The Charlotte Table is a free public forum hosted by the National Responsibility Monitor (NRM), bringing Charlotte residents into a conversation about the responsibilities businesses have to the communities in which they operate.

At the center of the event is one question: What does a company owe a community beyond what the law requires?

NRM will convene a small roundtable featuring a Charlotte-area banking executive, small-business owner, hourly worker, nonprofit leader, and NRM representative. Unlike a traditional conference panel, the audience will be part of the discussion.

NRM will present real and hypothetical scenarios involving layoffs, wages, bank branch closures, tax incentives, corporate relocations, lending, and community investment. Panelists will discuss what they believe responsible conduct requires, while attendees can vote on questions, submit their own responses, and challenge the panel during an extended public Q&A.

NRM staff will use several scenarios to demonstrate the organization's five-level Responsibility Risk Scale, showing how it distinguishes between an unpopular business decision and one that genuinely creates serious ethical or public-trust concerns.

Why is NRM doing this? NRM evaluates the consequences of decisions made by powerful institutions, but it does not want those standards developed exclusively inside corporate offices. The Charlotte Table gives workers, consumers, business owners, and residents a direct voice in the broader conversation about what responsible institutional behavior should mean.

Why attend? Many decisions that shape a community are not made at the ballot box. They are made by employers, banks, developers, hospitals, utilities, and other major institutions. The Charlotte Table gives the public an opportunity to sit across from some of those decision-makers, hear why they make difficult choices, and tell them directly where Charlotte believes responsibility begins and ends.

Admission is free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged, with a portion of seating reserved for walk-ins.