- [Announcer] Support for Carolina Impact comes from our viewers and Wells Fargo.

- [Narrator] Wells Fargo has donated $390 million.

- Honey, like I said, you get your own room.

- [Narrator] To support housing affordability solutions across America.

- You're never gonna get it!

- [Narrator] Doing gets it done.

Wells Fargo, the Bank of Doing.

- [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact."

- One last look before it's gone.

I'm Jeff Sonier.

Stick around for the first, last, and only tour of the Panthers Rock Hill training facility, coming up.

- Plus, we learn about the oldest black owned business in the United States, located right here in Charlotte, and we learn what makes Hank's Ice Cream in Monroe just so darn sweet.

"Carolina Impact" starts right now.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] "Carolina impact", covering the issues, people and places that impact you.

This is "Carolina Impact."

- Good evening, thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

These are tough times for Carolina Panthers fans.

A losing record last season, a new coach next season, and if you're a fan from South Carolina, well, Panther's owner David Tepper is saying goodbye to the team's football future in Rock Hill.

And Rock Hill is saying goodbye by demolishing the half-finished facility and looking ahead instead.

Carolina Impact's Jeff Sonier and videographer Doug Stacker get an exclusive up close peak at what the Panthers spent five years planning and promising in Rock Hill.

It's a story you'll see only on PBS Charlotte.

- Yeah, it'll take about five months to tear down what it took construction crews almost a year to build here in Rock Hill, but before it's gone.

Well, how about one last look inside what would've been the Panthers headquarters and practice facility?

(traffic driving) (bluesy music) Maybe you've seen it from a distance, driving by on I-77 just beyond the trees, that massive roof sloping down from a sky, high steel skeleton.

But up close, there's no scoreboard or sidelines here.

No huddles or halftime highlights, which is why this hulking half-finished home of the Panthers still feels, for now at least, like a loss for Rock Hill.

- Yeah, there's disappointment.

You know, there was a lot of promise, you know, a lot of excitement about what could be out there.

- [Sonier] Instead, Mayor John Gettys says, Rock Hill made a deal with a local demolition company to knock the whole thing down for a dollar.

The city keeps the land, the company keeps the salvage steel to sell off what it can, but when the Panthers stopped construction here, hundreds of construction jobs also disappeared, leaving behind 350,000 square feet of unfinished offices and unwanted training space and unused building materials and especially the unkept promise of that NFL home here.

- Well, it's been there for a while and everyone that plays in that game, so to speak, for a structure that big, they've known about it, couldn't not know about it, right?

So if there was any real interest in that, we would've heard by now.

And so how long do you wait - [Sports Announcer] Down the sideline, see you later.

(rock music) - [Sonier] It all seemed like a good idea at the time, the Panthers still playing their games at uptown Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, but just about everything else from weeks of pre-season practice, (crowd cheering) to players picking up their Panther paychecks.

- What's up, big dog?

- [Sonier] It would all happen just over the state line instead here in Rock Hill - You know, football city USA.

(crowd cheering) Football city USA.

All right, you're gonna know Rock Hill.

That was team owner David Tepper's original plan.

getting a thumbs up from South Carolina's governor and others, promising to turn Rock Hill into Pantherville, part NFL team headquarters, part football fan fantasy camp, part Rock Hill concert stage and event center, all surrounded by homes and hotels and even a new sports medicine hospital.

- So this is going to be a showcase down here and we're gonna bring people down to this region and we'll have, you know, just a sense of excellence, not only up there for the football team, but everything we do down here in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

(crowd cheering) - But for Rock Hill, well, that was then.

And this is now.

(blues music) Yeah, we're out here in what would've been the middle of the Carolina Panthers practice field, but now, well, it's pretty much the middle of a demolition project.

That's where the stands were supposed to be.

And behind us, big glass panels for an enclosed area where fans could also watch practice.

Now it's just gravel and mud.

- Understandably, some people that still aren't, you know, over it yet.

And you're right, they know who the bad guy is.

Inaccurate statements that were made, the attempt to belittle our community by others.

And I think that that burns people more than actually the development changing.

But now it's developable, and the infrastructure is pretty much already in place to a large degree.

- [Sonier] Yep, Mayor Gettys says once the unfinished building is gone, it's what's left on the Panthers property that still makes it attractive.

The rocks and the hills here in Rock Hill are mostly cleared now on this 240 acres, leaving the next developer who wants to build here with a big head start.

- By making sure it's not an eyesore, making sure it's not something that is a black eye for all of us or a road to nowhere for anyone, there's not a better site, I think, in the southeast region for good development than this site.

- [Sonier] And then there's this brand new exit on the interstate still under construction, the state of South Carolina keeping up its end the bargain, even after the Panthers pulled out, which means pulling in to this property on newly built roads will be no problem.

- You get off an interstate and pull into your your parking lot ain't a bad deal.

- Yeah.

And speaking of bad deals, we ask the mayor of Rock Hill if there's a lesson here for Charlotte.

- They're gonna have their hands full because he's gonna go in and say, "You see what I did to Rock Hill?

I'll do to y'all."

- [Sonier] Making Future stadium deals with the same team owner who came into South Carolina looking like a hero.

- Dave Tepper is a great entrepreneur, businessman.

He's very generous, he's highly regarded - [Sonier] But eventually leaving Rock Hill with zero.

- And Charlotte's got a lot more to lose than we did.

I mean, you've got a franchise.

It's our franchise, I'm a PSO owner.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm sure they'll handle it just fine, but I'm glad that ain't me.

(laughs) - And what about the Panthers?

Well, they were supposed to hold their pre-season training camp here in Rock Hill for this coming season but looks like they'll be back at Wofford University in Spartanburg instead.

Amy?

- Thank you so much, Jeff.

While the team and the town go their separate ways, the Panthers still have, for now anyhow, drawings of the Rock Hill headquarters project online.

You'll find a link to it at our website, PBSCharlotte.org.

Well, it's something most of us absolutely dread doing but there's simply no way around it: moving.

Packing up all of our belongings and getting them to the next house, condo, apartment or dorm is one of my least favorite things to do.

Carolina impacts Jason Terzis found out there's one local company that's been helping people get the job done for over 140 years, and was actually part of the Underground Railroad.

(dolly clanging) - [Terzis] It's moving day.

The constant sounds of Dolly wheels smacking the stairs, almost like a slow methodical drumbeat.

This particular move happening at a third floor apartment in Charlotte's University City area, just one of the many moves happening across the area on any given day.

- In any kind of customer service type business, I mean, you're really only as good as your last transaction.

- [Terzis] But the business that's orchestrating this move isn't just another moving company.

Its roots run deep in American history.

- I brag about it all the time, and it's funny because we were just on Jeopardy year before last.

- [Alex Trebek] EE Ward Moving and Storage is the oldest black-owned company in the United States dating to the 1840s when a Ward was a conductor on this.

Andy.

- What is the Underground Railroad?

- [Trebek] Yes.

- [Terzis] You heard right.

The EE Ward Moving and Storage Company got its start as part of the Underground Railroad system some 20 years before the Civil War.

- When you have a company that's so rich with culture you know, it's a great story to tell - [Terzis] Back then the business transported bags of feed and other supplies and materials on a 15 to 18 mile stretch through Columbus, Ohio.

- And so John T. Ward would use this business to help as a disguise to transport slaves to the next depot on the Underground Railroad.

Once slavery was abolished and we finally got to a point where there was not a need for that type of service, his son, William S. Ward, was also working at a local moving company.

So they decided to come together, since he already had his two horses and a wagon and they created their own company, the Ward Transfer Line.

- [Terzis] The award transfer line was born in 1881, later changing its name to EE Ward when it was handed down to the next generation.

- So Edgar Earl is what the EE stands for.

- Amazingly, they've been around ever since with the business staying in the Ward family for well over a hundred years.

- Eldon Ward, who was John T Ward's great-great grandson, Eldon ran the company from 1945 to 1995, for 50 years.

- [Terzis] EE Ward moving and storage eventually became America's oldest continuously operated black-owned business, a distinction recognized by the Department of Commerce.

- Isn't that crazy?

142 years this year, it's amazing.

For a company to stay in business that long, you're doing something right.

- Current owner Brian Brooks wasn't technically in the Ward family, but he was Eldon's godson.

- They really didn't have a succession plan, didn't really have anyone that really was interested within the family to continue the business.

So he was at a crossroads where he was either gonna have to shut the business down or sell it.

And so when my mother shared that story with me, I called him, - [Terzis] And in 2001, Brian purchased the business from his godfather.

- There was an emotional side that said, you know, man, I would hate to see this business go away.

You can't help but think about that when you're looking at something that has such a legacy and such a history.

- [Terzis] Partnering with North American Van Lines, EE Ward operated exclusively out of Ohio until 2018 but with so many people from up there moving down here, coming to the Carolinas only seemed natural.

The Charlotte branch opened in 2018, Raleigh in 2021.

- We developed a relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports and they became a customer of ours for a couple of their moves and then that spanned over to doing some business for Wood Brothers racing, another prominent NASCAR race team, did some work for them.

So we started developing these relationships.

(forklift beeping) - [Terzis] The Charlotte storage warehouse constantly has stuff coming in and going out, from yard tools and golf carts to foosball tables, basketball hoops, and riding mowers.

(tape ripping) And tape?

Oh, they go through a ton of it.

With each item meticulously packed and then getting checked off as it goes into shipping vaults as they call 'em.

- Because we're not the cheapest mover in Charlotte, but we're not the most expensive, but we're the best, and that's what we sell.

- [Terzis] To better understand how EE Ward has stood the test of time, look no further than their Google reviews.

A 4.8 out of five star rating, with Brian personally responding to every single review, good and not so good.

- A complaint is a gift.

So when you get feedback, or we or the voice of customer, to me there's no greater power in the service industry or customer service world than the voice of the customer.

- [Terzis] In 2021, the Charlotte branch was honored as North American Van Lines agent of the year, with criteria based on safety record, sales growth, number of moves, and customer service scores.

- That's a huge honor in this business, to know that you won branch or agent of the year.

- In the Van Line world, I mean, I guess it's easy.

it's like our Super Bowl.

- I could have went my entire career and never won that.

It's like chasing a unicorn for some people.

- [Terzis] Making sure each customer's experience is everything they hoped for while honoring a legacy forged upon 14 decades of service.

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

- What an amazing business story.

Thank you so much, Jason.

Brian says there's a quote from William Ward from over 100 years ago stating "One day they'll know our name across the country."

That quote and dream came true.

Our next story is also a dream that came true.

Katherine Roberts, whose son was in the military in Iraq, had a vivid dream about a young man sitting alone on his bed suffering from PTSD.

In her dream, a quilt was wrapped around him and it brought him comfort and relief.

Katherine turned this dream into a reality by starting Quilts of Valor.

The mission is to help bring healing to our veterans.

Producer Russ Huntsinger brings us the story.

- You're supposed to be a veteran and you're supposed to be strong.

When this was presented, it will bring tears to your eyes.

(heroic music) We like to consider it as the highest award a civilian can present to a veteran.

I have had generals, Medal of Honor recipients, high ranking, low ranking officers cry on my shoulder.

I cry with them.

- I prefer to hand stitch my labels on and my binding because that makes it more personal.

- [Mayhill] A quilt represents love, represents thank you, represents appreciation.

It represents respect, honor, and dignity.

(sewing machine running) - It's a way that I can help a veteran, hopefully.

My husband was a veteran in the Navy.

- This is a quilt that my wife made for me.

It was awarded for my time in the service and these were the ships I was on.

- Quilts of Valor is a 501(c) foundation.

We make quilts and award them to our veterans as a thank thank you for the military service.

it's evolved into over 6,000 people today volunteers making quilts for our veterans.

Over 336,000 veterans has received this lifetime achievement award.

Our group is called Old Glory Quilters of Rock Hill.

We have made probably close to 3000 quilts and this is a way that a civilian can say thank you to a veteran that's been touched by war.

It's not our job to define how that person has been touched by war, but every veteran has been touched by war in one way or another, and these veterans carry burdens with them the rest of their life.

They will never share with the general public what they have gone through, what they have seen, what they have had to do.

- My name is Harold Schoepflin.

I'm 96 years old.

I served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam twice.

- First thing I thought was, here's a perfect nominee.

He's been in three conflicts.

Holy cow.

It's my contribution to my hero.

- Oh, I was taken aback.

I just couldn't imagine that.

I'm just a humble guy, didn't think I did anything special.

It was just an honor and overwhelmed.

- Quilts of Valor is so important to me and to other veterans.

As you get older, you have more time on your hands, and you think a lot more about the things that happened in your career and in your life, and those are a burden and a quilt presented to you is something that you accept as a comforting thing to put a quilt on you.

It's very warming and giving these to veterans who have done so much for our country is just a great honor for me to be a supporter of my wife and the Quilts of Valor, I'm very proud to be a part of it.

I have a quilt of valor.

It was a surprise, it was well received and I appreciate it.

- Hopefully it will bring them a little comfort if they have hidden demons or suffer from PTSD or help them in some way.

- I think it's just a way for me to present myself to them to let them know how much I love them.

It means the world.

It's just, it's all about doing for others in this world.

(sewing machine running) - So I do this for the veterans that went in my place.

I do this for the veteran that may have taken a bullet for me.

Can I ever repay that?

No, I can't.

But I sure can try.

- Thank you so much, Russ.

It can take between 40 and 100 hours to create one of these special quilts.

Currently, the old glory quilters of Rock Hill has 32 members.

The youngest started when she was 16 and the oldest is 91.

There are chapters all over the United States.

Well, we all all have different passions in life, right?

Sometimes things happen that cause us to take a step back and take a leap of faith.

Producer John Branscomb and intern Anna Cheek introduce us to a man reinventing himself in the sweetest way possible.

- Hank's Carolina Creamery is in Monroe, North Carolina.

(machines whirling) My name is Tony Losasso and I am the co-owner and ice cream maker for Hank's Carolina Creamery.

Hank's, because he's our beagle, and he just has this joie de vivre.

Whenever you see him, his butt starts to wiggle like crazy and he just is happy about life in general and that's what I kind of want this place to be all about.

You make the ice cream by basically setting out all of your ingredients, double checking with your recipe so that you have continuity with all your flavors.

I am adding the three ounces of vanilla.

Well, if you have something that's going to get crushed up into little bits and you want to have it more chunky, you have to add that at the end.

Or if you want to have something to be throughout everything that you're gonna taste of it, you put that at the beginning.

And when it gets to a point where it's really congealing, then you can decant it and then it has to be in the freezer for about 12 hours, sometimes even longer for some of my products because of the ingredients that they have and they take a while to set up.

I was a Montessori education teacher for 30 years.

After that, you know, I wanted to spend more time with my dad and he and I both share a love of ice cream.

Had a lot of fun in the class.

My dad enjoyed it and so I decided along with my wife that it's time to make that jump.

And we decided to open up the business of Hank's.

My daughters got this book for me, and it's a hand bound leather recipe book.

It has a beautiful quote by Tolkien on it.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

Tolkien.

It means that we need to value each other and our planet much more than we do wealth.

I keep all of my recipes in it and the first recipe is actually one that we all put together.

It's our maple butter pecan.

It includes fresh pecans that are local.

With those pecans, I hand candy them and real maple syrup.

I get my dairy from a farm out on the coast.

It's still family run.

I do make some seasonal flavors.

On January 8th, I rolled out Elvis, and it was for his 88th birthday, and it was my homemade peanut butter fudge, all chunked up with lots of bananas in my ice cream and then mini marshmallow.

I know the king would've been proud to eat that.

I was introduced to Sue by some mutual friends.

- I'm Sue King and I own Gingham Girl Cake Rolls and Creations.

I had some friends come in and say, hey, have you tried Hank's?

And I said, no.

They said, you really need to get together.

His ice cream, your cake, perfect combination.

I do the cake part and then I use his ice cream in the middle and I roll it up for a delicious treat.

I put smiles on people's faces.

People love a sweet treat.

And I think it gets both of our names out there.

People love cake.

People love ice cream.

We are small, but we are fierce.

People love our products and they love to support local.

- When a customer walks in the door, my first thing to say to them is welcome.

I'm happy you're here.

Thank you for choosing this place.

- We love that he puts such attention to detail in all of his flavors and comes up with these unique creations.

It's a special treat that I can share with my boys and make memories right here in our community.

- Well, my kids love it here.

My son is sick right now.

He has a sore throat, so he asked for ice cream for me to come to this place to get his ice cream.

I haven't personally had it, but my kids, they just say that's the best ice cream they've had.

- And that's what I am in love with this business for because it's quickly becoming a place where families can come just to have a good time and enjoy themselves and enjoy some good ice cream I hope.

One of my in inspirations, I think was probably Emeril Lagasse, and he says that first thing that should always go into any food product you make should be love.

And so I know that sounds kind of corny but I really believe that.

- Okay, now I want to eat some of that ice cream.

Thanks so much John and thank you to our viewer Laura Dermo, who wrote us and gave us the story idea about Hanks Carolina Creamery.

So I bet you have some great story ideas that we may be able to turn into beautiful features here on "Carolina Impact."

We need to hear from you.

All you have to do is put your idea in an email and send it to stories@wtvi.org.

We would love to come out and explore the story ideas that our wonderful viewers have.

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

Thanks so much for joining us.

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

Goodnight my friends.

(energetic music) - [Announcer] A production of PBS Charlotte.

Support for Carolina Impact comes from our viewers and Wells Fargo.

- [Narrator] Wells Fargo has donated $390 million.

- Honey, like I said, you get your own room.

- [Narrator] To support housing affordability solutions across America.

- You're never gonna get it!

- [Narrator] Doing gets it done.

Wells Fargo, the Bank of Doing.