When people ask me why I created LKNConnect, they often assume it was to build another advertising company.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Throughout my career, I have been fascinated by leadership, community, and the power of people working together to create meaningful change. As a professor, I had the privilege of teaching Leadership and Social Change to doctoral students at Immaculata University, just outside Philadelphia. Those years reinforced a belief that has guided me throughout my life:
Strong communities are built by people who are willing to serve something greater than themselves.
Before moving to North Carolina, I founded Boomerliving.com—now known as RedString.com—an online community created to connect people, ideas, and resources. That experience taught me an important lesson:
Technology can connect people.
Relationships build communities.
In 2018, my wife, Jodi, and I began a new chapter in our lives.
After moving to the Lake Norman area, we discovered something very special. We found vibrant towns, passionate business owners, dedicated volunteers, and people who genuinely cared about where they lived. We also recognized an opportunity.
Many outstanding local businesses were doing remarkable work, yet too many people in our own community didn’t know their stories.
We believed those stories deserved to be told.
That belief became LKNConnect.
Working closely with our Chambers of Commerce, the Lake Norman Small Business Network, nonprofit organizations, and hundreds of local business owners, we began building relationships throughout the Lake Norman community.
As those relationships grew, so did our understanding of what local businesses truly needed.
I never envisioned LKNConnect as another advertising company.
I envisioned it as a bridge.
A bridge connecting the people who live here with the businesses that serve them.
A bridge connecting community organizations with the citizens they support.
A bridge connecting business owners with the relationships and resources that help them grow.
From the beginning, our purpose has been much larger than promoting businesses.
We want every resident of Lake Norman to understand what it truly means to Shop Local. Dine Local. Live Local.
Every dollar spent with a local business helps support a family.
Creates jobs.
Encourages entrepreneurship.
Strengthens our schools, nonprofits, and civic organizations.
Preserves the unique character of the Lake Norman community we all love.
Strong local businesses build strong local communities.
Over time, another realization became clear.
Business owners weren’t simply looking for another advertisement.
They were looking for guidance.
They wanted someone who would listen.
Someone who understood their business.
Someone who could help them become more visible, more trusted, and more connected to the community they proudly serve.
That realization led to the creation of the LKNConnect Visibility Audit™, the Growth Spiral™, and ultimately the LKNConnect Operating System™.
Today, every member of our TEAM is part of something much larger than a media company.
Whether you are a Visibility Strategist, Contributor, Growth Partner, Client Success Partner, or future leader of LKNConnect, you are helping strengthen the economic and social fabric of the Lake Norman community.
That is both a privilege and a responsibility.
Thank you for choosing to be part of this journey.
Together, we will help businesses become more visible, more successful, and more connected.
And together, we will continue building a stronger Lake Norman.
Douglas H. Fitzgerald, Ed.D.
Founder & CEO
LKNConnect
To strengthen local businesses by increasing their visibility, credibility, and community connections while helping build a stronger, more vibrant Lake Norman for everyone who lives, works, and visits here.
We envision a Lake Norman where every outstanding local business has the opportunity to be discovered, trusted, and supported by the community it serves.
We believe thriving local businesses create thriving local communities.
Our vision is to become the region’s most trusted partner in helping businesses grow while encouraging residents to embrace the values of Shop Local. Dine Local. Live Local.
Everything we do is guided by six fundamental values.
People do business with people they know, trust, and respect.
We build relationships before we build business.
We recommend what is best for the client—not what is most profitable for us.
Trust is our greatest asset.
Every decision should strengthen the Lake Norman community.
When local businesses succeed, everyone benefits.
We exist to help others succeed.
Our greatest accomplishment is watching businesses grow because of the relationships we helped create.
Learning never stops.
Neither does innovation.
We continually seek better ways to serve our businesses and our community.
We believe the best ideas emerge when talented people work together.
No one succeeds alone.
As members of the LKNConnect TEAM, we promise to:
Everything we do at LKNConnect can be summarized in six words:
These words are more than a tagline.
They are our purpose.
They guide every article we publish.
Every business relationship we build.
Every recommendation we make.
Every Visibility Audit™ we conduct.
Every Growth Partner™ we introduce.
Every story we tell.
Every community we serve.
They remind us that our work is not simply about marketing.
It is about creating opportunity.
It is about strengthening families.
It is about helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams.
It is about leaving Lake Norman stronger tomorrow than it is today.
Everything you have just read explains why LKNConnect exists.
The next document—the LKNConnect Operating System™—explains how we fulfill that mission.
Inside, you’ll discover the Business Development Funnel™, the Visibility Audit™, the Growth Review Board™, the Growth Spiral™, the Growth Partners™, and the complete system that allows LKNConnect to serve businesses with consistency, professionalism, and purpose.
Welcome to the LKNConnect family.
Together, we will continue Strengthening Local Businesses. Building Stronger Communities.
