Greater Wilmington Business Journal-May 8 issue

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Testing expands

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Lisa Brown leads public health preparedness efforts Page 11

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Index Health Care ........................................4-5 Economic Development ......................... 6 Banking & Finance..............................8-9 In Profile ..............................................11 Real Estate .................................... 12-13 The List .......................................... 15-16 Business of Life.............................. 18-19

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Up and running: Local beaches, including Carolina Beach, began opening for exercise only at the end of April and then more during May.

FORWARD THINKING LOCAL OFFICIALS GRAPPLE WITH REOPENING ECONOMY

BY CECE NUNN ilmington business owner Jason Morgan decided he just couldn’t wait.

He reopened his gym, Muscleworx Fitness on Carolina Beach Road, on April 30, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and an order from Gov. Roy Cooper that extended restrictions on close-contact establishments to beyond that date.

“If I don’t open, my business is going to die,” said Morgan, who hasn’t received any relief loans or the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Plan.

“I’ve spent 25 years building this business. This is basically what I’ve done my entire life. And what else am I supposed to do?”

Morgan isn’t alone. Many businesses face an uncertain future, even with a broader reopening of the local economy getting closer to reality.

What that reopening will look like

W

is also not set in stone, although a phased approach is spelled out in the latest executive order from the governor.

Locally, the relaxing of some restrictions took place near the end of April. For example, New Hanover County beaches reopened to exercise only. But that didn’t mean all tourists could enjoy them – lodging bans remained in place in some areas until at least May 8. New Hanover County, however, lifted its restriction April 29 on hotels, motels and short-term rentals in the unincorporated parts of the county.

“Obviously, we would like for things to reopen as soon as possible, but we also want to do it in a very responsible way,” said Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, “taking into consideration that our most important concern is that the health of the See RESTRICTIONS, page 10

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CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE INSIDE THE ISSUE •A REA BANKS RESPOND TO PPP LAUNCH • page 8 • T HE STATE’S COVID-19 STATISTICS • page 10 •N HC’S PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS • page 11

ON THE WEB

For the latest on the Business Journal’s COVID-19 coverage, including health and economic impacts, go to our online special section at WilmingtonBiz.com. Go to the Coronavirus news category for daily stories and recent digital issues

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

Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

Parent firm of SportGait raises $170k (May 5) Wilmington-based LifeGait, the parent company of SportGait and other entities, has raised $170,001 in equity, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The money was raised through six investors in a round of funding that started in December.

LifeGait uses technology to develop health and safety products. Its entities include SportGait, SeniorGate and MedGait.

The funding is earmarked for corporate use and licensing, Tobin Geatz, board chairman and founder of SportGait, said in an email.

The company is still seeking funding to meet its goal of raising $500,000.

This latest funding brings the company’s total amount of money raised since 2016 to $1.19 million.

SportGait, its most prominent

subsidiary, has raised about $2 million. SportGait, headed by president and CEO Chris Newton, developed technology and an app that helps monitor concussion signs and symptoms in athletes.

With fewer travelers, ILM expansion continues (April 28) The Wilmington International Airport’s terminal expansion project is moving forward with some work happening at an accelerated pace, according to a recent update by the airport's leader.

Light passenger traffic at the airport has given ILM the opportunity to push some of the expansion work forward, ILM Airport Director Julie Wilsey said in a recent newsletter with other updates on the airport.

ILM, as well as airports across the country, have seen far fewer travelers due to COVID-19, which has impacted the airline industry as a whole.

The most recent ILM passenger figures showed traffic was down 47% for March compared to that month the previous year.

“Since construction is considered

an essential service, the work on ILM’s terminal expansion continues.

Local firm Monteith Construction Corp., the lead contractor on the expansion project, implemented additional safety measures for all jobsites,” stated the news update.

Company: Polyhose still coming to Pender (April 27) A project in Pender Commerce Park that is expected to bring 51 jobs is still in the works, a company official said recently.

Polyhose Inc. has plans to build a 40,000-square-foot facility in the park for its North American headquarters.

Previously, officials with the firm, a manufacturer of industrial hoses based in India, said they aimed to be operational by the end of the year.

But while the company remains committed to the project, the firm is not certain when it will break ground this year on the Pender County site or how the current COVID-19 pandemic will impact the operational timeline, said Jonathan Pressler, the company’s senior vice president, in an email.

TOP-READ STORIES ONLINE Here are the most popular stories for the week of April 20- May 5 from the Business Journal’s website.

1. Investors pour money into Next Glass; new CEO named 2. NHRMC proposals released, including $2 billion offer 3. County restrictions lift Wednesday; officials begin talks about reopening 4. Nearly 150 Wilmington firms granted essential status after requesting it 5. In downtown Wilmington, 20 businesses receive $3,000 grants 6. Comparing the proposals 7. City puts $90M northern gateway proposal on hold 8. $35M refinancing secured for Leland apartment community 9. New downtown restaurant opens for curbside pickup 10. O PINION: A strong future for NHRMC means a strong future for Wilmington To read more, go to wilmingtonbiz.com

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| HEALTH CARE |

A

COVID-19 testing expands in region

s state officials look to reopen parts of the economy that have stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they said an increase in virus testing capabilities and tracing abilities for contacts of new cases will be key in deciding how to loosen restrictions.

“This virus is going to be with VICKY us until there is a vaccine, which may be a year or more away,” said Gov. Roy Cooper, who on May 8 was expected to roll back the state’s stay-athome orders in the first of three phases. “That means that as we ease restrictions, we are going to enter a new normal. We want to get back to work while at the same time preventing a spike that will overwhelm our hospitals with COVID-19 cases.”

Locally, government, hospital and even private business organizations

JANOWSKI

PHOTO C/O NEW HANOVER COUNTY

Increased testing: Public health workers administer COVID-19 diagnostic tests at a drive-up site the county opened in late April in downtown Wilmington under an expanded testing program.

have upped testing options in recent weeks.

New Hanover County significantly expanded its diagnostic testing program for four weeks starting April

29, the same day the county lifted its rules that were more restrictive than the state’s order. More than 100 residents were scheduled that first day for the county’s drive-up testing site

at an empty Cape Fear Community College parking lot.

Those who call the county’s coronavirus call center (798-6800) talk to a nurse to screen symptoms, and if they fit criteria for testing are given a time to visit the testing site.

Test results are expected within 48-72 hours. Public health officials are then able to trace contacts from those who test positive.

In the days after the expanded testing started, 191 tests were performed, with five positive results.

“Our operational priority is continuing to run, what we think to be the single largest, publicly sponsored mass testing program anywhere in North Carolina,” New Hanover County Manager Chris Coudriet said. “We’re prepared to run it for four weeks longer if we need to longer if we have to.”

The county and city of Wilmington also received a donation for 10,000 test kits to potentially tell if someone has developed antibodies to COVID-19.

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| HEALTH CARE | also began offering a COVID-19 antibody testing procedure with results in 48 hours.

And Wilmington-based CastleBranch also has launched a product intended to help businesses feel more confident about bringing employees back to offices.

Its COVID-19 Compliance screening service has been donated to health care education programs, associated health care facilities and students at no cost, according to the company. It has pitched the system to employers, municipalities and other organizations.

The application screens for common COVID-19 symptoms and records a person’s temperature twice a day for 14 days before she or he returns to school, work or hospital settings. It also gathers information on a participant’s travel and exposure to COVID-19.

“COVID-19 closed our schools, our businesses and our cities, but it won’t keep us closed for long,” CastleBranch CEO Brett Martin said in a statement. “After the storm has passed, we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help people get back to work, back to school, and prepared for a second cycle.”

After revenue losses, NHRMC resumes services After losing millions of dollars from suspending non-essential services during the COVID-19 crisis, New Hanover Regional Medical Center on May 4 began phasing back in some procedures.

NHRMC reopened its first phase of surgical services and diagnostic testing, basing the plan on “a phased, calculated approach guided by a dozen metrics that serve as a guide to safely reopen services,” officials said in a news release.

On March 20, the NHRMC system announced it was postponing non-essential surgeries for the system to have flexibility for staffing, space and resources as it prepared to treat COVID-19 patients.

The shift had a significant impact on NHRMC’s financials that month.

While New Hanover Regional had forecasted an operating margin of about $6 million for March, the system lost nearly $6 million, NHRMC spokesman Julian March said.

NHRMC’s investments also took an approximate $44 million hit in March, as the coronavirus pandemic and economic shock from shutdowns

affected the markets.

Hospital officials warned by the end of March of expected losses, as health systems around the country also have reported financial difficulties. The federal CARES Act included $100 billion in relief funds to hospitals and health care providers, partly to help with the lost revenue.

NHRMC has received about $28 million from the CARES Act. “The relief funds will be used to support healthcare-related expenses and lost revenue from COVID-19,” March said. “NHRMC does not expect to receive funding to cover all losses but plans to apply to every available resource for COVID-19 funding.”

New Hanover Regional’s $6 million operating loss in March came while the system limited services for just part of the month.

April is projected to have a larger negative impact, officials said, adding that those numbers are not expected to be available until mid-June.

Brunswick hospital receives ‘A’ grade The Leapfrog Group recently gave Novant Health Brunswick Medical

Center an A letter grade in its spring hospital safety grades.

“At Novant Health, safety and quality are our top priorities and receiving our fifth straight ‘A’ letter grade is a reflection of our team members’ unwavering commitment to improving patient safety, quality and satisfaction,” said Shelbourn Stevens, president and chief operating officer at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center.

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit that evaluates the safety and patient experience provided by hospitals across the country.

“As a team, our physicians, nurses, advanced practice clinicians, pharmacists and clinical team members strive to have the ability to model and predict hospital-associated infections before they even happen and develop best, safe practices to better serve our patients and communities,” said Eric Eskioglu, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Winston-Salem-based Novant Health. “In the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, it is reassuring that safety and quality are the foundation of our mission to improve the health of our communities, one person at a time.”

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| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |

Group underpins downtown businesses

D

owntown Wilmington plays a big role in the area’s economy with over 875 businesses and 10,900 employees, according to Wilmington Downtown Inc., and many of those businesses have suffered economically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wilmington Downtown Inc. (WDI) is pushing several initiatives to help support local businesses on top of being involved in future efforts to support reopenings, said Ed Wolverton, the organization’s president and CEO. WDI is working on coming up with tools it can provide businesses to help them operate safely and comfortably and follow what state guidelines might come out in the coming weeks, he said.

Gov. Roy CHRISTINA HALEY Cooper placed restrictions on bars and restaurants in mid-March and implemented a stay-at-home order at the end of that month.

That order, as of press time, was slated to lift May 8 through three phases outlined by state officials, with the timing tied to trends in virus-related health statistics and wider testing and tracing.

WDI has been in talks with other economic development groups, as well as city and county officials, Wolverton said.

“I think sometimes the public gets this perception that there are all these groups out there and we’re all doing the same thing. We’re not. [There are] either formal or informal meetings together … where we really get a handle on who’s doing what and making sure that we’re not duplicating; that we’re complementing. And if there is a way to collaborate, we do and we will,” he said.

WDI is making plans to spur customer activity in downtown when it’s safe to do so, Wolverton said.

About 40% of businesses fail to reopen following a disaster, according to FEMA. Only a handful of downtown businesses closed after Hurricane Florence in September 2018, Wolverton said. The current crisis, however, is much different and much longer than that storm, he said.

A recent, six-question survey conducted by the organization in April

of business and the largest base of employment,” Wolverton said.

Firms report layoffs related to pandemic

O’NEAL

PHOTO C/O LUNA CAFE

Business support: Luna Caffe, pictured above, was one of the recipients of a grant through a Wilmington Downtown Inc. program for businesses and entrepreneurs to help recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

went out to 475 firms, mostly small business owners, with 95 responses returned. Respondents said they have cut their number of full-time employees by more than 50%. Many businesses reported losses in sales and revenue, with more than a quarter of respondents reporting a 90% dip or more.

But the data only offers a snapshot of the coronavirus’s impact on the downtown economy, Wolverton said.

“I have been in touch with a couple of businesses that have said that they don’t see how they can make it much longer,” he said.

Another such survey could take place this month, he said, adding that if there is a good response rate, it could present “maybe even a truer picture because most everyone was closed during April other than the takeout [orders] and the internet-based sales that were happening.”

Another step that WDI has taken is to go beyond the traditional area it serves. Such work is happening with a new grant program.

Thirty downtown businesses have received $3,000 each through the Re-3 program, which stands for

restock, reopen and recover from the COVID-19 downturn, according to a news release.

WDI partnered with the Longleaf Foundation for the grant program that launched April 6. The effort had received over $90,000 in donations from local businesses and individuals, with another $20,000 pledged, stated an April 30 release.

Some of the businesses that received Re-3 grants include Art in Bloom Gallery, The Hive, The Black Cat Shoppe and Luna Caffe.

In addition, WDI has also partnered with a downtown membership group, Downtown Business Alliance to help create a list of restaurants and retailers that have remained open in some capacity.

Some businesses are are still making a profit, said Terry Espy, president of Downtown Business Alliance, which is geared toward economic support of membership business. Stakeholders are coming together, she said, to talk about more ways and original ideas to continue that support at all stages of the crisis.

“We recognize that we’re the stewards of the region’s largest district

Enterprise Holdings is one of several local businesses that have reported layoffs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enterprise reported nearly 900 permanent layoffs across North Carolina, with 233 in New Hanover County. The local cuts were the most out of the nine counties with WARN notices from the firm.

The state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) report under the N.C. Department of Commerce is used to report mass layoffs. In other cuts in WARN reports, the restaurant chain Hooters reported 30 layoffs locally, part of more than 400 statewide.

In another round of job cuts, GE Aviation said it was reducing its global workforce, which is a total of about 52,000 workers, by 25%. That included a 10% reduction the firm previously announced in March to its U.S. workforce.

The company, which has a Wilmington manufacturing location that makes rotating jet engine parts, did not release site-specific details. GE Aviation officials, however, reported about 650 employees at the time of the May 4 announcement.

City rail project moves forward with contract Preliminary engineering and environmental studies for the Wilmington Rail Realignment project are slated to begin, now that the city has approved a contract for the work.

Wilmington City Council approved a $2.5 million contract to AECOM Technical Services of North Carolina Inc. for professional engineering services. Work could begin sometime in May, Aubrey Parsley, the city’s director of the project, said late last month.

The project aims to find a new route for the city’s rail lines that connect to the Port of Wilmington.

It received $2 million in federal grant funding and $500,000 in a local match under a reimbursement agreement between NCDOT and the city.

The upcoming work will narrow down a route and give officials a better idea of the construction costs, Parsley said.

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McKim & Creed promotes 2 engineers to managers McKim & Creed Inc. has promoted two of its engineers to managerial positions.

RICHARD COLLIER has been promoted to regional growth manager and RICK MOORE has been Collier elevated to regional manager.

Collier is responsible for growing the firm’s land planning, landscape architecture and civil and site engineering services in Eastern Moore North Carolina, officials said. Collier has been with the firm for more than 20 years and has more than 30 years of experience providing land development services.

Moore joined the firm in 2005. He will oversee civil and site engineering services in Wilmington. He has 25 years of experience in civil and site engineering.

Leland names emergency management director The town of Leland has named JOHN GRIMES as its first emergency management director. The new role was created by the town to “better prepare the town for natural disasters and other situations that impact the community,” officials said in the Grimes release.

Grimes has served the Leland Fire/Rescue Department for 30 years, 26 of those as chief. He became the town’s first career fire/ rescue chief in 2017, when the department became a service under the town of Leland.

He has held leadership positions on regional and state boards related to fire and rescue, and has also received disaster response and preparedness training through agencies such as FEMA and N.C. Emergency Management, officials said.

New hires at Thomas Construction Group Wilmington-based Thomas Con-

struction Group has hired DAN WELDON as controller and ANDREW GARRARD was hired as a project manager.

Weldon, who is now a member of the firm’s leadership team, joins with Weldon more than 30 years of accounting and financial advising experience. He is a certified public accountant.

Garrard joins the firm’s operations Garrard team. He is a graduate of East Carolina University’s construction management program. His previous work includes high-end projects, data centers and corporate headquarters.

Komen NCTC names executive director The board of directors of Susan G. Komen North Carolina Triangle to the Coast has named KRISTA PARK BERRY as executive director of the nonprofit organization.

Park Berry has more than two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. She took on her new role in March.

Park Berry She previously served as communications and development director for the Komen NCTC affiliate.

The Susan G. Komen North Carolina Triangle to the Coast helps fund breast cancer research and provides help to those facing the disease.

The nonprofit serves 29 counties in North Carolina, including those in the Cape Fear Region.

Century 21 Sweyer & Associates adds six Six new real estate agents have joined the Century 21 Sweyer & Associates team.

The firm has welcomed CLINT FREEMAN, JAMES COPELAND, DANIEL DRAPER, KAYLA SCHLECHT, AARON EVANS AND KIM POUNSBERRY, who have each joined the firm as sales associates.

The agents have successfully completed the firm’s Fully Invested in Real Estate (FIRE) Training Program, which provides agents with the tools they need for their role with the real estate company.

May 8 - 21, 2020

Page 7

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SPECIAL FOCUS: CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

BANKING & FINANCE

Banks adjust for massive program

T

he SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), designed to enable small businesses and nonprofits to retain employees and pay some overhead costs, has been a whirlwind experience for JENNY the participating banks. The program, which ran through $350 billion in13 days, involved nearly 5,000 lenders nationwide and provided potentially forgivable loans to more than 1.6 million businesses in U.S. states and territories.

It was, according to a statement from Small Business Administration officials, an “unprecedented” effort that began with the agency assembling a brand-new initiative in one week, and processing “more than 14 years’ worth of loans in less than 14

CALLISON

PHOTO C/O LIVE OAK BANK

Whirlwind lending: Wilmington-based Live Oak Bank made 5,000 loans in 13 days before a $350 billion SBA coronavirus loan package ran out of funds.

days.”

A second round of PPP funding – $175 billion – went out starting May 4.

Several lenders reflected on their experiences with the new program.

Live Oak Bank, the nation’s top SBA lender in terms of loan amount,

was one of the major SBA lenders that worked with the agency on the design of PPP. Since it launched April 3, “All 600 [Live Oak employees] have been going at it 24/7,” bank CEO and Chairman James “Chip” Mahan said after the first round of funding was released.

In that whirlwind 13 days before the $350 billion was gone, Live Oak made 5,000 loans for a total of $953 million. To provide a point of comparison, that’s four times more loans than the bank made in all of 2019. And it’s ready to move forward with another 131 applicants for $28 million, according to Mahan. Prior to the PPP launch, the bank had given more than a thousand of its SBA 7(a) borrowers a 90-day deferral of principal and interest on their loans, and Mahan noted that, through the CARES Act, the U.S. government will pay all SBA borrowers’ principal and interest for six months.

“That should give our customers some breathing room,” he said.

Smaller SBA lenders, like Self-

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Page 9

SPECIAL FOCUS: CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

BANKING & FINANCE Help Credit Union, with a branch in Wilmington, anticipated a flood of PPP applications, and got it.

“We received about $5 million of applications from Eastern North Carolina to help approximately 30 organizations in a little over a week,” Executive Vice President Tucker Bartlett said in early April.

Reporting later, after the program’s funds were exhausted, Bartlett said Self-Help had gotten SBA approval for 283 loans to nonprofits and small businesses with a total value of about $52 million. Those borrowers came from the various states SHCU serves, including North Carolina. Sixty-seven percent of the dollar amount went to nonprofits.

Cornelius-based Aquesta Bank also experienced an onrush of loan applications.

“The volume is huge,” President and CEO Jim Engel said in early April. “Initially, some big banks were not participating or, like Wells Fargo, were very limited. Others were not sure and delayed. Now that they are in the game, some of the overflow is slowing a bit. But, still, massive demand; more than expected.”

Aquesta, which has a location in

Wilmington, received more than 150 PPP applications before the program launched, and began processing them on the program’s first day.

Because the program was developed in such a compressed time frame, there were changes and clarifications up until the last minute, frustrating many bankers.

“Whenever you roll out something of this scale in less than a week, there are going to be lots of challenges,” Bartlett said during the lending period. “Because they needed to get the money out quickly, SBA started the program without full guidance, which creates obvious complications.

Overall, the SBA is being very nimble, given the enormity of the task.”

As Aquesta was processing its applications, Engel observed ongoing tweaks.

“Over time, the SBA seems to have taken more control away from [U.S. Department of the] Treasury,” he said. “This seems to slow the process.

Also, the SBA reads the law narrowly and then applies its normal criteria when the law isn’t clear. This presents challenges as the SBA 7(a) provisions are much more restrictive than Congressional intent in saving businesses

and jobs.”

The product of a merger between BB&T and SunTrust, Truist Bank also saw its employees working overtime (and flexibly) to answer the needs of its customers.

The first order of business was to gear up for the program as Truist, like other lenders, watched as the concept – and then the specifics – of the program take shape at the federal level. Truist’s technology specialists built what Chairman and CEO Kelly King called “an entirely new process” in a matter of days, making it possible for the bank to go online with its automated application process one day after getting the go-ahead from the SBA in the wee hours of April 2.

“In the first 48 hours, we received more than 100,000 applications,” King said in a statement. “Since then, we’ve pulled together in an extraordinary way, cross training thousands of teammates to help process the tremendous amount of applications more quickly. The vast majority of these teammates have worked long hours – oftentimes through the night and into the early morning hours – to get our clients the help they need.

Many … have pitched in to perform document review or other responsibilities outside their assigned duties.”

Truist, which has a substantial presence in the Wilmington market, funded about $10 billion in PPP loans to more than 32,000 companies. Those companies, spokesman Kyle Tarrance said, have a combined workforce of more than 1 million people.

Lending platform development delayed Self-Help Credit Union’s entry into PPP lending for three days.

“Self-Help had to create a new lending program from scratch in less than a week,” said Bartlett. “We also asked about 20% of our staff to change what they were doing to help

you roll “ Whenever out something

of this scale in less than a week, there are going to be lots of challenges.”

TUCKER BARTLETT Executive Vice President Self-Help Credit Union

work on this program and to work nights and weekends. Considering that we had to do this with almost all of our staff working from home, this was incredibly challenging. I could not be any more proud of how our staff has responded to the call to help all of these small businesses and nonprofits.”

SBA lenders are aware that the first funding round of $350 billion left many small businesses and nonprofits without help, and some tweaked the second-round process.

Self-Help, for example, wants to focus even more on reaching nonprofits and small businesses in underserved communities, and those run by people of color.

“We have increased our technical assistance to these organizations by providing tools and guidance over and above what is provided by the SBA,” said Bartlett.

Meanwhile, lenders are receiving messages of thanks from many borrowers. Truist’s Tarrance shared a small business owner’s note that came across his desk: “I started crying because this will keep my company going and 30 people will not lose their jobs. …You are making a difference in many lives.”

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| FROM THE COVER | 219 Station Road, Suite 202 Wilmington, NC 28405 (910) 343-8600 Fax: (910) 343-8660 wilmingtonbiz.com PUBLISHER Rob Kaiser rkaiser@wilmingtonbiz.com PRESIDENT Robert Preville rpreville@wilmingtonbiz.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Judy Budd jbudd@wilmingtonbiz.com EDITOR Vicky Janowski vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Cece Nunn cnunn@wilmingtonbiz.com REPORTERS Johanna Cano jcano@wilmingtonbiz.com Christina Haley O’Neal chaley@wilmingtonbiz.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Craig Snow csnow@wilmingtonbiz.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Ali Buckley abuckley@wilmingtonbiz.com OFFICE & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Sandy Johnson KEN sjohnson@wilmingtonbiz.com

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From RESTRICTIONS, page 1

community is not compromised and that whatever decision we make ... that we do it through the lens of public health, with their blessing and with their advice.”

What could reopening look like?

“We’re going to be leaning heavily on what the governor tells us,” Saffo said, which includes metrics such as testing and trends. “That will play a very significant role at least from the city’s perspective, No. 1.

“No. 2, until we have a vaccine, drugs to treat it or testing ramps up to get a better snapshot, social distancing is going to be in our talking points and in the way we do business for some time.”

New Hanover County instituted more testing for those who exhibited a checklist of symptoms at a drivethrough, open-air location at the end of April to get a better idea of how many cases exist, Chris Coudriet, county manager, said on May 1.

“Everything that has been shared with us, the research, the reading is that the best and safest way to begin to reopen the economy is to have more … mass testing, and so we felt like absent the state and the federal government being able to articulate a very clear plan to us and make available the resources we needed to be ahead of that so that we could with certainty communicate to elected officials, business operators that we have a sense of how pervasive,” he said. “COVID-19 is or is not in our community … we brought this plan to bear to help with answering the question.”

The framework of reopening will likely take into account necessity versus the amount of risk, with lower-risk, higher-necessity activities potentially opening first, said Adam Jones, regional economist with the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Swain Center.

Absolute necessities, such as medical care, have stayed open even though they’re risky when it comes to the virus, he said.

“Sort of on the other end of the spectrum are the things that are more luxuries,” Jones said. “They’re not really necessary, but they’re high health risks – so concerts and places where crowds gather. Those are sort of the first things we close down.”

There are also mixed cases, some that are more necessary and a lowhealth risk, such as outdoor exercise, as long as people stay distanced, he said.

Reopening “probably looks like flipping it around and just reversing

this pattern. We’re going to selectively reopen some of these luxury activities that are lower risk than other things. We’ve already seen this here in New Hanover County; the boat ramps were reopened and the marinas [in mid-April].”

Another relaxation of rules that took place last month: As of 5 p.m.

April 29, restaurants in New Hanover County could begin allowing people to come into their establishments for takeout again after a county order had banned that activity.

“We’ll see more of the specialty retail start coming back,” Jones said.

“We’ll likely see restaurants opening with some additional guidelines about seating capacity to try and keep folks spaced out.”

Saffo echoed those predictions.

“I think at some point, probably within the next 60 days, you’re going to start seeing restaurants reopen and bars reopen,” Saffo said on April 29. “I think social distancing requirements are going to be part of that overall plan.

“Some restaurants are going to definitely have to take out seating.

A customer’s got to feel comfortable that social distancing is going to be part of their overall business plan.”

Some businesses, though, won’t be able to reopen, just like after Hurricane Florence in September 2018.

“We could lose up to 40% of our small businesses,” said Saffo, who is also a small business owner. “That’s the real fear that I have. And this community has a lot of good small businesses, hardworking people who are out there every day.

“That’s a tremendous impact to this economy and this community.”

Keeping people safe while reviving local businesses will take creativity, officials said. Discussions that include the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce are ongoing about a group of local officials, business leaders and others who can help with the reopening.

“It’s going to be tough, and we’re going to have to really think outside the box,” Saffo said. “We’re going to have to really come together as a community, and I’m talking about the business leaders, finance people, the state, to really see what we can do to help support the small businesses to either get restarted or recreated in some way shape or form.”

That could include revisiting some local regulations.

“We’re looking at any kind of an option that will help us get there faster,” Saffo said. “We’re looking for things, constructive things, that we could possibly implement to help

STATEWIDE STATS HERE ARE THE LATEST COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH FIGURES BEING TRACKED

BY THE STATE AS OF MAY 5.

LAB-CONFIRMED CASES

12,256 DEATHS

452 COMPLETED TESTS

151,800 CURRENTLY HOSPITALIZED

534 Source: N.C. Department of Health and Human Services

businesses get back on their feet faster.”

“The main thing is, just what in the world is this gonna all look like on the other end?” Fred Meyers, founder and president of Wilmington-based Queensboro.com, said in April. “We were talking in the office today about doing a promotion for pens with your logo on it, and you know somebody was saying, ‘Well, maybe people aren’t even gonna use pens anymore after this and so what are they going to use instead?’

There’s just so much acceleration of change in our lives, in our worlds right now that it’s just so hard to know what it’s gonna look like, what’s gonna be the impact.”

Coudriet sees a stronger future.

“These are tough times. This is a great community, highly resilient.

We’ll come out of it better and stronger,” he said. “We’ll come out of it having to do business in a different way, whether it’s the private sector or the county government, but collectively together this community is going to be stronger.”

Saffo said based on the governor’s phases for potential reopening, he’s hoping for things to get back to some sort of normal around late June, early July.

That might be too late, said Morgan, who received a citation May 1 from New Hanover County sheriff deputies for reopening before restrictions were lifted. As of May 4, the gym was still opening each day, but it was possible Morgan’s doors would be padlocked by law enforcement.

“Most small businesses may have a month or two of money that they can fall back on, but that really is set up for emergencies,” Morgan said.

“It’s not set up for somebody totally shutting your business down.”

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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May 8 - 21, 2020

Page 11

SPECIAL FOCUS: CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

IN PROFILE

Coordinating a healthy response

BY DAVID FREDERIKSEN

L

isa Brown is managing a crisis.

It involves thousands of people, lots of uncertainty and justifiable fear.

As New Hanover County’s public health preparedness coordinator, Brown, 43, develops preparedness plans to respond to and recover from incidents that may put the region’s residents at risk.

Front and center on her desk now for months has been, unequivocally, the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, plan.

As of May 4, New Hanover County had 91 positive cases of the novel coronavirus in the county, with three deaths attributed to the virus, according to the county’s coronavirus information web page.

“Overall, we are in a good place in New Hanover County,” says the Missouri native. “I began monitoring what was then called the novel coronavirus upon it first being identified in China in December.

“Our public health epidemiology team began monitoring in January, and then we began our countywide, multi-agency response in February.”

Over the phone, Brown is affable, almost neighborly, with a voice that rings of advocacy. No surprise considering Brown practiced law before making the move to municipal service.

“I am drawn to doing work I feel is meaningful and can help improve my little corner of the world,” she said.

Brown’s world back in Missouri showed her a lot about people and life, she said, especially against the backdrop of family.

“Both my maternal grandparents had cerebral palsy,” said Brown. “It taught me a lot about putting myself in other people’s shoes.”

And also about attitude in the face of adversity.

“My grandmother, who just celebrated her 90th birthday, is the happiest person I know,” she said.

Brown’s leap from law to public service included various positions in health and human services along the way, until she, her husband and two school-aged children decided to leave the Show-Me state, trading a “landlocked” existence for one filled with sun, surf and sand.

“We moved to Wilmington in early fall 2017, and it turned out New

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Prep leader: Lisa Brown, public health preparedness coordinator for New Hanover County, said county officials began monitoring the novel coronavirus in January.

Hanover County Public Health was looking for a preparedness coordinator,” she said. “When I read the job description, I remember telling my husband, ‘Um, that is me.’”

And it was, including her skills as a lawyer.

“A really good lawyer is able to take in a lot of information and various perspectives and cultivate solutions,” she said. “Public health preparedness is multi-faceted and deals with a lot of information and partners, so remaining solution-focused, I believe, serves this role well.”

At New Hanover County’s Health and Human Services building on Greenfield Street where Brown works, there’s one constant no matter what the threat.

“Planning. We do lots of planning,” she said. “You have plans in the all-hazards model that outline roles and responsibilities of planning and response partners. Then you have more specific frameworks or annexes to deal with more specific aspects of a particular event.”

Brown’s job is part endurance contest. Keep running, even when there’s no finish line in sight.

Brown references the 2014 Ebola

“

I am drawn to doing work I feel is meaningful and can help improve my little corner of the world.”

Lisa Brown, public health preparedness coordinator New Hanover County virus outbreak in West Africa, and how at the time she and her Missouri disease prevention colleagues worked at a “fever pitch” to make sure they were prepared for a potential U.S. landfall.

“You have to exercise and practice with partners who will be part of the response in times of emergency,” she said.

Those partners in the Cape Fear include the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), the Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant Task Force and the Southeastern Healthcare Coalition.

And this advice from Brown:

“Stay calm, be flexible and check your ego.”

Something a runner might say, which, coincidentally, she just happens to be.

But the pandemic has made it hard to do this and other hobbies, said Brown.

“To be sure, I haven’t been as good at [managing stress and finding downtime] as I know I should be,” she said. “I try to carve out time for my hobby, which is making jewelry and going for long runs to clear my head.”

Still, COVID-19 stays top of mind, she said.

Not even Stephen King’s supernatural thriller “The Outsider” – the last book Brown read – seems able to transport her beyond this world.

At the end of the day, Brown says she most appreciates “being with [her] family, hopefully on the patio.”

But for now it’s all about being prepared, she said, because “if you just write a plan and put it in a binder on a shelf and never practice it, you aren’t prepared.”

In these times, it’s a perfect closing argument.

Page 12

May 8 - 21, 2020

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

| REAL ESTATE |

Brunswick centers aim for new tenants

BY CECE NUNN runswick County has long been considered by those in the commercial real estate industry as underserved when it comes to retail offerings, but new retail is on the way.

For example: In Shallotte, the Coastal Walk shopping center shopping center under construction at Main Street (U.S. 17) and Smith Avenue will include numerous national chains.

Hobby Lobby, Ulta, PetSmart, Marshalls, Burkes Outlet, Rack Room and Ross are under construction in what is anticipated to be a 200,000-square-foot center on Shallotte’s main thoroughfare.

“We are scheduled to be delivering this summer, and we plan to meet that schedule,” said Ross Waters, partner in Atlantic Retail, which is marketing the center. The developer is Realty Link of Greenville, South Carolina.

During an interview near the end

B

PHOTO C/O ATLANTIC RETAIL

Stores on the way: Coastal Walk shopping center is under construction and is planned to be occupied by numerous national chains.

of April, Waters said a grand opening date had yet to be determined.

But leasing work continued.

“We’re getting into the process of marketing locally. There’s been a lot of good interest, good outreach from the community, folks who have existing businesses in North Myrtle Beach or in Wilmington and are looking to expand in between,” he said.

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All of the national tenants are new to the town, Waters said.

Nearby, a shopping center under new ownership has the potential to house more tenants.

The owner of other properties in southern Brunswick County bought Shallotte Commons Shopping Center for $1.75 million recently with plans for improvements and to add new

tenants. The nearly 86,000-squarefoot center, built in 1984 and last renovated in 2006, now belongs to Carolina Dreams Golf LLC of West Virginia.

In northern Brunswick County, new retailers have been joining the mix rapidly in recent years. At Leland Town Center, a Starbucks completed by Wilmington-based McKinley Building Corp. opened a few weeks ago and construction is underway for more businesses bordered by Ploof Road, U.S. 17 and Ocean Gate Plaza in Leland.

“The other tenant upfits are still moving,” said Palmer Williams, of Leland Town Center development firm C&S Commercial Properties.

Although new retail decisions are on hold in many cases because of the coronavirus pandemic and measures to halt its spread, “The tenant interest is still there,” Williams said.

“I think they’re all just waiting to see what’s going to happen with the virus.”

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May 8 - 21, 2020

Page 13

REAL ESTATE This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s Real Estate Update. Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

County approves purchase of property next to landfill The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners at its May 4 meeting approved the purchase of some real estate in the county.

The Environmental Management Department sought approval to buy 8 acres of undeveloped property at 5124 U.S. 421 North, next to the landfill, from Tidewater Transit Company Inc. for $780,000, according to the agenda.

“This property will be used to expand the footprint of the landfill at the southwest corner, with frontage along Highway 421,” an agenda document stated. “This real estate purchase will provide the land necessary to relocate the administrative and maintenance facilities, thereby opening up the land where the existing structures are currently situated so as to allow the construction of future landfill cells for solid waste disposal.”

“Funds in the amount of $750,000 were included in the adopted budget for fiscal year 2020 for the purchase of real estate,” county officials stated.

The funds were originally budgeted to buy land at the southeast corner of the site, according to the agenda documents, but due diligence showed contaminated soils present on the property.

“The remaining $30,000 in additional funds required are also available in the Environmental Management Fund’s current adopted FY 2020 expenditure budget,” officials stated in the agenda documents.

City officials put proposed $90M project on hold Work on a $90 million mixed-use development proposal for city-owned property in downtown Wilmington’s northern gateway is on hold, for now, according to city officials.

Because of the coronavirus crisis, it is uncertain when the city will resume its exploration phase with East West Partners, said city spokesman Dylan Lee in an email in April.

Chapel Hill-based East West Part-

ners proposed a development that could bring residential units, retail space, a hotel, a visitors center and parking to several city-owned properties at 1020, 908 and 922 N. Front St. and 901 N. Third St. The properties are situated on the northern side of the city, just off Third Street, the main thoroughfare coming into the city from the Isabel Holmes Bridge and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

The city last year called for proposals to develop the city-owned sites. East West Partners submitted the only proposal, which was approved by city council late last year to move into the exploration phase.

“We respect, under these unprecedented circumstances, the city’s decision to delay further consideration of the Gateway project,” said Lucien Ellison, development director for East West Partners, in an email.

East West Partners remains focused on the projects it has underway in Wilmington and looks forward to “pursuing Gateway when the city suggests it is time to do so,” he said.

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said, “I don’t want to abandon this particular project, a viable project. But at this point in time, we have to put it

on hold to focus on what we’re trying to finish now.”

One of those areas of focus for the developer is completing River Place, a 13-story mixed-use development.

Investors spend $92M on latest local industrial buy A commercial real estate investment firm with properties throughout the Carolinas recently completed its fourth Wilmington-area industrial acquisition.

Edgewater Ventures bought the 240,000-square-foot distribution facility at 421 Landmark Drive near the Port of Wilmington for $9.2 million, according to the deed dated April 3.

The seller was Noelle Holdings LLC, and Noelle Landmark LLC purchased the property in 2016 for $4.9 million.

For the Landmark Drive transaction, Edgewater Ventures was represented by Cody Cress, Tyler Pegg and Will Daube with The CRESS Group of Wilmington-based Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners.

- Cece Nunn

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May 8 - 21, 2020

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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Sponsors’ Content

OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE BECOMES PREFERRED DESIGN TREND A panel from the local building and design industry got together to discuss the emerging trend of outdoor living spaces and the new products on the market that are satisfying this need. Because of our area’s mild climate, more home buyers are investing in either improving or creating outdoor areas to utilize and entertain.

[ Discussion Moderator ] S C OT T BY E R S President and CEO Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations

C R ESS B E LL President Bell Custom Homes

C E E E DWA R DS President Markraft Cabinets

J O S H S MY T H Director of Sales

C HA R L I E T I P TO N

Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations

PulteGroup

SCOTT BYERS: Has anyone noticed more client interest in outdoor living spaces?

CHARLIE TIPTON: We’ve seen an increase in the amount buyers are investing in the exterior − that indoor-outdoor living concept. It proves just how significant the porches are on the front and the back − double porches, large porches, sliding doors, and outdoor fireplaces. Buyers seem willing to compromise a little bit on the heated square footage of the home, but they’re not willing to forego those indoor-outdoor features for sure.

CRESS BELL: And to expand on that, we’re doing a lot now with the products that are available to design outdoor spaces. We can open up a 20-foot wall into a space so that we bring that indoor-outdoor kind of culture to a house. So, we do a lot of that and it’s an extension of the house. From Charleston up, we benefit from winters that average 55 to 80 degrees, so these spaces can be used all year round.

CEE EDWARDS: We’ve got two outdoor lines that we’ve brought in for that reason, because the demand for outdoor living is there. People want to entertain inside and out and we’re in a spot in all our locations, where the weather allows for outside entertaining year-round. People want to hang out outside and entertain while using outdoor countertops and gathering around an outdoor island.

SCOTT LECHTRECKER: One question I get a lot

S C OT T L E C HT R E C K E R Owner Ocean 3 Design

is, “How big can we get the windows?” I mean, that’s my constant question so there’s a lot of that bringing the outside in for sure.

CEE EDWARDS: And the outdoor cabinet lines have expanded. We have a lot of designs now where really nice outdoor kitchens can be created, with L-shaped islands and more. Before you could only get a certain amount of designs and now we’re designing big outdoor kitchens.

The base material is all PVC and the hinges and glass are all stainless, plus we can incorporate louver or shaker doors.

SCOTT BYERS: And the countertop materials have obviously changed as well, so the ability to use porcelain type products indoor and outdoor as well as quartz is changing the way our industry has done things in the past.

JOSH SMYTH: Quartz has grown immensely, but there’s also a newer product called Dekton®, an “ultra-compact surface” where the natural materials are heavily compressed into slabs.

The manufacturer has essentially recreated the metamorphic process. The product has the

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highest resistance to UV, scratching, staining, heat – in fact you can light a fire on it and wipe off the residue and the surface will be undamaged. This new material is unbelievable. Someone mentioned the salty air ─ while granite is a great product, if you put it outside, you can expect some oxidation depending on the geological makeup. With Dekton®, you’re not going to get that at all. Whether you’re dealing with a single homeowner who wants a high-design natural marble look, or someone who is building a thousand homes a year, there is consistency of product from the samples to the slabs to the final product - and we’re able to offer that with this product at Majestic.

SCOTT BYERS: I would say three years ago our business was probably 65 percent natural stone, and 35 percent of that was quartz, and now it’s almost flipped. We’re starting to see a push towards porcelain products such as Dekton® for both indoor as well as outdoor because it has some really unique designs. They’ve done some really cool things with porcelain products to almost make it look natural, but without losing the durability that’s needed.

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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May 8 - 21, 2020

Page 15

| THE LIST |

Web Developers and Designers

Ranked by number of local full-time web designers RANK

1 2 3 4 5 6

COMPANY ADDRESS PHONE EMAIL WEBSITE InterCoastal Net Designs 6934 Beach Drive SW, #3 Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469 575-6095 info@icoastalnet.com www.icoastalnet.com BlueTone Media 201 N. Front St., Suite 601 Wilmington, NC 28401 795-2280 info@bluetonemedia.com www.bluetonemedia.com Wilmington Design Company 3517 Wrightsville Ave. Wiwlmington, NC 28403 395-9997 hello@wilmingtondesignco.com wilmingtondesignco.com Tayloe/Gray 221 N. Second St. Wilmington, NC 28401 795-4831 info@tayloegray.com http://www.tayloegray.com Moxie 20 Wrights Alley Wilmington, NC 28401 256-8990 info@moxie.team www.moxie.team Provis Media 8115 Market St., Suite 300 Wilmington, NC 28411 256-6252 letstalk@provismedia.com www.provismedia.com

NO. LOCAL FT WEB DEVELOPERS/ NO. OF LOCAL EMPLOYEES

SAMPLE WEB ADDRESSES

NO. OF ACTIVE CLIENTS

% OF REVENUE FROM WEB DESIGN OR DEVELOPMENT/ % OF WORK SUBCONTRACTED

MAJOR CLIENTS

SPECIALTIES

TOP LOCAL OFFICIAL/ YEAR FOUNDED

24 42

www.WhiteSailRealty.com, www.intracoastalrentals.com, www.Weekenda.com, www.FollysBestRentals.com, www.PointBRealty.com, www.carolinaonevacationrentals.com

580

85% 5%

15 16

rimguardxtreme.com, homesc.com, carolinacoffeecompany.com

550

50% 2

N/A

N/A N/A

7 20

www.cts-inc.net, firstbankwww.cts-inc.com, www.firstbanksba.com, www.northeastbanksba.com, evasivemotorsports.com, www.liquidlogickayaks.com, www.wilmingtoneye.com, www.highspeedweld.com

50

75% 5

Northest Bank, CTS, MaxPro Window Films, Pay Tel Communications, Velocity Solutions

Branding, design, marketing, technology

Nathan Tayloe, CEO 2009

6 6

www.voyagertherapeutics.comeditasmedicine.com, jouncetx.com, relaytx.com, kanahas.com, cupusa.org

20

10% 5

N/A

Web design and development, content management systems, branding and logo development, print design, press kits

Christine Kim, Partners 2001

5 8

ncino.com, ahperformance.com, markjohnsoncustomhomes.com, commercialinteriors.net

100

50% 0

American Express, Arm & Hammer, Cisco, nCino

8 23

focused vacation rental and real White Sail Realty, IntraCoastal Rentals, Conversion estate web development, custom design, Brandon Sauls, Weekenda Holiday Rentals, Folly's Best search engine optimization, pay-per-click President/Owner Rentals, Point B Realty, Carolina One advertising, social media marketing, email 1999 Vacation Rentals marketing

UNCW, ATMC, Port City Java, HomeSC

Custom design, development, digital marketing, SEO, content management system

Website design and development, Web DentsplySirona, Audioengine, Red Door applications, data analytics, Enterprise level Homes, hosting.

Jimmy Honsinger, CEO 2003 Bill Hunter, President/ Creative Director 2005

Matthew Web development, 3D animation, video Chief production, inbound marketing, SEO, lead Summers, Digital Officer generation, sales enablement 2003

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

Stay informed on critical HEALTH and BUSINESS issues Lisa Leath president of Leath HR Group • Lynn Whitesell managing partner of Harris Whitesell Consulting • Paul Kamitsuka NHRMC chief epidemiologist / Wilmington Health infectious disease consultant • Jud Watkins Wrightsville Beach Brewery owner • Hayley Jensen Beer Barrio and Skytown Brewery Co. co-owner • Anna McCray New Hanover County emergency management assistant director • Julie Wilsey Wilmington International Airport director • Paul Cozza N.C. State Ports Authority executive director • Debbie Elliott Talk Inc. president • Ruth Smith RR Smith Strategic Solutions president • Del Burns New Hanover County Schools interim superintendent • Anne Gardner Cape Fear Realtors CEO • Cameron Moore Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association executive officer • Natalie English Wilmington Chamber of Commerce president and CEO • Ed Wolverton Wilmington Downtown Inc. president and CEO • Heather McWhorter Small Business and Technology Development Center regional center director • Chip Mahan Live Oak Bank chairman and CEO • Huntley Garriott Live Oak Bank president • Kim Hufham New Hanover County Tourism Authority president and CEO • Fredia Brady,

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May 8 - 21, 2020

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

| THE LIST |

Audio-Visual Companies

Ranked by number of local full-time employees RANK

COMPANY ADDRESS

PHONE WEBSITE EMAIL

NO. FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES/ NO. PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

SPECIALTIES, SERVICES OFFERED

TOP LOCAL OFFICIAL/ YEAR FOUNDED

1

Filmwerks LLC 589 Carver Drive Rocky Point, NC 28457

675-1145 Filmwerksintl.com katies@filmwerksint.com

150 1

Generator rental, stage/mobile structure construction, custom lighting build, climate control for live events and film productions

Michael Satrazemis CEO 2001

2

AValive 311 Judges Road Wilmington, NC 28405

790-0324 www.AValive.com customerservice@avalive.com

9

LCD projectors, Apple/PC computers, LCD monitors, laptops, microphones for rent, on-site AV engineers, iPad rentals, cameras and video editing systems

Frank Fugazi Manager 1992

3

EZAV 2601 Iron Gate Drive, Suite 101 Wilmington, NC 28412

762-4144 www.ezav.biz Info@ezav.biz

6 24

AV production, lighting, events, video production; for: corporate, association, convention; virtual conferencing and virtual exhibit halls

Brian McArtan CEO 2007

4

Sound Wave Audio 102 Portwatch Way, Suite A Wilmington, NC 28412

794-2858 www.soundwaveaudio.com soundwaveaudio@att.net

6

Concert production services; state-of-the-art audio, lighting, video, backline and staging; large inventory of wireless microphones

Michael Thrift Owner 1987

5

AcoustiCreations Inc. 311 Judges Road, Suite 13-A Wilmington, NC 28405

371-2038 www.acousticreations.com sales@acousticreations.com

4

Commercial and residential audio/video, automation, lighting and structured cabling (Cat6, fiber, etc.)

Shaun Olsen President/CEO 2004

6

Audio Visual Services Coastal 1200 N. 23rd St., Suite 211 Wilmington, NC 28405

341-0045 www.avscoastal.com info@avscoastal.com

4 4

Audio/visual rentals and streaming services

Michael Jacaruso Owner 1989

7

Past Present Future Digital 4601 Peachtree Ave. Wilmington, NC 28403

399-1820 www.ppfdigital.com josh@ppfdigital.com

1 1

Digitize photos, slides, film and videotapes; create custom slideshows; video editing and production

Josh Caine Owner 2004

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

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

May 8 - 21, 2020

Page 17

| BIZ LEADS | Reader’s Guide BizLeads is a collection of information gathered from greater Wilmington courthouses, state government offices and informational websites. These listings are intended to help the business community find new customers and stay on top of happenings with current customers, vendors and competitors.

New Corporations lists firms that were recently incorporated in the state of North Carolina. All information is gathered from the North Carolina Secretary of State website. Addresses listed may not be the actual address of the business.

NEW CORPS March 26 April 24

1790 FARMS LLC 2120 Old Winter Park Road Wilmington 28405 Agent: Wil T Massengill Jr 217 SOUTH 4TH AVENUE TOWNHOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC. 1112 S Lake Park Blvd Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Quinn Marlow 3731 MERESTONE LLC 3811 Peachtree Ave Ste 200 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Tony Stroud Cpa PC ACE LAWN CARE SERVICE LLC 823 Southern Charm Dr Wilmington 28412 Agent: Ronda Wates AFFINITY ASSOCIATES LLC 7127 Orchard Terrace Wilmington 28409 Agent: Jeffrey B Whiting ANCHOR SERVICES AND CONSULTING LLC 4916 Nicholas Creek Circle Wilmington 28409 Agent: Tonya Nessclroade BAREFOOT ISLAND TREASURES LLC 5505 Pine Glen St Southport 28461 Agent: Sandra Williams BETTER PRIMARY CARE AND WELLNESS P.A. 34 Swamp Fox Drive Carolina Shores 28467 Agent: Smith & Morgan Law P.A. BL FARMS & RESCUE LLC 760 Lea Dr Ext Hampstead 28443 Agent: Mark Jeffery Armstrong BLISSFUL ENTERPRISES LLC 1217 S Moorings Drive

Wilmington 28405 Agent: Victor Marchioni BLUE COAST HANDYMAN SERVICE’S LLC 6509 Greenville Loop Rd #93 Wilmington 28409 Agent: Maria ReyesTadeo BRIDAL STYLES BY KRISTEN LLC 187 N Palm Dr Winnabow 28470 Agent: Kristen Casselberry BRUNSWICK BREWERY COMPANY 2017 Woodwind Drive Leland 28451 Agent: Mark Sameeh Said

COASTAL HILL LLC 402 Sturbridge Ct. Wilmington 28405 Agent: Peyton Hill Thigpen

GAB ENTERPRISES OF NC LLC 409 North 5th Avenue Wilmington 28401 Agent: Glynn A Bowden

COMPETITIVE EDGE (LZE) LLC 508 Millhouse Rd Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Lisa Zeigler Edge

GARDEN PARTNERS LLC 2501 W. Dolphin Drive Oak Island 28465 Agent: Marcia L. Erwin

COMPLETE RENOVATION SOLUTIONS LLC 6227 Meredith Way Wilmington 28405 Agent: Bradley Walker CON + TECTS INC. 1580 Honeybee Lane Wilmington 28412 Agent: Mohamed K. Najjar CREATIVE MARKETPLACE INC. 8317 Vintage Club Cir Wilmington 27411 Agent: Elizabeth B Eagles-fouros CREATIVE SUPPLY HOUSE INC 601 Atlanta Avenue Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Mark McGowan CUSTOM CONCRETE DESIGNS CCD INC. 588 Seaside Rd SW Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Brian S Elliott DANYLEC LEASING LLC 2812 Princess place Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Matthew N. Danylec

BRUNSWICK BREWING CO. 2017 Woodwind Drive Leland 28451 Agent: Mark Sameeh Said

DEATON LAND HOLDINGS LLC 4152 9th Street SE Southport 28461 Agent: Christopher Powell

CAFFECITO L.L.C. 724 S 5th Ave #202 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Michael Wessel

E&E CUSTOM HOMES PAINTING INC 201 Barclay Hills Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Oscar Portillo

CANNACORE HOLDINGS LLC 4410 Purviance Ave Wilmington 28409 Agent: Steve L West CAPTAIN TEW LLC 105 NE 31st St Oak Island 28465 Agent: Willis Tew CAROLINA SALES MANAGEMENT INC. 5015 Canvasback Court Southport 28461 Agent: Steven D Lewis

E5 PROFESSIONAL COACHING LLC 128 Middle Point Road Hampstead 28443 Agent: Jody Gene Fletcher FAST MARKETING SOLUTIONS LLC 5731 Whitestocking Rd Burgaw 28425 Agent: Daniel Stewart

CLAIM SPECIALISTS LLC 955 Wyndfall Dr SW Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Craig Elliott

FIELDSTONE CROSSING COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION INC. 2018 Eastwood Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: Premier Management Company

CLINICAL FIRST SOLUTIONS LLC 3608 E Yacht Dr Oak Island 28465 Agent: Roy Gilbert

FISHING CREEK PRESERVE LLC 324 Greenville Avenue Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robert M High

COASTAL FIREPLACE INC. 1302 Stonehaven Court Wilmington 28411 Agent: Rick Croker

FRONT PORCH PROPERTY GROUP LLC 1311 Queen Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Mattlynn Yeoman

GARRIS FOUNTAIN PLANT LLC 2030 Eastwood Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: Cindy York GREEN BRIDGE CONTRACTORS LLC 1411 Commonwealth Drive Ste 300 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Stan Bullock GREENE BADGER PRODUCTION LLC 410 Vallie Lane Wilmington 28412 Agent: Richard Badger GRJ VENTURES LLC 1003 Macklin St Leland 28451 Agent: Gilmer R Julian HAMPSTEAD FLOORS AND MORE L.L.C. 353 Washington Acres Road Hampstead 28443 Agent: Kristen Silva MYERS REALTY INC. 14254 Hwy 50 Suite B Surf City 28445 Agent: Carol L Myers NAM-JAI LLC 347 Hutchison Lane Wilmington 28401 Agent: Larry Bell NC AFFORDABLE HOLDINGS LLC 1319 Military Cutoff Rd Suite CC #161 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Robert Gibbs NINE ONE ZERO SALON INC. 4267 Cherry Laurel Dr SE Southport 28461 Agent: Gregory S. Weatherwax NO OR GO! LTD. LIABILITY CO. 1152-202 Harbour Drive Wilmington 28401 Agent: Avery Muldrow NOMAD ANALYTICS L.L.C. 2586 Ocean Palm Court NE Leland 28451 Agent: Christopher Bukowski NUMINOUS MANOR LLC 2910 Midtown Way Apt. 206 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Victoria Lauder OI - SHOPPING CENTER LLC 6336 Oleander Drive Suite 4 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Sheri S Smothers ONE THOUSAND MILES

LLC 3900 Cherry Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Mary Staggs PEAK PERFORMANCE RESOURCE LLC 205 1/2 River Drive Southport 28461 Agent: Aedan M Barnes PENDER POST MEDIA INC. 45 Pintail Lane Rocky Point 28457 Agent: James A. Pettigrew PETERS LANDSCAPING & MAINTENANCE LLC 226 Hearthside Dr Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Jessica Sarmiento PHILLY’S BREADBOX DELIVERY COMPANY 6309 Sentry Oaks Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Philip Yorio PICAYONI PAINTING LLC 5550 Carolina Beach Rd #6 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Bairon S Arzu Witi PIRATES PAINTING CO. LLC 329 NE 55th Street Oak Island 28465 Agent: Jason A. Tsounos PORT SIDE DIESEL REPAIR & STORAGE LLC 120 Bryan Road Wilmington 28412 Agent: Tracy B Stephens PROVEN MARKETING LLC 830 Santa Maria Ave Wilmington 28411 Agent: Richard A Diener RAINBOW PROMISE DRYWALL & CLEANING LLC 2806 Graham Street Wilmington 28412 Agent: Mirna Janeth Escalante RED FOX PROPERTIES LLC 400 Amanda Lane Hampstead 28443 Agent: Patrick Morris RG DESIGNS INC. 1305 Grove Point Rd Wilmington 28409 Agent: Rennie Glenn Pankoski RIVER CITY CUISINE LLC 4634 Mockingbird Ln Wilmington 28409 Agent: Mark Westendorff RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION OF WILMINGTON INC. 2018 Eastwood Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: Premier Management Company ROLLER TECHNICAL CONSULTING LLC 910 Tarpon Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Gary M Roller SANDSBREY

ANESTHESIA PLLC 201 Coral Drive Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Robert C. Segars Jr. SAW TUN PWO KAREN LLC 802 Greenhowe Dr. Wilmington 28409 Agent: Saw Wai Lin Tun SEACOAST CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LLC 525 Bronze Dr Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Jon Clindennin Beard Jr SELL NOW SOLD FAST LLC 210 Wellington Dr Wilmington 28411 Agent: Ralph Scales II SERENITY SKIN CARE L.L.C. 3350 Club Villas Dr. SE 906 Southport 28461 Agent: Julie M. Thomas SEVEN SISTERS OF BRUNSWICK LLC 2508 Independence Blvd. Suite 201 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Monica C. Watson SINCE DEAWON LLC 3 Pelican Ln Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Edward Griffin SMOKE KINGS INC 5621 Carolina Beach Rd Ste E Wilmington 28412 Agent: Moayad Nafal SMOOVER’S INVESTMENTS LLC 1823 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington 28401 Agent: Atiba Johnson SNYDER FILM PRODUCTIONS INC. 5105 Smalley Circle Wilmington 28409 Agent: Stephen W Snyder SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA FARM INC. 6368 Myrtle Grove Road Wilmington 28409 Agent: Sharon F Haggett SQUID PROPERTIES 1 LLC 1904 Eastwood Dr Ste 305 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Jack Calvin Morgan III SRM ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LLC 121 Hawk Hollow Trail Burgaw 28425 Agent: Sebrina R. Murray ST. JAMES PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION 3217 Wexford Way Southport 28461 Agent: Scott Hettinger STAYNEIGHBOR CORP. 610 Plum Nearly Ln Apt J Wilmington 28403

Agent: Samuel Stephen Hilsman STUBBS VALUATION SERVICES INC. 48 Iris Way Hampstead 28443 Agent: Nathan B Stubbs SURF CITY SHUTTLE TWO LLC 819 Topsail Dr Surf City 28445 Agent: Cheryl Crane Hunter SWIM SAFE AMERICA LLC 181 Amberleigh Dr Apt 105 Wilmington 28411 Agent: Rex Carpenter SYNERGY BOOKKEEPING SERVICES LLC 1915 Perry Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Perry Maxwell TAMMY’S TRAINING LLC 106 Yacht Basin Landing Hampstead 28443 Agent: Tamara Wehri THE C.J.L. JOHNSON GROUP OF N.C. LLC 3902 Botsford Group Unit 204 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Chauntoyia Johnson THE HOMESCHOOL CLASS LLC 2218 Gibson Ave Wilmington 28403 Agent: Pasha Krise THE VILLAGE IN VASS HOA INC. 213 South 2nd Street Wilmington 28401 Agent: Allan Casavant THERAPEUTIC ARTS AND COUNSELING PLLC 1437 Military Cutoff Road Wilmington 28403 Agent: Nicole Pipitone THOMAS J BECKETT MD PLLC 305 Holiday Hills Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Thomas J. Beckett TOMMYS 1 INC. 3280 Mt Misery Rd Leland 28451 Agent: Basem Sara UNWINED LLC 114 N Topsail Dr Surf City 28445 Agent: Tracey Shugarts V & BROTHER’S CONSTRUCTION INC 210 Cardiff Road Castle Hayne 28429

Agent: Moises Villegas VECTOR WRECKERS LLC 809 Ruffin Street Wilmington 28412 Agent: Thomas J. Ramoino VELASQUEZ CONSTRUCTION LLC 481 Bachelor Creek Lane Supply 28462 Agent: Cipriano Velasquez VISION MONACO LLC 3810 Ardley Court Wilmington 28409 Agent: Tammi Gates WASU LLC 1533 Thomasboro Road SW Calabash 28467 Agent: Walter A Argote WATERWAY DEVELOPMENT GROUP LLC 1612 Military Cutoff Road Suite 300 Wilmington 28403 Agent: James W Lea III WB DREDGING INC. 7117 Trailmark Rd Wilmington 28405 Agent: Brooks Bridges WELS MANAGEMENT LLC 806 N. 23rd Street Wilmington 28405 Agent: Nicholas T. Arnold WILL CARTIER CONSTRUCTION INC. 25 W Henderson Street Wrightsville Beach 28480 Agent: Will Cartier WILLIAM S. DUNDEE CONSULTING GROUP LLC 9375 US Highway 117 South Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Richard N. Cavanaugh WILMINGTON’S FINEST CLEANING LLC 5404 Sirius Drive Apt 206 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Franklin Brian Lamb II WOLFS STONE SERVICES LLC 4927 Exton Park Loop Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Vlad Wolf WORTHY YOU LLC 907 Wyndfall Drive SW Sunset Beach 28468 Agent: Joseph E Goodman

GET ALL THE DATA! Receive a weekly Data Feed with new corporations, people in new positions, contracts up for bid, press release roundups, real estate transactions and building permits. Learn more and subscribe at WilmingtonBizData.com

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RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

BUSINESS OF LIFE

This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s weekly Restaurant Roundup email.

Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

Vegan eatery reopens after temporary closure The highly anticipated reopening of Sealevel City Vegan Diner in March, under the new ownership of Kelsey Gibbs and her husband, Scott Key, may have come just at the wrong time.

After a strong start and less than a week after opening, Gibbs said the restaurant began to feel the looming effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

When dine-in service was suspended by executive order, Gibbs and Key made the difficult decision to close temporarily. The couple said they faced another setback when they were denied a PPP loan because they were not open to the public prior to Feb. 15.

“Here we were with a brand new business that opened months later than originally expected, and we were closed,” Gibbs said. “But we had bills to pay and felt that the vegan community was depending on us, so we found a way to deal with the necessary guidelines and reopen.”

Sealevel, 1015 S. Kerr Ave., is serving its full menu via no-contact curbside service, including longtime fan favorites such as the kimchi tempeh Reuben with house-made sauerkraut and kimchi, the lentil cheeseburger and kale nachos.

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Following several months of renovations at 2 Market St., Floriana Restaurant opened quietly in April, according to owner Jamie Branda.

Branda has operated the original Floriana Restaurant, located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington DC, for the past 14 years, though the restaurant was originally founded in 1979.

He announced in December that he and executive chef Daniel Hlusak had been scouting several cities for a second location before deciding upon the Port City.

After passing final inspections, Branda and Hlusak opened with a takeout menu in accordance with current COVID-19 guidelines.

“This is of course very different from our normal full-service experience, but it’s still an opportunity for

the staff to come together as a team and to get to know the food,” Branda said.

Salty Sistas adapts to coronavirus restrictions Like many businesses, Salty Sistas food truck and eatery has had to shift its business model to adapt to regulations in place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sneads Ferry-based operation began with the launch of the food truck just over a year ago, followed by a brick and mortar location on N.C. 172 just eight months ago.

Owner Jeanette Georgitis works alongside her son and daughter, chef Anthony Lopez and Jacey Davis, serving a variety of items that they refer to as “salty fare with a Southern flair.”

Their regular menu consists of items such as fresh Maine lobster rolls, burgers, cheesesteaks and tacos of all kinds. These days they have shifted their model to focus mainly on a rotating selection of family-style meals for takeout. Some days they also serve lunch from the truck.

“We’ve had a lot of community support from the start,” Lopez said.

“This is a challenging time for sure, but we’re grateful that we’ve been able to adapt.”

Distillery to continue making hand sanitizer Just a few months in to operating his brand new distillery in downtown Wilmington, End of Days Distillery founder Shane Faulkner found himself producing an unexpected product: hand sanitizer. It can be a scarce product to find because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We realized that we had the resources to make it ourselves,” Faulkner said. “So why not? But in a million years I never thought I’d be making sanitizer in a distillery.”

Faulkner said EOD’s product contains vodka at 70% ABV, (vodka produced for consumption is 40% ABV) with the addition of tea tree oil, an essential oil with antibacterial properties.

There has been such high demand for the sanitizer that Faulkner said he has already decided it will be a permanent product. He’s received many requests locally and across the country from retailers that wish to carry the product in their stores.

-Jessica Maurer

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

May 8 - 21, 2020

Page 19

| BUSINESS OF LIFE | Delivering the goods

BY JOHANNA CANO

W

hile many businesses in the Wilmington region have seen a slowdown due to restrictions set in place to hinder the spread of COVID-19, one business’s service became even more apt during the pandemic.

Cape Fear Delivery is a Wilmington company that has been providing delivery services for restaurants as well as grocery and pharmacy delivery since 2016.

When restrictions put in place by the state and local government prohibited dine-in service at restaurants, Cape Fear Delivery became an option that allowed many restaurants to deliver food.

“We’ve been extremely busy, and a lot of local restaurants have wanted to come on board because now they can only do takeout and delivery,” said Michelle Barrow, owner of Cape Fear Delivery. “I can offer them online ordering that they can put right on their website.”

Barrow opened the business in 2016.

She was in school getting a degree while at the same time working for a delivery service and decided to start her own company because she felt she could serve the community better.

“I liked the business. I got to know the restaurants, I got to know the customers and I felt like I could do a better job,” Barrow said. “I just wanted to offer them a better service, give them whatever they want.

We will do groceries, pharmacy and restaurant deliveries. I enjoy taking care of my customers.”

The company had a strong start in the first full year it was operating.

Then in 2018, bigger competitors such as Uber Eats entered the Wilmington market.

“In 2018, sometime around there, all the big guys started coming to town. So that slowed us down a little bit,” Barrow said. “But since the coronavirus, we’ve been extremely busy. We are very fortunate that Wilmington supports local. I have a local business; I have lived here all my life.”

Cape Fear Delivery, which currently has 40 drivers, is working with about 50 local restaurants providing delivery. During the first two weeks when restaurant dine-in restrictions were set in place, Barrow onboarded

RESTAURANT ROUN DUP

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Wheels up: Owner Michelle Barrow started Cape Fear Delivery in 2016 to drop off customers’ restaurant orders and groceries. Like other delivery services, she has seen a recent uptick in demand as more people stay close to home.

20 restaurants and is still bringing in new ones to the Cape Fear Delivery platform.

Lunch deliveries have been steady.

Meanwhile, dinner deliveries have had the company swamped, she said.

“I usually have 20 or 30 drivers on for dinner, and we’re doing about a hundred deliveries [a day] just for dinner,” Barrow said.

Deliveries and take out are the main way local restaurants and restaurants throughout the nation are continuing to conduct business while restrictions are in place. According to the National Restaurant Association, consumers have been consistently using off-premise options from restaurants during the coronavirus crisis. For most of March and April, about 60% of adults surveyed said they ordered takeout or delivery from a restaurant for a dinner meal.

And there is room for growth.

About 52% of adults said they are not ordering takeout or delivery from restaurants as often as they would like.

Because many grocery stores already offer grocery delivery, Cape Fear Delivery does not focus on the grocery business, it provides simple

services such as milk and ice delivery.

The pharmacy delivery side of the business, however, has also seen an uptick in demand along with restaurant delivery.

“We have seen an increase in people wanting us to go to the pharmacy to get their prescriptions for them,” Barrow said. “Especially, the elderly don’t want to go out so we are able to help them get their prescriptions.”

Just like other businesses, Cape Fear Delivery has had to adapt during the coronavirus pandemic.

Drivers wear gloves, have sanitizer handy and have minimal contact with customers.

The business has adjusted its hours, now open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing it to deliver breakfast.

Previously, it opened at 11 a.m. and closed at 11 p.m.

“I get up every day and work until the business closes and then even an hour or two after,” Barrow said.

“I’ve been putting up these restaurants, promoting them, doing all the marketing, social media, emails, text messages, push notifications and trying to give back to the community.”

When the coronavirus first began impacting the area, Barrow gave

away money to families for two weeks as well as free food and donations to food banks.

When things go back to a new normal, hopefully soon, Cape Fear Delivery will have earned new customers who have experienced the convenience of having meals and prescriptions delivered to their homes during the coronavirus.

“I’ve gotten a lot of new customers, and they’re very happy. The convenience of having it delivered, they really come to appreciate it and know that anytime something like this was to happen or if they were to be injured or get sick, they know that we’re gonna be there to take care of them,” Barrow said. “So it’s not just in this time of need when things have changed for everybody.”

Barrow said she hopes those customers will continue to use Cape Fear Delivery services even after the stay-at-home restrictions because of the coronavirus have passed.

“When things do get back to normal, I think that people will understand that they’re not just an algorithm to us like they may be to other delivery services,” she said. “I’m always here to answer the phone.”

Page 20

May 8 - 21, 2020

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