WilmingtonBiz Magazine - December 2023

Wilmington B iz M A G A Z I N E

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M A G A Z I N E

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CONTENTS WilmingtonBiz

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WILLIAM BUSTER Bill Cameron & Edelmira Segovia BRIAN ECKEL Natalie English Russ Lopatka CHIP MAHAN Kelly McGinnis VELVA JENKINS TIM MILAM & DENISE KINNEY JIM MORTON PIERRE NAUDÉ NEIL UNDERWOOD ASWANI VOLETY TREY & JIM WALLACE Chakema Clinton-Quintana LAURIE WHALIN JAY WILEMAN YOLANDA POLLARD JACKSON AUTRY Dawn-Michele Blalock KHALILAH OLOKUNOLA WILMINGTONBIZ 100 KIRK ENGLEBRIGHT TONY CAUDLE YOUSRY SAYED CHRIS COUDRIET KEN DULL Charles Foust MALLORIE MOORE TRAVIS GILBERT LIVIAN POWER 27 A Y E R S LEGG BJ JONES Daniel Jones ABBY LORENZO Chad KimesP LRYAN N F L U E N C E R S Chris 37 I NEWMAN LOSCH Laura Brogdon-Primavera TONY MCEWEN TYLER INNOVATORS 55 Rebekah Norvell TAMMY PROCTOR JOHNNY GRIFFIN REID Roth ONNECTORS 67 CLYNDA COREY & PHALLIN SCOTT JESSIE GOODWIN Gene Smith STANLEY RISING STARS 85 JASON & DAVID SWAIN BRYAN THOMAS Scott Satterfield RAIFORD TRASK III Ron Vetter & Stephanie Caulder KENNETH WALDROUP Jack Watson MARGARET WELLER-STARGELL WOODY WHITE Barnes Sutton Gwen Whitley CHRIS BABCOCK MEGAN MULLINS WILLIAM BAIRD BEN CURRIN & DAVE SWEYER TOM DALTON BRIAN CLARK Hap Fatzinger DANO FERONS Gareth Harte KEITH HOLDEN Jeff James ARHEMA TILMAN Richard Johnson JENNIFER & SAM MCCALL LIZ CARBONE Michael McWhorter Girard Newkirk KRISTI RAY & ERIKA ARLEE Rob Burrus NATHAN SNELL BOBBY ZIMMERMAN LINDA THOMPSON JEFFREY BOURK RHONDA BELLAMY J erry Coleman Bill Early Beth Gaglione ANNE GARDNER JAHLEESE HADLEY NAARI HONOR KIM HUFHAM Lisa Leath JC Lyle Heather McWhorter CHRIS MONTERO CAMERON MOORE TRACEY NEWKIRK APRIL SCOTT SHERI SHAW Meade Van Pelt Cynthia Walsh HEATHER WILSON 4

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR BIZ BITES BEHIND THE NUMBERS SOUND OFF NEWS DIGEST C-SUITE CONVO THE TAKEAWAY

F E AT U R E S

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BRIAN ECKEL'S DEVELOPING PATH

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COVER STORY: BRUNSWICK'S EV ENTRY

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RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: BURGAW'S BIG WINNER

IN PROFILE: CLIFF CASH

ON THE COVER

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Photographer Daria Amato met Bill Early at her studio for this issue’s cover photo. Early, executive director of Brunswick Business & Industry Development, is a member of this year’s WilmingtonBiz 100 in his role as the county’s economic developer. In the issue, he talks about landing Epsilon Advanced Materials’ new $650-million facility.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

IT'S

W

ELECTRIC

e’re ending 2023 on a powerful note, literally.

Well, more figuratively than literally, but the annual WilmingtonBiz 100 issue is full of examples of power.

There’s the Power Players who are part of our 100 that includes top officials of the area’s largest institutions. And while the other members of this year’s list are Influencers, Innovators, Connectors and Rising Stars, they also wield power in different ways around the region.

That’s power that manifests in different ways: in negotiating million-dollar deals, in jumpstarting small business activity on Castle Street, in hiring employees and in expanding treatment to addicted patients, in helping high school seniors become the first in their families to go to college.

There are literally 100 examples that start on page 25 with this year’s group.

One of those members this year is Brian Eckel, partner with Cape Fear Commercial, Cape Fear Development and Cape Fear Construction. In “Power Broker” on page 20, Cece Nunn writes about Eckel’s work as it’s expanded into more highprofile development projects.

If all politics is local, power shifts in the municipal governments can have significant impacts on the daily activities of people and businesses. David Joyner now represents 1/6 of the new Wilmington City Council after garnering the most votes in November’s election. Read what the new councilman thinks about how the city

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should approach its housing challenges in the Sound Off OpEd on page 14.

And finally, there’s the more tangible side of power. Economic development efforts got a jolt this fall with the promise of hundreds of jobs and millions in investment tied to the boost in the electric vehicle market.

In our cover story, Nunn and Emma Dill detail how Brunswick County landed a $650 million project from Epsilon Advanced Materials. The company is pledging to hire 500 workers for the facility, which will process graphite used in electric vehicle batteries. Read more about what’s driving the EV surge on page 92.

Enjoy this year’s 100 issue. In the immortal words of Marcia Griffiths’ electric slide, it’s electric … boogie woogie woogie.

VICKY JANOWSKI, EDITOR vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com

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CONTRIBUTORS

M A G A Z I N E

WINTER 2023 – $4.95

DARIS AMATO DARIA AMATO is a native New Yorker and School of Visual Arts graduate.

Throughout her thirty years of experience, she has photographed a range of editorial, advertising, company branding, and corporate clients in addition to music, fashion, portraiture, weddings and still life. Amato photographed Brunswick BID executive director Bill Early for this issue’s cover and story about Epsilon Advanced Materials on PAGE 92. She also photographed WilmingtonBiz 100 members Kelly McGinnis (PAGE 29) and Chad Kimes (PAGE 44).

Publisher Rob Kaiser

rkaiser@wilmingtonbiz.com

President

Robert Preville rpreville@wilmingtonbiz.com

Editor

Vicky Janowski vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com

A s s i s ta n t E d i t o r Cece Nunn

cnunn@wilmingtonbiz.com

Reporters Emma Dill

edill@wilmingtonbiz.com

Audrey Elsberry aelsberry@wilmingtonbiz.com

E M M A D I L L EMMA DILL, a Wisconsin native, graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2019 with a journalism degree. In 2020, she moved to North Carolina for a job at the Wilmington StarNews. She covered local government and development issues for the daily newspaper until July when she joined the staff of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. Besides contributing to the WilmingtonBiz 100 special section (PAGE 25), Dill co-wrote the story about Epsilon (PAGE 92).

Vice President of Sales Angela Conicelli

aconicelli@wilmingtonbiz.com

S e n i o r M a r k e t i n g C o n s u lta n t s Maggi Apel Craig Snow Stacey Stewart

M a r k e t i n g C o n s u lta n t Alexis Alphin Jillian Hon

V ice president of technolgy Adam Fitzgerald

adam@wb360marketing.com

O ffice & A udience D evelopment M anager Sandy Johnson

MADELINE G R A Y MADELINE GRAY is a freelance documentary photographer based in Wilmington. With a master’s degree in photojournalism, her work is regularly featured in local and national publications. She enjoys spending time in places that are off the beaten track and collaborating to share the diverse stories found there. Gray photographed WilmingtonBiz 100 member Johnny Griffin (PAGE 69) and comic Cliff Cash on PAGE 98. madelinegrayphoto.com and @madelinepgray on Instagram

sjohnson@wilmingtonbiz.com

Events Director Jamie Merrill

jmerrill@wilmingtonbiz.com

E v e n t s & M a r k e t i n g C o o r d i nat o r Alecia Hall ahall@wilmingtonbiz.com

Contributing Designer Suzi Drake

art@wilmingtonbiz.com

Designer

Tara Weymouth tweymouth@wilmingtonbiz.com

M e d i a C o o r d i nat o r

Julia Jones jjones@wilmingtonbiz.com

C E C E N U N N CECE NUNN has been writing and editing for more than 20 years and is the managing editor for the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. She lives in Wilmington with her husband and two daughters. Nunn served as editor for the WilmingtonBiz 100 section (PAGE 25) and co-wrote the story about Epsilon (PAGE 92). She also profiled developer Brian Eckel on PAGE 20.

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Director of Special Projects Zoe Matthews

zmathews@wilmingtonbiz.com

C o n t r i b u t i n g P h o t o g r ap h e r s Daria Amato, Logan Burke, Megan Deitz, Madeline Gray, Terah Hoobler

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To subscribe to WilmingtonBiz Magazine,visit wilmingtonbiz.com/subscribe or call 343-8600 x201. © 2023 SAJ Media LLC

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B i z B ite s BEHIND THE NUMBERS

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SOUND OFF |

THE DIGEST |

C-SUITE CONVO

IRONMAN RETURNS The annual Ironman 70.3 North Carolina drew 2,300 triathletes to Wilmington this year. The Oct. 21 turnout was 250-300 more participants than in the past, race director Sami Winter said. She said that there were also nearly 2,000 volunteers helping with the race, which includes a 1.2-mile Intracoastal Waterway swim, 56-mile bike course and 13.1-mile run.

The event brings more than 7,000 visitors to the area when also factoring in athletes’ family and guests, vendors and others, estimated the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau. Next year’s race is scheduled for Oct. 19.

“By hosting the Ironman 70.3 North Carolina, we are able to showcase our community, its Southern hospitality and provide a large financial impact to the area,” said Winter, a Wilmington resident who also has competed in more than 100 triathlons. “For the athletes, it is a chance to compete on a beautiful course with amazing volunteers and challenge themselves to complete this endurance journey.

My favorite saying is ‘nothing could be finer than a PR in Carolina.’”

PHOTO BY PATRICK MCDERMOTT/GETTY IMAGES FOR IRONMAN

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BEHIND THE

NUMBERS

MILLION ADM

ET TICK E IT ON

ADMIT ONE

AMOUNT THE COMPANY HAS RAISED SINCE 2017

1.2

TICKET

MILLION

NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ATTENDED ARTS EVENTS IN 2022

ET E CK T ON TI ADMI

$79

NEW HANOVER COUNTY

BizBites

WILMINGTON-BASED FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY firm Apiture has new support to stretch and grow thanks to a just-concluded successful capital raise. The $10 million fundraising round was led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Others of Apiture’s existing investors participated as well, according to a recent news release.

The new infusion brings to $79 million the total funding Apiture has raised since it launched in 2017.

“We’re lucky to have very supportive investors,” CEO Chris Babcock said, noting that two-thirds of the money raised comes from users of Apiture’s Digital Banking Platform. “We appreciate their vote of confidence.”

For the recent funding round, Apiture chose to stay within its existing circle of investors, Babcock said.

“We raised $29 million last year from our existing investors and wanted to keep it simple and clean this time so there would be no need to change the structure of the company,” he said. “Compare the market today with a couple of years ago. With interest rates higher, people are being more selective and expecting more from their investments.”

The capital will boost product development work and support the firm’s sales and marketing efforts to meet demand for its Digital Banking Platform.

The company’s client roster has grown to more than 300 banks and credit unions throughout the United States, mostly institutions that do not have their own technical teams.

Apiture’s Digital Banking Platform will soon offer them a new feature.

On Nov. 8, officials announced that the company will provide enhanced fraud detection through a new alliance with DefenseStorm, according to the news release.

“Integrated with the Apiture Digital Banking Platform, the DefenseStorm GRID Active Fraud Detection solution protects financial institutions and their account holders by providing continuous monitoring and real-time alerts to identify fraud before funds leave the financial institution,” the release stated.

“This proactive approach is proven to reduce an institution’s total cost of fraud by at least 50%.”

“We have worked with Live Oak Bank to get that done,” Babcock said. “We will cross-sell to our existing customers and sell it to new customers. This is a good example of how we leverage partnerships: Working with specialists … helps expand our product offering.”

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NEW HANOVER COUNTY

BY JENNY CALLISON

WILMINGTON

APITURE RAISES NEW CAPITAL, ADDS FRAUD DETECTION TO ITS PLATFORM

WILMINGTON MSA

$

Active

HOSPITALITY JOB POSTINGS

in October

3,000 LARGEST STUDENT

ENROLLMENT AT UNC SYSTEM SCHOOLS FROM NHC THIS YEAR

2,233

UNCW N.C. STATE

659

ECU

535

CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL RECAP

1,527 NUMBER OF FILMS SUBMITTED

127

NUMBER OF FILMS SCREENED

Sources: Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 report, N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association, UNC System, Cucalorus

BizBites

SOUND OFF THE GREAT OUTDOORS (MULTIPLIER)

T

HE WILMINGTON REGION IS KNOWN AS A TOURIST DESTINATION FOR BOTH ITS NATURAL AMENITIES AS WELL AS THE MANY ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE TO VISITORS. INCREASINGLY, AREAS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE COMPETING NOT JUST FOR FIRMS BUT FOR TALENT AND VISITORS.

With the rise of remote work, people are able to vote with their feet and spend more time on the road traveling.

This means that it is important to allocate resources to both conventional economic development tools but also to quality of life, outdoor spaces and experiences.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which has devoted its resources to evaluating the traditional economy, recently started measuring the value of the outdoor recreation economy both nationally and at the state level.

To capture its value, it includes Conventional Outdoor Recreation, Other Outdoor Recreation and Supporting Outdoor Recreation, which allows for a comprehensive assessment and captures not just things like outdoor festivals but also boatbuilding and kayak manufacturing.

The most recent estimates, from 2021, show that the outdoor recreation

MOUHCINE GUETTABI economy accounts for $454 billion or 1.9% of gross domestic product (GDP), indicating the importance of this segment of the economy.

The three sectors most connected to the outdoor recreation economy were retail trade at $119.9 billion; arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services at $111.6 billion; and manufacturing at $61.8 billion.

While outdoor recreation contributes to all states’ outputs, the one with the highest share of its GDP coming from outdoor recreation was Hawaii at 5.8%, and the one with the lowest was Connecticut at 1.3%.

In North Carolina, total wages associated with outdoor recreation were $5.9 billion, coming from 130,000 jobs.

The recreation economy at the state level showed strong growth in 2021, with a 22.6% increase in total outdoor recreation spending that outpaced the national average of 21.7%.

As of 2021, it accounts for $11.8 billion in added value, which is 1.8% of GDP. The documentation of these impacts is important as it shows that economies are dependent on not just traditional sectors but also on amenities, quality of life and outdoor recreation.

It also potentially provides

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communities with a better understanding of the drivers of economic activity that may not be easily identifiable.

While we don’t have county-level measures of the value of outdoor recreation, it is obvious that the Wilmington region is a magnet for tourists, long-term visitors and new migrants who view the area as having attractive amenities.

Furthermore, estimates of tourism spending in Wilmington put it at more than $1 billion a year.

Population shifts from the Northeast toward the Sun Belt mean the profile of coastal areas as such Wilmington has risen, and more people will be looking to discover these areas.

The pandemic has caused people across the country to re-evaluate worklife balance, where they want to live and how they would like to spend their money.

All of these shifts point towards continued interest in the region and increased share of the population moving toward this part of the country.

To accommodate this increased interest and given the importance of outdoor recreation to the Wilmington region, it will be important going forward to ensure that we support the sectors connected to this industry to maintain the attributes of the region that residents and visitors find most attractive.

Mouhcine Guettabi is a regional economist with UNCW’s Swain Center and an associate professor of economics at UNCW’s Cameron School of Business.

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SOUND OFF WEIGHING IN ON HOUSING FOCUS

T’S TIME FOR WILMINGTON TO GROW UP. I SPENT THE LAST NINE MONTHS CAMPAIGNING FOR CITY COUNCIL. TWO SEEMINGLY COMPETING THEMES EMERGED as I knocked on

doors and phone banked voters: (1) solve the housing affordability crisis; (2) stop overdevelopment.

Often, people identified both of these as a priority, leaving some policymakers at a loss on what to do.

But I reject the notion that we’re limited to either becoming a place where it’s a luxury to live within city limits or surrounding ourselves with high-rise apartments. We need leaders to say yes to development done right.

Here’s what I mean: Other candidates spoke often during the campaign about the need to diversify our local economy by supporting economic gardening rather than economic big-game hunting. That is, small- and medium-sized businesses make all the difference when it comes to bringing talent and business to the area, as opposed to putting all of our eggs in one basket and only trying to woo large companies to headquarter in Wilmington.

I feel the same way about

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WilmingtonBiz

D A V I D JOYNER housing development. Regularly we see the city council asked to rezone either for small, single-family residential projects or for large, apartment-style mid- or high-rises.

As a city, we lack a critical middle housing element: Where are the duplexes, townhomes, rowhomes, cottage-courts and so on?

As the eighth-largest city by population in North Carolina and in the second-smallest county by land area, I see this as the only meaningful solution that allows us to have all three: adding housing stock, increasing residential density and maintaining the character of existing neighborhoods.

Let me be clear; there is a role for density through apartment and multi-use development, but it belongs in our northern, commercial downtown. There’s certainly no lack of gray space in that area.

Indeed, I want the city to revisit the Northern Gateway Project, which was voted down in October.

Without some vision for what those empty blocks can become, we’re left with an eyesore near the top of our Riverwalk and a wasted opportunity to chip away at the thousands of new units of housing stock we

M A G A Z I N E

desperately need to bring online.

Crucial to this conversation is recognizing the data around migration and our aging population. North Carolina is a top-10 state for growth nationally.

Southeastern North Carolina is growing at one of the fastest rates within the state. In New Hanover County, but for migration, our population would be decreasing because of low birth rates. Instead, our growth rate is 4% (compare that to neighboring Brunswick’s 12% and Pender’s 9%).

We have to accept that Wilmington isn’t the same small city we know and love from Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill. Now more than ever, we’re a regional hub where Southeastern North Carolinians come for health care, education, work and recreation.

Our swelling population trends, not unique to our area, mean that these changes are here to stay. If we ignore that, we’ll – not so slowly – price out and push out our neighbors we need the most: teachers, nurses, first responders and other groups we think of when we’re discussing workforce housing.

I don’t think we want that.

Instead, we have the opportunity to lead Wilmington into a vibrant future that embraces our role as a regional leader, accepting that this means a bigger Wilmington and a taller downtown.

I’m committed to working with the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning

Organization and the N.C. Department of Transportation to build out our transit infrastructure. I’m committed to building a walkable, bikeable city.

And I’m committed to predicating this all on environmental protections that preserve our wetlands and tree canopy.

As we navigate the path toward sustainable, responsible growth, we must weave environmental considerations into the fabric of policymaking. To me, our wetlands and tree canopy are integral to our city’s identity; let’s commit to a healthier, more resilient community by protecting them for generations to come.

It’s time for Wilmington to grow up. By building higher downtown, creating denser middle housing across the city and putting our environment at the center of decision-making, we’re ready to grow into the regional leader Southeastern North Carolina needs while maintaining the quality of life Wilmingtonians deserve.

BizBites

CROWDSOURCING REACTIONS, OPINIONS AND QUOTABLES FROM OUR ONLINE SOUNDING BOARDS

O N FA C E B O O K . C O M / W I L M I N GT O N B I Z SHOULD A BASEBALL STADIUM BE BUILT IN LELAND? “BUILD IT AND they will come. The area desperately needs a variety of entertainment options – sports, music, theater, outdoor recreation and culinary.” –DAN FERRELL “I WOULD SUGGEST good caution before going forward. In the state I moved from I saw four stadiums built and six minor league teams come and go over the last 30 years. One stadium sits empty most of the time, one has a struggle to fill seats, another was converted to a music venue and the fourth is still doing ok for now.” –EDWARD WALSH “YES. NO-BRAINER. Growth of the region is unavoidable. … Having something to do with young children and families like this would be excellent. How you monetize the stadium other times of year is another matter. But I’m sure there’s a blueprint for that as well.” –MIKE HARRINGTON “THIS PARTICULAR PROPOSAL seems to be more developer driven and less community driven. stadiums should be a community property to be used for a variety of events.” –CHRISTOPHER HILBERT

X (FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER) POLL: @WILMINGTONBIZ

David Joyner, an assistant district attorney, was the top votegetter in November’s Wilmington City Council race. A newcomer to public office, Joyner joins Salette Andrews and incumbent Kevin Spears, who both also won in the election, on the six-member council were sworn in this month.

2024

SPARK

S PA R K IDEAS

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Greater Wilmington Business Journal publishes a regular series of op-eds, opinion columns about ideas for sparking economic growth in the region. If you have a column topic to be considered, email editor@ wilmingtonbiz.com

DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE NOW DRINKING TAP WATER IN THE REGION?

NO

70.6% 29.4%

YES

W I L M I N GT O N B I Z . C O M “THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (NAR) BELIEVES THAT THE JURY reached an outcome that is neither

supported by the law nor the facts presented in the case and plans to appeal. Keep in mind that this lawsuit was brought in Missouri, which has very different real estate and agency laws than North Carolina.”

- TREY WALLACE, PRESIDENT OF INTRACOASTAL REALTY CORP. ON AN OCTOBER JURY DECISION IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, FINDING THAT NAR AND SEVERAL REAL ESTATE COMPANIES CONSPIRED TO KEEP COMMISSIONS HIGHER THAN NECESSARY SIGN UP FOR DAILY NEWS UPDATES AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL AT WILMINGTONBIZ.COM

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BizBites

DIGEST THE

A R O U N DU P O F R E C E N T NE WS

PORT TO RECEIVE $11M GRANT

CITY MOVES INTO FORMER THERMO FISHER BUILDING

N

early four months after the city of Wilmington closed on the former Thermo Fisher Building, many city departments have already moved in.

In July, the city purchased the 12-story downtown office building for $68 million to consolidate offices into a single campus. Now, city leaders are working on the logistics of moving more departments in and making renovations, along with marketing and leasing unused space to outside companies.

As of Nov. 10, at least 13 city departments were operating out of the building at 929 N. Front St., said Jerod Patterson, the city’s communications director.

The city is developing architectural plans that will be used to “activate” the building’s first floor for departments and services that are more public facing.

The city’s planning and development services, housing and neighborhood services, along with frontline customer services like billing and collections, will likely be housed in this space. According to Patterson, the city expects to move into these spaces in the latter half of 2024. City staff are also developing plans to adapt existing spaces on the building’s third floor for various “public safety and traffic engineering functions,” Patterson wrote.

The adjacent 1,022-space parking deck is open and operational for special events and for those using the building. City leaders expect the parking deck to be available for 24/7 public parking by early 2024.

Wilmington-based real estate firm Cape Fear Commercial is working with city leaders to lease out extra space in the building.

TO STAY I N T H E LO O P O N T H E L AT E ST AR E A B U S I NE S S H AP P EN IN GS , CHECK OUT OUR DA I LY A F T ER NOON NE W S L E T T E R . S I G N U P AT WILM IN GTON BIZ.COM .

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M A G A Z I N E

The N.C. State Ports Authority will receive almost $11 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to move the Port of Wilmington’s North Gate farther away from surrounding neighborhoods.

The money is a part of its Port Infrastructure Development Program and will fund 38% of the port’s North Gate Relocation and Access Optimization project.

The total cost of the project will be nearly $28.5 million, and N.C. Ports plans to fund the remaining cost.

Environmental and design work is underway now, and construction is planned to take “approximately two years following signature of the USDOT agreement,” said N.C. Ports spokesperson Elly Cosgrove.

“This project aligns with our long-term vision to provide safe and efficient access to the Port of Wilmington,” N.C. Ports executive director Brian Clark said, “ultimately enabling port growth while reducing bottlenecks and truck emissions.”

12% BRUNSWICK COUNTY’S POPULATION GROWTH 2020-2022, THE LARGEST JUMP AMONG N.C. COUNTIES

BizBites

C-SUITE C O N V O

SETTING THE SCENE

S

BY VICKY JANOWSKI

director, property master and actor in more than 150 theater productions in Wilmington.

Below is a recent Q&A with Fernando. To read more, go to WilmingtonBizMagazine.com.

HANE FERNANDO WILL START THE NEW YEAR WITH A RETURN TO FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS.

On Jan. 2, Fernando starts his new role as CEO of Thalian Hall in downtown Wilmington. On Jan. 1, he officially departs his role as executive and artistic director of Cape Fear Community College’s Wilson Center, a venue he helped open in 2015.

Fernando also served as vice president of advancement and the arts for the community college, where he has worked for the past decade.

Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts is not a new venue for Fernando, who has served as trustee since 2009.

Fundraising was a major part of Fernando’s time at CFCC. As head of advancement, he was responsible for donor relations and direct fundraising for the college through the CFCC Foundation.

Those fundraising chops also translated to his work with Thalian, where while he was board president, the facility established its endowment and planned giving programs.

He was a member of the 2010 Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts Capital Committee, which raised over $4 million dollars toward the venue’s renovation and restoration projects.

Previously he worked as director of campus life arts and programs at the University of North Carolina

SH A N E F E RN AN D O

CEO, THALIAN HALL (incoming)

Wilmington.

Thalian launched a national search after longtime executive director Tony Rivenbark died in 2022.

Rivenbark had headed up the historical building – which also until recently also housed city hall – for 42 years. He and Fernando worked closely together, with Fernando serving as a programming consultant for the center and overseeing the booking of its Main Attractions Series.

On Nov. 14, Thalian announced that Fernando was tapped to lead the center, built in 1858, into its next chapter.

When Fernando starts, his title will be CEO instead of the traditional executive director name.

“This is an update which the organization made to realign with other peer venues across the country that utilize similar language for their executive leadership,” he said.

Fernando, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), has been a

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WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO THROW YOUR NAME IN THE HAT TO LEAD THALIAN HALL?

“This is something that I have thought about for a very long time. As I have told others, it was extremely personal and from the heart. I have been feeling this pull to ‘come home’ to the place where my work began in this field over 30 years ago as a technician and performer. The Wilson Center is very strong – strong financially, strong team and so many exciting things on the horizon. Next year’s 10th PNC Broadway Series is almost ready and will be spectacular, a new exciting branding campaign and jingle are coming soon, the expansion of the venue is well underway and so many other wonderful things. That being said, when something is at the top of its game, that is the time to pass the baton and seek fresh challenges.”

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GOALS FOR THE VENUE?

“It is such an exciting time for our region’s cultural life overall … Thalian Hall stands today at a major juncture in determining what her next 165 years look like, with expansion opportunities, powerful work coming from our regional production companies, including live performance art, dance, film, music,

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C-SUITE C O N V O theater and the development of new work. Thalian Hall stands at the center of our regional culture, and it is time to determine what the Hall’s next 165 years look like.”

WILL PART OF YOUR WORK INCLUDE DECIDING WHAT TO DO WITH THE SPACE THAT THE CITY OF WILMINGTON MOVED OUT OF THIS YEAR AS IT MOVED TO THE FORMER PPD HEADQUARTERS BUILDING?

“I expect that will be a major part of my responsibilities coming into the job pending the outcome of the city’s transition. The Hall’s performance spaces have been over-capacity for many years now and is unable to meet our regional need, so it will be exciting to create new spaces to support our regional artists.”

WHAT ARE A COUPLE OF THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU’VE HAD AT CFCC SINCE BEING THERE FOR NEARLY A DECADE?

“Here are some accomplishments that make me proud: establishing a Broadway national touring house in the Cape Fear region; expanding the facility with the new event and residency center; creating one of the largest performing arts center education programs in the American South; establishing one of the most dedicated and innovative volunteer programs in the nation; having the center of this nature allow students to participate in the operations, serving as a laboratory for student learning.”

DO YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW THE AREA CAN TAKE ITS ARTS OFFERINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

“We need more spaces that support the creation, development and performance of the live arts, whether music, dance or theater. Our regional scene and artists’ work has exploded, and our institutions and facilities need to rise the meet them.”

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POWER

BROKER

DEVELOPING BRIAN ECKEL

B

BY CECE NUNN

RIAN ECKEL CAN BE KIND OF INTENSE. PAUL LOUKAS NOTICED IT THE FIRST DAY HE STARTED WORKING AT ECKEL’S WILMINGTON-BASED REAL ESTATE FIRM, CAPE FEAR COMMERCIAL, IN 2010.

“I came into the office at 8 o’clock, and I was expecting some warm welcome with small talk, you know … and I see nobody’s talking to me,” Loukas said. “Everybody has their heads down, and I ultimately realized it was because everybody’s so busy.”

Then Eckel walked by with his head down, talking on his phone and pacing back and forth. “"It was as if he's working on closing a $100 million deal,” Loukas said.

Loukas asked Eckel about it later that day, saying, “Wow, that was really intense – must be some big deal.”

No, Eckel explained. It was a 1,500-square-foot lease.

And that’s the way Eckel works, Loukas said.

“Everything’s the most important thing … it’s not necessarily driven by whether you’re making more money here or more there; it’s literally: Do the best thing possible,” said Loukas, now broker in charge at Cape Fear Commercial (CFC). “And he really always believes that one deal leads to three deals so you gotta operate that even your smallest client could be your biggest client one day ... It was an eye-opener for me.”

Fast forward 13 years later, and Eckel’s company, which he founded here with childhood friend Vin Wells in 2001, is one of Wilmington’s top commercial real estate and development firms, with millions of dollars in development projects across the Carolinas. w i l m i n g t o n b i z m a g a z i n e . c o m

That alone is enough to place Eckel in the business community’s spotlight. But Eckel has also been involved in numerous examples of high-profile work outside Cape Fear Commercial, including serving on the Partnership Advisory Group that evaluated selling New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health and being appointed to Novant Heath’s corporate board. Development projects include the county’s new government building, Autumn Hall’s growing office campus and now taking over Project Grace.

A PROJECT UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

In 2023, Eckel faced criticism from State Treasurer Dale Folwell after Eckel and his firm began working with New Hanover County to resurrect a dead redevelopment project.

Project Grace reimagines the use of a county-owned downtown Wilmington block bordered by Third, Chestnut, Second and Grace streets. The property, about 3 acres, includes the main branch of the New Hanover County Public Library and a 650-space parking deck.

After working on the project since 2016, the Project Grace partnership between Zimmer Development Co. and New Hanover County died when the Local Government Commission failed to approve its financing plan in 2022.

This October, the LGC, which reviews debt issuance requests by municipalities, approved the county’s nearly $56 million financing plan for the CFC version of Project Grace by only one vote.

The treasurer said his objection to the sale of Wilmington’s hospital to Novant Health and his criticisms of the hospital’s quality after the sale are separate issues from Project Grace. But he draws a parallel between Eckel’s role on Novant’s board and his firm’s involvement in Project W I N TE R 2 0 2 3

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COMMERCIAL

PROJECTS Cape Fear Commercial, founded

by Vin Wells and Brian Eckel in Wilmington in 2001, creates apartment projects and mixed-use developments in the Wilmington area and beyond. The following are just a handful of projects in CFC’s development pipeline.

Eckel, his colleagues and public officials have disagreed with the treasurer’s view.

“I am proud of the work that has been done and the significant cost savings of more than $4.5M that has been provided (through CFC’s efforts on Project Grace), and we will never apologize for hard work and trying to be the best we can,” Eckel wrote in an email in August. “We are excited, and we will continue to work hard to make Project Grace a reality and continue to bring positive things to this community.”

New Hanover County Manager

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PROJECT GRACE

236-acre master-planned mixed-use community Already includes 173 single-family home sites, 286 apartments and more commercial development

$56 million for the public facilities in a mixed-use development 95,000-square-foot library and museum

Chris Coudriet noted that over the past five years, the county has awarded or completed 19 capital projects, of which only two involved CFC’s development division– the Government Center and Project Grace.

“We stand by all of those projects and are proud of all of those partnerships. The county is always transparent in our capital plans and purchasing policy and practices. In every engagement and agreement, the county has followed the letter of the law, ensuring it was open to any qualified firm,” Coudriet said.

As part of the CFC/county plan, the project will still include a new library and Cape Fear Museum as well as a minimum (as stipulated in the county’s and CFC’s development agreement) of $30 million in private development.

“Project Grace is a unique, generational, community-building opportunity. It is not a get-rich opportunity,” said Chris Boney, chief relationships officer at Project Grace’s architecture firm LS3P. “It is a much more nuanced thing. For Brian and his partners to take that on, it was a big leap of faith.”

Eckel and Wells also took that leap when they decided to form CFC. Eckel, born in 1973 in Virginia, moved to Wilmington in 1974. His family lived in Echo Farms, and he met his wife, Carroll Trask, in Wilmington when he was 15 years old.

Before starting Cape Fear Commercial with Wells, Eckel worked in Atlanta for Ackerman & Co., representing Fortune 500 companies and tech startups.

Wells worked for a publicly traded real estate investment trust.

At a mutual friend’s wedding in 1999, Wells and Eckel started talking about creating their own commercial real estate venture.

“When Vin and I started the business, we had 100 breakfasts and 100 lunches all at Sweet & Savory,” Eckel said, referring to a restaurant off Eastwood Road near Wrightsville Beach.

Outside of the cafe, their office was Wells’ house on Wayne Drive, where they discussed their need to build a client base, Eckel said.

“The only way we knew to do that was just go talk to people,” he said. “For the first two years, Vin and I were just grinding every day to try and get business. We were the property manager. We were the development arm. We were

Eastwood Road, Wilmington

Grace and other New Hanover County and Wilmington deals as smacking of a conflict of interest.

The treasurer has also repeatedly cited the involvement of Eckel’s company and colleagues in other city and county transactions as the basis for his concerns.

During an interview in November, Folwell said, “I think that the people of New Hanover County and Wilmington deserve a much higher level of sunshine and transparency than to have every single transaction have one person’s or one company’s fingerprint.”

TAKING A LEAP

AUTUMN HALL

WORKING THEIR WAY UP

M A G A Z I N E

201 Chestnut St., Wilmington

$30 million-plus private development

PROXIMITY WATERMARK

PROXIMITY CAROLINA BEACH

4126 River Road, Wilmington $70 million apartment complex 250 units Construction expected to start in 2024

1000 N. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach $83 million mixed-use project 250 luxury apartments 25,000 square feet of commercial space

everything.”

They were even the post-hole diggers for two years, putting up their signs at properties they had listed.

Although they’ve hired people to put up signs since then, they embarked on a recent job themselves for old times’ sake.

“We thought it was fitting to return to our roots, and we personally put up signs on the Project Grace site,” Eckel said. “That was a special moment for us to remind us of where we came from and how we care about our hometown.”

Eckel and Wells have grown their business to 40 brokers and staff members.

“One thing we believe in is talent and building a strong team,” Eckel said.

Eckel said CFC employees seem to like the culture Wells and Eckel have built. “Most people don’t leave, which is a good sign we’re doing something right.”

Eckel said he feels his co-founder deserves much of the credit for the firm’s success. Wells is “really the anchor of this company, even though for some reason I get thrown into the spotlight,” Eckel said. “This company would not be where it is today without Vin Wells.”

ENERGY OUTLET

Eckel describes himself as a creature of habit.

He wakes up a few hours before dawn and eats the same breakfast almost every day: an omelet made with two egg whites and spinach. His lunch is delivered from the restaurant K-Bueno to his office, and it, too, is always the same: chopped salad with grilled chicken.

The 49-year-old (he turns 50 on Dec. 13) finds an hour or more each day to spend at the gym before returning to work.

“Nobody works harder than Brian Eckel,” said Boney, who is not just a colleague on the Project Grace development team but also a longtime friend of Eckel’s. “I don’t think Brian sleeps at all. And he’s constantly thinking about how to improve his own business, the hospital and the community at large.”

But he also finds time to play.

“Whether it’s golf or surfing or kiteboarding or working out, he’s got to find outlets for his energy,” Boney said, “and he never does anything halfway.”

Eckel said he loves to travel, adding that he and his wife raised his kids by taking surfing trips to places like Costa Rica and El Salvador.

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PROXIMITY GOVERNMENT CENTER

Government Center Drive, Wilmington $60 million mixed-use project 262 luxury apartments The Proximity follows the new NHC Government Center located on the same site.

“I love anything outdoors – paddle boarding, hunting, offshore fishing,” Eckel said. “One of my favorite hobbies is bow hunting.”

The Eckels take a family trip once a year.

“I have to have somewhere on my calendar to go,” he said, adding that their next big trip is a two-week safari.

Three of his four children are pursuing careers in business. The Eckels’ daughter Madeline is a senior at Clemson University, graduating in May from business school, while their son, Web, is a freshman at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in business school. His youngest daughter, Lucy, attends Hoggard High School, and the oldest of the four, Julia, 23, works as a development coordinator at Cape Fear Commercial.

Eckel does sometimes take his work home.

“I get messages from Brian at 3 in the morning with an idea. ‘Have you thought about this? Wouldn’t it be cool if we do this? We can make this project better if we do this.’ And it’s just constant, and it’s a great thing,” Boney said. “He truly has the community’s best interests at heart. And yeah, people think about developers a certain way, but with Brian, what you see is what you get.”

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POWER PLAYERS

INFLUENCERS

INNOVATORS

CONNECTORS

RISING STARS

DETERMINING THE 100 The WilmingtonBiz 100 is an annual Greater Wilmington Business Journal initiative to recognize the top 100 Power Players, Influencers, Innovators, Connectors and Rising Stars impacting Southeastern North Carolina’s business landscape.

Those included in this year’s group were announced in October, but on the following pages you can read a little more about why they were picked.

Readers sent in names to consider during a nomination process, and the Business Journal’s editorial team selected the WilmingtonBiz 100. We’ll do nominations again next year for the annual issue.

To be considered, individuals had to either work or live in the region. Elected officials aren’t considered for the list.

– Compiled by Jenny Callison, Emma Dill, Audrey Elsberry, Vicky Janowski and Cece Nunn

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M A G A Z I N E

P O W ER P L E Y A RS THE

THE BUSINESSPEOPLE AND OFFICIALS HAVING THE GREATEST IMPACT ON THE REGION’S BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

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JEFFREY BOURK AIRPORT DIRECTOR, WILMINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

he airport has been

high since Jeffrey Tflying Bourk began piloting

the future of Wilmington International Airport in January 2022.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: In 2022-23, the airport gained nine new stops, and an analysis earlier this year showed ILM as the state’s fastest-growing airport in terms of adding seats for the first three quarters of 2023.

“During the period of January-September, all airlines are showing positive growth at ILM, and seat growth in the market is +32%,” an ILM news release stated.

Sun Country Airlines’ inaugural flight from Minneapolis landed at ILM to much fanfare in June.

With the start of service, Sun Country joined American, Avelo, Delta and United on ILM’s airline roster.

Bourk manages the implementation of ILM’s vision plan, which includes a five-year, $160 million capital program.

Besides commercial air service, ILM has two FBOs (fixed-base operators) – Modern Aviation and Aero Center Wilmington.

The ILM Business Park encompasses 140 acres and has attracted new businesses recently, including a hotel under construction and a proposed entertainment complex that could feature a golf driving range.

YOUNG PILOT: Bourk started flying planes at age 14 and worked at a flight school to help pay for flying lessons.

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WILLIAM BUSTER

PRESIDENT & CEO, NEW HANOVER COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT

t the helm of New

County’s AHanover more than $1 billion

community endowment, William Buster has led the nonprofit through its inaugural funding cycle and the release of a strategic plan that will guide the organization’s community investments for the next three years.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: Buster leads the organization responsible for managing and disbursing funds from the endowment, which was established from the sale proceeds of New Hanover County Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2021.

Last year, the endowment awarded more than $9 million to 110 local nonprofits in its first funding cycle. Since then, Buster has added five employees to the endowment’s core staff – he now oversees a team of 10 – and developed a strategic plan that outlines the organization’s objectives and desired impacts over the next three years. The plan focuses on social and health equity, education, community safety and community development goals.

As Buster and his staff wrap up the endowment’s second grant cycle, they’re working to address some of New Hanover County’s biggest challenges, ranging from gaps in early childhood education to a lack of affordable housing.

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M A G A Z I N E

HUNGRY FOR CHANGE: From Buster’s perspective, the endowment is in the transformation business. He wants to find community solutions to address Wilmington’s affordable housing crisis. He said he also wants to see a renewed focus on early childhood development, improvements in the education system to address the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and investments in workforce development.

BILL CAMERON & EDELMIRA SEGOVIA

Chamber of Commerce and Cape Fear Memorial Hospital, among many others.

SEGOVIA’S CREDENTIALS: At UNCW, Segovia serves as director of Centro Hispano in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, where she supports Latinx students.

Segovia is co-chair of the UNCW Latino Alliance of Southeastern North Carolina, which is tasked with empowering citizens and organizations that serve the Latinx community by creating positive change, according to the endowment website. She also served on the founding team of the Latin American Business Council of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

CHAIR & VICE CHAIR, NEW HANOVER COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT

s leaders of the

Bill Aendowment, Cameron and Edelmira

Segovia guide a 13-member board that oversees a more than $1 billion fund for community needs. They have served in their roles throughout this year. The board is slated to vote again in December on the chair and vice chair positions.

CAMERON’S BACKGROUND: A Wilmington native, Cameron co-founded and is president of Cameron Management Inc., an investment management and real estate development firm. His background in finance also includes serving as a founding member and director of Port City Capital Bank and director of Crescent State Bank following its acquisition of Port City Capital Bank in 2006.

Cameron has previously served on the board of directors of the UNC Health Care System, Wilmington

BRIAN CLARK

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, N.C. STATE PORTS AUTHORITY

rian Clark heads up the

in charge Borganization of the state’s deepwater

ports in Wilmington and Morehead City and North Carolina’s inland port in Charlotte. He was named executive director in 2021 after serving as chief operating officer from 2017 through 2020.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: The state’s ports system has seen back-to-back banner years, reporting record operating revenue levels of $79.3 million for the 2023 fiscal year. That marked a 16.7% increase from the previous record of $68 million during the 2022 fiscal year. Growth stemmed from an increase year over year in container volume

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KELLY MCGINNIS CFO, PPD CLINICAL RESEARCH BUSINESS OF THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC

W

ith Thermo Fisher Scientific’s purchase in 2021 of Wilmingtonbased PPD, the company’s clinical research activities continue to expand in PPD’s division, of which Kelly McGinnis serves as the top local official.

WHY SHE’S A POWER PLAYER: McGinnis, based in Wilmington, is responsible for financial oversight of PPD’s clinical research business, which includes leading and developing 1,500 finance professionals.

PPD’s clinical research business includes more than 35,000 people worldwide – about 1,700 based in the Wilmington area.

McGinnis joined Thermo Fisher, a Massachusetts-based company with 125,000 employees that supplies products, equipment and services to health care and life sciences organizations, in 2019.

She joined the company as vice president of finance for its scientific analytical instruments business. After Thermo Fisher bought PPD, McGinnis moved to her current role.

She previously worked as CFO of Uptake, a technology company specializing in industrial artificial intelligence systems, and in global finance leadership roles at General Electric.

“I’m very focused on helping pharma and biotech companies get therapies to market faster in a more challenging macro environment,” she said. “Given my experience in the industry and with startups, I counsel our biotech clients on how to manage liquidity, exits and investors. I’m leading investment discussions around acquisitions and investments that will underpin our position as an enabler of patient outcomes.”

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: An upcoming local project is looking for new office space for the Wilmington employees in the next few years after the city of Wilmington bought the former PPD headquarters building earlier this year.

PHOTO BY DARIA AMATO

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(up 7%), general cargo volume (up 12%) and intermodal volume (up 74.2%) moving through the system.

During Clark’s tenure, the Port of Wilmington has focused on amping up its cold supply offerings to gain more refrigerated cargo business and draw private cold warehousing investment to the area. This year, for example, the port finished a project to nearly double its capacity for plugs, which refrigerator shipping containers use for power, to almost 1,600 plugs.

The authority plans to break ground in January on a new on-port intermodal facility at Wilmington’s port to increase the amount of port cargo that can move by rail through an $18 million federal grant.

WORKFORCE ROSTER: 250 employees

BRIAN ECKEL PARTNER, CAPE FEAR COMMERCIAL

rian Eckel and Vin Wells co-

Cape Fear Commercial Bfounded in 2001.

RUSS LOPATKA

WILMINGTON PLANT MANAGER, CORNING INCORPORATED uss Lopatka runs Corning’s optical fiber plant in Wilmington, one of the area’s largest employers with about 1,000 people.

R

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: Lopatka is in charge of the Wilmington manufacturing facility that makes optical fiber, an ultra-thin, durable and flexible glass thread capable of transmitting information at high speeds worldwide, according to the company. The Wilmington plant is also the technology center for the optical fiber division, which is responsible for developing and implementing new products,

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processes and equipment.

The facility’s optical fiber plays a role in the ongoing effort for providers to roll out high-speed broadband access nationwide.

“About 25% of our Wilmington plant employees live in rural areas with limited to no internet access, so there is work to do even right here at home to bridge the Digital Divide,” Lopatka said. “At the same time, AI technology is contributing to skyrocketing bandwidth demands.

We’re working to build capability and capacity of future-ready, costeffective optical fiber solutions to help tackle these challenges.”

LONGTIMERS: Lopatka has worked for Corning for more than 20 years.

But this year, 25 employees at the Wilmington plant also marked 30 years with the company.

M A G A Z I N E

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: His firm partnered with New Hanover County on the redevelopment of the county government complex off South College Road and on the forthcoming Project Grace, which will transform a county-owned block in downtown Wilmington into a mixed-use project.

Eckel is also a member of the Novant Health Board of Trustees, which oversees Novant Health, the owner of the hospitals in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. (Read more about Eckel on page 20.)

NATALIE ENGLISH PRESIDENT & CEO, WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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s a top advocate for

business center in downtown Wilmington, while Mahan is involved with GLOW Academy and Spark Academy.

in the Cape Abusiness Fear region, Natalie

English has spearheaded efforts to address workforce shortfalls and advocated for a range of regional investments.

WHY SHE’S A POWER PLAYER: The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce advocates for business leaders throughout the Wilmington area. The chamber also advocates for broader community investments to accommodate the region’s rapid growth.

This year, English brought together local employers and educators to create a plan to address a regional shortage of nurses. That effort led to a partnership aimed at developing the health care talent pipeline. She also helped advocate for a nearly $3 million investment in the chamber’s Career & Leadership Development Academy, resulting in a program extension to seventh graders.

English has been vocal in her push for funding a replacement for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and advocated for significant community projects, including New Hanover County’s Project Grace.

She is also looking to grow the chamber itself.

The organization is hiring several new staff members, doubling its core staff and expanding its reach.

English joined the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce in 2017, following a role as chief public policy officer with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

FIRST JOB: English got her first job working for her father, the general manager of several radio stations in northeast North Carolina.

She worked as a deejay on the country, pop and urban stations.

CHIP MAHAN

CHAIRMAN & CEO, LIVE OAK BANK

hip Mahan has built

career working Chis to revolutionize the

banking industry, starting with his 1995 launch of Security First Network Bank, one of the world’s first internet banks, and heading S1 Corp., an early banking software developer.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: Since he and colleagues founded Wilmington-based Live Oak Bancshares in 2008, its bank subsidiary has become the nation’s leading SBA and USDA lender. The parent company has spun off software developer nCino, is part owner of financial technology firm Apiture, and has invested in numrous other fintech firms.

Mahan is a managing partner at Canapi Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early to growthstage fintech companies and serves on several fintech and financial services boards, including Apiture, a joint venture between Live Oak and First Data.

Mahan helps drive innovation in many aspects of the electronic banking industry while also focusing on the local community.

Under his guidance, Live Oak continues to drive job growth in Wilmington: 500 of the bank’s 950 employees live and work in its headquarters, which is physically expanding with the construction of a fourth office building at its campus on Tiburon Drive.

The bank also provides essential resources to area minority entrepreneurs through Channel, its

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TROPHY WALL: Mahan’s impact on the banking industry is reflected in recent awards. Inducted into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2022, he was named the lifetime achievement honoree by the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 Southeast Awards. In 2019, he received the Fintech Lifetime Achievement Award during FinTech South and, in 2018, was named Entrepreneur of the Decade by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal.

TIM MILAM & DENISE KINNEY

new office in Indian Trail, North Carolina; and moving its Southport office to renovated space in Bolivia.

Milam’s position as CEO includes fostering relationships with builders and developers, working on potential expansion projects and forming vendor partnerships to provide services for clients, along with other initiatives to continue the company’s growth and success. In her role, Kinney aims to provide agents with exclusive tools and systems and use her leadership abilities to build relationships within the company and the community.

FIRST JOBS: Milam worked at a grocery store when he was 15. Kinney also started her first job at 15 at a movie theater. She began in the concession stand and worked through the ranks to the role of assistant manager.

CEO & PRESIDENT, COLDWELL BANKER SEA COAST ADVANTAGE

im Milam and Denise

lead one of the TKinney largest residential real

estate firms in the region and state.

WHY THEY’RE POWER PLAYERS: Their company continues to set records for growth and productivity, surpassing $2 billion in sales for the past five years and reaching $3.2 billion in sales in 2022. Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage and the Advantage Family of Companies have ranked as the nation’s No. 1 Coldwell Banker affiliate company for two years.

The firm’s growth has included merging with Waypost Realty in Wilmington; merging with Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers in Washington, North Carolina; opening a

PIERRE NAUDÉ CEO & CHAIRMAN, NCINO

ith 30 years of financial

experience, Wtechnology Pierre Naudé has led

nCino through the pandemic and this year’s liquidity crisis. The fintech company, founded in 2011 as a spinoff of Live Oak Bank, now uses its AI-powered technology, nCino IQ, to modernize financial institutions worldwide.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: Naudé helped found nCino, building one of the largest companies headquartered in Wilmington. As one of two public institutions in the city, the other being Live Oak Bank, the company has W I N T E R 2023

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JIM MORTON PRESIDENT, CFCC

im Morton filled the top spot

Cape Fear Community JatCollege in 2018 after serving

as executive vice president and vice president for business and financial services at the community college.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: CFCC continues to grow under Morton’s leadership, moving from the seventh-largest community college in the state to the fifth largest. Over the past five years, CFCC has experienced an increase in enrollment despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, rising 2.6% (2018-19 to 2022-23).

In April, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of a former Bank of America building adjacent to CFCC’s downtown campus, allowing CFCC to transform the building into stateof-the-art facilities for nursing and allied health programs.

The first phase is expected to conclude by the end of this year, with plans to introduce a new cohort of 60 nursing students in January. In August, CFCC became the first community college in the state to open a free drop-in child care center, providing studentparents with up to four hours of daily child care support.

CFCC’s apprenticeship efforts continue to expand, featuring 15 registered apprenticeships and nine pre-apprenticeship programs. In collaboration with over 100 local employers, these programs enroll 578 students.

“As CFCC’s president, I provide innovative fiscal and organizational leadership to advance the mission of CFCC,” Morton said. “My focus is on steadily increasing enrollment and delivering high-quality programs that serve as a bridge for students to secure local jobs or continue their education with a solid academic foundation.”

TOTAL ENROLLMENT: CFCC serves more than 22,500 students.

PHOTO BY LOGAN BURKE

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a presence in 16 countries.

The company’s beginnings involved automating only commercial lending processes, but it recently expanded to small business lending, consumer lending and account opening.

Much of nCino’s focus is on automation so financial institutions can streamline processes and boost efficiency. nCino IQ will aid in this vision, and in 2024, this effort excites Naudé most.

TAPPING TECH: nCino is not the only tech company Naudé wants to grow in Wilmington. He said one of his goals when building nCino was to attract tech talent to the area and he wants to see tech companies spin off from nCino. Naudé said progress has been made on the tech front in Wilmington, but he wants to see more launches and

growth in the future.

NEIL UNDERWOOD

CO-FOUNDER & PARTNER, CANAPI VENTURES

eil Underwood helped

Canapi Ventures, Nfound which helps fund early

and growth-stage fintech companies. In 2018, the venture capital firm launched with backing from Live Oak Bank, with its first fund topping $650 million. The firm’s most recent fund raised $800 million.

The firm’s latest investment is with a

cybersecurity software company, Island. Canapi

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announced the investment in October, citing Island’s ability to help financial institutions combine efficiency and security in their internet browsers.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: Underwood co-founded Canapi Ventures and fintech companies nCino, Apiture and Live Oak Bank. He previously served as president of Live Oak Bancshares, Live Oak Bank’s holding company. In addition to his executive roles, he sits on the boards of Live Oak Bank, Greenlight, Notarize, Defense Storm, Apiture, Posh and Able.

Before working for Live Oak Bank, Underwood worked for S1 Corp., a software development company based in Georgia, where he led the S1 Enterprise division. The company specializes in payment

processing and financial technology.

SOUTHERN START: Underwood traveled to Georgia for his undergraduate education after spending his youth in Miami. He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering.

ASWANI VOLETY

CHANCELLOR, UNCW

swani Volety became

of the Achancellor University of North

Carolina Wilmington in July 2022, bringing extensive experience as a faculty

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member, researcher and administrator.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: As the head of a rapidly growing and evolving institution, some of Volety’s goals this year have been focused on the future.

The university launched its 10-year Soar Higher Strategic Plan in July and started its corresponding campus master plan, which is in the input and development stage, Volety said.

“Just imagine what the UNCW campus might look like 10 years from now.

Picture a welcome center conveniently located just off College Road.

Imagine watching a musical performance in a renovated Kenan Auditorium or attending a basketball game in a modern, vibrant coliseum,” Volety said. “These are just a few of the ideas emerging from the discussions we are having on campus and in the community.”

This year, UNCW split the large College of Arts and Sciences into two new academic colleges: the College of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts and the College of Science and Engineering.

During the 2022-23 fiscal year, sponsored research funding for UNCW totaled $25 million.

Volety said he was recently appointed to the N.C. Biotechnology Center Board of Directors and serves as president of the National Shellfisheries Association.

SPEAKING OF NUMBERS: UNCW has nearly 18,000 students, about 2,500 faculty and staff, over 170 buildings, 650 acres, an endowment of about $154 million and an annual operating budget that exceeds $430 million.

n recent years, Laurie

has risen IWhalin through the ranks

JIM & TREY WALLACE PRESIDENT & FOUNDER/CEO, INTRACOASTAL REALTY CORP.

im Wallace founded

Realty JIntracoastal Corp. after moving

to Wilmington in 1976.

Today, his son, Trey, serves as president and manages the company’s day-to-day operations.

WHY THEY’RE POWER PLAYERS: The Wallaces head up the region’s largest independent residential real estate company. During 2022, the firm grew into South Carolina markets such as Little River, North Myrtle Beach and Cherry Grove Beach. It also continued activity on Bald Head Island, where Intracoastal took over sales and rental operations after merging with Bald Head Island Limited real estate.

MILESTONES: Intracoastal Realty in 2021 surpassed $2 billion in sales for the first time in its company’s history on a 12-month basis.

It now has more than 400 real estate agents and 100 staff members.

LAURIE WHALIN COO, NOVANT HEALTH COASTAL MARKET & PRESIDENT, NOVANT HEALTH SCOTTS HILL MEDICAL CENTER

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within Novant Health’s footprint in Southeastern North Carolina. She is a strategic operational leader for the health system’s coastal market while planning for its expansion in northern New Hanover County.

WHY SHE’S A POWER PLAYER: In 2021, Whalin became president and chief operating officer of Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center. Last year, Novant promoted her to chief operating officer of Novant Health NHRMC and the Winston-Salem-based health system’s coastal market.

Her next role will be president of a 66-bed community hospital under construction in the Scotts Hill area that was planned before Novant bought NHRMC in 2021.

With the departure this year of Shelbourn Stevens as president of the system’s coastal market and Novant Health NHRMC, Whalin fills a strategic operations leader role as the search for the next president continues (as of press time).

During the search, Jeff Lindsay, Novant’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, is serving as the top local official until a new coastal market president is named.

Besides working on the approvals and groundbreaking in May for the Scotts Hill hospital, which will include a cancer center and primary and specialty care services, Whalin oversaw the opening this year of a $120 million neuroscience institute on NHRMC’s campus.

IN THE PLANS: Whalin is involved in a master facility plan for the coastal market and master planning for the

main NHRMC campus on South 17 Street.

JAY WILEMAN PRESIDENT & CEO, GE HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY

or eight years, Jay

has served FWileman as CEO of GE Hitachi,

a company that has called Wilmington home for over 50 years.

WHY HE’S A POWER PLAYER: Wileman said his company is “aggressively hiring” to support demand during the rollout of its nuclear technology. He said he hopes adding new, skilled jobs to the community will boost the region’s economy. Wileman said the area’s welcoming business economy was one of the reasons the company planted its flag in Wilmington in the 1960s.

Wileman said the company’s carbonfree energy generation technology is ready to combat climate change.

Its small modular reactor, BWRX-300, will be deployed near Toronto at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site. Tennessee Valley Authority and Poland-based Synthos Green Energy entered an agreement with GE Hitachi to invest $400 million in the technology’s design.

STEM SUMMIT: Wileman said the company also hosts an annual Girls in Technology STEM Summit for middle school students in the area.

The last event, held in April, hosted 90 girls from eight schools in Pender and New Hanover counties at The Harrelson Center in downtown Wilmington.

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910.256.4388

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U F N L I THE

N C ER

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THE CHANGEMAKERS, IN FRONT OF OR BEHIND THE SCENES

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WOODY WHITE

W I L M I N GTO N B I Z 1 0 0 I N F LU E N C E R S

MEMBER, UNC SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS & NEW HANOVER COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT

oody White is a longtime attorney who has served on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and in the state Senate.

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WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: This year, White added other high-profile appointments to his body of work that include having a say on higher education issues statewide and on the $1 billion-plus endowment fund that came from NHRMC's sale to Novant Health.

In March, White, who previously served as a UNCW trustee, was appointed to the UNC Board of Governors. That board governs the UNC system, including 16 public universities and the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics. The N.C. Senate appointed White to a spot on the BOG replacing fellow Wilmington attorney Thomas Goolsby, whose term ended in June.

Closer to home, in December, White will join the 13-member New Hanover Community Endowment board as an appointee by the county commissioners along with Pat Kusek. It followed a required two-year pause between serving as county commissioners and being eligible to join the endowment board.

MAGIC WAND: Asked what is one thing he would change about the region to make it better, Woody said, “I would consolidate government into a city/county entity that would a) immediately partner with the New Hanover Community Endowment on a number of challenges facing us; b) lower the number of elected officials; c) merge key departments to realize scaled efficiencies; and d) vertically integrate the delivery of government services and allocation of resources to achieve greater outcomes.”

White is pictured with his family's 8-year-old pet pug, Biscuit, who is frequently featured on White's Facebook page.

PHOTO BY LOGAN BURKE

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JACKSON AUTRY EXECUTIVE PLANT LEADER, GE AEROSPACE

fter working with General Electric for over 14 years, Jackson Autry was named plant leader of GE Aerospace Wilmington last year.

A

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: As head of the plant in Wilmington, Autry is getting ready for the newest phase of GE Aerospace next year as the GE conglomerate spins off its power operations into a separate, stand-alone company.

GE already spun off HealthCare this year and plans to do a similar spinoff with the GE Vernova energy portfolio of businesses in the second quarter of next year, leaving GE Aerospace to continue as the GE entity.

When that happens, the Wilmington GE Aerospace site and its neighboring GE Hitachi site will function as two stand-alone businesses.

For the local aviation manufacturing facility, this year has seen 20% growth year-over-year, Autry said, adding that more demand is expected next year.

GE Aerospace Wilmington expects to grow by more than 35% next year, creating a need to hire more than 100 new employees, Autry said.

The site is ramping production on the GE9X engine designed specifically for the Boeing 777X family of aircraft.

MULTIGENERATION: Autry is an active member of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Council.

DAWN-MICHELE BLALOCK

area, Blalock was recognized as Spartanburg Chamber Minority Leader of the Year and the Spartanburg Businesswoman of the Year.

She also received the South Carolina Governor’s Quality Award.

CEO, BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

awn-Michele Blalock

an impact Disasmaking the leader of

the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina. The nonprofit employs 98 people and has locations in New Hanover and Onslow counties.

WHY SHE’S AN INFLUENCER: Since being chosen for the role in May, Blalock has focused on supporting a major consolidation. The merger of two local Boys & Girls Club chapters into one began this year, and Blalock has focused on unifying the club campuses, aligning the group’s mission and building its leadership team.

Before coming to the Boys & Girls Club, Blalock created several children’s bereavement camps to help families navigate grief after significant loss.

Blalock and her staff focus on reaching underserved populations, particularly the Hispanic community, through partnerships with other nonprofits and volunteers.

The club aims to help kids who are still two to three years behind in reading skills because of COVID-19 disruptions.

Looking ahead, the Boys & Girls Clubs of SENC has plans to add two social workers to train staff and engage with students around trauma-informed practices. The club is also eyeing expansion in the region as a top priority.

PREVIOUS AWARDS: Before coming to the Wilmington

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ROB BURRUS

programs in business analytics and finance.

He also plans to expand international partners for the business school’s portfolio.

PERSISTENCE PAYS: For his first job, Burrus said he delivered The Free Press in Kinston, his local newspaper, with a route of about 40 residences. He said he learned to “politely bother the customers until they paid.”

DEAN, UNCW CAMERON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

NCW’s Cameron

of Business USchool ranked in the top 100

undergraduate business schools by Poets and Quants for the fifth time this year.

The business school is also classified as a Tier One North American MBA program by CEO Magazine.

Rob Burrus has been instrumental in establishing many new programs in the business school during his tenure as dean to meet the employment demands of the state. He works to find funding for these programs while ensuring the existing curriculums remain current.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Since 2014, Burrus has led the business school, which has 15 undergraduate concentrations, seven graduate programs, three joint degree programs and several certificate programs.

Burrus led the effort to establish a master’s degree in supply chain management this year and new bachelor’s degree concentrations in fintech and real estate. UNCW’s MBA program also received a STEM designation from the Department of Homeland Security. Next, Burrus is working on establishing a face-to-face version of the master’s

TONY CAUDLE

CITY MANAGER, CITY OF WILMINGTON

ony Caudle has served

TascityWilmington’s manager since

September 2021, replacing longtime manager Sterling Cheatham.

WHY HE’S A INFLUENCER: Caudle recently led the city through the complicated process of purchasing the tallest office building in the area. The city paid global life sciences firm Thermo Fisher Scientific $68 million for the former headquarters of PPD, a 12-story structure in northern downtown Wilmington. Caudle and other officials said the purchase not only consolidates the city’s scattered offices but also saves millions of dollars the city would have to pay for renovations required to update those aging office buildings.

To offset the $68 million price tag, the city is selling office properties it no longer needs now that departments are occupying the former PPD building at 929 N. Front St. “We will do everything in our power to make sure we get the maximum W I N T E R 2023

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amount of return from the sale of those properties,” Caudle said.

PREVIOUS JOBS: Caudle started with the city of Wilmington in 2008, serving 12 years as deputy city manager and a brief stint as interim city manager before being appointed city manager. Before his posts in Wilmington, Caudle served as town manager for the North Carolina communities of Black Mountain, Wrightsville Beach and Topsail Beach and as city manager of Woodruff, South Carolina.

CHRIS COUDRIET

$508 million budget and the maintenance of the municipality’s triple-A bond rating from Moody’s and S&P for the 11th straight year. In 2023, New Hanover County also received 11 awards from the National Association of Counties – an all-time high for a single year.

IN THE YEAR AHEAD: Coudriet will lead the continued redevelopment of the Government Center site, which is expected to include greenspace, outdoor art, a new Board of Elections building and private development.

The county will also continue its work on Project Grace, Hanover Pines Nature Park, two new fire stations and a new public library branch in the Northchase area.

by AFP Cape Fear. The Harrelson Center is a key focus for Dull, and he has organized a fundraiser for them, A Day in the Country, for over 10 years.

He also continues to serve on the N.C. State University Foundation board.

CIVIC DUTIES: Dull is a Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen member.

Over the years, he has served on numerous civic and professional boards, including the Wilmington Planning Commission (board chairman for four years) and the New Hanover County Planning Board (chairman for three years). He has also served on boards for Wilmington Business Development, the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association, Wilmington Housing Authority and several banks.

COUNTY MANAGER, NEW HANOVER COUNTY

hris Coudriet has

as New Cserved Hanover County’s top administrator since 2012, overseeing an organization with a $508 million budget and more than 2,100 employees.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Coudriet has played a crucial role in several substantial county projects this year.

County staff moved into a new, $46 million Government Center this spring. In the fall, Project Grace, the redevelopment of Wilmington’s downtown library and the Cape Fear Museum, moved ahead with financing approval from the Local Government Commission. The project is set to break ground early next year.

Coudriet led the development of the county’s new five-year strategic plan, the balancing of its

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KEN DULL

PRESIDENT, MCKINLEY BUILDING CORP.

en Dull started his company in 1992.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Dull’s firm is impacting top projects throughout the region. They include serving as general contractor for Parkway Hyundai, Capital Lincoln, Wilmington Trade Center 3, Yogasleep National Headquarters, Roger Bacon Academy Expansion, Rex and Sons RV, Cameron Development/Sunnyvale, Leland Town Center, One Place, Brunswick Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army New Campus, Thermo Fisher and Kesseböhmer American Headquarters.

Dull is passionate about philanthropy and was recognized as the Philanthropist of the Year

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CHARLES FOUST SUPERINTENDENT, NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS

in the state for growth and the No. 1 ‘Title 1’ school,” he said.

Fourteen schools in the county elevated their overall performance by a letter grade, and five schools came off the low-performing schools list.

Since Foust became the district’s superintendent, one of his goals has been to improve literacy rates to have 90% of students reading at or above their grade levels.

This year, the school system received the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s first-ever Champion for Change Award for the district’s efforts to improve student literacy.

BIZ TIES: Foust is also working with the district’s career and technical education department to create new specialty areas at each high school. “One improvement I’d like to see in the region,” he said, “is additional partnerships with local employers so our students can learn about career options and experience internships before high school graduation.”

s the head of New

County AHanover Schools, Charles Foust

oversees a $290 million budget, operating 45 schools in the district that includes 3,700 employees and 25,000 students.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Foust points to several metrics demonstrating school improvements, describing it as a banner year for the district.

“We learned that 90 percent of our schools met or exceeded growth last year, and 18 schools exceeded the standards for academic growth, including Holly Shelter Middle School, the overall number five school

TRAVIS GILBERT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HISTORIC WILMINGTON FOUNDATION

ilbert took the helm of the Historic Wilmington Foundation (HWF) in February 2021. He was previously the manager of the Latimer House at the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society.

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WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Gilbert is a vocal advocate

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COREY & PHALLIN SCOTT

OWNERS, ON THYME CATERING, FOOD TRUCK & RESTAURANT ince Corey and Phallin Scott opened their business in 2019, they’ve consistently grown their ventures toward consumer demand. When the pandemic struck months after On Thyme Catering launched, the couple pivoted to selling their fare from a food truck. Soon after, customers requested a more reliable way to enjoy On Thyme’s offerings: a brick-and-mortar, community-minded restaurant that opened at 918 Castle St. in November 2022.

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WHY THEY’RE INFLUENCERS: Part of the Scotts’ inspiration for opening the space came from visiting other cities with active Black-owned restaurant scenes.

This year, the Scotts have continued to build their brand from their spot on Castle Street, which has drawn other new businesses and food spots; continued catering; and launched with friends a food cart for the trending hot dogs known as glizzies to be rented for events.

They have no plans to slow down.

Future concepts include either On Thyme Part Two or a brunch spot, Corey Scott said this summer.

GOING VIRAL: On Thyme got a social media boost – and national exposure – this year when popular TikTok food reviewer Keith Lee named On Thyme as one of the 10 winners of the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Challenge.

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for preservation efforts and related initiatives, including Cape Fear Community College’s Historic Preservation Construction certification, preservation easements, historic plaques, walking tours and the preservation equity fund.

HWF accomplishments under his leadership have included the fascia and soffit restoration at historical Black Mason’s landmark Giblem Lodge; the local landmark designation for Giblem Lodge; removing two homes from the city of Wilmington’s Demolition by Neglect List through HWF’s Preservation Equity Fund; securing three preservation easements; hosting over 400 individuals on walking tours; and over 40 historic plaques awarded to historic homes.

GOALS: Gilbert said he would like to finalize a partnership with Cape Fear Collective to rehabilitate two houses on the National Register of Historic Places and sell them with affordable housing and preservation covenants.

Other goals are raising $150,000 to preserve the masonry/stucco at Giblem Lodge and completing ground penetrating radar at Maides Cemetery.

Streamline specializes in development and construction management, as well as consulting on permitting, rezoning, project management, marketing, business development and land acquisition.

Jones’ career had always been in the construction industry until she accepted the role of vice president of operations with Newland Real Estate, developer of Riverlights, a 1,400-acre master-planned Wilmington community along River Road.

Over the years, her clients have included Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, Samet Corp., The Carroll Companies and State Street.

Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University and an MBA from UNCW, where she has served on various boards and was awarded Alumni of the Year in 2006.

NONPROFIT WORK: Since 2007, Jones has owned and operated Furniture Finders, a nonprofit organization providing furniture to people in need.

RYAN LEGG LIVIAN JONES

PRESIDENT, STREAMLINE DEVELOPMENT

ivian Jones has been

of her own Lpresident firm, Streamline Development, since 2016.

WHY SHE’S AN INFLUENCER: Jones is known for connecting development firms with the people and resources they need to complete projects.

CEO, MEGACORP LOGISTICS

s head of third-party logistics company MegaCorp Logistics, Ryan Legg has fostered business growth for a company built from scratch.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Legg’s growing firm generates millions of dollars in revenue annually.

Legg and his wife, Denise, launched the business in Wilmington in 2009,

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(910) 799-5453 HilbGroup.com

Large enough to serve you, small enough to know you.

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the day a noncompete agreement with a former business partner expired.

In 2022, the company purchased several properties around the Mayfaire area surrounding its current headquarters to help the company prepare for its planned expansion. MegaCorp has also expanded its presence in the Jacksonville, Florida, market.

Ryan Legg is involved in community projects, including serving as chair of Home for Good: A Campaign for Permanent Solutions, a Good Shepherd initiative to build housing for the unsheltered population.

EMPLOYEE BASE: The company has more than 500 employees in its five locations, with the majority of them in Wilmington.

Live Oak Bancshares’ chairman and CEO Chip Mahan has credited Losch with making numerous changes to the company’s operations and management of its financial performance during two hectic years. In 2021, Live Oak Bank helped countless small businesses navigate pandemic-related issues. In 2022, the bank committed to specific expansions in exchange for receiving more than $2 million in investment grants from the state of North Carolina, New Hanover County and Wilmington.

Losch has spent his entire career in the banking industry, including 12 years as senior vice president and CFO at First Horizon Corp.

PLANTING THE SEED: Helping lead a bank that emphasizes customer focus, Losch draws on what he learned at his first job: working at his hometown’s Bagel Smith. That experience, he said, convinced him that everyone should have to work in the service industry at some point.

BJ LOSCH

PRESIDENT & CFO, LIVE OAK BANK

n William C. (BJ) Losch III’s two years at Live Oak Bank, his responsibilities – and thus his impact – have burgeoned.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Brought on board in 2021 as CFO, Losch was also named chief banking officer the following year. In that role, he led customer-facing sales, support and operational groups across the bank’s lending and deposit functions.

In August of this year, Losch’s role expanded again as Live Oak appointed him president; he continues to serve as CFO of Live Oak Bancshares, the bank’s parent company.

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wins including the return of Brunswick County to the Wilmington MSA; Project Grace (downtown block redevelopment project); Wrightsville Beach being able to use its traditional sand source for this fall’s renourishment; regulatory improvements (stormwater permitting); and substantial infrastructure investments at the NC. General Assembly (ILM, CFPUA, etc.); and delay of the state’s proposed Inlet Hazard Zone designations impacting hundreds of coastal properties,” he said.

Current pushes include advocating for a Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement; keeping an eye on issues that impact the region’s ability to draw a young, talented workforce, enable businesses to grow and provide housing across the spectrum; and regulatory processes that frustrate investment.

PROJECTS IN 2024: He said some of next year’s goals include “continuing to add business members to our growing BASE membership; advocating for passenger rail; and awaiting the results of the ongoing revenue study regarding the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement.”

TYLER NEWMAN

PRESIDENT & CEO, BASE

epresenting a network

interests Rofin business the region, Tyler

Newman advocates for policyrelated changes at the local and state government levels through the advocacy group Business Alliance for a Sound Economy, or BASE. WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: In recent years, Newman’s role has involved collaborating with partners “to advocate for several major regional

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CHRIS NORVELL

having a significant impact on the industrial sector of Wilmington’s economy.

In October, his company bought 187 acres on U.S. 421 in Wilmington for a massive expansion of one of its existing industrial projects.

Edgewater purchased the property next to Wilmington Trade Center for $7.65 million from Invista to expand the industrial park to 212 acres. Edgewater plans to provide up to 3.3 million square feet of class A industrial facilities in the park.

Edgewater has already developed two buildings totaling 315,000 square feet on the original 25acre parcel acquired in 2021. “These facilities are presently 85% leased to four tenants: PaperFoam, Coastal Carrier, GLE and New Hanover County Emergency Services,” according to an October news release.

“Edgewater plans to break ground on Building 3 in the first quarter of 2024, which will add another 100,000 square feet to the growing portfolio.”

ON THE LATEST PURCHASE: “This is one of the most exciting moments of my 26year career in industrial real estate,” Norvell said. “I’ve worked on similar parks in larger Southeast markets for my entire career. But as a Wilmington resident, it’s exciting to bring a park of this scale to the region, which will provide great opportunities for job growth and economic development in my hometown.”

FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, EDGEWATER VENTURES

hris Norvell leads Edgewater Ventures’ efforts to buy and develop industrial assets throughout the Carolinas and the Southeast.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Norvell and his company are

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CHRIS REID PRESIDENT & COO, THOMAS CONSTRUCTION GROUP

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W I L M I N GTO N B I Z 1 0 0 I N F LU E N C E R S PHOTO BY DARIA AMATO

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CHAD KIMES

DIVISION ENGINEER & ENGINEERING DIRECTOR, NCDOT had Kimes in 2019 was appointed division engineer over the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division 3 region, which includes New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. He began working at the NCDOT in 1989 while attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and became a full-time employee in 1994.

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WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Kimes leads significant transportation projects in the Wilmington area. A major recent accomplishment was opening the $100 million Military Cutoff Extension project between Market Street and Interstate 140 in September. The Hampstead Bypass ($180 million) and N.C. 211 ($217 million) projects began construction in 2022.

“My top unfunded project is the Cape Fear

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hris Reid established Thomas Construction Group in 2005 with more than a decade of experience in management and technology. Since then, he’s secured unprecedented work for the firm, notably in the corporate commercial, behavioral health care and senior living program sectors.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Reid directs and manages all aspects of the company’s day-to-day operations.

The company’s projects in Wilmington have included the mixed-use redevelopment of the New Hanover County Government Center; nCino’s corporate headquarters and parking deck; Autumn Hall office buildings and Origins restaurant; a medical office building for Novant Health in Brunswick County; and Eden Village, a tiny home village for the homeless and disabled in the Wilmington community.

cycle this year to give nearly $3 million to two affordable housing projects.

Roth’s department is currently in the early stages of updating the county’s Comprehensive Plan, a document that lays out the county’s long-term development vision. The update will kick off with a handful of short-term initiatives, including updates to development guidelines for the Cape Fear River’s western bank.

The complete Comprehensive Plan update is set to begin in early 2024. It aims to identify existing needs and future challenges for residents, along with factoring in the economy and the area’s built and natural environments.

Roth is also leading a staff study of flood risks in parts of the county without FEMA detailed studies, and the department is looking for grants to fund a tree canopy study.

PROJECT UNDERWAY: Reid’s company was awarded the design-build contract for Autumn Hall Building Five. Construction has begun on the 30,000-square-foot structure, which will hold medical practices.

MAKING EDITS: This year, the planning department refined and clarified its development procedures to make the process more standardized and accessible for residents and developers.

REBEKAH ROTH

GENE SMITH

ebekah Roth leads the county’s 20-person Planning and Land Use Department, developing policies that help guide growth in unincorporated parts of New Hanover County.

s head of a community college consistently ranked as one of the state’s best, Gene Smith strives to engage residents with the college in some way: as a student, a donor, a member of its sports complex or an attendee at events staged at BCC’s Odell Williamson Auditorium.

C Memorial Bridge replacement project,” Kimes said. “We are currently studying all options on the replacement of this critical bridge. We are working with all of our various partners to find the solution on this bridge.”

STORM CREW: Kimes said he is also “very proud to be first responder to all storm events in this region for the last 30 years.

Storm response is very critical in making sure our highways are open so other responders and critical supplies can get to their destinations. Storm resiliency continues to be a top priority. U.S. 421 is a perfect example of where the road completely washed out from Hurricane Florence, and NCDOT had a temporary bridge built within 45 days and had a new permanent bridge constructed within one year.”

PLANNING AND LAND USE DIRECTOR, NEW HANOVER COUNTY

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WHY SHE’S AN INFLUENCER: As the county’s top planning official, Roth and her staff work with residents, elected officials and other stakeholders to establish policies on how the unincorporated county should be developed.

For Roth, this year laid a foundation for her department’s future work. For example, the department’s housing-focused team capitalized on a successful funding w i l m i n g t o n b i z m a g a z i n e . c o m

PRESIDENT, BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY COLLEGE

A

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: He’s working to help design BCC’s new Public Safety Training Center after the college received a $1 million Golden LEAF Foundation grant to provide public safety training equipment to expand and enhance its related curriculum.

With another grant – from the John M. Belk Endowment – he’s W I N T E R 2023

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.

TONY MCEWEN CAROLINAS DIRECTOR, AMERICAN FLOOD COALITION

A

fter Hurricane Florence

devastated the Cape Fear region in 2018, Tony McEwen organized a bipartisan coalition of Eastern North Carolina leaders to advance flood resilience at the state and federal level in partnership with the American Flood Coalition.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: At the time, McEwen was working for the city of Wilmington as its legislative and intergovernmental affairs director. A few years after Florence, he went to work for the American Flood Coalition, managing the group’s operations across both North Carolina and South Carolina. He’s a registered lobbyist in both states.

The D.C.-based American Flood Coalition is a nonpartisan group of leaders that have come together to drive adaptation to the reality of higher seas, stronger storms and more frequent

leading efforts to attract more adult learners and improve student retention and completion.

Under Smith’s guidance, BCC is expanding current trades programs, collaborating with East Carolina University’s School of Dental Medicine to implement a dental assisting program and an N.C. Community College System grant to help counterpart institutions develop programs similar to one at BCC that provides academic, social and workforce initiatives to help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

ON THE AGENDA: As the county’s population swells, Smith’s goals for 2024 include expanding program offerings and services for students at the main (Bolivia) campus as well as the Southport

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and Leland centers. The main campus will see continuing construction of the 25,000-square-foot Public Safety Training Center and the development of a new Center for Innovation and Workforce Development.

LYNDA STANLEY

PRESIDENT & CEO, DOSHER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

ynda Stanley heads

Southport’s critical Lup access hospital.

Dosher Memorial Hospital employs 360 people and is currently growing its footprint.

WHY SHE’S AN INFLUENCER:

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As Dosher’s president and CEO, Stanley has overseen new advancements in the hospital’s service lines, especially in technology.

Patients in its emergency department are treated with technologies such as neurosurgery and telehealth, and robotic surgeries are an option for orthopedics patients.

The hospital is about to embark on a significant expansion in size and services under its sevenyear master facility plan as the southeastern part of Brunswick County continues to see rapid population growth.

Under the plan, several clinics and hospital departments will be upgraded and expanded. The largest project involves building a new 8,000-square-foot emergency department.

The first phase, expected to take about three years to finish, also includes expanding the hospital’s central sterile space, adding three more provider workspaces at Dosher Medical Plaza and growing the hospital’s lab and pharmacy spaces.

TECH INTERVENTIONS: Dosher recently added teleneurology to help identify and treat stroke patients faster and without having to be transferred to a neighboring hospital.

JASON & DAVID SWAIN

W I L M I N GTO N B I Z 1 0 0 I N F LU E N C E R S

flooding.

A statewide effort led to a $357 million allocation in North Carolina’s 2021 budget to fund flood resilience. This year, McEwen helped secure about $30 million for transportation-specific grants to improve flood resilience.

Many municipalities in Southeastern North Carolina belong to the coalition McEwen formed, which leads the state in a direction that prepares infrastructure for more frequent flooding and severe storms.

McEwen plans to use his role to continue advocating for more reliable and recurring resources for flood resilience across the Carolinas.

OUTSIDE WORK: McEwen also plays an active role in the Wilmington community. He’s a United Way of the Cape Fear member, and he created and still leads the annual Port City Jerry Day charity concert.

DEVELOPERS, SWAIN & ASSOCIATES

ather-son duo David and

Swain led the way for FJason the creation of Center Point, a

massive mixed-use project underway on Military Cutoff and Eastwood roads.

WHY THEY’RE INFLUENCERS: Besides the Center Point development, the Swains’ development vision can be seen throughout the Wilmington area and beyond. Center Point, where apartments are currently under construction, is anticipated to include a hotel; retail shops and restaurants that combine national chains and local boutiques; first-class office space; and two multi-level, structured parking decks.

During the early phase of his career, David Swain developed and constructed more than 45 apartment complexes. Since 1979, a division of Swain & Associates has specialized in creating retail shopping centers and has developed, built or redeveloped about 80 properties.

After graduating from the w i l m i n g t o n b i z m a g a z i n e . c o m

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YOUR INVITATION TO THE...

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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2002, Jason Swain joined the Swain & Associates team to learn the family business. Today, he is involved in all new projects the company undertakes and oversees all development process elements, including property acquisition, project leasing and financing.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: The son of a schoolteacher, David Swain and his wife in 2009 donated $1 million to UNCW for the Swain Center for Business and Economic Services. Jason Swain is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, a member of the board of the Swain Center and a member of St. AndrewsCovenant Presbyterian Church.

BRYAN THOMAS PRESIDENT & CEO, MONTEITH CONSTRUCTION

ryan Thomas has

for 25 Bworked years at Monteith

Construction, rising from assistant superintendent to his current roles of president and CEO. Thomas was part of the founding team to grow Monteith Construction from a small office in Monroe to four locations in North Carolina and South Carolina.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: Thomas oversees highlevel operations for each of Monteith Construction’s

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construction projects.

One of the most notable sites in the Wilmington area is the Wilmington International Airport (ILM). According to company officials, an expansion/renovation project in the early 2000s at ILM initially brought Monteith Construction and Thomas to Wilmington, eventually leading the company to relocate its headquarters here from Monroe.

In 2018, the company worked to repair dozens of New Hanover County schools following damage from Hurricane Florence.

The following year brought the opening of Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW), built

by Monteith. In 2021 came the launch of Spotlight, Monteith Construction’s renovation, upfit and specialty project division.

In 2022, the firm opened a larger office in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to expand operations and local ties across the Grand Strand Region.

UPCOMING PROJECT: Monteith is the general contractor for Project Grace. This public-private partnership will redevelop a block owned by New Hanover County into a mix of public facilities and commercial and residential space.

RAIFORD TRASK PRESIDENT, TRASK LAND CO.

aiford Trask III is

for all Rresponsible aspects of day-to-day

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LEAD LEARN INSPIRE APPLICATIONS OPEN THROUGH JANUARY 31 TO APPLY, VISIT WILMALeadership.com

WILMA’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE GIVES UP-AND-COMING LEADERS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM TOP LEADERS IN THE REGION, VISIT A RANGE OF LOCAL COMPANIES AND SERVE AS EACH OTHERS’ PERSONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Individuals can apply themselves, and companies are encouraged to nominate high-potential leaders in their organizations.

PROGRAM STARTS: April 2024 meetings are once a month for nine months.

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management, strategic planning and long-range planning for Trask Land Co.

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: With roots starting in the 18th century, the Trask family’s influence on the Cape Fear region goes back hundreds of years. They first made a name for themselves as successful lettuce farmers and then landowners and prominent developers.

These days, Raiford Trask III continues to be closely involved in numerous developments. Trask was also essential in creating and executing the overall vision of the popular mixed-use community Autumn Hall.

ACCOLADES: Trask has received numerous awards, including recognition from the American Planning Association’s North Carolina chapter and the city of Wilmington. He previously

served on the UNC Board of Governors, completing a four-year term in 2015.

STEPHANIE CAULDER & RON VETTER FOUNDING DEANS, UNCW COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE ARTS & UNCW COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

t UNCW, Ron Vetter

dean Aisoffounding the College of

Science and Engineering while Stephanie Caulder is founding dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts.

Both colleges started July 1 as a result of the

w i l m i n g t o n b i z m a g a z i n e . c o m

university splitting its College of Arts and Sciences. Vetter is also a professor in the Department of Computer Science.

Caulder came to her position from Redford University in Virginia, where she was dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

WHY THEY’RE INFLUENCERS: Caulder leads a college with 15 departments and is responsible for organizing curricula, managing finances, fundraising for scholarships, professorships, programs, facilities and other college needs, she said. Coordinating with UNCW’s new 10-year plan, Caulder said she is putting together a strategic plan for the college and will create an annual report to commemorate the college’s inaugural year.

Vetter has published

more than 120 journal, conference and technical papers in his career. His 25-year-long career has included starting two technology companies, serving as associate provost for research and then dean of the Graduate School at UNCW until 2018.

HOMECOMING: Caulder was born and raised in Wilmington before leaving for 30 years to pursue her career. She has always called Wilmington home, she said in UNCW’s release.

KENNETH WALDROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CFPUA

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enneth Waldroup is leading the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority as it embarks on the largest capital improvement project yet – the $250 million replacement of the Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant, which opened in 1972.

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WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: At the helm of the utility authority that supplies water and wastewater services to much of New Hanover County, Waldroup is responsible for a nearly $100 million budget and a staff of 340.

Waldroup joined the utility authority in June 2021 amid a yearslong effort to mediate dangerous levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the region’s drinking water.

He led efforts to install eight granular activated carbon filters at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant last year. Under Waldroup’s leadership, the utility authority remains involved in PFAS advocacy at the

local, state and federal levels.

The utility authority is working to replace aging water and sewer infrastructure across its service area and is currently negotiating a potential consolidation with the town of Wrightsville Beach.

In the coming year, the utility authority aims to extend water and sewer infrastructure into key northern New Hanover County corridors. The organization will hire a workforce development manager to oversee employee development, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

WATER LEADER: This year, Waldroup was appointed one of about 20 utility leaders nationwide to sit on the American Water Works Association’s Water Utility Council. The council develops policy recommendations for the water industry’s largest professional group.

JACK WATSON

DEAN, UNCW COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

ince he became head of the CHHS earlier this year, Jack Watson has lost no time in identifying health care and social services needs in the region and finding partners to help address those needs. He previously served as dean of West Virginia University’s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.

S

WHY HE’S AN INFLUENCER: To address the shortage of nurses in New Hanover County, Waston and his colleagues at the college teamed up with Cape Fear Community College, New Hanover County Schools and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce to

. ELECTED

W

hile elected government officials were not included in the WilmingtonBiz 100, they without a doubt have a large impact on the community. Here are some updates from activity in 2023.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY: This year marked the continued process of getting Project Grace off the ground.

A development agreement for the project, first announced by the county in 2016, was approved by the New Hanover County commissioners in

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LOOKING FORWARD: Although he’s still settling into his new position, Watson has identified several goals for the college, including growth in the number of students, quality of programs and reputation.

An enhanced institution, he believes, will be able to produce more students to help address the health care workforce shortage. Pair that with new programs that answer the needs of the future and more opportunities for students

Center complex this year, holding a ribbon cutting in April.

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craft a grant proposal for the New Hanover Community Endowment.

Watson is also leading the development of new academic programs that meet health care workforce needs. As a new resident of the area, he is aware that housing costs are out of reach for many people, from students to service employees to retirees, and would like to be part of finding solutions to the problem.

May and amended and reapproved in August. The latest plan includes an updated Cape Fear Museum, county library, revamped parking deck and a mixed-use development, according to the county.

Commissioners also launched the 2023 Workforce Housing Services Program. The initiative provided $3 million divided between four programs serving 274 households. The county also opened a new Government

M A G A Z I N E

CITY OF WILMINGTON: The Wilmington City Council gained two new members and re-elected one member this year.

Seven candidates ran for three open seats on Wilmington’s city council.

Neil Anderson and Kevin Spears were up for re-election, but only Spears will return to the council for another term. Newcomers Salette Andrews and David Joyner were elected to the two remaining seats, with Joyner, who had no previous experience in politics, receiving the most votes of any candidate.

The city also made changes to its real estate this year, closing on a new downtown office building in July. The new city office building used to serve as the headquarters of

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and faculty to engage with the community, and Watson sees increased influence for his college in the region.

MARGARET WELLERSTARGELL PRESIDENT & CEO, COASTAL HORIZONS CENTER

argaret WellerStargell oversees Coastal Horizons Center’s service area in Eastern North Carolina, with services addressing substance abuse and mental health to crisis intervention and justice services. The organization also operates the only integrated schoolbased health provider in Wilmington.

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WHY SHE’S AN INFLUENCER:

Named director in 1995, Weller-Stargell began her work in counseling at Coastal Horizons in 1985.

Wilmington-based Coastal Horizons’ service footprint covers over half of the state’s counties. It is the largest private, nonprofit human service organization in Southeastern North Carolina.

In 2023, the nonprofit was named one of 10 winners of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Behavioral Health Equity Challenge for promoting equity within the behavioral health sphere.

It has expanded medication-assisted treatment programs in Brunswick and Pender counties. The New Hanover Opioid Treatment Program provides services to more than 600 patients, caring for another 50 patients in Brunswick County and 50 in Pender County.

PPD. The 12.5-acre office campus in northern downtown will increase parking availability and put all city departments in one place.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY: In a major economic development project for the county, Brunswick County commissioners approved the purchase of 539 acres in the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park this year. On that property, 150 acres are planned to be used by India-based Epsilon Advanced

OUTREACH: In the past year, Coastal Horizons’ 680 employees worked with about 14,000 people through various services.

GWEN WHITLEY PRESIDENT & CEO, LOWER CAPE FEAR LIFECARE

wen Whitley has spent

35 years in health Gover care in the area, moving through the nursing ranks and becoming president and CEO of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare in 2016. It is one of the area’s largest nonprofits and is now the third-largest hospice provider in North Carolina.

WHY SHE’S AN INFLUENCER: Since becoming head of the organization, Whitley has overseen it being recognized

Materials, a graphite manufacturing company. (More information on the Epsilon project can be found on page 92.)

Speaking of jobs, Brunswick County also approved an incentive agreement in August that will help create 160 new jobs in the county over the next five years. The agreement was made with Industrial Reliability and Repair, an industrial construction contractor.

PENDER COUNTY: Novant Health gained approval from Pender County in September to buy Pender Medical Center in Burgaw after announcing the deal in June. New Hanover Regional Medical Center, owned by Novant, has already been operating Pender Medical Center under an agreement with the county for decades. Officials began to express

w i l m i n g t o n b i z m a g a z i n e . c o m

as an industry leader and presented with the Hospice Honor Elite award from HEALTHCAREfirst.

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, or LCFL, created its first diversity initiative to increase knowledge and access to critical care in all communities.

Whitley has led LCFL’s commitment to serving people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases, including creating LifeCare Memory Partners.

This consultative program provides free assessments, information, education and resources to families. Since LifeCare Memory Partners launched in 2019, the program has worked with more than 1,500 patients and caregivers.

INDUSTRY BOARD: Whitley has been a member of the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina’s board for the past six years, including serving on its executive committee.

interest in formally selling the hospital to Novant last year. Instead of paying the county for the facility, Novant pledged to invest $50 million in improvements to the hospital over the next 10 years.

In July, the county got approval to issue $178 million in general obligation bonds to address an overcrowding issue in Pender County Schools. The $178 debt is planned to be paid for with a 9.25-cent increase in property taxes.

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THE

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NO TO

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V

S

w i l m i n g t o n b i z m a g a z i n e . c o m

THE DISRUPTORS SHAKING THINGS UP AND GETTING THE REGION TO SEE THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY

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W I L M I N GTO N B I Z 1 0 0 I N N O VATO R S DANO FERONS

OPERATIONS MANAGER, MAD MOLE BREWING n recent years, Dano

has worked IFerons to improve the

sustainability of Mad Mole Brewing, bringing some of those changes to Wilmington’s broader craft brewing scene.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: As Mad Mole’s operations manager, Ferons is responsible for the brewing schedule, developing new recipes, assisting with brewing and running the brewery’s internship program.

Ferons started hosting interns from the University of North Carolina Wilmington a few years ago to help solve several sustainability problems.

Over the course of the program, the interns have developed a regional recycling program for thick, plastic grain bags. The interns have also helped expand a composting program for spent grains and secured grants to improve the brewery’s stormwater and runoff infrastructure.

Mad Mole Brewing opened its doors in 2018.

With its “brewed by the sun” tagline, the brewery uses solar panels on its roof to power its brewing operations.

Ferons is overseeing the brewery’s current intern as they work to develop a sustainable outreach program as part of the Mad Mole Green Initiative. He’s also working to grow the brewery’s production and boost efficiency.

PARTNERS IN BEER: Ferons is creating a spiced winter ale called Digging These Lights. The ale is expected to become the official beer for the annual Enchanted Airlie event at Airlie Gardens.

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PHOTO BY MADELINE GRAY

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CHRIS BABCOCK CEO, APITURE

hris Babcock has

led fintech Ccontinually company Apiture

father ran a windowwashing business on the side while he served as a firefighter. He would work on weekends from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., washing windows of high-end homes, he said, only taking a five-minute coffee break and a 15-minute lunch break. It taught him attention to detail and hard work, he said.

to accolades since his appointment to CEO in 2019.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: The Wilmington-based company, a joint venture of Live Oak Bancshares and Atlanta-based First Data Corp., continues to grow, with more than 360 employees and over 300 clients. In November, it announced that it raised $10 million in funding, bringing its total amount raised since the company started in 2017 to $79 million.

Apiture also won NC TECH awards this year in the Great Places to Work and Fintech categories.

With a background in startups, Babcock cofounded the Americas office of Clear2Pay, a payment tech company. After Clear2Pay was acquired in 2014, Babcock held various tech leadership roles, including at S1 Corp. and Accenture.

At Apiture, Babcock’s team works to add new features to the company through partnerships with other fintech firms. For example, it was the first digital banking provider to integrate with Greenlight, a family finance app that teaches financial literacy to kids and teens.

In 2023, Apiture announced double-digit revenue growth and plans to continue expansion in 2024, Babcock said. MX Innovator Awards recognized the fintech with this year’s Innovation Partner of the Year award.

FAMILY BUSINESS: Babcock’s

has grown to seven employees and plans to add more in the coming year, Baird said. The co-founder plans to begin sales and distribution in Canada in 2024.

its employee count to 140 in 2023. The two said they are committed to growing the company locally and supporting local jobs, with UNCW alums making up most of their employees.

AT YOUR SERVICE: Before Currin’s role at the tech company, he served as a nuclear engineer and submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.

BEN CURRIN & DAVE SWEYER CEO & FOUNDER, VANTACA

WILL BAIRD CEO & CO-FOUNDER, BOREAS MONITORING SOLUTIONS

illiam Baird created a tool for the next generation of fertility treatment with Boreas Monitoring Solutions.

The biotech startup in Wilmington is rolling out its product to the U.S. market.

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WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Baird’s product is a cryotank management system.

The Boreas CryoScout monitoring system is a patented, weight-based system for storing biological materials.

The product ensures the tissues in storage are kept at optimal conditions, monitoring the amount of liquid nitrogen in storage tanks. The system will alert laboratory personnel if there is a change in the weight of the liquid nitrogen, possibly meaning the tissues are not being stored at the correct temperature.

This year, Baird won an NC IDEA SEED grant for $50,000 as well as $10,000 from The Launch Place’s Big Launch Challenge. Boreas Monitoring Solutions was also a finalist for this year’s NC TECH awards for the BioTech/HealthTech company category.

STARTING UP: The company

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nder the leadership of

and COO Dave Ufounder Sweyer and CEO Ben

Currin, software company Vantaca was recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies by Inc. 5000 for the third year in 2023. Currin said Vantaca’s community management performance software includes over 4 million homes nationwide and annually processes billions of dollars in homeowner and vendor payments.

WHY THEY’RE INNOVATORS: Vantaca held its second annual Vantaca Vision Conference in November.

The conference had over 400 attendees, and during the event, Vantaca launched its new homeowner portal app.

Sweyer leads the product development, engineering, customer support and access teams, and Currin determines the business’s direction. Currin said he wants to expand Vantaca’s team this year by hiring high-potential individuals with the skills to drive results.

The company also received the award for one of the 100 fastestgrowing veteran-owned/led businesses in the country by Vet 100.

Currin and Sweyer have led the company to grow

TOM DALTON PRESIDENT, EDEN VILLAGE

om Dalton, an

at Tanesthesiologist Novant Health New

Hanover Regional Medical Center, and his wife, Kim, a retired nurse, led an effort to build a 31-unit tiny home community in Wilmington to house chronically homeless people. Now entirely constructed, Eden Village reached full occupancy this fall.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: The Daltons brought a new and innovative solution to addressing homelessness in the Cape Fear region.

The tiny home neighborhood, which sits on 4 acres off of Kornegay Avenue between Creekwood and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, is modeled after the first Eden Village in Springfield, Missouri.

The idea of Eden Village launched in early 2020, and the community held its grand opening this year.

Eden Village received a much higher number of resident applications than available homes. Because of this demand, Dalton aims to grow the presence of Eden Village. Plans include Eden Village Two, a tiny W I N T E R 2023

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home community featuring 3D-printed homes intended to be stronger and less expensive than standard construction.

Dalton also wants to see local leaders take a more coordinated approach to managing homelessness.

SERVING A NEED: Eden Village serves those who have been chronically homeless in Wilmington for over a year. Many residents also suffer from a physical or mental illness.

KIRK ENGLEBRIGHT PRESIDENT & CEO, DARK HORSE STUDIOS

usinessman Kirk

launched BEnglebright Dark Horse Studios

in 2020, introducing a new soundstage space to the Wilmington market.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Dark Horse Studios broke ground on two new soundstages at its Harley Road facility this year with Gov. Roy Cooper present for the ceremony. The two new stages will be about 20,000 square feet each and 45 feet tall – doubling the relatively new film production studio’s footprint.

In early 2020, Englebright upgraded the space he bought off Market Street to host production soundstages. He initially purchased the building for a health care-related purpose, but after he received calls from studio executives eager to find space in the post-pandemic film boom the region was experiencing, he decided to switch gears. Through the existing soundstage and

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KRISTI RAY & ERIKA ARLEE CO-FOUNDERS, HONEY HEAD FILMS

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risti Ray and Erika Arlee are co-founders of Honey Head Films, an award-winning boutique film production company in Wilmington.

WHY THEY’RE INNOVATORS: The film production company won first prize for Best Feature Film this summer at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Their award-winning independent film, A Song for Imogene, was written and directed

by Arlee and produced by Ray, who also starred in the movie. Last year, the film was financed, cast, produced, shot and edited in Southeastern North Carolina.

Ray and Arlee said that with a clear focus on bolstering female filmmakers and opportunities for workforce development, Honey Head continues to lead the way with its innovative approach to filmmaking.

While working on its film, Honey Head also ran an internship program with college students. Honey Head is in development for a documentary about certified professional midwives and their quest for licensure in North Carolina.

HAPPY CAMPERS: The co-founders said in addition to full-time narrative film production, Honey Head also runs an intensive summer camp called Shoot Like a Girl for high schoolers interested in the creative filmmaking process.

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office space, Dark Horse has been the setting for a variety of filmmakers. Dark Horse Studios’ website lists productions including Florida Man, Welcome to Flatch, Our Kind of People, George & Tammy, Along for the Ride and others as its previous clientele. With the recent resolutions of the industry’s writer and actors strikes, Dark Horse’s upcoming expansion is poised to host even more productions and projects are expected to gear back up in Wilmington.

BUSINESS BACKGROUND: Englebright spent 17 years as founder and president of Mattress Capital and owned other Wilmingtonarea mattress businesses, including A Goodnight Sleepstore and Wilmington Furniture & Mattress Co.

tasks required of the profession.

Harte said many of the company’s projects are focused on the financial industry. He said he is currently working on an AI process to help the business valuation and loan underwriting process. The advancement of AI brings a lot of potential to Telios’s future, Harte said. He said his goal is to emphasize a focused approach, prioritizing essential aspects in professional and personal spheres.

REGIONAL RECOMMENDATION: Harte’s suggestion for an improvement locally is to increase investment opportunities. “Enhanced investment visibility in this region,” he said, “would unlock potential growth opportunities, fostering innovation and development in various sectors, particularly in technology and AI.”

GARETH HARTE CEO, TELIOS

his year, Gareth Harte

the scope of his Tshifted business. The company now uses an AI firewall built

by Harte to help companies boost their efficiency using the technology without compromising privacy.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Before the shift to generative AI, Telios was focused on email, holding important information in a decentralized platform for privacy.

Harte said the business shift in February substantially increased the company’s revenue.

Telios also partnered with Tax Titans, which allowed Telios to develop an AI assistant for accountants that can do the repetitive

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KEITH HOLDEN CEO, FOCUS BROADBAND

eith Holden has

CEO and Kbeen general manager

of FOCUS Broadband (formerly Atlantic Telephone Membership Corp, or ATMC) since his promotion in 2018.

A native of Brunswick County, Holden has been employed at the memberowned telecommunications cooperative since 1998.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: As FOCUS Broadband’s leader, Holden has re-examined the company’s services to keep up with changing technologies.

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NATHAN SNELL

CEO & CO-FOUNDER, RALEON

N

athan Snell has been a top player on Wilmington’s technology scene for more than a decade. A co-founder of nCino, Snell led the firm’s product and innovation division before leaving to co-found and head up Raleon, a loyalty platform for e-commerce brands.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: A selfproclaimed serial entrepreneur, Snell formed Raleon with cofounder Adam Larson last year.

The company aims to develop loyal customers for eCommerce platforms that sometimes struggle to make customers feel valued and keep them coming back.

Raleon’s software-as-a-service loyalty platform uses emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain to help brands personalize every interaction with their customers, turning it into more revenue. In 2023, the company’s seed round secured $3.8 million in funding.

Heading into the next year, Raleon looks to grow its customer base and add to its six-person staff.

Snell is also an angel investor, working to invest in and advise several companies across North Carolina. Snell aims to get more involved in North Carolina’s startup ecosystem, particularly given the current macroeconomic conditions.

SILICON COAST: Snell wants to see the Cape Fear region become North Carolina’s “Silicon Coast” by drawing more tech jobs and tech workers to the area.

PHOTO BY TERAH HOOBLER

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HAP FATZINGER DIRECTOR, N.C. AQUARIUM AT FORT FISHER

ap Fatzinger swam to the top of the aquarium’s leadership pool in 2019.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Fatzinger is leading the aquarium’s $55 million plans to significantly expand and renovate its facilities with additional conservation and educational components. The attraction in Kure Beach broke records in the fiscal year for welcoming more than 500,000 visitors. The aquarium has again received accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Fatzinger earned an AZA Outstanding Service Award. Fatzinger oversees the aquarium’s daily operations (it’s open 363 days a year), nearly 100 employees and the care of 4,000 animals.

Fatzinger started as a volunteer with the aquarium and moved up the ranks, serving for 13 years as the aquarium’s curator. In 2015, he became the director of the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and served in that role for nearly four years before rejoining Fort Fisher.

FIRST JOB: “I grew up working on small family farms, understanding the value of hard work and commitment, supporting the needs of our small community. If you didn’t get the work done, others had to pick up your slack, and I didn’t want to let anyone down,” Fatzinger said. “I take great accountability for myself and my actions. I am willing to do whatever it takes to support my team and our mission.”

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Starting in 2022, Holden has been leading the company’s rebranding effort, which aims to reflect its evolution since its founding in 1955 and its business change from a traditional telephone and cable TV provider to one specializing in delivering fiber optic, high-speed internet. Holden said the company is working on a $100 million fiber optic upgrade initiative for Brunswick County, providing multi-gigabit broadband connectivity to more than 60,000 locations.

FOCUS Broadband is in the midst of construction projects to expand its Fiber to the Home network that will continue through 2024, Holden said. The projects will expand high-speed internet services into portions of Bladen, Brunswick, Chowan, Columbus, Duplin, Hoke, Pender, Perquimans, Robeson and Scotland counties.

population health strategy.

James champions Wilmington Health’s priority of making health care accessible and affordable. In 2022, Wilmington Health reported over $16 million in savings to the Medicare system. It ranked second in highest quality for all practices participating in this Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation program. The company expects that in 2023, savings will approach $26 million to Medicare, according to Wilmington Health.

AMBULATORY ADVANCES: Wilmington Health this year added robotic surgery to its ambulatory surgery center that opened in 2022. The practice also is requesting clearance from the state to develop an ambulatory surgery center cardiac catheterization laboratory.

EMPLOYEE COUNT: 360 people

RICHARD JOHNSON JEFF JAMES CEO, WILMINGTON HEALTH

eff James has served as head

Wilmington Health, the Jofregion’s largest independent

multi-specialty physician practice, since 2008. It now has about 1,200 employees.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Besides being head of the practice, James also has a hand in other projects Wilmington Health is expanding into.

He supported the physician leaders in developing WH Research, which, according to Wilmington Health, conducts the highest volume of local research studies in the community to date. Many of the studies directly supported the rapid deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines.

He also developed Innovo Research, a provider-sponsored, provider-led network of highperforming Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that utilize clinical research as part of their M A G A Z I N E

OWNER & MANAGER, TURTLE COVE HOLDINGS

ichard Johnson calls himself

CIG (Chief Idea Guy) of Rthe Turtle Cove Holdings. Turtle

Cove manages the Johnson family’s companies, properties, investments and philanthropy efforts.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Turtle Cove is working to revitalize the town of Burgaw through its various businesses and initiatives. Burgaw Brewing, the second of Turtle Cove’s restaurants, is the latest of the company’s endeavors to open. The company plans to launch an Own Your Own Market Place, an initiative to help revitalize small towns across America. Johnson said the project will be a crowdfunding effort to bring entrepreneurs and investors together with landlords to create new businesses.

Turtle Cove also has a live oak tree-planting project that collects acorns from Wilmington’s oldest live oak trees. This year, the company hit 40,000 live oaks raised from the initiative. The effort aims to restore trees lost to development and hurricanes.

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A MILLION DREAMS: The organization wrapped up its Own Your Own restaurant challenge in October that awarded $1 million and a restaurant venue on Courthouse Avenue to the winner after a series of cooking competitions. Karoline Schwartz was named the winner for her concept, Outland, and given the keys to the Burgaw venue. (Read more about the project on page 102.)

JENNIFER & SAM MCCALL

CO-FOUNDERS, SEATOX RESEARCH

eaTox Research, a Wilmington

startup, focuses on Sresearch two main areas: drug discovery

and development of natural products into new bio-actives and developing faster, easier-to-use testing for toxins that can contaminate commercial seafood. Husband-and-wife team Sam and Jennifer McCall run the business together as biologists and business partners.

WHY THEY’RE INNOVATORS: As part of its consulting work, SeaTox also helps other researchers who want to turn a discovery or idea into a usable product or service. That includes practical issues such as grant writing, finding investors and navigating the complex world of regulation and intellectual property protection.

SeaTox’s research has resulted in three commercial products: three test kits that can easily and quickly identify toxins in certain marine life.

The primary customers are agencies that manage marine fisheries. The company’s test kits will bring the Wilmington company to Alaska this year. SeaTox received an almost $1.5 million grant to develop test kits to help identify toxin-producing algal blooms in Alaska’s commercial shellfish. The five-year grant will help fund SeaTox in rolling out its testing mechanism to be used in Alaska to test commercial shellfish that could be contaminated with deadly algal toxins.

SEAHAWK: Jennifer McCall is also a UNCW lab research professor.

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sustainability.

MICHAEL MCWHORTER CEO, MOJOTONE

ichael McWhorter has

as the CEO and Mserved co-owner of Burgawbased Mojotone for over 20 years. Mojotone is a vintage electronics supplier, custom and vintage reproduction speaker cabinet builder and pickup manufacturer. The shop helps build, modify and repair vintage musical equipment.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Mojotone acquired and tuned ampwares.com, the largest historical database for vintage amp and guitar information, and created tonemovement.com, a travel blog dedicated to publishing stories in the vintage musical accessory supply industry.

This year, the Small Business Association recognized McWhorter as N.C. Small Business Person of the Year.

McWhorter worked on a project in 2023 with Alex Lifeson, of the band Rush, in which McWhorter is helping manufacture Lifeson’s line of amplifiers and guitar pickups.

McWhorter described this partnership as a career highlight due to his love of Lifeson’s band. The amps were launched in late 2023.

UP NEXT: In 2024, Mojotone plans on expanding its guitar speakers and speaker cabinets with two new worldwide distributors.

The company also plans on offering more ampbuilding classes at its Burgaw headquarters as well as at other locations throughout the U.S.

GIRARD NEWKIRK

BOARD MEMBER: Newkirk sits on the boards of the Cape Fear Economic Development Council, Cape Fear Collective and Cape Fear Community College’s Information Technology committee.

QCL, Sayed was a professor in UNCW’s chemistry and biochemistry department and served as director of the general college.

CEO, GENESIS BLOCK

irard Newkirk founded

Block in 2019 GGenesis with his wife, Tracey.

The incubator provides business development services supporting small business owners, entrepreneurs, and early-stage startups. Genesis has a particular focus on supporting ventures led by minorities and women.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Newkirk was a startup entrepreneur before creating Genesis Block to help others get their start. He founded the technology company KWHCoin, which won the Coastal Entrepreneurship Award for Emerging Company in 2019 for combining technology with renewable energy.

This year, Genesis Block updated its services for community entrepreneurs, including its Jumpstart Academy and Wits Begin Curriculum. Newkirk said after the successful launch of Block Eatz this fall, the company plans to roll out Block Kitchenz in 2024 and add another Block Eatz location to its network.

Genesis Block is looking to expand its network across the city and the Carolinas; Newkirk is currently working toward expanding into Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

He said he believes one thing the city could do to improve the region’s business environment is to leverage the Port of Wilmington more assertively as an asset for small business creation and

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BOBBY ZIMMERMAN YOUSRY SAYED

PRESIDENT & CEO, QUALITY CHEMICAL LABORATORIES

ousry Sayed has led his

OWNER, WE ARE TRUE BLUE

obby Zimmerman is

founder of We Are Bthe True Blue, a company in Wilmington that grew from a

at Quality Chemical single restaurant to a network Yteam of food and drink venues and Laboratories to multiple drug development projects and the start of an injectable manufacturing facility in Wilmington.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: Sayed started Quality Chemical Laboratories (QCL) in 1998 with just a handful of employees. The contract research, testing and prototyping firm has grown to a team of about 275.

Through the venture, Sayed, who has a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Minnesota, has been developing original pharmaceutical products on the Food and Drug Administration’s shortage list. According to Sayed, one product he developed over several years is about one year from federal approval.

Though the company started in 2005, Pyramid Pharmaceuticals’ formal public launch will take place in the next couple of years, following the completion of the company’s new facility.

Quality Chemical is looking to expand next year, planning to add 100 employees, new business and technology in the Wilmington area.

COLLEGE TIES: Before founding

ventures. Zimmerman started the endeavor in 2016 with True Blue Butcher and Table restaurant.

WHY HE’S AN INNOVATOR: The single restaurant has become a brand.

We Are True Blue has five restaurants under its umbrella including True Blue Butcher and Barrel, True Blue Butcher and Baker, Beat Street and the newest of the bunch, Elipsis, which rebranded a previous restaurant of Zimmerman’s Mariposa Tapas Bar. Zimmerman also expanded his company into the events space. With True Blue Events, the company offers catering and other event services throughout Wilmington. For those not wanting to wait at a table inside one of Zimmerman’s various restaurants, the company also offers True Blue Home, a program offering butcher boxes of True Blue meat, DIY kits for charcuterie boards and different meal kits for customers to cook at home.

TAKING THE STAGE: The latest venture in the We Are True Blue brand is Ellipsis, which opened in October.

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Congratulations 2023 WILMINGTON BIZ 100 HONOREES from The United Way of the Cape Fear Area!

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www.uwcfa.org

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THE NETWORKERS WHO BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE AND RESOURCES TO GET THINGS DONE

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RHONDA BELLAMY PRESIDENT & CEO, ARTS COUNCIL OF WILMINGTON & NHC

s its founding executive

Rhonda Adirector, Bellamy has led The

Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County since 2012. She also chairs Arts North Carolina, a statewide arts advocacy organization.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: The arts council works to support and advocate for local artists and establish the area as an arts destination – a mission that places the council at the center of Wilmington’s arts community.

Under Bellamy’s leadership, the arts council has taken on more in the last year.

For example, the council hosted and produced the Wilmington Theater Awards for the first time in 2023. The event, previously put on by the StarNews, sold out and was met with enthusiasm.

The council also commissioned a mural for downtown Wilmington’s Bijou Park and oversaw the commissioning of another mural for the lobby of the Novant Health Neurosciences Institute.

Bellamy continues leading the art council’s contributions to Wilmington’s planned Rail Trail and its Fourth Friday Gallery Nights. She’s also leading a rebranding of the Wilmington Arts Summit to better appeal to art leaders in the Southeast.

Before leading the arts council, Bellamy spent over

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25 years as a local news director and talk show host for Cumulus Media.

MILLIONS IN IMPACT: A recent study found that 1.2 million people attended arts events in New Hanover County last year. Their total event-related expenditures, excluding the price of event tickets, added up to more than $56.3 million.

LAURA BROGDONPRIMAVERA DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES, WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

aura Brogdon-

heads up LPrimavera many initiatives for

the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, ranging from the chamber’s long-running Leadership Wilmington to a program aimed at local middle schoolers.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: As the chamber’s director of programs and initiatives, Brogdon-Primavera works to link Wilmington residents with the resources they need for future leadership and career development.

Brogdon-Primavera has helped more than double participation in the chamber’s Career and Leadership Development Academy seventh-grade program. The academy grew from around 40 students to nearly 90 in its second year.

In partnership with New Hanover County Schools, the 10-month program provides middle school students with opportunities to learn about careers, leadership

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and future education pathways. The program aims to build skills needed for today’s workforce.

Brogdon-Primavera has also established an eighthgrade mentor program for participants.

She’s helped launch the chamber’s Young Professionals Council and Women’s Business Owners Council and continues to support Leadership Wilmington in its 38th year.

Looking to the future, Brogdon-Primavera wants to expand the Career and Leadership Development Academy to reach more students. Bolstered by $2.8 million in state funding approved this year, the middle-school program is slated to expand to all seventh graders in New Hanover County who want to participate next year.

EARNING QUARTERS: At 13, Brogdon-Primavera’s first job was wiping serving trays at TJ’s Deli in WinstonSalem, where she earned quarters to play Super Mario Brothers.

CHAKEMA CLINTONQUINTANA VP-DIRECTOR, CHANNEL

s the leader of Live Oak

small business ABank’s center, Channel,

Chakema Clinton-Quintana has brought her 20 years of bank regulatory and compliance experience to the role since 2021 – the founding of the center. ClintonQuintana said Channel has fostered relationships with over 600 small business owners in the region.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR:

Channel promotes inclusive business, supporting entrepreneurs with an emphasis on minorityowned businesses. The organization has helped 82 small businesses become limited liability companies.

“Of the small business owners Channel has worked with, an impressive 85.4% are from minority backgrounds. This emphasis on assisting minority-owned businesses not only reflects the center’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity but also helps boost economic opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs,” ClintonQuintana said.

Clinton-Quintana said one thing she wants to see change in the region is Wilmington adopting a growth mindset regarding affordable housing.

RECOGNITION ROSTER: Clinton-Quintana has racked up a list of awards from the community during her time as director, receiving the 2022 New Hanover County Equity Award for Business and the 2022 JC Community Award.

JERRY COLEMAN DIRECTOR, CFCC SMALL BUSINESS CENTER

ith decades of business

experience Wconsulting based on owning his own small business in Wilmington, Jerry Coleman leads the Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center.

The small business center provides free seminars, confidential counseling for local entrepreneurs, and an

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JOHNNY GRIFFIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WILMINGTON REGIONAL FILM COMMISSION ilmington’s film industry has

an eventful year, and Whad Johnny Griffin is in the thick

of it. Griffin is the only employee at the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, handling promotion, client relations, incentives and working with Wilmington’s various production companies to market their business to film companies worldwide.

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: Griffin has been at the helm of the film commission for 24 years and is one of the first seven film commissioners in the world to secure a Certified Film Commissioner status, he said.

During industry strikes this year, Griffin worked on bringing attention to Wilmington’s production workforce and helping find other projects while productions halted. With the writers and actors strikes now resolved, filming is gearing to ramp back up on the projects

that still remain in the pipeline, including for Netflix’s popular Outer Banks show.

Griffin is also working with the expanding Dark Horse studios as well as Cinespace studios, which recently acquired the Wilmington and Atlanta studios of EUE/Screen Gems in a historic deal for the Wilmington film industry.

“2024 will be the beginning of the next chapter in Wilmington film,” he said.

ON THE ROADIE: Griffin’s first job in the industry was as a motorhome driver for actor Charlton Heston.

In this job, Griffin said he learned a production team was all about hard work. He said if you put in the time, you would get the opportunities.

PHOTO BY MADELINE GRAY

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information and referral center.

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: In his role, Coleman connects area small business owners with resources to help them get off the ground and grow.

“We will work with them as long as necessary to keep them going and help them achieve their goals and be successful in the long run,” Coleman said.

Coleman worked with Genesis Block this year on the establishment of a food incubator for culinary entrepreneurs, Block Eatz, at CFCC’s north campus.

He is also involved with Wilmington’s Health Homes Program, which connects women- and minority-owned businesses with contracts for repairing damaged homes in lowincome communities.

Coleman serves

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as a mentor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and he is a member of N.C. Ecosystem Technology Economic Engine’s leadership team.

The group’s goal is “to improve quality of life and coastal resilience on the national level by driving innovation and workforce development through advancing Ecosystem Technologies in Eastern North Carolina,” Coleman said.

AWARD-WINNING: Coleman was awarded State Director of the Year by the N.C. Community College System’s Small Business Center Network and was recognized with an Award of Excellence for counseling support resulting in sales growth and job creation.

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BILL EARLY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BRUNSWICK BUSINESS & INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

t’s been a busy year

Bill Early and Ifor economic development

in Brunswick County.

Early helped recruit two companies expected to bring 660 jobs to the county.

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: With decades of economic development experience under his belt, Early has headed up Brunswick Business & Industry Development (BID), a nonprofit that provides business development services to Brunswick County, since 2018.

India-based Epsilon

Advanced Materials announced plans in October to invest $650 million in a 1.5-millionsquare-foot facility to produce graphite for electric vehicle batteries.

The project is expected to create 500 new jobs in the county. (Read more about the project on page 92.)

That announcement created a need for infrastructure improvements. Brunswick BID is working with local partners to extend water lines and wastewater service into the MidAtlantic Industrial Rail Park and construct a 1-million-gallon water tank.

Also in August, Ohio-based industrial construction firm Industrial Reliability and Repair announced plans to relocate to the Leland Innovation Park and add

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160 jobs over five years.

Brunswick BID is also working with a private developer to expand industrial space within the International Logistics Park, a megasite in Brunswick and Columbus counties. Officials said the Brunswick BID team has long advocated for the construction of speculative buildings to help meet industry needs.

FUTURE INVESTMENT: Heading into 2024, Early plans to continue working to add to Brunswick County’s local portfolio and bolster recruiting efforts for new investment and employment opportunities.

BETH GAGLIONE WILMINGTON BRANCH DIRECTOR, FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL & EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

Gaglione was a part of a team responsible for raising the funds necessary to build the new food bank, which required investments of $12 million and included a $1 million commitment from locally based fintech company nCino.

The new food bank in Wilmington includes a commercial kitchen to produce 5,000 hot meals a day, a fresh food marketplace, a volunteer center and a 30,000-squarefoot warehouse.

WHAT’S COOKING: Gaglione said in a previous WilmingtonBiz Magazine article this year, “As the Food Bank expands, so can our work in nutrition education. Our partners, like Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard and Catholic Charities, have found recipes, classes and cooking demonstrations to make a real impact on health and well-being. The commercial kitchen we have today will play a key role in furthering these efforts.”

s director of the food

Wilmington Abank’s branch, Beth Gaglione

manages the nonprofit’s work to provide food to those in need and build solutions to end hunger in Southeastern North Carolina, including in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: To fulfill the organization’s mission to nourish people in need, Gaglione navigates partnerships with the community and manages fundraising campaigns.

Her efforts have resulted in a new 35,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2023 on Greenfield Street to accommodate the distribution of an additional 4.2 million pounds of food annually.

ANNE GARDNER CEO, CAPE FEAR REALTORS

he area’s Realtors

hired Anne Tassociation Gardner for its top

post in 2019. After serving in the industry advocacy leadership role for the past four years, Gardner recently announced that she will depart the group at the end of the year and move back to Virginia.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: During her time this year, Gardner led an organization with 3,700 Realtor members from the city of Wilmington and across a six-county region of Southeastern

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North Carolina.

The group is funding a two-year position for a campaign director to collaborate with the Wilmington Relators Foundation. The $2.5 million capital campaign, which kicked off in November, will fund building 48 single-family homes on Carolina Beach Road to address workforce housing.

Also in 2023, the group launched a workplace culture project “to transform legacy department channels into an equity-based collaborative grounded in values of accountability and belonging,” Gardner said, adding that Cape Fear Realtors’ management team took on the project internally instead of hiring a consultant.

Before coming to Wilmington, Gardner was CEO of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors in Charlottesville, Virginia. She has more than two decades of experience in leadership in real estate associations.

RECAPPING: “We’re grateful for Anne’s dedicated service and outstanding contributions as our chief executive. Her expertise led to the success of critical initiatives since joining Cape Fear Realtors in 2019. Anne’s leadership guided us through the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and to complete the renovations of our building – Terraces on Sir Tyler,” Steve Mitchell, 2023 president of CFR, said in the release announcing Gardner’s departure.

“She has successfully implemented new practices, initiatives, and programs.

Her impact will continue to encourage us to be exceptional stakeholders in our real estate industry.”

JAHLEESE HADLEY DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE ACCESS, GIRLS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY OF WILMINGTON (GLOW)

ahleese Hadley

the growth Jsupports of the school’s college

access program and helps students through the college application process at the all-girls charter school.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: This year, GLOW marked its first class of graduating students. The state’s first single-gender public charter school launched in 2016 with a mission to prepare girls from diverse backgrounds for college.

Of the roughly 50 students in the inaugural graduating class, 96% went to college – 72% of that group were their family’s first-generation college students – and the group received more than $3 million in merit scholarships.

Hadley leads GLOW’s college access department, which links students to opportunities and resources they need to succeed after high school.

The three-person department serves the entire school population by organizing college trips, external programming, alum programs and professional development for the school’s teachers.

REALIZING DREAMS: Hadley began her career working with students straight out of college as a college adviser with a community development organization.

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YOLANDA POLLARD

DIRECTOR, UNCW SWAIN CENTER fter a yearlong search, UNCW tapped Yolanda Pollard to serve as head of the school’s Swain Center, which connects the business community to university experts.

The center also provides professional training and executive coaching for clients and is a base for work on regional economic analysis.

A

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Pollard began her role on July 10. Before landing at UNCW, Pollard held various industry leadership roles.

She worked in strategic communications at GE Vernova, a portfolio of GE’s global power businesses, and at Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 utility company. Before that, Pollard led customized corporate training programs for the University of New Orleans.

“It is an honor to continue the rich legacy of the Swain Center’s commitment to business leadership and economic development,” Pollard said at the time of her appointment this year. “I welcome the opportunity to partner with all key stakeholders in this capacity to enhance the region’s growth and progress.”

Empire Distributors general manager Jay McGrady

PHOTO BY TERAH HOOBLER

DEGREES DEPTH: Pollard holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana State University, a master’s degree in management from Troy University and a doctoral degree in executive leadership from the University of Holy Cross.

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leveraging her experience, network and existing partnerships.

NAARI HONOR TALENT MANAGER, STEPUP WILMINGTON

ocal job placement

StepUp Lnonprofit Wilmington serves

residents impacted by unemployment or underemployment. As the organization’s talent manager, Naari Honor leads recruitment and works to foster relationships with other community groups and leaders.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: At StepUp Wilmington, Honor links those looking for work with businesses needing workers.

She also works to create pipelines that bring those facing barriers into StepUp programs to give them the education and training they need to get a job. The group often serves those affected by incarceration, homelessness, recovery, domestic violence and other challenges.

Honor joined StepUp Wilmington this fall. She previously worked for the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board as the group’s business engagement manager.

There, she developed the Invest Partnership Program, which provided support and micro-loans for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Wilmington.

At StepUp Wilmington, Honor also leads the organization’s Jobs Week, a program that prepares students to enter the workforce. She aims to help StepUp Wilmington expand its reach into Brunswick and Pender counties by

SERVICE OVERLAPS: Honor wants to see an open line of communication between organizations in the Cape Fear region that focus on adult education and employment. This partnership could help prevent the service overlaps that sometimes occur.

KIM HUFHAM PRESIDENT & CEO, WILMINGTON AND BEACHES CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

im Hufham has worked

the CVB for more Kfor than 30 years.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Hufham oversees and manages destination budgets, public relations, and sales and marketing efforts for the New Hanover County organization while advocating for local and statewide tourism issues.

Last year, New Hanover County ranked seventh in the state in visitor spending with more than a billion dollars, a milestone spending figure for the county.

Hufham led the implementation of three new marketing strategies during 2023: a mobile trip guide to assist with directing visitors; an ambassador online training course for tourism partners and residents “to better educate them of all there is to do and see in our destination”; and an out-ofstate marketing campaign to target six critical markets with lower awareness of Wilmington and its Island

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beaches.

She also completed a partnership with Wilmington International Airport for inbound marketing of Avelo Airlines and Sun Country to promote visitation to the area.

The Riverwalk Assessment Study and Tourism Master Plan are current projects. “The 10-year master plan will guide the direction for New Hanover County working with tourism partners, local governments and municipalities, stakeholders and residents,” she said.

FIRST JOB: A lifeguard as a teenager. “I think the biggest lesson I learned from that experience – besides I wish I had used more sunscreen – was how to handle people of all ages,” Hufham said. “On a daily basis, I dealt with a range of different types and ages of guests and what each of their expectations were of the lifeguards on duty. I also learned you had better stand up for yourself in a polite way but to never be a pushover.”

VELVA JENKINS CEO, YWCA OF THE LOWER CAPE FEAR

n her third year as the

of the YWCA of Ihead the Lower Cape Fear,

and people of color in the Wilmington area.

Under her leadership, the YWCA launched a pilot program called Leadership for Inclusive Communities.

The 10-month leadership program is aimed at senior leaders in the nonprofit, public and business sectors, equipping participants to advocate for diversity, inclusion and equity.

The organization launched a Learn to Swim pilot program this year in partnership with the YMCA. The program targets second graders from New Hanover County Schools, especially those attending Tier 1 schools. This year, the YWCA also hosted its second annual health summit, an effort Jenkins developed in 2021.

After 38 years, the organization’s board of directors and leadership decided to retire its Women of Achievement Awards.

The group has said it will explore new ways to celebrate the community.

Before joining the YWCA, Jenkins was vice president of continuing education, economic and workforce development at Brunswick Community College.

SWIMMING MILESTONE: The YWCA of the Lower Cape Fear began offering swimming lessons and other aquatic programs in 1979. Next year, the organization will celebrate 45 years of aquatics programming.

Velva Jenkins is leading an organization that’s evolving with the addition of new programs and the retirement of others.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Jenkins plays a crucial role in guiding the development of programs to empower and advocate for women

LISA LEATH CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, VANTACA

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s part of Wilmington-

Vantaca’s Abased executive team, Lisa

Leath is responsible for the company’s human resource strategy. Vantaca, which landed again this year on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., is a software company focused on community association management.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Leath is also involved in other human resourcesrelated projects, helping area employers grow their teams. This year, she wrapped up her second season of the “HR Nightmares” podcast with a growing global listenership.

On it, human resources experts discuss work problems and HR topics.

The company she founded, Leath HR Group, now run by Andy Almeter,

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took home a MADE Award from the Business Journal as a supporting business to local makers.

Leath also co-chairs the Tech Talent Collaborative, a group aiming to help employers work together to collectively determine demand for critical technology skills and positions in the area. Its goals are to help techfocused employers open untapped talent pools collectively over the next one to two years, attract tech workers to the Wilmington metro over the next five years and map workforce pathways to help local Wilmington talent move into higher-wage and higher-skill jobs over the next 10 years, according to Leath.

CHAMBER ROLES: This year, Leath served as vice chair/ public policy committee

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chair for the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce board of directors, helping shape the chamber’s legislative agenda. She is slated to serve as chamber board president next year.

JC LYLE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WARM NC

t the helm of the

Area AWilmington Rebuilding Ministry

(WARM) since 2009, JC Lyle has helped the nonprofit boost its revenue and productivity while advocating for affordable housing across the Cape Fear region.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: As executive director, Lyle oversees WARM’s daily

operations and plans.

The organization rebuilds homes in disrepair or weather-damaged across a seven-county coverage area, providing low-income residents with repairs they often need to stay in their homes.

Lyle is also an N.C. Housing Partnership member and chair of the Wilmington Planning Commission. In different ways, both roles allow Lyle to advance conversations about affordable housing and land use in the Wilmington area.

This year, Lyle led WARM’s purchase and renovation of an office and warehouse that will serve as the nonprofit’s regional headquarters and center for homeownership. She also helped secure a $872,000 workforce housing grant for WARM from New Hanover

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County to repair 40 homes over the next two years.

Lyle created and led a coalition of housing-related groups in Wilmington with a shared goal of reducing poverty through homeownership. This partnership resulted in a collaborative funding proposal submitted to the New Hanover Community Endowment.

She also aims to grow WARM’s presence across its service area and expand its partnerships and volunteer base.

PLANNING PAST: Before stepping into her role at WARM, Lyle worked at McKim & Creed on subdivision design, rezoning and permitting throughout coastal North Carolina.

HEATHER MCWHORTER DIRECTOR, UNCW CIE

onnecting entrepreneurs

resources and Cwith ideas and helping make

Wilmington an innovation hub is at the heart of Heather McWhorter’s responsibilities at the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, where she served as interim director for a year before being named to the permanent position in July 2022.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Currently, McWhorter is organizing Global Entrepreneurship Week Wilmington, hosted by UNCW but drawing on resources in Brunswick and New Hanover counties.

Before joining the CIE, McWhorter was at the N.C. Small Business and Technology Development

Center, where she created a statewide Business Launch program and helped hundreds of small businesses weather disasters such as Hurricane Florence and the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also chairs the Wilmington Business Coalition, serves on the All Ages, All Stages Governor’s Task Force and the Leland Economic Development Committee and leads the Turnaround Task Force focusing on low-performing schools in New Hanover County. Connection and collaboration have been central to McWhorter’s career, which she began as a defense subcontractor tasked with gathering such varied groups as weapons system managers and NASA officials and helping them find compromise, allowing them to move forward with environmental solutions.

BY THE NUMBERS: The CIE last year worked with 236 entrepreneurs, 190 volunteers and 700 UNCW students. It also helped organizations create 50 jobs and raise $25 million in capital.

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: Montero was appointed to chair the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce’s Latin American Business Council, whose mission is to “strengthen the community of Latino businesses and professionals of the Cape Fear region.”

He also sits on the 11-member New Hanover County Hispanic-Latino Commission, formed this year to advise the county board of commissioners on issues related to the Hispanic and Latino community and to serve as a liaison.

Montero and Morales won the Coastal Entrepreneur Award this year in the minority-owned business category.

LOOKING AHEAD: “I would like to see this region develop more resources to meet marginalized people where they are with culturally competent solutions,” Montero said when asked about an area of improvement for the region. “This ranges from business development to affordable housing to health care and education.

While this area is thriving economically, there is still a significant wealth and resource gap for many communities.”

CHRIS MONTERO

for-profit trade group and is responsible for day-today association leadership and governance, member services, finance, staff supervision, association community event planning, marketing and legislative and regulatory affairs. With just four employees, the organization is the fourthlargest HBA in the United States. WCFHBA is also the second-largest group of its kind in North Carolina and the largest in Southeastern North Carolina.

Additionally, Moore helped shape the state’s first stormwater permit transfer process and is currently a New Hanover County Planning Board member.

He has been an American Institute Certified Planner since 2008 and is a certified continuing education teacher for the N.C. Licensing Board for General Contractors.

In 2023, under Moore’s leadership, the WCFHBA earned two statewide awards from the N.C. Home Builders Association: Best HBA Marketing Campaign for its Taste of Home event and Best HBA Parade of Homes Marketing for the association’s 2023 Parade of Homes.

OUTSIDE OF WORK: Moore is an avid outdoorsman and spends much of his free time hunting or out on the water.

CO-OWNER & CEO, PERFECT TOUCH RENTAL

hris Montero launched

event and party Canrental company in early

2020 with Evie Morales. It weathered the pandemic dips and has been growing, including hiring more employees and purchasing a warehouse. Meanwhile, Montero has also widened the platform for other regional Latino business owners.

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CAMERON MOORE EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WILMINGTON-CAPE FEAR HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION

ameron Moore has been

MEGAN MULLINS

executive officer Cthe for the WCFHBA since

CHIEF MARKETING AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER, WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: Moore manages the not-

the Tspearheaded development of the

2014.

his year, Megan Mullins

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NC Career Coast, a talent attraction brand and website launched by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: As the chamber’s chief marketing and engagement officer, Mullins builds relationships with companies across the Cape Fear region. She also leads the chamber’s communication, marketing and public relations strategies to enhance the visibility of the Cape Fear region and chamber members.

The NC Career Coast initiative aims to draw new workers and industries to the area. Chamber leaders worked with Development Counsellors International, a marketing firm specializing in economic development campaigns. The project has involved working closely with human resources and marketing leaders from prominent Wilmington corporations and small businesses.

The new website allows workers considering a move to Wilmington to explore the region’s industries, lifestyle and housing costs through a cost-ofliving calculator. It also includes a job board, allowing area employers to reach a broader audience.

Mullins, who joined the chamber’s staff in 2019, will continue to promote the NC Career Coast website and brand messaging in the coming year.

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TRACEY NEWKIRK PRESIDENT, GENESIS BLOCK

racey Newkirk founded Genesis Block

with her husband, Girard.

TinThe2019incubator provides business

development services supporting small business owners, entrepreneurs and earlystage startups. Genesis Block focuses on supporting ventures led by minorities and women.

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WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Newkirk is responsible for the execution of operations at Genesis Block as well as Genesis Block Foundation, a nonprofit advancing entrepreneurship

in underprivileged communities.

This year, Genesis received a $125,000 Truist Grant award to establish a Vocational to Entrepreneurship (V2E) program creating pathways to entrepreneurship for food or contracting trades, Newkirk said. The company also grew Conversations to Contracts to over 600 attendees in 2023.

Current projects for the company include working with NCDOT to build the Cape Fear Disaster Recovery Database and to create an innovation corridor in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

This year also marked the opening of Block Eatz, a rotating kitchen incubator for entrepreneurs in the food and drink industry in partnership with CFCC. Newkirk said she hopes to expand awareness of Genesis Block Academy by working with her partners across the state in the coming year.

Newkirk added she thinks Wilmington needs to listen to its small businesses to solve the community’s biggest problems.

THE MORE THE MERRIER: Newkirk hopes to expand the Genesis Block company by one employee in the next year who will focus on capacity building, she said.

business, Olokunola was the chief people officer at TRU Colors, a Wilmington brewery that employed gang members to address violence and socio-economic issues.

When TRU Colors abruptly shut down in the fall of 2022, Olokunola worked on her own to help place some of the workers with other employers in the area.

She has worked on developing tools for fair chance employment programs and advocates for more inclusive hiring practices. Olokunola said she has partnered with private investors to create career tools and an AI-driven platform for untapped talent, particularly justice-impacted individuals, and employers.

BOARD WORK: This year, Olokunola was named DEI committee chair of Sustainable Brands’ advisory board and a member of its steering committee. Locally, she also serves as Genesis Block Foundation’s vice chair.

TAMMY PROCTOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREATER TOPSAIL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & TOURISM

reviously Pender County’s

director, Tammy Ptourism Proctor became the

KHALILAH OLOKUNOLA OWNER, REENGINEERING HR

halilah “KO” Olokunola

ReEngineering Kfounded HR, which uses industrial and organizational psychology and HR management practices to help businesses.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Before she opened her

chamber’s executive director Dec. 1 after serving in an interim executive director role since earlier this year.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Proctor is responsible for gathering new members, creating and executing programming, and working with businesses to connect them to resources. “We work in partnership with four municipalities and two

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APRIL SCOTT

DIRECTOR, BCC SMALL BUSINESS CENTER

n her seventh year as the director of Brunswick

College’s Small Business Center, April ICommunity Scott continues to support local entrepreneurs in

growing their businesses through free classes and one-onone training. Scott has guided over 30 entrepreneurs in the past year.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: After creating the Womenpreneur Empowerment Summit last year and spearheading an effort to create more intentional opportunities for Hispanic entrepreneurs, Scott continues to make the entrepreneurship scene in Brunswick open to anyone. She led the second annual Womenpreneur summit in November with panel topics including access to capital, identifying target markets and legal considerations for business owners.

She said she learned she was a born leader and fixer after her first job in a mall fast-food restaurant.

Scott once worked as a nurse before she shifted to a career in business and served as the executive director of the Carousel Child Advocacy Center after working for the nonprofit for 12 years. The organization supports and advocates for children who are victims of abuse. She got her MBA from Webster University and accepted a position with Brunswick Community College’s Small Business Center.

IN THE ISSUE: Scott was featured in the summer issue of WILMA magazine and said the profile was a recognition she appreciated for helping local business owners. “I love what I do, and my reward is when I’m able to help someone reach their goals,” she said.

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counties in a region that is rapidly growing,” Proctor said.

This year, the chamber started early planning for the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, a Revolutionary War battle in February 1776. “This has been an exciting project in that we are connecting groups and volunteers under the careful leadership of Moore’s Creek National Battlefield and volunteer association,” Proctor said about anniversary events for 2026.

Current projects include expanding the networking opportunities through the chamber’s WomenConnect program; raising awareness of the importance of shopping local in the chamber’s Keep It Local campaign; continuing economic development efforts; and providing services and resources to member businesses FULL CIRCLE: Proctor previously served as Topsail chamber’s executive director from 2013 to 2015. “I’m excited to be back here,” she said. “It’s like coming home.”

SCOTT SATTERFIELD

nonprofit organization is funded mainly through membership, an annual golf tournament and sponsorship opportunities.

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: Satterfield has led Wilmington Business Development since 1995, helping businesses expand into the Wilmington region.

This year, the organization helped with a land purchase in Blue Clay Business Park, the facility’s first deal.

A Francini Inc. affiliate purchased 6.3 acres in the business park for $250,000 in February 2023.

In September, Wilmington Business Development aided in a deal with a German company, Kesseböhmer. The storage solutions company purchased enough land to build a 93,000-square-foot facility along U.S. 421 N. The latest deal facilitated by the nonprofit as of November is located at Wilmington Business Park. SANY America Inc., a subsidiary of an offshore engineering machinery manufacturer, leased 532,427 square feet of space in the Wilmington facility.

SCOUT’S HONOR: Before working at Wilmington Business Development, Satterfield served as the Cape Fear Council of the Boy Scouts of America district executive for four years.

CEO, WILMINGTON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

fter growing up in New

County and AHanover graduating high school

and college in Wilmington, Scott Satterfield now aids economic development in the region by assisting in the site selection process, providing industrial expansion and relocation services and acting as a liaison between businesses and local government. The

Services (CHHS) students with resources. Off-campus, Shaw is active in connecting different circles around the region.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Beyond her role at UNCW’s CHHS, which includes 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students, this also was Shaw’s second year as interim program director of Coastal ROOTS, or Restoring Our Opportunities Toward Success, a summer bridge program that aims to “to enhance the student experience and foster a sense of campus and cultural belonging” for incoming freshmen. Shaw is working with CHHS’ Pre-Health Coordinator to expand the school’s iHeal summer camp for rising ninth graders and also working with CFCC and UNC Office of Rural Initiatives on SEEDS, or Students Engaged in Enriching Diversity in Sciences, a scholarship initiative.

Beyond the university, Shaw, a kidney donor, serves as a board member for the Willie Stargell Foundation.

In December, she wraps up her time as co-chair of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce’s African American Business Council.

She is also a member of WILMA’s Women to Watch Advisory Board.

TEAM APPROACH: Shaw, along with Crystal Pellom and Constance Foreman, plans social events for minority professionals through their group, Three Ladies in Wilmington.

SHERI SHAW ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STUDENT SUCCESS AND ACADEMIC ADVISING, UNCW CHHS

n campus, Sheri Shaw connects College of Health and Human

O

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BARNES SUTTON ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, LELAND

hen Barnes Sutton

into the town Wstepped of Leland’s economic

and community development director role earlier this year, the town was considering a proposed multi-million-dollar minor league baseball stadium development.

WHY HE’S A CONNECTOR: Sutton leads the planning and implementation of initiatives that promote Leland’s economic and community development.

That often involves forging relationships with business leaders, industrial developers, government agencies and community organizations.

Sutton stepped into the role after former director Gary Vidmar retired in June. Sutton previously was a community development planner for Leland. He gained prior planning experience working for the town of Navassa and Pender County.

Sutton took the reins in managing the development and completion of a feasibility analysis and economic impact study for the proposed baseball stadium. He continues to guide the town’s leaders as they weigh the feasibility of the stadium and surrounding development.

Sutton is working on a draft of the town’s first economic incentive policy to spark innovation and redevelopment throughout the area. He also assisted with the adoption of Leland’s first economic development strategic plan, which outlines the town’s economic development goals over the next four years.

BIG GROWTH: Located in North Carolina’s fastestgrowing county, the population of Leland is also on the rise. The number of people living inside the town’s limits climbed by W I N T E R 2023

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PHOTO BY STEPHANIE SAVAS PHOTOGRAPHY

HEATHER WILSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAMERON ART MUSEUM

eather Wilson stepped into the Cameron Art Museum’s top role in June after more than 15 years of working in various museum roles.

H

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: As Wilson establishes herself at the museum’s helm, she’s focused on deepening connections with the community.

She hopes to broaden the museum’s relationships with education and youth development groups, businesses and nonprofits to further the impact of the arts across the Cape Fear region.

Wilson served as the museum’s interim director following the retirement of former executive director Anne Brennan in March.

Wilson was selected as the museum’s permanent director in June. She joined the museum in 2006 as its development officer. In 2019, 22.4% between 2020 and 2022, from a population of just over 23,000 to more than 28,500.

LINDA THOMPSON CHIEF DIVERSITY & EQUITY OFFICER, NEW HANOVER COUNTY

inda Thompson in

took the role of L2020 chief diversity and

equity officer at the thennewly formed NHC Office of Diversity and Equity, after a long stint working in community and media relations for the Wilmington Police Department.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: This year, Thompson’s office continued its mission

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she became the museum’s deputy director.

Wilson led the museum’s strategic planning process in those roles and served as the project director for “Boundless,” a public sculpture commemorating the U.S. Colored Troops.

NEW EXHIBITS: It’s been an eventful

to provide training and education around inclusive work environments – with the county’s 2,000 employees and through outreach training to local nonprofits and small businesses.

In the community, Thompson and her office organized a two-day Equity & Inclusion Summit this fall, bringing together speakers and panels to discuss pressing diversity, equity and inclusion topics in areas ranging from human relations to health equity.

The office continued its Equity Awards event to highlight and honor individuals in the region for their efforts in expanding and elevating equity and diversity.

And in November, she partnered with other groups to commemorate the 1898 Wilmington massacre

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year for the art museum, which included the opening of two new exhibits and the launch of the Director’s Circle, a new upper-level giving society. Wilson is currently working on a new exhibition from American painter and sculptor Thomas Sayre, slated to open in April.

and coup. Because this year marked the 125th anniversary, 25 events took place in October and November, including a symposium.

TRAINING GOALS: The Office of Diversity and Equity’s goal is to train more than 2,000 residents annually in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

MEADE VAN PELT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE HARRELSON CENTER

s head of The Harrelson

Meade Van Pelt ACenter, supports and leads the Cape Fear region’s campus hub of humanitarian service

organizations.

WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Van Pelt leads a staff of 12 in establishing a sustainable culture of support, stability and advancement for nonprofit work in the Wilmington area. The Harrelson Center is home to 22 nonprofit partners and 17 associate partners.

From Feast Down East to Eden Village, The Harrelson Center and its partnering nonprofits work to link residents in need with services and resources.

Van Pelt started the director role in 2016, following a 21-year career with Pitney Bowes, Inc., a shipping and mailing company.

She’s working on a collaboration to launch an evidence-based family and community justice center, located strategically near the New Hanover County courthouse. The center

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would serve and care for victims and bring justice and safety to the region.

Van Pelt is also looking into capacitybuilding services for the success of local nonprofits.

This summer, The Harrelson Center finished converting its fourth and fifth floors into eight class-A partner suites and a shared conference room with a 25-person capacity. The $1.5 million renovation adds to the center’s capacity, allowing more nonprofits to establish a presence in the space.

FORMER JAIL: The Harrelson Center was once a former New Hanover County jail, which moved out of the space at the end of 2004.

CYNTHIA WALSH CEO, BRUNSWICK COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

ynthia Walsh has been CEO of the

County Association of CBrunswick Realtors since 2005.

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WHY SHE’S A CONNECTOR: Walsh leads an organization that provides tools and support to its 1,200 members during a tumultuous time in the real estate industry.

Her recent efforts include national and regional development of a new association executive orientation; serving on the NC Realtors Bylaws Committee; advancing the regional multiple listing service; and continuing BCAR Gives Back, creating at least 12 opportunities a year for Realtors to give back to their community.

Walsh is a May 2023 graduate of the Duke University Leadership Forum; was a featured guest on the Lending Forward podcast; served as a National Association of Realtors speaker; and was a Brunswick County Leadership Program speaker.

WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE REGION? “That’s tough – this region is pretty amazing – as evidenced by the number of people moving here,” Walsh said. “A larger supply of housing inventory to meet all price points would help.”

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I S N G T RS SA THE

RI

THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS WHO ARE ALREADY MAKING WAVES (LIMITED TO THOSE 35 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER)

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LIZ CARBONE

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER

of her day job at the Good Outside Shepherd Center, Liz Carbone is a community advocate, actively pushing for more affordable housing across the Cape Fear region.

WHY SHE’S A RISING STAR: Carbone began working at the Good Shepherd Center nearly seven years ago. As director of community engagement, she manages the homeless shelter’s outreach, education and advocacy efforts around hunger, homelessness and affordable housing.

Advocating for affordable housing is also a personal passion for Carbone.

She’s vice chair of the Cape Fear Housing Coalition, managing the group’s day-to-day operations and critical initiatives. The all-volunteer group hosts events that aim to link residents with housing resources and educate the community on the importance of affordable housing. She’s also a member of the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County Workforce Housing Advisory Committee, which advocates for more robust funding and policy commitments to create and preserve affordable housing.

Carbone sits on several other community boards, including as chair of the city/county Community Relations Advisory Committee and the New Hanover County Library Advisory Board.

FUNDING HOMES: The Good Shepherd Center launched its Home for Good capital campaign last fall. The campaign aims to expand the center’s campus, add a family shelter and create more than 50 permanent supportive housing units in the Wilmington area.

JESSIE GOODWIN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF WILMINGTON

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spring, Jessie Goodwin officially This became the executive director of The

Children’s Museum of Wilmington, leading the museum through a record-breaking year both fiscally and in attendance.

WHY SHE’S A RISING STAR: Goodwin joined the children’s museum in 2019 as its education, membership and volunteer coordinator. She was promoted to the museum’s director of operations two years later and, in August 2022, became the organization’s acting director.

Goodwin worked as a grade-school teacher, a teaching assistant at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an archivist before coming to the museum.

In her first year at the helm, Goodwin hired several new staff members, increased retention rates and oversaw the start and completion of various capital projects. Goodwin leads a 21-person staff, working with the museum’s board of directors to implement strategic priorities and continually assess the museum’s operations.

Looking ahead, Goodwin plans to evaluate the community’s needs, adjust the museum’s experiential and exhibit plans, and work on internal restructuring.

A LOOK BACK: In 2022, Goodwin documented the history of the three historical buildings that make up the children’s museum on Orange Street. Her work resulted in a series of panels highlighting the history of the museum complex. One of the buildings, St. John’s Lodge, has been in continuous service since it was built for the St. John’s chapter of the Masons in 1805.

PHOTO BY ALLISON JOYCE

DANIEL JONES ABBY LORENZO DEPUTY DIRECTOR, WMPO

her role for the Wilmington Urban InArea Metropolitan Planning Organization

(WMPO), Abby Lorenzo directs the group’s planning activities, including plan development, research, education, outreach and discretionary grant opportunities.

WHY SHE’S A RISING STAR: The WMPO is the transportation planning agency for the region.

Lorenzo plays a key role in helping develop those plans – from roads to trails.

This year, she served as project manager for the city of Wilmington’s Walk Wilmington Pedestrian Plan Update, which was adopted in July.

She led the development of the WMPO’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Cape Fear

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CULTURAL CURATOR, CAMERON ART MUSEUM s the Cameron Art Museum’s cultural curator, Daniel Jones has focused on making “Boundless” a permanent installation from North Carolina artist Stephen Hayes of U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War more accessible for the visiting public.

WHY HE’S A RISING STAR: The bronze sculpture, erected in 2021, commemorates the site where more than 1,800 U.S. Colored Troops in February 1865 fought on the present grounds of the Cameron Art Museum. The two-day skirmish helped win the Wilmington Campaign during the Civil War. Jones leads weekly tours of the installation and is working to document the lives of the soldiers involved in the fight. He is also working on a short film to document oral histories of the descendants of those who fought in the U.S. Colored Troops.

Jones is working to create accessible programming around the site and to add the narrative of the U.S. Colored Troops into local school curriculums. Jones also curates the museum’s Sunset Performance Series, a concert series that combines art with social justice.

HISTORY BUFF: Jones got his start working as a museum educator at the Cape Fear Museum.

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ARHEMA TILMAN FOUNDER & HOST, TODAY WITH RHE rhema Tilman launched her YouTube show, Today with Rhe, in 2022 to highlight local entrepreneurs.

WHY SHE’S A RISING STAR: This fall, Tilman started her fourth season of the show, which includes interviews with business owners in the area.

Formerly serving in the U.S. Navy and a future Johnson & Wales University graduate, Tilman wanted to highlight entrepreneurs and “share their stories to humanize the entrepreneurial experience.”

She talks to owners from various industries about their journeys and lessons learned about growing their businesses.

Tilman, a 2023-24 Leadership Wilmington class member, is helping with the chamber’s citywide volunteer event Work on Wilmington.

PCYP ROLE: Tilman is also the ambassador coordinator for the Port City Young Professionals networking group.

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Moving Forward 2045, adopted three years ago. The 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan development needs to be adopted by November 2025. Lorenzo is involved in efforts on those updates, including engaging with the public and coordinating with member jurisdictions about which priority projects will be included in it.

Lorenzo also oversaw or managed the development of several regional transportation plans, including the Wilmington Rail Trail Masterplan, the Pender County Collector Streets Plan Update, the Kure Beach Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, and the Navassa Collector Street Plan.

HIGHER ED: Lorenzo earned her Master of Public Administration degree from UNCW in December 2022.

MALLORIE MOORE

DIRECTOR OF MARKET DEVELOPMENT, MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH

Moore moved into her Mallorie current role at the Wilmington

office of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP law firm this year. She focuses on the firm’s market development strategy across North Carolina.

WHY SHE’S A RISING STAR: Moore also recently launched Founders Live Raleigh-Durham as the group’s chapter leader. The group connects startups with the people, capital, resources and exposure they need to launch their innovations into the market.

She also joined the advisory board of tech firm Allergood and is a member of NC TECH’s board of advisors. Locally, Moore, a graduate of the Leadership Wilmington program, is part of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Wilmington Alumni Council and Cape Fear CREW’s Partnership Committee.

ARTFUL SIDE: While busy now, Moore used to sell her artwork across Raleigh and said she would like to devote more time to her creative side again.

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BY EMMA DILL & CECE NUNN PHOTO BY D A R I A A M AT O

HOW BRUNSWICK COUNTY BEAT OTHER STATES TO WIN A COMPANY WITH $650M TO SPEND AS THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY CHAIN POWERS UP

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hey could have driven their business almost anywhere.

After looking at more than 100 sites in the U.S. alone and spending a year in talks with North Carolina officials, an electric vehicle component manufacturer chose Brunswick County for its first facility outside India.

Epsilon Advanced Materials plans to invest $650 million in a 1.5 million-square-foot facility and hire 500 workers to make graphite for lithium-ion batteries, the company announced this fall.

A year ago, Epsilon officials contacted North Carolina economic development leaders about locating their new facility in the state. Brunswick County connected with Epsilon when Brunswick Business & Industry Development, which works to recruit businesses to Brunswick County, submitted a proposal to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina outlining the available site in the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park.

As the company evaluated its site options, Brunswick BID executive director Bill Early and his staff communicated with Epsilon through state officials to share additional details about the Brunswick County site. Once Brunswick County was selected as a finalist for the facility, the company began working more directly with Brunswick BID. Early said the county knew it was a finalist for the plant about four to five months before the October announcement.

According to Early, Epsilon officials visited the site three times before selecting Brunswick County over another location in Tennessee. The company also had direct conversations with Duke

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Energy to ensure the site off U.S. 74 could supply the large amount of electricity needed to power its operations.

“When we looked at what we needed, which was a good workforce, really good work environment, industry-ready site, a power-ready site, Brunswick County was really attractive,” said Vikram Handa, managing director of Epsilon Advanced Materials.

He said the site’s access to rail, proximity to the Port of Wilmington and outlook for workforce training programs were additional factors.

In conversations with company officials, Early also tried to emphasize one of the characteristics that officials say have made Brunswick County one of the fastest-growing counties in the state.

“One thing that we did try to sell them on is the fact that we’ve got a good quality of life here in the area that will help them in attracting and retaining key employees,” he said.

UPPING THE ANTE

State officials are offering Epsilon millions of dollars in incentives through North Carolina’s Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program to make good on its promises.

“Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $3,443,250, spread over 12 years,” state commerce officials said in a news release in October.

According to the state, the payments are performance-based and only made when North Carolina’s commerce and revenue departments

”

I BEL IEVE TH AT (EP SILON ’ S P L ANT ) C ERTA IN LY WIL L HELP BUIL D TH E FOUN DAT I ON FOR OTH ER SIMILAR COMPA N IES TO CON SIDER BR UN SWI CK COUN TY FOR THEI R BUSIN ESSES. BILL EARLY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BRUNSWICK BID

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”

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LEARNING NEW SKILLS

Giving Brunswick County residents the skills they’ll need to work at the Epsilon plant falls to Brunswick Community College and will require new training programs, said Greg Bland, the school’s vice president of continuing education, economic and workforce development.

“They have a very unique product and a unique process that not many people know about,” Bland said about Epsilon. “The creation of graphite is something that is unique, and it’s the first time for Brunswick County.”

To prepare to train workers, Bland said the community college will have to do three key things. First, community college leaders and instructors must undergo electric vehicle fundamentals training and certifications to prepare them to teach students.

The college also plans to collaborate with other

community colleges across the state that offer training programs related to the electric vehicle industry. Finally, community college officials plan to visit other electric vehiclerelated training programs outside North Carolina, Bland said.

“Obviously, we’re good with the fundamentals of customized training with onboarding, with preparing people for manufacturing and production and safety, we can do that,” Bland said. “But the process of making graphite with a chemical reaction and some of the specifics that are embedded in that company – that’s what we have to prepare for now.”

The college also aims to employ the state-funded customized training programs offered to upskill workers when a new company comes to town.

Once Epsilon releases a list of the types of positions it will employ, the community college will be able to start designing the specifics of its training program, Brunswick Community College President Gene Smith said.

“As they begin building their facility and getting ready to open, we’ll be working with them on what their training needs will be and what skill set they want their workforce to have so that we can meet their needs,” Smith said.

Training workers to fill the new jobs will be a regionwide effort. Smith said he’s had conversations with officials at Columbus County’s Southeastern Community College about the needed training, and Jim Morton, Cape Fear Community College president, said they, too, are watching the regional training needs.

“No one school would be able to support the sudden growth of the (worker) supply,”

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EPSILON AT A GLANCE Epsilon Advanced Materials (EAM) plans to break ground on a graphite manufacturing facility in Brunswick County to supply graphite to makers of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Epsilon CEO Sunit Kapur and managing director Vikram Handa announced in November that EAM plans to build a $650 million facility in the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park.

50K

TONNES PER ANNUM

Amount of graphite EAM plans to produce at its Brunswick County facility

200%

How much demand for graphite is expected to increase in four years

500

The number of jobs EAM expects to create in Brunswick County

58%

How much battery anode material is sourced from synthetic graphite

1.5M

SQ FT

verify that Epsilon has met its job and investment targets.

The bucks don’t stop with the JDIG grant.

The Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 with proceeds from the state’s 1998 settlement with cigarette manufacturers, is providing $3 million to lay some additional groundwork for Epsilon. The money will be used to construct a 1-million-gallon elevated water tank at the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park.

In addition to applying for the Golden LEAF grant and accepting the funds, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners approved paying nearly $19 million for 539 acres in the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park in anticipation of Epsilon’s announcement.

The planned size of EAM’s Brunswick County graphite plant

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Morton said.

The state’s budget this year included funding for a Brunswick Community College workforce training center, expected to be built on U.S. 17, that could provide room to train potential Epsilon employees.

“They said they want to work with us to see what kind of skill sets we are looking for so they can kind of equip the training center with those (pieces of equipment) or those training modules,” Epsilon CEO Sunit Kapur said.

The idea would be for people “to come off those training modules and straightaway get on the job,” he said.

Kapur and Handa said the company plans to break ground on its Brunswick County facility in 2024 and begin manufacturing in 2031.

COURTING THE EV INDUSTRY

With competition heating up for pieces of the electric vehicle market and its clean energy manufacturers, Gov. Roy Cooper lauded Epsilon’s decision to choose North Carolina.

“They had a lot of options,” Cooper said during the Epsilon announcement Oct. 26. “And they chose us.”

The governor noted other recent EV wins for the state, including a Toyota battery plant in Randolph County and VinFast’s electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Chatham County.

“This great Indian company, Epsilon, will be joining our manufacturers’ supply chain for electric vehicles,” Cooper said. “In North Carolina, we will not only be making electric vehicles, but the charging stations, the semiconductors, the batteries and now the graphite for the lithium-ion battery.”

The influx of investment across the Southeast in an electric vehicle supply chain stems from the passage of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act last year. Among the federal law’s clean energy provisions are incentives for consumers – up to $7,500 in tax

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credits for buying an electric car. But those vehicles have to be assembled in the U.S. to qualify for the credit, prompting automakers and suppliers like Epsilon to focus heavily on supply chain buildouts domestically.

Consumer adoption and political changes could impact the EV industry’s anticipated route, but for now, billions of dollars from federal government funding and manufacturer investments are powering the ramp-up.

And those investments go beyond the automakers and battery manufacturers to the companies processing the component materials of EV batteries such as lithium, cobalt and – in Epsilon’s case – graphite.

Graphite can be manufactured from coke, which is a fuel made from coal. Without graphite, electric vehicle batteries would not be able to produce electricity.

According to Epsilon, 42% of all battery anode material comes from natural graphite flakes and 58% from synthetic graphite material.

“Lowering battery costs is crucial in making electric cars more affordable since the battery pack accounts for half of the purchase expense, with the cells making up 70% of the cost, the graphite anode 15%,” Handa said.

The prices of electric vehicles vary widely, but many of the models range from around $40,000 to more than $100,000.

“You talk to any CEO of any car company, and they will tell you how they are falling all over themselves to get into the competition in the market for this, to get a priced vehicle that everyday families can afford,” Cooper said during the Epsilon announcement.

Electric vehicle manufacturing is an up-and-coming industry with relatively high wages and considerable growth potential, said regional economist Mouhcine Guettabi, with the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Epsilon Advanced Materials’ projected 500 jobs are expected to M A G A Z I N E

come with an average wage of $52,264, officials said, adding that the average annual private sector wages for 2023 in Brunswick County is $46,464.

IS IT ELECTRIFYING?

Today’s Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park lacks buildings. But that could change quickly over the next few years.

“I believe once Epsilon locates there, and (companies) can see how infrastructure is being brought into the site, that will help with the visual marketing of the property,” Early said. “I believe that certainly will help build the foundation for other similar companies to consider Brunswick County for their businesses.”

Guettabi said attracting more employers would be a boom.

“Anytime you have an investment of that size, the hope is that it is going to encourage other companies in related industries to consider the Wilmington region to build a local supply chain and retain – at the local level – as much of the benefit as possible,” the economist said.

Regarding indirect effects, Guettabi said, “The investment/jobs will reverberate through the rest of the economy regionally and at the state level as the company buys equipment, builds facilities and goes about its operations.”

Epsilon officials have said they are in discussions with U.S.-based contractors to construct their plant but could not share specifics as of press time.

They also said in October that Epsilon has nonbinding memorandums of understanding with various battery manufacturers in hopes of reaching more formal agreements soon.

Cooper said Epsilon is expected to have a long-lasting impact on the state.

“Our analysts predict that over the next 12 years,” Cooper said, “this project will benefit North Carolina’s economy by more than $1.3 billion.”

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PROFILE

CLIFFHANGER

COMIC CLIFF CASH STANDS AT THE EDGE OF A HILARIOUS PRECIPICE

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B Y R A N D A L L K I R K PAT R I C K P H O T O B Y M A D E L I N E G R AY

or many comedians chasing their dreams, the road is long, filled with false starts, promising near misses and occasional successes that hint at an opportunity to make it.

Most kicked off their often-quixotic pursuits with a sweaty open mic and invested years in live performances to crowds that initially consisted mainly of friends, family ... and hecklers out to “perfect their craft.”

Social media has altered the formula recently, but it’s difficult to dodge the need to perform in front of audiences, hone a unique world view and engender actual laughs.

Wilmington’s own Cliff Cash has broken through with a sold-out performance in November at Thalian Hall. The night was filmed and is being edited by Wilmington-based Lighthouse Films, with the hopes of shopping the special around to gain a wider audience.

The road to get there has been a, well, comically challenging and untraditional one, and a long one too. The title of the standup special is in fact The Long Road, for obvious and less obvious reasons, The 42-year-old Cash kicked off his improbable comedic journey in 2011 at an open mic night at the former Nutt Street Comedy Room. Cash remembers that first night as, fortuitously, a slam dunk.

“If it hadn’t been so successful, I might not have come back,” he said. “I could say that was the beginning of everything, but that ignores my early years in elementary school. I would have teachers come to whatever class I was in and take me out to do a voice I had done or retell a story in another classroom.”

Cash spent roughly his first 16 years in Gastonia, about two hours from Asheville. He relates that his parents would often drop him and his older brother,

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Wiley, at a spot called Crowders Mountain. There they would hike and climb sheer, 100-foot rock faces – with no ropes of course.

The joy he felt in that natural environment was palpable and shaped who he was, as he moved with his family from Western North Carolina in 1998 to Oak Island.

Wiley elevated above his creative writing post at the University of North Carolina at Asheville to become a New York Times best-selling author and an inspiration to Cliff. Both he and Cliff were there for their sister, Jada (26 years old to Cliff ’s 15 at the time), when she revealed that she was gay.

For a time, they kept this a secret from their parents, and at the same time Cliff Cash’s siblings were exposing him to such topics as anti-racism, gay rights and gun control.

His friend Scott Sigmon admiringly terms his humor “subversive but nonconfrontational. He’s done more than anyone I know to open people’s minds.”

There was life before the promising beginning of Cash’s comedic journey. He built a successful business flipping houses, until the real estate market tanked in 2008, naturally resulting in his starting a recycling company, Green Coast Recycling.

The business hit snags, and life threw other challenges at Cash. Within a roughly one-year-plus timeframe in 2016, he lost his business, his dog, his home, his wife through divorce and most painfully, his dad.

He could have zigged back into the conventional and safe, but instead, he zagged into something different.

“When all of this happened,” he said, “I figured out I could check out of capitalism. I looked at the unsustainable part of touring – staying in the cheapest, crappiest hotels, with all the other financial encumbrances – and how does that possibly work?”

Cash determined that a full-bore plunge into comedy was possible if he cut his expenses to the bone. He purchased a used station wagon, gutted it of everything but the front seats, added a mattress and bought a camp stove. He then began a fouryear-long tour across the country, striving to bundle

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together dates close to each other.

This is where his familiarity with the rougher aspects of the outdoors comes in. “If I could stay with a family or snag a free hotel room, I’d do that. If not, I would find a spot in the forest where I could get my car in, set up there, hike during the day and read a book at night. At times it was hard, but also profoundly beautiful,” he recalled.

Cash wound up seeing 45 national parks out of the 63, doing shows in nearly every state and roadtesting the idea that his life’s passion could survive and thrive an outthere, four-year experience. He also took possibly the only road available during the pandemic years, by doing nearly 100 socially distanced shows and house shows, which he still does. Cash adds that he has friends who convey that they envy him and his “amazing” life.

He answers them with, “Hey dude, you can do it too. All you have to do is lose everything – your job, your house, your marriage, your credit score – and miraculously you wake up in the morning and realize you’re still alive and maybe you can go still pursue your dream.”

As for the next step after The Long Road, the goal is to “sell” the finished one-hour special to an outlet like Netflix.

William “Billy” Mellon, owner of four venues (including manna and Bourgie Nights), helped secure the night at Thalian Hall and handled marketing, sponsorship and organizational details. He also provided some key financial support.

“Whenever I’ve seen Cliff, I spend pretty much the entire time laughing,” Mellon said. “And to have the chance to be a part of something historic, it’s just awesome. He has a way of taking the audience down to the most personal and emotional valleys and then bringing them back with something that has the whole room laughing. He has got a wellearned gift, and I believe it’s his time to break through.”

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RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

CULINARY

CONTEST

BY KYLE HANLIN

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| P H O T O B Y D A R I A A M AT O

IT

WAS A MOST UNUSUAL THING. A $1 MILLION CONTEST TO OPEN, OWN AND OPERATE YOUR OWN RESTAURANT IN THE PENDER COUNTY TOWN OF BURGAW. But, however unusual, it was real, and in October, Karoline Schwartz of Tabernash, Colorado, was announced as the winner of the Own Your Own Million Dollar Nationwide Restaurant Challenge.

“I’ve been a chef, an operator and a manager and just worked in the restaurant industry the entire time I’ve been alive,” Schwartz said. “I’ve always wanted to have my own restaurant, as everyone does in this industry. We all dream of it.”

The contest was the vision of entrepreneur Richard Johnson, the one-time founder and CEO of the ’90s dot-com-boom era darling HotJobs.com. Johnson turned out to be the investor Schwartz dreamed of finding. (Read more about Johnson in the WilmingtonBiz 100 list on page 62.)

Schwartz first learned about the Own Your Own challenge when it was mentioned in her culinary school newsletter.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that looks fun.

I’ll apply,’” Schwartz said. “And I just kept making it to the next stage. I kept answering the questions honestly whether they were regarding my business plan or myself or video interview. I just kept being myself.”

Schwartz currently serves as executive chef and general manager of food and beverage operations at a historic lodge in Grand Lake, Colorado. Prior to that, she served in leadership roles in Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York, and credits her leadership experiences with her success in the challenge.

RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

“There’s more than just food that goes into operating a restaurant,” Schwartz said. “It’s your ability to manage people and lead people, understand how business works, how you represent yourself and build relationships. Even the best food can’t save poor service. So it has to be very well balanced, so who you are as a person matters just as much as what you put on your menu.”

The challenge began with more than 500 entries. Johnson and his handpicked team of chefs and restaurateurs then whittled down the field to just fewer than 200 before the real process began.

“We Zoomed with 190 people,” Johnson said. “It took three months.”

In October, Schwartz and 23 other finalists descended on Burgaw to present themselves, their plans and their culinary creations at a Town Square Cook-Off. More than 200 area residents were selected by lottery to serve as community judges ranking each entrant on people skills, presentation, taste of their signature dish and their concept. Their votes, along with the say-so of Johnson’s enlisted group narrowed the field to 12.

Then, Johnson met for 30 minutes with each of the remaining 12 finalists.

“I was just trying to decide on their character and was it somebody that I want to work with,” Johnson said. “I wanted to look them all in the eye and try to determine that they could do it.”

At the same time, Johnson’s team of area restaurateurs scrutinized entrants’ business plans, deliberated and trimmed the field to six who would participate in a series of challenges.

The challenges for six finalists included planning menus, cooking and interacting with customers using the kitchens at Pine Valley Market, Cape Fear Seafood Company and Stoked Restaurant. After the challenges, Schwartz and fellow finalist Vincent Mangual, of Brooklyn, New York’s Empire BBQ, were selected

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for the grand finale event during which they both prepared three-course dinners for a roomful of guests on Oct. 29. (Mangual and Schwartz are shown on the opposite page from the finale event.)

At the end of the evening, Schwartz was named the winner.

She now will have $1 million dollars from Johnson to design, outfit and open her restaurant at 106-108 W. Courthouse Ave. in Burgaw, a space owned by Johnson.

After purchasing farmland near Burgaw in 2016, Johnson saw the potential in the town and went on to purchase seven vacant buildings while devising plans to help rejuvenate its downtown.

By 2020, Johnson and retired teacher Jay Kranchalk had opened Fat Daddy’s Pizza, which Johnson notes was the first new business to open in downtown Burgaw in 10 years. Since then, seven new businesses have opened in the Pender County seat, including another Johnson-backed venture in early 2023, Burgaw Brewing.

“I realized that you can own the building, but, unless there is foot traffic and you make some improvements, you’re not going to rent them,” Johnson said. “That’s what kind of sent me on the whole journey.”

Construction on Schwartz’s restaurant is slated to take place through 2024 with a target of opening in early 2025.

Schwartz will continue working and living in Colorado during the early phases of the project but plans to relocate to the area next year as the project moves forward.

“I need to work until this opens, thus, why someone else is bankrolling my restaurant,” Schwartz said with a laugh. “I like where I work and I love Colorado, and I will do what I can do from afar. When I no longer can do it from afar, that’s when I will move.”

For more restaurant news, sign up for the Business Journal's weekly Restaurant Roundup email by going to WilmingtonBiz.com.

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THE TAKEAWAY

MOVING

PLANS PHOTO BY MEGAN DEITZ

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ape Fear Museum of History and Science’s next big project is prepping for its move to Project Grace in downtown Wilmington (its giant sloth skeleton replica is coming with). A mixed-use development, Project Grace will fill the New Hanover County-owned block bordered by Chestnut, Grace, Second, and Third streets and include a rebuilt public library and modernized Cape Fear Museum as well as private development of commercial and residential space. The library and museum portion could be complete by 2025.

“We’ll be able to offer a broader range of both history and science exhibits,” museum director Kate Baillon (left) said. “We’ll be looking at having a 3,000-square-foot, hands-on gallery that teaches about scientific principles; a 1,300-square-foot children’s exhibit that teaches about the local area for our youngest visitors; a 9,000-square-foot history and science exhibit that combines the history and science of our local region, weaving together stories of people and place; (and) an outdoor gallery teaching about the local ecology – all this together with a 5,000-square-foot changing gallery and a sixty-seat immersive theater and planetarium.”

-Samantha Kupiainen

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