Southern Pines’ upscale dining treasure PHOTO PROVIDED BY 195 AMERICAN FUSION 195 American Fusion is a tried-and-true favorite for upscale dining in Southern Pines.
Presorted Standard PaidPostageUS GAMonroe, 15NoPermit UnlessGreaterRELEVANT.LOCAL.FayettevilleBusinessJournalisasubscriptionbasedpublication.youarealreadyapaidsubscriber, YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONCOMPLIMENTARYWILLBEENDINGSOON. Get unlimited online access at BizFayetteville.com, twice monthly Business Journals and the annual Book on Business mailed to BizFayetteville.com/subscribeyou!SUBSCRIBENOWAT Government Robeson County to see I-95 wideningEXCLUSIVEWEBbizfayetteville.com Commercial Real Estate Company buys land for development around Villagio Apartments Page 11 Health Care GI practices merge, create third largest clinic in N.C. Page 15 195 FUSIONAMERICAN Owner locationinspiration,talksdowntown Page 22 VibeGastropub
Index See FUSION, page 7 Economic Indicators 3 Editors’ Notes ....................................... 4 Achievers .......................................... 8, 9 Commercial Real Estate 11 Power Breakfast 13 Health Care 15 Biz Leads 20, 21 Profile 23 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Vol. 2, No. 6
just an extension of the actual health foodThestore.menu focus back then was mostly paninis, salads, and vegetarian and vegan dishes – simple dining with nothing extremely fancy. Pilson’s parents eventually made the decision to expand and purchased a former Scotty’s True Value Hardware store right across the street. They remodeled the entire hardware store to create the present Nature’s Own on one side and 195 American Fusion on the other side. This brilliant transition fused a great deal of variety
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Southern Pines’ 195 American Fusion restaurant is a one-of-a-kind dynamic, upscale dining experience. Located at 195 Bell Avenue in Southern Pines, 195 American Fusion sits near Sand Hills Boulevard and Southern Pines Golf Club. The name of the establishment comes from its 195 Bell Avenue address, according to Anna Pilson, the owner.
Pilson’s parents, Milton Pilson and Karen Frye, started Nature’s Own Market & Café nearly 36 years ago. Karen opened the health food store and at that time, the café section was By Diana Hansen bizfayetteville.com $2.00
Page 2 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal TUESDAY, SEPT. 20 7:30 - 9:30 A.M. REGISTER NOW AT FAYETTEVILLEPOWERBREAKFAST.COM! The Ralph and Linda Huff Orangery Cape Fear Botanical Garden Fayetteville, NC 28305 THE FAYETTEVILLE REGION AND THE REST OF OUR COUNTRY FACES A CHALLENGING ECONOMY DUE TO RISING INFLATION AND INTEREST RATES, THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND UPCOMING ELECTIONS. AT THE POWER BREAKFAST ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 , WE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS AND FAMILY THROUGH THIS UNCERTAINTY FROM A FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND TAX PERSPECTIVE. TO LEARN ABOUT BECOMING A POWER BREAKFAST SPONSOR, CONTACT THE BUSINESS JOURNAL AT 910.240.9697 MARKETING@BIZFAYETTEVILLE.COM.OR PRESENTINGLEADSPONSORSINSPIREMANAGING UNCERTAINTY GREATER FAYE TT E VILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL DEBBIE S. BEST, CFP® Financial Advisor Edward Jones DEANNA L. COLEMAN Attorney at Law Ray, O’Connor, Coleman & Halverson, PLLC KELLY D. PURYEAR, CPA, CGMA Managing Partner TRP Sumner PLLC
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 3 AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON FOR REGULAR UNLEADED IN FAYETTEVILLE ON AUGUST 16, 2022: $3.48 AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON IN FAYETTEVILLE ON AUGUST 16, 2021: $2.87 Source: gasbuddy.com RECENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATES Source: N.C. Department of CommerceSource:N.C. Department of Commerce 2021 vs 2022 (JUNE) FAYETTEVILLE MSA CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE 0 200,000150,000100,00050,000 LABOR FORCE 149,805 2022 JUNE MAY STATE SALES AND USE TAX COLLECTION (CUMBERLAND COUNTY) STATE SALES TAX COLLECTION MAY $24,729,0982022DOWNFROMSTATESALESTAXCOLLECTIONMAY2021 $25,481,160 UNITED STATES JUNE JUNEDOWN3.8%2022:FROM2021: 6.1% CUMBERLAND COUNTY JUNE 2022: 5.9% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 7.7% NORTH CAROLINA JUNE 2022: 4.1% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 5.5% FAYETTEVILLE MSA JUNE 2022: 5.9% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 7.6% HARNETT COUNTY JUNE 2022: 4.6% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 6.1% MOORE COUNTY JUNE 2022: 4.1% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 5.5% HOKE COUNTY JUNE 2022: 5.6% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 7.3% RALEIGH MSA JUNE 2022: 3.5% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 4.6% HOMES SALES DAYS ON THE MARKET (FAYETTEVILLE AREA) Source: Realtor.com/research ECONOMIC INDICATORSbizfayetteville.com Source: Realtor.com LABOR FORCE BY INDUSTRY (FAYETTEVILLE MSA) Source: NC Department of Commerce OTHER SERVICES 3.6% 13.4%HOSPITALITYLEISURE30.3%GOVERNMENT& MANUFACTURING6.8%TRADE,TRANSPORTATION&UTILITIES19.8%FINANCIALACTIVITIES3.0% EDUCATION & HEALTH SERVICES 11.9% PROFESSIONAL & BUSINESS SERVICES10.5% JULY MEDIAN HOME SALES PRICE (SINGLE-FAMILY, FAYETTEVILLE AREA) 100K200K50K 2018 $122,000 250K ROBESON COUNTY JUNE 2022: 6.6% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 8.3% SAMPSON COUNTY JUNE 2022: 4.2% DOWN FROM JUNE 2021: 5.1% Source: NC Department of Revenue 145,814 2021 JUNE $117,000 $154,000$129,000 $253,000 807060504030 7/218/219/2110/2111/2112/211/212/21 3/22 4/22 5/226/22 INFORMATION0.7% 20192020202120227/22
SHACKELFORD, Editor 910-240-9697, Ext jennas@bizfayetteville.com102
FAITH
FaithFayetteville!Hatton Passing of the torch
bizfayetteville.com
EDITORS'
JENNA
Let's keep moving forward,
HATTON, Assistant Editor 910-240-9697, Ext faithh@bizfayetteville.com104
On October 19, 2020, I walked into Marty Cayton’s office for the first time. After ongoing discussions about his vision for a business journal in the area, I had just signed a contract for a 1099 position. Marty hired me in hopes that I could help get a journal off the ground, but for a while, I would say more generically that I worked for Enhanced Media Management. After discussing the logistics in broad generalities for the coming months, Marty explained that, for the sake of building our email and mailing list, and thinking ahead to the possibility of the 2022 Book On Business, that I should assemble some Excel sheets with contacts I could find online across different industries.Iwasdog-sitting at the time, and I remember calling my dad, Australian Shepherd head in my lap and tears on my face at 8:30 p.m. because I had been struggling with the same ten contacts on a spreadsheet for two hours. Want a formatted press release? No problem. But J School did not equip me with a knowledge of formulas, functions and frozen panes. I can look back and laugh now, but at the time, this “first” for me was scary and challenging. My time at Greater Fayetteville Business Journal has presented me with a lot of “first” opportunities. I got the chance to know industry stakeholders and hear their stories, vision for the economic future of the region, and ideas for a new business publication; assembled the first-ever media kit for the journal; assisted in the hiring of several employees and independent contractors; surveyed (and sometimes even successfully) businesses for our Book On Busi ness; laid on an acupressure mat in the middle of the office after staring at a ranked list for too long; com piled the book; assisted in the launch of a daily business email; developed a short-lived habit of starting the day with a milkshake from Sonic; launched an Achievers & Accolades email; marketed numerous sold-out Power Breakfasts, our signature net working event; and more. Some of my GFBJ firsts were exciting and fun; others were hard and tedious. But after working here for two years, I am thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to see the pub lication through to where it is now in each stage of my job – starting as an independent contractor, being hired as the Communications & Outreach Coordinator, being promoted to associate editor, and then being pro moted again to editor. Now, I am nearing the end of my time at Greater Fayetteville Business Journal as I search for ways to serve others outside of a newsroom setting. My last day with the Journal is Aug. 31. In preparation for leaving my post, we have hired two candidates who value delivering quality and relevant news to the hands of busi ness people: Assistant Editor Faith Hatton and Contributing Writer/ Reporter Stephanie Meador. I am thrilled to see their great ideas and hard work in action! Thank you for your ongoing support, great ideas, and readership during my tenure here. It has been wonderful to serve you all. Please continue to send your newsworthy stories and press releases to editor@ bizfayetteville.com.Onwardandupward!JennaShackelford
As soon as COVID-19 hit in March of 2020 I knew I was in for a ride. As a multimedia Journalist in Minot, North Dakota; fresh out of school, over 1,000 miles from home with a lot to prove and an n95 mask strapped to my face, I was able to make my mark in a com munity, make some amazing friends, and hug a horse over the course of two very challenging, fun and adven turous years. And then it ended, I came back home to Fayetteville, and I slept for 72 hours. Now, I am reentering the world of news after a very long overdue phys ical and mental break and I couldn’t be happier to be joining the team at the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal.After getting to know Marty, Jen na, Stephanie and the purpose and long term goals of the GFBJ, I am looking forward to using my hard earned skills in journalism for the betterment of the business commu nity.Shockingly enough, you leave an area for two years, come back and find they’ve changed everything! There is so much to explore throughout this area, and I’m excited to share the stories, developments, accomplishments and more of local people working to make Fayette ville a more interesting, developed and exciting place to live with their businesses.Afterbeing in broadcast news cov ering stories on crime, death, disease, fires, droughts and a few more of the plagues of Egypt, I’m ready to work on a more positive and uplift ing message. I’m so blessed to have found a team that is working to build up, not tear down. As we enter into a staffing shift, losing Jenna (one of the most amazing people I have met to date), I hope I can help maintain the fantastic standard set by the Greater Fayetteville Business Jour nal. I’m looking forward to getting back out into the community and working with anyone willing to let me tell their stories!
Page 4 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal 4424 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC bizfayetteville.com910-240-969728303 PUBLISHER Marty martyc@bizfayetteville.comCayton EDITOR Jenna jennas@bizfayetteville.comShackelford ASSISTANT EDITOR Faith faithh@bizfayetteville.comHatton COMMUNICATIONS & COORDINATOR/REPORTEROUTREACH Stephanie stephaniem@bizfayetteville.comMeador CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charity SuetDianaKateBrandsmaGriffinHansenKathieHarrisLee-GrowneySavanahRamseyEddieVelazquez CONTRIBUTING WRITER MARKETING CONTENT Stacie Borrello CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Samantha samanthal@bizfayetteville.comLowe ACCOUNTING Priscilla billing@bizfayettevilleNelson The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is published twice a month throughout Fayetteville and the Cumberland County region. News related to the region’s business sector is posted daily at bizfayetteville.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS Your free trial of Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is ending soon. To subscribe, call 910-240-9697 or visit $9.95subscribe.bizfayetteville.com/Subscriptionscostpermonthor$95peryear. REPRINT For article reprints, plaques and more contact Jenna Shackelford at 910-240-9697. ADVERTISING For advertising information, please email us marketing@bizfayetteville.comatorcall910-240-9697.©Copyright2022GreaterFayettevilleBusinessJournal
NOTES
Businesses interested in occupying the property can reach out on LoopNet: etteville-NC/25244668.loopnet.com/Listing/328-Person-St-Fay-www.
A26,400 square foot retail flex building located at 328 Person St. in Downtown Fayetteville is now available to lease. The landlord is open to leasing the warehouse by itself or splitting the retail space for two tenants. The Tenant Improvement is negotiable depending on the terms of the lease. The space was previously home to Kimbrell’s Furniture. With a lot of showroom space and full ceiling-tofloor glass walls on the front, the lot also features a large parking lot. West Egg Real Estate bought the property in late June. The company’s president Daniel Vetushko shared that the lot has the potential to accommodate a car dealership, a home goods store, a mattress store, a department store, or any other retailer who could benefit from the openThelayout.property resides in the area of downtown currently being targeted by the Fayetteville Downtown Revitalization Projects which aim to bring new life to the community in the form of new businesses and resources.
Entry is free to the public, and attendees can expect 25 booths, awards, music, and an afternoon of fun.
By Staff Report bizfayetteville.com
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 5
Business fair explores possibilities
PHOTO FROM LOOPNET
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To contact host Katrelia Johnson, email katrelia36@gmail.com To contact co-host Terraine François, email terrainefrancois@gmail.com To register, go to www.childrensbusinessfair.org
space available
SPANNING
Downtown Fayetteville retail
The first Action Children’s Business fair launched in Austin Texas in 2007 and has gone on to launch local events across the country and world wide. Staff Report bizfayetteville.com
IS NOW AVAILABLE TO LEASE
The Children's Entrepreneurs Expo is coming to Raeford, North Carolina to encourage the next generation of business owners.Hosted by Katrelia Johnson and co-hosted by Terraine François, the upcoming children's expo is an event where children can showcase their businesses and explore entrepreneurship skills. The business fair is scheduled for Sept. 17 from 12-5 p.m. at the East Hoke Middle School gym. The idea for an organized children’s business fair came about from one couple’s desire to ignite a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children. With some help from their community, Jeff and Laura Sandefer created the first Acton Children’s Business fair in Austin, Texas in 2007, according to the event website. The event proved to be such a success that the Sandefers were certain they must share it with other communities.Atthisunique one-day marketplace, children develop a brand, create a product or service to sell, come up with a marketing strategy, and then open for business. Whether they’re selling jewelry, sweet treats, or entertaining customers with card tricks, children are encouraged to embrace innovative thinking and trust in their individual talents and ambitions. Youth vendors are needed, and a $15 fee is required to register as a
Former Kimbrell’s building is now available for next business.
DOWNTOWN BUILDING 26,400 SQUARE FEET
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ACTION CHILDREN’S BUSINESS FAIR
Children’svendor.
LOCAL EVENT THE CHILDREN’S ENTREPRENEURS EXPO ENCOURAGES THE NEXT GENERATION OF BUSINESS OWNERS.
August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal Atlanta | Charlotte | Raleigh | Greensboro | Fayetteville | Hickory | Asheville | Greenville, NC | Wilmington | Outer Banks | Florence, SC | Greenville, SC Why ? Managed Print Services Data WorkflowDigitalSystelMobileManagedSecurityITServices&CloudPrintingPrintingServicesImagingSolutions&Software 800.849.5900 www.systeloa.com OVER 20 BROKERSEMPLOYEESAND REAL ESTATE Awards Tuesday, 10/18/22 7:30-9:30 a.m. Manna Church, 5117 Cliffdale Rd., Fayetteville Presented By: will present our People's Choice Local HERO Award during the 2022 VALOR Awards Ceremony HERO Nominate a Local Nominees should be individuals that work for Police, Fire, or EMS services within Cumberland County that you can share a first person story about their act of heroism. Please complete the following nomination form in its entirety so that our selection committee has all the details of what makes your nominee a Local HERO. Scan Code Below to Nominate Deadline: Monday 9/5/22
“Consistency is key to having a successful restaurant,” she continued. “Make sure your front door never has fingerprints on it.” These wise words are ones Anna learned from her father. She knows the secret to the best customer service rests in dedication, high quality in every sense of the word, great food and drinks and extreme cleanliness.
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From FUSION, in healthy food between the store and restaurant businesses all in one convenient location. Milton and Karen always loved going out to dinner and made the drive to Durham once a week to enjoy upscale dining at the Magnolia Grill, now closed. The Southern Pines area, at that time, lacked any upscale dining niche. There were a few restaurants in town, however. Nature’s Own Market & Café was not considered upscale. Milton, a true, dedicated entrepreneur, decided when they made the move to turn 195 American Fusion into its own entity, the focus was to make it fine dining. “I would like to mention we are an eclectic, casual, upscale dining experience. I think our menu touches on just about every cuisine and I want everyone to be able to find something they enjoy on our menu,” AnnaThesaid.ingredients for 195 American Fusion’s cuisine are sourced locally whenever possible. C.V. Pilson Farms is one such local source – and yes, this is part of the Pilson Family. “This is where we get our very famous sweet potato wedges as well as our strawberries for our seasonal strawberry quesadilla dessert,” Anna said.Recently, 195 American Fusion began using SGT Peppers Mushroom Farm for their gourmet mushrooms. They obtain goat cheese and related products from Paradox Farms. They support the local community and economy whenever possible and in doing so, they have a farm to table approach in fine dining.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 7
By Diana Hansen
The restaurant features a lovely outdoor patio and bar, open yearround. Last year, they installed overhead heaters. The heaters keep the outdoor dining area warm when the cooler months arrive while patrons enjoy the same outdoor ambience. Aside from the normal seating and reservations, 195 American Fusion rents out the space for private events, too. Rehearsal dinners, bridal showers and just about any other event the customer desires. Customers can inquire about the private dining room off the main dining room. The private dining room serves to fulfill customer needs for private functions indoors. On and off-site catering are available. All menus are customizable to fit customer needs. Call 910-692-7110 or email Anna at foranna@195americanfusion.commoreinformationortomakean
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY 195 AMERICAN FUSION
Derek Platt (pictured left) and Alex Turner (pictured right) trained under former Executive Chef Prem Nath to master old dishes and bring new flavors to the table.
The Pilot’s 2022 Best of the Pines declared 195 American Fusion the Best Farm to Table Restaurant in the area, in fact. Derek Platt and Alex Turner are the faces behind the food. Pilson explained, “They’ve been with us for multiple years now, and training under our former Executive Chef Prem Nath, were able to become experts in our old dishes, and bring a good mix of new items into play. Syrups for the bar drinks are all created in-house. They juice daily which keeps everything as fresh as possible. They have signature cocktails and rotate the seasonal cocktails. They offer craft beer, a full bar, and a variety of non-alcoholic options besides a variety of wines. Derek carefully curates the wine list to pair with items on the menu. Nice to have someone in the back of the house control what goes on in that respect.Youcan order wines based off appointment for further details. Anna comments on 195 American Fusion’s dedication to the ultimate in customer service. “We have always strived to give excellent customer service. I like to have a small staff,” she told GFBJ. “They know who all our regulars are and a lot of times those people turn into family. I think people enjoy coming here and seeing friendly faces and having the servers know what they want before the customers themselves even tell them. Just like a part of the family. Even with the influx of military and all the new faces and growth the community has experienced, though the restaurant has become much busier, I will say that we have always been able to maintain that high quality standard.”
The hours of 195 American Fusion are: Sundays and Mondays, closed; Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To make reservations or ask questions, call 910-692-7110. The lunch and dinner menus along with other information about 195 can be found on the website www.195americanfusion.com.at
HOSPITALITY
page 1
195 American Fusion strives each day to meet the highest standards possible coupled with heartfelt southern hospitality – where everyone feels at home, just like one of the family.
bizfayetteville.com flavors created in the kitchen.”
Rasmussen appointed to internal audit director role for City of Fayetteville ROSE RASMUSSEN has been appointed to the Internal Audit director role. She began in the position on Aug. 1. responsibilitiesThe of her new position include overseeing the City’s Internal Audit Office, which is charged with assisting City Council with oversight of City resources through audits and fraud investigations, and ensuring City government remains transparent andRasmussen’saccountable.employment with the
“It’s been extremely rewarding and exciting to mentor this team throughout this process and see them engage with NASA scientists and engineers creatively and innovatively to help address genuine, specific challenges facing NASA,” Bhattacharya said in a press release. “Their curiosity, drive, tenacity, and intellectual agility in this challenge have been inspiring, and they have earned and deserve this honor. I am so pleased to have served as their faculty advisor, and What are you and your peers achieving? Have you reached a new goal? Have you acquired another business? Maybe your business has a new hire you would like to highlight.
Rasmussen
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
City began in March 2014 when she started working as a financial analyst. Upon establishment of the Internal Audit Office, she was promoted to senior internal auditor where she aided in developing the office. An Army veteran, Rasmussen has over 20 years of accounting, finance and auditRasmussenexperience.is enthusiastic about her new role and her opportunity to play a part in City leadership during a time of transformative growth. She anticipates leveraging her broad view of the organization to provide key perspective to City leaders while growing and developing her team.
ACHIEVERS
Rasmussen spoke about the specific professional privileges and challenges that accompany work as an auditor: “Every audit is a new challenge and a chance to improve our City’s processes. As an auditor, we are privileged to work with all City departments and learn about their processes. This gives the Internal Audit Office a holistic view of the organization. The Internal Audit team will expand as we hire new employees. We anticipate the creation of a flexible audit plan that will allow the Internal Audit Office to focus on areas where our attention is needed, when we are needed.”
To nominate someone for GFBJ’s Achievers section, email editor@bizfayetteville.com with the subject line “Achiever.”
Laura DeSantis and Kyle Schultz, Chris Arsenault, and Sambit Bhattacharya, PhD.
MeadorHatton
STEPHANIE MEADOR joined the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal team in the role of contributing writer/ reporter on Aug. 8. Meador holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Central Arkansas. Among her experiences are fiction section editor and the nonfiction editor for The Vortex Magazine, short story judge for Reedsy, and intern positions for youRhere| Modern Retreats and the International LeadershipGFBJAssociation.EditorJenna Shackelford, who has been supervising both Hatton and Meador, is excited to see them both excel in their positions. “Both Faith and Stephanie are passionate about what they do, and they both bring an abundance of skills to the table,” she said. “They’ve been hard at work, so people who have kept up with the Journal’s print edition and daily newsletter have already seen their efforts to cover and uplift GFBJ’s thriving seven-county region.”
After a study period that lasted between 2018 through 2020, Healthgrades graded hospitals across the U.S. based on four main patient safety indicators that accounted for 74 percent of all patient safety events. These include: hip fractures due to an in-hospital fall, collapsed lung resulting from a procedure/surgery, pressure or bed sores acquired in-hospital, and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in-hospital.Hospitals awarded the Patient Safety Excellence Award were found to have less patient risk in those four areas when compared to non recipient“Throughhospitals.our 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science with Healthgrades. “We are proud to name Sampson Regional Medical Center as a 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a priority.”
Greater towelcomesBusinessFayettevilleJournalHatton,Meadoreditorialteam
Page 8 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal bizfayetteville.com
Sampson Regional Medical Center receives recognition for patient safety Sampson Regional Medical Center has been recognized by online medical resource Healthgrades as a 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient. This recognition places SampsonRMC in the top 10 percent of all short term acute care hospitals evaluated by Healthgrades. “This is a real honor for us, especially being recognized three years in a row. We take great pride to be among the nation’s hospitals earning this distinction. We work hard every day to deliver safe and quality care to our patients, and this award reflects that commitment,” said Dr. Shawn Howerton, chief executive and medical officer for Sampson Regional Medical Center. “This level of quality care is possible because of our providers, leadership, and staff who make continuous improvement a priority. We value our team and their commitment to keep patients safe in our hospital,” stated Dr. Howerton in a press release.
See ACHIEVERS, page 9
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal wants to hear from you and your business to shine a spotlight on your accomplishments.
FAITH HATTON joined the team on July 25. A graduate of GFBJ,PriorBroadcasting.inBachelor’sHattonStateAppalachianUniversity,holdsadegreeElectronicMediatojoiningHattonwas a multimedia journalist and anchor at KMOT, a TV station in Minot, North Dakota that is affiliated with NBC and Fox, and then worked as a reporter for the channel’s sister station, KFYR-TV.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is excited to introduce two new hires to its editorial team.
Fayetteville State student research team receives recognition from NASA with award winning design A research team of two Fayetteville State University Students, LAURA DESANTIS and KYLE SCHULTZ, one student from North Carolina State University, CHRIS ARSENAULT, and their FSU faculty advisor, SAMBIT BHATTACHARYA, PHD traveled to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio to present their winning project: “Improving the Design of Heat Exchangers with Artificial Intelligence.”Theteamdeveloped an artificial intelligence (AI) driven, multifunctional, lightweight and more efficient heat management systems for NASA’s University Student Design Challenge 2021-2022. The competition works with universities from around the country to find designs that will help NASA meet its mission needs.After having their project accepted, they partnered with NASA scientist Dr. Ezra McNichols spent the next few months collecting data, developing and testing software and collaborating with their NASA connection preparing to present their work.NASA announced the winners of the competition in April of 2022, and winning teams were invited to the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for an event in June. Teams made presentations on their winning designs for GRC senior leadership, personnel, subject matter experts, and interns and faculty.
ACHIEVERS
From ACHIEVERS, page 8 HAVE YOU SECURED YOUR BUSINESS?Video•AccessControl • Intrusion Detection • UL Fire Protection Systems Real Time-LOCAL monitoring Speak with a LOCAL person 24/7/365 910.483.1196 / HolmesSecurity.net Offices in Fayetteville & Wilmington GET Advertise with Greater Fayetteville Business Journal to get your company’s name in front of an influential and affluent audience! Want to stay in the loop on the most relevant news? Subscribe today at BizFayetteville.com/Subscribe. PLUGGEDIN! 3771 Ramsey Street 15,000 ++ Square Feet Available for Lease 2709 Thorngrove Ct. Suite 2, Fayetteville, NC 28303 910.864.3232 | c-sprop.com Glackin N.C. DEPT. OF MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS Wright (pictured right) and Aponte (pictured left)
bizfayetteville.com I look forward to opening these research opportunities to more students.”
Ultimately, the goal of following these treatment measures is to speed up recovery times and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.Qualifying hospitals are ones that comply with those performance measures at a set level for a year. Some of those measures are “evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive-risk-reduction therapies,” the release Additionally,said. patients from the institutions should receive education on managing their health, schedule follow-up visits to ensure their care, and learn about other transition interventions.
Fayetteville State University has promoted DR. CAROLINE GLACKIN She will now serve as the professor of Entrepreneurship in the Department of Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Fire & Emergency Services of the Broadwell College and Economics at Fayetteville State University. Her first day in the new role was Aug. 1. Glackin has been at FSU for over seven years. In her time there, she has served in various roles CollegeatassociateincludingprofessortheBroadwellofBusiness and Economics, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and assistant department chair. Earlier this year, Glackin was honored by The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship as a 2022 Minority and Women Entrepreneurship Emerging Scholar. Additionally, a case study by Glackin and UNC’s Dr. Suzanne Altobello was the recipient of CASE Journal’s 2022 Best Case Award.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 9
Wright presented with high state honor At the Association of the United States Army’s Summit and Exposition in Fayetteville, RET. COL. WILLIE WRIGHT was honored with the Old North State Award on behalf of Governor Roy Cooper. The award recognizes “dedication and service beyond expectation North Carolina for 20 years or more. Wright is a familiar face in the Fayetteville area. He is the past executive vice president and lifelong member of the Braxton Bragg chapter of PresidentAUSA.of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Braxton Bragg Chapter Ariel Aponte presented the honor to Wright. “I am truly honored to award Col (Ret.) Willie Wright from Fayetteville the Old North State Award on behalf of Governor Roy Cooper … Mr. Wright is a remarkable soldier for life in and outside the uniform,” Aponte said in a LinkedIn post prior to presenting the award.
Cape Fear Valley Health receives award from American Heart Association Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association.The honor signifies “commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines for treatment,” a press release said.
FSU promotes Glackin to new professor position
Page 10 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal SERVING THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNITY WITH THE BEST QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1976 WITH LOCATIONS IN www.americanuniform.com American Uniform Sales Inc 321 E. RUSSELL PHONE:(910)FAYETTEVILLE,NCSTREET28301-5743323-1336•FAX:(910)323-0660www.americanuniform.com Fayetteville | Wilmington | Alexandria Virgina | Baltimore | Philadelphia
According to Group President of
While it is still too early in the acquisition process to say for sure what will be going on the 37.25 acres, the land already has set zoning in place.
“The great part about the City of Fayetteville is, it doesn’t take a lot of time from when we want to do something and through zoning and through permits and all of that, they’re very building friendly. So we think we’ll get support to move rather quickly when we’re ready.” of BY
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 11
Acres
The 37.25 acres sold will go to the Van Metre Companies and the City of Fayetteville.
>> Staff Report COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATEbizfayetteville.com
VIRGINIA-BASED REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER
Investment Properties Mike Barrett with VMC, the company entered the Fayetteville market in April of 2021, and currently owns Village on the Lake and Stonegate Apartments in Spring Lake, Hunters Glen in Sanford along with the Villagio. Now they also have the ability to grow the Villagio with the same goals set by the Shamdasani family and continue development that has already begun.
Residents and businesses on Bragg Boulevard can expect to see new development in the area in the coming years following the purchase of 37.25 acres of land by private real estate developer Van Metre Companies based in Northern Virginia.TradeMark Properties represented the most recent property owners, 3701 Limited Partnership, in the sale. They said the land listed as address 3910 Bragg Blvd sold for $4.75 million dollars and the deal closed on Aug.“We4. were very excited to find a quality buyer that is looking to enhance the Bragg Boulevard corridor,” said Shelley Bhatia and Mike Keen, the two brokers for the deal. “It was a pleasure working with the seller on this deal as they were actively involved and made the process smooth and easy from the beginning. We see the amazing growth in the Fayetteville market and believe this development will be a great addition to the area!”The previous owners, the Shamdasani family, owned the land since the early 1990s and put the property up for sale a little more than a year ago. They are the previous owners who facilitated the building of the Villagio Apartments, bringing in a number of teams together to bring high quality housing to the area back in late 2008 to early 2009. They later sold the property around 2018 to new owners with the hopes they could continue development. “Timing is everything in real estate, and we thought it was time to go ahead and sell the Villagio, bring some new skill sets into our community, so they can carry on with the next phase of the Villagio where they could do another over 130 some units to complete the whole development,” said one of the previous owners, Rajan Shamdasani.
The family has also sold off portions of the land to other businesses such as E-Z Auto and the City of Fayetteville who plan to build a fire station. The Shamdasani family also assisted in the sale of both the Villagio Apartments and the adjoining properties to new owners, the Van Metre“Frankly,Companies.itwas very sentimental to our family, because we’ve had it for such a long time and it’s such an important part of Bragg Boulevard corridor. However, the folks that now own it, the Van Metre Companies, we are very glad that it’s in their hands.” said Shamdasani. “We met multiple offers from folks who were going to parcel it out and we were not seeing anyone really present a cohesive plan for the entire tract so we decided to hang onto that piece of property. Sentimental reasons aside, Van Metre Companies saw the value in the location and the community and Bragg Boulevard.”
It was a pleasure working with the seller on this deal as they were actively involved and made the process smooth and easy from the beginning. We see the amazing growth in the tobethismarketFayettevilleandbelievedevelopmentwillagreatadditionthearea!”ShelleyBhatiaandMikeKeen “
Brokers
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TRADEMARK PROPERTIES
According to zoning information listed on the Geographic Information System through Cumberland County, as of 2021, the land is currently zoned as a Community Commercial District and a Mixed Residential 5 District. The allowed zoning includes the potential for retail, service and office uses and a variety of residential housing. Also allowed under an MR-5 zoning ordinance are complementary institutional uses such as churches, post offices and police substations, as well as day care facilities and limited small scale retail sites.
“The original plan for the Villagio was to build the building that is currently there and then behind it almost an identical type building. So not only do we have the 36 and a half acres that we purchased from Rajan,” said Barrett, “...if you look at Blanton Road which is the road that goes down and dead ends at Villagio, The plan as I understand it from the city is that they’re going to continue that road on through, and then you’ll have the firehouse out front.”The Van Metre Companies specialize in a number of areas including high end real estate development, construction and in the management of apartment, retail and office investment properties. Their expertise also extends into historic properties, apartments, and commercial buildings including office and retail space, and private home building.“Now we're talking apartments, doing a phased in approach. Really, in Fayetteville right now, there’s not a lot of new deliveries coming in the next couple of years in the pipeline,” said Barrett. “We feel that Fayetteville continues to grow and that the North Carolina market, a lot of people are moving in that general area. So the combination of all those things made us think we could be successful there, and build a nice product that could help the community.”Barrett says that the company is still weighing their options while they continue to examine things like pricing, construction costs, zoning requirements but they know they will have the support of the city when the light turns green.
Bragg Boulevard sold NEARLY 40 ACRES OF LAND ON BRAGG BOULEVARD PURCHASED
Page 12 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal Named to the Channel Futures 501 global list of top servicemanagedproviders ©2021 TeamLogic, Inc. All rights reserved. Position Your Business for Success WITH OUR COMPREHENSIVE IT SERVICES Need help with your technology? Whether you need immediate help with your computer systems or are looking for managed IT services to keep your technology up and running, we can get it done. • Cybersecurity • VoIP and Unified Communications • Data Backup and Recovery • Hardware and Software Procurement • Networking Services • Relocation Services • Cloud • Business Continuity • Email Management • Project Consultation Trust your technology to TeamLogic IT. <<Name>> • <<Phone>> • <<Email>> <<Address>> • <<City>>, <<State>> <<Zip>> • <<Website>> FayettevilleNC@teamlogicit.com910.500.13914424BraggBlvdFayetteville,NC28303Trust your technology to TeamLogic IT.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal Pub lisher Marty Cayton says it’s im portant for business owners to think ahead and be prepared for long term decisions such as retirement,and tax season as factors affecting their liveli hood continue to change.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 13
SPEAKERS
INCLUDE:Kelly Puryear is one of eight part ners with TRP Sumner PLLC as well as the acting Managing Partner of the firm.TRP Sumner is a full-service CPA and advisory firm that consults clients in ways to im prove profitability and create wealth for businesses and their owners. In his role as Managing Partner, Pur year is responsible for guiding TRP Sumner’s overall strategy as well as the firm’s day-to-day operations. His practice experience spans 40 years and includes working with small businesses in a variety of areas such as tax planning, financial reporting, and management advisory services. Kelly also works with a variety of business industries and has not only successfully managed the company through the ever-changing business climate for the firm, but has also ad vised our business clients in ways to prosper through significant changes as well.
MANAGING UNCERTAINTY GREATER FAYE TT E VILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL
Inflation, economic uncertainty, supply chain slowdowns, labor shortages and a global pandem ic-these are just some of the challeng es members of the business commu nity are facing day to day. Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is inviting members of the business community in and around Fayetteville to prepare for their future, network, and enjoy good food at the fifth quarterly Power Breakfast on Sept. 20, 2022 at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens from 7:30-9:30 a.m.Guests will be treated to three panel speakers focusing on topics aligning with this event’s theme: “Managing Uncertainty.”
Tickets are still available online at fayettevillepowerbreakfast.com and range from $40 for general admission and $350 for a table of 10. Sponsorship opportunities for the Power Breakfast Series are still available with the event scheduled to continue every quarter into 2023. For information on becoming a Power Breakfast sponsor, feel free to reach out to organizers at marketing. bizfayettville.com or at 910-240-9697.
“None of these folks have a crystal ball that they can look into and give us exact data that will protect us,” said Cayton. “But it’s managing the uncertainty, managing the ups and downs of an economy, you know, staying true to a plan and not getting turned upside down when things are not going well. They have a good per ception on that they are a great group of folks that I’ll be looking forward to working with.”
Past topics in the Power Breakfast Series include “Entrepreneurs & Acquirers,” “For Our Defense”, and “The Healthcare Economy.”Jenna Shackelford, Editor of the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal says organizers try to keep topics relevant to their readership. “We always want to make sure that it’s something that’s helpful, where you can walk away and say, ‘This is something that I relate to, and it’s also something that I can learn from and it’s also something that I can implement in my business,’” said Shackelford. “We have some industry stakeholders here who have a lot of great guidance that they can offer in the financial, legal and tax perspec tives that can benefit businesses.”
Debbie Best, CFP®, Financial Advisor With 28 years in the financial ser vices caresprofessionalBestindustry,isawhodeeplyabout her clients. She listens, asks import ant questions and develops strategies to help ensure that their goals can be met. Her clients include successful business owners and professionals, as well as retirees focused on income and wealth transfer strategies. Best is convinced that trust, confidentiality and a personal relationship are keys to the financial process.
“I think from a business owner and a business person’s perspective the question is ‘What should I be doing?’, and really what I think we should be doing is what we should have been doing all along is planning for the future, making good decisions today that will affect tomorrow. It’s always good to have a succession plan in business,” said Cayton. Guest speakers will be discussing topics from a financial, legal and tax perspective, bringing their years of expertise right to local business own ers who need it most.
Deanna Coleman is a Manag ing Partner at Ray, O’Con nor, Coleman & Halverson, PLLC. Coleman’s practice is focused on estate planning, estate administra tion, business representation and tax planning. Coleman earned her Bach elor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her Juris Doctor at North Carolina Central University School of Law, and her Master of Laws in Taxation at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. A native of Fayette ville, Coleman enjoys giving back to her hometown through charitable volunteering, supporting local busi nesses and helping to spread posi tivity regarding Fayetteville and the surrounding areas. With panelists keeping outside economic influences like price in creases, rising interest rates and the war in Ukraine in mind, guests at the upcoming Power Breakfast can expect to hear tips to help manage uncertainty for businesses and their families and learn how to make solid plans for the future.
The event will be held at the Cape Fear Botanical gardens for the sec ond year in a row in the Ralph and Linda Huff Orangery. With a seating capacity of 400 guests, Shackelford says she would love for more busi ness owners in areas surrounding Cumberland County to come and join in on this great networking opportunity.“Wereally just want this to be a time where everybody can just come together and be unified at our breakfasts in learning something and in wanting to network,”says Shack elford. “We’re built for community, and that’s not just in our lives outside of work. We’re built to do business with each other, to know each other, to know your neighbor, and to want to help them, and this is a great way for us to come together and say, ‘We have this in common. What can we do to improve, who can help us do it and how can we help other people?”
Page 14 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal • Share your ideas and perspective with the Business Journal audience • Position yourself and your firm as the thought leader in your industry • Host a dedicated page on the Business Journal site with your content and contact information with shareable links accessible 24/7 SPONSOR BENEFITS Insights will be featured throughout the Business Journal website, daily emails, with additional distribution via social media DISTRIBUTION GREATER FAYETTEVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL | 910.240.9697 | MARKETING@BIZFAYETTEVILLE.COM TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT bizfayetteville.com INSIGHTS
CAPE FEAR CENTER FOR DIGESTIVE DISEASES AND
Colonoscopies in particular, Zoquier said, can be a touchy subject for some. Advances in the practice and technology, however, have facili tated conversations around gastroin testinal“Cominghealth.in and seeing our spe cialists and knowing that they're not going to judge you is a huge bonus,” she said. “Sometimes patients think they're going to come in and the doctors are going to lecture them about their habits. Our doctors aren't like that at all. They really care for your health and they want your well being.”Zoquier spoke on the severity of colon cancer and its preventability.
T wo of the most
CumberlandgastroenterologyprominentfirmsinCountyhave joined forces to create Premier Gastroenterology, a new practice set to expand healthcare offerings and become an even bigger presence in theCapecommunity.FearCenter for Digestive Diseases and Fayetteville Gastro enterology Associates successfully completed the merger on July 1, forming Premier Gastroenterology after years of sustained talks among stakeholders. The new practice, according to Chief Operating Officer Crystalyn Zoquier, is now the third largest in North Carolina.
Premier also plans to be a main stay in community life in Cumber land County. Although the merger has just come to fruition this past July, Zoquier the practice is already looking at effective community out reach
“But the good news is that colon cancer is preventable, treatable, and curable with appropriate screening and early diagnosis,” Zoquier said. “If you come in for a screening or a similar procedure, our medical professionals are going to make the process warm and inviting.”
“Merging helps with health Medicalcare
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 15 and the rising insurance costs for our employees. There are some cost saving benefits to it,” Zoquier said. Employees will also benefit from the new merger.
ASSOCIATES FORM PREMIER GASTROENTEROLOGY not make you feel judged. I know gut health can be an uncomfortable subject for a lot of people.”
“Colon cancer doesn't care if you're 70-years-old or 40-years-old. It does happen earlier sometimes as well, especially if it runs in your fam ily,” Zoquier said. “There are a lot of factors that really play into that, so we really just want to promote and get out there and let people know we're here to help.”
“Because we're a larger entity, we want to be able to take just about every insurance there is under the sun now,” Zoquier said. “That way people don't have to travel out to other cities and visit other practices.”
“We believe the combination of the two practices will be positive for our employees, our patients, and our communities,” Zoquier said in a recent interview. “The combination of our companies brings our spe cialty services together under one corporate entity serving all segments of our industry.”
“We'restrategies.going to start doing just some community involvement,” Zoquier said. “Even little things such as, you know, if we let our employees dress down for a day, they have to participate in a canned foods drive for local charities. We're going to do a lot more community involve ment since we have grown so much.”
The main priority for the new practice, Zoquier said, is to provide quality, patient-centered gastroenter ology care to all patients in a warm and caring environment. The new venture also signifies new ambitions. “We plan to fully integrate the combined businesses with the clear goal of becoming the strongest play er in our field,” Zoquier said. Now, Premier Gastroenterology employs 130 people, including 11 doctors and 12 mid-level employees. In the world of health care, Zoqui er explained, mid-level employees typically refer to those who receive shorter training than physicians but will perform some of the same tasks. These workers follow certified train ing courses and receive accreditation for their work. Employees in the mid-level category include nurses, auxiliary nurses, nurse assistants, non-physician clinicians and surgical technicians.“Oneofthe main reasons that we have gone through with the merger is that there's strength in numbers,” Zoquier said. “We're the third largest gastroenterology company in North CarolinaPatientsnow.”canexpect to keep the same level of quality service from Premier while also enjoying the bene fits of an expanded practice, Zoquier said.“Since we have such a vast number of doctors now, you will still be seen at the same practice and your records will be there,” she said. “So if you need to see one doctor for a specif ic service you can come to us here, but then if you need to see another doctor for another procedure, you can see that doctor too without the hassle of getting a referral. There is no hassle of moving your records. You're still being seen at the same practice.”Additionally, the new practice also features extended insurance coverage.
Part of community outreach includes emphasizing to community members just how important gastro intestinal health is. “Our doctors are very skilled at what they do,” Zoquier said. “They are very well-educated and they do
The teams from both clinics have united to create the third largest gastroenterology practice in North Carolina.
>> By Eddie Velazquez HEALTH CAREbizfayetteville.com
“We want to build upon our strengths and common core set of values and just commit to providing the best care for our patients,” she noted.The merger will also help the com pany streamline operational costs.
FAYETTEVILLE GASTROENTEROLOGY
“The combination of the two practices has really been positive for the employees because we've been able to look at benefits for both sides,” Zoquier said, explaining that benefits such as time off options are consistently improved upon.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PREMIER GASTROENTEROLOGY
The City of Fayetteville has also taken notice of the importance of gutOnhealth.March 4, Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin declared “Fayetteville Goes Blue for Colon Cancer” day. As part of the proclamation, city of ficials noted more than 151,000 new cases of colon cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S.
merger
Premier Gastroenterology offices are located in Fayetteville at 1880 Quiet Cove at the former Cape Fear Center for Digestive Diseases location. A second office is located at 2041 and 2015 Valleygate Dr., formerly the location for Fayetteville Gastroenterology Associates.
Even as a new practice, Zoquier said Premier will retain and build upon the foundations of the past.
At the Future Business Leaders of America national competition in Chicago, held June 27 through July 2, Morris and Stauffer received first place with other members of the Academy in the network design category.During the last three years the Academy has set up Morris and Stauffer, along with their teammates, to succeed at this event. “Getting the experience and opportunities to prove to ourselves that we can do this, it all accumulated to this, like a capstone in a sense,” stated Morris. At nationals, the Academy of Information Technology was tasked with a prompt and needed to present to a panel of judges as if it were a business meeting the solutions and ideas the team came up with. For example, the team could receive a prompt the day of the event and is given only twenty minutes to prepare a presentation to roleplay as a company who sets up the network. The team was in charge of fixing issues with hardware and cabling. Then, the team had seven minutes to present their ideas. Following the presentation, the judges would ask questions as if it were a true business meeting. “At nationals, it kind of really caught us off guard initially because it wasn’t anything we were expecting,” added Morris. “We had to deal with more troubleshooting instead of standard designing.”
IT PROGRAM FOR HIGHSCHOOLERS SETS STUDENTS UP TO THRIVE IN TECH INDUSTRY and prepared on the topic of network design,” said Stauffer. “We had the state competition, which is a little bit harder than regionals and then worked our way to nations.”
Page 16 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal TECHNOLOGY bizfayetteville.com
Certified for cybersecurity
Alocal high school program has opened a door into a profitable industry for two Cumberland County students.
>> By Savanah Ramsey
CHRIS RIED/UNSPLASH
The Pine Forest High School Academy of Information Technology helps introduce high school students to career opportunities in the information technology industry. The academy provides a program of study in information systems, software installation and maintenance, andTonetworking.applyforthe Academy of Information Technology, students must complete and submit an application, have an overall minimum grade point average of 2.5, and be a rising 9th or 10th grader. Students outside of the Pine Forest High School district can also apply. Once accepted, students are required to pay a $35 dollar yearly fee. At completion of high school the academy equips its students with the skills necessary to compete in a career field.
As recent graduates from Pine Forest High School and the Academy of Information Technology, both Morris and Stauffer plan to attend the University of North Carolina Charlotte and major in Computer Science Cybersecurity.
“I really feel like the cybersecurity field is interesting,” Morris said. “It’s so relevant today and everytime we turn the news on there’s different conversations about cyberattacks and“Formore.”me, I plan on going into something with cloud computing and virtualization with security,” Stauffer added. “It’s a new and upcoming field that not a lot of people know about and use it everywhere. So it's going to be something new and fun to learn about in the technology field.”
While in the program, students have the ability to earn certifications in Comp TIA A + Computer Technician, Comp TIA IT Fundamentals, Comp TIA Network+, Comp TIA Security+, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Dream Weaver, and Microsoft Office Specialist.
“So the opportunities that the academy provides and the staff members that run the academy, especially our Director, Elaine Vallery, help ensure that we’re prepared and ready for the next step of life.” Along with earning these certifications, during the students’ junior and senior year, they are able to take technology community college courses through Fayetteville Technical Community College. The county ensures that the classes the students take at FTCC are covered along with their textbooks and the costs of their certifications. “Just to have the community college classes to prepare us for what actual college classes would be like, is extremely helpful by making us feel more confident with going away from home,” said ThroughoutStauffer.theyear, the Academy takes its students to regional, state and national competitions. “We went to after school meetings
The two students who have shined in the Academy and are continuing their future in technology are Charles Morris and Theron Stauffer. Stauffer began to take interest in technology when he was in middle school, when he began to work with technology and take courses. “My mom used to be like ‘I don’t know how to use this,’ but I would get to working on the computer, and then next thing I know, I would be taking the computer apart just for fun when I was bored,” Stauffer said. For Morris, the story was similar. Growing up, Morris loved playing with LEGO sets and obsessed with putting them together and taking them apart as well as figuring out how they worked. “I also took apart the family computer and thought it was really fun and got in trouble for it and had to get it back together,” Morris added. “I feel like it’s really important for people to see that the Academy and doing clubs like it really does pay off in the long run,” said Morris. “I feel more prepared for college and the career world after that.” While in the program, students have the ability to earn certifications in Comp TIA A + Computer Technician, Comp TIA IT Fundamentals, Comp TIA Network+, Comp TIA Security+, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Dream Weaver, and Microsoft Office Specialist.“The certifications we have are really high level certifications that high schoolers don’t usually have because they’re too expensive,” Morris added.
By Stephanie Meador bizfayetteville.com
Brews Cruise, a national licens ing brand of brewery and winery distillery tour opera tors, is coming to Fayetteville in early September. Their service provides visitors and residents the opportu nity to learn more about local craft breweries.Localowner and operator Alaina Maislin shared why she wanted to bring Brews Cruise to the area. “I visit breweries in different locations all the time. I’ve visited all the brew eries here in Fayetteville, and I just thought if I was going to invest in the community maybe I'd start with a fun way of doing it,” says Maislin. Maislin will be leading walking tours for groups of 10 or less in his toric downtown. She is also actively looking for a vehicle to provide bus tours that would accommodate up to 14 Toursguests.are for small groups and typically last between three to four hours, making stops at three different locations. The guest picks the day, the time, and the type of tour design that they would like to participate in. They pay one price for the tour experience which includes all of the alcohol, transportation, access, and the guide. For each location visitors are on site for about 45 minutes. At the end of the tour at each location customers are given the opportunity to make additional purchases and pick up merchandise from the venue.
>>
Brews Cruise staff hopes that at the conclusion of the tour visitors are in spired to return back to the locations anotherAccordingtime.
BrewsOperations
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 17
PHOTO FROM BREWS CRUISE WEBSITE
The Asheville based company will be bringing their unique brand of tours to the Fayetteville area for the first time.
Cruise
Don Littlefield, the tour offers more than simply a good time with friends: “It’s a business development tour in which you are going to meet people that have chosen the artform of craft alcohol.”Thecompany hopes to provide customers with an experience that al lows them to experience craft alcohol in a different way by going behind the scenes to meet the founders, own ers, brewers, and managers of these local companies. Interested consumers will be able to learn more and purchase tickets at www. brewscruise.com/fayetteville. The official site is expected to launch in early Sep tember.
BREWS
CRUISE TO OFFER WALKING TOURS OF LOCAL CRAFT BREWERIES IN FAYETTEVILLE
to Brews Cruise’s National Director Of
Page 18 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal THE LIST bizfayetteville.com RankedCaterersbyGoogle ratings RANK COMPANY NAME LOCATION CONTACT INFO GOOGLERATINGPLACES # GOOGLE REVIEWS FOUNDEDYEAR # PART-TIMEFULL-TIMEEMPLOYEES EXECUTIVE(S) 1 TEMIA JOY'S EVENTS, CATERING AND RESTAURANT 100 E. Divine Dunn,N.C.28334St. www.temiajoyeventsandcatering.com910-292-2500 965 2017 N/ATemia JoyOwnerWeathersby 2 DOROTHY'S CATERING 2 701 Westmont Drive Fayetteville,N.C.28305 www.dorothyscatering.com910-302-1871 4.956 2012 N/A JelisaOwnerMontalvo 3 TWO BROTHERS CATERING/THE VINE 806 Katie St. Fayetteville ,N.C.28306 www.thevinenc.com910-261-6584 4.863 2017 N/A Brad McLawhornOwner 4 LUIGI'S ITALIAN CHOPHOUSE AND BAR 528 N. McPherson Church FayettevilleRoad,N.C.28303 www.luigisnc.com910-864-1810 2,2924.6 1982 4535 NathanOwnerErnst 5 BELMONT VILLAGE 1104 Hay St. Fayetteville,N.C.28305 910-485-8433N/A 4.663 1994 N/A BeckyOwnerKing 6 CARTER'S CATERING 110 Nigel Road Lumberton,N.C.28358 www.carterscateringnc.com910-738-7114 4.68 1998 N/A Toni Carter General Manager 7 LET ME CATER TO YOU 5446 Reilly Road Pope Field,N.C.28308 www.letmecatertoyou.net910-303-9707 4.551 2012 N/A JudithOwnerCage 8 PEADEN'S SEAFOOD & CATERING 1600 McArthur Road Fayetteville,N.C.28311 www.peadens.com910-488-1972 6284.4 1972 N/A JimmyOwnerPeadon 9 FIRESIDE RESTAURANT & CATERING 2637 Bragg Blvd. Fayetteville,N.C.28303 www.firesidebraggblvd.com910-339-9321 2364.3 1997 N/A AreteTsiatsosOwner 10 B & B CATERING & EVENT PLANNING INC. 697 Bethel Baptist Road Spring Lake,N.C.28390 www.bnbcatering.com910-476-4333 44 1990 4510 BillOwner/ChefPannhoff 11 FRIENDS UPSCALE COMFORT FOOD 3739 Legion Road Hope Mills,N.C.28348 www.friendsupscalefood.com910-248-9115 224 2018 N/A MahaliaPortiaGradyFounderRobinsonCEO List is based on information from representatives of the companies and other Business Journal research. Information compiled by GFBJ Research. RankCaterersedbyGoogle ratings RANK COMPANY NAME LOCATION CONTACT INFO GOOGLERATINGPLACES # GOOGLE REVIEWS FOUNDEDYEAR # PART-TIMEFULL-TIMEEMPLOYEES EXECUTIVE(S) 1 TEMIA JOY'S EVENTS, CATERING AND RESTAURANT 100 E. Divine Dunn,N.C.28334St. www.temiajoyeventsandcatering.com910-292-2500 965 2017 N/ATemia 2 DOROTHY'S CATERING 2 701 Westmont Drive Fayetteville,N.C.28305 www.dorothyscatering.com910-302-1871 4.956 2012 N/A Jelisa 3 TWO BROTHERS CATERING/THE VINE 806 Katie St. Fayetteville ,N.C.28306 www.thevinenc.com910-261-6584 4.863 2017 N/A Brad 4 LUIGI'S ITALIAN CHOPHOUSE AND BAR 528 N. McPherson Church FayettevilleRoad,N.C.28303 www.luigisnc.com910-864-1810 2,2924.6 1982 4535 5 BELMONT VILLAGE 1104 Hay St. Fayetteville,N.C.28305 910-485-8433N/A 4.663 1994 N/A 6 CARTER'S CATERING 110 Nigel Road Lumberton,N.C.28358 www.carterscateringnc.com910-738-7114 4.68 1998 N/A General 7 LET ME CATER TO YOU 5446 Reilly Road Pope Field,N.C.28308 www.letmecatertoyou.net910-303-9707 4.551 2012 N/A 8 PEADEN'S SEAFOOD & CATERING 1600 McArthur Road Fayetteville,N.C.28311 www.peadens.com910-488-1972 6284.4 1972 N/A Jimmy 9 FIRESIDE RESTAURANT & CATERING 2637 Bragg Blvd. Fayetteville,N.C.28303 www.firesidebraggblvd.com910-339-9321 2364.3 1997 N/A 10 B & B CATERING & EVENT PLANNING INC. 697 Bethel Baptist Road Spring Lake,N.C.28390 www.bnbcatering.com910-476-4333 44 1990 4510
rant in the new location. “It is just so amazing that these people did this.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 19 out of myself and look at it, it’s definitely crazy that it worked. I didn’t think it would work. I mean, I couldn’t even make a crepe,” said Markey. “When I first started people were like, ‘This isn’t gonna work Betsy,’ but I was determined to make it work.”Betsy’s Crepes pulled through, but not without help from the com munity. “I don’t think we would’ve been here if it wasn’t for everyone’s help,” said Markey. The community played a big role in helping Markey’s business expand and advance to the bustling breakfast hub it is today. Encouraged by others, Markey re luctantly opened a GoFundMe page. “I didn’t want to open one. It was like asking for money, and I never wanted to do that,” said Markey. She narrates instances of the com munity’s assistance, from random strangers donating thousand-dollar checks to people she’s known since they were kids donating to support her“It’sbusiness.justamazing, with the thousand dollars, or the little girl with the 20 dollars, it was like, this is crazy that people are fighting for somebody else. The community did it.”Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, the community helped Markey finally open up her restau
“It’s so organized. It’s pretty amazing to watch everyone in the kitchen work. They’re incredible,” said Markey. “We only take three minutes to make a crepe — it doesn’t matter if a customer asks for a really elaborate one. It’s the same time. One of the things we’re really good at is getting the food to the table pretty quickly. That just kinda comes with being an ex-waitress – knowing that people get tired of waiting for their food to come out so everything is pretty fast here.”
F rom the corner of a cof feeshop to a building on the corner of historic downtown Southern Pines, locally-owned restaurant Betsy’s Crepes is a testa ment to perseverance and hope. Betsy Markey, owner and sole proprietor of the restaurant, persist ed through hard times, drastic life changes, and the obstacles building codes threw in her way. Markey’s journey as a waitress to restaurant owner was rife with ups and downs, but through it all she still retains that never-met-a-stranger spirit. She has a compliment for every customer and a story for every crepe. Having started in 2011, Betsy’s Crepes puts a unique, fun spin on breakfast by incorporating fresh ingredients and creative combos to fulfill all of your brunch dreams. In the restaurant’s planning phase, Markey originally sought to open a bagel shop. She reveals her inspi ration for the final decision with charming roots in childhood mem ories. “My grandfather would take us to a place that served German pancakes, so I guess they were crepes but they were rolled and had lemon and sugar on them,” said Markey. “Now when I went to this restaurant with my son, we tasted one, and I looked at my son and said, ‘This is it. This is what we’re gonna do.’ It was completely different than what anyone else was doing, so that’s why I pickedMarkeycrepes.”honed her craft of crepes through guest critiques and person al practice. “When I first started in that little space in the coffeeshop, people were hard on me, telling me the crepes were not right, they were too thick, but everyone kept coming back.” Through all the first stages of opening, Betsy’s Crepes was wildly popular and quickly outgrowing the startup location. “Back when I started, there were not many places that served crepes. Now, I think it’s more of a trend thing, but 11 years ago when I started, you didn’t hear of crepes hardly,” she said. “It ac tually used to be a hot brunch spot, but now other places are also fun and creative, so it calmed us down a bit, and it’s more workable and less insane.”Betsy’s Crepes’ specialties are in the name: crepes. A simple French pastry, reminiscent of a very thin pancake, all made to order. After the batter’s mixed, a special piece of equipment called a crepe-maker, is used in cooking the crepe itself, then the toppings are added and every thing’s plated. There is lots of prepa ration involved, but the efficient staff behind the scenes make sure the restaurant stays flowing smoothly.
SOUTHERN PINES’ BETSY’S CREPES A COMMUNITY FAVORITE
The restaurant offers a variety of options on its menu, including 17 breakfast crepes, 12 sweet crepes and 13 savory crepes in addition to salads, sandwiches, and waffles. If none of those catch your fancy, the menu also boasts a build-your-own crepe option.
In addition to personally regularly donating to small businesses, Mar key is in the process of reopening a Moore County restaurant that closed in 2013. She fondly remem bers going with her dad to the restaurant, and is determined to put it back in business one day.
HOSPITALITY
Griffin
“So, maybe in ten years, you can call and talk to me about that one,” laughed Markey. Betsy’s Crepes is so much more than just a breakfast and lunch spot. It’s a monument to the power of community support – that despite all, things can work out for the better. Maintaining an undying perseverance and a thankful attitude, Markey consistently makes great strides to improve the scene for local businesses, just like the community did for her. “I think we all just got to help each other. Support each other. I think that’s really important to remember.” Kate
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Belovedmyself Betsy’s
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BETSY’S CREPES
The diverse menu displays a panoply of options for a customer to choose from. There are 17 break fast crepes, 12 sweet crepes and 13 savory crepes in addition to salads, sandwiches, and waffles. If none of those catch your fancy, the menu also boasts a build-your-own crepe option. “It’s fun to watch people get creative,” Markey said. The crepes are diverse not only in flavors and toppings, but also high ly accommodating for people with allergies and diet restrictions. The restaurant makes their crepes with over six different types of batter, in cluding but not limited to gluten free and whole wheat. The restaurant also includes selling their own batter mix, so you can bring the deliciousness back home to your kitchen. Betsy’s Crepes was not accom plished alone. “If I can take
The GoFundMe page made $11,000 dollars and the engineer’s bill was 11,000 dollars. So the community paid for the engineers, and the en gineers got the stamp on the paper, and that’s how we got open. I think that’s pretty cool,” said Markey. “There’s a plaque in the restaurant with the names of everyone who donated money.”
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good vibes EDGE TALKS
GFBJ: I find the name for the restaurant really interesting, can you tell me about how you came up with it?
EDGE: So our menu is not full yet, but I’m sure it will expand and people will choose other things, but we do have this vegan chicken sandwich that people like. On the first day we opened, we completely sold out and then again the next day so we had to close so that way I could prep.
GFBJ: Can you tell me about when you first opened your food truck?
GFBJ: Can you tell me a little bit about your cooking journey and what inspired you to get into the business and be vegan focused?
GFBJ: What inspired you to open an entirely vegan restaurant?
EDGE: So the first food truck was a five by eight utility trailer and I didn’t think it was ever going to need to be bigger. But within the first year I ended up getting put in some jour nals and won some awards, so it just kicked off and got super big. I told myself, since I committed to five
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VIBE GASTROPUB
It was like, I believe in this, I believe in making the world a better place, I believe in loving animals and loving humans and giving ourselves options that are amazing. But five years came and actually almost to the day when I got this place, but no one else opened one so I was like I have to do it.
PROFILE bizfayetteville.com >> By Savanah Ramsey See PROFILE, page 23
Page 22 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal
GFBJ: What are the top three fan favorites that your restaurant offers?
EDGE: I was actually looking at another spot downtown, and I was walking around – and I’m not a hippy-ish type of person, in a typical sense, but I was walking around downtown and I was looking at the lights and just was like, ‘This is a vibe.’ Like every time I would tell somebody about the vision that I had, I would explain it and tell them I want this to be an experience. I want people to feel something when they come inside, I don’t want it to be just like okay here’s your food. I want it to be a vibe – a good vibe. I went on Instagram, and nobody had a name like this. I wanted to steer away from cafe because I feel like the connotation to that is very breakfast-like and, with my vision, I want a spot for the community that’s Igood.want to have comedy nights and live music and I thought gastropub fit perfectly because I have been to them before and I love them. So that’s kinda how Vibe GastroPub came about.
EDGE: What happened was, I was 22 years old, I owned a coffee shop in the mall, and I knew nothing about business. I accidentally ended up in business, and so I was in the mall, and spending way too much money a month for nothing. So I was like, ‘This is so silly. What am I doing?’ I contemplated it and really over time considered the fact that this could be so easy if I just don’t have to pay for any overhead. So then it was like, ‘What if I have a food truck?’ That’s when the idea came about and I was going to build it myself, like I’ve built everything else. So I was just going to go ahead and build the food truck and then slowly work into it being an actual thing. So after I sold the coffee shop, I ended up with the utility trailer. The game plan was I was going to do that while the artist I managed went years, that if no one opens a vegan business in Fayetteville during that time I’ll do it.
Sharing OF HER INSPIRATION FOR DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT on tour, I was just going to take the trailer with me. But I just gave up on it for all those years and then it wasn’t until I made the decision to commit to it that I actually started building the food truck itself. Essentially, I just happened to accidentally end up in the next spot of life.
EDGE: I didn’t anticipate being in this line of work. It was 2016 and I was managing an artist and then I had already bought a food truck, well it was a utility trailer, and it kinda just sat there cause I also owned a coffee shop in the mall. In that same year, I read this book called “Secret to the Millionaire Mind,” and it said that the secret to success is basically Andcommitment.Iwaslike, ‘You know what? I can commit. I can commit to something for five years.’ So, I was like, ‘I’m going to give this a go,’ as far as running the food truck, and at first, it was just going to be coffee. I didn’t anticipate it being like, food. What happened was I was at an event and I made myself some food for lunch one day, and it just so happened somebody from the newspaper saw the food truck, and they asked if they could have some. I gave them some – I will give food to anyone. But she really liked it and took a photo of it, and then it ended up in the newspaper. And then that’s when I started serving food. In 2015 I went vegan and I’d kind of thought of it when I was going through the transition of accepting that I was going to do the food truck.
Downtown Fayetteville is now home to a new restaurant offering vegan cuisine. Vibe Gastropub, located at 131 Hay Street, is owned and operated by Ambery Edge. Food connoisseurs may recognize her from her food truck, Authentique Cafe. Recently, GFBJ sat down with Edge to discuss her business ventures and her desire to bring plant-based options to the area.
Vibe Gastropub is located at 131 Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville.
GFBJ: How did you find this location for the restaurant?
17249
From PROFILE, page 22 this place that we’re in now opened up, and my agent asked me to come look at it and as I walked in I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is it. I love it.’
GFBJ: What advice would you give to someone looking to open their own restaurant?
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Everything is made from scratch but I would say the number one would be the vegan chicken sandwich. Then I would say the lentil tacos would be another fan favorite and then another would be the Chicken & Waffles.
EDGE: You have to not consider the money or the potential money of whatever you're about to do because if you come and you bring value to people’s lives, they are going to give value back. In order to do that, though, you have to do something that you love, because if you’re only doing this for money it's not sustainable.
Our Business is Helping Yours Save Customer CommunityFocused.Strong.
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Page 23
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GFBJ: What is the best piece of advice you have received since beginning your cooking journey?
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY VIBE GASTROPUB
“I want people to feel something when they come inside, I don’t want it to be just like okay here’s your food,” Edge said. “I want it to be a vibe –a good vibe.”
PROFILEbizfayetteville.com
EDGE: I don’t know if this is advice I have gotten or advice that I have learned via trial and error, but I guess it would be just like setting a path and knowing to trust that path; also, to remember that if things don’t look the way you want them to initially, that you’re still with movement and you’ll always get close to your goal.
EDGE: So I was looking at a place across the street and it was beautiful. The only thing is that it didn’t have a kitchen and it only had one bathroom. So we are currently in the process of getting our beer and liquor license, and in North Carolina with the alcohol rules, you can’t serve liquor with only one bathroom. But the part that I loved was that it had an upstairs apartment with a balcony, and I thought that would be great, to live upstairs. So, I was like, ‘I could build the bathroom and kitchen and make it work.’ But I had gone to Washington State in January of this year to visit my sister, and when I came back, I was supposed to sign papers for that place, but when I came back I ended up having COVID so I had to wait. When I came out of the quarantine period,
Page 24 August 19, 2022 - September 1, 2022 Greater Fayetteville Business Journal PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT Interested applicants must complete all prerequisites and gain competitive points in order to apply for approval into the Pharmacy Technology program. Questions about Pharmacy Technology program? Email Dina Adams, Department Chair, at adamsd@faytechcc.edu BETTER SKILLS – BETTER JOBS BETTER PAY Receive the training to work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist! www.faytechcc.edu FIND YOUR WAY FORWARD! admissions@faytechcc.edu l 910.678.8400Pharmacy Technician* · Retail · Hospitals · Nursing homes · Research laboratories · Wholesale drug companies · Pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities Employment opportunities include: *Accredited by the Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission (ASHP/ACPE); graduates may be eligible to take the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam to become certified.
