Kinston, North Carolina

entrepreneur and advocate for the arts, historic preservation, and downtown revitalization. He’s the visionary behind Mother Earth Brewing and Spirits, the Mother Earth Motor Lodge, the O’Neil Boutique Inn, Discovery Insurance, and the Red Room music venue, among other projects. “He’s also helped the city with his initiatives, such as the City of Kinston Arts & Cultural Dis- trict – a multiple block area that had real crime and dilapidation issues,” notes Sears. “The City has made public investments alongside him in neighborhood infrastructure such as a new playground, Riverwalk, and improved sidewalks and streetlights, but he's done the lion's share through his investments in rehabbed mill hous- es.”As a longtime member of the North Carolina Arts Council, Hill was part of the creation of the NC SmART Initiative, an arts-driven economic development plan for the state, and a model that he believed Kinston could utilize. So, he began buying homes in the area, renovating them, im- proving the appearance and safety of the neigh- borhood, and preparing to begin recruiting artists to the city. AT A GLANCE KINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA WHAT: A city of 20,500 WHERE: The coastal plains region in the eastern part of the state WEBSITE: www.ci.kinston.nc.us