BUSINESS PROFILES

BY MELISSA SLAVEN WARREN

Whether you are a working professional, nearing retirement or already there, it’s important to have clear financial goals. In an uncertain world, it’s more important than ever to have a financial future entrusted to people with competence, integrity, and respect for one’s unique life portfolio. It’s critical to work with those who have a vested understanding of what we want our future to look like, and with so many investment options out there, consulting a financial advisor should be a priority.

Michael Mahoney is an Investment Consultant with TrinityPoint Wealth, an independent wealth management and investment advisory firm. Mahoney has been helping individuals, families and business owners set and reach their financial goals for more than three decades. According to Mahoney, “At TrinityPoint Wealth, we are fiduciaries, first and foremost. When it comes to choosing a financial advisor, finding one that is a fiduciary is important. That means we always act in our client’s best interest. As fiduciaries, we are objective and unbiased. Our solutions are customized based on the needs of each individual client.”

Mahoney understands that finding successful financial strategies starts with listening. “Every person or entity has different goals and unique situations,” Mahoney says. “We listen to them, we determine where they are in their lives, and get to know their concerns, the level of risk they’re comfortable taking, and the time frame allowed to reach their goals. We build a customized plan to help them reach those goals.”.

That plan comes from a comprehensive review. It’s not just investment strategies, but a review of legal documents including wills, power of attorney, medical directives and life insurance. “While we don’t offer these products, we can recommend other professionals who do,” Mahoney says, as they help paint a full picture of a person’s goals. “We advise on retirement, investments, stock options, estate planning, social security planning, charitable giving, tax strategy, insurance and more.”

For Mahoney, the best part of being an investment consultant is “meeting so many great people from all walks of life. Everyone has different goals and different resources. Once I help create a plan and put it into play, it is exciting to watch as my clients get closer and closer to reaching their goals.”

Typically, Mahoney’s clients first come to him because of a new life event. They may be nearing retirement and their income is going away, or they’re changing jobs, or they’re new parents thinking about college tuition. Additionally, Mahoney works with businesses and organizations to help employees save for retirement.

Mahoney, who got his start on Wall Street, made the move from the corporate side of wealth management to individuals. “I took the years of experience and knowledge from working with businesses and applied it to individuals,” he says. “In this sector, I get to see firsthand where I’m helping people.”

His passion for helping others and his community shows up outside of work as well. Mahoney lives in Sunset Beach with his wife, Pat, of 30 years, and volunteers with the American Legion in Calabash and the Committee to Honor America’s Veterans in Sunset Beach and is a board member and treasurer for the Boys and Girls Club in Myrtle Beach. He can be reached at mmahoney@trinitypointwealth.com.

Michael Mahoney

MMahoney@trinitypointwealth.com (203) 258-3474

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries Business Profile BY MICHELLE MACKEN

When it comes to making a living, Kachina Robertson has a simple philosophy: “Life is too short to not enjoy what you do for work. Find something that gives you purpose.”

As the hands-on owner/operator of Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries in Shallotte, Robertson brings purpose and joy to her work with her company philosophy of “love your neighbor.” Her company logo — a heart with a hand in the middle — keeps this principle top of mind.

“This reminds us throughout the day of what we are here for,” Robertson says. “To serve our neighbors with a heart of gratitude and love.”

Robertson and her staff are focused on a providing a safe, clean, positive and friendly atmosphere for both employees and customers.

“Our focus on people first is what sets us apart,” Robertson says. “From how we treat our employees to how we serve our guests, people matter most.”

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries offers a retro Americana atmosphere, and they’re focused on serving the best burgers, cheesesteaks and frozen custard in town. They cook their burgers and cheesesteaks on a flat-top grill, and it makes a difference, especially to those who remember a diner burger from the old days.

The Hwy 55 franchise began as Andy’s in 1991 with its first location in the Goldsboro. The Hwy 55 in Shallotte first opened in 2003.

“This year makes 20 years that we have served this community, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate 20 years than our move to a brand-new location,” Robertson says.

The restaurant will move from 4501 Main Street to a new, sleek building at 4421 Main Street in mid-January 2023 with a February opening. The new restaurant will change the concept a bit to include a full-service drive through window, full-service indoor dining as well as some outdoor dining options. This new concept is the first in southeastern North Carolina and more are likely to come. Robertson says they are scouting land for the Whiteville, Leland, Wilmington, Hampstead and Topsail Beach areas.

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries

4501 Main Street, Shallotte (Moving to 4421 Main Street in early 2023) (910) 754-7571 hwy55.com Facebook/hwy55burgersshalotte

BY JO ANN MATHEWS

Jazz lovers can celebrate because the NC Jazz Festival is scheduled for February 2,3 and 4 in 2023.

“I want people to realize they will hear 19 different musicians at the festival,” says Sandy Evans, president of the NC Jazz Festival since 2005. “It won’t all be Dixieland.”

Evans’ own taste leans toward bebop musicians such as Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk.

The venue for the Jazz Festival is the ballroom at Hotel Ballast in Wilmington.

“People have to be given a chance to hear things in a setting where they are comfortable and having a good time,” Evans says.

Special Event Night opens the festival on February 2 and features three celebrated artists. Evans explains that singer Steve Washington comes from Washington, D.C., to open the festival at 7:30 pm.

“His voice is a cross between Billy Epstein and Nat King Cole, real smooth,” she says.

Besides performing with the Drifters, Supremes and the Village People, he sang in a tribute to Nat “King” Cole at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in April 2022.

The next performer is world-renowned pianist Lenore Raphael with accompanist Steve Hobbs on vibraphone. Raphael, who has her own radio show on purejazzradio.com, is considered one of the best jazz pianists in the world today. Guitarist Nate Najar, considered one of the finest modern jazz acoustic guitarists in this decade, closes the Thursday night show along with saxophonist Jeff Rupert. The two will give a tribute to Charlie Bird and Stan Getz.

The festival continues Friday night at 7:30 pm with five or six musicians playing together in seven free flow sessions. As longtime attendees know, one person is the leader and sets the pace for that session.

“I encourage the musicians to play what they want when they are the leader, so they can exhibit their special qualities,” Evans says.

Featured musicians this year are pianists Ehud Asherie and Rossano Sportiello; bassists Herman Burney and Neal Miner; trombonists Emily Asher and Dion Tucker; trumpetists Bruce Harris and Shaye Cohn; percussionist Kevin Dorn and Chick Redd; reed performers Adrian Cunningham and Houston Person; violinist Jonathan Russell; guitarist Nate Najar; and vocalist Lucy Yeghiazaryan.

“People will have a good time because it’s good music,” Evans says. “This is one time they will listen to different styles and realize that they can’t say, ‘I don’t like jazz.’” Patrons have the added benefit of enjoying a musical brunch from 10:30 am to 1 pm on February 3, the second day of the festival. Flyers announcing the festival are available at The AudioLab, 5732 Oleander Drive; Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th Street; and Hotel Ballast, 301 N. Water Street, all in Wilmington. The NC Jazz Festival is a nonprofit organization comprised of a board of 10 members who volunteer their time and talents to organize the festival each year. Evans’ interest in jazz started when she was a teen and went to a jazz club every week in Lake George, New York.

“My husband was into big bands, and that broadened my jazz knowledge,” she says.

She denies she has any musical talent but says, “I love to listen, and I clap like crazy. I really, really enjoy hiring musicians and getting them gigs. It’s a lot of fun.”

NC Jazz Festival

February 2, 3, 4, 7:30 pm to midnight Hotel Ballast, 301 N. Water St., Wilmington Tickets and information: ncjazzfestival.org

February 2, $45; February 3 & 4, $65 each night Active military, $25; students, $15 Reservations for 10 only

Patron tickets: February 3 & 4, including musical brunch, $215 or February 2,3 & 4, $240

Tickets by mail: NC Jazz Festival, P.O. Box 7681, Wilmington, NC 28406 (910) 793-1111 ncjazzfest@yahoo.com facebook.com/NorthCarolinaJazzFestival