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Multifamily sector on the rise Page 12
Tracking trucks
A look at food truck trends Page 19
PHOTO C/O NEW HANOVER COUNTY
Index Economic Indicators .............................. 3 Technology ............................................. 4 The List ............................................5, 15 Hospitality ............................................. 6 In Profile................................................. 9 Real Estate..................................... 12-13 Business of Life.............................. 18-19
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Vaccinated: A New Hanover County public health nurse receives a dose of the Moderna vaccine on Dec. 22.
GIVING IT A SHOT
VACCINE SHORTAGE, HESITANCY MIGHT STIFLE IMMUNITY EFFORT BY NEIL COTIAUX aced with a limited supply of vaccines to help eradicate a pandemic that knows no end and an ongoing hesitation on the part of some individuals to be vaccinated, leaders in government, business, higher education and neighborhoods are starting to roll out plans to convince as many people as possible to get inoculated once supplies become more plentiful. Where once federal officials said 60% to 70% of the U.S. population needed to develop resistance to COVID-19 to eradicate it, the country’s go-to guru on the virus, Anthony Fauci, has now raised the bar for “herd immunity” to 80%. Fauci’s stretch goal comes as surveys show a large percentage of Americans are either on the fence about taking a jab or are unwilling
F
to do so. In a November survey of 12,648 adults by Pew Research Center, only 61% of white respondents and just 42% of Black respondents said they would “definitely or probably” get vaccinated. About 18% of the survey group said they wanted more information before making a final decision. Along with a slow start in inoculations, the gap between public need and public acceptance places added pressure on civic leaders to convince people to get vaccinated.
PHASED APPROACH
The first shipments of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines arrived in New Hanover County in December. Vaccination will be accomplished in five phases and is expected to take at least nine months, said Phillip Tarte, the
county’s public health director. The federal government ships vaccines to states each week, with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services determining the quantities received at the local level as the agency helps localities address any staff shortages or data entry issues. To move things along, Brig. Gen. Jeff Copeland said the N.C. National Guard is dispatching “immunization strike teams” to “large metropolitan areas where requested” and smaller rural counties. Working with health providers, team members inject patients, record their data and handle logistics. COVID-19 vaccines are being made available at no cost to all North Carolinians, regardless of insurance. In early January, New Hanover County and Brunswick County See VACCINE, page 10
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
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Greater Wilmington Business Journal
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 3
| ECONOMIC INDICATORS | NOVEMBER AIRPORT PASSENGER TRAFFIC
NOVEMBER UNEMPLOYMENT NEW HANOVER NOVEMBER 2020:
PENDER NOVEMBER 2020:
BRUNSWICK NOVEMBER 2020:
UP FROM NOVEMBER 2019:
UP FROM NOVEMBER 2019:
UP FROM NOVEMBER 2019:
3.1%
3.5%
4.7%
OCTOBER SALES TAX COLLECTION (NEW HANOVER COUNTY)
SALES TAX COLLECTION OCTOBER 2020
5.5% 5.4% 7%
$22,186,542 UP FROM SALES TAX COLLECTION OCTOBER 2019 NOVEMBER 2020 DEPARTURES
18,248
19,455
DOWN FROM NOVEMBER 2019 DEPARTURES
DOWN FROM NOVEMBER 2019 ARRIVALS
46,069 Source: N.C. Department of Commerce
(SINGLE-FAMILY, TRI-COUNTY AREA)
$311,004
$355,351
$291,378
50K
Commercial
250 250
300K
100K
Residential
MONTHLY BUILDING PERMITS (BRUNSWICK COUNTY)
OCTOBER 2020
350K
150K
Source: N.C. Department of Revenue
300 300
400K
200K
52,368
Source: Wilmington International Airport
DECEMBER AVERAGE HOME SALE PRICE
250K
$19,582,064
NOVEMBER 2020 ARRIVALS
2019
2020
2018
200 200 150 150 100 100
5050 00
Source: Cape Fear Realtors
OCTOBER ROOM OCCUPANCY TAX
$1,093,230
$1,068,424
(NEW HANOVER COUNTY)
2019
2020
0202
Source: Wilmington 9102CVB
10/19
1019
11/19
1119
12/19
1219
1/20
120
2/20
220
3/20
4/20
320
420
5/20
520
6/20
620
7/20
720
8/20
820
9/20
920
10/20
1020
Source: Brunswick County Code Administration
2020 TOP 5 CITIES WITH MOST INBOUND MOVES
0000021
WILMINGTON, NC 0000001
79%
FL 00SARASOTA-BRADENTON, 0008
78%
00BOISE, 0006 ID AL 00HUNTSVILLE, 0004
00FORT 0002 MYERS -
CAPE CORAL, FL
0
75% 70% 69%
31 M AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON FOR REGULAR UNLEADED IN WILMINGTON ON JANUARY 12, 2021:
$2.24 AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON FOR WILMINGTON ON JANUARY 12, 2020:
$2.45 Source: AAA
Source: United Van Lines Movers Study
Page 4
January 22 - February 4, 2021
wilmingtonbiz.com
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
| TECHNOLOGY |
T
New Year Tech Outlook
echnology shifts brought on by the pandemic starting last year, including working from home, remote learning, video conferencing and expanded capabilities in services such as banking, will JOHANNA continue to influence businesses and technology. Local tech leaders discuss what’s in store for 2021, including trends and things to watch for when it comes to technology and entrepreneurship in the region. Derek Schmidt is the founder and CEO of DesignLoud, a website design and marketing agency, and SWELL Systems, a startup with a cloud-based application for business management. He said we can expect continued growth in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, clean energy, autonomous driving and solutions around health data. “In 2020 we saw tremendous growth in various areas of technology, especially in video conferencing, online learning, telehealth, telemedicine and remote working software,” Schmidt said. “I strongly believe we will continue to see those applications and platforms grow throughout 2021.” GWBJ: Are there any upcoming startups in the region that we will hear more about this year? SCHMIDT: “Having grown up in Wilmington I have seen its transformation firsthand. This area is already home to some very talented entrepreneurs Schmidt and startups. For example, Girard and Tracey Newkirk with Genesis Block, Stan Trofimchuk and David Reeser with OpiAID, Dallas Romanowski and Melissa Phillippi with Performance Culture, just to name a few.” GWBJ: What are some new marketing strategies that businesses are using to reach their audience? SCHMIDT: “I’m a big fan of omnichannel marketing, which, in short, is a marketing funnel that follows and adjusts itself based on the user’s interests and actions. As technology evolves and marketing experts use these new tools, we’ll see more
CANO
relevant, personalized ads based on individual interests and where they are in the sales funnel.” GWBJ: What should we keep an eye out for this year? SCHMIDT: “2021 will continue to be a big year for video content. Insivia claims that mobile video consumption rises by 100% every year. According to Cisco Systems, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022. That’s 15 times higher than it was in 2017.” Trista Banfield, technical production manager with Morvil Advertising + Design Group and board member at Cape Fear Women In Tech, said this year we will hear from the “usual suspects” including Apiture and nCino but also expects to hear from companies out of the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. GWBJ: Any specific tech industries that you see growing? BANFIELD: “Digital growth has skyrocketed over the past year with more online user-engagement than ever before. Regarding Wilmington, our Banfield fintech industry has seen substantial growth with the launch of nCino’s IPO. We will see Wilmington continue to grow as a hotbed of innovation. With remote learning continuing to be a necessity, companies like Cloudwyze are innovating the industry will become more prevalent in our rural areas to deliver the internet required to meet the publics’ demands.” GWBJ: How can entrepreneurs and business owners continue to use technology in innovative ways? BANFIELD: “Business owners need to keep pushing forward during these times, so taking advantage of video conferencing and screen-share platforms is essential to survival. Adoption of services like cloud voice will probably become the standard for remote workers and efficiency processes will continue to adapt and change with the climate.” GWBJ: What’s coming up for Cape Fear Women In Tech? BANFIELD: “While we don't yet know what the extent or the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak will be this year, Cape Fear Women in Tech will be attempting to bring back virtual events and community outreach
opportunities later this year.” Girard Newkirk, co-founder of Genesis Block, said the business accelerator has a portfolio of companies that will grow in 2021 including Get That Deed, Jayski's Rub A Dub LLC, Jones Sunset Sauce and more. “I think Reeser and the team at OpiAID will have a big year. I also think you will hear more about more lifestyle entrepreneurs and the expansion of the broader Wilmington entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Newkirk said. GWBJ: What tech trends do you see emerging in 2021? Any specific tech industries that you see growing? NEWKIRK: “I think there will be advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence and voice automated software. There has been growth Newkirk in this sector the last few years, and COVID-19 created an environment that increased the development of a lot of products to support this market. I also think aggregator platforms that connect niche markets will have success in 2021. People know what they want in the marketplace and platforms that can directly connect them will become of great value.” GWBJ: With Genesis Block's goal to propel more minority businesses, how will those businesses impact the entrepreneurship landscape? NEWKIRK: “We have a broad range of businesses that cross all sectors of the economy. We had 67 minority- and women-owned companies from the Cape Fear apply for the Back on the Block Accelerator. We hope to integrate all of these businesses into the Genesis Block ecosystem, which will result in highly skilled founders, low-risk startups and high-growth potential minority businesses in the region on a level that we have never seen.” GWBJ: How will entrepreneurs and business owners continue to use technology in innovative ways especially during the ongoing pandemic? NEWKIRK: “Zoom and other virtual platforms have made it easier to reach a much broader audience. I think this has enabled a new way for ideas to be shared and for collaboration to happen across all lines. The marketplace has become even more connected.”
INFO J U N K I E Debbie Elliott
Realtor, Nest Realty As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, Elliott works with meeting the lifestyle and financial needs of buyers and sellers who are 55 years and older. She uses a variety of real estate apps to be able to work on the go and her iPhone to read books any time. Newspapers and magazines Elliott regularly reads for work or pleasure include the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, Wall Street Journal (Friday’s Mansion section is a favorite), Sally’s Baking Addiction, Port City Daily, StarNews, Our State, Business North Carolina and Realtor Magazine. Favorite websites and blogs she regularly checks include Inman, The Close, Cook’s Illustrated, Sally’s Baking Addiction and Airstream.com. Fresh Air on NPR is her favorite podcast. HGTV and Nat Geo Wild are two favorite TV channels and favorite shows include Yellowstone, Say Yes to the Dress, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Schitt’s Creek. “I read so much for work that I love a good novel for pleasure. Recent favorites include ‘The Shadowy Horses’ by Susanna Kearsley; ‘Big Lies in a Small Town" by Diane Chamberlain and anything by Kristin Hannah,” Elliott said. Apps Elliott uses include Flexmls to access real estate listings, Kindle to read novels, Wordscapes to keep her mind sharp and Pandora to either relax or get pumped up. Find Elliot on FB @debbie.s.elliott and Instagram @debbiesayceelliott.
wilmingtonbiz.com
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 5
| THE LIST |
Hotels
Ranked by number of guest rooms RANK
1 2 3 4 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 12 15
HOTEL ADDRESS PHONE EMAIL WEBSITE Hotel Ballast, Tapestry Collection by Hilton 301 N. Water St. Wilmington, NC 28401 763-5900 sales@wilmingtonhilton.com www.hilton.com Embassy Suites by Hilton Wilmington Riverfront 9 Estell Lee Place Wilmington, NC 28401 765-1131 mellisa.fallis@embassywilmington.com embassysuiteswilmington.com Holiday Inn Resort Wrightsville Beach 1706 N. Lumina Ave. Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 256-2231 info@wrightsville.holidayinnresorts.com www.wrightsville.holidayinnresorts.com Blockade Runner Beach Resort 275 Waynick Blvd. Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 256-2251 Joseph.McHugh@blockade-runner.com www.blockade-runner.com Shell Island Resort 2700 N. Lumina Ave. Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 256-8696 sales@shellisland.com www.shellisland.com Courtyard By Marriott-Carolina Beach 100 Charlotte Ave. Carolina Beach, NC 28428 458-2030 nicole.succop@crestlinehotels.com www.marriott.com/ilmcb Holiday Inn Express & Suites Wilmington University Center 160 Van Campen Blvd. Wilmington, NC 28403 392-3227 ballen@hiexwilmington.com www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/wilmington/ilmuc/ hoteldetail Courtyard by Marriott Wilmington-Wrightsville Beach 151 Van Campen Blvd. Wilmington, NC 28403 395-8224 www.marriott.com/ILMCY Holiday Inn Wilmington 5032 Market St. Wilmington, NC 28405 392-1101 sales@wilmingtonhi.com www.wilmingtonhi.com Courtyard by Marriott Wilmington Downtown/ Historic District 229 N. Second St. Wilmington, NC 28401 632-2900 travis.huffman@marriott.com www.courtyard.com/ilmwc Fairfield by Marriott Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach 307 Eastwood Road Wilmington, NC 28403 791-8082 nicole.succop@crestlinehotels.com www.marriott.com/ilmwe Hampton Inn-Medical Park 2320 S. 17th St. Wilmington, NC 28401 796-8881 ericka.hall@hilton.com www.wilmingtonmedicalpark.hamptoninn.com Rodeway Inn & Suites 5025 Market St. Wilmington, NC 28405 799-6001 gosanc657@gmail.com www.choicehotels.com SpringHill Suites by Marriott Wilmington Mayfaire 1014 Ashes Drive Wilmington, NC 28405 239-9975 lleibrock@tpghotelsandresorts.com www.marriott.com/ILMSH Homewood Suites by Hilton Wilmington/Mayfaire 6732 Swan Mill Road Wilmington, NC 28405 791-7272 greg.thompson@hilton.com www.homewoodsuitesmayfaire.com
NO. OF GUEST ROOMS/ NO. OF NO. OF FULL-TIME MEETING LOCAL ROOMS EMPLOYEES
ROOM RATES/ MEETING ROOM RATES
% OF BUSINESSCORPORATE/ % OF BUSINESSLEISURE
AMENITIES
GENERAL MANAGER/ SALES DIRECTOR/ YEAR LOCALLY FOUNDED
272 18
140
$109-$299 Varies seasonally
40% 60%
Buffalo Bayou Coffee, Board & Barrel restaurant and lounge, 24-hour fitness center, outdoor pool, gift shop, complimentary airport shuttle
Kevin Brockway Karen Morganti 1973
186 5
84
$109-$359 $250-$4,000
35%
Cloud 9 rooftop bar, Steam Restaurant, complimentary 24/7 fitness center, indoor pool, access to the Riverwalk and the Port City Marina
Zachary Brigman Melissa Fallis, Director of Sales and Marketing 2017
$109-$419 Seasonally
40% 60%
Multitude
Laura Clark, Sales Manager 1999
$85-$600 $200-$5,000
30% 70%
Breakfast, pool, fitness center, full-service restaurant and bar, oceanfront, soundfront, watersports, 40-foot boat The Carolina Runner
Nicolas Montoya 1964
150 4
$109-$369 Varies
40% 60%
Restaurant on-site, indoor and outdoor pools, Jacuzzi, kids playground, onebedroom oceanfront suite with kitchenette, fitness room, bike rentals, beach chair and umbrella rentals, wireless internet, laundry facilities, covered and outdoor parking, gift shop
Dara Newberry Meredith Swicegood 1984
144 3
$109-$429 $250-$6,000
35% 65%
Full-service Bistro Restaurant, 24-hour business center, 24-hour market, indoor pool, outdoor pool, fitness center, high-speed wireless internet, outside dining deck overlooking outdoor pool area available for private events, 3,000 square feet of meeting space
Tom Ullring Nicole Succop 2002
184 10
150 5
75
131 3
25
$89-$199 $150-$500
60% 40%
Outdoor pool, smart start breakfast, fitness center, business center and wireless internet
Susan Watts Brad Allen
128 3
21
$89-$250 $200-$400
65% 35%
The Bistro featuring Starbucks drinks, fresh healthy breakfast and dinner and full service evening bar, complimentary Wi-Fi, 24-hour workout room, 24-hour coin laundry, airport-only van service, complimentary on-site self parking
Christopher Turner Leigh Combs
127 4
32
$89-$299 Varies seasonally Varies
60% 40%
Contemporary, full-service restaurant/bar/lounge; complimentary round-trip airport transportation; high-speed internet; parking; guest rooms provide: refrigerator, microwave, Keurig coffee maker; heated indoor pool/whirlpool; 24-hour fitness, sundry shop; 3,300 square feet of meeting/banquet space
Robert Tann Karen Hilla 1992
124 3
25
$139-$309 $200-$500
40% 60%
Located in historic district downtown two blocks from the Riverwalk. Offers the Bistro, Starbucks coffee bar, full bar, meeting space, fitness center, outdoor pool, fire pit and patio
Justin Burroughs Travis Huffman 2014
$89-$149 $150-$500
40% 60%
24-hour market, 24-hour business center, indoor pool, high-speed wireless internet, boardroom available for rent
Brian Elliott Tom Ullring Nicole Succop 2008
$89-$209 $125-$1,500
75% 25%
Free wireless internet in all rooms and lobby, located between area beaches and historic downtown Wilmington, complimentary hot breakfast. Went through a full renovation and added a sweet shop and bar
Ericka Hall 2001
$54.99-$129.99
50% 50%
Free continental breakfast, free local calls, free cable TV, free Wi-Fi, seasonal swimming pool, weekly rates, microfridge, undergoing remodeling
$109-$299 $200-$400
50% 50%
All-suite hotel near Wrightsville Beach, free Wi-Fi, pool and fitness center, market that is open 24/7 for snacks and necessities, local craft beer or wine in lobby bar, complimentary hot breakfast
Steven King Amy Rivera Lane Leibrock 2015
$99-$249 $200-$500
70% 30%
Spacious suites with full kitchens, buffet breakfast (included), evening dinner including beer and wine (included), full-service lobby bar/pool service in season, HSIA (included), year-round heated outdoor pool, electric car charging station, onsite gym, 24-hour texting concierge service, digital check-in with suite selection, complimentary grocery shopping, town center location
Ronda Ross Joanie DeSantis 2010
122 1
120 2
120
120 1
118 2
10
1
25
Cindy Haynes Farr
List is based on voluntary responses to a Business Journal survey.
Want to be considered for The List? Request an industry survey by emailing lists@wilmingtonbiz.com. The Business Journal will feature the following lists in upcoming publications: SBA Loans • SBA Lenders • Financial Planners
Page 6
January 22 - February 4, 2021
wilmingtonbiz.com
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
| HOSPITALITY |
Boutique hotel responds to pandemic BY LAURA MOORE he first year of business is the most tenuous, no matter what, but add a pandemic to that year, and it becomes even more tricky. But if your business model gives your customers what they desire during such times, then you just keep on keeping on. That is what The Hive, a boutique hotel in downtown Wilmington, plans to do in 2021. Kaylie O’Connor, one of the owners and managers of The Hive, knows the struggles of getting a business up and running. The hotel had to roll out its opening in phases since being forced to replace the roof on one of two buildings after Hurricane Florence removed it in 2018. After fully opening in November 2019, O’Connor felt confident that 2020 was going to be a solid year. Then COVID-19 took hold. “We were doing really excellent. We were totally sold out for Azalea Festival weekend; then obviously, COVID happened,” O’Connor said. “It was hard. There was a phase when it was just one cancellation after another, which was sad as a small business owner.” The Hive was closed during the required quarantine phase, but once it was able to reopen, things started to look up for the limited service hotel, which allows guests to access their private suites via a keypad code without having to enter a lobby and check in at a front desk first. According to The Hive’s website, “With only 14 private entrance suites and no front desk, lobby or elevator there are fewer encounters with other guests and staff members and each suite features a full kitchen, spa-like bathroom and separate lounging and sleeping spaces.” This type of accommodation has proved to be sought-after amid a pandemic where people are avoiding close contact with others. Each of The Hive’s private suites offer living rooms and kitchens. Upon the post-quarantine reopening, owners of The Hive quickly realized that it had what people were looking for in terms of safety and social distancing. O’Connor and her partners had unknowingly created pandemic accommodations. “Since we only have 14 suites, we sold out pretty quickly, considering. People seek us out more than a traditional hotel,” O’Connor explained. “We did not plan our business model based on a pandemic, but it worked
T
PHOTO C/O THE HIVE
Checking in: The Hive, a boutique hotel at 505 N. Second St. in downtown Wilmington, has found success during the pandemic with private-entrance suites
out in our favor. Many businesses have become touchless as a result, but we were already set up like that initially, so it helped out.” O’Connor said she recognizes that if the pandemic taught them anything, it is that they cannot rest on their laurels. “The biggest thing as a small business owner, you always have to be on your toes,” O’Connor said. “This was more of a wake-up call that any number of things can happen to a business and you can’t get too cocky or confident – you have to remain agile and prepared – and you must stay humble. This has made us a better business.” The outlook for 2021 is a positive one for O’Connor and The Hive, encouraged by their success to do more of what they’ve been doing and add more of what customers desire. “Before the pandemic, we were planning on adding a cafe on the first floor, but we have pivoted and decided to add another suite and a gym,” O’Connor said. “It’s been a blessing in disguise that we didn’t do the cafe, and it’s even better for customers. Many customers are not comfortable eating out and getting out.” The fitness center is slated to open sometime in 2021. Peloton bikes will offer guests online workouts. The Hive’s guests often are visitors to Wilmington who want to have the downtown Wilmington “experience,”
according to O’Connor. The pandemic has also changed the landscape of work, giving people the opportunity to work from just about anywhere. The Hive has welcomed many who choose to work remotely from Wilmington. “We have also had an influx of people here on ‘workcations.’ Since they are working virtually and can work from anywhere, they choose to work here,” O’Connor said. The Hive offers high-speed internet and laptop friendly workspaces. With film production back on the rise in the Wilmington area, O’Connor said The Hive has been host to three different production crews. Confident in what The Hive offers customers during both good times and bad, O’Connor is excited for what 2021 has to offer, but acknowledges that they cannot be complacent. “Things can change on a dime, but we are pretty hopeful,” O’Connor said.
Hotel on Market Street under new ownership A local firm recently bought a 113-room motel on Market Street with the intention of renovating the property. The AmeriVu Inn & Suites at 2828 Market St. was purchased for $2 million by Wilmington-based Suites on Market LLC. The seller was Echelon
Hotels Inc. The buyer plans to transform the motel from AmeriVu Inn & Suites into the Suites on Market. The motel was damaged by Hurricane Florence in September 2018, and at the time of its sale on Dec. 18 last year, it had 31 rooms for rent. Jeremy Bailey of Blue Coast Realty Corp. represented the buyer in the transaction and will manage the Suites on Market. He said the buyer saw the opportunity to remodel and upgrade a motel in an area that is undergoing some of its own improvements and is close to downtown Wilmington. “We’re going to be redoing 82 rooms completely and freshening up the outside,” Bailey said. The property had interest from purchasers from the day it was put on the market in August 2019 through the day the sale closed in December, stated a news release from Eastern Carolinas Commercial Real Estate (ECCRE), a Wilmington-based firm. The seller was represented by John Hinnant and Nicholas Silivanch of ECCRE. On the Market Street motel, the ECCRE release stated that the property “has been a notable marquee location with it being used as a set/location for Hulu’s TV show Reprisal, the feature film Tammy and many other such films/shows over the years.”
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
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WILMA’S
This year, LET’S
focus on
your PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WILMA’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
APPLY OR NOMINATE SOMEONE BY JAN. 31
gives up-and-coming leaders a unique opportunity to learn from top leaders in the region, learn about a range of local companies, and serve as each others’ personal board of directors. The next program starts April 2021 and meets once a month for nine months.
TOPICS INCLUDE
• LEADING THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES • STRATEGIC THINKING • NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUES • PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS • AND MORE
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 9
| IN PROFILE | Manufacturer anticipates ongoing growth BY CHRISTINA HALEY O’NEAL
A
manufacturer of nitrogen generation technology is continuing to grow and hire in the area. Wilmington-based South-Tek Systems, which employs 55 people, is implementing growth initiatives to keep business on an upward trajectory in the coming years, said Scott Bodemann, president of the company. “Our goal is to quadruple the size of the business in the next three to five years through organic growth and acquisition strategies,” Bodemann said. The business was acquired in 2018 by Pfingsten Partners LLC, a private equity firm based in Chicago. The strategy for building the business is supported by the equity firm and South-Tek’s relocation in late 2019 to a 66,000-square-foot facility at 3700 U.S. 421 N. in Wilmington. The move more than doubled its footprint from its previous location in the North Kerr Industrial Park. The relocation marks the company’s fourth move in town, geared to support South-Tek’s growing manufacturing business. “Our previous facility was very segmented. We weren’t able to have an efficient flow in production. Now, we’re under one roof,” Bodemann said. “The new facility has allowed us to focus on lean manufacturing and ultimately reduce our on-time delivery. The additional space has also increased our number of workspaces, ultimately allowing us to bring on additional people, which is critical for our growth plans.” South-Tek has standard product lines and custom nitrogen generation solutions for a variety of markets, including fire protection, food and beverage, military, laser cutting, electronics, laboratory and heat treating. The business serves big-name clients such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Honda, Buffalo Wild Wings, Facebook and Apple. Nitrogen generator products are made to fit the specific needs of an industry on the commercial side, Bodemann said. Generators in this segment are made for use in various applications, from pouring the perfect beer to preventing sprinkler system corrosion for systems that support commercial facilities and large data centers. “All of these different applications,
MADE
Great Goods from Greater Wilmington
MADE Great Goods from Greater Wilmington
PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER
Generating business: Scott Bodemann, president of South-Tek Systems, stands inside the company's 66,000-square-foot Wilmington facility with one of its many nitrogen generator models.
they use nitrogen,” he said, adding that South-Tek will install a nitrogen generator on-site for a company, rather than a company continually having to source its nitrogen each month from a gas company. A new product on the commercial side that has come out within the past 18 months, LabTek, is a nitrogen generator line marketed toward toxicology and other laboratories using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry equipment, including those used for COVID-19 testing. On the industrial side, South-Tek supports the specialized development of “engineered-to-order generators” for use in different industries and applications, he said. This service supports about half of the business. “We design our technology specifically to our customer’s needs. So, it really is a ground-up design for that particular customer,” he said, adding that those specifications include the purity, pressure and flow rate of nitrogen required by the customer. South-Tek manufactures nitrogen generators that produce nitrogen with a “purity ranging from 95% -
99.999%,” Bodemann said. A nitrogen generation machine filters the nitrogen mechanically from the air, so the nitrogen is produced and ready on-demand for a specific application, he said. The average nitrogen generator contains about 150 parts. Custom-engineered using PSA (pressure swing adsorption) filtration technology, coupled with a dual-bed design, South-Tek’s generators “deliver the exact nitrogen purity an application requires with maximum efficiency and minimal maintenance,” Bodemann said. All South-Tek’s systems are designed in-house. The generators are assembled at South-Tek’s Wilmington site. South-Tek’s business continues to broaden and has “averaged a pretty aggressive annual growth percentage over the years,” Bodemann said. Now, the firm is pursuing acquisition opportunities. “That will ultimately come with expansion in the Wilmington area and open up additional job opportunities for local candidates,”
SOUTH-TEK SYSTEMS
3700 US-421 N., WILMINGTON No. of employees: 55 Year founded: 1997 Top local official: Scott Bodemann, resident Company description: South-Tek Systems designs, develops and manufactures nitrogen generation technology. Products made locally: South-Tek makes nitrogen generators that produce on-demand nitrogen. Product distribution: South-Tek has over 12,000 global installations in privately held businesses and Fortune 500 companies. What made the company decide to make its goods locally? Elizabeth Leed, marketing director: “Manufacturing in-house allows departments across the company to take a hands-on approach. For example, it enables South-Tek’s engineering team to efficiently drive R&D initiatives to completion and allows our quality team to perform on-site purity and flow rate verification ensuring we meet the exact nitrogen requirements of our clients prior to shipping. We feel manufacturing on-site is imperative to producing state-of-the-art technology and providing superior generation products.” What’s planned next? Leed: “Our focus for 2021 is expanding both through organic and acquisition growth strategies. We’re looking to capitalize on our momentum in existing markets as well as discover new partners to work with who are strong in the areas where we see opportunity.”
Bodemann said. “We have a very nice facility right now, which should sustain us for the next five to eight years. However, if required, we do have options for additional square footage on the current property. “I would imagine that we would be doubling the size of our employee base in that time,” he added. “And I can’t emphasize it enough, but it is the people that have made this company great, and the goal is to build upon that foundation with very talented future candidates as we continue to expand.”
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
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Greater Wilmington Business Journal
| FROM THE COVER | 219 Station Road, Suite 202 Wilmington, NC 28405 (910) 343-8600 Fax: (910) 343-8660 wilmingtonbiz.com PUBLISHER Rob Kaiser rkaiser@wilmingtonbiz.com PRESIDENT Robert Preville rpreville@wilmingtonbiz.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Judy Budd jbudd@wilmingtonbiz.com EDITOR Vicky Janowski vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Cece Nunn cnunn@wilmingtonbiz.com REPORTERS Johanna Cano jcano@wilmingtonbiz.com Christina Haley O’Neal chaley@wilmingtonbiz.com VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES Maggi Apel mapel@wilmingtonbiz.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Craig Snow csnow@wilmingtonbiz.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Courtney Barden cbarden@wilmingtonbiz.com KEN Ali Buckley abuckley@wilmingtonbiz.com Marian Welsh Mwelsh@wilmingtonbiz.com
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OFFICE & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Sandy Johnson sjohnson@wilmingtonbiz.com CONTENT MARKETING COORDINATOR Morgan Mattox mmattox@wilmingtonbiz.com EVENTS/DIGITAL COORDINATOR Elizabeth Stelzenmuller events@wilmingtonbiz.com CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Suzi Drake art@wilmingtonbiz.com DESIGN/MEDIA COORDINATOR Molly Jacques production@wilmingtonbiz.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jenny Callison, David Frederiksen, Kyle Hanlin, Jessica Maurer, Laura Moore FOUNDER Joy Allen SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, call (910) 343-8600 x201 or visit wilmingtonbiz.com. Subscriptions cost $9.95 per month or $95 per year. ADVERTISING For advertising information and rates, call (910) 343-8600 x204 © Copyright 2021 SAJ Media LLC
From VACCINE, page 1
began offering vaccines to anyone 75 or older – the first group in Phase 1b of the rollout – while continuing to provide doses to staff and residents at long-term care facilities and to health care workers. Announcing the move to 1b, Brunswick HHS director David Stanley cited “the small number of vaccines available” in urging those who might not get an appointment to keep trying. Subsequent groups to be served include additional health care workers and frontline essential workers such as police officers, manufacturing and grocery store employees, teachers and child care staff.
MAXIMIZING TURNOUT
With the bar set high for achieving herd immunity, government and community leaders, individually or as partners, are devising campaigns to maximize the number of people who show up for shots. Businesses are also considering the exact role they want to play. On Dec. 16, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance on COVID-19, clearing the way for company-mandated vaccinations. Employers can now require employees to be vaccinated as a condition of remaining in the workplace. But management must consider reasonable accommodations for individuals with “sincerely held” religious beliefs or medical conditions that would make the vaccine contraindicated. Accommodations could include having affected employees work remotely or placing them in an on-site space less threatening to coworkers. Dalton Green, a partner at the Wilmington law firm of Hedrick Gardner, said she’s received calls from area manufacturers about how management might handle the vaccination issue. “This is uncharted territory, but everything we have right now even from the EEOC is saying it’s OK to mandate as long as you take the protected exceptions into account,” Green said. For employers, “I think it’s more of a concern about employees just not being on board, employee backlash and rocking the boat in that sense.” A survey of 500 businesses conducted by Capital Associated Industries, a Raleigh-based human resources and management services firm, showed that only 5% supported a mandatory approach to vaccination. “What we’re hearing is that most
PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER
Line for life: Ronald Gregoire (left) assists Mike Rouse, 81, (in wheelchair) while waiting in line at the New Hanover County Health and Human Services Building to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
employers will strongly encourage it but will not mandate that in order to work at their location that they have to have the vaccine,” said Molly Hegeman, CAI’s chief strategy officer. Businesses will continue to focus on the “3Ws” – wear a mask, watch your distance, wash your hands – as they discuss safety with employees, she said. At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Chancellor Jose Sartarelli pledged to work with county health officials to “facilitate and strongly encourage” the vaccination of students, faculty and staff. “Our campus has served as a vaccination site in the past, and our campus health experts are ready to provide that service again,” Sartarelli said in a statement. Inoculation of most students will occur during Phase 5. A record 17,915 students were enrolled at UNCW last fall. Cape Fear Community College is also encouraging its students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated and will assist New Hanover and Pender counties in promoting their vaccination programs. As vaccine supplies start becoming more predictable, leaders of community organizations will step up their efforts to ensure that individuals in historically underserved neighborhoods are not left behind.
EDUCATE AND PROTECT
In New Hanover County, the NAACP has spent months trying to “support people, protect people and educate people,” said Deborah Maxwell, the group’s district president, including distributing “thousands” of masks to both adults and children. “We had McDonald’s coupons. If we saw a kid with a mask on, we gave him a coupon” while encouraging mask-free kids to don one, she said. Now, Maxwell is working with the
city of Wilmington and New Hanover County to identify locations in largely Black neighborhoods where sizeable numbers of people can be inoculated without worrying about transportation. She counts the MLK Center on Eighth Street in Wilmington, gymnasiums and houses of worship as potential sites. With only four in 10 Black adults telling pollsters they will definitely or probably get vaccinated, Maxwell said it’s incumbent on civic leaders to persuade reluctant individuals to show up for a shot. Black people are 3.7 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 and 2.8 times more likely to die from it than white non-Hispanic people, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thousands of Black and Latino people took part in Pfizer’s and Moderna’s Phase 3 clinical trials, Maxwell and health officials are telling the undecided. Outreach to Latino residents will be done in part by using written and oral translations and through Facebook. “It’s going to be a long time before we reach herd immunity status and for people that are vaccinated the better it will be to reach that moment, especially in congregate areas like public housing, apartment complexes, people who are essential workers coming in direct contact,” the NAACP leader said of the anti-virus campaign. On Jan. 12, the Trump Administration announced a change in vaccination distribution, calling on states to immediately make eligible to receive shots those 65 and older and those under 65 whose underlying health conditions make them more vulnerable to succumbing to COVID-19.
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| ACHIEVERS | Send information about company hires, promotions or awards to editor@wilmingtonbiz.com
Topsail chamber hires executive director The Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce has hired KAREN WILLIAMS BURTON as its new executive director, according to a news release. Burton The Topsail chamber serves businesses from Scotts Hill to Sneads Ferry, including Topsail Beach, Surf City, Holly Ridge and Hampstead. Burton, a longtime resident of Pender County, joins the chamber after a decades-long career in education. She served Pender County Schools for nearly 27 years until retiring from public education. She also worked with a private school. Burton has served on the Burgaw Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors and is currently vicechair of the Pender County Tourism Development Authority board.
CAMS promotes Williams Community Association Management Services has promoted NEALIE WILLIAMS to director of business development. Williams has spent seven years with Community Association Management Services (CAMS), a Wilmington-based Williams community and condominium association management services company with locations throughout North and South Carolina. She spent five years of her career at CAMS as a business development coordinator and has had a role in the company’s growth and expansion. Williams spent several years working in real estate before transitioning into community management in 2014. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Angel Oak welcomes new mortgage adviser Angel Oak Home Loans has added KELLY JENNINGS to its Wilmington office. Jennings started his role with Angel Oak as a licensed mortgage advis-
er in December. The firm, established locally in 2017, has 14 licensed mortgage advisers at the Wilmington office. Jennings, a native of Wilmington, Jennings transitioned into mortgage lending after a 15-year career in law enforcement. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from East Carolina University.
Clancy & Theys promotes Douglas to manager post Clancy & Theys has promoted COREY DOUGLAS to the role of project manager at the company’s Wilmington office. Douglas was previously an assistant project manager with the company. He has eight years Douglas of construction management experience, including one year with Clancy & Theys. In his new role, Douglas will provide contract administration, scope review, subcontracting, scheduling and schedule control, purchasing, subcontractor and vendor coordination, cost control and other related project functions. Douglas earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Carolina University. He also attended Virginia Tech University, where he took building construction courses.
Wide Open Tech adds account executive Wide Open Tech has welcomed KRISTIN GLASS as a lead account executive. Glass has an extensive background in marketing and sales. She was previously an account executive at Sage Island. She also has 15 years of Glass experience working in New York City and Los Angeles in a global capacity. She has structured partnership deals for many top global brands including BMW, Rolls-Royce, American Express, Jimmy Choo and Bloomingdale’s. While at Sage, Glass oversaw various large accounts, including CloudWyze, CTS and Wells Insurance.
January 22 - February 4, 2021
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
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Greater Wilmington Business Journal
| REAL ESTATE |
Apartment market remains robust BY CECE NUNN ilmington’s apartment market is a seasonal one, more so than any other market in the state, according to developer Porter Jones of DPJ Residential.
W
RENDERING C/O PORTER JONES
Almost done: A rendering shows The Flats on Front in downtown Wilmington, an apartment complex nearing completion.
Jones developed one existing apartment complex in Wilmington, Mayfaire Flats, and has two others in the works, The Flats on Front in downtown Wilmington and 17 Social on South 17th Street. “The peak leasing season in Wilmington is late spring and early summer and the winter months are the low leasing months,” Jones said Jan. 8. “In the peak months, we typically average around 20 to 30 leases per month but can have months during the winter season with less than 10 leases per month.” Because of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 was a bit abnormal,
Jones said. Spring saw less leasing, while fall ended up being stronger than usual. “So far, this winter has been fairly slow but in line with previous years,” Jones said. As growth in the region continues, apartments remain on the rise throughout the Wilmington area, with more units on the way. Adam Sosne, CEO of McAdams Homes, has developed over 1,000 apartments in the Wilmington area in the past 10 years and is working on more up-and-coming projects. For one of the company’s most recent developments, site work has begun on the 192-unit apartment component of The Landing at Lewis Creek off Gordon Road. McAdams Homes is also finishing the single-family portion of The Landing at Lewis Creek. For Sosne, building a certain type of product when it comes to
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| REAL ESTATE | apartments is important. “Originally we built student housing, and as we transitioned over the last five, six or seven years out of student housing more into conventional [apartment communities], our niche has been a nice but affordable product,” Sosne said. One-bedroom units in Sosne’s communities range from about $750 to $950 a month. For two bedrooms the range is typically $900 to $1,200 a month, and the three-bedroom rate is about $1,200 to $1,400. Occupancy is high in existing communities. “We still own the Stephens Pointe apartment project [in Scotts Hill]. Since we built that in 2014 it’s always full; very rarely does it ever get below 97, 98% occupied, and then when it does, it leases back up,” Sosne said. “We’ve seen continued demand in that area up there, especially for the product we like to build.” A Gastonia firm recently bought a Wilmington apartment complex that Sosne developed near Monkey Junction, paying $54 million. Southwood Realty purchased Belle Meade, a 324-unit complex at 1109 Matteo Drive off Carolina Beach Road. “Southwood is a first-class organization, and I am confident they will continue to build upon the past success of the community,” Sosne said in a news release about the sale. Jones said earlier this month that The Flats on Front is nearly 50% leased and construction is expected to be complete by the end of January. The Flats on Front is a joint venture partnership between DPJ Residential and Chaucer Creek Capital. “Leasing started off slow in March, April and May of 2020 likely due to both COVID-19 restrictions as well as residents having to deal with on-site construction. Since May, though, leasing velocity has really picked up and now that we are completed with construction and our full amenities are coming online, we expect leasing to be strong in 2021,” Jones said. He said 17 Social’s first units will likely be complete by early summer this year. “Given 17 Social’s proximity to New Hanover Medical Center, we are excited about the new partnership with Novant Health and the growth prospects that are planned for the hospital,” Jones said. For Sosne, consistency has been one of the keys to success. “Everything we’ve done here in
Wilmington is the same thing other than the difference between student housing and conventional,” Sosne said. “We’ve replicated over and over again: good location, nicer product with nice finishes and good amenities at an affordable price. Within that model, every time we’ve done it, they’ve leased up right away and they’ve stayed full.” He said he hasn’t seen occupancy drop below 95% in the past several years. “We’re seeing it in our multifamily business and our single family business that there are far more people moving to this area than leaving this area,” Sosne said. Tenant demographics vary. “Traditionally, you would think of the apartment communities being younger people who are just out of school who have not yet been homeowners and who are renting before they move on to buy a home, and that’s not the case anymore,” Sosne said. “We see a lot of diversity in our tenant types and so we see those young adults who are just out of school who haven’t bought yet, we see people who are new to the area who want to rent to try to get an idea of where they want to live, where they want to buy a house … and then we see a lot of retirees now and people who just want the freedom of not having to own a home.” Jones said what drives demand for apartments is both population and employment growth. “Although employment growth has not been very robust in Wilmington (compared to Charleston, Raleigh and Charlotte), population growth has been strong in Wilmington,” Jones said. He said he believes COVID-19 has changed a lot of people’s minds as to where and how they want to live. “With most folks now working from home, we have seen an increase in people moving to Wilmington from the Midwest and the Northeast who are looking for a lower cost of living, better weather and overall more convenient lifestyle,” Jones said. “If Wilmington continues to be an attractive place for people to move to, I believe demand for apartments, both urban and suburban, will continue to be strong. “If Wilmington can start seeing some significant employment growth, I would expect demand for apartments to far exceed the current supply.”
January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 13
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
|
IN THE NEWS
|
Economist: Recovery depends on vaccine BY CHRISTINA HALEY O’NEAL he ability of the Wilmington-area economy to recover from the COVID-19 public health crisis is contingent on the continuation of the vaccination rollout and consumer confidence in timing with the upcoming tourist season.
T
That’s according to Adam Jones, a regional economist with the University of North Carolina Wilmington, who spoke Jan. 13 during the 29th Annual Economic Forecast presented by RSM and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. The presentation this year was held virtually because of the pandemic. “It’s still cold,” Jones said of the local economy, “but we’re kind of at dawn, and we’re just starting to see the light peek over the horizon. So we’ve got a period of cold left to go before we get back to really being warm again.” The economy suffered in the second quarter last year when it came to a close due to the virus but has started to bounce back “relatively quickly,” he said. Businesses and the
Businesses and the economy have been more resilient through the pandemic than previously predicted. Adam Jones UNCW regional economist
economy have been more resilient through the pandemic than previously predicted, he said. In June, expectations were that the economy at the end of 2020 would be 6.5% smaller than at the end of 2019, he said. While the final numbers have yet to be released, it looks like the economy at the end of 2020 was about 2% smaller than the end of the previous year. “My takeaway from that is that our entrepreneurs have been incredibly resilient and creative about thinking of how do they move forward and learn to live with this virus,” Jones said. “Throw in there a
record-level stimulus, and we’ve got – while not a good outcome – at least one that’s not as bad as we initially feared it might be.” The construction, retail and trade sectors and the leisure and hospitality sector are some that suffered at the start of the public health crisis. The construction, retail and trade sectors, however, have recovered more quickly than the leisure and hospitality sector, which still suffers. Hospitality shrunk by nearly 50% nationwide, Jones said. And nationally and locally, employment in leisure and hospitality remain down about 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels. “It’s these differences across industries that are going to drive differences across regions,” Jones said. “So Southeastern North Carolina, being heavy in leisure and hospitality, means that we’ve still got a ways to go.” This is an area of the local economy that has really been lagging and will take time to recover. Part of it is because of policies, but the other
aspect is people are not quite as comfortable going out yet, Jones said. On the bright side, households have banked a lot of extra money, consumer purchases have somewhat normalized and forecasts show pentup demand and mobility could increase with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, he said. Jones said it’s predicted that vaccines will be “largely rolled out” in the U.S. in late spring or early summer, based on a vaccine forecast. That’s just in time for peak tourism season in the area, which even through the pandemic last year, benefited largely from drive-in tourism. Jones expects that drive-in tourism to continue in the 2021 season. “This pent-up demand for services, fun and experiences are coupled with consumers sitting in a strong cash position where cash is burning a hole in their pocket, [which] means that drive-in markets for tourism like ours are going to do very well,” he said. “So we’re optimistic that we could have one of the busiest summers we’ve had.”
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 15
| THE LIST |
Chambers of Commerce
Ranked by number of members CHAMBER RANK ADDRESS
1
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce One Estell Lee Place Wilmington, NC 28401
2
PHONE EMAIL WEBSITE 762-2611 info@wilmingtonchamber.org www.wilmingtonchamber.org
MEMBERS 2020/ NO. OF BOARD MEMBERS/ MEMBERS 2019 BASE ANNUAL DUES NO. OF EMPLOYEES
BOARD HEAD
TOP ADMINISTRATOR
YEAR FOUNDED
964 982
$500
24 5
Michele Holbrook Chair
Natalie English President and CEO
1853
754-6644 Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce communications@brunswickcountychamber.org 112 Pine St. www.brunswickcountychamber.org Shallotte, NC 28459
561 550
$295
20 2
Matt Gerrald Chair
Susan Freeman Executive Director
1976
3
Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce 4433 Long Beach Road, SE Southport, NC 28461
457-6964 info@southport-oakisland.com www.southport-oakisland.com
525 —
$283
15 6
Kim Felts Chair
Karen Sphar Executive Vice President
1978
4
Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce 1121 North Lake Park Blvd. Carolina Beach, NC 28428
458-8434 greg@pleasureislandnc.org www.pleasureislandnc.org
400 400
$240
16 2
Debbie Elliott Chair
Alannah Keeler Office Manager
1938
5
North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce 497 Olde Waterford Way, Suite 202 Leland, NC 28451
383-0553 nbchamber@nbchamber.net www.nbchamberofcommerce.com
350 350
$225-$600
15 2
Susan Cruse Board President
Dana Fisher Executive Director
2002
6
Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism 13775 Hwy. 50, Suite 101 Surf City, NC 28445
329-4446 info@topsailchamber.org www.topsailchamber.org
324 328
$250
12 1
Allicyn Bryan Chair
Karen Burton Executive Director
1995
7
Burgaw Area Chamber of Commerce PO Box 1096/115 S. Dickerson St. Burgaw, NC 28425
259-9817 info@burgawchamber.com www.burgawchamber.com
147 125
$100
11 1
Jimmy Smith President
Arwyn Smith Executive Director
1982
8
Wrightsville Beach Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 466 Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
256-8116/619-2026 (seasonal) Wrightsvillebeachchamber@gmail.com www.wrightsvillechamber.org
45 72
$175-$425, depending on number of employees
7 0
Susan Bulluck Chair
List is based on voluntary responses to a Business Journal survey.
1972
Page 16
January 22 - February 4, 2021
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
wilmingtonbiz.com
| BIZ LEADS | Reader’s Guide BizLeads is a collection of information gathered from greater Wilmington courthouses, state government offices and informational websites. These listings are intended to help the business community find new customers and stay on top of happenings with current customers, vendors and competitors. New Corporations lists firms that were recently incorporated in the state of North Carolina. All information is gathered from the North Carolina Secretary of State website. Addresses listed may not be the actual address of the business.
NEW CORPS
Dec. 22 - Jan. 12 10E PROPERTIES LLC 1324 Williamsburg Ct Wilmington 28411 Agent: Thomas Patrick Tinney 2 MEN AND A MOP INC. 402 Grandiflora Ct Wilmington 28405 Agent: Patrick Tumolo 2TENN INVESTMENTS LLC 10199 Wide Way NE Navassa 28451 Agent: Brayion Dowd 911 S. THIRD ST LLC 6250 Ingleside Dr Wilmington 28409 Agent: Crystal Cox Peebles AABE HOLDINGS LLC 1508 Military Cutoff Road Suite 206 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Bradley Cotton ACADEMY GOLF INC. 7486 Balmore Drive SW Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Elizabeth A Granahan ACCURATE APPRAISALS OF NORTH CAROLINA INC. 355 Amanda Lane Hampstead 28443 Agent: Rebecca Ann Braun ACROPOLIS HOLDINGS LLC 4022 Shipyard Blvd, 2nd Floor Wilmington 28403 Agent: Troy Jeffrey Vasos ADBRIDGE CONSULTING LLC 226 Tanbridge Rd Wilmington 28405 Agent: Claira Kelly ADDISON’S LAWNCARE LLC 321 Double Eagle Rd Burgaw 28425 Agent: William A Hesse AFTER THE BLOOM L.L.C. 4863 College Acres Dr., Apt. B
Wilmington 28403 Agent: Elizabeth Maker ALEX HIGHSMITH FAMILY FOUNDATION 681 Grey Squirrel Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Samuel Highsmith Jr. ALTA MIRA EAST LLC 8901 E Oak Island Drive Oak Island 28465 Agent: Sarah Broom ANGELA OF EARTH LLC 118 Cliffside Dr. Wilmington 28409 Agent: Angela Brickhouse ANNIE MAE TRANSPORT LLC 1152 Union Chapel Rd Burgaw 28425 Agent: Philbert Walker ARBORY DIGITAL GROUP INC. 115 S Belvedere Dr Hampstead 28443 Agent: Bryce Andrew Acer ARTH REAL ESTATE GROUP LLC 124 Walnut St Apt 405 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Andrea J Arth ARTISTIC BLESSINGS LLC 5028 Nicholas Creek Circle Wilmington 28409 Agent: Sonja Cook ATLANTA AVE LLC 1316 Mackerel Lane Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Joseph Michael Prillaman ATLANTIC VISION CENTER O.D. PLLC 5901 Hunters Mill Lane Wilmington 28409 Agent: Sara W Brigman B’S FURRY FRIENDS LLC 521 N. Shore Dr Surf City 28445 Agent: Bridgett Dawn Rochelle BACCHUS LLC 8428 Bald Eagle Lane Wilmington 28411 Agent: Norman Bullard BACHARA & BRYAN PLLC 1301 North Howe Street Southport 28461
Agent: Laura Bachara BAD FISH CHARTERS LLC 1022 S Seabreeze Road Wilmington 28409 Agent: Brandon M Welborn BAILEY INSURANCE SERVICES LLC 6661 Tidewater Ln Wilmington 28403 Agent: Bailey Breen BAKER BUILDING AND DESIGN LLC 201 Mohawk Trail Wilmington 28409 Agent: Travis L. Baker BALD HEAD ISLAND PLAZA LLC 3819 Park Avenue Wilmington 28403 Agent: GM Entity Services Inc. BANGIN’ BODY LLC 1881 Savannah Court Wilmington 28403 Agent: Jomaly Flood BAY TELEPHONE SYSTEMS INC. 519 Canal Dr Unit 2 Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Lewis W. Coghill BAYR MARINE INC. 294 Crane Point Hampstead 28443 Agent: Brett Allyn Ulisnik BEAUTY & HAIR GALORE LLC 1315 N 7th St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Jacqline Thomeisia Wallace BEAUTY WITHIN US LLC 501 Bricklanding Rd SW Shallotte 28470 Agent: Darla Marie Tonkin BEELICIOUS TREATS LLC 1513 Moore Plaza Wilmington 28401 Agent: Bianca Lashea Bowen
623 Avington Ln Leland 28451 Agent: Richard L Spencer BONFIRE HOUSE RENTAL LLC 310 Greenville Ave Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Helene Stevens BOST MEDIA GROUP LLC 6416 Riva Ridge Rd Wilmington 28411 Agent: Connor Bost BRODY WELTE ENTERPRISES LLC 100 Seven Oaks Ct. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Brody Welte BRUNSWICK HOME WATCH LLC 3938 Wyndmere Dr Southport 28461 Agent: Mark Alan Matthews C.E.H. INVESTMENT GROUP LLC 916 Sloop Point Loop Rd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Romondo McEachern
7224 Trinity Bay Court Wilmington 28409 Agent: Christopher Lisle Seguin
4924 Pin Oak Drive Wilmington 28411 Agent: Rut M Sanchez Abarca
CLEAN UP!! CLEAN UP!! LLC 9065 National Ave NE Leland 28451 Agent: Arnetta Harrison
DAVID PAINTING & DRYWALL INC 202 Cart Wheel Rd Rocky Point 28457 Agent: David Hernandez Santiago
CLEAR RUN RECOVERY INCORPORATED 6120 Riverwoods Dr #108 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Linda K Russ CLINARD SMOKE LLC 1724 Tall Mast Ct Wilmington 28409 Agent: Charles Webb Clinard III CLINE LAW GROUP PLLC 1320 Airlie Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: Jason Cline CM TRUCKING OF WILMINGTON LLC 4151 US Hwy 117 South Burgaw 28425 Agent: Charles K Messick
CARIDAD NC INC. 1455 Cape Fear National Dr. Leland 28451 Agent: Carmen Schloner
COASTAL CAROLINA FAMILY REALTY L.L.C. 23 Cumberland St. Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: James W Morse
CAROLINA COASTAL CAFE LLC 312 NE 54th St Oak Island 28465 Agent: Kimberly Wiley
COASTAL CAROLINA PHYSICAL THERAPY LLC 600 Avington Lane NE Leland 28451 Agent: Makaela Lee Nelson
CAROLINA SHINE YACHT MANAGEMENT LLC 5322 RIDGEWOOD HEIGHTS DR Wilmington 28403 Agent: Morgan Whitfield CAROLINA SOCIALITES L.L.C. 509 Vorils Lane Apt. 203 Wilmington 28411 Agent: Courtney Reichert
COLLISION CENTERS OF THE CAROLINAS LLC 1003 Upper Reach Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Ken Depper CONN3R INC 143 Downy Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Skip Eames
CCR FOODS LLC 301 Ivy Lane Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Cory D Robbins
COSTUME GALLERY LLC 2318 Red Burch Trl NE Leland 28451 Agent: Claire Denise Renaud
BERGSTROM MARINE CONSULTING LLC 1113 Sweetshrub Ct Wilmington 28409 Agent: Lars Bergstrom
CELEBRATION CANDLES OF NC LLC 1333 Hydrangea Court Leland 28451 Agent: Faye DorneyMadgitz
CREATIVE ACCOUNTING SOLUTIONS LLC 214 3rd Avenue North Kure Beach 28449 Agent: Joanne Marie Jones
BIG WOOD TREE CUTTERS LLC 3232 Kitty Hawk Rd Ste 5 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Chad Meeker
CENTRASIA GLOBAL LLC 2519 North Lumina Avenue Wrightsville Beach 28480-1609 Agent: Azamat Sydykov
CTMG HOLDINGS LLC 1948 Middle Sound Loop Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Charles M. Elam
BISSETTE MEDIA LLC 4036 Chandler Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Elizabeth Ashley Bissette Sumerel
CHARLIE & THE MERMAID PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS LLC 3809 Ardley Court Wilmington 28409 Agent: Donna Charleen Baggett
BEESEEN LLC 4417 Cohan Cir Apt 307 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Brittany Robinson
BLADE & SONS HURRICANE PROTECTION CO. 202 Ravens Wood Rd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Noelle Patricia Blade BLUE LINE SPECIALTY TRANSPORT LLC
CHELLE’S SEA SALES INC. 116 Sea Oaks Dr. Surf City 28445 Agent: Michelle Quinn CHRISTOPHER L. SEGUIN CPA PLLC
D’SOUZA CONSTRUCTION & CLEANING SERVICE L.L.C. 149 Halyburton Memorial Pkwy Apt 206 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Valdenir De Souza DANIEL HOLOMAN & ASSOCIATES LLP 232 Causeway Dr Ste 1-A Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: M. Justin Holoman DAVID L FLOORING LLC
DBINFORMATICS LLC 988 St. Andrews Dr. Apt 301 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Lauren L. Doran DM’S NEW RIVER PROPERTIES LLC 3649 Members Club Blvd St. James 28461-8025 Agent: James Robertson DOWN HOME MAINTENANCE LLC 319 Melody Lane Burgaw 28425 Agent: Michael Terrence Roberson DRAGONFLY PERMANENT MAKEUP INCORPORATED 344 Shipyard Blvd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Anthony S Nobilio DUPLIN 390 LLC 137 Westbrook Avenue Wilmington 28403 Agent: Ian WG Sauer E & G FAMILY HAIR SALON LLC 18728 US Highway 421 Willard 28478 Agent: Elia Ramirez Ruiz EAGLE AERIAL SERVICES LLC 480 Captain Beam Blvd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Timothy Coucoulas EAST COAST ENGINEERING PC 4918 Main Street Shallotte 28470 Agent: Alan C. Lewis EAST SHORE CLEANING LLC 1078 Mille Ave SW Calabash 28467 Agent: Linda S Walters ELEVATE COACHING LLC 1001 Military Cutoff Rd. Ste 101 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Ladd Gasparovic ELEVATE LEVERAGE LLC 1001 Military Cutoff Rd. Ste 101 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Ladd Gasparovic ENSTART MANAGEMENT AND ASSET CAPITAL DEVELOPERS CORPORATION 415 S 15th St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Sean D Lacy ERIKAHOOD L.L.C. 252 Shandy Way Hampstead 28443 Agent: Erika Marie Hood EUROPEAN COATINGS PROPERTIES LLC 311 Judges Rd Ste 13-B
Wilmington 28405 Agent: Francine Tumolo
Hampstead 28443 Agent: Stephen Helm
EVERETT’S CREEK EAST HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION INC 1001 Military Cutoff Rd. Suite 204 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Carrie Mincey
GETAWAY OCS LLC 709B S Topsail Drive Surf City 28445 Agent: Brandi Castleberry
EXTERIOR CLEANING SERVICES LLC 942 Palmer Drive Calabash 28467 Agent: Justin Guerra F DRIVER TRUCKING LLC 209 Boyce Road Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Farrakhan Driver FAITH N FATE LLC 1300 Carolina Beach Ave N Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Nicholas T. Fate FALES LANDING L.L.C. 143 Poole Road Unit A Belville 28451 Agent: Gary Evans Trawick Jr FALLING TIDE LURES L.L.C. 1809 Egret St SW Shallotte 28470 Agent: Tyson Philyaw FIVE 59 HOLDINGS LLC 206 N 4th Street #15 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Brian D Driscoll FLATLEY AEROSPACE CONSULTING LLC 5266 Barcroft Lake Dr. Leland 28451 Agent: Tom Flatley FLORA’S BRANCH LLC 233 Doral Dr. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Russell Nathan Maley FR8.LLC 1608 Queen St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Gregory Thomas Ranieri FRAZELLE LEE AND WINNEBERGER ASSOCIATES P.L.L.C. 1301 Physicians Drive Wilmington 28401 Agent: G. Barry Frazelle II FSO ENTERPRISES LLC 113 Edgewater Lane Wilmington 28403 Agent: ed ferguson GARY C REX LLC 20 Sea Gull Trail Bald Head Island 28461 Agent: Gary Charles Rex GATEWAY CONSULTING GROUP LLC 218 NE 59th St Oak Island 28465 Agent: Linda K Wagner GENE IKNER CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LLC 805 North Drive Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Gene A. Ikner Jr. GENESIS SOFTWARE INC. 132 Dogwood Lane
GLOBAL TURF CORP 6353 Blenheim Place Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Philip Pirro GOGIFT LLC 632 Bedminister Lane Wilmington 28405 Agent: Parker Wilson GRACIE’S SERENITY SANCTUARY INC. 763 Lea Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Linda Jo Davis GRANT MARINE L.L.C. 6239 Wrightsville Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Carl Elmore GREENFIELD INVESTMENT GROUP LLC 420 Whitebridge Rd. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Kesia Allen Venters GRUBB CARPENTRY NC LLC 3019 Mt Misery Rd Leland 28451 Agent: Madison Taylor Grubb GSG PARTNERS LLC 8316 Bald Eagle Ln Wilmington 28411 Agent: Holly Grange GSO HOLDINGS INC 803 S College Rd. Suite G Wilmington 28403 Agent: Gerald Scott Owen GUSTAVO JR. GASCA D.M.D. P.L.L.C. 330 Hawk Hollow Trail Burgaw 28425 Agent: Gustavo Jr. Gasca GUYER SEAFOOD LLC 301 Village Road Leland 28451 Agent: Phillip N Guyer Jr. HALE CLINICAL INC. 110 Marsh Creek Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Caroline Hale Lambert HALLIE PRESKILL CONSULTING LLC 6809 Mayfaire Club Dr. Unit 206 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Hallie Preskill HAWTHORN AND OAK LLC 403 Evanston Drive Leland 28451 Agent: Ashleigh Nichole Lee HEAVENLY GATES CONSTRUCTION LLC 1330 Guardians Gateway Wilmington 28403 Agent: Grayson K Lancaster GKL HELPING HANDS OF THE CAPE FEAR LLC 307 Main Street
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
wilmingtonbiz.com
January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 17
| BIZ LEADS | Navassa 28451 Agent: Jamie T Stokley HENDERSON POOL SERVICE L.L.C. 610 Holbrook Ave Wilmington 28412 Agent: Edwin S. Henderson HERRING AND SONS LLC 1430 Cedar Grove Rd SW Supply 28462 Agent: Jarvis J Herring HIGH SEA LLC 1375 S 3rd St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Angelina Gazzara HIGHWAY 501 LLC 1003 Upper Reach Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Ken Depper HOLLY SHELTER RENTALS AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC 800 Sheffield Court Wilmington 28411 Agent: Michael Garrison HUTSON CONSTRUCTION LLC 601 Silver Lake Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Valebtina Hutson HWY 50 STORAGE LLC 8505 E Oak Island Dr Apt 2 Oak Island 28465 Agent: Johnson & Moore P.A. HYGGE MODEST LIVING L.L.C. 4522 Castle Hayne Rd Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Cheyenne Raven Cook
Agent: Jaykumar Patel JEFF SIKES CHIMNEY SERVICES LLC 1832 N Kerr Ave. Wilmington 28405 Agent: Jeffrey Saunders Sikes Sr JMH REAL ESTATE GROUP LLC 1010 Cypress Springs Ct Carolina Shores 28467 Agent: Janet M Heinis KEENER APPRAISAL GROUP INCORPORATED 6209 Oleander Dr Ste 103 Wilmington 28403-3582 Agent: Aaron G. Keener KELLERT FARRINGTON PROPERTIES LLC 113 Channel Dr S Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Jesse Kellert KITCHEN RESTYLERS LLC 607 Sumter Avenue Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Barry A Dyer KRISTEN MARTINEZ ART LLC 1921 Jackson St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Kristen Martinez KURE FOODS L.L.C. 2049 Jackson Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Jennifer Marie Kurek LAW OFFICE OF CECILIA A. REYNA PLLC 409 Endicott Court Wilmington 28411 Agent: Cecilia A. Reyna
IAN CAPITAL LLC 2316 S.17th St Ste 140 PMB 310 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Basil R Clark
LAWN & LANDSCAPE EXPRESS LLC 214 W. Dolphin Drive Oak Island 28465 Agent: Kenneth L. Johnson Jr.
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING MATERIALS LLC 408 N 25th St Wilmington 28405 Agent: Guy Everett Staat
LAWNGEVITY LANDSCAPE CENTER LLC 113 Drake Rd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Brian Gonzales
INSPIRE MORTGAGE LLC. 13471 Hwy 17 N Hampstead 28443 Agent: Wendy Ann Farnitano
LEADERSHIP DECISION GROUP LLC 3600 S College Rd Ste E180 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Ryan Evans
INSPIRE MORTGAGE LLC. 13471 HWY 17 N Hampstead 28443 Agent: Wendy Farnitano INVISIBILITY PROJECT 2511 Sapling Circle Wilmington 28411 Agent: Brittany Patterson IVY SAGE BOUTIQUE LLC 809 S Green Tee Rd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Carrie C Kelso JAYNE SAMANTHA LLC 7136 Cameron Trace Dr Wilmington 28411 Agent: Melanie H Fullmer JBH PATEL REALTY LLC 4429 Jay Bird Circle Unit 205 Wilmington 28412
LEAP MEDIA LLC 1608 Queen Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Kori Hawkins LEASEBUDDY LLC 3048 River Road SE Winnabow 28479 Agent: Thomas Lyell McMerty
414 C N Shore Dr Surf City 28445 Agent: Melissa A. Dixon MAGGIO SEASIDE GOURMET LLC 4405 Patrick Avenue Unit 1A Wilmington 28403 Agent: Kevin Scott Maggio MAGNOLIA FLOORING COMPANY LLC 1300 Woodfield Ct Wilmington 28409 Agent: Christine Nicole Brown MAPLEWOOD TMS LLC 6949 Beach Drive SW Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Michelle Smith MARKI SULZBACH PLLC 2761 NC Highway 210E, Unit G #218 Hampstead 28443 Agent: Marki Sulzbach MATCHBOX LLC 411 Campbell Street Wilmington 28401-3442 Agent: Autumn Nicole James MATEOS’ PAINTING LLC 4415 Southfield Ct Wilmington 28405 Agent: Wendy Elizabeth Mateos MCLEAN MYSTIQUE OF WILMINGTON LLC 412 Bobby Jones Drive Wilmington 28412 Agent: Elizabeth Potts METHOD INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS INC. 103 Overlook Dr. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Bryn Haas MH-OIB CONSULTING LLC 1882 East Long Acres Dr. SW Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Michael D Hall MIL-SPEC SERVICES LLC 3429 Osprey Lane Wilmington 28409 Agent: Jeffrey Phillip Libbert MILK BONE TRUCKING L.L.C 307 Main Street Navassa 28451 Agent: Vernell Bannerman Jr MIRACLE MOVERS OF THE TRIAD WAREHOUSE LLC 5228 US Hwy 421 North Wilmington 28401 Agent: Christopher Wilhoit
LIBERTY’S TOURNIQUET LLC 7013 Quail Woods Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Jacob Monin
ML HANDYMAN SERVICES LLC 130 Parkwood Dr Wilmington 28409 Agent: William Michael Lewis
LOMAS PROPERTIES LLC 8500 Sidbury Rd Wilmington 28411 Agent: Nathan Tew
MOMENT REALTY LLC 1418 Eastwood Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: William D Pelon III
MADSLP LLC
MONI’S TRANSPORT INC
4241 Hwy 117 Burgaw 28425 Agent: Lamont D. Lafoucade MORGAN RAE INC 4804 S College Rd Unit 16 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Morgan R Gardner MORNING OAKS PROPERTIES LLC 26 Sandy Lane Surf City 28445 Agent: Catherine Stewart Barone MOTOR PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT LLC 759 Oak Branches Close Southeast Belville 28451 Agent: Douglas James Staudenmaier Jr
Wilmington 28411 Agent: Amanda Lynn Bullock Smith OSPREY ESTATES LLC 23 Monroe St Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Patrick Lomasney OUTPERFORMANCE LLC 4600 Archer Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Steven Louis Gansz OWN THE CATWALK LLC 5110 Fitzgerald Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Jessica Glover Saidenstat PAPERCUT BOOKS LLC 200 Market St. Unit 100 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Holly Alaria Bader
MR. CLOUD INC 15919 US 17 St. D. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Abdulrazaq Almawri
PEACH FOX STUDIO LLC 301 North Colony Circle Wilmington 28409 Agent: Clinton Gregory Fullam
NC EQUIPMENT SERVICES INC 142 Spring Creek Lane Wilmington 28411 Agent: Kevin Hinsdale
PIEPENCO LLC 18 S. Water Street #8 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Mary Piepenbrink
NEAP TIDE PRODUCTS LLC 2507 Hidden Pointe Dr Wilmington 28411 Agent: Luther Stanley Edwards NEW LIFE LAWN CARE LIMITED LIABILITY CO. 128 Woodcroft lane Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Devin W Whitaker NEW WAVE CLAIM SERVICES INC. 301-A Water Street Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Jordan D Harris NEXT-GEN HOMEBUYERS LLC 228 Brisbane Drive Rocky Point 28457 Agent: William C Bowdoin NICKS NEST LLC 6431 Old Fort Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Neesha N Allen NO PLACE LIKE HOME CAREGIVERS LLC 2592 St James Dr. Southport 28461 Agent: Gary J Pearson NOPA INVESTMENTS LLC 653 Owens Ct Wilmington 28412 Agent: Jeffrey W Beaver Jr NUSSMAN LLC 4100 Waylon Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: James Christopher Neal OLIVIA TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 479 Ocean Breeze Dr SW Supply 28462 Agent: Olivia Ragin Roper ONE SOURCE CONTRACTORS LLC 564 Fox Field Court
PINK MERMAID LLC 307 Charlotte Avenue Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: George K. Le Compte PISTOL GIRL CONSULTING LLC 3855 Fairhaven Drive Southport 28461 Agent: Deborah J Gennari POWER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LLC 3329 Wrightsville Ave Suite M Wilmington 28403 Agent: Yolanda Bostic Pigford PRECISE VENDING LLC 2151 SAN LUCAS CT WILMINGTON 28412 Agent: Kayla Ceasar PRECISION PRINTING INC 143 Downy Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Skip Eames QUEEN 17 LLC 91 Harold Court Hampstead 28443 Agent: Curtis Ward Martin R & W ASSOCIATES NC LLC 1110 New Pointe Blvd Ste 110 Leland 28451 Agent: Candice Walters R&S AUTO SERVICES LLC 700 Island Creek Rd Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Jennifer Lenfestey REBEL POOLS MANAGEMENT INC. 21 Sunfield Dr Carolina Shores 28467 Agent: Charles Gornick REESE CUP AUTOMOTIVE LLC 42 Wilmington Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Maurice Murphy
RENS REAL ESTATE GROUP L.L.C. 2528 Castle Hayne Road Wilmington 28401 Agent: Robert L Rens RISE UP VENTURE INC 143 Downy Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Skip Eames RISING SUN FISHING LLC 5200 Sun Coast Drive Wilmington 28411 Agent: Pierre Agena RISING TIDE MANAGEMENT LLC 2650 Liberty Ln SW Lot 22A Supply 28462 Agent: Jeremy Timco ROMEO Y. BAMACA MASONRY LLC 2500 Middle Sound Loop Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Pedro Velasco ROYAL CLEANING SERVICES & MORE LLC 4615 Blue Star Run Apt 103 Wilmington 28411 Agent: Fernanda L Marangon S&M HARDWOOD FLOORING LLC 6905C Deacon Ln Wimington 28411 Agent: Mirela Gabriela Rangu-Buffington SARA FOX FITNESS AND WELLNESS LLC 2129 Fieldcrest Road Southport 28461 Agent: Sara Lynn Fox SCALDAFERRI ENTERPRISES L.L.C. 7036 Wrightsville Ave, Suite 101 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Ben Wright SEGOVIA EXPRESS LLC 7309 Peppercorn Ct. Wilmington 28411 Agent: Mario Segovia SELECT STAR LLC 2941 Moorings Way SE Southport 28461 Agent: Christopher Murray SHARK TOOTH PROPERTIES LLC 1316 Mackerel Lane Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Joe Prillaman SOLSTICE SOLUTIONS LLC 1675 Anita Court Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Lisa Thomas SOMERSETT LOGISTICS LLC 4947 Pleasant Grove Dr Wilmington 28412 Agent: Justin Somersett SOUTHEASTERN DATA COOPERATIVE INC. 5610 Barbados Blvd Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Darlene Caley SOUTHLAND AVIATION LLC
219 Station Rd Ste 203 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Joseph Honeycutt SOUTHWEST ANSWERING SERVICE INC. 405 Jasmine Way Burgaw 28425 Agent: Letitia M Avelar SPARK715 LLC 715 Greenfield Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: George Taylor SPIRIT OF EARTH CHURCH INC. 1010 Shallowford Dr Wilmington 28412 Agent: Roger Lockshier SPUN COMPASS INC 211 Morning View Way Leland 28411 Agent: Shealynn McNally SQUARE ONE PAINT & EPOXY LLC 1119 Charlotte Ave Calabash 28467 Agent: Katelyn Phelps STAR COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT LLC 915 Shoreline Dr. W Unit 133 Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Sharon Moore
Agent: Hugo CamachoGarduno TAR LANDING INVESTMENT PARTNERS LLC 3414 Wrightsville Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robbie B. Parker TEETERS PROPERTIES LLC 1616 Sound Watch Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: John Teeters TF ONLINE SOLUTIONS LLC 110 Leyland Way Hampstead 28443 Agent: Tiffany Fulle THE ELCAN GROUP LLC 3312 Brucemont Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Rich Shafer THE MAINE LOBSTER ROLL COMPANY INC. 602 Castine Way Wilmington 28412 Agent: William S. Irwin THE MOVING BOX LLC 2521 Confederate Drive Wilmington 28403 Agent: Meredith Flacks
STAR PARTNERS LLC 1416 Quadrant Circle Wilmington 28405 Agent: John S. Anderson
THE PEARLS LLC 18 Palmetto Drive Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: David Spetrino Jr
STEEPLE INVESTMENTS L.L.C. 283 Harbour Village Dr. Hampstead 28443 Agent: James Sessoms Jr.
THE RANDALL EMERSON COMPANY LLC 4702 Silva Terra Dr Wilmington 28412 Agent: Randall Emerson
STELLA LUNA LABS LLC 1122 Arboretum Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Samuel Weaver
THE SWAMP KELPIE LLC 211 Park Avenue Ext Southport 28461 Agent: Marci Lynn Taylor
STICK BUILT DREAMS L.L.C. 1001 Military Cutoff Rd Suite 101 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Dustin R. Tew
THE ULTRA RUNNING GUYS LLC 4042 Druids Glen Drive Leland 28451 Agent: Jeremy Reynolds
SURF CITY SPROUT SHACK LLC 707 Cockle Street Surf City 28445 Agent: Katrina M Turner SWEETLAND REPAIR & LOW VOLTAGE LLC 6351 Ocean Hwy E. Unit 208 Winnabow 28479 Agent: Christina M. Sweetland SYDNI MEDIA LLC 1428 Parkview Circle Wilmington 28405 Agent: Julia Denigris T D POWERS INC. 2001 Petes Camp Dr Southport 28461 Agent: Tina D Powers TAENECK ART LLC 143 Downy Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Skip Eames TAQUERIA LA PATRONA LLC 9506 Oakmount Ct Leland 28451
TIENDA VILLANUEVA LLC 4922 Old Long Beach Rd Southport 28461 Agent: Rosa Idalia Lemus Villanueva TIME2MARKET WEST LLC 214 Crowell Street Oak Island 28465 Agent: Susan M Oakes TKMS PROPERTIES LLC 127 Driftwood Court Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Mackenzie T Sawyer TLM HOLDINGS LLC 5525 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Thomas Murphy TOMBEC LLC 675 E Chatman Dr NW Calabash 28467 Agent: Thomas A Parks TORCHWOOD TACTICAL LLC 9182 Spivey Ct NE Leland 28451 Agent: Donnie Hedwin
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January 22 - February 4, 2021
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
wilmingtonbiz.com
RESTAURANT ROUNDUP
BUSINESS OF LIFE
This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s weekly Restaurant Roundup email. Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.
Taco bar set to open on Carolina Beach Road Brothers and business partners Miguel and Ramon Villasenor have announced plans to open a third Los Portales Taqueria next month on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. Their original location is at 912 S. Kerr Ave., and the partners opened a second location at 39 Van Campen Blvd. in September 2019. The Villasenors also own Los Portales Supermarket on South Kerr Avenue and Tequila Comida & Cantina in Monkey Junction. Miguel Villasenor said he and Ramon had been seeking another location for a taco bar that would provide quick access to customers from neighborhoods and businesses off Carolina Beach Road. Miguel Villasenor said that when J. Russo’s Eatery went up for sale at the end of last year, they jumped at the opportunity to purchase the restaurant and take over the lease for the space at 3536 Carolina Beach Road in the newly renovated Cedar Plaza. “The fast-casual concept of the taqueria allows customers to get their food within minutes,” Miguel Villasenor said. “But if they only have 30 minutes for lunch, they don’t have time to drive across town.” For that reason, the Villasenors said they plan to continue to seek additional locations toward Carolina Beach and Porters Neck. The taco bar will be set up just like the others, with counter service and a salsa bar. The Villasenors hope to open by the end of February.
Eatery serving margaritas, more on New Centre Drive
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Ben Avalos is a native of Jalisco, Mexico, and was raised in a Wilmington restaurant family. His father, Benjamin Alvalos Hernandez, operated restaurants in Wilmington and Elizabethtown, and after a move to Ohio, Ben said it was a dream of his to return to the Port City and carry on his father’s legacy with a restaurant of his own. Las Margaritas Bar y Grill, 4719 New Centre Drive, in the building previously occupied by Incredible
Pizza, opened Dec. 18 and serves modern Mexican cuisine with a Baja influence. Margaritas are of course a mainstay of the bar menu, with well over a dozen flavors to choose from, including several frozen varieties – all of which can now be purchased for carryout under the current state guidelines. As for the food, guests will find Baja-style Mexican favorites such as tacos, fajitas, chimichangas, enchiladas and burritos, all with a choice of protein.
Area restaurants announce temporary winter closures Two local restaurant groups in early January announced temporary closures to help them weather the winter season now plagued by rising COVID-19 cases throughout the Cape Fear region. Rebellion NC, 115 S. Front St., announced that the rising cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County, coupled with a staff member testing positive, have prompted owners to close the restaurant temporarily. A Facebook post from Jan. 4 stated: “We plan on getting everyone through the next few weeks healthy, performing some much needed maintenance and reopening in time for Super Bowl Sunday.” Co-owner Brian “Wes” Westlye said that rather than face a constant cycle of opening and closing because of quarantine measures, the decision was made to close temporarily for maintenance and to allow employees to file for unemployment. Circa Restaurant Group owner Ash Aziz as of early January had temporarily closed Pizzeria Il Forno, 1474 Barclay Pointe Blvd., and Circa 1922 at 8 N. Front St. Nearly identical posts appeared on the restaurant’s Facebook pages Jan. 7, stating that there would be a pause in operations for the next several weeks. The restaurant group stated that the decision was not made on account of any direct exposure to COVID-19. “We would like to make it clear that this is not because any of our employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and we have been doing everything we can to keep our guests and employees safe. We feel it’s in everyone’s best interest to take this next precautionary measure to keep our guests and staff safe.” -Jessica Maurer
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
wilmingtonbiz.com
January 22 - February 4, 2021
Page 19
| BUSINESS OF LIFE | Food trucks roll through pandemic BY JENNY CALLISON oronavirus restrictions have turned the food-truck business on its head. Business developer and president of Wilmington’s Downtown Business Alliance Terry Espy said that food trucks used to be an affordable way for a chef or restaurateur to pave the way toward a bricks-andmortar location. Now, she said, established restaurants are wheeling out their own food trucks as a way to survive COVID-19 limitations. “Food trucks truly have saved a number of restaurants,” she said. The concept is simple: When health barriers reduce the number of people who can eat at your restaurant, take your food to where the people are. Matt Danylec sees adding a food truck to his restaurant, Platypus & Gnome, as a way of generating word-of-mouth. Platypus & Gnome couldn’t expand its outdoor dining by creating a “parklet” during 2020’s Downtown Alive initiative as some other eateries did because its abutting curbside area is a loading zone. A food truck seemed the best option, and the Chrome Gnome was born this past September. Chrome Gnome features a rotating variety of selections that reflect the eclectic fare for which its sibling establishment is known, but some have a distinctive food truck vibe, Danylec said. One of the Chrome Gnome’s regular stops is at End of Days Distillery on Castle Street in Wilmington. It’s among a variety of mobile meals purveyors that park in front of the establishment on weekends. End of Days features “all that there is” in the way of food trucks, according to founder and co-owner Beth Faulkner, who added, “Honestly, I would like to sponsor about 10 more. We’ve had great experience with all of them.” “Cheesesmith is probably the hottest truck in town,” she said. “They offer nice adult grilled cheese sandwiches, like with brie and truffles. Wilmywood is pretty hot as well. New to town is Asian fusion Bahn Sai; it’s been fairly well received. “I’m impressed with anyone who is looking outside the box, and I feel food trucks are doing that,” Faulkner continued.
C
RESTAURANT ROUN DUP
PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER
Lobster on wheels: Austin Herndon (left) and his girlfriend, Amanda Chason, are shown in front of the Lobster Dogs food truck. Herndon’s stepfather, John Suttle, owns the local Lobster Dogs food truck franchise.
Lobster Dogs, which specializes in seafood rolls and seafood-stuffed avocado, is new to the local food truck scene and is already in the mix at End of Days and area breweries. John Cornelius estimates there are between 30 and 40 food trucks operating in the greater Wilmington market, most of them offering meals rather than just snack items. He should know. As the owner of Wide Open Tech, which developed webbased application Food Truck Track last fall, he keeps app users posted on the whereabouts and schedules of local mobile purveyors. General demand for food trucks here continues to be on the rise, he said, citing the launch of new trucks and – for popular existing ones – long lines at host venues. “At Flying Machine Brewing Co., for example, you can’t get a seat if you don’t get there right when a truck shows up,” he said. Current COVID-19 contagion levels and brisk winter temperatures may have reduced demand somewhat, Cornelius said, but he predicts that enthusiasm for food truck experience will continue even when the coronavirus is no longer a factor
in people’s dining decisions. “Breweries are popular, and they don’t want to have to install kitchens,” he added, explaining that the rotation of trucks among the area’s breweries and distilleries lends variety to the experience. “If you go to one venue all the time, you are exposed to different kinds of food. The quality of the food has been good, and more higher-end restaurants are getting in on food trucks.” These days, the range of venues has expanded to workplaces and even neighborhoods. Lobster Dogs’ food truck has brought its fare to New Hanover Regional Medical Center offices in Leland as well as several apartment complexes and HOA-governed neighborhoods. “With COVID restrictions they are reaching out to food trucks more, to be able to offer restaurant food without [residents] having to go out,” said franchise owner John Suttle. Food trucks have found success despite dealing with problems inherent in the business. Suttle said his biggest obstacle was finding commissary kitchen space. That’s true for other mobile purveyors who do not
have a restaurant connection. Even restaurant food trucks need a health department-approved spot where they can drain water and grease, if the truck can’t get access to those facilities in the restaurant’s kitchen. Truck repairs end up being a big problem, according to Faulkner, who cited generator breakdowns in particular as a recurring headache for the trucks she employs. Another challenge for food trucks is marketing. Cornelius said these small operations are necessarily focused on their day-to-day operations, leaving little time to update websites and Facebook pages. The difficulty in following the movements of favorite food trucks – or even just finding a nearby food truck at lunchtime – inspired the staff of Wide Open Tech to launch Food Truck Track. “It’s hit or miss to find that information,” Cornelius said in an interview in December. “It’s not all in one place, and sometimes it’s not up to date. We’re trying to make it easy for the truck owner, the venue owner. We update the information and let people know what’s going on.”
Page 20
January 22 - February 4, 2021
wilmingtonbiz.com
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
2020 TOP MEMBERS The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce recognizes the following companies for their membership and sponsorship investments in our chamber. For more information about the benefits of membership call Megan Mullins at 910.762.2611 ext 216.
Murchison, Taylor & Gibson, PLLC Bank of America EmergeOrtho Pathfinder Wealth Consulting Cape Fear Community College Alcami Corporation Hotel Ballast Harris Teeter Super Markets, Inc. RE/Max Essential Andrew Consulting Engineers Rodgers Builders Wilmington International Airport Wells Fargo Bank Delaney Radiologists Piedmont Advantage Credit Union
CloudWyze, Inc. Ward and Smith, PA Thrive Family Dental Apple Photography Geo Owl, LLC
