Greater Wilmington Business Journal-Apr. 3 Issue

Working through it Businesses, including local retailer Swahili Coast, adapt Page 11

April 3-16, 2020 Vol. 21, No. 7

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Index Banking & Finance..............................4-5 Health Care ........................................6-7 Economic Development ......................... 9 In Profile ..............................................11 Real Estate ..........................................12 The List ................................................27 Business of Life.............................. 30-31

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AFTER THE 2020 CENSUS, WILL BRUNSWICK SHIFT AGAIN?

BY CHRISTINA HALEY O’NEAL

T

o the federal government 20 years ago, the Wilmington area truly was the tri-county region. But in 2013 that changed.

The federal Office of Management and Budget – because of an urban area difference of 643 people in a U.S. Census count – grouped Brunswick County in with the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area.

At the time, the 2010 census recorded a population of more than 107,000 in Brunswick County. The move took a huge chunk out of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and was also counted as a loss for the state.

“This is the kind of thing where it made sense to someone in Wash-

ington, but it makes no sense to the people who live here and know the area,” said Frank Williams, chairman of the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners.

The switch caught many leaders at the time by surprise.

Most recent estimates suggest Brunswick County’s population is nearly 137,000. But that will change with the 2020 census. And for many, it’s an opportunity to gain back what was lost.

Efforts at the local level are currently taking a two-pronged approach to the issue: urging 2020 census participation and watching for any changes to the rules that define the MSAs.

BRUNSWICK VIEW

The divide between Brunswick County and the Wilmington area today is much more than a bridge away.

But as far as the change’s impact overall, Williams said most of the blow lies above the county line.

The OMB’s decision to shift Brunswick County down to the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-North Carolina (MSA), was based on the fact that the Myrtle Beach-Socastee urbanized area had a slightly larger share of the county’s 2010 population than the Wilmington urbanized area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wilmington, in the end, was left

20 20 IN BIZ As the Business Journal marks its 20th anniversary, we look at the region’s past 20 years and its next two decades. wilmingtonbiz2020.com

with New Hanover and Pender counties in its MSA. Brunswick County, however, remains one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, and along with Myrtle Beach, it is part of one of the fastest-growing MSAs in the country, Williams said.

“I think where it really hurts … the areas that we’re closest to in North Carolina don’t have our numbers when industries are looking at them,” Williams said.

That could affect the county in attracting business to its largest business parks, some of which lie in the northern part of the county, closer to Wilmington, he said.

The 2020 census is a chance to get that accurate picture.

CENSUS IN PLAY

Many officials across the region are encouraging people to particiSee RIFT, page 10

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| FROM WILMINGTONBIZ.COM | This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s Daily Update.

Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

Quality Chemical produces hand sanitizer (March 26) Quality Chemical Laboratories is making hand sanitizer to fill the needs of the local health care community as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, said Yousry Sayed, the firm’s president and CEO. The pharmaceutical company, at 3220 Corporate Drive in the Northchase Industrial Park, has about a half-dozen of its staff members working to make hand sanitizer, which it is donating, he said.

“Our product is [for] the local area. If we could satisfy that, we’re going to keep making as much as we can,” he said. “We have plenty of the ingredients that go in there, which have met all regulations according to the FDA and we are compounding according to the guidance from the USP.” Quality Chemical Laboratories was donating all of its hand-sanitizing product, giving priority to local health care providers.

Wave of unemployment filings starts (March 26)

Market hits local public companies hard (March 20)

The U.S. Department of Labor reported March 26 that more than 3.28 million people filed claims for unemployment insurance during the week before, an increase of more than 3 million from the previous week.

“This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series,” a labor department news release stated.

For many, including Wilmington residents, the whole process is taking some getting used to.

“I’ve never done this before. I never imagined I would have to file for unemployment, you know what I mean?” said Sheena O'Reilly, who worked recently as front-of-house manager of the downtown Wilmington restaurant Beer Barrio before the state’s order came down that restaurants had to shut down in-house dining rooms.

“Thankfully, I have gotten a 15day extension with no late fee on the rent,” O’Reilly said, “and the utility services, they were not going to turn off people’s power and water if they can’t pay their bill right away.”

Both of Wilmington’s public companies have – not surprisingly – seen their stocks tumble in recent weeks.

PPD re-emerged as a public company on Feb. 6 of this year. Its shares sold for $27 and quickly climbed to more than $32, but amid the recent market turmoil, they dropped to $12.

It closed on March 20 at $14.52. The price stood at $17.95 as of press time on March 31.

Live Oak Bancshares went public in 2015 at $17 per share. Its stock climbed steadily to more than $32 by the summer of 2018 but dropped back by the end of that year to $16.

In the past few weeks, it’s fallen further to a close March 20 at $9.11 and stood at $12.65 March 31.

For PPD, 14 analysts have issued 12-month price targets. The consensus price target is $33.27, which would represent a 121.6% increase from the current share price.

“All stocks have been hit hard” by the COVID-19 virus developments, but banks have been especially hard hit, said Aaron Deer, managing director at Piper Sandler, who follows Live Oak Bancshares.

TOP-READ STORIES ONLINE Here are the most popular stories for the week of March 18-27 from the Business Journal’s website.

1. Opinion: Life needs to go on 2. Opinion: Current sacrifice for future gain 3. Distillery adds production of hand sanitizer 4. Local brewery expands to grocery sales 5. How will local shopping centers endure?

6. Medical official: Expect to see local coronavirus cases jump 7. Quality Chemical starts production of hand sanitizer to donate 8. Opinion: Help wanted, especially now 9. Beach bummer: Hotels, vacation rentals cope with latest closures 10. Loans and aid available for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 To read more, go to wilmingtonbiz.com

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| BANKING & FINANCE |

A

Flurry in the wake of Fed moves

s the Federal Reserve took action in mid-March to restore public confidence in the U.S. economic system and counteract the damage wrought as governments responded to the COVID-19 epidemic, two local financial advisers provided some perspective on the reasons behind these actions.

JENNY John Zachary, a certified financial planner (CFP) with Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, called the Fed’s recent moves “unprecedented.”

“The Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut of 100 basis points (1.00%) was an unprecedented move in an effort to restore confidence in our economic system and counter the damage being done by the coronavirus,” he wrote in an email. “For context, this was the most dramatic step that the Federal Reserve has

CALLISON

PHOTO BY CECE NUNN

Rates race: Mortgage originators, like those at Corning Credit Union (shown above), have been overwhelmed with requests for refinancing and new loans because of the current low interest rates.

taken since the 2008 financial crisis and came just 12 days after the last emergency rate cut of 50 basis points on March 3.

“This action, which cut rates to a range of 0-0.25%, a level we haven’t

seen since 2008, leaves no room for further rate cuts if the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect our economy for a longer period of time,” he added.

The intended result of the Fed’s

moves, according to Zachary, is to lower borrowing costs for banks, benefits that theoretically trickle down to businesses and individuals to encourage spending.

“As an added benefit, [the rate cut] makes bond investments less appealing and may cause investors to buy into stocks to find higher yields, buoying the stock market,” Zachary said.

While the size of the cuts over such a short span of time is unprecedented, Vinton Fountain reminds investors that “we’ve been here before.”

“While this particular crisis is different in terms of its context, its implications are the same,” said the CAPTRUST principal and financial adviser “It’s important for everyone to refocus on goals: financial and life goals versus what the news of the hour, minute and day is, because this too will pass.

“This country has a system by which our economy can adjust and adapt to whatever the circumstances are,” he said, adding he thinks the Fed did the right thing.

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| BANKING & FINANCE | Zachary agreed that the Fed’s rate cut was probably a wise move.

“Many pundits are looking at [the current] stock market drop and saying the Fed’s latest ammunition didn’t help,” he said. “The reality is, without it, [the recent] sell-off could have been much worse.”

The Fed’s promise in its March 15 announcement that it would purchase at least $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities added fuel to an already roiling mortgage lending environment.

Uncertainty in the mortgage sector began at the beginning of March when yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury plummeted, briefly reaching an all-time low of just over 0.3%.

That rate was above 1.5% as recently as mid-February. The 10-year Treasury yield is significant to the U.S. economy for its use as a benchmark for mortgage rates and auto loans.

There was a huge rush among mortgage borrowers to take advantage of low rates and refinance, said Suzanne Neblett, branch manager of Guaranteed Rate in Wilmington.

Some large national mortgage lenders, notably banks, couldn’t handle the volume, so some of their borrowers sought refinancing through other

mortgage lenders.

Rates see-sawed through the first half of March, Neblett said, leveling out a bit after the Fed’s promise to purchase mortgage-backed securities to add liquidity to the sector.

Still, she added, there is considerable volatility in the market, and her office was having difficulty quoting rates for new and refinanced mortgages.

Bill Scott, a mortgage originator for Corning Credit Union, said the demand for mortgages and refinancing was “like a flood” in early March.

The rate he was able to offer for a 15year loan dipped as low as 2.375%; for a 30-year it was 2.875%. They have since risen.

“There was panic and fear in the market,” he said. “The stock market was selling off.”

Scott had 75 mortgage loans, worth $19 million, in the pipeline as of March 19, compared with 24 loans worth $8 million as of Feb. 28. During that same time period, according to Scott, Corning Credit Union’s mortgage pipeline grew from $36.5 million to $110 million.

Other mortgage lenders were equally amazed.

“In my 36 years with Alpha

Mortgage I have never seen volatility like this,” said Michael Lopez, the company’s owner and president.

He said that his company was working at capacity when fears over the coronavirus hit, and since then, with increased demand, “It’s been crazy getting people locked in. The mortgage market is clogged; we have lots of business.”

Despite the Fed’s promise to purchase mortgage-backed securities, Lopez said that investors are not following suit.

“They’re buying dollars,” he explained, saying that it’s strange that mortgage market activity is rising fast but that the market is “so illiquid. The market hates uncertainty; nobody knows what’s going to happen. They are going to cash.”

Apiture partners with Texas-based firm Wilmington-based financial technology firm Apiture’s choice of a tech partner enabled it to move its clients from a legacy data system to the cloud-based Amazon Web System (AWS).

A recent news release stated that Apiture, which serves hundreds of

banks and credit unions across the U.S., chose Austin, Texas-based TrustGrid to complete that project in just one year’s time.

Use of the AWS platform rather than the legacy FirstData Data Center, said Apiture COO Chris Cox, will allow Apiture client institutions to enhance customers’ remote and online banking experiences.

“We did this migration to AWS to take advantage of all the great benefits of modern, cloud-based infrastructure,” Cox said, adding that those benefits include scalability, reliability, cost effectiveness and speed of code deployment.

“The services we offer are the same; a [financial institution] customer wouldn’t necessarily notice the change, except maybe in faster response times,” he added.

Connecting its clients to the cloud network required Apiture to find a partner that could install hardware and services at each client data center.

“TrustGrid made that super simple for our clients,” Cox said. “It involved no work for them and enables connections between [the financial institution’s] data center and the Apiture AWS environment.”

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| HEALTH CARE |

A

Adapting patient care approaches

s area health providers began preparing for an expected increase in COVID-19 cases, they also began to update the way they see patients to avoid exposure.

Examples included ramping up telehealth visits, limiting hospital visitors and even setting up outside tents for procedures to keep VICKY people out of indoor waiting rooms.

As of March 26, New Hanover County officials reported 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. But those numbers could be underreporting the levels. Of the nearly 500 test samples reported to the county, 278 were still pending.

Also as of March 26, Brunswick County reported 11 positive cases and 240 pending test results; Pender County had not reported a positive case.

JANOWSKI

PHOTO BY BRENT GALLANT, C/O NOVANT HEALTH

Protections in place: Health care providers in the Wilmington area have ramped up efforts to keep people out of indoor waiting rooms.

As presumptive positive cases continued to increase – despite a backlog of testing – health systems changed up procedures for seeing patients to

help prevent a surge.

New Hanover Regional Medical Center on March 20 announced it was postponing nonessential sur-

geries until further notice, also as a way to conserve staffing, space and resources to prepare for COVID-19 impacts, according to a news release.

The hospital also put out a call for donations of personal protective equipment for health care workers such as N95 masks and face shields.

Novant Health set up an outside station at 13 Medical Campus Drive Supply for a drive-thru COVID-19 screening center, allowing those experiencing potential symptoms to talk to a provider.

Wilmington Health instituted open-air clinics, not for testing of the coronavirus but for other patients to be seen.

The sites are not drive-up tents but being used after people are prescreened over the phone or remote video and have to have in-person tests done.

The physician group pushed to significantly increase its telehealth resources and usage.

“We have moved strongly into telehealth and video visits. Two weeks ago we had very few, if any,

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| HEALTH CARE | telehealth visits,” Wilmington Health CEO Jeff James said March 23.

“Last week we did about 450. This week we expect to do probably in the thousands.

“As of today almost all of our specialties have telehealth access. It was a very large push from our organization and some tremendous work from very strong leaders from in our organization to deploy telehealth on a very wide, very rapid basis.”

NHRMC’s physician group network also is turning to video visits, both for scheduled appointments and then COVID-19 prescreening if possible.

Another health safety procedure for NHRMC Physician Group offices is to limit patients’ time indoors.

Officials said that patients now are able to register and check-in for their appointments without leaving their cars, waiting there until an exam room is ready.

NHRMC receives 6 proposals; PAG meetings postponed The group charged with evaluating proposals from health systems interested in being a part of New

Hanover Regional Medical Center’s future operating model is not meeting now because of the coronavirus situation.

But that doesn’t mean that the process won’t still be on track for this year, Partnership Advisory Group co-chair Barb Biehner said late last month.

“We have our proposals, and we’re now reviewing what’s in them. We have the time to spend a great deal of time reviewing them. And I think we have the opportunity to move it forward in the coming months,” Biehner said.

That uncertainty because of trying to prevent the coronavirus’s spread prompted the Partnership Advisory Group to cancel its meeting on March 19.

That was the meeting right after a request for proposals deadline that brought in six pitches for potential involvement in NHRMC’s ownership or management.

The six organizations that submitted proposals were Atrium Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Duke Health, HCA Healthcare, Novant Health and UNC Health.

Last summer, county and NHRMC officials announced that

they would be soliciting proposals from outside health care systems for potential acquisition, partnership, management or other deals.

While waiting for the request for proposals to come in, they also discussed changes for keeping the county-owned hospital operating independently.

Now the Partnership Advisory Group, which was expected to give its recommendations to county commissioners and hospital trustees this summer on how to proceed, has paused its upcoming in-person meetings, just as most events and group gatherings have because of the highly contagious virus.

The group, made up 21 members selected from hospital trustees and the community, also includes five NHRMC medical staff, and holding off on meetings allows them and county staffers who have been working on the hospital issue to focus on COVID-19 preparations and response, officials said.

Biehner said PAG members have been assigned to subcommittees to wade through the proposals with an eye on the goals that were identified earlier for it.

“At this point we’re focused on

the people doing the jobs they need to do, especially those that are in a position that need to be available for other priorities, and we’ll get back together as we can,” she said. “So at this time, it’s too early to tell.”

Initially the plan was to have the six proposals’ details – or as much as allowed legally – to be made publicly available by the end of March.

County and hospital officials said that public release of the proposals “will be delayed at least two weeks to allow members of the Partnership Advisory Group time to review the responses and ask clarifying questions before the proposals are posted for the public,” according to a news release.

The process’s timing this year carries a political consideration since two of the five New Hanover County commissioners who have been supportive of exploring deals with outside systems – Pat Kusek and Woody White – are not running for office again.

Three seats are open for the board in November. If a deal is negotiated in the months ahead with an outside system, an approving vote would have to take place this year in order for the current board to vote on it.

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CFCC names department chair of public service

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STAY INFORMED ON CRITICAL HEALTH AND BUSINESS ISSUES

Nurse practitioner joins Novant Health location TAMARA MARSHALL, a family nurse practitioner, has joined Novant Health Endocrinology.

Marshall has more than 20 years of nursing experience in emergency Marshall medicine, according to a news release. Novant Health En-

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CFCC has named JIM VARRONE as department chair of Public Service at Cape Fear Community College.

Varrone has served as program director of Cape Fear Community Varrone College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Program since July 2018.

“I am a true believer in the community college system, and especially in Cape Fear Community College,” Varrone said in the release. “It is a true honor to serve the students and our community stakeholders by working to meet the educational and training needs of the community we serve.”

Varrone, who is originally from New York, moved to the Wilmington area 33 years ago to join the Wilmington Police Department, where he retired as assistant chief of police in June 2018.

While serving the police department he earned a bachelor's degree and MBA.

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docrinology is located at 204 Smith Ave. in Shallotte.

She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Red Earth Marketing welcomes Sartin Wilmington-based Red Earth Marketing, a homebuilder and developer sales and marketing support company, has hired BRYAN SARTIN as its business development manager.

Sartin In his role, he is responsible for business-to-business outreach, corporate relationship-management and builder services, officials said.

Sartin began his career locally as marketing director for the Homes & Land magazine. He then spent five years with the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association as director of programs and special events and adviser of the sales and marketing committee.

He also holds a real estate license.

CCLCF announces chair Community Care of the Lower Cape Fear has named YVONNE HUGHES as its board chair.

Hughes is the CEO of Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance and Coastal Connect Health Information Exchange, stated the release.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in health care finance, corpoHughes rate negotiations, interoperability design and policy development, officials said.

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| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |

B

Survey seeks workforce info

usinesses around a six-county region are being encouraged to participate in an analysis of the workforce and employment challenges in Southeastern North Carolina.

A survey to assess the region is underway through a partnership between the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and Cape Fear Collective. The two organizations are using RTI International, an independent nonprofit research institute, which is conducting the survey and compiling data from respondents. The survey was launched in mid-March.

Questions focus on expected growth, hiring challenges related to soft skills, industry-specific skills and future skills, as well as how companies are working to recruit and hire employees, CHRISTINA HALEY according to a news release.

Dubbed the Cape Fear Talent workforce survey, organizers have the goal to reach 500 businesses of all sizes and sectors in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen and Onslow counties.

Other participants have joined the effort to spread the word about the survey, including economic development organizations, chambers, businesses and educational institutions within the six-county region.

The regional initiative is being conducted parallel to a similar assessment in the Raleigh area.

The initiative was first formed out of a Raleigh-area partnership between Wake County Economic Development (a program of the Raleigh chamber), the city of Raleigh and the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, said Meaghan Lewis, the Wilmington chamber’s director of leadership development.

The Raleigh group funded a survey about hiring challenges and skills needs in 2017. An Asheville-region partnership conducted a similar survey and assessment in 2018.

With a goal of evaluating the regional needs every three years, the Raleigh partnership is undergoing another survey this year. The Wilmington-region partners have joined in on the contract with RTI for this year’s survey of businesses.

Cape Fear Collective (CFC) is paying for the survey being conduct-

O’NEAL

FILE PHOTO

A look at jobs: This 2015 photo, taken Acme Smoked Fish in Pender County, is an example of the regional workforce, which the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce is looking to assess through a new survey.

ed in the local six-county region, which is anticipated to cost between $10,000 and $15,000, said Lewis, who is CFC’s director of programs.

“Born out of the corporate sector, the Cape Fear Collective was founded to scale big data solutions locally and support partner organizations in championing equity for all people … This data collection effort will provide our partners with the insights needed to build the future workforce of the Cape Fear region,” Lewis said.

CFC plans to use the survey as part of its overall data strategy, bringing together public health, economic opportunity, and demographic data that will provide insights to support equitable regional growth and community development, she said.

“Long term, CFC hopes to translate this data into large-scale initiatives, using the ‘cradle to career’ model to organize community efforts and data collection,” Lewis said.

The survey will provide a state and regional picture as well as insight down to the county level, Lewis said.

Bimonthly calls between the partners and participating entities are being held during the survey period to try to ensure all counties and business sectors are represented.

The assessment also supports initiatives in the Wilmington chamber’s strategic plan, said Natalie English, the chamber’s president and CEO. “We’ve been hearing for quite some time that talent is the driving force for economic development …

And it’s not a one-size-fits-all. Every community is different,” English said.

“And so, these surveys can really shine a bright light on the regional data. Then we can bring the business communities together, with the education institutions, public and private, to address the needs of our employers.”

The survey could be used to form collaboratives and by educational institutions to help address the needs identified, Lewis said.

As of press time, the survey was being considered for an extension of the original May 15 deadline, due to the impact the coronavirus is having on businesses across the state.

For now, survey results are scheduled to be made public at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce’s Talent and Workforce Development event, tentatively set for this summer.

For the survey visit www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5443837/Greater-Wilmington-Chamber-of-Commerce.

Another missed sailing scheduled for the port Another blank sailing is scheduled to take place at the Port of Wilmington this spring, a ripple effect of the coronavirus impacts on the global economy and maritime industry.

One blank sailing is scheduled in May through an Asian oceanliner service group that services the port, said Bethany Welch, spokeswoman for N.C. Ports. That brings the total to four blank sailings scheduled this spring at the Port of Wilmington

since the pandemic took a toll on China’s factories and workforce.

An ocean carrier route will have a blank sailing, which means that for the time that a vessel was scheduled to sail, it will not arrive at ports to unload or load cargo. Blank sailings often happen when vessel demand for space is low.

It’s difficult to tell at this time what the long-term impacts of the virus on the maritime industry and the port will be, Welch said, adding that the port could get a better idea of the effects in the coming months.

The virus has not affected the port’s capital plans.

“The good news: We are receiving reports that factories in Asia are ramping up, and vessel schedules will be returning to normal,” Welch said.

GE cuts jobs from aviation business nationwide Boston-headquartered General Electric Co. plans to make job cuts to its aviation business, part of the company’s latest steps to mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the firm’s chairman and CEO Lawrence Culp said March 23 in a statement.

GE Aviation will face a 10% reduction in its total workforce in the United States, Culp said.

There are 26,000 GE Aviation employees in the U.S. with about 650 at the firm’s Wilmington-based operation. Specifics cuts are not being provided at the site level.

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From RIFT, page 1

pate in this year’s census.

Complete Count Committees, formed to bring awareness about the census, have been set up in both New Hanover and Brunswick counties.

Residents are being mailed details about how to complete the census online or by phone or mail. As a result of the coronavirus, census officials stated in March that “the most important thing you can do is respond online, by phone, or by mail when you receive your invitation.

Responding now will minimize the need for the Census Bureau to send census takers out into communities to follow up.”

The New Hanover committee is pushing the Cape Fear Counts campaign – a collaboration with the city and other local members – that will include social media campaigns.

“It’s absolutely important to the future of our region,” said Tyler Newman, president and CEO of Business Alliance for a Sound Economy (BASE).

With the census counted every 10 years, its outcome this year will influence the area for the coming decade.

Newman and Natalie English, president and CEO of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, see the census as one approach to the MSA issue.

“We believe, based on the population growth that we’ve seen in the last 10 years, that [Brunswick County] will naturally tip back. But not if we are lazy about the census,” English said.

ACTION FOR CHANGE

Parallel to the census is keeping an eye out for modifications to the rules that govern the MSA delineations that resulted in the shift for Brunswick County.

The rules that define MSA regions are set by the OMB and result from Census Bureau data. Those standards are reviewed and revised once every 10 years, prior to each census, according to the bureau.

Nuances in the OMB rules regarding transportation connections and corridors worked against the Wilmington region in tying much of the area south of Southport to Myrtle Beach, English said.

The OMB’s review of the standards will include the opportunity for public comment, Newman said.

“We’re working on it every day,” Newman said. “The census is going to be done in 2020. We need everybody to participate in that so we get an accurate count of who is here. But as important are the rules.”

WILMINGTON / MYRTLE BEACH MSA by resident population

WILMINGTON

500K

MYRTLE BEACH

2013: BRUNSWICK SWITCHES TO MYRTLE BEACH MSA

480,891

403,653

400K

362,315 267,724

300K

200K

274,532

294,436

269,291

196,629

100K

0

2000

2010

2013*

2018*

*ESTIMATES BASED ON 2010 CENSUS / SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Legislation was filed in Congress in 2014 to see Brunswick returned to the Wilmington MSA, but failed to be approved.

Another piece of legislation, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, included language that set up a process for challenging MSA delineations set by the OMB. “In 2018, I worked to include a provision in the relevant appropriations bill, which established a process that lets counties challenge delineations when a new MSA cycle begins.

“It’s my hope that counties won’t need to use this process, but if they do, it gives them a way to confront OMB with the economic realities of the state,” U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said.

INCREASING BUSINESS

MSAs help to accurately reflect an area’s economy and workforce, Burr said.

The Wilmington MSA is also a factor as the Wilmington International Airport (ILM) competes for business, including adding flights.

It would benefit ILM if Brunswick County returned to the Wilmington MSA, by showing its numbers are consistent with what the government shows, said Julie Wilsey, ILM’s airport director.

“When we talk to airlines, we try to tell them our market area, and show the potential number of travelers that can fill seats. Our market catchment area, which includes New Hanover and the surrounding counties, doesn’t match what the census

data says for the MSA,” Wilsey said.

The Wilmington region is nearly 50% larger, population-wise when you include Brunswick County, said Adam Jones, a regional economist.

New Hanover’s economy has grown by 22% since 2010, Pender’s by 13% and Brunswick’s by 8%, but when trying to analyze the region, due to some data constraints with the MSA, it’s been hard to get the full picture, he said.

Wilmington Business Development (WBD) has been able to overcome some of the data issues, officials said.

“It would certainly be cleaner from a data collection standpoint if Brunswick County was included in our MSA. But we can easily reaggregate U.S. Census figures in filling client requests for population and workforce information. Consultants also have the research capacity to do that,” said Scott Satterfield, CEO of WBD. Interested consultants, he said, “don’t disqualify us for decisions made in Washington, D.C.” People and businesses are still finding their way to Brunswick County. But the overall picture, for economic development reasons, could be clearer, Williams said.

“To me, it makes sense for Southeastern North Carolina to market Southeastern North Carolina,” Williams said, “and that’s a little more difficult when the fastest-growing county in that part of the state is not included in the numbers.”

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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| WORKING THROUGH IT | Businesses change to cope

Editor’s note: The Business Journal will be running regular features on area businesses and how they are adjusting operations, innovating and coping with the economic impacts of the coronavirus. For story or subject suggestions, email newsroom@ wilmingtonbiz.com.

BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF aroline Fisher and Tony Peele opened the doors of their Wilmington retail establishment, Swahili Coast, in 2016.

The store is an outgrowth of the couple’s wholesale shoe company founded in 2014 that sells handmade beaded leather sandals. Swahili Coast offers the beaded sandals and other handmade items from artisans in East Africa.

Fisher and Peele have two locations in downtown Wilmington, at 21 N. Front St. and at 225 S. Water St. at Chandler’s Wharf.

But Swahili Coast, like other businesses in the Cape Fear region, is closed for now as the Wilmington couple tries to weather the measures being taken to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

GWBJ: How are you coping with the situation?

Fisher: “We made the hard decision to close our retail stores for the foreseeable future. Our last day open was Sunday [March 15]. We will still be fulfilling online orders as those come in in our studio and will certainly try to push more e-commerce sales, and we will do what we can to generate any revenue during this time.

“I do want to say as well that our wholesale business, which is the bulk of our business, also took a huge hit.

Within about the span of a week, we saw it dry up to nothing, and this is the time of year when lots of folks are placing reorders for spring and summer.

“And the reason is that all of our customers are also small businesses and so they’re all closing as well.”

GWBJ: What are your thoughts on someday recovering and opening back up?

Fisher: “We certainly will do our best to weather the storm. I think we will definitely reopen once this is over, but ... in a certain way, it’s kind of like Hurricane Florence on a macro scale. I kind of feel like people in Wilmington had an experience where our lives were totally disrupted fairly

C

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Reimagined retail: Caroline Fisher, co-owner of Swahili Coast, closed the two downtown Wilmington shop locations for now because of the coronavirus, leaving just e-commerce operations running. Its wholesale business also has dropped as other small-business retail customers have closed their doors.

recently.

“I think in some ways that makes us a little better prepared. But financially, a lot of small businesses are still recovering from Florence.”

Copycat Print Shop goes full throttle before changes Over the weekend of March 2022, Copycat Print Shop employees worked around the clock to finish a massive order due by noon March 23.

The job entailed printing packets of educational material for schoolchildren.

Store employees started on March 20 and didn’t finish until the early morning hours March 22, said Betsy Kahn, owner and president of Copycat Print Shop, which recently moved to 637 S. Kerr Ave. in Wilmington.

Some procedures have changed at the shop, in addition to offering free delivery.

“None of us has ever experienced anything like this,” Kahn said. “Initially, our preparation was simply to start wiping down everything, and we have accelerated that to a specific time frame … we wipe down everything every hour on the hour and the whole critical list to wipe down: doorknobs, countertops, computer

mice, phones and on and on.”

The business has nine employees.

“We know we’re serving a purpose to a lot of people; we just don’t know for how long,” Kah said. “We’re prepared to shutter if we have to.”

Port City Produce opens stand early for supplies The Market Street location of Port City Produce opened a bit early this year to fill demands for fresh fruits and vegetables at a time when people need it most, said Sven Wallin, a partner in the business.

What started as a small roadside stand in the summer of 2010, with mostly fruits and vegetables, has grown to two locations with an expanded product inventory to include local vendors and other items like baked goods, dressings and meats, he said.

Wallin and his partners, Andrew Cameron and Wells Struble, opened Port City Produce’s location at 5740 Market St. on March 19, due to the growing demand.

The location is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its midtown location at 6458 Carolina Beach Road, next to Seaview Crab Company, is scheduled to open in April.

The Market Street location has nine employees working the stand, which has set up a curbside service in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The company typically grows to around 30 employees during the busy summer months.

Also later this summer, that location is slated to move to a larger site at 6250 Market St., Wallin said.

The business has posted signs to remind customers to keep a safe distance from others, he said. Employees are also using sanitizing wipes for baskets and wearing gloves for safety.

They also recommend that everyone wash their produce once home to mitigate risks, he said.

Port City Produce is using its normal suppliers.

“Local farmers provide us with anything that’s in season, and local vendors make up all of our dry products such as jams, jellies, breads, meats, dairy, dressings and more.

We do gather produce that is not in season in North Carolina from all over the Southeast such as Florida,” Wallin said. “This allows us to carry products that are in season in that area. …

“With the shift in people staying at home and cooking, more grocers and markets like ourselves are finding increased demand.”

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| REAL ESTATE | Shopping center tenants scramble

BY CECE NUNN ocal shopping centers were already starting to show some of the economic impacts of efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, even before stricter guidelines were put in place by state and local governments.

“Retailers and restaurateurs are going to feel the brunt of this virus on the front end for the next few weeks,” Hansen Matthews, partner in Wilmington-based commercial real estate firm Maus, Warwick, Matthews & Co., said at the end of March. “Some of them will have to close permanently while others are going to have to curtail their sales activities, and all of them will feel an economic pinch.”

On March 27, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home order until April 29, making it necessary for non-essential businesses to close to the public. New Hanover County then issued its own restrictions that included shopping centers.

“All stores, indoor or outdoor shopping malls, and retail facilities that that do not provide goods that are essential for health, sustenance, shelter, mobility, and hygiene shall close all in-person shopping areas to the public. Delivery and curb-side service may be implemented or continued,” the county order stated.

Despite the restrictions, Matthews and other local commercial real estate professionals have been aiming to stay both realistic and optimistic.

Hill Rogers, broker in charge of Cameron Management, which manages midtown commercial center The Pointe at Barclay said, “I think there’s the category of folks [tenants and business owners] who were not doing well prior to this for whatever reason. So this is the seminal event; they may not be able to make it through this disruption.

“But even the healthy, good operators, none of them were meant to go without revenue for 30, 60 days. Will there be some attrition? There’s going to be some. I don’t know how much.”

Matthews said late last month, “There has already been a trickle of requests from merchants and operators to their landlords to either reduce, delay or curtail their rents.

Thus far, most landlords we’ve spoken with are opting to either hold tight to the original terms of their lease or to recoup any reduction in

L

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Virus closures: Several businesses at The Pointe at Barclay, including the midtown dining and entertainment complex’s anchor tenant, The Point 14 movie theater, have closed temporarily as a result of the new coronavirus.

the current rent by adding it to the rear end of the lease.”

Matthews said shopping centers, like tenants themselves, that were struggling before the crisis will feel the effects the most, while others should bounce back because of the previously low vacancy rate in retail space in the Wilmington area and the high cost of building new space.

Rogers said, “My prediction is also that we get through it, whether it’s four weeks or 12 weeks. I think people will want to go back to work; people will want to get out and have human interaction.”

At The Pointe at Barclay, a movie theater-anchored shopping and dining complex at Independence Boulevard and South 17th Street, many businesses were closed by March 25 while some of its restaurants were still operating through take-out and delivery only.

Some of them had already shuttered and others closed temporarily because of an executive order issued

by Cooper on March 23.

Cooper had ordered the closure of restaurants and bars to on-premise dining and drinking on March 17.

Stone Theatres, owner of The Pointe 14 movie theater at The Pointe at Barclay, closed its facilities temporarily March 18 as a result of the

virus.

But hopefully, tenants will be able to take advantage of programs put in place as a result of measures being taken to slow the pandemic’s growth, brokers said.

“This is not man-made. You want them [commercial tenants] back and successful when this cloud lifts, and you’re going to be there for them because they’ve been there for you, so we work with them,” Rogers said.

“We’ve been encouraging all of our folks to follow the stimulus bill closely, that there’s going to be resources available to them and some of that in the form of grant money.”

Brookfield Properties, owner of Independence Mall and a total of 450 million square feet of commercial space worldwide, issued a general statement to investors March 20, saying, “A difficult retail operating environment had already led to a large number of bankruptcies in 2019.

“While we were hopeful that 2020 would see some improvement in this regard, there is no doubt that the impact of closing down large parts of the U.S. economy over the next several weeks is going to have severe consequences for many of our tenants in the absence of government intervention.

“In the long run, the high-quality

nature of our assets and the prime locations the centers enjoy give us an advantage and will allow us to recover. But this segment of our business will undoubtedly face a challenging year ahead.”

Mayfaire Town Center has been offering information on its website about the coronavirus impact.

“In accordance with the order issued by the Governor of North Carolina, Mayfaire Town Center will close on March 28 at 5 p.m. until further notice,” the website stated March 27. “We will provide additional information as it becomes available. Businesses and retailers that are deemed essential under the order, as well as restaurants may remain open.”

CBL Properties, which owns and manages Mayfaire Town Center, issued a statement this week in response to questions about Mayfaire, stating, “The role we play in our communities as a provider of employment, goods, services and commerce is an important one. Our properties are home to a number of national, regional, and locally owned businesses.

“Given the fluidity of the situation our approach has been to remain as flexible as possible to allow our tenants to make the best decisions for their businesses during this time.”

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | Area attorneys land on 2020 LEGAL ELITE list BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF undreds of lawyers made Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite list this year. The group included Wilmingtonarea lawyers.

To compile the annual list, Business North Carolina asks the thousands of active N.C. State Bar members to vote for recommendations of top lawyers in various areas.

Lawyers were not able to vote for themselves. They were allowed to vote for members from their own firms only by voting for another out-of-firm lawyer in the same category. The vote for the out-of-firm lawyer was weighed more heavily.

Here are the local attorneys who made the 2020 list:

H

YOEL BALTER CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Corporate Counsel FIRM: Liberty Healthcare Management TITLE: Vice President and General Counsel EDUCATION: University of Pennsylvania (B.A.); UNCBalter Chapel Hill (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “Serving as in-house counsel, I have been fortunate to have spent my career working with a dedicated team of intelligent, ethical, experienced and passionate professionals.

My clients communicate the mission and responsibility of being health care providers every day. This organizational culture provides an exceptionally strong foundation upon which I provide legal guidance in an interesting and wide variety of areas of the law,” Balter said.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Health law, employment law, corporate governance, transactions and financing JAMES OLIVER CARTER SR. CATEGORY: Legal Elite- Bankruptcy FIRM: Carter & Carter TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A. and J.D.) HIGHLIGHTS: He has practiced law in Carter Wilmington for over 45 years. He has been listed in Business North Carolina Magazine’s Legal Elite in bankruptcy for over 15 years.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Bankruptcy, real estate, business litigation, creditor and debtor bankruptcy rights, corporate matters, estate planning and administration FRED DAVENPORT JR. CATEGORY: Legal Elite- Business FIRM: Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC

TITLE: Member/Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A., J.D. and MBA) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Davenport joined Murchison, Taylor & Gibson in 1977, practicing business and Davenport corporate law at the firm until 1996, when he left to serve as general counsel for PPD until 2001. He was president of PPD from 2002 to 2006, and returned to Murchison, Taylor & Gibson in 2008.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, life sciences and estate planning G. STEPHEN DIAB CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Business FIRM: Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC TITLE: Member/Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.S. and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Diab Diab is a certified public accountant (N.C. silver medalist, 1986 Uniform CPA Exam) and member of the N.C. Association of Certified Public Accountants. Diab has served on the boards of directors for the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation, Hill School of Wilmington Inc., Wilmington West Rotary Club and The Eshelman Foundation.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Mergers and acquisitions, trusts and estates, corporate law and business and tax planning FRED HAMLET CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Employment FIRM: Law Offices of Fred T. Hamlet TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill; Harvard Law School (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Fred Hamlet has practiced labor and employment law for over 40 years. He has not only been a frequent seminar speaker on labor and employment law topics but also has been a guest speaker on labor and employment law topics at Elon Law School, UNC Law School, and Wake Forest Law School. He has been a preceptor at Elon University School of Law since the law school was established.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Labor, employment and education law.

H. MARK HAMLET CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction (Also named to Super LawyersTop 100) FIRM: Hamlet & Associates PLLC TITLE: Managing Partner EDUCATION: Wake Hamlet Forest University (B.A.);

Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Hamlet worked for several years with a large, regional firm representing clients from local contractors to Fortune 500 companies. He formed his own firm in 2012.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Construction, litigation, health care and mediation JESSICA SOLES HUMPHRIES CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction, (Also named to Super LawyersRising Stars: Civil Litigation/Defense) FIRM: Hamlet & Associates PLLC TITLE: Associate Attorney Humphries EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill; Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Humphries has over seven years of experience representing general contractors, developers and subcontractors against construction defect and personal injury claims in North and South Carolina. She has also represented municipalities and governmental entities in condemnation and inverse condemnation matters. She is the current president of the Coastal Women Attorneys, a chapter of the N.C. Association of Women Attorneys Inc. AREAS OF FOCUS: Construction law, civil litigation, land use and real estate development, eminent domain JUSTIN HUMPHRIES CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate FIRM: The Humphries Law Firm TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: University of South Carolina (B.S.); Campbell University (J.D.) Humphries CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Humphries is dually licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina. He has appeared before the N.C. Appellate Courts on several occasions and has practiced maritime law in various Federal Districts.

AREA OF FOCUS: Civil litigation and real estate PAIGE INMAN CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Family and Young Guns FIRM: Ward and Smith P.A. TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); Campbell Inman University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Inman practices family law and estate litigation from the firm’s Wilmington office.

She helps families and individuals navigate

complicated family law legal processes during times of family upheaval and transition, both in the context of divorce and death. Her family law practice is multifaceted, encompassing such areas as divorce, mediation, equitable distribution, preseparation planning, separation agreements, alimony and spousal support, children’s rights, domestic violence and neglect, paternity and prenuptial agreements.

She also litigates will disputes and family estate administration and settlement issues.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Family law, divorce, custody, child support, alimony, property division, separation agreements, premarital agreements ANDREW “ANDY”JONES CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Young Guns FIRM: Forrest Firm PC TITLE: President and attorney EDUCATION: Davidson College (A.B.); Elon University School of Law Jones (J.D., magna cum laude) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Forrest Firm, P.C. (2017-present); Rountree Losee LLP (2013-2017).

AREA OF FOCUS: Litigate commercial disputes and complex business cases in North Carolina state and federal courts; provide general business law and transactional representation to businesses and entrepreneurs in a variety of industries.

EMILY JONES CATEGORY: Legal EliteCriminal (Also named to Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Criminal Defense) FIRM: Burney & Jones TITLE: Owner EDUCATION: N.C. State (B.S.); Charlotte School of Jones Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Jones notes a highlight as “being able to advocate for all clients, including indigent clients, in both New Hanover and Pender counties to ensure that each person, regardless of income, race or background has quality representation.”

AREAS OF FOCUS: DWI, criminal defense, juvenile law (delinquency/DSS), traffic and family law JILL PETERS KAESS CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Tax/Estate Planning (Also named to Super Lawyers-Estate Planning & Probate) FIRM: Lee Kaess PLLC TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNCW Peters Kaess (B.S.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Peters Kaess is a member of the Trusts and Estates team in the firm’s Wilmington office. She assists clients in drafting and executing comprehensive estate plans, with specific emphasis on estate tax, gift tax and charitable gift planning. She also assists fiduciaries, such as executors and trustees, on matters involving estate and trust administration. Peters Kaess is a Certified Public Accountant, a board-certified specialist in estate planning and probate law by the N.C. State Bar, and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).

AREAS OF FOCUS: Taxation and wealth planning; trust and estate law and administration JEFFREY KEETER CATEGORY: Legal EliteReal Estate (Also named to Super Lawyers-Real Estate) FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Campbell Keeter University (B.S. and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Keeter’s entire career has been in Wilmington. He previously practiced with Rountree & Seagle LLP, and Carr, Swails, Huffine, Crouch & Keeter LLP. He has been a partner at Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP since the law firm’s inception in 1996. He has served as a member of the New Hanover County Bar Association, N.C. Bar Association Law Practice Management Section Council and N.C. Bar Association member (Real Estate, Business and Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Sections).

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business law, real estate law, estate planning and administration REBECCA A. KNUDSON CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Appellate and Construction (Also named to Super LawyersConstruction Litigation) FIRM: Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNCW Knudson (B.A.); Northeastern University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Knudson focuses her civil litigation practice on matters concerning construction law, business law, community association law and other complex litigation matters. Her experience includes representing builders, developers, homeowner association boards, product manufacturers and other business professionals in contract, construction defect, business and lien disputes. In 2019, Knudson earned her Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP) designation from Litigation Management Institute offered by the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Construction, litigation, business, community association law, appellate law

PAULA KOHUT

Kohut

CATEGORY: Legal EliteTax/Estate Planning (Also named to Super LawyersEstate Planning & Probate) FIRM: Kohut & Adams PA TITLE: Shareholder EDUCATION: University of California, Irvine (B.A.); Wake Forest University

(J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “I have the privilege to represent many individuals and business clients,” Kohut said. “Developing estate plans, assisting with the administration of the estates of loved ones, forming business entities, assisting business owners and volunteering with bar organizations each provide opportunities to make a difference.”

AREAS OF FOCUS: Trust and estate planning and administration; business law MICHAEL V. LEE CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate (Also named to Super LawyersReal Estate) FIRM: Lee Kaess PLLC EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.) Lee CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Lee started the Lee Law Firm in 2012. Recently, Lee joined with Jill Kaess to form the law firm of Lee Kaess, PLLC. He has earned the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating; Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite 2007, 200919; North Carolina Super Lawyers 200919; 2014 Best of the Best, Top 100 North Carolina Super Lawyers. He was also selected by his peers multiple years for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and U.S. News’ Best Law Firm list and in 2020 was selected as a 26th Edition “Lawyer of the Year” for his work in Real Estate Law in Wilmington.

Lee served in the N.C. Senate 2014-18 as well as on the N.C. Board of Transportation and N.C. State Ports Authority Board as its Chairman.

ANDREW MCVEY CATEGORY: Legal EliteEmployment and Litigation (Also named to Super LawyersEmployment & Labor) FIRM: Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC TITLE: Member McVey EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A. and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “Arguing before the N.C. Supreme Court on my 33rd birthday, being part of a litigation team that obtained a total verdict in excess of $24 million on behalf of an individual defamation plaintiff in federal court; defending cases that needed to be tried to verdict and resolving others that needed to be settled.”

AREAS OF FOCUS: Civil litigation, employment, business law, homeowners association representation, mediation

PATRICK MINCEY CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Criminal (Also named to Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Criminal Defense/White Collar ) FIRM: Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Davidson College (B.A.); Mercer University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Mincey focuses his Mincey practice on whitecollar criminal defense.

He represents companies, health care institutions, boards of directors, executives, public officials and other professionals in government investigations, corporate crises and sensitive matters. He defends clients in prosecutions of federal and state governments, clients who are frequently entangled in simultaneous civil, criminal and regulatory investigations. This includes actions by the Department of Justice, state attorneys general offices, district attorneys offices and other regulatory agencies.

AREAS OF FOCUS: White-collar criminal defense and government investigations MICHAEL MURCHISON CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Employment FIRM: Murchison Taylor & Gibson PLLC TITLE: Member EDUCATION: Amherst College (B.A.); Cornell Law School (J.D.) Murchison CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Murchison has practiced in Wilmington since 1983 at Murchison, Taylor & Gibson and said he considers himself “incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such an exceptional group of attorneys for such a long period of time.” He works with a number of corporate and individual clients, including many local health care providers and some of the area’s largest employers.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Health law; labor and employment; and civil litigation WILLIAM “WILL” A. ODEN III CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Employment (Also listed in Super LawyersEmployment & Labor) FIRM: Ward and Smith P.A. TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Oden Hill (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D. and M.B.A.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Oden’s practice focuses on the representation of management in employment, occupational safety and health, and workers’ compensation matters. Oden is a former president of both the New Hanover County Bar Association and Fifth Judicial District Bar, and a 2019 recipient of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Citizen Lawyer Award.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Employment law,

employment litigation, occupational safety and health and workers’ compensation LEEANNE QUATTRUCCI CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Family Law FIRM: The Law Office of LeeAnne Quattrucci TITLE: Managing Attorney EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.S.); UNC-Chapel Hill (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Quattrucci opened her law practice in 2011. She has been voted Wilmington’s Best Attorney by Wilmington Magazine and received the Pro Bono Publico Award from Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Quattrucci has been a featured speaker at various CLEs across the country and completed over 150 adoptions. She also sits on the Alumni Board at Carolina Law and on the board of several nonprofit organizations.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Family law, juvenile, domestic and immigration FAISON G. SUTTON CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate FIRM: Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC TITLE: Member (Partner) EDUCATION: Duke University (B.A.); UNCChapel Hill (J.D.) Sutton CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Sutton advises clients in the acquisition, development, subdivision, zoning, leasing and sale of real property; and she also assists clients with the formation and management of planned communities, condominiums, timeshares, mixed-use developments and marina projects.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Commercial real estate and development COLIN TARRANT CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Young Guns (Also on Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: General Litigation) FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP TITLE: Partner Tarrant EDUCATION: N.C. State (B.A.); New England School of Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Tarrant concentrates his practice on representing and advising clients on complex business, financial, real estate, commercial association and land use matters. He regularly represents a variety of litigation clients in state and federal court and community associations in governance and enforcement issues, as well as energy and utility companies, developers, builders, property owners and local governments in land use, permitting and municipal law matters.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business litigation, real estate, community associations, land use and development BENTON TOUPS CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Employment FIRM: Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog LLP TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Louisiana State University (B.A.

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “I remember every sincere ‘thank you’ I get from a client. Those are the highlights.”

AREAS OF FOCUS: Toups handles all aspects of employment law, from drafting and negotiating employment contracts to litigating discrimination, harassment and wage/ hour cases before various Toups government agencies and state and federal courts. In addition to his employment practice, Toups represents clients in commercial litigation matters, including claims for breach of contract, unfair and deceptive trade practices and misappropriation of trade secrets. He is also a certified mediator.

THOMAS VARNUM CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Intellectual Property (Also named to Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Intellectual Property) FIRM: Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard Varnum TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); University of California, Davis (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: In his intellectual property practice, Varnum helps clients acquire, protect, enforce and exploit their trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property assets. He also represents individuals and companies active in film projects and other types of entertainment media. At other times, Varnum provides general business counseling to all types of businesses in the region. He proudly serves as a director of the Brigade Boys & Girls Club here in Wilmington.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Intellectual property, entertainment law (film and TV), civil litigation and general business counseling EDWIN WEST III CATEGORY: Legal EliteCriminal (Also named to Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense) FIRM: Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard TITLE: Partner West EDUCATION: HampdenSydney College (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Whether resolving matters quietly or fighting in the courts, West works with his clients to find the best solutions, according to the firm. “Some of my best work has happened quietly behind the scenes, protecting the reputation of a business or individual by making the issue go away,” West said. “I work with professionals in the midst of a crisis, helping them navigate not only the legal side of the situation, but also the PR side. I help my clients understand their risk of both reputational exposure and legal liability in difficult

situations.”

AREAS OF FOCUS: White-collar criminal defense, crisis management, complex business and corporate litigation, professional liability litigation

numerous appellate cases at the N.C. Supreme Court, N.C. Court of Appeals and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Employment, general civil and municipal

HALL OF FAME

DANIEL BRAWLEY CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Construction Litigation (Also named to Hall of Fame for Legal Elite in Litigation) FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed TITLE: Of Counsel Brawley EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A. and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Brawley was a visiting professor at the law school at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland.

“The opportunity to work with law students and professors in a post-Soviet Union environment was educational and rewarding and confirmed my abiding appreciation of the American judicial system,” Brawley said.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Litigation, construction and admiralty

Local attorneys named to the Legal Elite Hall of Fame means they received the most votes in their category in a particular year and are not eligible for the annual lists. The firm listed is where they worked when they were added.

CHARLES BALDWIN IV, Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard (Business/2015); DANIEL BRAWLEY, Williams Mullen (Litigation/2012); B. JUDD HARTMAN, PPD (Corporate Counsel/ 2009); HENRY L. “HAL” KITCHIN JR., McGuireWoods LLP (Antitrust/2019); WILLIAM MASON, MacCord Mason (Intellectual Property/2011); JEAN SUTTON MARTIN, Law Office of Jean Sutton Martin (Litigation/2016)

SUPER LAWYERS

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nother legal industry accolade that comes out each year is the Super Lawyers list, which is a publication of Thomson Reuters.

Super Lawyers is a rating service of lawyers across the nation. Peer nominations and evaluations along with third-party research are used to review candidates.

CHRISTOPHER BEHM CATEGORY: Super Lawyers- Construction Litigation FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Guilford College (A.B.); Wake Behm Forest University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Behm has been a partner with Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed since 2005. He previously was an associate attorney with Block, Crouch & Keeter and with Howard, Stallings, From & Hutson in Raleigh.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Civil, commercial, construction, homeowners association, trust and estates, real estate, products liability and personal injury matters in federal and state courts NORWOOD BLANCHARD III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Employment & Labor FIRM: Crossley McIntosh Collier Hanley & Edes PLLC TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: East Carolina Blanchard University (B.S., B.A.); Duke University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Blanchard has argued

ALGERNON L. BUTLER III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Bankruptcy: Business FIRM: Butler & Butler, LLP TITLE: Managing Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (A.B., and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Butler Butler represents businesses and individuals, debtors and creditors, in bankruptcy cases and in connection with non-bankruptcy alternatives, workouts and debt restructuring. Butler also serves as a Chapter 7 panel trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (EDNC) and as receiver in state court proceedings. He has served several terms as a director of the Bankruptcy Section of the N.C. Bar Association and has served as vice chairman of the Local Rules Committee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (EDNC).

AREAS OF FOCUS: Financial and insolvency advice, bankruptcy avoidance, nonbankruptcy workouts, pre-bankruptcy planning, corporate reorganizations under Chapter 11, personal bankruptcies under Chapters 7 and 13, creditor representation, bankruptcy and civil litigation. Certified by N.C. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization and American Board of Certification as a specialist in Business Bankruptcy and Consumer Bankruptcy law STEPHEN COBLE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-General Litigation FIRM: Coble Law Firm PC TITLE: Attorney, Manager EDUCATION: Elon College (B.A.); Appalachian State University (MPA); University of Dayton (J.D.) Coble CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Selected as an Emerging

Legal Leader in 2010 by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly; as a Rising Star in 2012 and 2014 by Super Lawyers; a Legal Elite by Business North Carolina in 2013; Rated AV Preeminent (the highest possible rating) by Martindale-Hubbell 2015-20; as a top-rated general litigation attorney by Super Lawyers 2017-20.

AREA OF FOCUS: General civil litigation AULEY CROUCH III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-General Litigation FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Citadel (B.S.); John Marshall Law School (J.D.) Crouch CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Crouch has been a Superior Court mediator since 1993. His representative reported cases include: Sevigny v. Dicksey; Marina Food Associates Inc. v. Marina Restaurant Inc.; and Williams v. Houses of Distinction Inc. AREAS OF FOCUS: General civil, including commercial/business disputes, construction litigation, personal injury and condemnation in federal and state courts A.L. BUTLER DANIEL CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Medical Malpractice FIRM: Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Campbell University School of Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Daniel was admitted to the practice of law in 1993. Daniel has been recognized by peers for outstanding work and commitment to the spirit of the legal profession.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Personal injury-medical malpractice: plaintiff issues and personal injury-general: plaintiff.

G. STEPHEN DIAB CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Tax (See Legal Elite profile), Murchison Taylor & Gibson PLLC DON EVANS JR.

Evans

CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Transportation/ Maritime FIRM: Clark, Newton & Evans PA TITLE: Managing Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill; Campbell University (J.D.); U.S. Naval Justice

School CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Evans belongs to the Real Property Section of the N.C. Bar and represents developers and banks in Eastern North Carolina, as well as having a significant wills, estates and maritime practice. Evans is also a retired Navy JAG Commander, providing him insight into land and sea transactions, finance and litigation. While his firm conducts a general practice, it has particular strength in real estate, maritime law, business transactions and estates.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business transactions, maritime law, real estate, wills and estates

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | JANET GEMMELL CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Family Law FIRM: Cape Fear Family Law TITLE: Board-Certified Family Law Specialist EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A.); Campbell Gemmell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Gemmell is a contributing writer and public speaker on divorce law topics for local publications and has been featured in national magazines. She also teaches continuing legal education classes for other attorneys throughout the state. She loves working with divorcing clients and helping them through the process of divorce.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Divorce, family law, child custody and alimony JAMES B. GILLESPIE JR. CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Workers Compensation FIRM: The Law Offices Of James B. Gillespie Jr. PLLC TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Davidson; Cornell University Law School (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Beginning in the late 1980s, Gillespie wrote extensively for a national legal publisher on the representation of disabled people before the Social Security Administration. He has lectured for the N.C.

Bar Association and the N.C. Advocates for Justice. On a national level, he has presented training material to the National Organization of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives, an organization in which he has been a significant participant for more than 25 years.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability KATHLEEN SHANNON GLANCY CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Workers’ Compensation FIRM: The Law Offices of Kathleen Shannon Glancy TITLE: Founding attorney EDUCATION: University of California, Irvine (B.A.); Santa Clara University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Glancy served five years as staff and managing attorney at Legal Services in Fremont, Ohio, and in Wilmington.

In 1985, she founded her own law firm. She is an active leader in the N.C. Advocates for Justice’s Workers’ Compensation Section and Workplace Injury Litigation Group as well as the Labor and Employment Section of the ABA. AREAS OF FOCUS: Board-certified workers’ compensation specialist; social security disability; personal injury-general: plaintiff H. MARK HAMLET CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Construction Litigation and Super Lawyers-Top 100 (See Legal Elite profile), Hamlet & Associates PLLC

CHRISTOPHER HINNANT CATEGORY : Super Lawyers-Civil Litigation: Defense FIRM: Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms TITLE: Member Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); Campbell Hinnant University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: As a commercial litigator, Hinnant has handled many types of cases involving corporations and businesses, from minor contract disputes to one of the largest real estate fraud cases in North Carolina history (his banking client was dismissed on a 12(b) (6) motion). He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for work in personal injury litigation-defense.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business law, civil litigation, construction litigation, medical malpractice defense, insurance coverage, personal injury defense, dram shop liability GEOFFREY W. HOSFORD CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense FIRM: Hosford & Hosford PC TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Selected to Super Lawyers 2017-20, Hosford has taken more than 120 felony cases through jury verdict, including first-degree and capital murder

cases. Practicing in the Wilmington area sine 1997, he has been board-certified in state and federal criminal law by the N.C. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization since 2001.

AREA OF FOCUS: Criminal defense MELODY JOLLY CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Professional Liability/Defense FIRM: Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A., with honors, Jolly and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Jolly leads Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog’s Professional Liability section and has also maintained an active leadership role in the Defense Research Institute’s Professional Liability Committee, for which she currently serves as committee chair.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Professional liability, community associations, construction defense JILL PETERS KAESS CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Estate Planning & Probate (See Legal Elite profile), Lee Kaess PLLC JEFFREY KEETER CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Real Estate (See Legal Elite profile), Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | HENRY L. “HAL” KITCHIN JR. CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Business Litigation (Also named to Legal Elite-Hall of Fame) FIRM: McGuireWoods TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); Wake Forest Kitchin University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Kitchin concentrates his practice on business and real estate and land-use litigation and regulation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in real estate disputes, eminent domain proceedings and business, antitrust and breach of contract cases. He represents landowners and developers in land use and zoning/permitting proceedings. He also represents creditors in creditors’ rights and bankruptcy cases. Along with Legal Elite and Super Lawyers, Kitchin also has been included on The Best Lawyers in America list since 2009, including for 2019, in the area of commercial litigation.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business and commercial litigation; eminent domain and real estate litigation; land use and zoning permitting and disputes; antitrust, business tort and breach of contract cases; creditors’ rights and bankruptcy cases; and lender liability lawsuits LEAH L. KING CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Personal Injury

FIRM: King Law Firm TITLE: Attorney, partner EDUCATION: East Carolina University (B.S.); Campbell University School of Law (J.D. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: King is a regular lecturer for the N.C. Advocates for Justice and a board-certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist. She is a member of the New Hanover County Bar Association, the Workers’ Compensation Section Council of the N.C. Bar Association and the N.C. Advocates for Justice.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Personal injury-general: plaintiff; workers’ compensation: claimant, Social Security Disability, personal injurymedical malpractice: plaintiff, bankruptcy: consumer

specializes in domestic law and civil litigation. In 1996, he earned the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating and has maintained the rating for the past 23 Lea years. For over 10 years he has been listed in Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America. His firm has been honored as one of The Best Law Firms in America.

AREA OF FOCUS: Family law

REBECCA A. KNUDSON CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Construction Litigation (See Legal Elite profile), Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP

HELAYNE LEVY PAYNE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Elder Law FIRM: The Elder Law & Life Care Planning Center, Shallotte TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Columbia University (master’s); Brooklyn Law School (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Levy Payne pursued an advanced law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2010, graduating with her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in 2012 in Elder Law. In 2014, she founded the Elder Law & Life Care Planning Center, the first in North Carolina to become a member of the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association.

She has served on the Board of Directors

PAULA KOHUT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Estate Planning & Probate (See Legal Elite profile), Kohut & Adams PA JAMES LEA III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Family Law FIRM: The Lea/Schultz Law Firm TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill; Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Lea has been practicing law for nearly 40 years. He

MICHAEL V. LEE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Real Estate (See Legal Elite profile), Lee Kaess PLLC

of Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. She has also been elected by colleagues to serve on the North Carolina chapter of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the N.C. Bar Association’s Elder Law Section Council and the NAELA North Carolina chapter’s Advocacy Committee.

AREA OF FOCUS: Elder law JOHN D. MARTIN CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Personal Injury: Medical Malpractice/Defense FIRM: Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog TITLE: Managing Partner, Wilmington office EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Martin has successfully tried numerous medical malpractice and personal injury cases throughout Eastern North Carolina. Many of his cases involve brain injury, birth trauma, paraplegia and wrongful death. Martin also has experience with large construction litigation, premises liability and hospital/ workplace security. He has appeared before the U. S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, the U. S. Supreme Court and the N.C. Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Martin has been named to The Best Lawyers in America list in Medical Malpractice Law, Defendants.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business disputes litigation, medical malpractice and professional liability

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | JEAN SUTTON MARTIN CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Class Action/ Mass Torts (Also named to Hall of Fame for Legal Elite in Litigation) FIRM: Law Office of Jean Sutton Martin TITLE: Founder Martin EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.S.); University of South Carolina (M.I.B.S.); Wake Forest University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: With more than 20 years of experience in the field, Martin represents consumers and individuals in class actions, pharmaceutical drug cases and medical device litigation. She has served as lead or class counsel in numerous national class action cases, involving data breaches, consumer fraud and defective products.

AREA OF FOCUS: Consumer class action litigation BRUCE MASON CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense FIRM: Mason & Mason EDUCATION: West Virginia University (B.S.); UNC-Chapel Hill (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Mason founded Mason & Mason in 1993 as a general trial practice specializing in criminal defense with a concentration in personal injury representation. The N.C. State Bar recognizes him as a board-certified specialist in state criminal law. Mason maintains an “excellent” rating by the national lawyer rating service of Martindale Hubbell. He practices extensively in federal court and is a member of the C.J.A. Panel.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Criminal defense, driving while impaired defense, traffic law and personal injury JAMES MCGEE JR. CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI FIRM: The McGee Law Firm TITLE: Owner EDUCATION: UNCW (B.S.); Campbell University (J.D.) AREAS OF FOCUS: DWI defense, criminal defense and personal injury ANDREW MCVEY CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Employment & Labor (See Legal Elite profile), Murchison Taylor & Gibson WILLIAM A. ODEN III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Employment & Labor (See Legal Elite profile), Ward and Smith H. SCOTT OVERHOLT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Personal Injury General: Plaintiff FIRM: Overholt Law Firm PC TITLE: Attorney, Founder EDUCATION: University of Arkansas (B.A.); University Overholt of Arkansas (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Overholt has

been practicing law for over 25 years. He specializes in personal injury and workers’ compensation. He is certified a Superior Court Mediator by the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission. Admitted to practice before all North Carolina state courts, Overholt is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the U.S. Supreme Court.

W. JAMES PAYNE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense: White Collar FIRM: W. James Payne Law Firm TITLE: Attorney at law EDUCATION: Campbell Law School (J.D.) Payne CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: A retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, Payne has defended over 30 felony jury trials on the state and federal level and defended over 20 persons charged with death penalty first-degree murder. He is a member of the White Collar Committee for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and member of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section. Payne is chairman of the Commission on Indigent Defense Services for North Carolina.

AREAS OF FOCUS: White-collar crime, capital murder, military law-courts martial THOMAS PLEASANT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Medical Malpractice FIRM: Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A. and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Licensed in North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee, Pleasant focuses on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, primarily in the medical and nursing home negligence arena, including birth and brain injury cases.

Pleasant holds a Lexis Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent peer rating.

AREA OF FOCUS: Medical malpractice including birth injury, nursing home neglect JAMES PRICE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Bankruptcy: Business FIRM: Price & Williams TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); Campbell Law School (J.D.) School.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Wills and estates, probate, bankruptcy, contracts and business formation.

MICHAEL RAMOS CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense FIRM: Ramos Law Firm TITLE: Owner, Attorney at Law EDUCATION: UGA, UNCPembroke; Campbell Law School (J.D.) Ramos CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Ramos has practiced criminal defense law

in Brunswick and surrounding North Carolina counties for 30 years plus, both in state and federal court. He carries a preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He was certified as a specialist in state and federal criminal law by the N.C. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization in 1997 and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Ramos is a N.C. State Bar Councilor for the 13th District. He served honorably in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division from 1972 to 1975.

AREA OF FOCUS: Criminal defense JOEL RHINE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Personal Injury General: Plaintiff (Also named to Super Lawyers Top 100 list) FIRM: Rhine Law Firm TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: University of Rhine Tampa (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Rhine has handled a variety of multi-million dollar lawsuits involving numerous issues, including catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, construction, products liability, trucking and commercial vehicles, mass torts and class action for nearly three decades. Rhine has cases pending in North Carolina state and federal courts as well as federal courts throughout the U.S. He was also named to The Best Lawyers in America, Best Law Firms published in U.S. News, Martindale-Hubbell AV rating and National Trial Lawyers “Top 100 Trial Lawyers.”

AREA OF FOCUS: Complex civil litigation LISA SALINES-MONDELLO CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Elder Law FIRM: Salines-Mondello Law Firm PC TITLE: Principal Attorney EDUCATION: (bachelor’s, J.D.) Boston University School of Law (LL.M. in Taxation) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Licensed to practice in both North Carolina and Massachusetts, Salines-Mondello is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation and is a N.C. Bar-certified specialist in elder law. Salines-Mondello is a member of the North Carolina and Massachusetts bars, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the N.C. chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys as well as the N.C. Board of Legal Specialization, the Alzheimer’s North Carolina Casino for a Cause Fundraising Committee and the New Hanover County Estate Planning Council.

AREA OF FOCUS: Elder law LINDA SAYED

Sayed

CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Family Law FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A. and M.Ed.); Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Sayed has been a partner at Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed since 2005. She is certified by the N.C. State Bar as a family law specialist. She is former president of the 5th Judicial Bar and serves on the executive board for Coastal Women Attorneys.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Divorce, custody, child support, alimony, property division, separation agreements, premarital agreements and adoptions KENNETH SHANKLIN CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Real Estate FIRM: Law Office of Kenneth A. Shanklin TITLE: Owner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Shanklin graduated from UNC School of Law in 1973, and although he has practiced in most areas of the law his concentration is in real estate, environmental and land use cases. He has been board-certified in real property law – residential, business, commercial and industrial transactions – since 1991.

AREA OF FOCUS: Real estate, environmental and land-use cases GARY SHIPMAN CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Personal Injury General: Plaintiff FIRM: Shipman & Wright TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.) Shipman CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Shipman has been practicing since 1980. He has handled more than 100 jury trials to verdict during his career. He is an NFL-, NBA-, NCAA-certified agent. He also was recognized by Encore as the Best Law Firm in Wilmington 2016, 2017; Recognized by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel as part of the Nation’s Top One Percent; Voted by his peers to be included in The Best Lawyers in America.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Complex civil, business law, construction law, HOA law, wrongful death HELEN TAROKIC CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Immigration FIRM: Helen Tarokic Law PLLC TITLE: Attorney, Manager EDUCATION: Lake Forest College (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.) Tarokic CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Tarokic is one of four North Carolina board-certified immigration law specialists in Wilmington. She was awarded the AILA National Sam Williamson mentorship award in San Francisco, and she co-authored the book “Ignite Your Practice with the T Visa.” She handles all types of immigration and is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

AREAS OF FOCUS: North Carolina board certified immigration law specialist; fluent in Spanish, English and Croatian RYAL TAYLOE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Construction

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | Litigation: Business FIRM: Ward and Smith P.A. TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); Wake Forest School of Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Ryal is an experienced litigator. He has handled a wide range of litigation cases in state and federal courts, many of them jury trials. Ryal has extensive construction law experience, including lien law, federal and state Tayloe bond claims, and defective workmanship cases. He also has significant experience with agribusiness litigation, property owner association disputes, personal injury, and all types of real estate disputes.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Contract litigation; eminent domain/condemnation; construction litigation; real estate litigation; personal injury litigation BENTON TOUPS CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Employment & Labor (See Legal Elite profile), Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog LLP JOEL MERRITT WAGONER CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense FIRM: The Wagoner Law Firm PLLC TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Thomas Jefferson School of Law

(J.D.) AREA OF FOCUS: Criminal defense EDWIN WEST III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense (See Legal Elite profile), Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard WOODY WHITE CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense FIRM: Woody White Law Firm PLLC TITLE: Senior Partner EDUCATION: Southern College (B.A.); University of Nebraska (J.D.) White CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: White is a board-certified specialist in state and federal criminal law. He has served as a: New Hanover Regional Medical Center Trustee 1999-2002; Cape Fear Community College Trustee 2012-15; 2017; UNCW Board of Trustees 2018-present; chief legal counsel for the N.C. Republican Party 2002-04; state senator in 2004; Lower Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity Board Trustee 2006-07; New Hanover County Board of Commissioners 2012-present including as chairman 2012-14 and 2017-19; Legion Stadium Commission 2012-17; and New Hanover County Board of Health 2019-present. White is also AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, the highest rating available for both ethics and ability.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Criminal (both state and federal), serious personal injury cases, wrongful death, civil, DWI/DUI D. ROBERT WILLIAMS JR. CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Real Estate FIRM: Price & Williams, P.A. TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); N.C. Central University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Williams has extensive experience in real estate law, having represented clients in thousands of residential and commercial transactions. His clients have included first-time homebuyers, small businesses, builders and developers. In addition, Williams regularly acts as an adviser and counselor to homeowners’ associations.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Real estate, Estate Planning and Administration MELISSA WRIGHT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Family Law FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D.); Pfeiffer Wright University (B.A.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Wright is an experienced family law litigator, Certified Family Financial Mediator, collaborative family law attorney and

Parenting Coordinator. She practiced family law for 12 years in Mecklenburg County before moving to Wilmington in 2015. She is frequently appointed as a Parenting Coordinator to assist parents with complying with court orders and to communicate and cooperate more effectively about their children.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Custody and child support, alimony and equitable distribution, premarital and separation agreements, adoptions, family law mediation, parenting coordination, collaborative divorce WILLIAM WRIGHT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Personal Injury General: Plaintiff FIRM: Shipman & Wright TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.) Wright CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Wright has been practicing since 1999. He is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts in North Carolina. He is certified a Superior Court Mediator by the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission. He is also a certified athlete agent in the state of North Carolina.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Complex civil, workers’ compensation, domestic and alternative dispute resolution

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | RISING STARS

A

number of local attorneys also were named to Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list. To be eligible for the Rising Stars category, candidates have to be either 40 or younger or in practice for 10 years or less.

VIRGINIA C. CARTER CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Estate Planning & Probate FIRM: Ward and Smith PA TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Washington and Lee University (B.A.); Duke University School of Carter Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Carter assists in the preparation of all components of estate plans, wills, revocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney and living wills. She also advises individuals, families and closely-held business owners on estate and business succession planning issues, gift planning to reduce potential estate taxes and the preparation of gift tax returns, as well as the administration of estates.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Asset protection planning, business succession planning, estate administration, estate planning, trust and guardianship law RICHARD COOK CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Bankruptcy/Consumer FIRM: Cape Fear Debt Relief TITLE: Owner and Managing Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Cook Hill (undergraduate and J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Cook is one of only a few attorneys in Wilmington recognized by the N.C. State Bar as a board-certified specialist in business and consumer bankruptcy law. He founded Cape Fear Debt Relief in 2011.

AREA OF FOCUS: Bankruptcy DAVID A. CREECH CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Immigration FIRM: David Creech Law Firm TITLE: Attorney at law, Owner/Managing Partner Creech EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); University of Miami (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Creech, who is fluent in Spanish, has practiced immigration and nationality law since 2010. He represents clients before the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration Customs Enforcement, Department of State, Immigration Courts, Executive Office of Immigration Review and

Board of Immigration Appeals. Creech is a member of the New Hanover County Bar Association and the N.C. Bar Association. He is also an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Creech was previously recognized on two occasions as a Super Lawyers-Rising Star and he was selected as one of the top 40 attorneys under 40 in 2013 by the National Trial Attorneys.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Immigration and criminal defense WANETA ELLIS CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Family Law FIRM: Cape Fear Family Law TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: University of Phoenix (B.A.); Elon University School of Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Ellis helps immigrants obtain their citizenship legally, helping people obtain visas, apply for asylum, or manage any other applications for citizenship that are needed. She focuses a large part of her practice on the protections of immigrant children. She also volunteers twice a month with the local Latino community offering a free legal clinic to those in need.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Family law, immigration NICKI ENGEL CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Elder Law FIRM: Salines-Mondello Law Firm TITLE: Associate Attorney EDUCATION: Appalachian State University (B.S.); West Virginia University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Engel is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. (NAELA) and is the vice president of the North Carolina chapter of NAELA. She is the treasurer of the N.C. Bar Association (NCBA) Elder and Special Needs Law Section and a member of the NCBA Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Special needs planning; general estate, trust and asset protection planning; disability and long-term care; guardianships, veterans, Medicaid and other public benefits planning; guardianships and incompetency proceedings; financial exploitation, and probate and trust administration HUNTER FRITZ CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Bankruptcy/Business FIRM: Butler & Butler LLP TITLE: Associate EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.S.); Wake Forest University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Prior to law school, Fritz served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. He joined Butler & Butler as an associate after serving as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Catherine R. Aron and the Hon. William L. Stocks with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Representing debtors, creditors and the Chapter 7 Trustee in both consumer and business bankruptcy cases, and also has represented creditors and clients in a variety of other civil practice areas

JERRY T. HANNANT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Criminal Defense TITLE: Attorney at Law

Elite, Family Law: Business North Carolina (2015); Client’s Choice, Family Law: Avvo (2014) AREA OF FOCUS: Family Law

DEVLIN HORTON CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars-Civil Litigation: Plaintiff FIRM: Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNCCharlotte (B.A.); UNC Horton Chapel Hill (J.D.) AREA OF FOCUS: Personal injury litigation, business and commercial litigation

KEVIN MARCILLIAT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Criminal Defense FIRM: Roberts Law Group TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: Auburn University (B.S.) Campbell Law School (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Also rated AV Preeminent by his peers for the highest level of professional excellence, Marcilliat focuses his practice on defending individuals who are targets of government investigations or who are facing serious criminal charges. In 2019, two notable case outcomes included securing the outright dismissal of a charge of first-degree murder and securing early release from federal prison for a client.

AREA OF FOCUS: Criminal defense in state and federal courts throughout North Carolina

JESSICA SOLES HUMPHRIES CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Civil Litigation/Defense (See Legal Elite profile), Hamlet & Associates PLLC JUSTIN HUMPHRIES CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Business/Corporate (See Legal Elite profile), The Humphries Law Firm MARK IHNAT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Estate Planning FIRM: Atlantic Coast Law TITLE: Partner EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A.); NCCU (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Ihnat Parks Conservancy of New Hanover County Inc. – vice president, Board of Directors; New Hanover County Teen Court, volunteer judge; Legal Aid of North CarolinaLawyers on the Line Volunteer Program AREAS OF FOCUS: Estate planning, litigation ANDY JONES CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Business Litigation (See Legal Elite profile), Forrest Firm PC EMILY JONES CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Criminal Defense (See Legal Elite profile), Burney & Jones HEATHER DOLAN KAEMMER CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Family Law FIRM: Kaemmer Law Firm, PLLC TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Elon University School of Law Kaemmer CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Kaemmer worked for a law firm based in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from 2012 to 2017 before opening her practice, Kaemmer Law Firm PLLC, in Hampstead in September 2017. Other highlights: Rising Stars, Super Lawyers (2018); Pro Bono Publico, New Hanover County Pro Bono Program: New Hanover County Bar Association (2014, 2015, 2016); Client Satisfaction Award, 10 Best: American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (2016); Top 10 Attorneys Under 40, North Carolina: National Academy of Family Law Attorneys (2014, 2015); Legal

AMANDA MIARS CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Estate Planning & Probate FIRM: Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC TITLE: Partner/Member EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A. Miars and B.S.); Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Miars’ practice experience includes a wide range of business and transactional, estate and trust-related matters. Her practice is primarily devoted to representing privately owned businesses.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business law and taxation; mergers and acquisitions; estate planning and probate; estate and trust litigation PATRICK MINCEY CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Criminal Defense/White Collar (See Legal Elite profile), Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP JAMES T. MOORE JR. CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Star: Personal Injury General/Plaintiff FIRM: Shipman & Wright TITLE: Associate Attorney EDUCATION: UNCW (B.S.); Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Moore was named to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 under 40 and National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys Top 10 Attorneys under the age of 40 in North Carolina. He also is a certified contract adviser for the NFL AREAS OF FOCUS: Wrongful death, personal injury litigation, construction litigation and mass torts ADDISON PALANZA CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Business/Corporate FIRM: Atlantic Coast Law TITLE: Attorney and counselor at law EDUCATION: Virginia Military Institute (B.A.); Campbell University School of Law (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: A former field artillery officer and veteran of the Iraq War, Addison

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| THE LEGAL ISSUE | brings a substantial military background to the firm that complements his legal experience. Professional memberships include the N.C. Bar Association and New Hanover County Bar Association.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business law, contract law, civil litigation and special proceedings CONOR REGAN

Regan

CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Business Litigation FIRM: The Regan Law Firm TITLE: Founder EDUCATION: Mary Washington College (B.A.); Campbell

University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Regan represents businesses and individuals in transactions as well as in litigation before North Carolina’s trial and appellate courts, including the N.C. Business Court and all three of the state’s federal district courts.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Litigation, business law, real estate, construction law COLIN TARRANT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: General Litigation (See Legal Elite profile), Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL THERIAULT CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Real Estate

FIRM: Theriault Law TITLE: President EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Theriault has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2010 and from 2015 through 2020. He first received the MartindaleTheriault Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating in 2014. He also was named among The National Trial Lawyers top 40 trial lawyers in North Carolina under the age of 40 from 2012 to 2017.

AREA OF FOCUS: Real estate and civil litigation JASON TOUPS CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Workers’ Compensation FIRM: McAngus, Goudelock & Courie TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: Louisiana State University (B.A.); Toups Mercer University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Toups has advised and defended North Carolina employers and municipalities against workers’ compensation and other employee disability claims since moving to Wilmington in 2006. He is a frequent presenter at various regional and

statewide industry-related conferences and regularly provides education and training.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Workers’ compensation and subrogation ALLEN N. TRASK III CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Business Litigation FIRM: Ward and Smith PA TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: East Carolina University (B.S.); Campbell Law School Trask (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Trask focuses his practice on assisting those who own, manage and invest in real estate and common interest communities. He has experience in all aspects of civil litigation, including depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, trials and appeals. He is the leader of Ward and Smith’s Agribusiness.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Business, civil and commercial litigation; real estate and developer litigation; community associations disputes; zoning and land use; agribusiness THOMAS VARNUM CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Intellectual Property (See Legal Elite profile), Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard BRETT WENTZ CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars:

Criminal Defense FIRM: Wentz Law TITLE: Founder EDUCATION: East Carolina University (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Wentz is the founder of his law firm. “I started doing this to help people, and having the ability to do that on my own is one of the highlights,” he said.

AREA OF FOCUS: Criminal defense JEREMY WILSON CATEGORY: Super Lawyers-Rising Stars: Personal Injury General/ Plaintiff FIRM: Ward and Smith P.A. TITLE: Attorney EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Wilson Hill (B.A. and J.D.); Duke University (M.P.P.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Wilson leads Ward and Smith’s Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice. He has extensive experience litigating claims for wrongful death, serious personal injury, and a broad range of civil litigation before state and federal courts. He also has litigated numerous cases involving complex insurance coverage issues, as well as business disputes.

AREAS OF FOCUS: Civil litigation, personal injury,medical malpractice, premises liability, insurance coverage and litigation, business, commercial and contract litigation

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ful DISCUSSIONS Sponsors’ Content Distributed By Greater Wilmington Business Journal

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR LEGAL INTERESTS AS A BUSINESS OWNER

CHRIS EDWARDS Appellate/Business Litigation Attorney, Ward and Smith

B

MITZI KINCAID Attorney/Owner, Kincaid & Associates

RUSSELL NUGENT Intellectual Property Counsel, Humphries Law Firm

CHRIS HINNANT Managing Member, Barnwell Whaley’s Wilmington Office

usiness owners must make several decisions when structuring and executing their business plans, but carefully considering a legal arrangement that is customized to their needs may be most important. We asked four local law experts to provide their advice on some important questions about legal protection as a business owner.

How can an attorney help when you’re starting a new business or adding offerings?

CHRIS EDWARDS: An attorney can be an invaluable partner when you’re starting a new business. For one thing, your attorney will be able to advise you when you pick the legal structure for your new business.

Will it be a corporation? Will it be a limited liability company? Those are questions that your attorney can help you understand and answer. Likewise, when you’re hiring employees, an attorney can help you draft their employment agreements. These may include specialized clauses, like a non-compete or a non-disclosure agreement. An attorney can also help

you understand the importance of these clauses in protecting your business’ trade secrets. Moreover, whether you’re starting a new business or adding a new offering, an attorney can help you understand the legal ramifications that your decision will have.

For example, if you expand your business and hire more workers, you may find your business covered by more federal and state laws and regulations; such as, if your business grows to 15 or more employees, it becomes covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits certain types of discrimination. In that instance, you may want to adopt certain policies or procedures to build a record and to show that your employment practices are non-discriminatory. An attorney can advise you on best practices. Likewise,

certain industries are regulated or require licenses. An attorney can advise you about the needed licenses and can help you understand the limits on your permits or licenses.

MITZI KINCAID: An attorney can offer an explanation of the laws that might impact you as a business owner and solutions for navigating those laws. If you’re thinking of adding new products or services, an attorney can discuss your risk analysis to ensure your new offerings are protected.

RUSSELL NUGENT: First, an attorney can assist you in picking a business structure and understanding what needs to be done to maintain the limited liabil-

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Well drafted “ agreements can eliminate disputes about joint authorship and inventorship that could derail your business plans.

”

are trained to “beLawyers problem solvers, to think

critically about their clients’ challenges in a holistic way to come to the best solution.

”

RUSSELL NUGENT Intellectual Property Counsel, Humphries Law Firm

ity afforded by your business form. In addition, an attorney should be consulted regarding the limitations of limited liability as no corporate form insulates you from all liability. An attorney can and should be involved when you draft governing documents such as operating agreements and by-laws. If you are buying an ongoing concern, an experienced attorney can not only draft documents for the transaction, but they can provide advice to solve or at least limit future problems. Last, but certainly not least, an attorney can help you protect intangible assets such as your company and/or brand name and the technology developed by or for your business.

CHRIS HINNANT: An attorney can help almost any business owner, no matter the size, geographic location, or type of business. Almost any aspect of commercial activity has some degree of associated legal issues, and a lawyer can help a business owner anticipate and navigate those issues. The sooner a business owner engages a lawyer, the sooner that lawyer can get to know you, your business and the aspects of your business that uniquely affect your decision-making process.

How should business owners decide between forming a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, corporation or another structure?

KINCAID: This decision hinges on three major factors; taxation, liability, and flexibility. You should talk to an attorney about your goals for financing your business and who may be investing or partnering with you in the business

CHRIS HINNANT Managing Member, Barnwell Whaley’s Wilmington Office

to decide which structure is best for you. Keep in mind, you can change your structure from time to time as your business needs change.

HINNANT: The short answer is “in consultation with an attorney and a tax professional.” Which corporate structure your business should take is often decided on a case by case basis, and many factors go into that decision. In general, a business owner should opt for the structure that allows for the best balance of sharing or minimizing personal risk while still giving the business owner the control they need to make decisions in a timely and beneficial manner. The size of your business, number of owners, anticipated growth and your vision for what you want your company to be all factor into the decision making process.

Tax implications often drive the decision-making process as well, so it makes sense to discuss your plans with both an attorney and a tax professional.

NUGENT: In my opinion, if you are asking this question the answer is probably a limited liability company. Sole proprietorships and partnerships do not limit your liability for the actions taken by your partners or employees.

Corporations tend to be very heavy on formalities that get in the way of running a smaller company. However, the statute that creates the LLC anticipates that the company will be run informally without a lot of need for board meetings and shareholder meetings and the like.

However, when choosing any business form, you should be aware of what the default rules are for that company. For example, absent an agreement to the contrary, each member of an LLC has an equal right to manage the company, but profits are distributed based upon initial contributions as opposed to who owns how much of the company. These

default rules can be contracted around with a good operating agreement tailored to your individual needs.

EDWARDS: Perhaps this question would be better stated as: When should you not choose a limited liability company? LLCs are adaptable and, in most cases, will give business owners the most security and flexibility. To begin with, there’s no real reason to organize as a sole proprietorship or partnership any longer. Sole proprietorships and partnerships are, quite frankly, dangerous. That’s because, unlike members of limited liability companies or shareholders in corporations, a sole proprietor or general partner has unlimited liability.

That means that the business’ assets and the individual owners’ assets are the same. So, when a sole proprietorship or a partnership signs a contract, or if someone falls on property owned by the individual or the partnership, the owners are on the hook. For many small businesses, an LLC will be superior to a corporation. An LLC’s profits generally receive favorable tax treatment. A corporation’s income usually is taxed twice. The corporation itself pays tax on its profits. The shareholders also pay taxes when the corporation authorizes dividends. In other words, any time the shareholders withdraw profit from the corporation that draw will be taxed at the capital gains rate. An LLC’s tax structure typically doesn’t work like that.

In an LLC, the profit flows through to the owners, appearing on their personal tax returns. Though an LLC will often be superior, there are times when it might make sense to incorporate — to form a special type of corporation, called an S corporation. An S corporation’s profit flows directly to its shareholders, much as an LLC’s profit does.

But unlike an LLC, an S corporation can also authorize dividends. Depending

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on the shareholders’ personal financial circumstances, then an S corporation may make the most sense because it may help reduce the owners’ overall tax burden.

Do I need industryspecific governing documents for my business?

EDWARDS: Generally, no. In most industries, there are no industry-specific governing documents. There are, however, governing documents — apart from your articles of incorporation or articles of organization — that you should consider. In a corporation, for example, you need bylaws to establish corporate governance, and you also should consider a shareholders’ agreement. While the articles of incorporation create the corporation, they do not establish how it will be run. That’s where the bylaws come in.

The bylaws are a separate document that establishes the positions on the board of directors, the committees on the board, and other means for corporate governance. Moreover, if you’ve got multiple shareholders, you should consider a shareholders’ agreement. This agreement, a contract between shareholders, establishes the shareholders’ duties to each other. Frequently, a shareholders’ agreement will include a provision that prevents a shareholder from selling his or her shares without approval of the other shareholders. Likewise, though they are not governing documents, you also should make sure that, if your business operates in a regulated space, you have the appropriate licensure.

KINCAID: Some professional organizations who issue licenses require certain industry specific organizational documents so you will need to work with

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your licensing body and the Secretary of State to determine the requirements for your industry.

What are the pros and cons of using a local attorney or a “virtual” legal service?

KINCAID: With the COVID-19 outbreak, more people are realizing the efficiency of virtual technologies in every industry. Virtual does not have to mean impersonal and can often reduce legal fees and time required to complete legal tasks like contract drafting, meetings, etc. An attorney who has the ability to work remotely will be there and can help no matter the crisis. There is no substitute for in person interaction, however, so that an attorney can learn and visit your business and develop a long-standing relationship that just cannot be built virtually. The best of both worlds is a local attorney who has remote capability.

EDWARDS: Sometimes, you can’t avoid using a local attorney. For example, if you are sued, a virtual legal service won’t represent you in court. You need a local attorney to handle that. When you do have a choice between a local attorney and a virtual legal service, you’re really choosing between legal counseling and convenience. A local attorney will act as your legal counsel, something you’re unlikely to get from a virtual service. Both an attorney and virtual legal service can draft a document for you — a will, for example, or a trademark application form. But a virtual legal service won’t tell you if what you’re doing is a good idea. An attorney will. A large part of an attorney’s job is to manage expectations — to help his or her clients understand likely outcomes and to make the best decision based on that information. An attorney also may be able to help you find a better strategy. Virtual legal services allow you to pursue a legal strategy, regardless of its merit, when compared with other potential legal strategies. An attorney won’t do that. The law is not necessarily one-size-fits-all. An attorney may be able to present you with a fresh perspective, one that you would never have learned if you used only a virtual legal service. That said, there are times when a virtual legal service is superior.

If you know that you need a simple document, like a generic lease or a simple will, then a virtual legal service may be better for you. Attorneys often charge by the hour, and their fees may be far

more than what you will pay a virtual legal service for a simple document. The document that an attorney drafts may be more detailed, but it also may be indistinguishable in effect. Relying on a virtual legal service can get you the same result without the costs of an attorney.

decisions that significantly impact your livelihood, you need more than just the raw data the internet can provide. Lawyers are trained to be problem solvers, to think critically about their clients’ challenges in a holistic way to come to the best solution. It really is analogous to going to the doctor – I can find a lot of information about my symptoms by searching the ‘net, but when it really comes down to getting an operation, better go see the surgeon.

NUGENT: Many legal disputes or problems have arisen from people trying to use third party services to draft their own legal documents. While there are plenty of free forms on-line that can be used in a pinch, when a dispute arises you will wish you had the version a lawyer drafted. Sometimes these services provide templates for you to plug your information into, but unless you are well versed in the pitfalls associated with drafting that document, you may not fill it out correctly. Oftentimes, the problems with such a document are not going to be apparent until much later. For example, someone trying to place their interest in a business in a trust to keep it out of probate may make the mistake of appointing themselves both trustee and sole beneficiary, thereby guaranteeing the trust fails as a matter of law. Many unnecessary disputes have arisen due to poorly worded documents. Simply referring to an investor using the wrong terms can create ambiguity that leads to costly litigation. They say, if you think you cannot afford an attorney, then you cannot afford the problem caused by not consulting one at the right time.

What thinking should go into customer and vendor contracts?

If you’re thinking of “adding new products

EDWARDS: Any good customer or vendor contract will make a few things clear. Two important things come to mind. First, you’ll want to identify the scope of what you’ll be doing, what you’ll be providing, or what you’re being provided. Second, you’ll want to spell out the payment terms. Clarity in the scope or payment terms can head off any debate about how the contract should be interpreted. This ensures that you are not forced into completing more work than originally agreed to.

It also ensures that you will be timely paid. Recent events suggest two other things that you should consider adding to a customer or vendor contract. First, you should consider including a “force majeure” clause. A force majeure clause is one that specifies the circumstances where an “act of God” can excuse compliance with the contract. Second, where approor priate, you should

services, an attorney can discuss your risk analysis to ensure your new offerings are protected.

”

MITZI KINCAID Attorney/Owner, Kincaid & Associates

HINNANT: There is certainly nothing wrong with tapping the internet for information related to the issues facing your business. In fact, I often find that clients who have taken the time to educate themselves about a particular topic make my job easier because they already have a base of understanding of the concepts we need to address. On the other hand, if you are going to make

consider including a provision in the contract that requires insurance. Insurance provisions are especially common in vendor contracts. Working together, these clauses can protect your business in the event of an economic downturn NUGENT: The answer to this question depends on the type of relationship the

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company has with this vendor, what they are providing to them and what is being received in return. Intellectual property concerns are oftentimes present, regardless of what is being provided. When performing work for a third party and/or hiring a third party to perform work for you, a good agreement will spell out who owns any information or technology being exchanged. Well drafted agreements can eliminate disputes about joint authorship and inventorship that could derail your business plans. Many business owners do not realize that any material subject to copyright protection belongs to an independent contractor unless a specific type of written agreement is in place. Joint ownership of IP can be created accidentally. In addition, the right documents need to be in place to make sure what the company develops stays with the company. In addition, there are a plethora of other issues that any business owner should be advised on regarding vendor and supplier contracts other than payment and delivery terms, including where disputes will be resolved, how they will be resolved, what happens if one party triggers a lawsuit from a third party, and a whole host of other issues.

HINNANT: Again, this is a broad topic and the specific answer will depend on each individual business owner’s situation. Generally speaking, your lawyer will want to think through your contract with you to minimize your risk in the event something goes wrong.

Your lawyer will also want the contract to provide some clear guidance on the rights of each party and the potential remedies for potential breach. This will give a business owner a solid framework for formulating a response to the situations that inevitably arise during day-to-day operations.

KINCAID: Key terms like the deliverables (scope of work), length of contract, how to terminate the contract, payment terms (milestones), and price are crucial to a good contract. This is the document that attorneys ask for if things go wrong with the business transaction and so often they don’t exist.

What do you think of non-compete agreements and what else should companies consider in employment agreements?

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NUGENT: Non-compete agreements are disfavored by the courts and should be used sparingly. Whether a court enforces a non-compete agreement depends on a few factors. First, they should be used with higher level employees; using them with employees only put in trusted positions makes them seem more reasonable to the courts. On the other hand, making every single employee, contractor and intern sign one may be read as an attempt to stifle lawful competition.

Second, the more limited in time and territory the agreement is, the more likely it will be enforced. Generally, it is difficult to enforce a noncompete agreement that purports to be in effect for more than about three years in our jurisdiction. If the agreement prevents competition in territory that you are not actively working in, it will likely not be enforced. However, employment agreements can be used to nail down issues that can lead to lawsuits when an employee leaves to work for a competitor. A careful consideration of what intangible assets need to be protected should be part of any employment agreement. A well-drafted employment agreement helps set expectations for both the employee and employer.

KINCAID: The enforcement of non-compete agreements is very difficult because you essentially need to sue someone to enforce them. To be enforceable, a non-compete must be reasonable as to time (length of the non-compete term), manner (the work that cannot be done), and the scope (usually in distance or number or names of competitors). North Carolina does not favor non-competes, but our courts do understand the need for companies to protect their trade secrets and other intellectual property. Non-solicitation terms in an employment contract are important. Companies should consider these in every contract to keep former employees from recruiting talent away from a company and/or soliciting their vendors and clients.

EDWARDS: Non-compete agreements have a place, and they’re rapidly becoming standard in many employment contracts. I think they’re a useful tool.

But if you choose to use a non-compete, remember that the devil is in the details.

While that aggressive non-compete might seem like a good idea, it also might be unenforceable. To ensure that your non-compete is valid, you’ll want to tailor the agreement to the unique circumstances of your business. If you need to enforce a non-compete agree-

ment, courts will examine its geographcommon and can be anything from your blog, to a T-shirt slogan, a logo, ic scope, as well as its duration and ful training materials, etc. — this is best restrictions on employment. Generally Sponsors’ Distributed Wilmington Business Journal by filing a copyright with the speaking, you can’t limitContent a former em-By Greater protected US Copyright office.

You don’t need to ployee from working altogether and you be an attorney to do so but the rules are can’t prohibit competition indefinitely.

So when you’re considering a non-compete, it’s important that you’re realistic about your employees’ job duties, your geographic footprint, and how long you want to prevent competition.

You can think of a trademark Depending on the as a business’ brand: nature of your business, you also may want to a word, phrase, logo,

DISCUSSIONS

“

or design that the business uses to market itself.

”

CHRIS EDWARDS Appellate/Business Litigation Attorney, Ward and Smith

consider a non-disclosure or non-solicitation agreement. These agreements are commonly seen in connection with non-compete agreements, and they are generally much easier to enforce.

In a nutshell, a non-disclosure agreement prevents a former employee from discussing or disclosing your business’ confidential or proprietary information with anyone, especially a competitor.

These agreements are key if you have a bright idea or a competitive edge, and you want to keep other businesses out of your space. Likewise, a non-solicitation agreement is a great way to shore up your client base or employee pool.

Non-solicitation agreements generally come in two varieties. One keeps a former employee from soliciting clients for a period of time after that employee leaves your business. The other keeps former employees from soliciting away your current employees. While you can’t guarantee that no clients or employees will leave — after all, they may elect to follow a former employee voluntarily — a non-solicitation agreement keeps current customers and employees for some time.

What are common types of intellectual property and how can businesses protect it?

KINCAID: Copyrights are the most

complicated. The source of your goods or services, like your business name and/or logo, a key product or service name and/or logo may need to be trademarked. It is important to know if you are infringing someone else’s mark before you try and register your trademark/service mark so we recommend hiring an attorney to do the mark clearance search and then file an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Again, you don’t need an attorney to do this, but this is such a niche area and is hotly litigated so it’s important to get it right. If you have an idea or create something novel, a patent may be needed to protect your idea or creation. It’s important to discuss your idea with an attorney before you announce your idea to the public or you could lose some or all of your rights to protect it.

EDWARDS: Common types of intellectual property — those seen in every business — include trademarks and trade secrets. You can think of a trademark as a business’ brand: a word, phrase, logo, or design that the business uses to market itself. A trade secret is a little more complicated to define. It’s any business information that is secret, and that gets its value from being secret.

There’s an easy way to think about it: Coca-Cola — the stylized brand name — is a trademark. So too are the shape of Coca-Cola’s glass bottles. The formula for making Coca-Cola — that’s a trade secret. There are two ways a business can protect its trademark, but one is more useful than the other.

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The first, less useful way to protect a trademark is registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Registration is typically not needed. It offers few upsides and can be both costly and time-consuming. More important is vigilance in enforcing trademark rights.

In other words, when a business learns that another person is infringing its trademark, the business must take steps — sending cease and desist letters or, eventually, suing — to assert its ownership. Trademarks, whether registered or not, can be abandoned. If a business lets another infringe on its trademark for a long enough period of time, the business loses the right to enforce its mark. While protecting a trademark requires vigilant enforcement, protecting a trade secret requires more advanced planning. In North Carolina, business owners must take reasonable steps to protect their trade secrets. Most often, “reasonable steps” include requiring employees to sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement, something that limits their ability to use, or even to talk about, their employer’s confidential, proprietary information outside of the workplace. Other methods involve limiting who can access confidential, proprietary information. The theory is common sense: If something is valuable to your business, you probably shouldn’t give everyone in the business access to it. At any rate, though they are the most common, trademarks and trade secrets aren’t the only type of intellectual property. There are also copyrights and patents. Unlike trademarks or trade secrets, these types of intellectual property protect creative works or ideas and inventions. If your business makes art, or if you invent something, you may want to think about copyright registration or applying for a patent.

NUGENT: Patent law can be used to prevent others from copying and selling an invention. However, patents require a lot of careful planning prior to any form of public disclosure or sales discussions.

There are also several different types of patents and patent applications.

Consulting with a patent attorney early, prior to discussing the invention with others, is highly recommended.

Trademark law protects branding, e.g. company names, logos, and symbols from being used by competitors to benefit from another brand’s reputation.

Trademark rights arise out of use, but trademark rights are very limited geographically without federal registration.

Copyright law can be used to protect creative works. Copyright can help a

ful Q & A Page 26

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business protect a lot of different forms of expression even those based on factual information. Ownership of copyrightable material sometimes requires a particular type of written agreement.

Trade secrets can also be used to prevent valuable business information from leaving your company and landing in the hands of competitors. Trade secrets are not registered in advance and as a result, careful attention to identification of the material to be protected is almost as important as the efforts to maintain its secrecy. It is important to have an understanding of how these areas of the law function if you want to use them to protect the fruits of your labor. In the end, each of these forms of protection should be considered a tool that can be used as part of a broader strategy to capitalize on the products of your intellectual endeavors.

How should business owners address privacy laws?

KINCAID: With more information being shared online than ever before, businesses need to understand what customer information they are gathering, the storage of such information, and the usage of the information. Businesses should ensure that customer data is securely stored and for those in the medical profession all HIPAA requirements are met. If businesses use third parties to host customer data, it is vital that they understand the third parties’ security protocols and data usage agreements. Businesses should inform customers of their rights to privacy and what the business is doing to protect them. There are attorneys who specialize in this and consumer protection laws to assist businesses.

EDWARDS: Dealing with privacy laws in the United States is difficult because the country lacks a comprehensive framework. Instead, privacy laws in the US are a patchwork of state laws and regulations that are more, or less, comprehensive depending on the state.

Even so, some best practices that can help a business — of any size — not only stay compliant with the relevant privacy laws but also keep its customers happy. First, it is important that you

know exactly what personal data your business collects. You cannot effectively manage others’ data if you do not know that you have it. Second, once you have a handle on the information that you have, you should take steps to pare it down. Keep only what you need. If there is data that you don’t need or that serves no useful purpose, there’s no reason to assume the inherent risk of hanging on to it. Finally, when you know what you need, make sure to keep it secure. Security encompasses both physical security and electronic security.

If your business stores private information on paper, you should have a system for storing — and disposing of — the information. Likewise, it is important to understand your computer system’s vulnerabilities and capabilities. There are other strategies for protecting private data. Some companies are appointing a single employee to be in charge of privacy issues. By having a single person at the head, it is easier to ensure that no potential vulnerability gets overlooked.

It also may be wise to hire a third-party auditor, who can help your business identify blind spots in the way that it handles sensitive information.

What legal hazards should companies consider as more business takes place online?

HINNANT: Data and security breaches immediately come to mind. A business owner wants to be able to protect their trade secrets, financial information and, in many instances, the private information of their clients and customers.

KINCAID: Client data storage and security is probably the number one risk to businesses. Understanding the third parties involved in hosting the credit card processing, the customer relations management tool, and virus/malware protections are critical. Data breaches can occur no matter what size the businesses and I recommend reviewing your security protocols and plan at least once a year with your information technology professionals to find holes in your network or processes and correct them as you can. Strive to get better

HAVE SOMETHING INSIGHTFUL TO SAY? For more info, contact Melissa Pressley at (910) 343-8600 x203 or mpressley@wilmingtonbiz.com

and better each time. Money spent on network and security infrastructure is never wasted and is often recouped in increased productivity.

EDWARDS: Online business raises a number of concerns. The first is preserving your clients’ or customers’ confidential or private information. If you use an online platform that asks your clients for personal information, including addresses or credit card numbers, then you’ll want to take steps to ensure that information remains secret. Other aspects of online business are less obvious, but just as hazardous. For example, if your business has a website, you should

“

Business owners should carefully do their due diligence before selecting a law firm just as they would before making any investment.

- Chris Hinnant Managing Member, Barnwell Whaley’s Wilmington Office

take care to avoid using copyrighted images. In addition, when your business runs a website, you also must ensure that it complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Among other things, that Act prohibits your website from collecting personal information from children under age 13.

How can a client get the most value from working with your firm?

KINCAID: Our firm is uniquely positioned to meet you where you are.

Whether that’s an in-person meeting

or via a remote web session. We have invested in technology which allows our attorneys and staff to work from anywhere and ensures we can provide services no matter what is happening at home and around the world. Our attorneys have decades of experience in their fields and really care about our clients.

We value partnerships over profit and work hard to help each of our clients achieve their goals every day.

EDWARDS: Ward and Smith, P.A. puts its clients first and values teamwork.

We’re a full-service law firm, so we are equipped to handle almost any problem — from business formation to estate planning to family law. Our focus on teamwork improves our problem-solving skills. Unlike many law firms, our partners are encouraged to distribute work to the most knowledgeable among us, not to hold onto it. The Firm’s strategy of pairing its clients with the best person for the job allows us to operate efficiently and helps clients achieve the best outcome.

HINNANT: Primarily by recognizing that the costs you incur in working with a lawyer, particularly in the beginning stages when your lawyer is trying to get to know you and your business, is less of a line item expense to minimize and more of an investment in your company’s future. Business owners should carefully do their due diligence before selecting a law firm just as they would before making any investment. Once the selection is made, make the most of your investment by regularly involving your lawyer in your business’s strategic decision making; investing the time now will pay dividends down the road.

NUGENT: We add value in several different ways when serving our clients.

Most importantly, our firm has a deep understanding of what it means to engage in clear communication when working with others. We believe that communicating clearly, lets us be effective in all of the ways needed to provide excellent counsel. While communicating with our clients, we have found that listening to the needs of others is most important so that we have a clear understanding of their goals and can provide the best advice while moving forward.

UPCOMING INSIGHTFUL DISCUSSIONS TOPICS: April 17, 2020

May 15, 2020

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Page 27

| THE LIST |

Law Firms

Ranked by number of local lawyers FIRM ADDRESS

RANK

1

Ward and Smith P.A. 127 Racine Drive Wilmington, NC 28403

2

Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC 1979 Eastwood Road, Suite 101 Wilmington, NC 28403

3

Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP 101 N. Third St., Suite 400 Wilmington, NC 28401

4

Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP 300 N. Third St., Suite 420 Wilmington, NC 28401

5 6 7 7 7

Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP 310 N. Front St., Suite 200/P.O. Box 4 Wilmington, NC 28402 McAngus Goudelock & Courie 1001 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 310 Wilmington, NC 28405 Hamlet & Associates PLLC 5215 Junction Park Circle, Suite 202 Wilmington, NC 28412 Marshall, Williams & Gorham 14 S. Fifth Ave. Wilmington, NC 28401 Shipman & Wright LLP 575 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 106 Wilmington, NC 28405 Cape Fear Family Law

Peachtree Ave., Suite 103 10 3807 Wilmington, NC 28403 Hodges Coxe & Potter LLP

Wrightsville Ave., Suite 100 10 3907 Wilmington, NC 28403

12

Crossley McIntosh Collier Hanley and Edes PLLC 5002 Randall Parkway Wilmington, NC 28403 Lee Kaess, PLLC

Wrightsville Ave. 12 3414 Wilmington, NC 28403 Rountree Losee LLP

Market St./P.O. Box 1409 12 2419 Wilmington, NC 28402 The Law Group Princess St. 12 611 Wilmington, NC 28401 Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey &

LLP 16 Leonard 115 N. Third St., Suite 301 Wilmington, NC 28401 Craige & Fox PLLC

Market St. 16 701 Wilmington, NC 28401 McGuireWoods LLP

N. Third St., Suite 320/P.O. Box 599 16 300 Wilmington, NC 28401 Rhine Law Firm

Military Cutoff Road, Suite 300 16 1612 Wilmington, NC, NC 28403 Rice Law PLLC

Chestnut St., Suite G 16 401 Wilmington, NC 28401 Wright, Worley, Pope, Ekster and Moss,

16 PLLC 52 Physicians Drive Supply, NC 28462

The Humphries Law Firm PC

Eastwood Road, Suite 310A 22 1904 Wilmington, NC 28403 The Lea/Schultz Law Firm Military Cutoff Road, Suite 300 22 1612 Wilmington, NC 28403 Carter & Carter Market St. 24 408 Wilmington, NC 28401 Ned Barnes Law Firm N. Lake Park Blvd. Suite C2 24 1009 Carolina Beach, NC 28428 Woody White Law PLLC Eastwood Road, Suite 201 24 2004 Wilmington, NC 28403

List is based on voluntary responses to a Business Journal survey.

PHONE/FAX WEBSITE

LOCAL LAWYERS/ LOCAL FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

AREAS OF PRACTICE

TOP LOCAL OFFICIAL/ YEAR LOCALLY FOUNDED

Agribusiness, alcoholic beverage law, business, community associations, construction, creditors’ rights, economic development, elder law, eminent domain, family law, financial institutions, government relations, hemp law, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, personal injury and wrongful death, privacy and data security, real estate, real estate development, tax, technology, trusts and estates, workplace safety and health, zoning and land use planning

794-4800/794-4877 www.wardandsmith.com

20 17

763-2426/763-6561 www.murchisontaylor.com

17 14

777-6000/777-6111 www.cshlaw.com

16 36

509-9664/509-9630 www.hedrickgardner.com

15 29

763-2727/762-6429 www.bcklawfirm.com

9 12

Kenneth Wooten Brad Evans Co-Managing Directors 1992 Michael Murchison Amanda Miars Full-service law firm with emphasis on business and corporate law, estate planning and administration, litigation, health David Martin care, employment, real estate development and transactions, homeowners associations, agribusiness and intellectual property Executive Committee 1955 Admiralty and maritime law, alternative dispute resolution, appellate law, aviation law, business disputes and litigation, John D. Martin business law, community association law, construction law, cyber liability and privacy law, education law, elder law, Managing Partner, employment law, family law, insurance law and coverage, intellectual property, land condemnation and eminent domain, Wilmington Office medical malpractice, motor vehicle litigation, municipalities and public entities, nursing home litigation, premises liability, 2001 product liability, professional liability, retail, restaurant and hospitality Justin Robertson Appellate advocacy, civil litigation, employment law, Medicare set-asides and Medicare compliance, products liability Wilmington Office litigation, professional liability litigation, public entities and municipalities litigation, retail, restaurant and hospitality, Managing Partner trucking and transportation law, workers’ compensation 1999 Auley M. Crouch III Family law, business law, litigation, property transactions, estate planning and administration, mediation and arbitration, Senior Partner community association law 1996

726-1122/920-9157 www.mgclaw.com

8 14

Workers’ compensation defense, civil litigation, commercial litigation, construction litigation, employment law, intellectual property, real estate litigation

777-5995/777-5995 www.hamletandassociates.com

7 13

Litigation, construction, health care, business law and mediation

763-9891/343-8604 www.mwglaw.com

7 6

General civil litigation, personal injury/workers’ compensation claims, construction litigation, business/commercial, estate planning/probate, homeowners’ associations

762-1990/762-6752 www.shipmanandwright.com

7 13

Complex commercial litigation, personal injury, professional negligence, condemnation, construction litigation, sports agency representation, product liability, nursing home negligence, drug and medical devices, real estate development and transactions, family law, tax law, equitable distribution, business formation and complex civil litigation

210-0349/(877) 848-4028 www.capefearfamilylaw.com

6 9

Family law, adoption, custody, divorce, guardianship, CPS and DSS defense

772-1678/N/A hcpplaw.com

6 10

Business, HOA, personal injury and medical malpractice, family and divorce, criminal and traffic, corporate, real estate litigation and transactions, franchising

762-9711/256-0310 www.cmclawfirm.com

5 6

399-3447/338-9162 www.leekaess.com

5 6

763-3404/763-0320; 763-0080 www.rountreelosee.com

5 12

251-6088/N/A www.lawgroupnc.com

5 5

444-2000/444-2001 www.brookspierce.com

4 3

815-0085/815-1095 www.craigeandfox.com

4 8

254-3800/254-3900 www.mcguirewoods.com

4 10

772-9960/772-9062 www.rhinelawfirm.com

4 5

762-3854/251-6346 www.ricefamilylaw.com

4 5

754-2816/754-2818 www.wwpemlaw.com

4 2

Litigation, personal injury, domestic law, criminal/traffic defense, workers’ compensation, estate planning, business formation and corporate governance

332-0721/(888) 290-7817 www.humphriesfirm.law

3 6

Real estate, intellectual property, civil litigation

239-5990/239-5992 www.theleaschultzlawfirm.com

3 8

Family law, complex divorces, civil litigation, deficiencies and bank workouts, appellant law, estate planning, asset protection, veterans benefits, elder law and long-term care planning and mediation services

763-3626/N/A carterandcarterlaw.com

2 3

Bankruptcy, real estate, business litigation, creditor and debtor bankruptcy rights, corporate matters and estate planning and administration

458-4466/458-8845 www.carolinabeachattorney.com

2 5

Real estate, wills and estate administration, corporations, motor vehicle law

239-9585/679-4522 www.woodywhitelaw.com

2 3

Criminal (both state and federal), civil, personal injury, crisis management, business consulting

M. Ryan Bisplinghoff Managing Member 2014 H. Mark Hamlet Managing Partner 2012 W. Robert Cherry Jr. Managing Partner 1963 Gary K. Shipman Managing Partner 1982 Janet L. Gemmell Board Certified Family Law Specialist 2007 2000

Andrew Hanley, Clay A. Collier, Norwood Blanchard III Litigation, insurance defense, maritime and admiralty, employment law, municipal law, Defense Base Act Brian Edes Partners 1948 Michael Lee Managing Member Commercial real estate, land use and zoning, trusts and estates, litigation 2012 (formerly Lee Law Firm, PLLC) Admiralty and maritime law, alcoholic beverage and brewery law, business and corporate law, civil litigation, trusts, estate Geoffrey Losee planning and administration, land use and environmental law, mediation services, municipal law, real estate, transportation Managing Partner law 1896 Melissa Gott Real estate, estate planning, business law, family law, criminal defense, employment law, injury, eminent domain and Managing Member condemnation 2003 Charles S. Baldwin IV Partner, Wilmington Business litigation, international law, corporate law, intellectual property, entertainment, white-collar criminal defense Office 2013 Lawrence S. Craige Charlotte Noel Fox Elder law, estate administration, estate planning, family law, legal guardianship, municipal law, fiduciary litigation Managing Partners 2007 J. Dickson McLean Real estate, banking, corporate, business and commercial litigation, contract litigation, real estate litigation, bankruptcy and Wilmington Office creditors' rights, mergers and acquisitions Managing Partner 1999 Serious motor vehicle accidents, truck accidents, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, deck, bridge and building collapses, defective drugs and medical devices, other products liability claims, work-related accidents, construction litigation claims, Joel R. Rhine business and civil litigation, wage and hour claims, medical malpractice, premises liability claims, construction accidents, Attorney/Owner construction defects, vacation and recreational accidents, childhood sexual abuse, post-hurricane issues, assisting small 1995 businesses in coronavirus related issues, data breaches Mark S. Williams Family law, civil litigation, appeals, personal injury Managing Member 1993 Peter Ekster Managing Partner 1932 Justin Humphries President 2009 James Lea III Attorney/Firm Founder 30-plus years James Oliver Carter Partner 1974 Ned M. Barnes Attorney 1985 Woody White Owner 2000

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 print publications: Credit Unions • Mortgage Brokers

Page 28

April 3 - 16, 2020

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

| BIZ LEADS | Reader’s Guide

Wilmington 28411 Agent: Gerald S Sumpter

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.

A BETTER CHOICE CONSTRUCTION LLC 2989 Bird Dr Shallotte 28470-5848 Agent: David Bland

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.

Residential sales are gathered from New Hanover County (NHC) property tax records.

NEW CORPS March 15 - 25 190 SPRING STREET MANAGEMENT LLC 2334 S. 41st Street Wilmington 28403 Agent: Yoel H. Balter 301 CORAL COA INC. 605 N. Channel Drive Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Lori Rosbrugh

3722 SHIPYARD LLC 3722 Shipyard Blvd Wilmington 28403 Agent: Gray Cash 3N1 COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT OUTREACH (3N1 CEO) INC 303 Cardiff Rd Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Mary Catherine Nixon A & B TRANSPORTATION SERVICES INC. 4801 Acres Drive

A&B PROPERTIES OF NC LLC 1015 Ashes Drive Suite 2020 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Mark Brisson ACME HOBBS PARTNERS LLC 1201 Glen Meade Road Wilmington 28401 Agent: Bruce B Cameron IV ADAM M BENNETT LLC 821 Orange Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Adam Moss Bennett AF PAINTING LLC 6509 Greenville Loop Rd Trl 223 Wilmington 28409 Agent: Darlin A Gutierrez Flores AURORA SUSPENDED FIRES LLC 3819 Park Avenue Wilmington 28403 Agent: GM Entity Services Inc. AVERY LANE

PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 1006 Hampton Court Leland 28451 Agent: Amber Woodard

CONSTRUCTION LLC 4623 Crosscurrent Place Wilmington 28409 Agent: Ray Campbell

BASS HOLDINGS 2 LLC 117 Leeward Court Kure Beach 28449 Agent: Edgar Bryant Bass

CAMPGROUND MANAGEMENT TEAM INC 4616 SW Devane Rd Shallotte 28470 Agent: Bryan Guererri

BASS HOLDINGS 3 LLC 117 Leeward Court Kure Beach 28449 Agent: Edgar Bryant Bass BECOMING VEGGIE LLC 718 Chablis Way Wilmington 28411 Agent: James R. Eubanks BLUE SHARK VODKA LLC 105 Grace Street Suite 101 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Andy Jones BRIG TRANSPORT LLC 16747 Us Highway 17 North Suite 118 Hampstead 28443 Agent: Mary E Brigance BRUNT HOLDINGS LLC 3601 Owencroft Court Wilmington 28409 Agent: Lelsie Tubbs Brunt CALABASH CONSTRUCTION INC. 1023 Durham Ave Calabash 28467 Agent: Shawn Bowman CAMPBELL & HARRIS

CAPE FEAR ALCHEMY LLC 618 McKenzie Circle Southport 28461 Agent: Alexander Shshovlowsky CAROLINA PROTECTION L.L.C. 2146 Hwy 117 N Burgaw 28425 Agent: Michael J Korn CATE’S CLEANING CREW LLC 3400 Eagle Crest Drive SW Supply 28462 Agent: Drew M West CLAM INC. 209 Abbey Lane Wilmington 28411 Agent: Chris Puryear CLEGHORN REALTY LLC 6514 Old Fort Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Elizabeth T Cleghorn CLEWIS COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES LLC 1648 N Howe Street Southport 28461 Agent: George Earl Clewis COASTAL BUILDER AND HOME LLC 715 Pickering Dr Calabash 28467 Agent: James Smith COASTAL LAWN SCAPES LLC 3352 Brucemont Dr. Wilmington 28405 Agent: Robert P Icard

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CRDP NO. 1 LLC 6626-C Gordon Road Wilmington 28411 Agent: Adam G Sosne CREATIVE OB SOLUTIONS LLC 3503 Atwater Ct Wilmington 28412 Agent: Nina Williams CTL WIRING INC 382 Laurel Valley Dr. Shallotte 28470 Agent: Gregory A. McKinney DIGICOM LLC 7205 Anaca Point Rd Wilmington 28411 Agent: Carolina Thorpe DOGGIESTYLEZ LLC 715 Pickering Drive Calabash 28467 Agent: Monica K Smith

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DR. LONGEVITY PLLC 110 Circle Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: M. Erin Griffin EAST BEACH DESIGNS INC 716 Alyssum Ave Caswell Beach 28465

Agent: Candice York

Agent: Skip Eames

FALL REALTY LLC 3800 Northeast Avenue Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Pauline Dunne

ISLAND SOLUTIONS LLC 104 NE 3rd St Oak Island 28465 Agent: Derek Cordle

FRONTRIDGE ADVISORS LLC 2000 Trimaran Place Wilmington 28405 Agent: Linwood P Britton

J & D HEATING & AIR OF WILMINGTON INC. 92 Horn Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Crystal B Burkhardt

FULL CIRCLE NUTRITION & WELLNESS INC. 719 South 17th Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Tracey S. Duke GATHERINGS BY THE SEA LLC 920 Ocean Highway West Supply 28462 Agent: Valerie R Taylor GLOBAL EXPEDITION TRAVEL INC 2803 John Yeamen Rd Wilmington 28405 Agent: Linn Wilson GOGREEN SOLUTIONS L.L.C. 714 Sloop Point Rd Hampstead 28443 Agent: Jonathan Johnson GOTBOUNCE DELIVERIES LLC 477 Lehigh Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Clarence D. McLean II

J. THOMAS PAINTING SERVICES LLC 1009 Durham Ave. SW Calabash 28467 Agent: John Foster Thomas J3 DAY SPA LLC 117 Holden Beach Road Suite 106 Shallotte 28470 Agent: Jara M Lighty JC PROPERTIES ILM LLC 1311 Country Club Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: Jerry W. Oates JESSICA CLARICE SKINCARE LLC 763 Stradleigh Ct Leland 28451 Agent: Jessica Clarice Zaleski JJL2 LLC 111 E. High Bluff Dr. Hampstead 28443 Agent: Jessica Liberman

H CONCRETE SOLUTION LLC 217 Hollins Rd Wilmington 28412 Agent: Flor Estela Parada

JONES SUNSET SAUCE LLC 529 N Sunset St Atkinson 28421 Agent: Juan Jones

H.C.S MECHANICAL INC 507 Green Meadows Dr N Wilmington 28405 Agent: Nick Nader

JUAN CRUZ PAINTING LLC 2333 Monroe Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Juan Gabriel Cruz Zalazar

HAMPSTEAD INVESTMENT GROUP LLC 10280 U.S. Highway 17 North Wilmington 28411 Agent: Travis R. Holder

JUCO LLC 2409 Brodick Ct Wilmington 28411 Agent: Julian Palacios Goerger

HANOVER BRUNSWICK LLC 6704 Vinewood Ct Wilmington 28405 Agent: Kyle Kirch HIGH TIDE BAKERY LLC 441 Charlestown St Southport 28461 Agent: Lacey Penley HONOR FLIGHT OF THE CAPE FEAR AREA INC. 1001 Anchors Bend Way Wilmington 28411 Agent: Robert Campbell HUGHES INVESTMENT HOLDINGS LLC 1650 Military Cutoff Road Suite 200 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Alan M. Solana HUSTLE AND HIVE INC. 716 S. 17th Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Julie Bell Voorhees I AM SALON INC 143 Downy Dr Hampstead 28443

JUHA’S CLEANING SERVICES LLC 330 Racine Dr. Apt #15 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Daisy Johaidy Mordan KEEPING IT PLEASANT LLC 807 Wingate Drive Wilmington 28412 Agent: Cameron L Pleasant KITTY PAWTROL LLC 707 Nun St Wilmington 28401 Agent: Anna Hussmann LEAP WITHOUT LIMITS LLC 1428 Bluffton Court Southport 28461 Agent: Maryann C D’ambrosio LELAND SMOKEHOUSE LLC 3681 Fairfield Way Southport 28461 Agent: Troy W Knight LG INSULATION LLC

3553 Blue Banks Loop Rd NE Leland 28451 Agent: Luis Gutierrez LIBERTY DEVELOPMENT OF CHARLESTON LLC 2334 S. 41st Street Wilmington 28403 Agent: Yoel H Balter LM RENOVATIONS INC 5070 Tradeway Drive Apt 201 Leland 28451 Agent: Levi M Martin LONG BAY ENGINEERING PLLC 107 SW 9th Street Oak Island 28465 Agent: Adam H. Greene LOTUS WAY LLC 821 Orange Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Adam Moss Bennett MAMAS C LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY 3261 George II Hwy Southport 28461 Agent: Luis Filoneno Perez Reyes MCR PROPERTIES LLC 5700 Courtland Place Wilmington 28409 Agent: Michael D Hobbs MEDICARE PLANNING OF AMERICA LLC 5101 Dunlea Ct Ste 201 C Wilmington 28405 Agent: Tyler Rees MEDICARE PLANNING OF NORTH CAROLINA LLC 5101 Dunlea Ct Ste 201 C Wilmington 28405 Agent: Tyler Rees MONSTER METAL FABRICATION L.L.C. 9075 Industrial Blvd Unit B Leland 28451 Agent: John Donald James Jr MOUNT ZION DECORATION LLC 4314 Market St Ste #15 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Suly Yadira Buelto Moreira NORTHSIDE FOOD COOPERATIVE 1624 Princess Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: James Evan Folds OCEAN ISLE BEACH BAGS AND TOTES LLC 7003 Ascension Dr SW Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Annetta Rossini OGDEN BARBERSHOP LLC 6784 Market Street Wilmington 28405 Agent: Timothy Ray Dobbs PACIFIC PLACE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION INC. 709 Royal Bonnet Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Chris E Blanton

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| BIZ LEADS | PAINT ME CLEAN LLC 508 Pine Valley Drive Wilmington 28412 Agent: Savannah Johnson PAKTECH L.L.C. 202 Lansdowne Rd. Wilmington 28409 Agent: Kevin Pakulniewicz Patternseed Design Studio LLC 7908 Banyan Trail Wilmington 28411 Agent: Meghan S. Moser PENDERLEA HOLDINGS LLC 5101 Dunlea Ct Unit Wilmington 28405 Agent: Brian Causey PENLYONS INC. 10168 Pine Bark Pl SE Belville 28451 Agent: Charles Bost PEREZ WELDING LLC 110 Marlin Ct. Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Guadalupe Perez PND BUILDERS LLC 6353 Blenheim Place Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: Philip Pirro PRACTICE MANAGEMENT AND BILLING SOLUTIONS LLC 101 E Satchwell St. Burgaw 28425 Agent: Courtney L. Gibbs

PRECISE CREDIT LLC 1132 Marilla Drive Leland 28451 Agent: Ashanti Gibbs PRECISION CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING PLLC 402 Carl Street Wilmington 28403 Agent: Joelle Thomas PROFESSIONAL TREE CARE SERVICE LLC 605 Eastwood Rd Wilmington 28403 Agent: Katie Davis R AND T PROPERTY SOLUTIONS LLC 607 N. Fodale Ave Southport 28461 Agent: Tammy Lynn Saxton ROCKLIKE CONSTRUCTION LLC 4816 Sebastian Ln Wilmington 28412 Agent: Misael Colon RODE HOLDINGS LLC 4425 Old Towne Street Wilmington 28412 Agent: Jason DeRosier ROMAN INSTALLATIONS LLC 4644 Still Meadow Dr Wilmington 28412 Agent: Joshua Roman ROVERCLEAN247 L.L.C. 3220 Graylyn Terrace

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Page 30

April 3 - 16, 2020

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.

Editor’s note: The restaurant scene is changing rapidly as a result of coronavirus measures. Information below was current as of press time, March 31.

Casseroles for a Cause begins at Veggie Wagon

Where Quality Construction Meets Fine Hospitality

The Veggie Wagon owners April and Max Sussman have launched a new online component of their business, aimed at providing ready-to-eat meals for the community.

For people who rely upon tips as their main source of income, feeding their families is a fast-growing concern amid coronavirus closings, and something the Sussmans said they believe needs to be addressed immediately.

“Many service industry workers are used to leaving work with cash in hand, and that’s just not happening right now,” Max Sussman said.

He also noted that grocers who normally donate regularly to food banks and shelters are facing shortages themselves, therefore not making their regular contributions.

With Casseroles for a Cause, for each casserole sold, The Veggie Wagon will donate one to the Federal Point Help Center in Carolina Beach, for distribution to those in need.

Selections and payments will be made online with a choice of pickup at either of The Veggie Wagon locations, 3315 Masonboro Road, or 608 S. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Tips for supporting local restaurants in crisis

Since 1975

910.350.0554

chambliss-rabil.com

Restaurants are among the businesses severely impacted by the attempt to curb the spread of new coronavirus COVID-19. While many will require a major influx of cash to keep them afloat by way of loans and federal aid, there are ways you can help support restaurants during this crisis.

Think local: Begin by supporting locally owned, independent restaurants. Many of these establishments do not have the reserves that larger corporately owned chains might and operate on very thin margins.

As a result of COVID-19, financial

and industry experts say as many as 30% of independent restaurants will close.

Buy gift cards: This can help local restaurants have cash on hand to keep paying staff and bills. Many can be purchased online.

You can still order: While regulations are changing daily, North Carolina and local restaurants continued to be able to offer curbside take-out and delivery service as of press time. Some were serving their full menus, while others had a limited menu designed for take-out.

Share on social media: Another way to support restaurants is to use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to show how you are supporting local restaurants right now. Take photos of meals and share your customer service experiences.

Tidewater Oyster Bar planned for Porters Neck Kornerstone Bistro owner Robert Pickens plans to open a new restaurant, Tidewater Oyster Bar, in Porters Neck Center later this year.

Pickens said he had been seeking a location for this concept for several months, and when K-Bueno Norte owner Cindy Vach announced the restaurant was closing, he immediately pursued the opportunity to take over the space because of its proximity to Kornerstone Bistro.

The concept for Tidewater came about when Pickens reconnected with a former chef whom he worked with at Eagle Point Golf Club.

After many years in the culinary industry, Keith Walls pursued degrees in environmental and marine Science from UNCW, with a focus on shellfish aquaculture. In 2017 he launched Falling Tide Oyster Co., based in Sneads Ferry, along with his wife.

Walls approached Pickens last year in hopes that he might consider serving his oysters at Kornerstone, which eventually led to the creation of a raw bar at the restaurant.

Pickens said that in addition to local oysters, Tidewater will serve fried and steamed seafood in a casual, beachy atmosphere.

Minor renovations have been taking place at 8211 Market St., but the timing of the opening could be dependent on the current state of COVID-19 measures.

-Jessica Maurer

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

April 3 - 16, 2020

Page 31

| BUSINESS OF LIFE| On the home office front

BY DAVID FREDERIKSEN

W

ork. From. Home.

Work from home.

Hey, I’m working from

home …

No matter how you cut it, say it – or even punctuate it – hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans are doing it because of the coronavirus pandemic. And I’m one of them.

But it’s not my first work-fromhome rodeo. I worked remotely from home when my oldest daughter, now 16, was an infant. Sterilizing baby bottles and locating missing binkies, I simultaneously reached out for comment while working on deadline as a young reporter. Fond memories, indeed, almost magical, despite the lost binkies.

But there wasn’t an ongoing pandemic. There were no city, state or federal mandates making me work from home. No boss – safely 6 feet away – had sent me packing to wait for the All Clear.

It’s different this time. So how to get through it? For me, working from home is a combination of power and style, of grit and panache.

As I did in pre-coronavirus times, every day starts with a run or similar vigorous physical activity (google HIIT workout). I do this in darkness before the sun rises. Not that I necessarily like early mornings or darkness. I do it because I face headon the uncertainty – especially now – that darkness represents. Running in it is the (very satisfying) equivalent of shaking my fist at all I fear and cannot control.

Next, get dressed. A suit, often three-piece. My early, work-fromhome days taught me that being a pro gets things done. Working in pajamas all day is a slippery slope.

A suit and tie remind me that I’m a professional – in my case, a working writer. Plaid, paisley and stripe patterns (yes, worn in combination) keeps things interesting and gets you

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Suiting up: Writer David Frederiksen is no stranger to working from home, but the guidelines are different this time around.

prompt attention from neighbors when strolling to the mailbox.

As a writer and creative, I often work in solitude without phone, email or text interruptions. I’m lucky.

Others, however, must engage in constant, often distracting, communication. Truthfully, I don’t know how they get anything done.

OK, OK, I’m getting to it: the kids. I have three, and they’re all home from school. (Remember that master-of-your-destiny thing? Officially on hold.) Each morning after breakfast, I call my crew (Olivia, 16, Zoe, 12, and Eve, 7) to the dining room table where we review the daily schedule and any special needs (“No, Eve, a new Hatchimal is not a special need.”)

For better or worse, I run it like a company. Production cannot be slowed; quotas must be met; and

WHITNEY ROSS, chief operating officer, AR Corp., Wilmington

“

I have three kids ranging in age from 6 to 12. My husband is the main care provider, since I’m so busy at work. He has his own business and made the decision not to earn for as long as it takes. It’s only the first week, but we’re having a really good time.

What’s working for us is having a schedule and getting outside as often as possible. Also, getting dressed and ‘ready’ in the morning seems crucial.

At first, we tried pajamas all day, but it sucked the motivation out of the room. Headphones have been key, too, since we’re all working in the same room. I converted my dining room into a study room.”

customer satisfaction is always No. 1.

No, not very romantic, but it forces structure and predictable routines, key ingredients no matter where your classroom.

Afternoons are the toughest.

Fatigue sets in. Travel between bedrooms converted to classrooms gets harder. I surf the internet for relief, distraction and inspiration. I doze. This is where you must power through. Think of your kids’ futures.

Think how your grandkids might one day ask, “What was it like during the virus? Were you scared? Did you work from home?”

One thing that has happened on my work-from-home journey over many years is a greater awareness of home and hearth, and the people and architecture within. Load-bearing walls seem to metaphorically carry the weight of my almost 50-year

existence, complete with patches of imperfection.

What I wished someone had told me when my home first became a workplace is adjust expectations. You won’t get it all done; you can’t; and you shouldn’t. At this very moment, for example, I see a mountain of laundry in the hall, a wet towel draped over a side table. A coronavirus news update comes on TV, then a commercial for turkey stuffing that reports families spend, on average, only about 37 minutes of quality time together a day. I may have to check my sources on that – if I only had time.

So put your paisley, plaid and stripe on. Power through the tough moments. Look around your house and at the people in it.

And do your work.

NATHAN CHRISTY, telecommunications consultant, Wilmington

“

I’ve worked from home before but never longterm. I’ve taken early-morning conference calls from the house and responded to one-off emails, but working from the office has always been a better solution for me. When my colleagues and I address daily concerns and pain points, the office setting gives real time feedback that typically takes much longer to receive when working remotely from the house. Not to mention that the work environment allows absolute focus on work, putting family life temporarily on the back burner. This allows me to be much more productive throughout my day and keeps work priorities at the forefront of my mind.

As I learn to work from home, it is difficult to separate work life from family life because of not being able to remove myself physically by driving to the office.”

Page 32

April 3 - 16, 2020

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

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