Greater Wilmington Business Journal - Sept. 17 BizExpo Issue

MADE to order

MADE Great Goods from Greater Wilmington

September 17-30, 2021, Vol. 22, No. 18

WEB EXCLUSIVE What’s in store?

Mayfaire gains tenants wilmingtonbiz.com

Find out the winners of this year’s MADE Awards Page 25

W ILMINGTONB IZ wilmingtonbiz.com

$2.00

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

2021

Clang, clang, clang

Free trolley gets refreshed route Page 35

Fresh start

New grocery market opens Page 39

OCTOBER 7

WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER

Index

100+ EXHIBITORS MADE AWARDS WINNERS A

E FT

HOU

R

R

S

BIZ W ILMINGTON

S

• At least 20 extra IQ points with your added business knowledge!

PRODUCED BY

THE REGION’S LARGEST BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS CONFERENCE

R

• Bimonthly Business Journals, quarterly WilmingtonBiz Magazine and the 2020 Book on Business mailed to your office or home in January

KEYNOTE LUNCH FEATURING ANNUAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK PROGRAM FROM UNCW’S SWAIN CENTER. JOIN US FOR A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK AHEAD WITH A FEDERAL RESERVE ECONOMIST, OUR REGIONAL ECONOMIST AND A PANEL OF LOCAL LEADERS IN SEVERAL INDUSTRIES.

1:30 pm - 6:30 pm

HOU

Your subscription includes: • Unlimited access to stories on WilmingtonBiz.com

11:00 am - 1:30 pm

ER

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BUSINESS JOURNAL NOW AT WilmingtonBiz.com/subscribe

WILMINGTONBIZ EXPO

KEYNOTE LUNCH

FT

SUBSCRIBE NOW

STRATEGY SEMINARS

A

In Profile................................................. 6 Hospitality ...........................................29 Real Estate ..........................................30 Technology ...........................................31 The List ................................................34 Economic Indicators ............................37 Business of Life.............................. 38-39

4:30 - 6:30 pm LARGEST ANNUAL WILMINGTONBIZ AFTER HOURS PARTY

PRESENTING SPONSORS Powered By

1:45 pm - 4:30 pm 12 FREE STRATEGY SEMINARS, INCLUDING: MANAGING THE MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKPLACE WHY YOUR BUSINESS IS STUCK AND HOW TO GROW OUT OF IT RISK MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD

MADE SPONSOR

Page 2

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

W ILMINGTONB IZ

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 3

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

OCTOBER 7

WI L M I NGTON CON VEN TI O N C EN TER

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS MADE SPONSOR

PRESENTING SPONSORS

“T

hank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve. The WilmingtonBiz Expo has been a strong part of our culture and we enjoy using this event as a way to connect with each of you on a more personal level. Whether here, or at the office, we take pride in being able to give you time back to focus on your business… and in having some fun. Thanks Wilmington and best of success in 2021!”

SEMINAR SPONSORS

“O

n Monday, October 4, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce will kick off the 7th annual Cape Fear Region Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week, highlighting local minority-owned businesses and resources to help them grow. This year’s MED Week will include in-person and virtual events with over 40 presenters hosting more than 30 FREE workshops, webinars, and networking events.

Join us and celebrate the Cape Fear Region’s MED Week by visiting WilmingtonChamber. org and registering to attend events or nominating an MWBE firm to be recognized at our Intentional Collisions networking event on Tuesday, October 5, at Tru Colors Brewing.

WILMINGTONBIZ EXPO REGISTRATION OPTIONS KEYNOTE LUNCH: $45 (INCLUDES EXPO HALL ADMISSION) KEYNOTE LUNCH TABLE FOR 10: $450 (INCLUDES EXPO HALL ADMISSION) EXPO HALL ONLY: $5 (PRE-REGISTERED) $10 (DAY-OF) SEMINARS: FREE (PRE-REGISTER TO GUARANTEE YOUR SEAT)

Since 1901

KANDRA ROMEO Director of Community Relations, Excite Credit Union

NATALIE ENGLISH President & CEO, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce

SHAUN OLSEN President & CEO, CloudWyze

“E

xcite Credit Union is proud to again sponsor the Wilmington Biz Conference & Expo and MADE Awards. Being part of the Wilmington Business Community for over 45 years has been an honor. At Excite, we treat our members like neighbors, not numbers, and get their money to work as hard as they do. We give everyone the chance to build a financially stronger future, so together, we can build a stronger community. Every single Excite member and partner strengthens our mission to make a difference and give back; this is why we continue to partner with the Business Journal. Please stop by our booth and say hello or visit us online at excitecu.org.”

K E Y N O T E P AR T N ER

T

he Economic Outlook Conference is an annual conference for the business community to engage with speakers and gain information about the current and projected national and regional economy.

SPONSORED BY

KEYNOTE SPONSORS

Page 4

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

W ILMINGTONB IZ

Page 5

EXPO SCHEDULE

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

OCTOBER 7

September 17 - 30, 2021

WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: A TIME FOR AGILITY

KEYNOTE LUNCH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNCW’S OUTLOOK ECONOMIC CONFERENCE

1:30 PM - 6:30 PM

EXPO HALL OPEN FEATURING EXHIBITORS AND THE WINNERS OF OUR MADE COMPETITION

MADE Great Goods from Greater Wilmington

1:45 PM - 4:30 PM

FREE STRATEGY SEMINARS ROOM 105

ROOM 106

ROOM 107

ROOM 108

1:45-2:30P M DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: MANAGING EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS

DOES IT MATTER? HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

RANSOMWARE 101: MANAGING THE WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKPLACE BECOMING THE NEXT VICTIM 2:45-3:30P M SOLAR FOR YOUR BUSINESS: HOW TO PROFIT FROM SOLAR ENERGY

WINNING THE BATTLE FOR GREAT PEOPLE: ATTRACT, HIRE & RETAIN GREAT EMPLOYEES

EVOLVING THREATS: BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS’S CYBER RESILIENCY

WHY YOUR BUSINESS IS STUCK AND HOW TO GROW OUT OF IT

3:45-4:30P M

HOU

R

S

BIZ S

INSIDE THE EXPO HALL

ER

W ILMINGTON

R

WILMINGTONBIZ AFTER HOURS

A

FT

HOU

4:30 - 6:30 PM

DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS

ER

RISK MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD

FT

THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUCCESS

A

FINANCIAL WELLNESS WORKSHOP

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, VISIT WILMINGTONBIZ.COM

Page 6

September 17 - 30, 2021

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

KEYNOTE

Economist to share local prognosis

BY JENNY CALLISON dam Jones says perhaps his career in economics was preordained.

“My parents think I was born to be an economist because I’ve been doing marginal benefit-marginal cost analyses forever,” he said with a laugh. “When I was a kid, we’d all be standing around in the kitchen and I would be thinking, ‘If I make this smart comment about my dad, I’m going to get smacked; is it worth it?’

Yep, smack… worth it.”

Jones, chair of the Department of Economics & Finance at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, also serves as the university’s regional economist. He will present his analysis of the area’s economy during the “Economic Outlook: A Time for Agility” talk at the Oct. 7 WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo, where he will look at economic prospects partly through a cost-benefit lens.

Take the pandemic’s effect on the economy, for example.

“The way I’m thinking about the current situation is that it’s like taking a drug if you’re ill,” he said.

“There’s the benefit in that it treats your symptoms, but there are side effects – costs. We as a country took the drug: we injected a lot of stimulus into the economy; we dropped interest rates as low as we can get them; we increased unemployment benefits.

“There’s still a lot of pain from that, but also side effects, and we’re seeing that in the labor shortage.

There’s still a lot of fear of the virus.

As of early August, 2.5 million people were not working because of that fear, and that has popped up a little bit because of the delta variant. [On the other hand], there is the runup in the stock market, which has given [investors] mental security and perhaps the option of retirement.”

Making major changes in life, such as retiring or changing careers, are not free, Jones continued, but increases in the value of assets such as real property and investment portfolios created an opportunity to cover those costs.

Additionally, unemployment stimulus checks provided more opportunities for the people who received them. “Enough assistance has been given that hopefully lets them think about options. They may re-enter the workforce at different places, especially those who were in the leisure

A

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Analyze that: Adam Jones is the regional economist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Cameron School of Business.

and hospitality industries. I think that will be, in the long run, the silver lining of this,” Jones said.

Jones enjoys reflecting on big-picture and small-picture economic questions. In college, he shed a potential major in math when he was faced with a course on imaginary numbers whose title he couldn’t even fathom. He dropped the idea of a physics major when he had to spend a sunny afternoon in the lab processing an experiment whose outcome he already knew.

“That left me with economics. The value of that was I could study for it while I was out riding my bicycle,” he said. “I would bounce [ideas] around in my brain until the ‘aha!’ moment arrived.”

It’s no wonder that Jones liked a field of study that he could ponder while cycling. There’s a long bicycle path winding its way through Jones’ formative years and his career. Participating in bike rallies as a youth provided a way to see parts of the country far from his home in Houston. When he joined the cycling club

in his college town of Sherman, Texas, he met the city’s economic development director, a fellow cyclist.

“He offered me an internship working two hours a day, one hour of which would be going to lunch with [him and his colleagues],” Jones said. “I ended up doing a lot more work.”

That work gave Jones experience and led to his first job out of college as director of economic development for the City of Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce in

Covington, Georgia. The area was half suburban, half rural and its residents often had widely differing views on development policies and opportunities. After the chamber’s attempt to establish a community college in the county – for which they had the funds and land - was vetoed by the county commissioners, Jones decided it was time to change careers, and began applying to Ph.D. programs to prepare him to teach economics. Once again, his interest in cycling paved the way.

“A buddy and I were putting together a series of bicycle races,” he recalled. “We were driving all over the state on weekends, and we were on the north side of Atlanta one weekend. My wife was talking with a man at the race, telling him my plans, and he told her I should apply to the University of Georgia; that he controlled the largest Ph.D. scholarship fund in the economics department. He figured that, as a bike race organizer, I could finish a dissertation, which is the point at which many Ph.D. candidates drop out.”

Because Jones had economic development experience the department faculty could enlist their new grad student in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at UGA, where he helped conduct economic impact studies.

At UNCW, his background in economic development and studying the economic impacts of development made him the Cameron School of Business’s choice to step into the role of regional economist in 2015.

In that role, he can share his analyses but also ask his audiences to reflect on possibilities. Maybe the pandemic has produced some needed changes, improved technology.

“None of us likes to be shaken up,” he said, “but it’s good for us.”

FED EXEC BRINGS NATIONAL VIEW

MARTIN

Matthew Martin, regional executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, is providing a national perspective during the “Economic Outlook: A Time for Agility” talk at the WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo on Oct. 7.

Martin is senior vice president and Charlotte regional executive, according to the Richmond Fed’s website. He leads the Fifth District’s outreach and community development efforts and is responsible for the Charlotte Board of Directors.

Martin joined the Richmond Fed in 2006.

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

KEYNOTE

I

Page 7

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

n addition to Wilmington’s regional economist and a Federal Reserve economist, a panel of local leaders in several industries addresses the topic of economic agility during a hectic time at the WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo.

CHAKEMA CLINTON-QUINTANA Chakema Clinton-Quintana is vice president of inclusive small business at Live Oak Bank’s inclusive small business center, a facility that will serve underserved small business owners and individuals who want to become small business owners when it opens at 106 Market St. in downtown Wilmington in the fall. She has a degree in business management with a concentration in management from Strayer University in Herndon, Virginia, plus nine years of experience as a bank compliance officer. She has held compliance and security positions at Live Oak Bank and RBC Bank in Raleigh.

KIM HUFHAM

JEFF JAMES

PAUL LOUKAS

Kim Hufham is president and CEO of the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau. Before joining the local CVB as an administrative assistant in 1989, Hufham worked in finance for the Wilmington airport. A few years after she started, she took a sales job in what was then called the Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, staying in that position for a decade before serving as executive director of the Columbus County Tourism Bureau. She returned to the Wilmington CVB as president and CEO in 2006. During her career, she has earned numerous accolades and served on many state boards.

Jeff James, CEO of Wilmington Health, joined the Wilmington-based health care organization in 2008. As CEO, he is responsible for the strategic vision and direction of Wilmington Health, which is a physician-owned primary care and multi-specialty medical practice that started in 1971. The practice has 200 providers covering 37 specialties in 22 locations. During James’ time, the group has tripled in size.

Prior to joining Wilmington Health, James was the chief financial and chief operating officer for Christie Clinic in Champaign, Illinois, and chief financial officer and vice president of finance at the Shannon Clinic in San Angelo, Texas.

Paul Loukas is broker in charge of and a partner with Wilmington-based commercial real estate firm Cape Fear Commercial. Recognized as one of the region’s market-leading brokers, he specializes in investment and land sales, but maintains extensive experience working with residential subdivisions and distressed assets. Over the course of his career, he has surpassed $500 million in sales and completed more than 500 transactions throughout the Southeast. Loukas attended the Maret School in Washington, D.C., and graduated from the University of Richmond. He holds the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.

Page 8

September 17 - 30, 2021

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

If you missed the Power Breakfast on September 14th visit the Business Journal’s YouTube page to watch the recorded program.

WilmingtonBizJournal

WILMINGTON’S DIRECTION ELECTION 2021

Former Mayor

Harper Peterson

Mayor

Bill Saffo

Clifford Barnett

JB Brookins

Paul Lawler

Charlie Rivenbark

Angie Ulmer

Jonathan Uzcategui

Luke Waddell

Philip White

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS WHO HELP MAKE THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE. PRESENTING SPONSORS:

PARKING SPONSOR:

CORPORATE SPONSORS:

TECH SPONSOR:

To learn about becoming a Power Breakfast sponsor, contact us at (910) 343-8600 x209 or marketing@wilmingtonbiz.com.

Stay tuned for the next Power Breakfast in December!

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 9

SEMINARS

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

ROOM 105

ROOM 106

ROOM 107

ROOM 108

1:45- 2:30PM DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: MANAGING EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS

RANSOMWARE 101: WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING THE NEXT VICTIM

CHUCK LANE | Director of Training and Education for BluSky Restoration

BRIAN SATZ | Owner, Computer Warriors

MANAGING THE MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKPLACE STEFANIE ADAMS | Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer, WNY People Development

WINNING THE BATTLE FOR GREAT PEOPLE - ATTRACT, HIRE & RETAIN GREAT EMPLOYEES COACH REGGIE | Platinum Master Coach to High Growth Businesses

2:45- 3:30PM DOES IT MATTER? HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT KATHERINE DANIEL | Founder & President, Montani Consulting BOB PIOUS | Adjunct Faculty Member, Instructor & Co-director, Cameron Executive Network

SOLAR FOR YOUR BUSINESS: HOW TO PROFIT FROM SOLAR ENERGY ROBERT PARKER | Senior Project Manager & Commercial Project Developer, Cape Fear Solar Systems

EVOLVING THREATS - BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS’S CYBER RESILIENCY JARON CAYTON | President, TeamLogic IT

WHY YOUR BUSINESS IS STUCK AND HOW TO GROW OUT OF IT COACH REGGIE | Platinum Master Coach to High Growth Businesses

3:45- 4:30PM FINANCIAL WELLNESS WORKSHOP JUSTIN CHASTAIN | Financial Wellness Manager, Southern Bank

SEMINARS 1:45-2:30PM DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: MANAGING EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS ROOM 105

This education session focuses on the proper identification of community hazards, development of comprehensive emergency response and recovery plans, developing effective training for employees on emergency roles, and basic steps for business continuity planning. Upon completion of this session participants will be able to; Identify hazards in their community and assess their individual risks, Discuss the basic components of an emergency action plan, and identify key components of training and business continuity best practices.

Presented by: CHUCK LANE is an experienced instructor, speaker, and emergency manager with over 14 years of experience in adult education, emergency management and LANE disaster response.

THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUCCESS ROBERT PARKER | Senior Project Manager & Commercial Project Developer, Cape Fear Solar Systems

Chuck holds a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management from Waldorf University as well as the prestigious Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation from the International Association of Emergency Managers. He also holds the Certified Emergency and Disaster Professional (CEDP) certification from The International Board for Certification of Safety Managers. He is currently the Director of Training and Education for BluSky Restoration where he oversees employee development and organizational effectiveness.

RANSOMWARE 101: WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING THE NEXT VICTIM ROOM 106

Cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated and bolder with each successful attack. Most businesses think they are too small to be targeted. However, this is wrong; on average, a cyber-attack will cost small to medium businesses $2.6 million. One of their favorite ways to extorting a business is through ransomware attacks. Learn more on how to step up your businesses cybersecurity to help protect you from the loss of time, money,

RISK MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD LISA PRATHER | Client Executive, Sentinel Risk Advisors NICOLE WINKLE | COO, Sentinel Risk Advisors

and client trust as a result of a ransomware attack.

Presented by: BRIAN SATZ started Computer Warriors IT Support after graduating from UNCW with a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

He had worked at an ISP that taught him the value of delivering excellent SATZ customer service and the importance of security. He brought those lessons to Computer Warriors.

Whether you are an established organization or a high-growth startup, the Computer Warriors team is dedicated to being your cyber security shield. Our mission is to help growing businesses increase productivity, profitability, and peace-of-mind, through best-in-class IT security, support, and solutions.

MANAGING THE MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKPLACE ROOM 107

Five generations of employees are currently in the workplace. Is your company capitalizing on the talents and experience of your multigenerational workforce?

DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS COACH REGGIE | Platinum Master Coach to High Growth Businesse

In this session, participants will: • Learn about work and communication styles of today’s employees, Boomers to Gen Z • Strategies will be presented regarding how to leverage multigenerational strengths and differences to drive innovation, growth, and performance in any industry • Simple, actionable, and interactive relationship building activities will be shared to increase productivity for teams of all ages and experience Presented by: STEFANIE ADAMS, founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of WNY People Development, has an M.Ed. in Multicultural Education, and over 15 years of experience leading ADAMS and training in corporate, nonprofit, and educational settings.

She has worked as an organizational consultant in the Southeast for Johns Hopkins University School of Education in Baltimore, MD, served as Director of Customized Training at Cape Fear Community College, and led the corporate training function for

Page 10

September 17 - 30, 2021

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

SEMINARS

CastleBranch.

WINNING THE BATTLE FOR GREAT PEOPLE - ATTRACT, HIRE & RETAIN GREAT EMPLOYEES ROOM 108

There are plenty of talented and highly motivated employees in the marketplace. Learn how to attract them to work for you. We will be teaching the top strategies that our local business owners use to outperform their competition in the game of talent acquisition and performance.

Presented by: COACH REGGIE SHROPSHIRE draws on extensive personal and professional experience to ensure that local business owners get the advanced tools and strategies SHROPSHIRE they need to grow their businesses and achieve their goals. A United States Marine Corps veteran and former executive of a multi-million dollar home manufacturer, Reggie is perfectly suited to tackle the toughest obstacles owners face in building their businesses. Today, he is on a mission to make an impact in his community by helping hundreds of business owners grow.

SEMINARS 2:45-3:30PM DOES IT MATTER? HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT ROOM 105

Does the corporate culture of your organization really matter? Are there tangible outcomes that are different based on your organization’s leadership philosophy, values, and approach?

Learn how to foster a positive work environment, see your employees more engaged and committed, and get results that drive effectiveness.

Join Katherine Daniel, Founder and Principal of Montani Consulting; which specializes in the implementation of positive organizational cultures; along with Bob Pious, Assistant Acting Director of the Swain Center, Cameron School of Business at UNCW for an engaging and practical forty-five minutes!

Presented by: KATHERINE DANIEL,

DANIEL

PIOUS

Founder and President, Montani Consulting; BOB PIOUS, Adjunct Faculty Member, Instructor and Codirector, Cameron Executive Network.

SOLAR FOR YOUR BUSINESS: HOW TO PROFIT FROM SOLAR ENERGY ROOM 106

This seminar is ideal for business owners, CEOs, CFO, Business Advisors, Builders, Commercial Developers and any professional wanting to gain solar industry insights. This session will cover solar financials, tax incentives, marketing advantages, and Q&As. Saving money and reducing operational cost is a top priority for successful businesses. With rising utility costs and decreasing material costs, solar energy is now a popular cost-saving alternative for business owners. If your business is projected to have tax liability at the end of the year, an investment in solar can be extremely valuable. Money that would otherwise go directly to the IRS can instead be put into an asset that will reduce your operational costs, and increase the value of your building. If you are thoughtful about the material selected for your system, as well as the firm chosen to install it, that asset is expected to perform for 35 - 40 years.

Presented by: ROBERT PARKER is a Wilmington native that graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in Economics and Environmental Studies. Robert is a NABCEP® PARKER PV Certified Solar Installer (#PV-041616-013206). The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP®) is the most respected, well-established and widely recognized national certification organization for professionals in the field of renewable energy. Robert has been a guest speaker for NABCEP, Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builders Association, Cape Fear New Home Sales & Marketing Council and several environmental groups. He has

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

W ILMINGTONB IZ

EVOLVING THREATS: BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS’S CYBER RESILIENCY ROOM 107

Join Jaron Cayton, President of TeamLogic IT, to learn more about increasing cybersecurity risks and new threats as we head into 2022.

Jaron will discuss the current threat landscape and recent attacks in the news as well as steps you can take to improve your business’s cyber resiliency for WHEN an attack occurs (not if). You’ll want to be sure to attend this session to ensure your team is ready for the very real threats to businesses in our community and beyond.

Presented by: JARON CAYTON, president of TeamLogic IT, consults with business owners and executives to enhance their IT solutions and internal communication CAYTON tools. As a former educator, Jaron is skilled at teaching others to be proactive in handling cybersecurity in today’s constantly evolving marketplace. Committed to building positive customer relationships, Jaron enjoys helping clients to protect their business and assets with technology that matches their needs. Whether your company is looking for IT consulting, education, security solutions, or referrals, TeamLogicIT aims to serve as your trusted technology advisor.

wilmingtonbiz.com

WHY YOUR BUSINESS IS STUCK AND HOW TO GROW OUT OF IT ROOM 108

Getting stuck in your business is a common and preventable cycle that most businesses fall into sooner or later. More frustrating is that once you are stuck, it’s hard to find your way out. This session will cover the common issues that cause a business owner to plateau and how we help them break through to accelerated growth and greater wealth.

Presented by: COACH REGGIE SHROPSHIRE, Platinum Master Coach to High Growth Businesses.

SEMINARS 3:45-4:30PM FINANCIAL WELLNESS WORKSHOP ROOM 105

Financial stress is the #1 cause of employee absenteeism and illness.

It contributes to low productivity, workplace accidents, and distraction.

Did you know, 58% of employees feel they have little or no control over their finances and 62% of them worry they won’t be able to pay their bills in the event of an unexpected income loss.

Now you can learn how to do something about it.

Most people were never taught how to budget and manage finances.

Simple education, easy-to-use tools, and the support of a community can help solve these problems. Join our financial wellness expert as he discusses techniques and resources to help your employees ‘get well’ and stay well.

Presented by: JUSTIN CHASTAIN is the Financial Wellness Manager at Southern Bank. He is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, and has been helping individuals achieve Financial Wellness for over 10 years.

TIME TO CHANGE how you manage your rental property Put more than 30 years of property management experience to work for you.

Call 910.782.4488 or visit RPMChampion.com © 2020 Real Property Management.

Each office is independently owned and operated.

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 11

SEMINARS

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

been featured in many publications, various news outlets and TV spots for his industry expertise. Robert oversees all commercial solar installations for Cape Fear Solar Systems and has worked with many well-known area businesses to help them increase business profits using solar energy.

He also works with businesses to increase employee retention and engagement through non-biased financial education classes, designed to be financially CHASTAIN informative and creative while providing the necessary support for employers and employees along the way.

home or journey to a hybrid model), crime and Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI). You will not want to miss the interesting case studies that are unfortunately real!

PRATHER

THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUCCESS ROOM 106

The triple bottom line framework is gaining popularity as more companies implement sustainable business strategies. Focusing on people, planet and profits—instead of just profits alone—can lead to a number of potentially unexpected benefits that extend beyond corporate social responsibility. This session shares the triple bottom line framework and explains how businesses are using it to measure the success of their sustainable practices more holistically.

Presented by: ROBERT PARKER, Senior Project Manager & Commercial Project Developer, Cape Fear Solar Systems.

RISK MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD ROOM 107

Join Lisa Prather and Nicole Winkle from Sentinel Risk Advisors to learn more about trends and expectations as we enter 2022 and beyond. They will delve into the world of Cybersecurity, Workers Compensation (particularly as employees continue to work-from-

WINKLE

Presented by: LISA PRATHER, Client Executive, Sentinel Risk Advisors and NICOLE WINKLE, COO, Sentinel Risk Advisors Backed with more than 25 years in the financial services industry, Lisa Prather serves as a Client Executive in Sentinel Risk Advisors Raleigh office and brings a depth of expertise in risk management, business development and strategic planning.

As Chief Operating Officer of Sentinel Risk Advisors, Nicole Winkle ensures that our clients receive top-notch service and guidance.

Additionally, Nicole works internally to maintain consistency across all policies and procedures.

DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS ROOM 108

If you have a great business that is ready to grow and scale, 4 Critical Decisions need to be made to successfully make the jump to ‘light speed.’ Do you feel like you have a business ‘tiger by the tail?’ If you are experiencing growing pains, employee frustration, turnover, and burnout, this is a session that you won’t want to miss.

Presented by: COACH REGGIE SHROPSHIRE, Platinum Master Coach to High Growth Businesses.

Page 12

September 17 - 30, 2021

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

ALL STAR FLAGS allstarflags.com - All Star Flags stocks many sizes of US Flags, International Flags, State Flags, Military Flags, and Historical Flags. They also offer full service installation teams, custom flags, temporary vinyl banners and signage. (Booth 717) ALLEN + SHARIFF allensharriff.com - Allen + Shariff Engineering, LLC provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, technology, and renewable energy design and consulting services.

(Booth 705) ALPHAGRAPHICS alphagraphics.com – AlphaGraphics is your premier marketing and printing solution - serving the Wilmington market. They are your local visual marketing and communication experts, who truly care about product quality, customer satisfaction and establishing long-term partnerships with their clients. (Booth 514, 605) AQUESTA BANK aquesta.com - Aquesta is a community bank serving the NC communities around Lake Norman, Charlotte, Wilmington and Raleigh. The bank is headquartered in Cornelius, NC and offers a full array of banking products and services to meet your needs. (Booth 309) ATLANTIC COMPUTER SERVICES acs-ilm.com - No job is too big or too small. Atlantic Computer Services will be your go-to-resource for any technology issue. If they don’t directly sell the technology service you are looking for, they can help you find the best one. (Booth 310) ATMC atmc.com - ATMC not only offers local telephone service, but also a wide variety of additional services, including: high speed Internet, Cable TV, Business Communications, and Security. Our mission is to provide our customers with quality communications services at an excellent value backed by outstanding customer service. (Booth 304) BLACK’S TIRE SERVICE blackstire.com - At Black’s Tire and Auto Service, our staff is determined to offer you the best tires and auto

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

EXHIBITORS services in North Carolina and South Carolina. We make your tire shopping and auto repair maintenance convenient. (Booth 716) BLUSKY RESTORATION CONTRACTORS, LLC SEMINAR

goblusky.com - BluSky provides commercial, industrial, governmental, residential, and multifamily restoration, renovation, environmental, and roofing services across the United States and Puerto Rico. With an emphasis on large projects, we don’t build things; we restore and rebuild them.

(Booth 504) BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY COLLEGE SBC brunswickcc.edu/continuingeducation/small-business-center/ Small Business Centers provide local, experienced counselors as advisers for new and existing businesses.

Available on an as needed basis, this confidential service acts as a sounding board for new ideas and/ or concerns you may have about your business. (Booth 218) Coalition Corridor BUSINESS SEMINAR GROWERS businessgrowers.co – Business Growers helps guide entrepreneurs and business owners to greater success with game plans that work and guaranteed systems that have been proven all over the world.

(Booth 315, 404) CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE cfcc.edu - With over 23,000 students enrolling in classes every year, CFCC is a major economic development partner in our area. CFCC is dedicated to providing world-class workforce training and quality higher education for New Hanover and Pender counties.

(Booth 100) CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE SBC cfcc.edu/sbc – The CFCC Small Business Center offers free business seminars and confidential one on one counseling to those interested in learning more about starting or growing their businesses.

(Booth 201) Coalition Corridor

CAPE FEAR PRO WASH capefearprowash.com - Cape Fear Pro Wash is a veteran owned family operated Wilmington pressure washing company serving the Greater Wilmington, Hampstead, Jacksonville & Leland areas offering services from pressure washing to low pressure roof cleaning. (Booth 512, 513) CAPE FEAR SEMINAR SOLAR SYSTEMS capefearsolarsystems.com – Cape Fear Solar Systems has been designing and installing solar panel systems on North Carolina homes and businesses since 2007. Our reputation speaks louder than our words.

(Booth 618, 619) CAPT’N BILL’S seeyouatbills.com - Capt’n Bills is the East Coast’s premier sand volleyball facility with 10 courts. Whether you are a skilled player or just beginning, we offer leagues for all levels. With 3 bars serving cocktails and an impressive selection of craft beers, and a full kitchen dishing out good eats, we have you covered for a great night out. (Booth 416) CHICKEN SALAD CHICK chickensaladchick.com - We offer delicious, scratch-made, Southernstyle, craveable favorites served from the heart. If you’re a chicken salad lover, you’ll discover something here to satisfy your tastes. From simple to savory to fruity and nutty or even a little spicy, you can pick the chick that suits your mood. (Booth 616) CINTAS CORPORATION cintas.com - Cintas leads the industry in supplying corporate identity uniform programs, providing entrance and logo mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services, and industrial carpet and tile cleaning. (Booth 505) CLOUDWYZE cloudwyze.com - From Day One, our mission at CloudWyze has been to provide our customers with the best possible products and services—to remove any limits to your success that outdated or poorly matched technology can place. We are tech entrepreneurs, trusted by our

clients to be at the leading edge of digital communication innovation.

(Booth 418, 419, 500, 501) COMPUTER SEMINAR WARRIORS computerwarriors.com – Computer Warriors is an industry leader for computers, laptops, PC, Macbook, iPhone, iPad, and Samsung repair.

We believe that getting your device repaired should be a fast and painless process. (Booth 403) CORNING CREDIT UNION corningcu.org – Corning Credit Union is committed to helping our members prosper by being a trusted resource and advisor for financial services.

(Booth 303) DOGWOOD PATENT AND TRADEMARK LAW dogwood-law.com - At Dogwood, we are focused on helping Inventors and Creatives protect the future of their intellectual property. We provide expert Patent, Trademark and Copyright registration, filing, brand protection strategy, infringement defense and counseling. (Booth 307) ED ABLARD LAW edablardlawfirm.com – Advocating for and protecting those that can’t! Ed Ablard Law’s practice areas include, Public Policy, Grandparents Rights, Business Law and Wills, Trust & Estates. (Booth 118) EXCITE CREDIT UNION excitecu.org - Excite Credit Union was created for you — your needs, your desires, your real-life situation.

Established in 1952, Excite Credit Union is a member-owned, financial cooperative serving more than 40,000 members.

(Booth 318, 319, 400, 401) GENESIS BLOCK genesisblockilm.com - Genesis Block was created with the idea that each community needs a place to collaborate, create, discuss ideas and gather. Building the small business ecosystem and supporting community collaboration is our goal in each neighborhood.

(Booth 202) Coalition Corridor THE GEORGE thegeorgerestaurant.com - Offering the best in Southern Coastal cuisine,

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

W ILMINGTONB IZ

GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL wilmingtonbiz.com - Greater Wilmington Business Journal is the Wilmington, NC region’s number one resource for business news and information. (Booth 300, 301) H & S MANAGEMENT handsmgmt.com – A fullservice commercial & residential maintenance company focused on giving back to the community. H&S has pledged that at least 1% of Total Revenue will go directly back to nonprofit organizations in southeastern NC. (Booth 700)

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

on all medical needs. We facilitate communication between patients & families with doctors, pharmacist and medical staff as well as “translate” medical terminology and diagnosis to patients and families for a better understanding. (Booth 602) LEATH HR GROUP leathhrgroup.com – Leath HR Group realizes that often times businesses have HR resources that are constrained or non-existent. We bring HR leadership to your team and let you focus on running the business, be it in the tech, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, start-up, healthcare, boutique law, government, retail, wellness, service industry or nonprofit world. (Booth 515)

living and, in some communities, licensed skilled nursing services.

(Booth 615) LOWER CAPE FEAR WATER & SEWER lcfwasa.org - Our purpose at Lower Cape Fear Water & Sewer is to provide a reliable and dependable surface water supply as cost-effective as possible through economy of scale while operating on sound fiscal and utility principles. (Booth 509) MARCUS ANTHONY PHOTOGRAPHY marcusanthonyphoto.com - At Marcus Anthony Photography, we believe there is a better way to create family portraits. A more authentic, less forced way where clients are excited rather than dreading their session.

We’re obsessively passionate about it, and our mission is to help clients achieve the ultimate portrait to display on the walls in their home.

(Booth 305, 306)

LIBERTY SENIOR LIVING libertyseniorliving.com – Liberty Senior Living’s community and service offerings combine housing, HEALTHCARE LIAISONS health care, hospitality, and healthcareliaisons.net - We help ancillary services. Our senior living clients find their optimal wellness.

BizExpo Seminars: Business Growth Lessons From The communities offer residents a Trenches… MATTHEWS MOTORS Let us help you by coordinating Over the last several years, these businesses have consistently and systematically grown their customer base, sales and setting, doctor visits, diagnostic matthewsmotorswilmington.com profits. Learn tests, their top processes, strategiesstate-of-the-art and tactics that can workhome-like for you in your business at the Biz Expo on April 5.

SESSION 1: TOP 7 WAYS TO MASSIVELY GROW SALES, PROFITS & CASH FLOW bloodwork, vaccines and SESSION follow-up Matthews Motors is a premium full assistance with activities of daily 2: TOP 7 WAYS TO BUILD LEVERAGE IN YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH TEAMS & SYSTEMS Fred Kumpel of Strickland’s Blinds, Shades & Shutters and Strickland’s Closets and Home Organization has increased sales over 300% since 2011. He has done this at a time when competition has increased dramatically.

At the same time, he has built a strong team that has taken him out of most of the day-to-day operations and allowed him to focus on growth and future expansion. As a result, Strickland’s has increased market share and is positioned for continued growth.

Star Sosa of Spectrum Fine Jewelry has been in business in Wilmington for 21 years. In 2006, she was on the same plateau she had been on for several years. She made the decision to invest in herself and get an “Action MBA.” Life and business have never been the same. Since then, Spectrum has grown five times in sales and, most importantly, Star has built systems and a team around her that not only operate the business without her but actually grow it without her. This has allowed her to spend precious time with her aging parents in their twilight years.

service used car dealership located in Wilmington that caters to the sales, purchase and maintenance needs of all drivers, including those who are looking for luxury models and firsttime vehicle buyers. (Booth 506) MED WEEK wilmingtonchamber.org/minorityenterprise-development-med-week - Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week presented by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce recognizes and celebrates the achievements and impacts of minority entrepreneurs across southeastern North Carolina, and provides opportunities for networking, expanding, and strengthening businesses.

(Booth 518, 519, 600, 601) MILLER-MOTTE COLLEGE miller-motte.edu - Jump-start your future with a Miller-Motte College education. Our wide range of technical and education training programs help you get the degree, certificate or diploma you need faster

VISIT THE ACTION COACH BOOTH AND RECEIVE YOUR FREE 2018 BUSINESS BUILDING TOOLBOX.

BIZ EXPO SEMINARS *LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE

BUSINESS GROWTH LESSONS THAT WORK

Brian Satz of Computer Warriors was stuck in 2014. His business had plateaued due to operational chaos. Brian had a strong desire and potential to grow but was spinning too many plates and couldn’t break through to the next level. The good news is that massive change was on the way. He enrolled in an intense program that quickly put his business on track for growth. He started by aligning, developing, coaching and leveraging his team to share the load of growing the business. He has taken some extraordinary steps to rapid growth… and the results have been phenomenal. He has developed a strong team of leaders that have as much passion and commitment for growing the business as he does. From there, incredible business and personal growth have followed, and the best days are still ahead.

Over the past 15 years, the Business Growers have consistently and systematically helped their clients Coach Reggie of ActionCOACH Master Coach to high growth businesses grow their customer base, sales and profits. Learn the 910.338.0194 EXPO BOOTHS #404/#315 actioncoach.com/reggieshropshire top processes, strategies, and tactics that can work for you in your business at the Biz Expo.

SESSION 1: Winning the Battle for Great People – Attract, Hire & Retain Great Employees

SESSION 2: Why Your Business is Stuck and How to Grow Out of It

SESSION 3: 4 Decisions You Must Make to Scale Your Business

There are plenty of talented and highly motivated employees in the marketplace.

Learn how to attract them to work for you.

We will be teaching the top strategies that our local business owners use to outperform their competition in the game of talent acquisition and performance.

Getting stuck in your business is a common and preventable cycle that most businesses fall into sooner or later. More frustrating is that once you are stuck, it’s hard to find your way out. This session will cover the common issues that cause a business owner to plateau and how we help them break through to accelerated growth and greater wealth.

If you have a great business that is ready to grow and scale, 4 Critical Decisions need to be made to successfully make the jump to ‘light speed.’ Do you feel like you have a business ‘tiger by the tail?’

If you are experiencing growing pains, employee frustration, turnover, and burnout, this is a session that you won’t want to miss.

910-540-7677

Page 13

EXHIBITORS

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

The George’s menu features fresh local seafood, steaks, pasta, chicken & salads. Join us for Lunch & Dinner with a full bar selection, Kid’s Menu, and Vegan/GF varieties.

(Booth 316, 317)

www.businessgrowers.co

Coach Reggie Business Growers Head Coach

VISIT THE BUSINESS GROWERS BOOTH AND RECEIVE YOUR FREE 2021 BUSINESS BUILDING TOOLBOX.

Page 14

September 17 - 30, 2021

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

TRAINING & COACHING Grow Leaders Engage Teams Improve Culture Propel Success

EXHIBITORS

than a traditional university or school.

(Booth 104) MOMENTUM COMPANIES momentumprojects.com - At Momentum we strive to find the right buyer, the right investor and the right solution for your businesses future.

We are bold enough to make the unexpected phone call to lure the perfect person or business to fill the need. (Booth 302) NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE ncwc.edu - North Carolina Wesleyan College is a 4-year co-educational college. With a foundation in the liberal arts, the college prepares students for successful careers, professional advancement, life-long learning and responsible participation in their communities. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. (Booth 604)

We guide emerging leaders and build collaborative teams. We engage and inspire your diverse, multi-generational workforce with fully customizable and interactive leadership training and coaching programs.

Stefanie Adams, M.Ed. Chief Empowerment Officer

WWW.WNYPEOPLEDEVELOPMENT.COM · 910-520-0090

Your Workspace for a Productive, Focused Mind Join Wilmington’s thriving community of start-ups, entrepreneurs, remote workers, and small businesses, and enjoy our many member perks.

Various workspaces Meeting rooms Networking events Handicap accessible 24/7 access Lounge + Kitchen Free parking And much more

CALL OR VISIT US ONLINE TO FIND OUT MORE

301 Government Center Drive Wilmington, NC 28403 910-418-0280

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

COWORKING

work. create. collaborate.

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES nothingbundtcakes.com - Step into our bakery and let the aroma of freshly-baked Bundt stir your senses.

Choose from ten luscious Bundt flavors and forty unique cake designs while you browse a treasure trove of unique gifts, charming cards and inspired decorator items.

(Booth 213) O’BRIEN SERVICE CO. INC obrienservicecompanywilmington.com - For nearly 40 years, O’Brien Service Company has served as your number one locally owned and operated HVAC contractor in Wilmington, NC. Whether you need furnace replacement, heat pump routine maintenance, or air handler repairs, we have the services and expertise you need for your residential or commercial project.

(Booth 414) PIONEER STRATEGIES, INC. pioneerstrategies.com - Pioneer Strategies is a public relations and strategic communication firm that partners with clients to plan and implement strategic communication campaigns to achieve their goals.

(Booth 502) PORT CITY APPAREL portcityapparel.com - If you can put a logo on it, Port City Apparel can do it! Choose from a variety of embellishment techniques to create the perfect custom branded apparel and promotional products to leave an

unforgettable impression. (Booth 205) PROFORMA EXECUTIVE BUSINESS SERVICES proformaebs.com - Proforma is the leader in the printing, promotional products and packaging industries with a creative edge to add impact and value to your programs. As your agency without the agency fees, we provide the most innovative & cutting edge product and service solutions through more than 750 offices across the globe. (Booth 406) QUENCH USA quenchwater.com - Quench offers “Water-as-a-Service” solutions by providing filtered water systems, including bottleless water coolers, ice machines, sparkling water dispensers, and coffee brewers, to customers across North America. (Booth 402) REAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CHAMPION rpmchampion.com - Your management solution for Wilmington area rental properties. Real Property Management Champion offers specialized, reliable property management services, from resident screening to leasing to maintenance to evictions. (Booth 116) RENS INSURANCE & FINANCIAL SERVICES mycapefearinsurance.com - Insurance and Financial Services is what we do.

Improving the lives of the members of our community is why we do it.

(Booth 312) ROTARY CLUB OF WILMINGTON wilmingtonrotaryclub.org - We are a service organization, but we are also a social group. For many of our members, the Wilmington Rotary Club is a large extended family. Rotarians represent a wide range of professions, and our members include many of Southeastern North Carolina’s most influential leaders. That makes the club useful as a source of professional contacts.

(Booth 715) RSVP CAPE FEAR rsvpadvertising.com - Reach the Right People in the Cape Fear/Wilmington Area with RSVP Direct Marketing! Let our lead generation experts put the power of our proven, homeownertargeted, direct marketing to work for you. (Booth 105)

Greater WilminGton ilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 1717 – 30, September - 30,2021 2021

Page 15

PRESENTED BY:

FREE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL

SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

JOIN US OCTOBER 4-8, 2021 Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week presented by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce recognizes and celebrates the achievements and impacts of minority entrepreneurs across southeastern North Carolina, and provides opportunities for networking, expanding, and strengthening businesses.

Register online at www.wilmingtonchamber.org SPONSORS’ CONTENT DISTRIBUTED BY GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Page 16

September 17 –- 30, 30,2021 2021

5

4

8:00 A.M.

event schedule

OCTOBER

4-8, 2021

Video Marketing to Effortlessly Sell Your Products and Services TOYA WILSON-SMITH, NexGeneration Digital Marketing Agency Inc. / VIRTUAL

9:30 A.M.

Creating Positive Workspaces STEFANIE ADAMS, WNY People Development / WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

11:00 A.M.

Optimizing Your Website for More Traffic AWESOME WEBSITE GUYS, Logan Lenz / VIRTUAL

12:30 P.M.

Stabilization and Growth for Your Food Business DANI BLACK, Bigger Tables / GENESIS BLOCK

12:30 P.M.

Contracting 101: Selling to the Government SCOTT BARKER, SBTDC / VIRTUAL

2:00 P.M.

Your First Follower: A Primer for Start-Up Founders DR. CYNTHIA DEVITA-COCHRANE, SBTDC / CIE

3:30 P.M.

Minorities in Marine Science and Ocean Entrepreneurship MICHAEL ATKINSON, NC A&T / VIRTUAL

7:30 A.M.

Coalition Roundtables THE SMALL BUSINESS COALITION / CFCC DANIELS HALL

9:00 A.M.

Google for Your Business Mini-Summit MELANIE DIEHL, Melanie & Co. Marketing Collective JEANNE EURY, 8 Arms Group TANGIE FLEMING, TGF Consulting, Inc. / VIRTUAL

10:00 A.M.

Recursos Gratuitos para Desarrollar Ideas de Negocios en la Región de Cape Fear CFCC SMALL BUSINESS CENTER, UNCW CAPE FEAR SCORE, SBTDC / CFCC UNION STATION CLASSROOM 529 (in Spanish)

11:00 A.M.

Positioning Mental Health in Your Business Plan for Success CRYSTAL PELLOM, Coastal Horizons / VIRTUAL

12:00 P.M.

YouTube Advertising to Scale Your Business on a Budget TOYA WILSON-SMITH, NexGeneration Digital Marketing Agency Inc. / VIRTUAL

1:30 P.M.

Are Your Materials 4 Months Delayed? Is Your Supply Chain Broken?: A Discussion of Supply Chain Needs and Anomalies REBECCA SCOTT, UNCW / VIRTUAL

3:00 P.M.

JOIN US FOR SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS ON: >> Marketing & Sales >> Human Resources >> Operations Management >> Networking

6

Tuesday

Monday

>> Finance & Accounting

Greater WilminGton ilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

Wednesday

8:00 A.M.

Cultivating Executive Presence for Success LYNN WHITESELL, Harris Whitesell Consulting / VIRTUAL

9:00 A.M.

1MC Wilmington / VIRTUAL

9:30 A.M.

Social Entrepreneurship Panel: Growing Your Business and Your Society DR. JESS BOERSMA, UNCW PATRICK BRIEN, Cape Fear Collective DR. XAVER NEUMEYER, UNCW HEATHER MCWHORTER, UNCW SBTDC / VIRTUAL

11:00 A.M.

Reskilling and Upskilling: A Primer for the Future DR. MITCHELL BLOOMER, UNCW / VIRTUAL

1:00 P.M.

21 Ways to Leverage Word of Mouth Marketing in 2021 TOYA WILSON-SMITH, NexGeneration Digital Marketing Agency Inc. / VIRTUAL

2:00 P.M.

Know Your Numbers, SBTDC DR. CYNTHIA DEVITA-COCHRANE, SBTDC / CIE

3:30 P.M.

De una idea, a una empresa: conversación con emprendedores Latinos de la región de Cape Fear / Conversation with Latino entrepreneurs from the Cape Fear region WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (in Spanish)

Put the National Resources of the US Small Business Administration to Work for YOUR Business DON SPRY, Small Business Administration / VIRTUAL

3:30 P.M.

5:30 P.M.

5:30 P.M.

Intentional Collisions WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE / TRU COLORS BREWING

Women: Find Your Professional Tribe!

TIFFANY TUCKER, Deputy A.D./SWA, UNCW Athletics / GENESIS BLOCK

Anza Product Launch & Networking GIRARD NEWKIRK, Genesis Block / GENESIS BLOCK

SPONSORS’ CONTENT DISTRIBUTED BY GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Greater reater WilminGton ilmington Business usiness Journal ournal

7

8

Thursday

Friday

10:00 A.M.

Using the Tier 1, 2 & 3 Strategy To Increase Minority Participation in Construction JONATHAN BEST, Samet Corporation / WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER

10:30 A.M.

Préstamos para Pequeños Negocios Latinos JANELLY ROSALES, Prospera / WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER (in Spanish)

11:30 P.M.

2021 WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo Keynote Lunch WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER

1:30 P.M.

2021 WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo EXPO HALL OPEN AFTER HOURS BEGINS AT 4:30PM / WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER

2021 WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo Business Seminars /

WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER

wilmingtonbiz.com

8:30 A.M.

Diversity & Equity in the Workplace and Employee Engagement TRAVIS CORPENING, NHC JOE CONWAY, NHRMC / VIRTUAL

10:30 A.M.

Strategy Roundtable Sessions: How Businesses Can Properly Plan to Scale and Sustain Their Growth KATRINA HARRELL, Sage22 Strategic Advisors / VIRTUAL

12:00 P.M.

Leading Effective Meetings— Essential Skills for Today's Ambitious Leader LORI HARRIS, Whitesell Consulting, LLC / VIRTUAL

2:00 P.M.

Digital Marketing: How to Get More Done in Less Time for Less Money TOYA WILSON-SMITH, NexGeneration Digital Marketing Agency Inc. / VIRTUAL

3:30 P.M.

Business Development Opportunities Through US SBA Administration Contracting Programs of 8a and HUB Zone DON SPRY, Small Business Administration / VIRTUAL

5:30 P.M. “All North Carolinians can benefit from the success of our minority entrepreneurs, who create jobs, attract investment and generate revenue in communities throughout our state.”

Genesis Block Demo Day GIRARD AND TRACEY NEWKIRK / GENESIS BLOCK (closing party could run until 9 p.m.)

September 1717 – 30, September - 30,2021 2021

Page Page 17 17

Duke Energy is proud to be a longstanding supporter of Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. We believe building a better North Carolina begins with investing in our communities, and that’s why we partner with programs like MED that promote the value of continued education, improve our state’s workforce and strengthen local businesses. We recognize the vital role minority- and women-owned businesses play in the success of our state, and we are committed to helping them grow and thrive through our ongoing commitments such as the Hire NC program, workforce development grants and sponsorship of innovative Chamber programs such as this.

Cape Fear Region MED Week illustrates the commitment of UNCW and its community partners to equal opportunity and economic inclusion for minority- and women-owned businesses. Seven years ago, UNCW hosted the first Cape Fear Region MED Week to recognize the impact of minority businesses and to help level the playing field by providing guidance, networking and business development opportunities. We remain committed to using our programs and resources to enhance relationships with minority- and womenowned businesses and innovators. – Dr. Jose Sartarelli, Chancellor of UNCW The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to be hosting Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development (MED) week this year. This year, Cape Fear MED Week includes more than 30 programs over the course of five days to help you grow your business and meet other business owners in our community. I am grateful to our community partners and event sponsors who understand that all North Carolinians can benefit from the success of our minority entrepreneurs, who create jobs, attract investment, and generate revenue in communities throughout our state.

– Natalie English, President & CEO of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce

NATALIE ENGLISH, President & CEO of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce

Register online at www.wilmingtonchamber.org SPONSORS’ CONTENT DISTRIBUTED BY GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Page Page1818

September September17 17– -30, 30,2021 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com wilmingtonbiz.com

GGreater usiness reaterW WilminGton ilmingtonBB usinessJournal Journal

a special thank you to our sponsors DIAMOND

SPONSOR

SAPPHIRE

SPONSOR

EMERALD

RUBY

SPONSORS

SPONSORS

SPONSORS’ CONTENT DISTRIBUTED BY GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

W ILMINGTONB IZ

wilmingtonbiz.com

SALT AIR HEATING & COOLING saltairinc.com - Salt Air provides a full lineup of air conditioning/HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance services, as well as peerless guarantees. (Booth 704)

capefear.score.org - SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide.

(Booth 204) Coalition Corridor

potential and peak performance level.

We assist you in making and achieving your personal health goals. And we do it all with compassion, keeping in mind your individual needs and comfort. (Booth 503)

SAMET CORPORATION sametcorp.com - As a premier builder, Samet Corporation provides the experience, resources and structured processes of a large firm combined with the responsiveness, management accessibility and personalized service of a small business. (Booth 311)

SEGRA segra.com – As one of the largest independent fiber networks in the Eastern US, Segra is known for our future-forward infrastructure and state-of-the-art voice and data technology solutions for businesses of all sizes and wholesale transport services to some of the world’s largest carriers. (Booth 410)

SOUTH STATE BANK southstatebank.com - Whatever success looks like to you, South State Bank will make sure you have what you need to take that next step forward. (Booth 314)

SCORE CAPE FEAR REGION

Page 19

EXHIBITORS

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

SBTDC sbtdc.org - The Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) has helped North Carolina businesses grow and create new jobs since 1984. We provide management counseling and educational services to small and mid-sized businesses.

Most of our services are free of charge, and all are confidential.

(Booth 219) Coalition Corridor

September 17 - 30, 2021

SIGNAL FIRE MEDIA signalfire.media – Signal Fire Media captures your unique brand to give you a digital presence with quality YouTube channels, podcasts, and social media videos at a competitive price. (Booth 313) SITO CHIROPRACTIC sitochiropractic.com – Sito Chiropractic provides the exceptional chiropractic experience. We help our clients reach their true health

DON’T BE THE NEXT HOSTAGE! Find out how we can help protect you from a devastating ransomware attack.

CWITSUPPORT.COM Contact us today at 910-218-8136 323 East wood Rd / Suite G / Wilmington, NC 28403

SOUTHERN BANK SEMINAR & TRUST southernbank.com - Genuine concern for the customer is Southern Bank & Trust’s top priority, striving to create and deliver superior value in the financial services we provide by exceeding the expectations of our customers. (Booth 413) SPOTON spoton.com - SpotOn was built to help small and midsize businesses compete and win with intuitive software, point-of-sale, and payment solutions. (Booth 613)

SEMINAR TEAMLOGIC IT teamlogicit.com - TeamLogic IT is a national provider of technology services and solutions for businesses of all kinds. Unlike many managed service providers (MSPs), we focus on business and technology. We understand that not all organizations are alike and work hard at delivering solutions tailored to your unique business goals and challenges.

(Booth 510, 609)

TERRACES ON SIR TYLER terracesonsirtyler.com – Terraces on Sir Tyler is Wilmington, NC’s premiere venue for wedding receptions, business meetings and social events.

(Booth 214) THINKTECH ADVISORS thinktechadvisors.com - Think Tech Advisors is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art IT support, services and products and committed to helping our clients and their IT departments with the latest, proven technology that allows them to get ahead of the competition and achieve greater success. (Booth 415)

Page 20

September 17 - 30, 2021

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

W ILMINGTONB IZ

EXHIBITOR

C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

CONCESSIONS

111

MADE MAD Great Goods from Greater Wilmington

110

GREA

112

209

210 309

108

113

208

211 308

311 406 409 506 Main Stage 311 408 411 508

511 608

212 307

120 201 312 405 312 407

120 201 410 505 412 507

512 607

121 411 200 504 413 506

513 606

514 605

207

510 609

106

116

205

214 305

314 310 405

414 505 406

311 404

407 504

203

117 119 202 118 204 3 118 202 119 203

216 303 215 304 302 217 303 216 216 217 303 302

312 403

408 503

315 404

415 504

316 313 402 314 403

416 502 503 409 412

102

119 120 202 201

217 302 218 301

317 315 402

101

120 200 121 201

218 301 219 300

100

121 200

219 300

400 Aisle

EXIT

103

118

300 Aisl

104

200 Aisle

105

400 Aisle

213 306

300 Aisle

206

200 Aisle

115

100 Aisle

107

121 313 200 404 313 406

500 Aisle

114

119 408 202 507 410 509

500 Aisle

109

119 310 202 407 310 409

EXIT

RAMP

EXIT

EXIT

EXIT

512 603

513 512 603 604 515 602

603 516 513 602

417 502 413

514 602 517 601

318 314 401 316 401

418 501 410 414

515 601 518 600

319 317 400

419 411 500 415

519 600

Coalition Corridor ENTRANCE

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

R MAP

DE: GREAT GOODS FROM ATER WILMINGTON WINNERS

610 709 611 708

7

612 707

2 1

714

717 705 514, 605 309 310 304 716 504 218

Business Growers Cape Fear Community College Cape Fear Community College SBC Cape Fear Pro Wash Cape Fear Solar Systems Capt’n Bill’s Chicken Salad Chick Cintas Corporation

315, 404 100 201 512, 513 618, 619 416 616 505

617 704 615 702 616 703

700 Aisle

600 Aisle

716

702 617 701 618

Excite Credit Union

717 718

616 702 703 617 719

418, 419, 500, 501

Computer Warriors Corning Credit Union Dogwood Patent and Trademark Law Ed Ablard Law

715

EXIT

3 2

600 Aisle

2 3 4

713

614 705

616 703

September 17 - 30, 2021

All Star Flags Allen + Shariff AlphaGraphics Aquesta Bank Atlantic Computer Services ATMC Black’s Tire Service BluSky Restoration Contractors Brunswick Community College SBC

CloudWyze

5

3

711 712

613 706

6

710

EXIT

8

wilmingtonbiz.com

PARTICIPANT BOOTH

EXIT

9

318, 319, 400, 401

Genesis Block The George Greater Wilmington Business Journal H & S Management Healthcare Liaisons Leath HR Group Liberty Senior Living Lower Cape Fear Water & Sewer Marcus Anthony Photography Matthews Motors MED Week

0 1

618 700 701 619

720

Miller-Motte College

0

619 700

721

EXPO SPONSOR COALITION CORRIDOR

403 303 307 118 202 316, 317 300, 301 700 602 515 615 509 305, 306 506

518, 519, 600, 601 104

Page 21

PARTICIPANT BOOTH

Momentum Companies North Carolina Wesleyan College Nothing Bundt Cakes O’Brien Service Company Pioneer Strategies, Inc Port City Apparel Proforma Executive Business Services Quench USA Real Property Management Champion Rens Insurance & Financial Services Rotary Club of Wilmington RSVP Cape Fear Salt Air Heating & Cooling Samet Corporation SBTDC

302 604 213 414 502 205 406 402 116 312 715 105 704 311 219

SCORE Cape Fear Region Segra Signal Fire Media Sito Chiropractic South State Bank Southern Bank & Trust SpotOn

204 410 313 503 314 413 613

TeamLogic IT 510, 609 The Terraces on Sir Tyler 214 ThinkTech Advisors 415 True IP Solutions 121 UNCW Cameron School of Business 516, 517 UNCW CIE 215 The Village at River Landing 417 Wide Open Tech 409 Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry 703 Wilmington Chamber of Commerce 200 Wilmington Downtown Inc. 405 WNY People Development LLC 614 YWCA of the Lower Cape Fear – Living the 217 Dream – Center for Entrepreneurship

Page 22

September 17 - 30, 2021

W ILMINGTONB IZ C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O

TRUE IP SOLUTIONS trueipsolutions.com - True IP Solutions was founded to provide a fresh and flexible approach and future-proof Unified Communications solutions affordable by all sizes of organizations. (Booth 121) UNCW CAMERON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SEMINAR csb.uncw.edu - Business education at the Cameron School of Business is focused on the technical, analytical and interpersonal skills students will need to lead this fundamental change in the business world through the 21st century. (Booth 516, 517) UNCW CIE uncw.edu/cie - The UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship works to identify and nurture highgrowth, high-impact companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial ecosystem in southeastern North Carolina.

(Booth 215) Coalition Corridor THE VILLAGE AT RIVER LANDING

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

EXHIBITORS riverlanding.com - More than just a residential area, River Landing offers eight unique venues with several settings for private events. From our Clubhouse to our River Lodge and beyond, River Landing is the premier location for weddings, celebrations, meetings, and more.

(Booth 417) WIDE OPEN TECH wideopentech.com – Wide Open Tech helps businesses just like yours achieve their wildest technology goals. We work with many different kinds of businesses at varying sizes and stages both locally and nationally. Your business is your passion, and we’re dedicated to helping you become the hero of your story. (Booth 409) WILMINGTON AREA REBUILDING MINISTRY (WARM) warmnc.org - The mission of WARM is to make people safer in their own homes by mobilizing volunteers to complete urgent repairs, hurricane recovery, and accessibility

upgrades. WARM serves low-income homeowners in Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender Counties, many of whom are elderly and/or disabled.

(Booth 703)

vibrant and economically prosperous center of the southeast region, and to be recognized nationally for its outstanding quality of life.

(Booth 405)

WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE wilmingtonchamber.org - The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce works every day to strengthen the regional economy by cultivating business growth through member programs, lobbying efforts, economic development, and community improvement.

(Booth 200) Coalition Corridor

WNY PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT LLC SEMINAR wnypeopledevelopment.com Growing the next generation of leaders. Provide tools, strategies, and coaching that spark trust, confidence, and balance within oneself to lead effectively. (Booth 614)

WILMINGTON DOWNTOWN INC. wilmingtondowntown.com - Downtown Wilmington is the economic and social hub for the region. Downtown is home to an amazing 1.75-mile long riverwalk, hotels, convention and meeting space, museums, cultural facilities and one of the largest historic districts in the Country.

Our vision is to see downtown Wilmington become the culturally

YWCA OF THE LOWER CAPE FEAR – LIVING THE DREAM – CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP ywca-lowercapefear.org - The YWCA is proud to be the oldest and largest women’s movement, providing services for women and their families in our community. The YWCA Lower Cape Fear is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace.

(Booth 217) Coalition Corridor

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

219 Station Road, Suite 202 Wilmington, NC 28405 (910) 343-8600 Fax: (910) 343-8660 wilmingtonbiz.com

wilmingtonbiz.com

2021

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 23

WINNERS

PUBLISHER Rob Kaiser rkaiser@wilmingtonbiz.com PRESIDENT Robert Preville rpreville@wilmingtonbiz.com EDITOR Vicky Janowski vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Cece Nunn cnunn@wilmingtonbiz.com REPORTER Johanna Cano jcano@wilmingtonbiz.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Maggi Apel mapel@wilmingtonbiz.com Craig Snow csnow@wilmingtonbiz.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Courtney Barden cbarden@wilmingtonbiz.com Marian Welsh mwelsh@wilmingtonbiz.com Sydney Zomer szomer@wilmingtonbiz.com

KEN

LITTLE

OFFICE & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Sandy Johnson sjohnson@wilmingtonbiz.com EVENTS DIRECTOR Elizabeth Stelzenmuller events@wilmingtonbiz.com EVENTS & DIGITAL ASSISTANT Jamie Kleinman jkleinman@wilmingtonbiz.com CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Suzi Drake art@wilmingtonbiz.com DESIGN/MEDIA COORDINATOR Molly Jacques production@wilmingtonbiz.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jenny Callison, David Frederiksen, Kyle Hanlin, Jessica Maurer, Laura Moore FOUNDER Joy Allen SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, call (910) 343-8600 x201 or visit wilmingtonbiz.com.

Subscriptions cost $9.95 per month or $95 per year.

ADVERTISING For advertising information and rates, call (910) 343-8600 x204 © Copyright 2021 SAJ Media LLC

Spotlighting this year’s MADE Awards

E

ach year, a spotlight shines on manufacturers and makers in the Cape Fear region, revealing that the area is home to more made-in-Wilmington products than residents and even business leaders might realize.

The Greater Wilmington Business Journal launched the MADE Awards for that very reason, to Nunn recognize makers, manufacturers, artisans, designers, small businesses and the businesses that support them in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties.

Those chosen by the judges each year cover a wide range of prod­ucts being conceived and produced in the local market.

This year, nominations came in from businesses vying in six categories: Manufactuer, Exporter, Functional Products (examples include tools, gadgets, beauty products, furniture and industrial/medical devices), Arts (such as apparel,

accessories, textiles, home goods and stationery), Food & Beverage (such as wine and spirits, dry/ baked/canned goods and sustainable foods) and Supporter (examples include patent law firms, manufacturing associations, SBA lenders and retail markets that carry local products).

A panel of outside judges combed through the nominations and were asked to base their choices for winners on several factors, including: • Does the business have unique offerings in its market?

• Which companies are likely to grow sales the most, particularly in other parts of the country and/or internationally?

• Is the continued growth of the company likely to result in the creation of more jobs in the region and a positive impact on local economic development?

• and for the Supporter category: Which organization is best equipped to help businesses that make products expand quickly, resulting in more jobs locally and other positive

JUDGING THE APPLICANTS The MADE award’s goal is to recognize products made in Southeastern North Carolina.

Any company with an operation in New Hanover, Brunswick or Pender counties was eligible.

Their product could be in production or in the prototype stage.

After the nomination period, a panel of outside judges reviewed the submissions and picked the winners.

In picking the winners, judges were asked to weigh whether the nominated businesses had

unique offerings in their market; which were likely to grow sales the most, particularly in other parts of the country and/or internationally; and if continued growth would likely result in the creation of more jobs in the region and impact local economic development.

For the Supporter category, judges considered what nominated organization was best equipped to help businesses that make products expand quickly.

impacts on local economic development?

In the end, the judges chose three top winners for the Manufacturer, Exporter, Functional Products, Food & Beverage and Arts categories and one overall for the Supporter designation. Those winners are profiled on the following pages.

The winners will each have a table at this year’s WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo, also produced by the Business Journal, on Oct. 7 at the Wilmington Convention Center.

Outside of the annual awards, the Business Journal wants to continue to spotlight the MADE focus yearround. Each month in one of our print editions, we’ll feature a locally based company making goods and products in the Cape Fear region.

To be considered for the feature, contact newsroom@wilmingtonbiz. com.

Cece Nunn, assistant editor Greater Wilmington Business Journal cnunn@wilmingtonbiz.com For more information about the MADE winners and their companies, go to WilmingtonBiz.com.

2021 MADE JUDGES RHONDA BELLAMY Executive Director, The Arts Council of Wilmington/New Hanover County JERRY COLEMAN Director of Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center ERIN EASTON Cape Fear Manufacturing Partnership and Workforce Training Coordinator at CFCC’s Workforce and Economic Development Division APRIL SCOTT Director of Brunswick Community Center’s Small Business Center

Page 24

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

WANTS TO HELP YOU STEP UP TO BETTER FINANCES Regardless of your starting point in life, you’re a neighbor, not a number. Everyone should have the chance to build wealth and learn how to manage their money better.

READY TO

Please reach out to Kandra Romeo, Director of Community Relations at kromeo@excitecu.org or 910.793.2235

Federally insured by NCUA

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 25

MANUFACTURER CAPE FEAR CATAMARANS capefearcats.com Year founded: 2003 Number of employees: 8 Top official: Barry LeRay, owner and lead designer Company description: Custom builder of aluminum hull catamarans used by fishermen, pleasure cruisers and fire and rescue departments Target market: “Any boater or organization that demands high-end craftsmanship and desires a boat customized to their exact specifications” Company growth: “We've evolved from the early days of solely building commercial work boats to a wide line of vessels of varying size and capability. Over just the last few years we’ve expanded from mid-sized fishing and cruising boats to large charter boats and emergency service craft for major cities.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “We prioritize working with local suppliers and companies whenever we are able. We are only able to make our product due to great supply chain partners in the region.”

What are your future goals for the product? “As the recognition and demand for our specialized product grow, we hope to be able to continually expand our offerings.

Demand for larger boats continues to trend steadily upward and we want to be able to meet that demand.”

CDB CORP.

MOJOTONE

cdbcorp.net Year founded: 1989 Number of employees: 73 Top official: Herbert Haas, managing director Company description: Maker of dental braces and clear aligners Target market: OEMs and distributors around the globe Company growth: Grown over the decades “into a global player for dental brackets and clear aligners” How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? Through using new technologies What are your future goals for the product? “further developments with new production technologies and developing AI”

mojotone.com Year founded: 2000 Number of employees: 71 Top official: Michael McWhorter, CEO Company description: “Mojotone is trusted by over 250 industry brand names as an OEM pickup, cabinet and amplifier builder, and we serve countless boutique brands, hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts by supplying parts, kits and services that support the successful completion of their builds.”

Target market: Guitar players Company growth: “At the company’s inception in 2000, Mojotone operated out of a small warehouse with only two employees. Over the last 20 years, we have expanded our operation in every way possible. Our product line has grown to include guitar parts, speaker cabinets, fully functional hand-wired amplifiers and many other product extensions. In 2017, the company expanded its manufacturing footprint from 12,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet. The Mojotone team of employees has grown from two to over 70 without any limit on the horizon.”

What are your future goals for the product? “Our immediate focus for future growth is expanding into other international markets including the UK, Japan, Germany, Australia and Canada.”

Trusted.

Committed.

Banking Forward.

We’re making things simple for you.

Whatever tomorrow brings, we’ll be there with you.

At SouthState, we are making sure that you have what you need to take your next steps forward.

With our team of skilled financial experts and innovative technology, we’re working to provide personalized services and solutions that keep banking simple for you for today and tomorrow.

800.277.2175 | SouthStateBank.com

Member FDIC

Page 26

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

EXPORTER

HSM MACHINE WORKS

magroup.net Year founded: 1991 Number of employees: 20 Top official: James Flock, general manager Company description: A leading U.S. manufacturer of small- to medium-sized landing gear subassemblies and hydraulic assemblies and testing Target market: Prime aerospace manufacturers and their tier 1 suppliers Company growth: “HSM Machine Works was established in North Carolina in 1991, with three employees, to perform low-cost rough machining of components. Since that time, we have added capabilities, improved training and expanded staffing to our current 20-member team, with 17 state-of-the-art CNC machines performing complex, multi-axis machining operations. In the last five years we have purchased over $2M in capital equipment.”

What are your future goals for the product? “HSM Machine Works is the division of Magnaghi that has been identified for growth. We are adding three new machines this year and hiring additional staff. Over the next several years we will be expanding our manufacturing operations in Leland, increasing the scope of our work, the number of products we process and absorbing new capabilities from other divisions of the company.”

MARPAC YOGASLEEP yogasleep. com Year founded: 1962 Number of employees: 75 Company description: “Marpac is a manufacturer and distributor of World Class Healthy Sleep products, sold around the world.”

Target market: “All people that desire a great night sleep” Company growth: “From the invention of the Dohm in 1962 to now, we have 75 employees selling a full portfolio of Healthy Sleep products around the world.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “We manufacture and distribute Healthy Sleep products from our Wilmington location.”

What are your future goals for the product? “To expand product offerings outside of sleep and into other areas of healthy living.”

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

SOS LIFE SCIENCES CORP. glucosesos.com Year founded: 2016 Number of employees: 1 Top official: Pamela Heyward, founder Company description: “SOS manufactures glucose products to quickly raise blood sugar levels and eliminate spiking for humans and pets living with diabetes.”

Target market: Diabetes and energy markets Company growth: “Currently, B2B, Glucose SOS is in most major pharmacies in the U.S. and has international distribution in the UK and Australia. It is currently being distributed

by Amerisource Bergen, Henry Schein, Cardinal and McKesson and Drogueria Betances in Puerto Rico. B2C sales have reached a monthly volume that used to be our annual volume and rising in the six figures.”

What are your future goals for the product? “To launch my latest product by fourth quarter 2021, a new Glucose-Melt with revolutionary new freeze-dried technology to quickly melt in your mouth. Our initial annual forecast [is for] 2.6 million 15g sachets. With 463 million people living with diabetes all over the world and that 1 in every 300 dogs and 1 in 230 cats will develop diabetes during their lifetime – and those statistics keep rising – the mission of SOS Life Sciences is to globally provide the best solution to treat a diabetes-induced low, quickly, safely and prevent blood sugar spiking.”

ARTS FILMWERKS

HOUSE OF HARRIS

T. SHAW DESIGNS

filmwerks.com Year founded: 1997 Number of employees: 155 Top official: Mike Satrazemis, CEO Company description: Production company focused on providing generator power, HVAC, lighting, scenic elements and temporary structures/ stages for live television broadcasts and events Target market: Television networks and production companies/promoters Company growth: “We used to be a strictly generator rental company; now we boast seven profit-center departments each with a distinct and unique valueadded service to cater to the needs of any event that is live on television or attended in real-time by thousands of patrons – such as music festivals.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “With over 120 local fulltime employees and scores of part-time labor and independent contractors, Filmwerks main contribution to the area is in the livelihoods we provide. Also, most of our vendors are local manufacturers and service providers.”

What are your future goals for the product? “Filmwerks is already the premier leader in our industry … but our goal is to continue to build our brand and find congruent markets.”

houseofharris.com Year founded: 2017 Number of employees: 1 Top official: Liz Carroll, co-owner and president Company description: A boutique fabric and wallpaper company, founded by sisters Liz Harris Carroll and Charlotte Harris Lucas Target market: The design trade through showrooms and reps across the country Company growth: “House of Harris has continued and consistent growth since its inception. The volume of sales has not only increased, but so have the product offerings.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “House of Harris’ team is headquartered in Wilmington. The regional and national attention House of Harris has gained and brought focus and attention to the Wilmington region, as well as a physical presence of people coming to the area to do business with House of Harris.”

What are your future goals for the product? “House of Harris is launching its third collection in 2021. In addition to new wallpaper and fabric patterns, House of Harris is launching a line of performance fabrics to integrate into the collection. House of Harris also has a national fashion collaboration that will launch in the fall and has international implications.”

tshawdesigns. com Year founded: 2015 Number of employees: 1 Top official: Tom Shaw, owner/ operator Company description: A graphic design and artistry firm that offers silkscreened artwork, event posters, apparel and branding and advertising services to corporate and music industry clients Target market: National touring musicians, art collectors and small- to medium-sized businesses Company growth: “My silkscreened event posters have grown from editions of 30-50 per show (2015-2016) to recently selling out an edition of 450 at Widespread Panic's three-night run at Riverfront Park.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “My art prints, concert posters and apparel are available at many local events and in several retail businesses throughout Wilmington.

All locally themed apparel benefits local nonprofits – NourishNC, Cape Fear River Watch and Good Shepherd Center to name a few.”

What are your future goals for the product? “I plan on targeting more regionally and nationally recognized bands and musicians as clients to increase my output per project.”

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 27

FUNCTIONAL PRODUCTS COMFYCHEMO LLC

CAPE FEAR SOLAR SYSTEMS capefearsolarsystems.com Year founded: 2007 Number of employees: 36 Top official: Robert Parker, senior project manager and commercial project developer Company description: “Cape Fear Solar Systems has been empowering home and business owners with energy independence and electricity savings since 2007.”

Company growth: “When Cape Fear Solar Systems opened in 2007, it operated with only three employees. Today the company employs 36 highly skilled individuals and is currently constructing a new headquarters, which will create more solar job opportunities in the region.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “Solar energy impacts our local environment – and entire Globe – by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving resources. Solar customers save thousands in electricity costs and can take advantage of incentives, such as the 26% federal tax credit.”

What are your future goals for the product? “To empower more local home and business owners with solar energy options designed to meet their specific goals such as saving money on electricity cost, taking advantage of current tax incentives, increasing property values, positively impacting the environment and backup power during grid outages.”

CRAFTSPACE INC

comfychemo.com Year founded: 2010 Number of employees: 2 Top official: Gregory Dowless and Courtney Wilson Company description: “ComfyChemo is a line of apparel that allows for a more comfortable treatment session for patients with venous access devices.”

Target market: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who have implanted venous access devices Company growth: “ComfyChemo started with our co-founder Courtney Wilson, RN, making shirts by hand for patients in need. With quality and innovation in mind, our unique design helps solve a problem many cancer patients face on treatment days. ComfyChemo is now manufactured on a mass scale and carried by some of our country’s largest cancer centers.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “Not only was ComfyChemo’s innovative idea for chemotherapy apparel born here in Wilmington, North Carolina, but our expanding national brand exposure through the years has also allowed us to utilize the services of other small businesses in the region.”

craftspaceinc.com Year founded: 2020 Number of employees: Less than 10 Top official: Bryan Kristof, co-founder and CEO Company description: “Our mission is to create sustainably focused, modular building solutions.

We’re a Wilmington, NC startup – honoring our region’s history with design and build projects utilizing shipping containers.”

Target market: “Our key practice areas include outdoor living, cabins and retreats, housing/multifamily and single-family container homes.”

Company growth: “Since the company’s inception, Craftspace has grown in size, experience and knowledge. We have hired a full-time project manager to oversee our custom design-build projects. Additionally, Craftspace has gained diverse experience working on a variety of projects.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “In collaboration with LS Smith Inc., Craftspace provided placemaking and brand design that served as the foundation of The Cargo District project. This development has sparked revitalization in a historically blighted part of Wilmington. In addition, Craftspace has set up manufacturing operations in the former Coca-Cola bottling facility, where the company plans to expand and produce custom and modular container structures.”

BOAT SLIPS FOR SALE at

Port City Marina-Wilmington’s Premier Marina

FINANCING AVAILABLE 20 % Do wn 3. 5% 5 % In te re st Ca ll To da y!

>> Slips Available For Purchase Now-45’ and Up >> Known Hurricane Sheltered Marina >> Floating Concrete Docks and Finger Piers >> New Boater Amenities Coming Soon >> Marina Expansion and Dredge Anticipated Early 2022

COMING SPRING 2022

All New 30’, 50’ and limited number of 60’ Slips. Pre-selling now,

reserve your favorite location. Located along the Riverwalk within walking distance of Riverfront Park and Amphitheater, The Wilson Center, Cloud 9 Rooftop Bar, plus other great dining and shopping venues.

WHY DRIVE WHEN YOU CAN MAKE PORT CITY MARINA YOUR HOME PORT!

Commercial Site Signs

•

Residential Sale Signs

Open House Banners • Graphic Design Services BUY - SELL - RENT

Offered Exclusively by Wilmington Boat Slips

www.WilmingtonBoatSlips www.

WilmingtonBoatSlips.com .com 910-620-9904 or 910-620-9903

• Feather Flags

Your source for all wide format printing & design needs.

910.799.1111 112 N CARDINAL DR EXT, WILMINGTON, NC

Page 28

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

FOOD & BEVERAGE END OF DAYS DISTILLERY eoddistillery.com Year founded: 2020 Number of employees: 21 Top official: Beth and Shane Faulkner, cofounders Company description: Craft distillery Target market: Those over 21 years of age who appreciate finely crafted spirits Company growth: “We have grown to producing five ultrapremium, award-winning spirits; ready-to-drink canned cocktails; and are actively barrel-aging several different spirits in our rickhouse. Our spirits can be found in almost all ABC stores from the Outer Banks to Western North Carolina.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “End of Days Distillery has been fortunate to become a tourist destination for both in-state and outof-state visitors. They come for the experience we offer and then take back to their hometown our spirits to enjoy with family and friends, thereby expanding the reach. We are located in The Cargo District, which is an area that is growing exponentially. As the first distillery in Wilmington to offer tours and tastings, we have been able to bring some new and unique to our city.”

What are your future goals for the product? “Our aging spirits are an exciting area of growth. In addition, we plan to launch canned ready-to-drink cocktails into ABC distribution in the near future.”

MEMA’S CHICK ’N’ & RIBS

NONI BACCA WINERY

memaschicknandribs.com Year founded: 2016 Number of employees: 6 Top official: Myra McDuffie, owner Company description: “MeMa’s is a family-oriented restaurant, bringing Southern cuisine and smoked meats to Burgaw.”

Target market: Tourists and locals Company growth: “Our new bigger location at the Creek as well as marketing our own barbecue sauce and rub are just a few of the advances made. We also are adding employees and financially have grown as a company.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “MeMa’s is dedicated to giving back to their community. It also brings plenty of tourists from off the highway and into Burgaw.”

What are your future goals for the product? “We are always looking to expand. The Creek is our newest venture, as we move out of the shopping center and into our own independent space, which will be bigger and better.”

nbwinery.com Year founded: 2007 Number of employees: 4 Top official: Toni and Ken Incorvaia, managing members Company description: Family-owned and -operated winery boutique offering over 50 varieties of wine produced on-premise; offering winemaking education, ingredients and equipment to the local community Target market: Wine enthusiasts over 21 years of age Company growth: “Our company has grown significantly over the 15+ years we’ve been in business.

Our business is sought out by wine enthusiasts looking to visit wineries. Our online reviews drive traffic to our business creating new visitors almost daily creating residual sales via shipping countrywide.”

How has your product helped impact the region’s economic development? “Anytime a small business succeeds in a community, it adds to the economic development of the region. When people go out of their way to come to your business, then also visit others.”

What are your future goals for the product? “My future goals for our product is to increase production capacity and offer our wine in multiple locations across the state and perhaps a second tasting room in a neighboring county.”

SUPPORTER BIG SKY SHOP + STUDIO bigskyshoponline.com Year founded: 2018 Number of employees: 15 Top official: Jennifer Kraner, president and principal interior designer Company description: “Our Shop + Studio is an interior design showroom featuring 10 everchanging vignettes curated with

unique furnishings, art and decor that represent varying styles and themes.”

Target market: Women ages 30-65 Company growth: “Big Sky has grown pretty steadily over the years. When we initially began, we only did commercial for the first five years, until eventually doing residential design, as well. We recognized the larger residential

population in Wilmington and the diverse resources and services it would allow for our company – leading us to open our Shop + Studio a few years down the road.

About two to three years ago, we really put more time and focus into our shop, and it became evident that it was such an important extension of Big Sky and how we could offer our services and

product to the public. We knew that if we wanted to continue utilizing our shop and those unique offering opportunities, then we would need to increase our square footage.”

What are your future goals for the product? “It’s our goal to always keep an eye out for upcoming artists and craftspeople so we can show their work in unique, interior settings.”

BRING YOUR BRAND TO LIFE. Real Estate Brokerage and Development Service

Property Management and Business Sales

Visit us Oct. 7th at Booth 302 at the

MARKETING BRANDING AWARDS PRINT WEBSTORES WAREHOUSING FULFILLMENT IMPORTING SOLUTIONS SEASONAL GIFTS

888.697.7660

910-519-3003 | www.Momentumprojects.com

proformaebs.com @ProformaEBS

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 29

| HOSPITALITY|

PHOTO C/O WAVE TRANSIT

All aboard: Officials have tweaked the route of the Port City Trolley to provide access to more downtown Wilmington spots.

Free trolley refreshes downtown route

BY LAURA MOORE or visitors and locals alike, the free downtown trolley in Wilmington recently refreshed its route, offering access to more desired destinations.

As a result, the Port City Trolley is providing riders with the ability to access major destination points along Nutt Street in downtown Wilmington.

“It is only a two-block deviation from the original route, but opens up so much more access,” said Brianna D’Itri, mobility manager at Wave Transit.

Several downtown destinations are now on the trolley route including the Wilmington Convention Center, Wilmington Railroad Museum, several waterfront hotels, the new Riverfront Park and Live Oak Bank Pavilion.

The new route began Sept. 1 to offer better access to some of the riverside attractions.

“This route refresh offers the same service frequency and operating hours as before with enhanced access to downtown entertainment, culture and amenities,” D’Itri said.

As one of its trolley partners, the Wilmington Convention Center will guide its guests to the Port City Trolley through new overhead signs, dynamic displays and a wall mural designed by Kevin Jones of ARTphics Inc. In partnership with the Wilmington Railroad Museum, patrons get a real-world transportation lesson in reading public transit schedules using the Port City Trolley map. Families with children can look forward to more events at the museum featuring a ride on the trolley.

F

Passengers can board the Port City Trolley at one of the now 25 designated trolley stops and get off at any location along the established route.

Other changes include a change in the trolley stop on Red Cross Street from a very elevated stop to a flatter surface to offer better access for those with mobility issues.

“It is designed to bring passengers to all the five districts in the greater downtown area, as well as key destinations,” D’Itri said. “With the makeup of downtown Wilmington and its geography, it is unique for visitors as it touches on all these areas.

It is good to feel out where you are and be able to orient yourself.”

While the trolley is a unique feature to downtown Wilmington that is attractive to tourists, according to D’Itri, many locals make use of it for their commutes to and from work, to run errands or to take to lunch or breakfast.

“It is free and convenient transportation for residents headed to work or school and adds a cozy, vintage flare to date nights downtown,” according to a Wave Transit press release.

Keeping it free is essential to those at Wave Transit.

“It is important that it remains free. Wave wants to continue to offer the trolley for free,” D’Itri said. “It is necessary to provide access to all of the wonderful attractions and amenities. The trolley is as fun as it is accessible.”

Long-term plans are currently in the works as part of a multi-phase project that “looks forward and ahead,” according to D’Itri. With a new executive director, Marie Parker, and a new Board of Directors,

“expansion and enhancement is one step and one point on a much larger plan.”

“The goal is to bring folks great, well-planned loops. The Port City Trolley is a shorter route that is completed in 40 minutes,” D’Itri said.

The fixed route bus service lines run on 60-minute loops.

Operating hours for the trolley are Monday through Friday 7:20 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10:40 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Updated digital maps are available on Wave Transit’s website, www. wavetransit.com, under the “Routes and Schedules” and “Rider Information” tabs. Printed copies can be found on the trolley, at both Wave Transit transfer stations and at many of the destinations along the route.

Local museum participates in Smithsonian event Cape Fear Museum of History and Science announced recently that it will open its doors free of charge to all Museum Day ticket holders on Saturday, Sept. 18, as part of Smithsonian Magazine’s 17th annual Museum Day, a national celebration in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington D.C.-based museums.

Museum Day tickets can be downloaded at bit.ly/CFMMuseumDay2021.

With many public spaces being shut down for a year or more, Museum Day 2021 celebrates the reopening of museums after long closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year’s theme, Experience America, represents the return to,

and resurgence of, our country’s diverse cultural experiences, in the safest possible way,” a news release stated.

Participating museums will have safety precautions in place for this year’s event so guests can safely enjoy their experience, according to the release.

“Museum Day is a great way for us to reach out to our community, encourage people to explore the Museum and engage with visitors that might not normally visit,” said Cape Fear Museum Director Wayne LaBar in the release.

Cape Fear Museum’s current exhibitions include the following: • Cape Fear Stories: an overview of the region’s history, cultures and related science from prehistory through the end of the 20th century (ongoing).

• Space Place: a space-themed, highly interactive learning center exploring STEM concepts (ongoing).

• Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery: explore the ecosystems of the Cape Fear region (ongoing).

• H2O Today: explore the beauty and essential nature of water, our planet’s lifeblood (organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and on view through Aug. 28, 2022).

• Sun, Earth, Universe: an engaging and interactive museum exhibition about Earth and space science for family audiences (created by NISE Network and on view through Oct. 24 this year).

Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at Cape Fear Museum on Sept.

18. One ticket is permitted per email address.

Page 30

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

REAL ESTATE

Trailblazing builder hangs up her hard hat

BY CECE NUNN eth Pancoe can trace her love of construction as far back as early childhood.

“Well, my dad was a Methodist minister, and they didn’t pay ministers anything. So I really never had toys when I was a little girl, but I did have big trees around our house and the roots out of the ground,” Pancoe said, “and I would go out for hours and play with the roots and design in my mind what buildings I was building out of the roots of these trees.

“It just gave me the desire to be creative so I loved it when people would hire me and say, ‘Come to my house or come to my business and let’s talk about how you can make this property work better for me.’”

The retired Wilmington contractor lived in several North Carolina towns because her father would be transferred to a different Methodist church every four years. That, too, contributed to her eventual career.

“Growing up in parsonages, you always got the leftover houses from other people and we were always in our family trying to figure out how to make the house work better for us, because you really didn’t have much money [for] repairs,” Pancoe said.

“We were always trying to figure out how can we make this function and work better.”

Pancoe, 81, became one of the first licensed female contractors in Eastern North Carolina in 1987 and built a company focused on historic renovations and home construction.

She shut down Wilmington-based SDI Construction, of which she was president, earlier this year and decided to retire after learning in January that she had cancer. Fortunately, the cancer, a type of lymphoma, was declared in remission after six months of chemotherapy, Pancoe said.

Still, she took it as a sign it was time to make a change.

“I hadn’t planned on retiring, but last summer, when I had COVID, I had quarantined in my brother’s home, which I hadn’t sold yet,” said Pancoe, whose brother died two years ago. “While I was there during my morning devotional period I said, ‘Lord, how in the world am I ever gonna think of a way to retire? I’m having so much fun, but I am 80 years old, and this is really probably pretty long to be running a construction company when you’re 80.’”

Pancoe added, laughing as she told

B

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Leaving a legacy: Beth Pancoe, president of SDI Construction, has retired after a career that included working on historical buildings in downtown Wilmington.

the story, “That was in June and July.

So isn’t this funny that six months later, I find out I have a tumor. And now’s the time to retire. So I’ve told my friends, ‘Be real careful what you talk to God about.’”

Before she started working in construction, Pancoe was a teacher in Greensboro.

“Being a school teacher really was a good thing for me because I was so shy and quiet,” Pancoe said. “Boy did I have to learn to talk in order to survive. You can’t be shy and quiet when you’ve got a room full of children.”

Before starting SDI, she worked at a company that did smaller construction jobs. Pancoe started selling more and more big construction jobs, compared to the smaller tasks, such as installing windows, that the company had been doing before.

Her boss had promised to get her a secretary and when she asked about it one day, he called Pancoe an “arrogant b––.” To which she replied, “No sir, I’m an assertive woman.”

As a result of that exchange, Pancoe was fired. But it wasn’t the end of her relationship with the firm.

“I used to hire his company to do little jobs that I didn’t like. If I was doing a big remodel or something and we needed handrails, I’d hire his company to do the little handrails,

and he just said to me one day, he said, ‘I can’t imagine that you’d use me after I fired you like that.’ And I said, ‘Why not? Your company’s very good at doing little things, and I’m busy doing big things. When I need people to do little things, well, I’m going to turn to your company.’ So we ended up being real good friends,” Pancoe said.

SDI Construction had a hand in numerous downtown Wilmington projects.

“Her real specialty was doing beautiful restoration work, and she has a real list of things that she’s accomplished,” said Charlie Rivenbark, a broker with Wilmington-based commercial real estate firm Cape Fear Commercial and a Wilmington city councilman.

Those accomplishments include restoring the exterior of the Temple of Israel, which was built in 1876, at 1 S. Fourth St. in downtown Wilmington, and completely restoring the DuBois-Boatwright House on South Third Street, a structure that dates back to the 1760s.

SDI also worked on St. Stephen A.M.E. Church at 501 Red Cross St., helping to replace the steeple that was ripped off the roof by Hurricane Florence in September 2018, the Burgwin-Wright House, and the Uni-

versity of North Carolina Wilmington’s Wise Alumni House on Market Street.

“We’ve done a bunch of older homes and commercial buildings downtown,” Pancoe said.

In retirement, she plans on traveling, spending more time at her house on the Black River in Harrells and helping her husband, Walter Pancoe, 97, with the business he still conducts.

Investors in Wilmington’s Cargo District recently bought the SDI office building at 1901 Kent St. for $620,000 from Pancoe. Rivenbark was the listing agent in the sale.

The 6,000-square-foot building used to be Delgado Presbyterian Church before Pancoe bought it and renovated it for her company. Pancoe said she believes the Cargo District innovators will bring new life to the building and the area around it.

That’s something she always enjoyed doing as president of SDI. “I would do design work for the customers, then I’d take it to my engineer who would engineer the whole thing so we know it was done safely,” she said. “Then we got to build those and that to me was probably one of the most fun parts, getting to think of designs and figure out the ways to make things work better.”

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

| TECHNOLOGY |

Geospatial startup maps growth Providing a highly demanded service in a niche industry has allowed Wilmington-headquartered technology company Geo Owl to grow as an innovative startup.

JOHANNA Geo Owl is a company providing geospatial technology solutions and services led by founder and CEO Nicholas Smith. Smith is a U.S. Army veteran who was a geospatial analyst working with satellite imagery and geospatial data.

After the Army, and getting a degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Smith worked at the U.S. Army Reserve and then as a contractor providing full-motion video analysis for BAE Systems.

Smith decided to start his own company in 2013.

“There was a huge demand for this type of work in the market. It’s very niche. It’s very nuanced and not a lot of people have the entrepreneurial background. So, it was low in competitive nature as well,” Smith said. “That’s usually a good indicator to start a business.”

Geo Owl’s services can be divided into three segments: technology, custom solutions and productions and intelligence services.

Under technology, the company has developed Patternflows, a proprietary software that is “built for creating better intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance data and it acts as a clean data layer for artificial intelligence and machine learning,” he said.

Patternflows collects and distributes intelligence derived from aerial or ground-based ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance operations) and can be used for any intelligence observation. The product is a desktop or web application that feeds into other sources, such as maps, dashboards or analytics tools via an API (allowing two applications to talk to each other).

Under solutions and productions, the company builds custom solutions for clients including integrating technology or creating a brand-new solution in the geospatial intelligence field. The company’s largest business is intelligence services made up of professionals who work in gov-

Page 31

INFO J U N K I E Wes Carter

President, Atlantic Packaging Carter leads efforts at the Wilmington-based packaging and equipment distributor, which is currently working on its new initiative, A New Earth Project, a collaboration with the professional surfing community and the packaging supply chain to rid oceans of plastic waste.

CANO

PHOTO C/O GEO OWL

Intelligence tech: Geo Owl is a firm based in Wilmington that provides geospatial technology solutions and services.

ernment sites providing geospatial intelligence.

Currently, the company has about 100 employees, with about 20 located in Wilmington. Some other locations include Fort Bragg, Fuquay-Varina, Northern Virginia, Florida, St. Louis, California, Texas and Georgia.

A unique operation at the Wilmington location is cartographic production, he said.

“We have a team here that builds digital cartographic products. Think map products, [we provide] the underpinning framework of maps for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, which is a massive agency that no one’s ever heard of,” Smith said.

This is in part supported by Wilmington’s geospatial intelligence community.

“UNCW has the GIS (Geographic Information Science) certificate program and is one of only a few universities in the country that has it,” he said. “We actually are able to hire students from UNCW, sometimes they intern with us for a semester or two, and then we hire them full-time doing this type of work. It’s actually a really cool thing that we do here in Wilmington.”

Geo Owl has worked with United States Special Operations Command, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the United States Army and the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, among others.

Having the federal government as its primary client means it works in a very competitive market when

it comes to getting contracts. The company can navigate this competitiveness through its technology and ability to customize services, he said.

“We have a unique offering; we have proprietary technology that we built, and we have a unique management structure that has a lot of experience in the market,” Smith said.

“Between those, we’re able to build custom solutions for the government that are appealing.”

That idea seems to be resonating with the U.S. Department of Defense, which recently selected Geo Owl from hundreds of applications to present at the Pentagon’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office’s Global Solutions meeting this fall.

According to a notice from the DOD’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office, the agency was looking for highly innovative technologies.

Geo Owl will get to make a technical presentation to government representatives and “there is a potential for companies to be selected for pilot prototyping, demonstration, or experimentation for the most compelling solutions,” the notice stated.

Smith said he hopes this presentation can showcase how Patternflows can provide a more clean and updated way to access intelligence data.

“A problem across the federal government, and across the commercial sector as well, is that data was not formatted 20 years ago for artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms,” he said. “There’s a problem with dirty data and that is what Patternflows helps solve.”

Newspapers and magazines he reads include The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review magazine. He also reads from his customized story feed from Google News. For pleasure, he reads Garden & Gun. Favorite podcasts are usually on health and fitness as well as meditation and spirituality. Some include Ben Greenfield Fitness, Wild Health, The Life Stylist and The Third Wave.

“FUEL TV is great for outdoor sports programming. Game of Thrones is incomparable and is my all-time favorite,” he said. “I just recently finished Our Planet… incredible footage of the Earth and what we must do to save it from environmental destruction.”

Favorite apps include Insight Timer for mediation and TuneIn to stream 98.3 The Penguin from anywhere.

He finds that LinkedIn is a powerful medium. “I think it is the most powerful sales and branding tool I’ve come across in my career.

I’m also a sucker for Instagram and post everything from my kids to the Atlantic on my feed.”

Find Carter on LinkedIn and Facebook @wesmcarter

Page 32

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| BIZ LEADS | Reader’s Guide BizLeads is a collection of information gathered from greater Wilmington courthouses, state government offices and informational websites. These listings are intended to help the business community find new customers and stay on top of happenings with current customers, vendors and competitors.

New Corporations lists firms that were recently incorporated in the state of North Carolina. All information is gathered from the North Carolina Secretary of State website. Addresses listed may not be the actual address of the business.

Building Permits are issued by area Building Departments.

NEW CORPS

Aug. 21- Sept. 23 144 STILLLIFE CHAPEL HILL LLC 206 Causeway Drive #1370 Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Susan Gross 144 STILLLIFE EAST FRANKLIN LLC 206 Causeway Drive #1370 Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Dustin Gross 1605 PINFISH LANE TOWNHOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC. 575 Military Cutoff Road Suite 106 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Jillian C.S. Blanchard 21 CANDLES NC LLC 814 Plainfield Court Wilmington 28411 Agent: Patricia Wiegand 234 CHESTNUT KNOB LLC 5228 US 421 North Wilmington 28401 Agent: Chris Wilhoit 3 BY THE SEA LLC 7223 Walking Horse Ct Wilmington 28411 Agent: Kim Rode 307 WATER STREET LLC 4930 Pine Street Wilmington 28403 Agent: Bryan Humphrey 501 N 3RD LLC 2106 Medeira Ct Wilmington 28405 Agent: Stephen A King 5512 BUSINESS DR LLC 10 South Cardinal Drive Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robert J. Hollis 7241 MARKET ST LLC 10 South Cardinal Drive Wilmington 28403

Agent: Robert J. Hollis 7241 MARKET ST TRACT D LLC 10 South Cardinal Drive Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robert J. Hollis 7814 MYRTLE GROVE LLC 720 Fort Fisher Blvd S Kure Beach 28449 Agent: Donald J Madsen 7816 MYRTLE GROVE LLC 720 Fort Fisher Blvd S Kure Beach 28449 Agent: Donald J Madsen A & W TOBACCO & VAPE INC 118 S Kerr Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Adham Ismail ABIGAIL HOLLAND COACHING INC. 614 N 7th St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Abigail Frances Holland ABRAHAM PAINTING LLC 6442 Long Road Leland 28451 Agent: Charles Jonathan Abraham ACCESSIBLE CARE LLC 209 Broadway Street Navassa 28451 Agent: Ameena Chimere Everett ACME SQUARED THERAPIES COMPANY 324 South 8th Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Staci Soper AISEA LLC 109 Southern Magnolia Court Hampstead 28443 Agent: Stephanie Tatum ALL MY STUFF LLC 14 Oyster Catcher Rd Wilmington 28411 Agent: John Gray Blunt Ellison AMETHYST PERMANENT MAKEUP LLC

3333 Wrightsville Ave #B Wilmington 28403 Agent: Brooke Lynn Gimello

HOLDINGS LLC 1213 Culbreth Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Kerner Thomas W

B&B HEALTH SOLUTIONS LLC 6353 Chalfont Circle Wilmington 28405 Agent: Brian Nix

BOUNDLESS BOARDS LLC 4107 Oleander Dr. Unit J Wilmington 28403 Agent: Drew Lester

BABY BOOMERS ONLINE LLC 144 Old Maple Hill Rd. Maple Hill 28454 Agent: Brian Leslie Harris

BRAD MOORE REALTY LLC 804 Hatteras Court Wilmington 28409-3464 Agent: Brad Moore

BALANCED HEALTH WITH LAURA LLC 1316 Pinfish Ln Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Laura Wilson

BRITTANY BERGER PSY. D. PLLC 322 S. College Road #1008 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Brittany Berger

BARHAM BUILDERS INC 5406 Ulloa Place Wilmington 28412 Agent: Edward Scott Barham BASICALLY BOUJEE LLC 8 Diamond Drive Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Saraiah Davis

BROCK CRAFTED HOMES LLC 215 Valencia Court Unit 306 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Zachery Joseph Brock

BATT’S MILL LANDING LLC 10 South Cardinal Drive Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robert J. Hollis

BROWNSTONE VENTURES LLC 1323 Bridge Barrier Road #1964 Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Danielle N Johnson

BEE HIVE FARM LLC 10 South Cardinal Drive Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robert J. Hollis

BWKC ENTERPRISES LLC 5522 Chelon Ave Wilmington 28409 Agent: Billy W King II

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING LLC 331 Bell St #23 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Benjamin Landero

C AND C PROPERTIES OF SURF CITY LLC 712 Country Club Dr Hampstead 28443 Agent: Kenneth Ording

BEST BABY BOUTIQUE LLC 925 Town Center Dr Wilmington 28405 Agent: Gretchen Pixley Jones

CARBEA LLC 1209 Culbreth Drive Suite 100 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Francis Martin Beam III

BETTER BUILT DOCKS INC. 1342 Hewett Farms Road Shallotte 28470 Agent: Adam L. Childers

CARBORO CARRIER GROUP LLC 142 Thrush Trail Hampstead 28443 Agent: Volodymyr Kaszycki

BIEKER MANAGEMENT GROUP LLC 304 Middle Sound Loop Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Jeanie Bieker

CARMICHAEL’S CREATIONS LLC 4491 Maple Hill Rd Sw Shallotte 28470 Agent: Mary Lyn Carmichael

BLACK PEARL HOME CARE OF NORTH CAROLINA LLC 690 Sunset Blvd Suite 207 Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Kwame Duffy

CAROLINA GIRLS CLEANING OF NC INC. 7119 Trucking Lane NE Leland 28451 Agent: Allison B Kasper

BLOODWORTH FARMS LLC 9066 NC Hwy 210 Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Glen A Bloodworth BLU THREADS LLC 341 S College Rd Suite 11 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Nicole Mercer BLUE SKIES CLEAN

CASABLANCA BY THE SEA LLC 2005 Ivydale Ln Wilmington 28405 Agent: Patrick Scott Edwards CASTLE HAYNE CAPITAL LLC 804 Chair Road Wilmington 28409 Agent: Peter D Petrovich CC CONSULTING LLC 6716 Wood Sorrel Rd

Wilmington 28405 Agent: Christopher Colin CCR PROPERTY LLC 301 Ivy Lane Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Cory D. Robbins CDB INVESTMENTS LLC 510 Aiken Court Calabash 28467 Agent: Chelsey Dawn Babb CDL TRANSPORT LLC 3162 Lake Peggy Circle SW Supply 28462 Agent: Ashley Nicole Holmes CEDAR COAST CAPITAL LLC 605 Cherry Laurel Ct Wilmington 28405 Agent: Parker C Vukich CG LOCALLY LLC 609 Piner Road Suite A Wilmington 28409 Agent: Haleigh Presnell CHILL ZONE ICE AND WATER LLC 2710 Alleyfield Rd NE Bolivia 28422 Agent: Shonda Marie Johnson CJFVR LLC 5271 Windward Way Southport 28461 Agent: Carol Shakur

CREST CIRCLE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS LLC 2013 Olde Regent Way Leland 28451 Agent: Michael Morris CUCKLEBUR & CO. 310 N Front St Ste 4-147 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Elizabeth Wright PLLC CURRAHEE LLC 40 Doe Creek Ln SW Supply 28462 Agent: Anthony Jack Harrison CUTTERRIDGE FARM LLC 7535 Funston Rd SE Winnabow 28479 Agent: Derrick W Shelor D’S - DREAMS”2”REALITY LLC 9856 Trestle Way NE Navassa 28451 Agent: DeAnna M Graham DA&I Transports LLC 194 Mott Town Rd Atkinson 28421 Agent: Dion Mott DB3 CAPITAL LLC 341 S. College Rd Ste. 11 Wilmington 28402 Agent: Denzel D Burnside

CLOSING TIME TC LLC 7612 Lost Tree Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Erwin Hartanti

DEBBIE CULLINS REAL ESTATE GROUP LLC 7479 Thais Trail Wilmington 28411 Agent: Debbie Cullins

CMAID LLC 1027 Ocean Ridge Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: NEILL A. CURRIE

DMG LLC 829 Whiteville Rd NW Shallotte 28470 Agent: Eric Bethea

CNC UNLIMITED IMPROVEMENTS LLC 4631 Main St Shallotte 28470 Agent: Tonia Trest Twigg

DRAGONFLYBHI LLC 1430 N Howe Street Southport 28461 Agent: Sandra L. Darby

COAST TO COAST HAULING LLC 13 Hampton Dr Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Bruce Stuckey COASTAL MARSH ADVENTURES INC. 9161 Devaun Park Blvd SW Calabash 28467 Agent: Christopher Bowden COLIN AND MURRAY INCORPORATED 6710 Finian Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Melanie Kaye Hamm COLOR PAINTING SERVICE LLC 724 Spring Branch Road Wilmington 28405 Agent: Stevens A MurielGomez COSE PARTNERS LLC 51 Long Point Lane Hampstead 28443 Agent: Robert Alan Norman

EAST COAST PROPERTY INSPECTIONS INC. 177 Cornel Lane Hampstead 28443 Agent: Brandon Sherman EDIN CONSTRUCTION LLC 5625 Fulton Ave Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Edin David Lopez Torres EMMY JO PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 109 Palm Cottage Dr. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Emily Jo Blickhan ENDLESS SUMMER OUTDOOR CREATIONS LLC 339 Bristol Rd Wilmington 28409 Agent: Phil McGee EVANS & SONS ELECTRIC LLC 5850 Mill Branch Rd NW Ash 28420 Agent: Larry Dennis Evans EVERLASTING SHINE LLC

41 Kensington Ct. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Rosa Pinho EVOLVED PRODUCTS LLC 3701 Excalibur Way Unit 107 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Brenden Alexander Powell FAULCONER CONSULTING GROUP LLC 2950 Legends Dr. Southport 28461 Agent: James Walter Faulconer

LLC 518 McRae St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Richard A Steigerwalt GILILLAND ENTERPRISES LLC 392 W Craftsman Way Hampstead 28443 Agent: Matthew Gililland GOD 1ST HOMES LLC 640 Oak Tree Rd Willard 28478 Agent: Keonna Michelle Newton

FIRST DUE DISTRIBUTION LLC 297 Oakdale Road Southport 28461 Agent: John William Faulk lll

GRAHAM-POWELL FAMILY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. 530 Harrison Creek Rd Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Irene Van Travis

FISH BOWLZ LLC 109 Friendly Lane Hampstead 28443 Agent: Tiffany Marie Melocoton

GRAPE OIL LLC 702 Pond Rd Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Mannaury Aquino

FLYNN REALTY GROUP LLC 929 Riptide Ln Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Andrew Flynn FORTUNATE EVENTS LLC 214 Princess Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Paul Mediratta FREE SPIRIT CONSERVATORY OF THE ARTS INC. 704 Fairway Dr E Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Richard A Dysinger

GREEN WAVE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS LLC 109 North Channel Haven Dr Wilmington 28409 Agent: David Baldwin GYPSY LUNA BOUTIQUE LLC 829 Isle of Palms Way Wilmington 28412 Agent: Susan Cowgill HAMBY SPORTS PERFORMANCE CORP 5621 Loubelle St Wilmington 28405 Agent: Jacob Hamby

FSL ADVISORS INC. 405 Beech Court Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Frederick S Lowe

HELMS WIFI & WIRING LLC 310 Pauls Trail Shallotte 28470 Agent: Joey Wayne Helms

GARCIA LANDSCAPING & LAWNCARE LLC 555 Justin Ln SW Supply 28462 Agent: Agripin Garcia Cazales

HILLROCK LLC 575 Military Cutoff Rd. Ste. 106 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Jennifer D. Scott Esq.

GARIFUNA ABDU RESTAURANT LLC 1515 Dorsey Ln NE Navassa 28451 Agent: Sinia Guity

HOME SWEET GIFT CO. LLC 3125 Channel Drive SE Bolivia 28422 Agent: Stephanie Griffin

GARPET FLOORING & CLEANING CORPORATION 2459 Old Ocean Hwy Bolivia 28422 Agent: Petrona Pereira

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS LOGISTICS LLC 301 Government Center Drive Suite 200 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Rischard Derrick Adolphus Sr

GEM RATZ LLC 5613 Carolina Beach Rd Ste 140 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Joshua McMillian GENERAL TILE LLC 718 Wooster St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Abraham Garcia Martinez GEORGE CREATIVES LLC 5813 Oak Bluff ln Wilmington 28409 Agent: Matthew James George GHOST TREE SERVICE

HUMBLE VENTURES LLC 214 Church St. Wilmington 28401 Agent: Patrick C Angle IMRAN ENTERPRISE LLC 4317 Winforde Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Ashad Abdelhamid INFINITY ROBLES SIDING LLC 120 Sandybrook Rd Wilmington 28411 Agent: Ruben Villafana Robles

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 33

| BIZ LEADS | INNOVATE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC 1001 Military Cutoff Rd. Wilmington 28405 Agent: Ladd Gasparovic INTRACOASTAL HAULING SERVICES LLC 604 Chair Rd Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Caulin Daniels Collier IRON VETERAN PROJECT INC. 3316 Brucemont Dr Wilmington 28405 Agent: Reginald Wilson ISLAND SOLIS CONSTRUCTION LLC 230 Two Chopt Rd Wilmington 28405 Agent: Romain Perez Solis J HINSON COMPANY LLC 1231 Sherman Oaks Dr Wilmington 28411 Agent: Jonathan Hinson J-LI LLC 1201 Glen Meade Road Wilmington 28401 Agent: Grace Marshall JACOBS CONCRETE LLC 7133 Westbrook Ave Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Josefino Velazquez Heredia JAMESON & CO. LLC 201 N Front Street Ste M107 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Leslie Jameson JANE WATANABE LLC 608 Salo St Wilmington 28411 Agent: Jane L Watanabe JWL REALTY AND INSURANCE LLC 804 Winged Foot Ln Wilmington 28411 Agent: Jeffrey Wayne Lankford

412 Hawthorne Loop Rd Apt 306 Leland 28451 Agent: Keri Anastasi

LIGHTS INC 218 Old House Rd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Tonia S Register

KATES BOUTIQUE LLC 1232 Arboretum Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Mary K Costella

LEGACY CONDOS LLC 827 Fox St Shallotte 28459 Agent: Andrew Bradley Glazebrook

KEMETICALLY L.L.C. 2203-4 Shady Grove Dr Wilmington 28401 Agent: Hope Janell Ellis KENNEDY CREATIVE LLC 5629 Old Garden Rd Apt 310 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Kennedy Lambert Luke KHR ASSOCIATES LLC 2506 Exhibit Ct Wilmington 28412 Agent: Katrina H. Redmon KMAXX CLEANING LLC 9359 Buckwood Ct. NE Leland 28451 Agent: Kourtnei Danea Martin KRYSTAL’S BOUTIQUE LLC 341 Milford Rd Wilmington 28405 Agent: Asencion Bejar Lopez KUIPER CUSTOM HOMES LLC 102 Kinsey Ct Hampstead 28443 Agent: William John Kuiper Jr. LA SERENIDAD PLLC 178 Tributary Circle Wilmington 28401 Agent: Alan Robert Brailsford de Lopez LAB WORX LLC. 2841 Carolina Beach Road #4 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Timothy Russell

K&C PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC 7166 Channel I SW Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Cory Bell

LADIDA SKIN AND NAILS LLC 10152 Beach Dr SW Building 4 Calabash 28467 Agent: Eileen Reilly Gibbs

KA NAVIGATES INC.

LAKE LINDA CHRISTMAS

LELAND REAL PROPERTY LLC 2933 Irwin Dr Southport 28461 Agent: Xing Pan LIBERTY LOFTS & CONDOMINIUMS LLC 4655 Peachtree Ave 2nd Floor Wilmington 28403 Agent: Joshua A Hodges LIFE CHANGERS IN SERVICE 5039 Main St Suite 2 SHALLOTTE 28470 Agent: Beverly S Stanley LILIGAIL PROPERTIES LLC 1712 Pembroke Jones Dr Wilmington 28405 Agent: David A Gilb LOVE ME LONGER L.L.C. 200 Willard St. Wilmington 28401 Agent: Anna Elizabeth Hall LOW TIDE PRESSURE WASHING LLC 46 Knots Bend Dr Hampstead 28443 Agent: Jonathan Alan Hart LUMINA LEARNING LLC 8758 Ramsbury Way Wilmington 28411 Agent: James Jay Nunalee Jr LZ&D PROPERTIES LLC 401 South 4th Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Deborah Butler M.G.P LANDSCAPE LLC 134 Red Bug Rd SW Shallotte 28459 Agent: Odilio Morales MADININA MOBILE SERVICES LLC 2122 Klein Road Wilmington 28405

Agent: Vincent Benjamin Sechi MAGNOLIA ROOFING LLC 120 Loop Rd Leland 28451 Agent: James Harold Lancaster MAK LLC 3972 US 17 East Ste. E Bolivia 28422 Agent: Martin Alexander Kintner MANTOOTH INC 108 S Lloyd St Burgaw 28425 Agent: Christopher Louis Mantooth MARINE BEAN LLC 201 Bradley Creek Point Rd Wilmington 28403 Agent: Dale Renee Lacy MARITIME FOREST INVESTMENTS LLC 120 Channelbend Surf City 28445 Agent: Catherine J Lewis MASAMP INC 123 Brandywine Circle Wilmington 28411 Agent: Michael Angelo Sava MATHEU’S CONSTRUCTION LLC 5736 Market St #21 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Anabeli Matheu MG TRANSPORTATION INC. 34 Justice Ct Hampstead 28443 Agent: Mikhael Sokira MICROBLADING AND SHADING WITH ALIE LLC 217 Conifer Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Alicia L Kutil MIDDLE CREEK LLC 124 Mallard Dr Hampstead 28443 Agent: Daniel Gregory Jr MIDDLE SOUND TRUCKING COMPANY INC. 7200 Airlie Place Wilmington 28403 Agent: Thomas P. Mayr

MOHAMMED HOLDING LLC 4317 Winforde Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Ashad Abdelhamid MOODY RECORDS LLC 4904 Crosswinds Dr Wilmington 28409 Agent: Zach Farrell MOTO LEADER GLOBAL LLC 805 N. 23rd Street Wilmington 28403 Agent: Matthew Adams MZ Wellness LLC 518 Avendale Drive Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Tiffany Rachele Ocampo NAIRA PARTNERS LLC 304 Empie Avenue Topsail Beach 28445 Agent: Nancy Kerr Thomason NATIONAL FLEET SALES INC. 1010 E. Arboria Dr. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Audra M Burrows NC DIGITAL LABS LLC 724 Azalea Dr Unit 436 Hampstead 28443 Agent: Gregory Hal Turnage NC VERDE LLC 308 Heather Dr Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Helena Kamil NEW JACK PARTNERS LLC 2013 Seawind Lane Wilmington 28405 Agent: Nancy K. Grier NEW TO YOU REDO LLC 7227 Chipley Dr. Wilmington 28411 Agent: Jessica Nicole Ball NORTH CAROLINA LAND & HOMES INC. 730 Parkway Blvd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Andrew Garland Parrish ODD GRAPHIC COMPANY LLC 445 Tate Lake Dr

Southport 28461 Agent: Shannon Creamer-Franke ON POINT PILE LLC 69 Berkley Ave NE Bolivia 28422 Agent: Johnny Ray Sellers ON THE BOW CHARTERS LLC 724 Ridgecrest Lane Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Michael A Bell ON THE HALF SHELL LLC 1413 Croaker Lane Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Celeste Carter Kenney OTB GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LLC 179 N Palm Dr Winnabow 28479 Agent: John Thomas Albertson OVERMAN CONSTRUCTION & CONSULTING LLC 3907 Wrightsville Ave Suite 100 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Samuel B. Potter PARADISE INN INC. 518 Maides Ave Wilmington 28405 Agent: Dytanya Perry PARASTREAM DEVELOPMENT LLC 222 Colonial Drive Wilmington 28403 Agent: Andrew Cooper Hewitt PARKER HOTSHOT SERVICE LLC 3199 Mullet Creek Place SE Bolivia 28422 Agent: Jessica Marie Parker PAYLESS WIRELESS LLC 6772 Market Street Wilmington 28405 Agent: Yosef R Ewaiss

Hampstead 28443 Agent: Katelyn Hester PEAK HOLISTIC LLC 2715 Ashby Dr Wilmington 28411 Agent: Christopher McCoy PETER J. SHANNON CONSTRUCTION CONSULTING SERVICES LLC 4375 Tidemarsh Court Southport 28461 Agent: Peter Joseph Shannon PINA COLADA ADVENTURES LLC 660 Caicos Court Wilmington 28405 Agent: Keaton Gilleece POPPELL ENTERPRISES INC. 114 Pitch Pine Ct Wilmington 28412 Agent: Amber L McShea RAA CUT TREES PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LLC 4718 Greenway Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Alvaro Alvarez Rico RAGNAR PROPERTIES AND PROCUREMENT LLC 3819 Bay Colony Rd NE Leland 28451 Agent: Katherine M Fehn RELIABLE FREIGHT SERVICE LLC 224 Hearthside Dr Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Dan Lane RENEAU HOLDINGS LLC 7113 Fiddlers Circle Wilmington 28405 Agent: Marshall Reneau RICCARDI CAPITAL LLC 4119 PEACHTREE AVENUE Wilmington 28403 Agent: Brooke Riccardi

PEACHTREE EQUINE LLC 810 Hickman Rd NW Calabash 28467 Agent: Madison N Smith

RISING 7 ENTERPRISE INC. 1410 Parkview Crl #103 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Gavin Casalegno

PEACHY K LLC 122 Candlewood Drive

RUDY’S LOGGING LLC 4006 Long Bow Ct

Leland 28451 Agent: Rutilo Andres Espinoza S & N COASTAL ENTERPRISES LLC 93 Genoe’s Point Rd SW Unit 105 Supply 28462 Agent: James H. Noel S-CAPE LLC 1315 Kyle Street SW Supply 28462 Agent: Travis Berry S&R TRANSPORTATION II LLC 2334 S. 41st St. Wilmington 28403 Agent: Yoel H Balter SAGE NOVA SALON LLC 8207 Paramount Pt Winnabow 28479 Agent: Maria Mantovani SAILFISH PARTNERS POPLAR LLC. 802 North 5th Ave Wilmington 28401 Agent: Robert McCord SAILFISH PARTNERS SILVERCREEK LLC. 802 North 5th Ave Wilmington 28401 Agent: Robert McCord SAILFISH PARTNERS WATER LLC. 802 North 5th Ave Wilmington 28401 Agent: Robert McCord SAINT MORITZ REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC 5725 Oleander Drive Ste C-3 Wilmington 28403 Agent: D. Robert Williams SALT & SOUL HOSTING LLC 1302 Canal Drive Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Sean McLean SALT & SOUL REALTY INC. 1218 Snapper Lane Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Abby Harris SALTWATER & SAND LLC 6325 Northshore Drive Wilmington 28411 Agent: David J Miller

Page 34

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| THE LIST |

Catering Companies

Ranked by number of full-time local employees COMPANY ADDRESS

RANK

1

A Thyme Savor Catering and Market 3704 Carolina Beach Road Wilmington, NC 28412

2

PHONE EMAIL WEBSITE

NO. OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES/ NO. OF PART-TIME EMPLOYEES/ % BUSINESS-CATERING 30

MIN-MAX SERVED/ PRICE RANGE PER PERSON

FOOD SPECIALTIES

TOP LOCAL OFFICIAL/ YEAR FOUNDED

262-2962 jeff@athymesavor.com www.athymesavor.com

75%

2-2,000 $5-$200

Coastal Catering and Events 19 Clubhouse Drive SW Supply, NC 28462

842-8444 joe@coastalcateringandevents.com www.coastalcateringandevents.com

20 20 80%

2-1,500 $12-unlimited

Any style of food; customized menus for clients

Joe Caldropoli Owner 2007

3

Diamond Food Enterprises Catering 6726 Netherlands Dr. Wilmington, NC 28403

399-3811 or after hours 392-7167 diamondfoodenterprises@gmail.com www.diamondcateringservices.com

9 12 60%

10-2,500 $9 and up

American, Southern, Italian, hors d'oeuvres, Mediterranean, dietary

Steve Lambros Owner 1991

3

Middle of the Island Catering 614 S. College Road Wilmington, NC 28403

256-4273 info@middleoftheisland.com www.middleoftheisland.com

9 50 100%

50-10,000 $12-$90

Southern buffets, fried seafood, breakfast, prime rib/steamed oysters, crab legs; mobile kitchens for cooking on-site

C.M. Rogers Owner 1988

5

Pine Valley Market 3520 S. College Road Wilmington, NC 28412

350-3663 catering@pinevalleymarket.com www.pinevalleymarket.com

7 7 60%

2-900 $10-$60

Fresh scratch-made foods, custom Menus, certified Angus beef, local produce and seafood, paella, Southern specialties, unique appetizers, bite-sized foods

Kathy Webb Christi Ferretti Owner 1997

6

Premier Catering 20 Paisley Dr. SW Shallotte, NC 28470

(910) 442-6318 premier_catering@yahoo.com https://www.premiercateringllc.com/

1 50%

2-150 $30-$100

Caribbean, seafood, Italian, gourmet-style

Chimere Allen Executive chef, owner 2019

List is based on voluntary responses to a Business Journal survey and includes companies whose business is made up of 50 percent or more from catering services.

Cousler Italian, Greek, American, country, Southern, Jeff and Danielle Owners French, Asian 2006

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

ful Q & A

wilmingtonbiz.com

Sponsors’ Content Distributed By Greater Wilmington Business Journal

September 17 - 30, 2021

ful DISCUSSIONS Sponsors’ Content Distributed By Greater Wilmington Business Journal

THE RISING EXPENCE IN MANUFACTURING AND SHIPMENTS shortage and the pandemic greatly exacerbated that shortage. On average, between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 truckloads that are ready to be picked are not picked up within 24 hours because there are simply not enough trucks to pick up all of these new truckloads. This, unfortunately, has been the new norm since August 2020.

KATIE BRASKETT Director of Marketing MegaCorp

910.332.0825 MegaCorpLogistics.com

Why is shipping so expensive? Why are there shipping delays? These are some of the questions that have become common throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

At MegaCorp, we handle full truckloads (not individual parcels like an e-commerce company), and we’ll be sharing some of our insights into rising shipping costs and delays in the following paragraphs.

The truckload shipping industry was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It resulted in 50% more freight on the road. There was already a truck

How Did We End Up Here?

• The lockdown caused people to drastically change their spending habits. Consumers shifted from spending money on services, travel and experiences to more tangible items like groceries and home improvements.

• Manufacturers from industries that were not in high demand due to the pandemic re-purposed their facilities to keep up with new demand and trends.

• Truck manufacturers had to staff their facilities in accordance with social distancing guidelines, which slowed production. Also slowing production was the arrival of parts ordered form overseas. New truck equipment is hard to come by and extremely backed up.

So much so that the majority of new refrigerated truck units are not expected to arrive until after produce season in 2022.

• CDL driver schools were closed and now are only operating at a fraction of capacity, thus slowing the hiring of new drivers into an industry that was already struggling to hire.

• Additionally, many older drivers took this time to retire out of the industry.

• The pandemic also halted shipments

from overseas. Not only did this create a backlog of shipments, but manufacturers and companies are now over-purchasing from overseas to ensure that all items arrive and that they don’t run out of product for the upcoming holiday season.

• Ports were also short-staffed due to social distancing guidelines and struggled to keep up with the influx in shipments.

The ports are still seeing recordbreaking amounts of product coming into our supply chain, and about 95% everything we see or eat has been on a truck at some point. This will increase the gap between supply and demand, meaning that moving into the fall and winter there will be even more goods being shipped, but not enough trucks to get them to their destinations. This also means that prices will stay elevated and increase before we see any kind of a decrease.

Unfortunately, this typically means higher costs to the end consumer eventually, so do your holiday shopping early this year!

Page 35

Page 36

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| ACHIEVERS | Send information about company hires, promotions or awards to editor@wilmingtonbiz.com

Habitat names Ferris as director of development CHRISTINA FERRIS was appointed Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity’s new development director.

In the role, she is responsible for raising funds to provide affordable housing for families and individuals through Ferris the three-county Cape Fear region, officials with the nonprofit stated in a news release.

Ferris, who has experience as a nonprofit leader, recently moved to Wilmington from Michigan where she worked in fund development, marketing and public relations.

Ferris, who graduated from the University of West Florida, is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

CloudWyze hires Pouleris as VP of Operations

Wilmington’s Premier Corporate & Event Venue

Allow our expertise to guide your experience to offer an unforgettable memory while providing exception value.

CloudWyze added DAVE POULERIS to the company’s leadership team as vice president of operations.

Pouleris joined the Wilmington-based IT company after a 20-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps as a communication and information technology professional.

Pouleris After retiring from service, he became the first director of programs for The Honor Foundation Camp LeJeune Campus, according to a news release.

There, Pouleris was responsible for the design and execution of a threemonth professional development cohort “intended to prepare transitioning Special Operations Marines and Sailors for their new careers in the civilian sector,” the release stated.

Wilmington resident to be EmergeOrtho’s state CEO One of the largest physician-owned orthopedic practices in North Carolina and the nation recently named a Wilmington resident its first statewide CEO. Currently the practice’s CFO, ALLISON FARMER will transition to her new CEO role in October, a news

release stated.

In June 2013, Farmer was hired as CFO of the practice known then as OrthoWilmington after the merger of Atlantic Orthopedics and Wilmington Orthopaedic Group.

In 2016, OrthoWFarmer ilmington joined with three other practices across North Carolina to form EmergeOrtho. Over the next five years, Farmer became CFO for several of the regions in the statewide organization, according to the release.

Regional leadership will continue across EmergeOrtho with Stephen DeBiasi at the Triad Region and Wilmington Region.

Galutera named UNCW’s auxiliary services director The University of North Carolina Wilmington named GINO GALUTERA as the school’s director of auxiliary services.

Galutera’s appointment, which follows a national search, started Sept. 13.

The university department has oversight of Campus Dining, the UNCW Bookstore, parking, transportation and One Card Office, according to a news release.

Galutera most recently served as managing director of auxiliary services for Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

Di Biaggio heads WCFHBA business development JESSICA DI BIAGGIO began this summer as the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association’s director of business development.

In the position, Di Biaggio serves as the group’s team leader in “developing and implementing innovative member recruitment, as well as engagement and retention strategies for the Association,” a news release stated. “Jessica will also serve as the main point of contact for managing the Association’s non-dues revenue and affinity agreement partnerships, including the development of yearly sponsorship agreements.”

Di Biaggio has sales experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, working most recently as the Wilmington Convention Center’s sales manager. She earned a bachelor’s degree in tourism management from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

0

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

NEW HANOVER JULY 2021:

PENDER JULY 2021:

BRUNSWICK JULY 2021:

DOWN FROM JULY 2020:

DOWN FROM JULY 2020:

DOWN FROM JULY2020:

8.8%

7.8%

9.7%

4%

4.1% 5.5%

$25,045,476 UP FROM SALES TAX COLLECTION JUNE 2020 JULY 2021 DEPARTURES

JULY 2021 ARRIVALS

53,171

54,806

UP FROM JULY 2020 DEPARTURES

UP FROM JULY 2020 ARRIVALS

Source: N.C. Department of Commerce

0

0

Commercial

$393,113

$302,356

300K

$333,979

400 400

2020

2021

2019

JULY 2021

350 300 300 250 200 200 150 100 100 50

00

7/20

720

8/20

820

9/20

920

10/20

1020

11/20

1120

12/20

Source: Cape Fear Realtors

JUNE ROOM OCCUPANCY TAX (NEW HANOVER COUNTY)

1220

1/21

121

2/21

221

3/21

321

4/21

421

5/21

521

6/21

621

7/21

721

Source: Brunswick County Code Administration

WHO’S HIRING (CAPE FEAR REGION, JUNE-AUG.) # OF JOB OPENINGS 0 100 200

300

400

500

600

700

800

NHRMC

$2,895,630

0

Residential

450

350K

50K

Source: N.C. Department of Revenue

500 500

400K

100K

19,554

MONTHLY BUILDING PERMITS (BRUNSWICK COUNTY)

(SINGLE-FAMILY, TRI-COUNTY AREA)

150K

$19,233,638

Source: Wilmington International Airport

AUGUST AVERAGE HOME SALE PRICE

200K

(NEW HANOVER COUNTY)

SALES TAX COLLECTION JUNE 2021

19,775

250K

JUNE SALES TAX COLLECTION

JULY AIRPORT PASSENGER TRAFFIC

JULY UNEMPLOYMENT

$2,074,156

0

Page 37

| ECONOMIC INDICATORS |

0

0

September 17 - 30, 2021

2020

2021

2020

2021 Source: Wilmington CVB

PPD FOOD LION NOVANT HEALTH LM RESTAURANTS

AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON FOR REGULAR UNLEADED IN WILMINGTON ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2021:

$2.98

LOWES FOODS

AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON FOR WILMINGTON ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2020:

NHC SCHOOLS

$2.12

HARRIS TEETER

Source: AAA Source: N.C. Department of Commerce

Page 38

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

BUSINESS OF LIFE

This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s weekly Restaurant Roundup email.

Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

Wine, chocolate, more on offer at Wendy’s House

up food and fun ving Ser

for 30 years

NOW PO URING

www.seeyouatbills.com

Sisters Wendy Worden and Julie Curry are partners in a new food and wine experience by the name of Wendy’s House, 126 Sebrell Ave. in Wilmington.

Wendy’s House is a quaint pink cottage off Oleander Drive, impeccably decorated with sophistication and whimsy in mind. There are multiple rooms to enjoy a curated selection of wine, cheese, fine chocolates and other accompaniments such as crackers, nuts and charcuterie.

Worden, who has owned several galleries and retail home furnishing stores in the past, said she wanted to create a space for guests to feel at home while enjoying a drink and snack with friends.

In addition to several interior gathering spaces, Wendy’s House also has a spacious enclosed patio.

Wines from around the world and at all price points are available by the bottle or glass and guests can pour a taste or a full glass from the preservation and dispensing WineEmotion system.

Wendy’s House also carries beer from Mad Mole Brewing, where Worden’s husband Chris is a partner.

Worden and Curry have plans to create a full venue space at Wendy’s House to accommodate a variety of events.

Wendy’s House is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m.

Taste of Wrightsville Beach tickets currently on sale The Eighth Annual Taste of Wrightsville Beach is scheduled to be held Saturday, Nov. 6, in the parking lot of Bluewater Grill on Marina Street in Wrightsville Beach.

This year’s festival, sponsored by Coastal Kia, is expected to include 35 booths featuring local beer, wine and food. Judges will rate the dishes for Best in Show, Best Savory and Best Sweet dishes and participants will select the People’s Choice, Best Beer and Best Wine awards.

The event will also include live music in the Mega-Lounge, sponsored

by MegaCorp Logistics, and a silent auction.

All net proceeds will go to the Weekend Meals on Wheels program of New Hanover County. The mission of this non-profit organization is to ensure provision of nutritious meals as well as social contact with seniors on weekends and other days not covered by the weekday Meals on Wheels program.

Advance tickets to the event are on sale for $25 for participants under age 21 and $75 for those ages 21 and older. Find full details online.

Tickets can also be purchased locally at three Wrightsville Beach locations: Lighthouse Beer & Wine, 220 Causeway Drive; Robert’s Grocery, 32 N Lumina Ave.; and MarineMax, 130 Short St.

Panacea Brewing Company adds five new beers In addition to hard and non-alcoholic kombucha, Panacea Brewing Company, 4701 Oleander Drive, has added five beers to the lineup at its taproom and restaurant in Wilmington.

Panacea recently installed a three-barrel system at its brewing facility to expand their capacity for both kombucha and beer. They’ve also installed a canning line to begin canning hard kombucha.

Owners Art and Robin Hill said they have planned on brewing beer as well as kombucha from the start. Art Hill worked at a brewery many years ago and was an avid home brewer for over 20 years before moving into the world of kombucha.

Art Hill said the market for hard kombucha is cracking wide open, and Panacea is excited to be among the first dozen or so breweries in the nation to offer it in cans.

The canning line will help them to soon begin distribution to local grocers such as Whole Foods, where its non-alcoholic kombucha is sold, and then expand to markets across the state.

The first three hard kombucha flavors are lavender hops, tropical hops and raspberry lemonade. Each is around 7% ABV. As for the new beers, Panacea is featuring a West Coast-style IPA called “The Sticky,” which Art Hill said will be the house IPA, as well as a brown ale, a saison, a double IPA and a cream ale.

In addition to launching beers and hard kombucha in cans, Panacea added 1,600 square feet for events by taking over the neighboring unit.

-Jessica Maurer

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

September 17 - 30, 2021

Page 39

| BUSINESS OF LIFE|

Store owners share basketful of hopes

BY LYNDA VAN KUREN etter Basket is bringing downtown Wilmington a new kind of grocery store.

Not only will it offer fresh, locally sourced meats, produce and dairy products, but the business will also have an open kitchen where baked goods, grab-and-go meals and sitdown dinners will be prepared.

That’s just part of what makes Better Basket different. Joseph Allen and Frank Christopher Meares, the store’s creators, want to make it a community hangout – the Cheers of the grocery industry, if you will.

“In addition to providing groceries, we will also be a gathering place,” Meares said. “Customers will come in, chat with the owner and meet people. Newcomers and visitors will learn where to go for the best restaurants and other information, and locals can sit and talk.”

Better Basket is the culmination of a dream for both Allen and Meares.

Allen and his mother came up with the concept years ago, but unfortunately, she died, and the idea was put on hold. Meares has long wanted to build a place that draws people to downtown, much as his grandfather’s store, 218 Antiques and Armory, did.

“We want to revitalize downtown,” Meares said.

Although Better Basket will offer one-stop shopping, Meares stresses that it will not resemble the big box grocery stores.

First and foremost, the co-owners said they are committed to stocking fresh, locally sourced food. Products will include unique items such as yellow watermelon, special spices and distinctive spreads and cheeses, as well as the typical foods found in a grocery store. Except when out of season, all produce will come from the Carolinas, the owners said.

“We want to bring as much local fare into the store as possible and let customers see the unique flavors they can enjoy from the place they live,” Meares said.

In addition, customers will be able to choose from a range of options, including organic and non-organic farm-fresh produce and meats as well as meat substitutes. Better Basket will also provide baked goods that are made in-house. The store’s centrally placed kitchen and cafe is the heart of the store.

“When people walk into our kitchen, I want it to be like they are

B

RESTAURANT ROUN DUP

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Shopping day: Better Basket, a grocery market in downtown Wilmington created by Joseph Allen (from left) and Frank Christopher Meares, held a soft opening this month.

walking into their mom’s kitchen and finding she is preparing something wonderful to eat,” Meares said.

Just like at home, customers will be encouraged to try different foods and ask questions about the dishes the chefs are cooking up. They can even get the recipes for the dishes they like.

During the day, the kitchen will serve good, freshly made food at a reasonable price, Meares said. In the mornings, customers can get omelets, bagels and other breakfast dishes; and in the afternoon, they can get salads, sandwiches and items from the hot bar.

In the evenings, the cafeteria will close to the public. That’s when Better Basket will host events. During some of those, families will learn how to make special cookies or desserts, and at others, diners will learn how to make entire meals, including an appetizer and dessert.

“Whoever attends one of these events will truly get a one-of-a-kind meal and experience,” Meares said.

“It’ll be like coming into a Victorian home and dining in the kitchen with the chef.”

Opening a grocery store is some-

thing of a leap of faith for Allen and Meares, as neither has worked in the industry. But they both have experience that gave them a leg up on their dream. Meares has met numerous area farmers through his work as a New Hanover County soil and water conservation district supervisor.

Also, as several of Meares’s relatives own farms, he is no stranger to the ins and outs of farming. Allen, who grew up on a farm, knows even more about what it takes to turn out high-quality crops and meat.

The owners’ agricultural background has been critical to finding farmers to supply Better Basket’s foods. Although a number of farmers contacted Meares and Allen when they heard about the store, Meares and Allen made it a priority to reach out to farmers who met their standards. That is, farmers who treat their land and animals well and farm in a sustainable way.

“The flavor of the food that comes from these farms is so much better than processed food,” Meares said.

“It produces a much better meal.”

Meares and Allen are also using technology to enhance their customers’ grocery buying experience. For

example, customers can scan a QR code to learn about the farm each food product comes from. Plus, the owners will use software pricing programs to ensure the store’s prices are as competitive as possible.

Opening Better Basket hasn’t been without its challenges. The owners have had to address the issues that arose when working with an older building and ensure the store met each of COVID’s changing safety regulations. Construction on the kitchen was stopped for the filming of the Hallmark movie Christmas in Harmony. And, as Meares and Allen don’t have trucks yet, getting produce to the store has been, and is, a struggle.

“It’s been a constant slow roll, but we’re almost there,” Meares said.

The store has already had a soft opening, but Better Basket’s grand opening, which is slated for mid-October, is expected to coincide with the kitchen’s completion.

Once the downtown store is on a solid footing, Meares and Allen said they hope to open similar groceries in other food deserts in New Hanover County.

Page 40

September 17 - 30, 2021

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal