WO MEN O F AC HI E V E M E NT
of the team a few years after Christy. To boot, Mark and Christy have continued to grow the family (and the family business) via their three boys: Griff, 7, Joe, 5, and Kenan, 3. “We worked together to grow the candy from a home-based hobby into a full-fledged business,” Christy says. Now, the company not only sells its delectable goodies in local shops such as The Carolina Inn gift shop, Victoria Park Florist, New Hope Market and Weaver Street Market, but it can be spotted in more than 800 stores throughout the country. To date, they have sold over three million boxes. But despite Chapel Hill Toffee’s success, Christy and Karen still haven’t lost sight of the care and personal touch that comes with having a small business. “We are a true family business in every sense,” Christy says. “We do it all ourselves, from making the toffee by hand to designing the packaging. We handle every aspect of our business, from marketing, distribution, deliveries and answering every call and email.” The secret to the mouthwatering Southern creations? Each caramelized confection is created with a layer of traditional English toffee thinly cut into snackable squares and covered on either side with a secret mix of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of pecans. In 2018, the company expanded with a coffee-flavored toffee, named after Karen’s late husband, who died in 2013. When they aren’t cheffing up toffee to sate sweet tooths, find the Graves family out and about rooting for the Tar Heels and giving back to their community. Karen is involved with the SECU Family House while Christy is a supporter of UNC Lineberger and Dina’s Dynasty, a nonprofit she started in honor of her mother, Dina Bray, after she passed away due to ovarian cancer. And for those with a craving for community-centered craft brews, Carolina Brewery touts a stout using Chapel Hill Toffee’s flavor profile – with proceeds from the beer going directly to Dina’s Dynasty. “The worth-it moments are many,” Karen reflects. “… I would just like to express my gratitude to the people of our community,” Christy adds. “The support that they have shown our family and their enthusiasm is the reason that we can continue to live this dream. We are continually inspired by the joy that our loyal customers share with us and from the pride we have in representing our beautiful hometown.” 82
chapelhillmagazine.com
May/June 2023
LAURIE PAOLICELLI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHAPEL HILL/ORANGE COUNTY VISITORS BUREAU
ince her childhood, Laurie Paolicelli has had a knack for storytelling. This gift has followed her across the country and, now, to Chapel Hill where she is telling the story of Orange County as executive director of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. “We were a working-class family, and I watched waitresses and hostesses make a huge difference in people’s lives. They really wanted to bring them comfort and make their day,” says the native of Duluth, Minnesota. “I was always warmed by that.” This, she says, shaped her value system and drew her toward a career in service. Laurie received her degree in communications from the University of WisconsinSuperior before relocating to California, where she began her career at the Palm Springs/ Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Bureau. After 10 years in marketing and management on the West Coast, she began a job at the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she published resources in English, Spanish and Portuguese and learned lessons in crisis management, tourism and managing diverse audiences. In 2005, Laurie and her then-fourth grader, Cara, settled in Chapel Hill, in a cozy home that faces the James Taylor Bridge. Around the same time, she began her career at the visitors bureau, where she’s seen the county grow tremendously since. Laurie has been instrumental in facilitating the growth, describing a “net gain” of new restaurants, stores, clubs and more. This includes building back weekday tourism from the pandemic, as she says the industry saw a 30% decrease during the pandemic. With a staff of six, Laurie’s team has been working to maintain a sense of community in Orange County through guides, maps and Orange Slices – her newsletter that is delivered to 1,000 inboxes weekly. “We’ve grown the reputation of this area as being more than just a college town,” she says. Last March, the visitors bureau opened new digs at 308 W. Franklin St. The warehouse-like space has a 98-inch television on which it airs games and a wall of QR codes linking to local restaurant menus. Outside of her duties at the visitors bureau, Laurie enjoys live music and local restaurants with her partner, Steven Ray Miller. The now-empty nester says she enjoys quiet time on her screened-in porch or walks along the nearby Morgan Creek Trail. She gives back through her involvement with the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club since 2018. “I feel very fortunate to have been offered the job in 2005, to have said yes, to have raised a child here and watched her have an excellent education,” Laurie reflects. “I feel very fortunate to feel a sense of community here. It seems like no matter who you are, you can walk down the street or go to the market and know someone.”
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By Caitlyn Yaede