Am I different as the superintendent because I'm a parent?

Absolutely.

- [Jeff] Does being a parent makes you a different, better superintendent?

- I believe that it does.

Because I said that parents are our customers, I'm always thinking about, how would this land on me?

- [Jeff] And Hill reminds us that 26 years ago, long before she came to Charlotte, before she was a superintendent or even a parent, she also taught elementary school.

- Because of my experience as a teacher, I've been there, I've done that.

I will always have deep respect and understanding of the importance of what happens in the classroom.

So it is actually our responsibility to ensure that we get it right for students, and we get it right early and consistently.

I think definitely the expectation to move quickly and excel is definitely what keeps me up at night, (Jeff chuckles) and it's what I wake up to every single morning, because there are amazing things that are happening in our district, and I'm just proud to be here.

- There's also a lot of inexperience leading CMS now.

Dr. Hill has never been a school superintendent before.

And out of nine school board members, seven are newcomers either this year or last year.

But like Dr. Hill, a majority of the school board members are also CMS parents, which means they know firsthand about the problems in the classroom, and how important it is to solve those problems.

Amy.

- Thank you, Jeff.

CMS is the second largest school district in North Carolina with 184 schools, 20,000 faculty and staff, and more than 141,000 students.

You can find out more about the new CMS superintendent, Crystal Hill, and other changes at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on our website at pbscharlotte.org.

Well, switching gears from education to technology, the drone industry is evolving rapidly.

We're talking specifically about unmanned aerial vehicles.

The technology is revolutionizing public safety, agriculture, construction, and delivery services.

As they become more sophisticated and affordable, the versatile devices promised to transform more industries.

"Carolina Impacts" Rochelle Metzger and videographer John Branscum introduce a Charlotte-based company that's creating exterior cleaning drones and robots to tackle labor intensive, and potentially unsafe jobs.

(drone whirring) - [Rochelle] If you hear buzzing overhead, it's not uncommon to look up and see a drone in the sky.

Drone technology is advancing at a dizzying speed.

With a wide range of recreational and commercial uses, they're more popular than ever.

Also called unmanned aerial vehicles, drones can be operated by someone using a remote control, or autonomously through onboard sensors and satellite navigation.

The versatile devices are used in surveillance, mapping, and distribution, but new developments are leading to more innovative applications.

Andrew Ashur is the founder of Charlotte-based startup Lucid Drone Technologies, now called Lucid Bots.

- So, John- - [Rochelle] The inspiration came in 2018 while he was still in college.

- I saw these window washers on a swing stage cleaning this large multi-story building.

It was a windy day, the platform got stuck in the wind and started slamming against the side of the building.

- [Rochelle] Ashur wanted to leverage technology to make window washing safer.

The solution, the Sherpa Exterior Cleaning Drone.

- Rather than putting workers up on lifts, ladders, scaffolds, you can now relocate them to the ground so they can do the same exact job, but in a fraction of the time.

So it takes away a lot of the danger, but also makes the job much more efficient as well.

- [Rochelle] According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, scaffold-related incidents result in roughly 60 deaths and 4,500 injuries each year.

More than 70% of those injured were either hurt after slipping, being struck by falling objects, or when the platform gave way.

- Oftentimes, if you rent heavy equipment, you're at the mercy of the equipment you rent.

- [Rochelle] Rich Cunliffe and wife Lauren own and operate Pressure Pros Incorporated.

- We clean everything from convenience stores to NFL stadiums, and, you know, everything in between.

- [Rochelle] The commercial cleaning company has eight locations in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Texas.

They've been customers for nearly four years.

- Safety is the utmost of importance.

And long-term, you know, that's something more and more that that's gonna bring to this industry.

- [Rochelle] The Cunliffes say Sherpa Drones have helped with access issues.

They recall how using the aerial devices turned a particularly challenging project into a big win.

- It was a quarter million dollar project in the past with swing stage, scaffolding, and people dangling from the roof to clean the building.

High-liability project.

We did the project with the drone for $50,000, so a fifth of the price for the customer, and we did it in 1/10 of the time.

- [Rochelle] Are the robots replacing workers?

The Cunliffes say not the case.

- It's definitely not taking away people's jobs.

You know, we're using the same number of folks with the flying drones.

(uptempo music) - [Rochelle] Pricing for the Sherpa Drone typically starts at around $30,000.

You can also rent one through partner Sunbelt Rentals.

Fabian Valez is a certified drone pilot.

He says while some can take hours to master, the Sherpa Drone is easy to fly.

So easy even a reporter can do it.

- Think you can handle that?

I believe in you.

(drone whirring) Actually, if you hit that little switch on the right there where it says spray- - [Rochelle] The Sherpa Drone does have limitations.

The Federal Aviation Administration restricts the weight of a drone plus its payload to 55 pounds.

So legally, it can only fly as high as 140 feet.

- So 140 feet, you know, you're looking at around, you know, 12-ish, maybe 13 stories.

And interestingly enough, you know, the vast majorities of the buildings in the U.S. are 10 stories and below.

- [Rochelle] Robert Blank is head of product at Lucid Bots.

- [Robert] From the ideation to manufacturing, all of that happens right here in this building.

(machine whirring) - [Rochelle] The company is getting ready to roll out its latest product, the Lavo bot, the Surface Cleaning Rover.

According to Lucid Bots, the robot completes jobs 70% faster and more efficiently than traditional methods.

Pressure Pros is among the first to use the power washing technology.

- If you're looking at a large area of concrete, for example, you can put two robots on it while you have your guys doing the more skilled things, you know, where they're detailing around things or, you know, wiping things down.

- [Rochelle] Competition in the industrial cleaning space is limited for now.

Connecticut-based Aquiline Drones also makes an exterior spray washing drone, though the company's offerings are more expansive.

Looking ahead, Blank says, "Innovation inspired by customer needs will give Lucid Bots the competitive edge."

- What we're really focused on is tackling the things that people don't want to do.

So a lot of those next great ideas will heavily involve software and artificial intelligence.

- [Rochelle] Empowering AI to transform the future of work is not about taking opportunities from people, but rather giving people back what matters most, time and safety.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Rochelle Metzger.

- Thank you, Rochelle.

I like the concept of not having to have a person hanging on those skyscrapers to clean (chuckles) the windows.

The company says it's currently taking pre-orders for the Lava Bot, its new surface-cleaning robot.

The cost will start at around $10,000 and begin shipping before the end of this year.

As it prepares to meet demand for its latest product, Lucid Bots is expanding its Charlotte facility, which will triple its production capability.

Well, next up we're talking about something we all see every day.

Signs.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

We rarely give them a second thought, they just help us find where we're going.

"Carolina Impacts" Dara Khaalid and videographer John Branscum take us behind the scenes of two sign-making shops to show us how they've created the signs we've likely seen.

(smooth mellow music) - [Dara] If you walk into Neonworks when Deb Slatkin is making a neon sign, this is how you'll find her, with a piece of glass in her hands and in her mouth.

- You can see it's starting to bend, starting to heat up, and then I just puff a little bit of air.

- [Dara] It's a process that requires her full attention as she takes the glass tube from the flame to the table to blow air to it, and shape it using a wooden block.

Then, it's back to the fire.

- You can see it's starting to get soft, heat it up, and the last thing I'll do is heat the outside of the glass and then blow a little bit of air into that tube.

- [Dara] It's something Slatkin does over and over again until she creates the perfect shape.

Next, it's time for her to connect it to the manifold, which is a vacuuming system that removes all impurities.

- [Deb] Whatever that's in there, I just want to make sure that there are no leaks in the tube.

- [Dara] She then fills the tube with a mixture of two gases, Neon and Argon.

Even though the naked eye can't see them at first, just wait until it's connected to a transformer.

- And that's in neon too.

- [Dara] This much attention to detail with every job Slatkin does, - [Deb] It's very tactile.

- [Dara] Is what's kept the lights on at her shop since 1994.

- I think you need patience, right?

You need some coordination.

But over time, things get easier.

- [Dara] Although the New Yorker graduated from Pratt University in industrial design, (tool whirring) after spending time in shops around glass benders, she decided to pursue it.

- I left a very nice job in New York (chuckles) for a very nice marketing and design firm with every perk that a kid out of college could have wanted.

It was the eighties, and I left, and I went to Tennessee and I learned how to bend glass.

- [Dara] Six years later, Slatkin move to the Queen City, open Neonworks, and ever since has been striving to not only satisfy her customers, but make lasting connections with them.

(smooth uptempo music) - I did some searching and came across Deb.

I emailed her some sketches and ideas, and she came up with a design.

And we love the sign, it's in the front window.

- [Dara] Douglas Armstrong, owner of Midwood Guitar Studio, says the neon sign Slatkin made him has been shining bright for seven years.

- The music note that's in the center of our logo.

Deb kind of came up with that.

She had her creative part, and then we had kind of a starting point of our logo, and she kind of meshed it to make it work in that sign.

- [Dara] Plaza Midwood isn't the only place you'll find Slatkin's work.

She's done signs for Phat Burrito in South End, Pinky's Westside Grill, and a particular place in uptown that's pretty hard to miss.

- That Ratcliffe's sign was done the early 2000s, and originally it was on the building.

I like the Ratcliffe's sign, and I say that because it's probably our iconic sign that everybody knows.

- [Dara] While neon signs may catch your eye quicker, there are other signs all throughout Charlotte that we pass by every day, not giving them much thought.

- [Glen] South End rebranded.

So if you see all the stop signs and the street signs, they have their little logo on top.

So we actually designed and fabricated, so it was like 180 signs.

- [Dara] Glen Nocik is the owner of ACSM incorporated - And now we're gonna go into the fabrication shop here.

- [Dara] Located in the same building, just a few feet away from Neonworks.

They also create signage for apartment complexes, parks, and different cities.

- It's an opportunity to just do more than just create a message.

You can be really creative at it and just make something that people will remember, aside from what it says.

- [Dara] In order to make memorable products, it takes all hands on deck from their hardworking 10-person team.

The first step in the process is designing.

- We'll begin with pencil sketches.

We might begin mocking things up really quickly in the computer design-wise.

From there, we go to this step.

We build everything in our 3D modeling program in house.

And then from there, we can pull out shop drawings from that model.

We'll do renderings for the client to look at so they know exactly what they're gonna get when this project is built.

- [Dara] If the customer has a small interior signage request, it's made here.

- Sometimes they just need elevator signs, signs point to the restroom.

It's really simple stuff that you might see passing by an apartment building.

So here is a really good example of that, something that we designed here.

And here you can see some raised text, some ADA braille.

- [Dara] If they have a large outdoor signage request, it's made here.

- Over here, we have our spray booth.

He's getting ready to start spraying some sign panels.

Once we're done spraying, we come over here and we start our assembly process.

- [Dara] Although Nocik and Slatkin create masterpieces with their separate companies, when they collaborate, it's spectacular.

- The sign that we did for Earl's Landing, that was really nice, and they did this beautiful background.

It was a wooden background routed out, and I put neon on top of it.

They're great to work with.

- [Dara] Slatkin says she's proud to know that in their industry there's more collaboration than competition.

She keeps the same mindset when it comes to teaching her craft.

- Somewhere along the line, (chuckles) you will need help, right?

And you'll be glad that another sign person will help you.

Until the very end- - So whether she's sharing her wisdom with rising glass benders, or someone with no experience like myself, alright, we're going into the fire.

Slatkin says it's all worth it as long as she can share a little bit of her passion for the bright lights with others.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.

- I never cease to be amazed by the extraordinary talent that exists throughout our region.

Thank you so much, Dara, for that story.

Both shops are located inside the same converted warehouse on Freeland Lane.

There you'll also find several other artists and businesses like ArtPop Street Gallery who display creative pieces on billboards and digital displays.

Well, finally tonight, it's something you hear people say all the time, "They don't make things like they used to."

Whether it's appliances, electronics, furniture, or even cars.

Over one third of all cars on US roads these days are over a decade old.

Economic factors play a big part in that.

Another is nostalgia.

"Carolina Impacts" Jason Terzis joins us with a look at one small town where nostalgia reigns supreme.

(jaunty music) ♪ Riding along in my automobile ♪ - [Jason] Cruising along U.S. Highway 70, ♪ My baby beside me at the wheel ♪ - [Jason] Mainstream downtown Valdese.

♪ I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile ♪ - [Jason] Once you get past all the buildings, it appears.

♪ Runnin' wild ♪ - [Jason] like a walk back in time.

♪ Playin' the radio ♪ - Back in time, yeah.

♪ With no particular place to go ♪ - [Jason] A 1950s style restaurant that goes by one simple name, Myra's.

- Well, it's sort of right here in the main drag of town, you know, is on Highway 70 here.

And it's sort of become a landmark over the years.

- [Jason] The inside of Myra's looks like a scene out of "Happy Days".

♪ These days are ours ♪ ♪ Happy and free ♪ ♪ Oh, happy days ♪ - [Jason] From the neon signs to the barbershop pole, fire hydrant, classic gumball machines, a blaring traffic light, and, of course, regulars filling the booths.

- This place has been here forever and ever and ever.

- It's very nostalgic - [Jason] And food-wise, the menu is about what you'd expect.

- We started off real simple.

We started off with hamburgers and hot dogs.

- [Jason] And, of course, what would a retro place like this be without some sweet treats?

(machine whirring) - I've been here many years, even when I was a kid.

(chuckles) - The nostalgic end of it there with the banana splits, the ice cream sundaes, the milkshakes and the sodas, and stuff like that was sort of the same theme, and I never would change.

It was always the same.

I didn't know how really to modernize it.

(chuckles) I'm afraid to, really.

(uptempo music) Good evening, Carolina cruises and high-riders.

Welcome to another fine edition of the Friday Night Cruise-In.

Live from Myra's fabulous '50s diner, right here in the heart of beautiful downtown Valdese North Carolina.

- [Jason] Making the Myra's throwback vibe even more authentic, classic cars parked all around it.

No, this isn't a car show, it's a Cruise-In, and it happens every Friday night.

- It's kind of tradition for people to come out on Friday nights and see the cars, and kind of stroll down through Main Street.

- It's pretty cool to get your old cars out, take a look and see what other people have brought, and just meet people.

- [Jason] The Cruise-Ins have been going on for about 25 years, and they have a DJ playing '50s classics.

- Kickback, relax, and enjoy the sights and the sound of Friday Night Cruise-In.

Well, I can go to the beach most of the year, and I still see people there say, "Oh yeah, you're that little town over there between Hickory and Morganton that has the car show."

And, you know, you'd be surprised at the people that still come around to it.

- [Jason] But since it's not an official car show, there's no charge to enter, no judging, no prizes or anything like that, just area car enthusiasts hanging out on Friday nights with their prized possessions.

- We usually have 80 to 120 cars.

They come from Lincolnton, Lenoir, Hudson, Wilkesboro, all the surrounding towns.

- Got a 1967 Chevrolet Stepside pickup truck.

And it started out as my grandfather truck, and my dad inherited it.

And from there, it's a five-year project with me and my dad.

- We come every Friday night and park across the street over there and get our chairs out and come and eat.

And we're here every Friday night for the Cruise-In because it's so much fun.

- [Jason] In the summer months, especially around 4th of July, things can get so busy, they have to close down Main Street.

- It brings a lot of people in, and it's neat to have.

- And anything that we can do to bring people downtown, I mean, it helps all the businesses.

So, I mean, the fact that Myra's has been doing this for so long, it's just a great boost for our downtown.

- [Jason] And the man who started all this says it all kind of happened by accident.

- I had no idea about what we were trying to even create, or even I had no inkling other than, you know, I wanted one real bad.

And the first one I got was a '57 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe.

- [Jason] Larry and Audrey Earp own Myra's.

Larry's always been a nostalgic kind of guy from the classic cars he owns to his basement, which is filled with toys and unique gadgets from the '50s.

And Myra's has been a part of his life for decades.

The restaurant started out as a little ice cream shop.

- They started it in 1958, and it was opened up as a Tastee-Freez.

And even a cone ice cream back then was only 9 cent a cone.

- [Jason] And back in those days, everyone in town knew Larry's Aunt Myra.

- Myra was an aunt, that's right, and she worked at the bakery up here, which was a Waldensian Bakery.

She worked up there, what was it, 54 years, wasn't it?

- [Jason] In 1977, Larry and Audrey bought the Tastee-Freez and started expanding, renaming it after Aunt Myra.

- To tell you the truth, she objected to it for a little while, and then it kind of caught on, and we set it up as the '50s restaurant.

It was sort of a nostalgic thing.

We put the awnings up front to give you the closeness of when you come in and everything.

I tried to recap as many of the nostalgic things.

- When you know something is good, you go back and back.

(chuckles) So they have good food and good service, and they're friendly.

- We didn't have trays to put out on the windows like I wanted them, (chuckles) or the curb hops like it used to be in my day.

- [Jason] As the business expanded, it became a town staple.

Then in the late '90s, Larry installed blue and yellow neon around the outside of the building.

- Some of the people said, "Why don't you let some of these old cars park around our parking lot?"

I didn't know if it would go or not, but we started letting a few of 'em park around, and that's how we started.

- And it's just grown and grown, and we've about outgrown this area.

So, you know, it's got so big, - [Jason] Myra's and the Friday Night Cruise-In.

- There've been a lot of people tried us, you know, tried to copy us in the past, but, you know, this is where we are.

This is our life.

- [Jason] The heartbeat of this small foothills town of less than 5,000 people.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Jason Terzis reporting.

- I just love the feeling of nostalgia that comes with those classic cars.

Thank you so much, Jason.

This is the last Cruise-In of the year, they're officially on winter hiatus.

So if you missed it this year, just hang tight until next March.

You know what?

You could help us find a great story like that one.

I know you've got a lot of great people and places that you are aware of that we just haven't learned about yet.

Please send us your story ideas to stories@wtvi.org.

Unfortunately, that's all the time we have this evening.

Thanks so much for joining us.

We always appreciate your time, and I look forward to seeing you back here again next time on "Carolina Impact".

Goodnight, my friends.

(light music) (gentle music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.