BUSINESS PROFILES

2020 TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE Coastal Fitness Center recently hosted its own fitness challenge, the 2020 Transformation Challenge, which began in January. The 10-week body transformation challenge ran until March 23 and was motivational as well as a lot of fun for all the participants. Focusing on overall health rather than simply weight loss, the Transformation Challenge includes weighins, healthy eating guides, boot camps and accountability meetings. Coastal Fitness offers different levels of packages that can include 10 weeks of membership, group training and personal training. Individual winners and team winners were announced at a prize celebration on April 3 at the Salty Turtle Beer Company.

PHOTOS BY LAURA GLANTZ

Fitness centers can tend to be intimidating. Many such facilities focus on losing weight, building muscle and looking good in tight workout clothes. But Coastal Fitness Center in Hampstead is different — on purpose. The staff at Coastal Fitness is all about helping its members make lifestyle changes so that they feel healthier. They are eager to work with people of all ages, shapes and sizes in a familyoriented space.

Owner Brad Szem was retired and “definitely not looking for a business” when he found a good business opportunity in Coastal Fitness Center. He bought the center in January 2016 and changed everything. Szem reorganized the facility and hired quality trainers, including Kathia Purcell, who joined the center a month later. Membership has grown 400 percent since Szem took over, and the center now has more than 1,700 members.

Purcell emphasizes that the difference at Coastal Fitness is that it is not focused on quick fixes. While some fitness centers promise quick weight loss, Coastal Fitness teaches its members about healthy lifestyles, including eating habits, balance, posture and other aspects of being healthy in a specific way tailored to each person’s needs. “We teach fitness the right way,” she says.

In an environment where “everyone becomes family,” as Purcell describes it, members come from all walks of life and from multiple generations. There are programs for children and seniors and everyone in between. The center participates in the Silver Sneakers program and hosts in-pool training sessions for elderly members. There is also a quality childcare facility within Coastal Fitness that gives members the comfort of knowing their children are well cared for while the adults participate in fitness classes or work out on the floor.

About a third of the trainers at Coastal Fitness were once members themselves. Other staff members, at the front desk, the smoothie bar and in the childcare center, were also members before going to work for the center. All of them feel as though they are part of the family, and some of the staff actually are family. Children of staff members are eager to reach the age in which they can work at the center themselves.

Some members are inspired to participate in fitness challenges because of their progress at the center. Cecile Villalon took on the toughest part her training during the toughest part of year — the holiday season — to prepare for a fitness challenge held in April 2020. Medically retired from the U.S. Army, Villalon began training with Purcell in June 2019. She has since lost 20 pounds but, more importantly, has overcome a shoulder injury while working on very specific training at Coastal Fitness.

Villalon says she is now more confident, particularly since she has improved her dead lift weight from 115 in June to 180 in December. “It’s all about following the program and listening to your body,” she says. Villalon and Purcell agree that food is not the enemy. “You have to feed your body for it to work,” Villalon says. She has moved to a plantbased diet, partly because of its impact on the planet but also because she feels that she is recovering faster because of it.

Coastal Fitness continues to support local students with sportsspecific training at a discounted rate, a competitive swim team and the Topsail lacrosse team. Szem is also looking forward to expanding Coastal Fitness on its 3.5 acres in the next couple of years while maintaining that focus of lifestyle changes and family fitness.

Coastal Fitness Center 98 Quarter Horse Lane, Hampstead (910) 270-4044 coastalfitnesscenternc.com

Treasure Realty is celebrating 30 years in business in 2020, a celebration of success in the industry as well as success in the community. From the beginning, the focus was on customer service, the type that founders Richard and Tim Baker learned from their father, who owned a bread business. Richard says, “They believed that a loaf of bread was gold and each person we touch is a child of God.” That same spirit of excellence and faith permeates the Treasure Realty operations today.

Quickly rising to the top of the real estate business on Topsail Island, Treasure Realty also has become a place that provides its agents and staff the opportunity to thrive and excel. Although the process and growth came with many trials and doubts, according to Richard, he also says “God has been faithful through it all.”

Today Treasure Realty is the proven leader in sales on Topsail Island, on track to hit the $1 billion mark this year due to the combined efforts of its agent and the sales, rentals and maintenance staff. In addition, the company has the most vacation rental properties under management in the area. Five branded vans and trucks position Treasure Realty with the largest maintenance fleet on the island.

The Treasure Realty team is a group of solid and trusted local experts who know the area intimately and help their clients find just the right place to buy or rent. They also are very successful in listing and finding the perfect buyer for their clients’ homes. Other services include long-term rentals, property maintenance and commercial real estate.

As Treasure Realty Marketing Director Scott Franko explains, 30 years of success “doesn’t just happen.”

“It takes dedication and hard work,” he says. “It takes a commitment to progress while holding on to the qualities and characteristics that have been part of the company’s success.”

After 30 years in business, Treasure Realty has no plans to slow down. In fact, 2019 was the best year in the company’s history, and the entire team is focused on making their 30th year better still. In particular, they plan an emphasis on expanding and growing the vacation and long-term rentals that are so important to visitors and owners in this area.

Also, as part of its 30-year anniversary celebration, the Treasure Realty team plans to give back more to the community, stepping up its event sponsorships and participation in local organizations to further support and be a more integral part of the growing Topsail Island and mainland communities.

A proactive approach to refreshing the company’s brand will add to the exciting opportunities ahead. The Treasure Realty brand will be even more robust going forward, as the company expands its presence online and on traditional media like billboards and print ads.

“It is a privilege to work with a great company that has reached a tremendous level of success in terms of growth and years of service,” Franko says. “While we celebrate the past and the present, we truly look forward to the next 30 years and beyond as a leading provider of services for real estate, property management, vacation stays and long-term rentals.” Treasure Realty has built a strong brand over the past 30 years, and the future looks even stronger as Topsail Island and the surrounding mainland communities continue to thrive and grow. If you ask anyone at Treasure Realty, they will tell you, “The best is in front of us.”

Treasure Realty, Inc.

Sneads Ferry Office 1950 N.C. Highway 172, Suite N

Surf City Office 14061 N.C. Highway 50, Suite B

Peace, Love, Books,” is the motto Lori Fisher, owner of Quarter Moon, and her staff live by. After 25 years on the island, she knows the majority of the full-time residents and has created wonderful relationships with the locals and visitors. She’s created a place these people love to come to, a place with a relaxing atmosphere, comfortable outdoor seating, an extensive variety of goods, a great location and exceptional staff.

Fisher has always been an avid reader. After moving to the area in 1995, she decided to purchase Quarter Moon, which, at the time, was just a small bookstore that had only been in existence for one season. She had big plans for the little bookstore!

By 1999 Fisher had purchased the building where Quarter Moon is now thriving, a place that’s considerably larger than the original previous location. Over the years the store has evolved significantly. They offer not only books, but also greeting cards, stationery, gifts, women’s clothing, games, puzzles, a coffee bar and a wine and beer bar. They also have music on a weekly basis.

“My heart is with the books, but I do love what we have become over the years,” Fisher says.

Socks, the store cat, has become a neighborhood celebrity. Signs throughout the shop read, “Pet the cat at your own risk,” because he may nip you if you try to pet him while he is asleep. After all, it is his house. A local musician has even written a song about the shop as a highlighted destination in the community.

Fisher has a positive outlook and personality. “Today is going to be awesome!” she often says. She and her staff intend to make every customer feel happier when they leave Quarter Moon than when they arrived. Everyone’s job description includes performing whatever function is needed for the success of the store. They are like a family, and the respect and cooperation between the staff is evident.

Fisher and the staff are also involved in the community and always support local events. They take part in the Autumn With Topsail festival as well as the annual Christmas parade.

A banner hanging in the store thanks the “Stars of Quarter Moon” for their encouragement and financial support after Hurricane Florence. Quarter Moon was fortunate not to have suffered significant physical damage from the storm, but due to the lack of business for so many months, their financial condition was devastated. A GoFundMe account was set up, and the response was astonishing. The notes, letters and comments from customers from far and wide regarding their feelings about the shop was heartwarming. The amount of money people donated and their encouragement was beyond imagination, Fisher says. “Mere words will never be able to express my gratitude for the response.”

Fisher says it boils down to one simple concept: Give to the community and it will give back. “It’s important to support your local indie business,” she says, and thanks everyone for their continued support.

Quarter Moon Books, Gifts & Wine Bar 708 S. Anderson Boulevard, Topsail Beach (910) 328-4969 quartermoonbooks.com

The Oceanaire Realty mission is “To provide families with the guidance and knowledge they need to comfortably and confidently make a decision regarding the purchase or sale of their home.”

Herman G. Alberti originally established The Oceanaire Realty in 1979, and today the legacy is continued by his grandson, Broker/Owner Doug Yopp, who grew up in Sneads Ferry. Reestablished in 2017, The Oceanaire Realty serves 21 Regional MLS counties with a primary focus on New Hanover, Pender and Onslow.

Yopp’s personal motto is the same as the North Carolina State Motto — Esse Quam Videri. It means “To be rather than to seem.” He says, “To me it means not to pretend to be something, but to be it — a good father, husband, son, friend, coworker, neighbor and person. It’s definitely not easy, and we all have our failures, but I think it’s a fantastic ideal to strive for.”

Yopp and his team are built to serve as a resource for each team member individually. They work together to learn, grow, improve and encourage each other toward their individual and collective goals. They are not in competition with each other, and that team mentality has helped them become better people and agents, and allowed them to be expert and

constantly improving resources for their clients.

In 2018 The Oceanaire Realty added the Triangle MLS to their service area and recently opened a formal office in Downtown Raleigh. This puts the team in the very unique position to operate in 36 counties, more than a third of the state, and help clients from the Triangle to the Coast.

“Our combined experience across these areas and access to information that allow our clients to explore both markets with a single resource sets us apart,” Yopp says. Their company slogan is “Providing the experience you need to make your best move — serving NC from the Triangle to the Coast.”

The Oceanaire Realty team makes it a point to give back and encourages others to support local causes such as Toys for Tots and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They also support many local schools and sports leagues. Yopp says, “Giving back is important, and philanthropy is my background from years spent working in higher education fundraising and development.”

The Oceanaire Realty U.S. Highway 17 N., Holly Ridge (833) OCN-AIRE (626-2473) theoceanairerealty.com