LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Showing Up

THIS YEAR O N MARCH 18, NEW HANOVER COUNTY SAW ITS FIRST PRESUMPTIVE CASE OF THE CORONAVIRUS. post-COVID times. The first year we compiled the WilmingtonBiz 100 list, we looked at people’s contributions to the region throughout their career. This time, and for subsequent years, the focus is That same day, infectious disease expert Paul on people’s impacts during the calendar year. Kamitsuka spoke on our BizTalk program, a Q&A It’s by no means a comprehensive list. segment launched on the Business Journal’s Facebook More than 400,000 people live in the tri-county page to help readers navigate the wide unknown that area. Highlighting the work of 100 of them is just a was unfolding. drop in the bucket, especially this year when so many More than 5,000 people ended up watching Dr. have stepped up. Kamitsuka break down what was happening –how Read more about this year’s picks starting on testing might work and what early research showed page 18 with our cover story about the members on symptoms and airborne droplets. of the Partnership Advisory Group, followed by And then he explained to us how to wash our bios of The Power Players, Influencers, Innovators, hands, which we all thought we knew how to do, but Connectors and Rising Stars who led this year. turns out there was more to learn – about soap, about You’ll see that elected officials and economic sanitizer, about toilet paper supply-chain logistics, developers are not eligible for the annual list, but about the length of 6 feet, about elbow bumps and their work is highlighted in the section as well. about a host of other things that defined and changed Have someone in mind who should be on here? us in 2020. Reach out, let us know and don’t forget to In tandem with a global pandemic came an nominate someone for next year’s list. unprecedented economic shutdown, with which the Here’s looking forward to 2021. U.S. and our community continue to grapple. 2020 was also the year racial justice and equity issues rose to the forefront of the nation’s attention after a defining 8 minutes and 46 seconds. So, when you read through the bios of this year’s WilmingtonBiz 100 members, it’s no coincidence how many times the terms COVID-19 and race relations show up. From Power Players to Rising Stars, people throughout the region showed up in this most unusual and difficult year. Some helped businesses find temporary relief during the shutdown by processing Paycheck Protection Program loans. Some organized community discussions about race. Some treated COVID-19 patients and moved quickly to implement testing. Some jumped in the game to find an effective vaccine. Some extended themselves to try to help keep people connected when they weren’t able to be. VICKY JANOWSKI, EDITOR Others kept working, innovating to prepare for vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com

N E I L COTIAUX

NEIL COTIAUX is a freelance journalist who has written for the Greater Wilmington Business Journal since 2013. His work has also appeared in various other publications and digital sites around the Southeast. He received his B.S. in political science from Ithaca College and his J.D. from the University of Richmond. He co-wrote the cover story about the Partnership Advisory for “General Consensus” (PAGE 18).

K E V I N KLEITCHES

KEVIN KLEITCHES is a portrait and commercial photographer and personal branding consultant based in Wilmington. His work can be seen at kevintitusphoto.com. Kleitches photographed the cover and group shot of the Partnership Advisory Group (PAGE 18).

S C O T T N U N N

SCOTT NUNN is a Wilmington native and award-winning veteran journalist. After nearly three decades at the StarNews, he recently embarked on a freelance career. Nunn also worked on the cover story “General Consensus” (PAGE 18) about the Partnership Advisory Group for this issue.

T E R A H WILSON

TERAH WILSON is a Wilmington-based freelance photojournalist with over sixteen years’ experience in photography and art. She is a mom of three, an artist and an avid coffee drinker. Her passion is to capture everyday moments in a way that reveals the extravagance of life! In this issue, Wilson photographed Rx Restaurant’s outdoor dining tent for “Enduring Trends” (PAGE 82) as well as Power Player Russ Lopatka (PAGE 29), Influencer Paul Kamitsuka (PAGE 42) and Rising Star Katelyn Mattox (PAGE 78). terahwilson.com WilmingtonBiz M A G A Z I N E

WINTER 2020 – $4.95 P ublisher Rob Kaiser rkaiser@wilmingtonbiz.com

P resident Robert Preville rpreville@wilmingtonbiz.com

A ss O ci A te P ublisher Judy Budd jbudd@wilmingtonbiz.com

e dit O r Vicky Janowski vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com

A ssist A nt e dit O r Cece Nunn cnunn@wilmingtonbiz.com

r e PO rters Johanna Cano jcano@wilmingtonbiz.com Christina Haley O'Neal chaley@wilmingtonbiz.com

V ice P resident O f s A les Maggi Apel mapel@wilmingtonbiz.com

s eni O r A cc O unt e xecuti V e Craig Snow csnow@wilmingtonbiz.com

A cc O unt e xecuti V es Courtney Barden cbarden@wilmingtonbiz.com Ali Buckley abuckley@wilmingtonbiz.com Marian Welsh mwelsh@wilmingtonbiz.com

Office & Audience deVelOPment Sandy Johnson sjohnson@wilmingtonbiz.com mAnAger

e V ents / d igit A l A ssist A nt Elizabeth Stelzenmuller events@wilmingtonbiz.com

d esign & m edi A c OO rdin A t O r Molly Jacques production@wilmingtonbiz.com

c O ntent m A rketing c OO rdin A t O r Morgan Mattox mmattox@wilmingtonbiz.com

c O ntributing d esigner Suzi Drake art@wilmingtonbiz.com

c O ntributing P h O t O gr AP hers Erin Costa, Megan Deitz, Aris Harding, Kevin Kleitches, Michael Cline Spencer, Terah Wilson

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