Getting Real With Rob

"It's really easy to identify a problem; it's actually not that hard to come up with solutions. The real work comes with implementing them." shares David Longo, our first guest of 2026, as he gave his closing remarks. Our episode drilled down into the details of the Transportation Referendum and the accompanying 1 cent sales tax increase that passed last November as David's leadership was instrumental in forging bipartisan collaborations between Raleigh and Charlotte. Helping to move this historic initiative forward, its successful passing reinforced his belief that real progress happens when people put community above politics. The referendum passed on the first attempt with 52 percent of the vote—an unprecedented outcome for an initiative of its scale and complexity. David's role in advancing the Mecklenburg County Transportation Referendum, a once-in-a-generation effort to transform the region's infrastructure is a masterstroke of opportunity and vision. The soon-to-be-imposed sales tax will generate $19.4 billion in local funding over the next 30 years and will be matched by $6 billion in federal funding. The total results, say many, is estimated at $250 billion in long-term economic development.  A long time Charlotte influential, David has spent more than three decades transforming how organizations view their workplaces—not as static environments, but as powerful tools that shape culture, enhance collaboration, and elevate the human experience. That fingerprint will be conspicuously prominent as he takes his place as an appointee of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board. As the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of CBI Workplace Solutions, he was also the 2025 Chair of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance – an organization that referendum proponents sought support from — acting as a strategic genius by building bridges of purpose that transcended divisive agendas. Through these civic efforts, David has earned a reputation as someone who works across lines of difference, uniting Democratic and Republican leaders, business executives, educators, and community advocates around shared goals.   As we dig into his background, the foundations of his philosophies become obvious. Raised in a loving and faithful home, he learned the value of responsibility, gratitude, and respect for others. His early influences—family, faith, and scouting—profoundly shaped his worldview and gave him a lifelong desire to serve others. In 1993, David founded CBI Workplace Solutions in Charlotte, North Carolina, guided by a simple yet transformative conviction: the workplace matters. What began as a small entrepreneurial venture quickly grew into one of the Southeast's premier workplace solutions firms, serving clients across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida. Under David's leadership, CBI became a trusted distribution partner to MillerKnoll and Falkbuilt, delivering workplace solutions that integrate design, technology, and human insight. His approach transcends furniture and floor plans, and he believes that when leveraged correctly, the 'built' environment can profoundly improve people's lives, their processes, and their performance.  As Chair of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, he has been a unifying voice in the region, bringing together the public and private sectors to pursue long-term investments that enhance quality of life and regional competitiveness. In 2023, David co-chaired the $2.5 billion Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bond campaign, the largest school bond in North Carolina's history. His leadership helped secure widespread, bipartisan support for modernizing and expanding educational facilities across the county.   At the center of David's life is his family. He has been married to his wife, Chris, for more than forty years, and together they have raised three children and now cherish time with their two grandchildren. Family remains his greatest source of joy and grounding, reinforcing the values that have shaped both his personal life and leadership journey. In addition to his business and charitable work, David lends his leadership to a variety of civic and institutional boards, including UNC Charlotte, the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, Novant Health, Charlotte Center City Partners, and now the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority. David Longo continues to live out a calling larger than himself—building not just workplaces, but communities, not just businesses, but legacies of purpose. "Success is not about status or power—it's about how we use our gifts to lift others."