WithersRavenel adds former Kannapolis city manager to Charlotte team

WithersRavenel has named Mike Legg as Regional Market Executive for Charlotte as the engineering and consulting firm deepens its presence in a fast-growing metro area. Legg brings 36 years of municipal leadership experience as the firm targets housing, infrastructure, redevelopment, and long-term capital investment across the region.

Why it matters: - Charlotte’s population and economic growth are increasing demand for housing, transportation, utilities, public services, and other infrastructure. - WithersRavenel is adding senior local leadership to pursue more regional work in a market where public- and private-sector projects are expanding. - Legg’s background in municipal leadership and redevelopment gives WithersRavenel more experience to support growth-related planning and capital investment decisions.

What happened: - WithersRavenel hired Mike Legg as Regional Market Executive for Charlotte. - Legg will lead the firm’s Charlotte market efforts, including regional relationships, client development, local team growth, and coordination with communities and private-sector partners. - The move is designed to strengthen WithersRavenel’s presence in the Charlotte metro area.

The details: - Legg brings 36 years of municipal leadership experience. - He spent more than two decades as City Manager of Kannapolis. - In Kannapolis, Legg oversaw a $130 million budget and more than 700 employees. - He led a $120 million downtown revitalization effort projected to generate more than $500 million in private investment. - Legg helped guide redevelopment of the former Cannon Mills site into the North Carolina Research Campus, which represented more than $1.6 billion in public and private investment. - His work has been recognized with the Charlotte Business Journal’s Power 100, Top CEOs in the Charlotte metro region, the James D. Prosser Excellence in Government Leadership Award, the American Planning Association’s Excellence in Economic Development Award, and the Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award. - WithersRavenel is a full-service engineering and consulting firm founded in 1983 in Cary, North Carolina. - The firm has 460-plus employee-owners and operates from Cary and branch offices across North Carolina. - Its core services include Asset Management, Design + Planning, Economic Development, Environmental, Funding & Finance, Geomatics, GIS, Land & Site Development, Public Engagement, Stormwater, and Water & Sewer Utilities. - More information is available at the company’s website.

Between the lines: - The hire signals that WithersRavenel is leaning on municipal credibility to win work in a region where local politics, regulation, and community sentiment can slow development. - Legg’s background suggests the firm wants someone who can speak both the language of city halls and private developers. - The Charlotte expansion also fits a broader growth strategy that pairs geographic expansion with community-focused service delivery.

What's next: - Legg will work to expand WithersRavenel’s local team and deepen relationships across the Charlotte metro area. - The firm expects his experience to help advance projects tied to housing, infrastructure, redevelopment, and long-term capital planning. - WithersRavenel will continue building a larger Charlotte presence as demand rises across the region.