Greater Wilmington Business Journal - Nov. 6 Issue

New plan

Former county planner reflects Page 11

November 6 - 19, 2020 Vol. 21, No. 21

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Job magnet?

Former Vertex site has potential Page 8

Fare future

Restaurant owners look ahead Page 23

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Index Health Care ........................................4-5 Banking & Finance .............................6-7 Economic Development.......................8-9 In Profile...............................................11 Real Estate .................................... 12-13

Change under consideration: The locally approved sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center is under review by the state attorney general.

NEXT STEPS HOSPITAL DEAL UNDER STATE REVIEW AS NHRMC AND NOVANT FOCUS ON TRANSITION

The List ................................................16 Business of Life.............................. 22-23

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BY NEIL COTIAUX he approved sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health is now under review by N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein, and residents of Southeastern North Carolina have wasted no time in letting their feelings be known.

After nearly a year of exploring a possible sale or partnership for NHRMC, the 21-member residents’ panel known as the Partnership Advisory Group voted unanimously on Sept. 29 to recommend the sale of the county-owned hospital system.

Soon after, the NHRMC Board of Trustees and the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners approved the deal, setting the stage

T

for a historic change of ownership by the middle of next year.

“Tonight, we finish as one united team … you kept an open mind, you learned, you evaluated, you challenged, and in the end, you did what many thought wasn’t possible. You reached a unanimous recommendation,” NHRMC president and CEO John Gizdic said as the PAG gave its thumbs-up.

But if the PAG’s vote was unanimous, lone dissenters sitting on the hospital board and the county board of commissioners broke ranks and a second local group, Save Our Hospital, launched a lawsuit to try to obtain county and hospital documents related to the sale.

Now, with a review underway by

Stein, key promises made by Novant in the Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) are undergoing scrutiny with the possibility that some commitments could be amended and clarified as was done when Stein reviewed HCA Healthcare’s deal with Mission Health in Asheville.

When asked last month how long the review might take, Stein’s office said “It’s always difficult to estimate.”

Novant’s commitments include $1.25 billion to establish a community endowment; $300 million for a county revenue stabilization fund; a $200 million employee resiliency fund; $50 million for a mental and behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment fund; more See STEPS, page 10

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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

Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

Brunswick County initiative plans for growth (Oct. 23) Brunswick County residents can weigh in on the future of land use and parks and recreation in the county as part of an initiative called Blueprint Brunswick 2040.

According to a news release, Brunswick County’s Planning and Parks and Recreation departments have teamed up for the year-long initiative to craft two new plans: a Comprehensive Land Use Plan and a Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

“Together, these two new plans will guide future growth, decisions and investments in infrastructure and services within the county,” according to the release.

According to the release, the project is currently in the second phase of a four-phase timeline. Since July, county staff members have been gathering data and maps on the study areas, hosting steering committee meetings, and holding a tour

and visioning meetings with county commissioners. The next phase is community input and engagement.

Individuals can find resources, maps, upcoming meetings and the online survey now at BlueprintBrunswick2040.com.

Aviation manufacturer eyes expansion (Oct. 22) A state grant has been awarded to a Brunswick County manufacturer in the aviation and aerospace industry to help the firm expand and create more than a dozen local jobs, according to a news release from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office.

The N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved a $100,000 grant to support development at the HSM Machine Works site, 2613 Mt. Misery Road. The funding falls under the state’s Economic Infrastructure program.

The firm, which manufactures landing gear for the aviation and aerospace industry, plans to create 17 jobs and invest $150,000.

HSM Machine Works employs about 18 people locally. The business

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makes parts in Brunswick County and sends them to a New York-based operation, Blair-HSM, for assembly and finishing, said Jim Flock, general manager of HSM Machine Works.

Next Glass acquires Ga. beverage tech firm (Oct. 19) Wilmington-based Next Glass Inc., the parent company of Untappd, has acquired craft beverage technology solution Oznr, according to a news release.

Next Glass’ alcohol beverage industry technology brands, such as Untappd and BeerAdvocate, will use Oznr technology, and Next Glass will also invest in Oznr’s future growth, including team and product expansions, officials said in the news release.

Formerly known as CraftCellr, the Atlanta-based technology firm “partners with craft beverage producers and retailers … to manage their day-to-day operations for to-go sales, memberships, can/bottle release pre-sales, and random draws for high demand releases,” stated the release.

TOP-READ STORIES ONLINE Here are the most popular stories for October 19 - 30 from the Business Journal’s website.

1. NHRMC plans $210M hospital 2. Realtor opens My Sister's Cottage at Mayfaire Town Center 3. New restaurant now open in Landfall Shopping Center 4. Wilmington insurance firm announces CEO 5. Bitty & Beau's owners announce first franchise location 6. Wilmington company acquired by McKim & Creed 7. Apartments, townhomes coming in new project at Echo Farms 8. Wilmington port reaches major container ship milestone 9. Bagel King & Donuts coming soon 10. D eveloper planning another building in Pender Commerce Park To read more, go to wilmingtonbiz.com

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| HEALTH CARE |

With vaccine work, PPD sees growth in Q3

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ith key indicators – such as earnings, new orders and order backlog – on the rise, PPD Chairman and CEO David Simmons announced that the third quarter of 2020 has been a “strong quarter” for the global contract research organization based in Wilmington.

“We have continued to focus on executing for our customers as we navigate through the pandemic,” Simmons said in a recent news release. “This is evident in our continued momentum with double-digit growth in net authorizations, revenue and adjusted EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] over last year.

“Furthermore, we are proud that PPD is continuing to play a leading role in the development of vaccines and therapies for COVID-19, now having won more than 140 awards for work associated with the virus.”

PPD Inc. (Nasdaq: PPD) has helped facilitate work as a partner with Moderna, which has one of the COVID-19 vaccines in development.

PHOTO C/O PPD

Drug development: Moderna, with assistance from PPD, is conducting its third phase of a study to develop a potential vaccine against COVID-19.

Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc. announced in late October the completion of the enrollment of 30,000 participants in what the firm calls its Phase 3 COVE study.

“To date, more than 25,650 participants have received their second vaccination,” stated a Moderna news

release.

PPD has been “essential to the successful execution to date of the COVE study,” Moderna officials said in the release.

PPD also supported Moderna’s Phase 2 study.

In PPD’s earnings call Oct. 28,

Simmons said that COVID-related work has represented about 20% of its authorizations this past quarter.

Even disregarding that segment of PPD’s work, growth was up in Q3 year over year, he said, attributing that growth partly to the company’s accelerated pace in starting work after contract awards.

PPD finished the quarter with $803 million in cash and total liquidity of $1.1 billion, “which represents the strongest quarter-end liquidity position in over 10 years,” officials stated.

Assuming no significant reduction in site access, patient enrollment and other key operating metrics in Q4 as a result of COVID-19, and that there are no major delays or cancellations of COVID-19 studies during the fourth quarter from safety concerns or other issues, PPD expects revenues for the fourth quarter to be in the $1.25 billion to nearly $1.3 billion range, a year-over-year increase of between 20% and 24%.

Looking at its fiscal year 2020 as a whole, PPD expects revenues of

BETTER CARE THROUGH

CLINICAL RESEARCH For almost 50 years, Wilmington Health has been a part of the community, and for over 20 years, our research division, WH Research, has led the region in clinical trials. No other area provider is as experienced or as respected. Our goal is to ensure the best medical care for our patients, while maintaining an active role in the development of new treatments and medications. We’re at the forefront of medicine, so that our patients are at the forefront of TRUE Care.

WILMINGTONHEALTH.COM/RESEARCH

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| HEALTH CARE | between nearly $4.5 billion and $4.6 billion, which would be an increase of between 13.5% and 14.5% over those of FY2019.

- Christina Haley O’Neal and Jenny Callison

NHRMC plans $210M hospital in Scotts Hill More details are emerging on plans by New Hanover Regional Medical Center to build a new community hospital near the New Hanover County-Pender County line.

In a Certificate of Need filing by NHRMC with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the health care system is seeking approval of plans for a nearly $210 million hospital with a total of 66 beds that is projected to open in October 2024.

“The growth and aging of the New Hanover County population is driving the need for additional hospital services,” said Andre Boyd, NHRMC’s COO, in an email. “The Scotts Hill hospital would offer care closer to home to all in the busy U.S. 17 corridor … Our partnership with Novant Health, which is under regulatory review, will support these kinds of investments in improving

access to health care.”

The application seeks permission for a facility with 66 acute-care beds that would include 36 new beds as well as 30 others to be relocated from NHRMC’s current Orthopedic Hospital campus.

“With the combined capacity constraints at NHRMC’s main campus on 17th Street in downtown Wilmington and planned closure of the nearby NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital, NHRMC is in need of expanded capacity at a new location to accommodate shifting patient volumes. This will free up capacity at NHRMC Main to continue serving higher acuity patients from across the county and region and ensure that there is no gap in care for patients historically served by the Orthopedic Hospital,” the filing says.

The new hospital, if approved, would incorporate NHRMC’s free-standing Emergency Department-North at 151 Scotts Hill Medical Drive, which the Certificate of Need application gives as the address for the proposed hospital.

The application projects that 70% of the acute-care beds at the new facility would serve patients from New Hanover County, 15% from Pender

County, 5% from Brunswick County and the balance from Onslow, Columbus and other counties.

The community hospital is proposed to have eight operating rooms.

Of the 66 beds at the new hospital, 58 would be medical/surgical beds and eight would be ICU beds. Additionally, six observation beds would be available for short-term use.

More than $3 billion is earmarked for both routine capital expenses and strategic master plan projects like the Scotts Hill project under the final agreement reached by Novant Health, New Hanover County and NHRMC for the proposed purchase of the Wilmington-based health care system.

There is no indication when state officials may act on NHRMC’s Certificate of Need application.

- Neil Cotiaux

Dosher announces CEO, president appointments Dosher Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees officials in October that they have permanently appointed Brad Hilaman as CEO and Lynda Stanley as the hospital’s president.

Both Hilaman and Stanley, who

were named interim CEO and president, respectively, in February, have a long history with Dosher and the local community Hilaman has been affiliated with Dosher since 1995.

“A well-known and respected obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Hilaman recently retired from Dosher’s Women’s Health clinic. He is also the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer and primarily responsible for the direction and management of the hospital’s highly successful and award-winning Wound Center,” a news release stated.

Stanley was COO of Dosher from 1986 until 2014 when she became president of the hospital’s newly formed foundation. She has been a key figure in the success of the Dosher Hospital Foundation and the formation of the Brunswick Wellness Coalition, officials said.

“We have great confidence that Dosher is well positioned to handle all of the challenges and changes that the healthcare world continues to face, and to excel at strategically planning for our future,” Robert Howard, Dosher hospital trustees chairman, said in the release.

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| BANKING & FINANCE |

COVID-19 speeds up banking tech

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n the era of coronavirus, banks have had to wean retail customers away from reliance on in-person transactions and point them toward the greater use of technology.

Bankers say COVID restricJENNY tions hastened the trend in that direction.

“Ultimately, COVID-19 amplified existing behavior changes by forcing the issue with closures and restrictions on in-person meetings,” said Spence Broadhurst, president of the East North Carolina region for First National Bank. “That is something you see reflected in our investments in technology and the ongoing optimization of our own physical delivery channel.”

FNB’s retail customers increasingly have used online and mobile channels since COVID restrictions

CALLISON

curtailed in-person contact, Broadhurst continued, saying “This was especially true with features that support transactions or activities that some customers may historically have chosen to perform in person.”

As examples, Broadhurst cited “dramatic upticks” in customers’ use of FNB’s online appointment scheduling feature available on its new website and “significant increases” in the number of mobile deposits and use of Zelle to transfer money between individuals.

Thomas Cline has seen similar behavior changes in Eastern NC. “We had a lot of [tech] tools before that people didn’t use,” said Cline, the bank’s regional president for Eastern North Carolina. “And we’ve added some mobile and digital features. Now most of our customers are using their phones or other mobile devices.”

Cline said that, company-wide, Wells Fargo is seeing an 11% yearover-year increase in retail customers banking remotely instead of walking into a branch. In Eastern North Car-

olina, that number is up 20%.

“I’ve been in this region 14 years; Eastern North Carolina has always lagged behind in terms of technology use,” he said. “Now you can’t just walk in to a branch, and access is by appointment only. For a while, transactions were going through the drive-thru, and on Fridays there was a backlog as people wanted to cash their paychecks.”

Those long lines drove customers to mobile deposit, Cline said, and now they are comfortable with the app and like the convenience. “Mobile deposits are up 35% nationally, year over year.”

Chris George, PNC’s senior vice president and Wilmington regional manager, has witnessed a lot of technology adoption within his organization. By the end of September, 67% of PNC retail customers were handling their transactions via mobile devices and ATM, compared with 58% at the same point last year.

“One customer I talked to, who had never used mobile banking, said, ‘It’s the best thing ever! I will

never go back,’” George said. “We’re seeing an uptick in all demographics.

And Zelle is being used heavily to [transfer money] to individuals.”

Consumers have also changed their money habits, according to George.

“Everybody is being a little bit more conservative in their spending and saving,” he said. “Deposits [to savings] increased 5% in the second quarter, year over year. In the third quarter, they were 39% over the third quarter of 2019. People are changing their buying and spending habits; for instance, they’re not going out to have dinner every night.

ATMs have been doing yeoman’s work as in-person services – including drive-thru windows – have become problematic. George noted that PNC ATMs can now cash checks for customers, and Wells Fargo’s Cline said his bank responded to customer requests for a higher daily limit on withdrawals. Broadhurst cited FNB’s network of ATMs as part of his bank’s tech arsenal to address COVID-imposed limitations

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| BANKING & FINANCE |

“

This was especially true with features that support transactions or activities that some customers may historically have chosen to perform in person.”

SPENCE BROADHURST president, East North Carolina region, First National Bank

on in-person banking.

More enhancements of ATM technology are in the works, according to American Banker.

All three bankers pointed out that financial technology, however good and helpful, does not address all needs.

“Because customers need to have appointment [to see a banker in person], we have an app called ‘manage appointment,’” Wells Fargo’s Cline said. “It shows availability: you

reserve a time and you get a guaranteed appointment. [Usage] has increased exponentially, more than 500%. People know when they get [to the bank], somebody will be waiting for them.”

PNC gives customers the option of virtual and phone appointments if they feel hesitant about coming into a bank branch, George said.

And, Broadhurst said, FNB has made major investments both in online and mobile banking, but has rethought its brick-and-mortar branch designs to make them more interactive and tech-enabled.

He said, “We will continue to optimize our branch network to accommodate changing preferences … while also making sure that the in-person interaction we do provide is as consultative and efficient as possible.”

Live Oak upbeat on Q3 earnings Calling the third quarter of 2020 the “best in the company’s history,” Live Oak Bancshares’ Chairman and CEO James “Chip” Mahan pointed to the upward trend in several key

indicators. “[Loan and lease] originations at an all-time high, loan sale prices at or near all-time highs [and] fintech investments raising money at frothy valuations,” Mahan said in an earnings call Oct. 22.

The company’s net income for Q3 of 2020 was $33.8 million, up 767% from the net income of nearly $3.8 million a year earlier and roughly the same percentage increase from the net income of $3.8 million at the end of Q2 of this year. This past quarter’s diluted earnings per share was 81 cents, compared to 9 cents for Q3 2019 and Q2 2020.

The earnings per share amount exceeded analysts’ expectations by 56 cents, according to Seeking Alpha, a content service for financial markets.

Loan and lease origination during the quarter rose as well: Q3’s total was $966.5 million, up 72% from $562.3 million a year ago. Loan and lease production from the second quarter of this year, however, was substantially higher (at nearly $2.2 billion) because of Live Oak’s high volume of Paycheck Protection Program loan origination.

Total loans and leases at the end of September were at $6.2 billion,

an 87% increase over the $3.3 billion value at the end of Q3 2019.

Live Oak Bank’s total deposits have grown 42% over the past year, increasing from just over $4 billion as of Sept. 30, 2019 to $5.7 billion a year later.

The company’s total assets increased 76% from the end of Q3 2019 to the end of Q3 2020, growing from $4.6 billion to nearly $8.1 billion.

Third quarter investments the company made in financial technology firms have paid handsome returns, officials said. A Series C investment in family financial management tool Greenlight resulted in a $13.7 million gain for Live Oak Bancshares; a Series B investment in DefenseStorm – a cybersecurity and cyber-compliance company for banking – brought in $862 million; and an investment in Apiture returned $612 million.

“Our core business has shown scale and efficiency thanks to previous investments in infrastructure and talent, and our position as a financial technology change leader was further validated with the increased valuations on several of our investments,” Mahan said in the release.

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |

Rail-centered site has jobs potential

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he former site of Vertex Railcar Corp., now being marketed as Wilmington Business Park, has the potential to have a significant impact on the region, local and regional economic developers say.

This 68-acre property with a combination of heavy CHRISTINA HALEY manufacturing and office space is up for lease, owned by California-based Industrial Realty Group LLC. “We believe manufacturing jobs will come back to the U.S., and we’ve invested heavily into manufacturing facilities,” said Onno Steger, senior vice president at IRG. The former Vertex site has 20 heavy industrial cranes on-site and rail components as well as “direct connectivity” to the Port of Wilmington, he said.

Steger also lauded the region’s available workforce and ease of recruitment to the area.

O’NEAL

PHOTO C/O IRG

Puzzle pieces: The former Vertex Railcar Corp. property contains elements expected to be attractive to another industrial user.

“We’ve seen consistent interest.

We’ve just had some travel issues with COVID,” Steger said. “We’ve seen interest within the U.S. … but additionally we’ve seen international interests that just couldn’t get here and still can’t get here.”

IRG has seen interest from prospects, including manufacturers needing the rail and port access, he said, adding, “it’s really a nice combination … we have seen clients from all spectrums.”

IRG is marketing the site at 202 Raleigh St. along with economic development groups Wilmington Business Development (WBD), North Carolina’s Southeast and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

The size of the facility and the type of manufacturing that it has held at the site since its beginnings, have strong potential to bring in some big investment and job creation opportunities for a company that would encompass the entire property and facility, said Steve Yost, president of North Carolina’s Southeast, an

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 18-county regional economic development group.

The highest and best use for the property is manufacturing, which would bring a skilled workforce and high-paying jobs, Yost said.

The site is readily available to turn around and be operational, he said, adding that the firm would be open to discussing other improvements to the site, including expanding the site.

There aren’t many buildings in the United States that have that connectivity to the port, to the rail and that have heavy infrastructure in place, Steger said. “The speed-to-market: There is a huge difference also because if you go build something like this, you’re probably two years before you get to turn it on. One of the beauties about this facility is you can probably be in business and running in three to six months.”

Constructed at various stages between the 1940s and 1980s, the site changed hands several times over the years, he said.

Major improvements were most recently made at the site by failed rail car manufacturer Vertex Railcar Corp.

IRG put it back on the market for lease this spring.

The property includes more than 500,000 square feet of heavy manufacturing space consisting of rail running into the main building, officials said.

“It is one of the largest available industrial buildings in the region,” Yost said. “We hardly have any buildings in the region that have cranes like that. It’s a very expensive component to have.”

Other recent improvements to the infrastructure at the site include heat treat ovens, and new blast, paint and cure shops.

“An improved asset has been left behind, and we are very excited to joint market the property as we believe this will be the home (as a building and/or site) to a future quality employer,” said Scott Satterfield, WBD CEO. “Industrial activity has further accelerated since the onset of the pandemic, and we believe this site caters itself to a myriad of like opportunities.”

The site could also capture the relocation of companies from the Northeast, which has been a trend in the region before and during the pandemic.

“At least from what we have been involved in, interest is picking up,” Yost said. “All inquiries sort of took a dip after COVID really got going, and now we have been seeing [an uptick] in activity as the economy has started coming back some.”

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CUSTOM WINDOW & DOOR REPLACEMENT

Large ship’s arrival at port last month makes history The N.C. State Ports Authority last month welcomed its first-ever 14,000 20-foot-equivalent unit cargo vessel, the Yang Ming Warranty, making history at the Port of Wilmington.

“We are capable of working the largest container vessels calling on the East Coast,” said N.C. Ports COO Brian Clark.

The ship has a carrying capacity of 14,220 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units) and is one of the largest such vessels making its way to U.S. ports on the East Coast.

The Yang Ming Warranty is operated by Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. in partnership with THE Alliance, which is a large commercial shipping group that links Asia and South America to the Wilmington port, along with others on the East Coast.

Port officials attribute the major milestone to its more than $221 million capital improvement plan.

Big projects underway at Pender Commerce Park A headquarters site for a new manufacturer to the area and another speculative building are being planned for Pender Commerce Park.

Recently, officials with India-based industrial hose manufacturer Polyhose Inc. got the necessary permits to begin building their North American headquarters in the county-owned industrial park. The firm has promised to invest nearly $8 million and expects to hire 51 people.

Ground could break this month, and the site could be ready to occupy by early May, said Jonathan Pressler, the company’s senior vice president.

Plans are to build a 52,500-squarefoot facility for warehousing and hose assembly. Future plans are to bring manufacturing to the site.

“With North America being the biggest market for the hose industry, our Wilmington, N.C., facility is going to set Polyhose up to be a significant global player,” said Fatema Mohammed, president of the firm.

And Chris Ramm, manager of Ramm Capital Partners, is planning his second spec building in Pender Commerce Park. It could cost up to $11.5 million to build, planned at roughly 180,000 square feet. The project is slated to come online in late 2021, he said. The development group’s first build was an $8 million speculative building at more than 127,000 square feet.

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| ACHIEVERS | Send information about company hires, promotions or awards to editor@wilmingtonbiz.com

Moore named CEO of local insurance firm ADRIENNE MOORE is the new CEO of Wilmington-based James E. Moore Insurance Agency Inc. Moore was promoted to the position as of Oct. 1. She joined the agency as an agent in 2009, and in Moore 2016, became COO. Pior to joining the agency, Moore worked elsewhere in the insurance industry, first in Florida as a personal lines underwriter for a national company, then in Raleigh as a marketing representative for a national company.

She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Cameron School of Business and holds the CIC, API, INS and CLCS insurance certifications.

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EmergeOrtho has welcomed KELLY R. ESPOSITO to its team.

Esposito is a fellowship-trained hand, upper extremity and microvascular surgeon, officials said. She is practicing at EmergeOrtho’s WilmEsposito ington, Leland and Shallotte locations.

Esposito has received many honors and awards, published several articles and conducted research on both the business and patient care sides of medicine.

Esposito completed her fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and a general and orthopedic surgery internship and residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

She earned a medical degree and MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Craddock appointed to state social work board Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed CAROLYN CRADDOCK to the N.C. Social Work Certification and Licensure Board.

Craddock is a lecturer and assistant field coordinator at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s School of Social Work.

Craddock is a clinical social worker and addictions specialist. She also serves as president of the National AsCraddock sociation of Social Workers in North Carolina.

She earned her master’s degree from Boston College and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech.

Schachtman joins WHQR WHQR Public Media has welcomed BEN SCHACHTMAN to its team, according to a news release.

Schachtman joined WHQR on Oct. 15 as managing editor, a newly created position for the nonprofit.

Schachtman was previously managing editor at Port City Daily. After joining the local online news publiSchachtman cation in 2016, he became managing editor in 2018.

While working for Port City Daily, Schachtman made guest appearances on WHQR’s CoastLine. He also hosted a podcast on Port City Daily’s website.

Schachtman is a graduate of Rutgers University and holds a master’s degree in English literature from New York University, and a Ph.D. in English literature from Stony Brook University.

Daniels leads New Hanover Disaster Coalition SARAH DANIELS is the New Hanover Disaster Coalition.

Daniels was hired as director of the organization in late September. She has a background in coalition building and disaster coordination, officials said.

Daniels Daniels aims to expand the organization’s ability to serve in disaster relief efforts in the Cape Fear region.

She previously served as the interim director for the Cape Fear Food Council.

The New Hanover Disaster Coalition offices are located at The Harrelson Center, a campus of nonprofit organizations in downtown Wilmington.

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November 6 - 19, 2020

Page 19

| 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 SEPT. 14-30

107 CARR ST. PROPERTIES LLC 1625 Landfall Drive Wilmington 28405 Agent: Janet H. Blanton 1535 HOLDEN BEACH RD SW LLC 641 Ashbury Drive SE Bolivia 28422 Agent: Aaron Healy 1938 CHURCH STREET LLC 310 N. Front Street Suite

4-171 Wilmington 28401 Agent: Frank Lyons 3A2KS “LLC” 524 Goldeneye Court Wilmington 28411 Agent: Alafeez Olokunola 517 SUMTER AVENUE TOWNHOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC. 1112 Lake Park Blvd S Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Quinn Marlow 6:11 REALTY LLC 315 Dawson St

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BROWN’S LIMO SERVICE LLC 112 Progress Drive Burgaw 28425 Agent: Earl Brown

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| BIZ LEADS | DAE BUILDING INC. 771 S Kerr Avenue Wilmington 28403 Agent: Jonathan Earle DE SIMONE GENERAL ASSOCIATES LLC 1926 Prestwick Lane Wilmington 28405 Agent: Aron De Simone DEM PAINTING LLC 715 Navaho Trail Wilmington 28409 Agent: Cassandra Botello DESTINATION HEALTH L.L.C. 7801 Masonboro Sound Road Wilmington 28409 Agent: Philip Brown DJR CHARTERS LLC 32 Cape Fear Trail Bald Head Island 28461 Agent: Edward R Johnson DOWLESS CAKE STUDIO LLC 1961 Inland Drive SW Ocean Isle Beach 28469 Agent: April Lynn Dowless DRS BOYD KOREN AND REIMELS PLLC 117H Village Road NE Leland 28451 Agent: Mike Reimels E.M. CLINICAL CONSULTING LLC 419 Strada Street

Wilmington 28409 Agent: Evan Mote E.R.P LLC 2030 Eastwood Rd Unit 2 Wilmington 28403 Agent: Wilkerson Law PLLC EDGE CLAIMS SERVICE LLC 442 Riviera Dr Wilmington 28411 Agent: Chris Edge EL MIRASOL L.L.C. 211 U.S. Hwy 117 S Burgaw 28425 Agent: Joel Sanchez ELEGANT TOUCH CREATIVE EVENTS LLC 103 Dixie Drive Leland 28451 Agent: Rochelle Britton ELITE REMOTE PILOTING INC. 1791 St Patricks Ct SE Bolivia28422 Agent: Zachary A. Smith EMPRESS NOVA L.L.C. 5229 Market St Ste 216 Wilmington 28405-3433 Agent: Lashonda Gary EVENTIDE INVESTMENTS LLC 1133 Eventide Blvd Wilmington 28411-8005 Agent: Paul E. Ingle

EVERSOURCE BENEFITS CONSULTING LLC 3861 Fairhaven Drive Southport 28461 Agent: Mark Louis Jones EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN HOME SERVICES LLC 2322 Kingbird Bend NE Leland 28451 Agent: Edward Naessens EVERYTHING UNDERGROUND INC. 205 Center Drive Hampstead 28443 Agent: Scott Alan Beatty F&A PRODUCTS CORPORATION 1512 Black Chestnut Dr Wilmington 28405 Agent: Frank Pasquale FANCI FRIENDS BOUTIQUE LLC 1001 Military Cutoff Road Ste 204 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Carrie Lofthus Mincey FANTABULOUS YOU! L.L.C. 426 Sharon Drive Wilmington 28409 Agent: Lashana Flood FEROCE PRODUCTIONS AMERICA INC. 1107 Middle Sound Loop Rd

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FLISH INDUSTRIES LLC 205 Marshfield Drive Wilmington 28411 Agent: John Paul Flisher FOREVER CHIPS LLC 508 Sand Castle Court Wilmington 28405 Agent: Glenn R. Wells FULFORD FAMILY PROPERTIES LLC 1101 Military Cutoff Road Ste 204 Wilmington 28405 Agent: Carrie Lofthus Mincey GATHERING TABLE GRANTS AND RESEARCH L.L.C. 6400 Carolina Beach Rd Suite 8 -92 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Terry Bozeman GEMINI FLORA L.L.C. 116 Stuart Ave Southport 28461 Agent: Casey Silar GETTIN LOADED LLC 251 Wolfridge Road NE Leland 28451 Agent: Jasmine Tamar Bryant GIRL NOT 2DAY LLC 11 Wave Lane Carolina Shores 28467 Agent: Cherell Frink

Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Heather E Hanning H3 SERVICES LLC 313 W Strawberry Ln Rocky Point 28457 Agent: Lydia E Hall HAGGARD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC 9286 Whisper Park Dr SW Calabash 28467 Agent: Michael Haggard HAHA PAINTING L.L.C. 1507 Parmele Drive Wilmington 28401 Agent: Harry Morck HALL & DOBBS LLC 116 Dobbs St. Wilmington 28412 Agent: Anne McCombie HAMBY BEACH PROPERTIES LLC 607 Columbia Ave Carolina Beach 28428 Agent: Everette B Pannkuk IV HAMPSTEAD COLLISION LLC 219 Hickory Ln Hampstead 28443 Agent: Timothy Essel

HIGHLANDS VILLAGE APARTMENTS LLC 4837 Carolina Beach Road - Suite 110 Wilmington 28412 Agent: Stephanie Norris HILL TOP MOTORS LLC 1219 S 5th Avenue Wilmington 28401 Agent: Clayton Lacreamy HILL-HALL SCULPTURE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY 110 Buckeye Drive Wilmington 28411 Agent: Lomila Ann Hill HMNH BOONE STORAGE LLC 324 Greenville Ave. Wilmington 28403 Agent: Robert High HOLLINGSWORTH CUSTOM DESIGN LLC 2915 Castle Hayne Rd Castle Hayne 28429 Agent: Robert M. Hollingsworth HOLLY’S ELITE GROOMING LLC 8517 East Oak Island Dr Oak Island 28465 Agent: Holly Gulledge

HAMPSTEAD WEALTH MANAGEMENT L.L.C. 204 Waldorf Way Hampstead 28443 Agent: Nick Perkins

HOME TURF LANDSCAPES INC. 4802 Bailey St Shallotte 28459 Agent: Carolina Creations Landscape Inc.

HARBOUR ELECTRIC LLC 3405 Osprey Ln Wilmington 28409 Agent: Andrew Ward

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Port City Produce recently marked the end of its 11th season at 5740 Market St., and owners Sven Wallin, Andrew Cameron and Wells Struble have been preparing for the move to their new location just down the road.

Wallin said the owners were notified at the end of last year’s season that the land that they had been renting for over a decade was for sale.

“We had actually outgrown that space, and so we were looking to grow anyway,” Sven Wallin said.

While the Market Street location will be moving to a facility now under construction at 6250 Market St., the Carolina Beach Road location will remain unchanged.

In addition to the market itself, the new Market Street location will have a large production area with refrigeration and a space that could potentially house a kitchen.

Like many businesses currently under construction, the timeline for completion has been pushed back due to COVID-19.

“We had originally hoped it would be completed by August,” Wallin said. “But now it’s looking like maybe mid-November.”

Churrasco begins welcoming diners Hope and Jonathan Uzcategui, owners of Uzcategui Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, have opened a new fast-casual concept featuring foods from Jonathan’s native country of Venezuela.

Churrasco, the Portuguese and Spanish term for grilled meats or barbecue, is located in the Landfall Shopping Center, in the space formerly occupied by Pita Delite.

The Uzcateguis originally planned to build their business by starting with a food truck for mobile catering, but because they were required to work out of a commissary kitchen, the couple eventually decided that it made more sense for them to have a space that not only served as a commissary but could also be open to the public.

In addition to grilled meats and homemade sauces, Churrasco prepares fresh sides daily, including

yucca, plantains and black beans and rice, with family-style meals available in several sizes. There are also salads, sandwiches and arepas on the menu.

“Everything is made to order and we import our sausages and cheese as well as other ingredients from South America,” Hope Uzcategui said.

Couple planning wings restaurant in Hampstead Lonnie and Autumn Mathis have plans to make wings more accessible to folks in the Hampstead area with the opening of TopSea Wingz early next year.

Located in the Harris Teeter shopping center at 201 Austin Blvd., TopSea Wingz will occupy the space formerly held by Charlie Graingers.

Lonnie, who is a deputy with the Pender County Sheriff’s office, said he found himself traveling a pretty good distance to find decent chicken wings. He said the lack of competition has also driven up prices.

The eatery will offer a simple menu of wings with nearly a dozen homemade sauces, as well as chicken tenders, cheesesteaks and fries.

The Mathises hope to open by mid-January.

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee signs first franchisee The Wright family, owners of Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, recently announced the signing of the coffee shop’s first franchise agreement.

The first franchise location will be in Washington, D.C., according to a video posted on Facebook. The franchise will mark the seventh Bitty & Beau’s Coffee location.

In the video, the family highlighted the work they have done in Washington over the years on their mission of employing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Founder Amy Wright said she and her husband, Ben, have been vetting potential candidates for the past couple of months, since announcing franchising opportunities in early August.

Despite receiving interest nationwide, they have currently narrowed their field to 29 states, with the intent of adding additional states in the future.

Amy Wright said the franchisee hopes to secure a location in the Georgetown areas and is aiming for a late spring 2021 opening.

- Jessica Maurer

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

November 6 - 19, 2020

Page 23

| BUSINESS OF LIFE | Restaurants seek recipe for way forward

BY SCOTT NUNN eering into the future of the Wilmington-area restaurant industry, is the glass half empty or half full? It’s complicated.

These are strange days, after all, especially for an industry built around seating as many people as possible in fairly crowded quarters and, in some cases, for long periods – the exact opposite of social-distancing.

And it definitely depends on your point of view Brian Cadwallader, owner of the Copper Penny, was reading online reviews recently when he came across one noting that people were not being seated even though the restaurant/pub was only half full.

In reality, with regulations limiting restaurants to 50% of capacity, the popular downtown spot had a full house.

“There is that small sector that just don’t get it,” Cadwallader said.

“They’ll walk in and be like, ‘What do you mean I can’t sit at these other five open tables?’”

Fortunately for Cadwallader and several other restaurant owners, such customers have been the exception.

“People have been absolutely incredible for the most part,” said Cadwallader, who opened the Copper Penny on St. Patrick’s Day in 2004.

Seven months into COVID-19, there is some good news for the hard-hit restaurant industry, as inside-dining has returned (though limited) and people have gotten more used to masks and practicing social distancing.

And a half year of life dominated by the coronavirus has culminated in a very important moment: Revenue (albeit reduced) for some seems to have stabilized, and restaurant owners and managers know more of what they are up against. That’s a welcome development compared to the early days of the pandemic.

“If you have stable sales, you know how to plan and prepare, you know how to schedule your staff and order your food,” said Tom Harris, who has owned Front Street Brewery since 2006. “So we’ve been able to develop a model where we are profitable with smaller sales, so that will get us through the pandemic until the good times.”

Of course, reduced sales bite into the bottom line and mean fewer workers are needed.

P

RESTAURANT ROUN DUP

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

Industry challenges: Rachel Bodkin-Fox, owner of The Foxes Boxes, was closing her restaurant at the end of October and expects the industry to face a number of issues in the future.

After having to lay off nearly his entire staff last spring, Harris has hired back 50 – half of the preCOVID level. At the brewery, sales are at 60% from a year ago.

“That is 100% attributable to having less seats,” Harris said. “But we don’t want more seats in the restaurant until this pandemic is totally passed. If the governor announced tomorrow that we could go back to 100% capacity, we would not do it.”

The Copper Penny’s revenues and staffing are at 70% year over year.

Not only do restaurant owners have a better grasp on where they are headed, many have made significant changes needed to get there, notably adding or expanding takeout and delivery service.

That has kept Farriss Hospitality busy. From holding cabinets to food carriers, the Wilmington business has helped restaurants create new or expanded revenue streams.

“We’ve been very proactive with helping a lot of our clients who weren’t in the delivery business, were not in the takeout business, to explore those avenues,” Bill Farriss, of Farriss Hospitality, said.

Farriss also is hearing from people in larger urban areas who want to

move their restaurant to a smaller place or move and open something completely new. Brunswick County is especially active.

The Copper Penny and Front Street both had to move on a dime to change how they sold their products with fewer employees. Takeout and delivery at the Copper Penny went from 10% of business to 50%.

“We renovated the restaurant and put a [takeout] counter up there and added parking just for takeout and implemented new computers where you could order online,” said Cadwallader, who believes expanded takeout is here to stay.

He believes expanded takeout is here to stay.

Both Cadwallader and Harris praised the “parklet” program that the city and some downtown organizations started, with parking spaces blocked with barricades to allow for outdoor dining.

Not all businesses have survived.

The Foxes Boxes in the Brooklyn Arts District recently closed along with its TFB Externship Academy, which provided on-the-job training for marginalized people.

Owner Rachel Bodkin-Fox said small restaurants were hit hard.

“For a small owner-operated restaurant like The Foxes Boxes, having to close for a day can impact our monthly P&L [profit and loss numbers], so closing for over two months is detrimental,” she said.

Bodkin-Fox believes the longevity of the disease is a concern.

“There is no guarantee that all customers will feel comfortable and/ or safe to return to crowded restaurants while there are still active cases of COVID-19,” she said.

She suspects the industry will continue to be challenged by increased food costs, lack of availability of certain products, adding online orderings systems and keeping up with changing health department policies, among others.

The hospitality and service industry can be a great way to get people who are struggling to get back to work, she said. Bodkin-Fox hopes the pandemic brings more appreciation for the work they do.

“Often careers in the service industry are not given the respect they deserve,” she said. “During the pandemic, many [people] learned just how much they value and depend on restaurants.”

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From STEPS, page 1

than $3 billion for routine capital expenses and strategic master plan projects; and a sidebar arrangement with UNC to train more health care professionals.

Public opinion remains heated, with complaints about the deal dominating more than 70 comments filed with Stein’s office as of Oct. 19.

Many of those negative comments concern the structure and transparency of New Hanover Community Endowment Inc., the charitable foundation that will fund education, health and social equity, community development and community safety projects using interest income from proceeds of the sale.

New Hanover County considers the foundation to be an “independent” one, in contrast to a finding from the Local Government Commission of the state treasurer’s office that it would “more likely than not” be considered a unit of county government and therefore subject to a list of lower-yield, lower-risk investment vehicles.

County officials say being free of the state’s investment restrictions allows the nonprofit foundation to utilize a wider range of options that would grow the endowment’s assets faster for the public good. According to County Manager Chris Coudriet, the Local Government Commission’s guidance represents “an informal staff opinion” and not the force of law.

Because a majority of the foundation’s 11-member board will be chosen by NHRMC’s newly reconstituted hospital board, county officials believe, the foundation cannot be considered part of local government. Five foundation members – a minority – have already been chosen directly by the county commissioners, who also have ratified the 17 members of the new hospital board first chosen by the outgoing trustees.

The new trustees, who will take over when the sale closes, would then choose their picks for the endowment.

While an independent endowment could grow its philanthropic nest egg faster, it would not – at least on its face – be subject to the state’s open meetings law, and that has critics of the hospital deal skeptical.

“The county commissioners are making the trust a private trust so there is no public knowledge of their funds so they can invest in anything they want,” area resident Neal Shulman told Stein’s office.

“Any community foundation created must be a public entity

subject to open meetings laws and full accountability and transparency of how the interest earned will be spent,” wrote Jessica Cannon.

“There should be transparency and public input regarding how these funds are dispersed and 51% of foundation board members should be county residents with no employment ties to Novant,” said Peyton Earey.

In rebuttal, Coudriet points to language in the foundation’s amended bylaws that require the foundation to present a report on grants and other distributions twice a year and also have its president and CEO take questions at a public meeting “at least semiannually.”

“There’s not less than four opportunities for the community to engage directly with the endowment. That’s the minimum,” Coudriet said.

“The endowment is free to make its own rules about how many public meetings it has in the course of a year, whether it’s going to invite the public in or the media,” he added.

As the attorney general’s office continues its review of the deal, Save Our Hospital continues to press its case in New Hanover County Superior Court.

Citing an alleged lack of transparency, the group filed the lawsuit on Sept. 29 in an effort to slow completion of the deal and asked Judge Phyllis Gorham to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the sale until related documents could be made public. The judge ruled against doing so.

Attorneys representing the county and hospital in the legal complaint have argued that they have complied with Save Our Hospital’s records requests that are releasable under state law and that other requests from the group are too wide-ranging to fulfill.

Novant Health has now requested to intervene in the suit “to protect the confidentiality of certain information that Novant Health provided New Hanover County and New Hanover Regional Medical Center during the negotiation and due diligence process,” Novant spokeswoman Kristen Barnhardt said.

“Save Our Hospital protestors [sic] claim the process was rushed and secretive,” one supporter of the sale, Eileen McConville, told the attorney general’s office. “Nothing could be further from the truth. There were open meetings, minutes online, proposals online and answers to all our questions.”

While legal issues have received attention in recent weeks, the thrust of the deal – uniting the health care systems to improve the delivery of

care in a financially sound manner – remains the primary focus of activity heading into 2021.

At press time, the attorney general was awaiting election results to see if he would return to office in January. If approvals remain on track, NHRMC and Novant officials have said they expect the sale to close by the middle of next year.

One strategy designed to provide a higher level of care is to move some nontertiary services away from NHRMC’s main campus and place them at new and existing locations across the system’s footprint.

Shelbourn Stevens, president and COO of Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, believes such an approach will allow his hospital to cover some gaps in specialty services.

“I have my long list of things I would like to talk about for Brunswick Medical Center and how we can continue to grow services here because in some of my specialties I only have one or two of that specialty,” he said. “And if they’re not on call, that patient needing that specialist then ends up going to New Hanover or another facility.

“The long-run strategy would be to have enough specialists to cover, so for those patients that could stay local we can keep them local and then leave those beds at New Hanover open for the higher level of care,” Stevens said.

Such talk is helping to ease concerns about the impact the union of the two hospitals might have on Novant employees, who number about 450 at the Brunswick campus, excluding physicians and specialists.

In the purchase agreement, Novant pledges to retain all of NHRMC’s employees at the time of closing for a minimum of two years.

“The partnership will not negatively affect NHRMC and Novant Health employment levels,” Novant’s Barnhardt said.

Farther north, Novant is making a minimum three-year commitment to keeping Pender Memorial Hospital open as NHRMC addresses its underutilization of beds by referring patients to the hospital’s acute/swing unit, which in turn takes pressure off NHRMC’s main campus. The arrangement has strengthened the Burgaw hospital’s revenues.

While there has been talk of constructing a replacement hospital for Pender Memorial someplace along the Interstate 40 corridor, no agreement to do so has been reached.

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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November 6 - 19, 2020

Page 11

| IN PROFILE |

The man with a plan moves on Former planning chief reflects, looks ahead

BY SCOTT NUNN ooking for a career with quick results and instant gratification? Don’t become a planner, Wayne Clark said recently as he was wrapping up a three-year stint as planning and land use director for New Hanover County.

Clark is moving back to Florida, the state where he previously worked and where his family still has a home.

He’ll be the economic development director for the city of DeBary. Clark has been replaced for the time being by his chief deputy, Rebekah Roth, who started Oct. 24 as New Hanover County’s interim planning director.

While Clark, a veteran planner, has received accolades for his work here – notably wrestling an octopus-like mishmash of land-use rules into one Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) – it likely will be years before the results are evident.

As an illustration of the “longgame” nature of land-use planning, Clark’s most visible local work is the redevelopment of the north end of downtown and the area that is now home to Mayfaire – projects he worked on as Wilmington’s planning manager in the early 2000s.

The UDO exists primarily on paper for now, but Clark understands its importance.

“When I got here, the county had adopted a comprehensive plan, which was the first time there had been an actual document kind of looking at how growth should be done,” Clark said.

With the county becoming increasingly urbanized, the population booming and land values soaring, large lots with individual wells and septic tanks no longer were seen as the best way forward.

“The philosophy was to be a little more dense and have more mixed uses,” Clark said. “The approach to the philosophy was this was going to end up being more like city-like development out in the rural parts of the county where anticipated growth was going to happen.”

This new philosophy faced one gigantic hurdle – it wasn’t aligned with the zoning ordinances and the

L

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

New plan: Wayne Clark, former planning and land use director for New Hanover County, shared his thoughts on the job he’s leaving and the road ahead for New Hanover.

development rules the county had in place.

Clark said, “The unified development ordinance project was to take the older zoning codes that we had in seven different documents – seven different sets of rules … each one of them with its own definitions and policies and procedures” and make one document.

“The objective was to put them all in one book, make them all consistent, efficient, so you didn’t have to look through (multiple) sets of definitions, and then modernize them so that the philosophy of a comprehensive plan could actually be implemented.”

And there was another major challenge in mapping out a future for the county; in North Carolina, counties are limited in what they can do in terms of infrastructure.

In the county, “we don’t do roads and when the water and sewer system is a utility authority, not something under the direct control of the county, you really can’t effectively build an urban area without being partners with the utility and infrastructure providers.”

Clark’s efforts to pull disparate groups together is a skill that won

him praise.

“Wayne Clark has that rare ability to be able to combine economic development, politics and planning,” Donna Girardot, chairwoman of the New Hanover County Planning Board, said after Clark announced he was stepping down.

Clark sees those working relationships as an asset for the county, and something he’s not always seen in other areas where he’s worked.

“I would say probably one of the biggest positive things that I’ve found here in New Hanover County is that these organizations are very easy for us to work with,” he said. “They have all been very good partners. I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere where I had a better relationship with the DOT, the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization), the other local governments, the airport. In most parts of the country, these organizations usually butt heads and here we all work together.”

As for what lies ahead for the county, Clark said that although the Unified Development Ordinance is on the books, it will take years for its impact to be fully felt, as what’s on the ground becomes more closely aligned with the UDO’s vision.

One section of the county that Clark finds promising is Castle Hayne.

“Castle Hayne and Wrightsboro are incredible areas,” Clark said, noting not only their relatively easy access to downtown, the airport and Interstate 40, but also the fact that they’ve maintained their unique character.

Clark believes that the rural area in an urban county will change but, if done right, has a great future built around its natural setting of the Northeast Cape Fear River and its agricultural heritage.

As Clark heads back to Florida, much of the new chapters for downtown’s north side and the Mayfaire area will have been written. The story for Castle Hayne and other unincorporated parts of the county remains unknown. If he comes back to visit in 10 years, the changes may still not be evident.

And although Clark says he hasn’t sowed the seeds for the county’s future, he is satisfied that he’s helped shape the ground where those seeds will be planted, someday influencing the character and livability of a future New Hanover County.

It’s the life of a planner.

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November 6 - 19, 2020

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| REAL ESTATE | Cape Fear CREW aims for success

BY CECE NUNN ulie Andrews, marketing manager for Logan Homes, joined Cape Fear CREW in 2013.

“At the time I was working for a local master-planned community, and for me, it was just a really great opportunity to join in a networking organization that could help provide an opportunity to learn from other women,” said Andrews, who is this year’s president of Cape Fear CREW, which stands for “Commercial Real Estate Women.”

CREW Network is a national organization that started in 1989 “to bring together women involved in the many aspects of commercial real estate to exchange information, develop business contacts and help each other succeed professionally,” according to CREW’s website.

This year’s version of a study that the national CREW organization conducts every five years showed that women occupy 36.7% of the

J

PHOTO C/O CAPE FEAR CREW

Industry accolades: The winners of Cape Fear CREW’s annual Awards of Excellence pose with their awards early this year at the Wilmington Convention Center.

commercial real estate industry.

“This percentage has remained between 35-37% over the last 15 years,” a news release on the study stated.

But the study also showed a reason to think that the percentage

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could grow.

“The study saw a 5.4% increase in women respondents 39 years old and younger, indicating a growing generation of young and emerging women professionals in the indus-

try,” according to the release.

Women are paid less in the real estate industry, especially minority women, the study showed.

CREW Network CEO Wendy Mann said in the release, “CREW

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Page 13

| REAL ESTATE | Network remains committed to creating a more diverse, equal and inclusive industry –but we can’t do it alone. Industry leaders must address these issues as a business imperative –and take action now to make this important investment in our companies, our employees, and the future of our industry to remain a competitive and attractive employer.”

Members of the Wilmington area’s chapter of CREW come from a variety of real estate and industry-related professions. This year, Cape Fear CREW is celebrating a decade of supporting women in the industry.

“Obviously, this has been a unique year and provides unique challenges and opportunities. But I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished this year: We’ve had over two dozen events, reaching over 700 people, even in a pandemic,” Andrews said.

“We’ve had some really great networking opportunities, both virtual and in smaller groupings this fall.

“And then the event that we’re always most proud of is our Awards of Excellence event.”

Cape Fear CREW was able to host its second annual Awards of Excellence in February, before the coronavirus pandemic shut such

events down in March.

The awards focus on the rapidly growing Cape Fear region’s commercial real estate sector, recognizing excellence and leadership.

The organization is currently taking nominations for the next awards event, in hopes of being able to hold an in-person ceremony in April at the Wilmington Convention Center.

In the meantime, the organization plans to feature more small-group gatherings, such as “net-walking,” cocktail hours and more.

In 2010, attorney Dana Pellizzari joined commercial broker Lynn Harris and two other industry professionals, Jennifer Presnell and Beth Quinn, to launch Cape Fear CREW. Now the organization has 65 members, including men.

“It started off slow, but as of the last two or three years, we’ve really experienced quite a growth spurt, and I think part of that is due to having the Awards of Excellence program for the past two years,” said Harris, one of the Wilmington area’s few female commercial real estate brokers. “I think that made people aware of our existence.”

For the future, Harris said she hopes to see “continued growth and

that our existing members will continue to see the value in our networking and remain members.”

She said she believes one of the biggest benefits is the organization’s referral network.

“We do a lot of member-to-member deals,” said Harris, who is with Wilmington-based Century 21 Sweyer & Associates.

One of those deals involved Big Sky Design, owned and founded by Cape Fear CREW member Jennifer Kraner.

The commercial and residential interior design firm founded more than two decades ago was relocating from Masonboro Loop Road to Bradley Creek Station, a retail and office complex at 5815 Oleander Drive.

“Four of our members worked together on that project,” Harris said.

“Being able to do member-to-member deals and to generate business amongst other people in this organization is such a huge opportunity, depending on what your needs are.”

Gale Wallace, president-elect of Cape Fear CREW, said she was familiar with CREW because she was a member when she lived in Ohio. “Personally, I was looking for

a group I could belong to that really focused on commercial real estate in one facet or another,” she said.

In Wilmington, Wallace is director of project management at Clarendon Properties, a real estate and development firm that creates hotels and dental offices, among other projects.

Clarendon is mainly involved in development and represents itself in real estate deals, “but quite often, we’ll have some of our commercial Realtors reach out to us because they’ve got a piece of property that might be good for development or vice-versa, they send somebody who is interested in investing in maybe a hotel. … So those relationships have really, really been extremely beneficial for me personally and our company as well.”

Andrews said CREW is also involved with the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

“We recently established a scholarship at UNCW and have been speakers at Business Week for many years,” Andrews said. “Our goal is to continue to educate and mentor young women and to make sure they know that a career in commercial real estate is possible and a great option.”

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November 6 - 19, 2020

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Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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

Wilmington-based real estate firm surpasses $2B With two months left in 2020, a Wilmington-based residential real estate firm has already surpassed $2 billion in closed sales volume for the year.

The milestone marks the second consecutive year Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage has exceeded $2 billion in annual sales, “a significant milestone that has never been reached by any other real estate firm in Southeastern North Carolina,” according to a news release.

“Sales milestones are important, because they indicate the level of trust our clients place in us, as well as the level of satisfaction they have in our services,” stated Tim Milam, president of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, in the release.

“The achievement this year is especially impressive, not only because there are still two months remaining in the year, but also because 2020 has

certainly presented its own specific set of challenges for buyers, sellers, and our agents.

Milam added, “Our agents were able to quickly and successfully respond and adapt their services to health and safety regulations [because of the COVID-19 pandemic].”

According to the release, the firm has experienced significant growth over the past few years, which has resulted in the ability to leverage economies of scale and also created an expanded referral network.

Realtor opens store at Mayfaire Town Center For Britteny Bellinger, the name of her store at Mayfaire Town Center has multiple meanings.

“My Sister’s Cottage” comes from the fact that she and her sister, who lived next door to each other in Nebraska, started the business together online about a year-and-a-half ago.

It also refers to safe houses for victims of sex trafficking, a cause the business supports.

My Sister’s Cottage offers clothing, accessories, jewelry, home decor, furniture and gifts at 6863 Main St. at Mayfaire, in space formerly occu-

pied by Massage Envy.

In addition to merchandise picked and purchased by Bellinger, the store is a co-op with items for sale from eight vendors.

“The reason why we started My Sister’s Cottage was primarily to give back,” Bellinger said. “So 10% of all of our purchases help us rescue and support women who are coming out of sex trafficking or human trafficking. What we primarily focus on is providing them with a safe home and their needs.”

Bellinger, who moved to the Port City in October of last year for health reasons, is also a Realtor and broker with eXp Realty in Wilmington.

New apartments, townhomes in the works for Echo Farms Apartments and townhomes are coming to a new development within Echo Farms called Riverwood.

GHK Cape Fear Development, which also developed townhome community Woodlands Landing at Echo Farms, plans to put 86 townhomes and 120 garden-style apartment

units on 17 acres at 4080 Independence Blvd.

“Townhomes for rent is a unique offering that is rarely done. Most developers push the limit on density,” said Brian Eckel, of GHK Cape Fear Development and Wilmington-based commercial real estate firm Cape Fear Commercial, in an email Monday. “At Woodlands, we were allowed by right to build over 300 units, but chose to develop a less dense product (176 units).

“We signed over 140 leases (putting us at 80% leased) since we opened at the start of the pandemic, proving this is the right product.”

- Cece Nunn GHK Cape Fear has more than 1,000 apartment units under development, and officials there “believe in the data that there is still plenty of runway left. Our region continues to grow rapidly and the absorption rate is keeping pace with the new product that’s coming online,” Eckel said.

The company plans to start construction of Riverwood in the first quarter of 2021. The rent range is expected to be similar to that of Woodlands at $1,200 and up.

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November 6 - 19, 2020

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

wilmingtonbiz.com

| THE LIST |

Homebuilders

Ranked by number of local homes completed annually RANK

BUILDER ADDRESS

PHONE EMAIL WEBSITE

NO. OF LOCAL HOMES CLOSED 2019

PRICE RANGE

500

$100,000s-$300,000s

0 Avalon, Eagle Creek, Wescott Estates, Ibis Landing, SeaBrooke, The Forest at Mallory Creek, Vineyard Grove, Juniper Creek, Hawkeswater, Bellamy Place, Porters Walk, Hope Creek, Waterside, Everetts Creek East, River East, Salt Creek

60

Libby Shelton, Wilmington City Manager Brad Brundage, Coastal Carolina Division President 1978

85

Heath Clark Owner 1977

% OF WORK SUBCONTRACTED/ NOTABLE PROJECTS

NO. OF TOP LOCAL OFFICIAL/ FULL-TIME YEAR LOCALLY EMPLOYEES FOUNDED

1

D.R. Horton 131 Racine Drive, Suite 201 Wilmington, NC 28403

742-7946 ragabriel@drhorton.com www.drhorton.com/wilmington

2

Bill Clark Homes 127 Racine Drive, Suite 201 Wilmington, NC 28403

350-1744 kcox@billclarkhomes.com www.billclarkhomes.com

324

$200,000-$1 million+

N/A Bluffs on the Cape Fear, Brunswick Forest, Compass Pointe, Campbells Ridge, Hanover Lakes, River Oaks, Channel Watch, Kaylies Cove, The Retreat at Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Ridge, Carolina Creek, Canter Crest, The Landing at Mill Creek, Summerhouse, Salter's Haven at Lea Marina

3

Logan Homes 60 Gregory Road, Suite 1 Belville, NC 28451

452-7175 info@loganhomes.com www.loganhomes.com

229

$251,000 and up

100 Atlantic View, Helms Port, Salters Haven, Sparrows Bend, Clearwater Preserve, Banyan Bay in Brunswick Forest, Cottage Lakes, Cottage Woods, The Towns in St. James Plantation, Cottage Grove, Saltwater Palms

55

D Logan, Owner & President PJ Kelly, Division Manager 1986

4

Trusst Builder Group 481 Olde Waterford Way, Suite 100 Leland, NC 28451

371-0304 info@trusstbuildergroup.com www.trusstbuildergroup.com

186

$244,500-$589,500

95 Whiskey Branch, RiverLights, Compass Pointe, Brunswick Forest, Waterford, The Lakes at Pine Forest

26

Shawn Horton Sandy Wood Owners 1992

5

Stevens Fine Homes 2922 Orville Wright Way, Suite 110 Wilmington, NC 28405

794-8699 dreamhomes@stevensfinehomes.com www.stevensfinehomes.com

152

$200K - $450K

100% Communities- Avendale, The Knolls at Turkey Creek, Mallory Creek Plantation.

2019 launched Canby Oaks community and new company dedicated to custom homes, Michael Christian Homes.

35

Craig Stevens President 1993

6

Pulte Group 4136 Passerine Ave. Wilmington, SC 28412

104

$180,000-$500,000

100 Del Webb Wilmington, Pulte Homes at Riverlights, Adair Park by Centex Homes, Pulte Homes at Devaun Park, Pulte Homes at Crow Creek

15

David Carrier Charlie Tipton Division President Coastal Carolinas Division President 2006

7

H&H Homes 1107 New Pointe Blvd. Ste. U-B1-2 Leland, NC 28451

219-1485 info@hhhomes.net www.hhhomes.com

87

$200,000-$300,000+

100 Upcoming communities include Woodlands Grove at Echo Farms and Homeplace at Holly Ridge, Preserve at Fisher Landing and Olde Georgetowne

15

Steve Anderson Division Manager 2009

8

Hardison Building PO Box 809 Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

794-1501 hardisonbld@aol.com hardisonbuilding.com

62

$200,000-$625,000

N/A Waterstone, Wyndwater, The Villas at Echo Farms, Cape Landing, Creekside, Tarin Woods, Salt Water Landing, Tradewinds.

N/A

Dean Hardison President 1992

9

Bostic Building Corp.

6622-A Gordon Road Wilmington, NC 28411

769-3732 brettbostic@yahoo.com www.bosticbuilding.com

37

$230,000-$875,000

3

Brett Bostic President 2004

10

Pyramid Homes PO Box 4127 Wilmington, NC 28406

392-7201 info@buildpyramid.com www.buildpyramid.com

34

$150,000-$300,000

100 Windsor Park, Magnolia Greens

N/A

William A. Hardee President 2003

11

PBC Design + Build 314 Walnut St., Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28401

21

Dave Spetrino Jr. Kyle Henry Founder President / CEO 1997

12

Horizon Homes of Wilmington PO Box 3442 Wilmington, NC 28406

13 14

225-5673 www.pultegroupinc.com

100

763-8760 henry@pbcdesignbuild.com www.pbcdesignbuild.com

29

$550,000 - $1 million+

N/A Custom homes in Autumn Hall, Landfall, Brunswick Forest, Carolina Beach, Downtown, Riverlights, Tidalwalk, Wrightsville Beach, River Bluffs, Hampstead, Wilmington

508-6655 buyhorizonnewhomes@gmail.com BuyHorizonNewHomes.com

21

$350,000-$750,000

100 Compass Pointe, Palmetto Creek

3

Robin Hackney Deans Hackney, Jr. Owners 2011

Kirk Pigford Homes, LLC PO Box 12315 Wilmington, NC 28405

520-1948 kirk@kirkpigfordhomes.com www.kirkpigfordhomes.com

6

350,000-750,000

N/A N/A

N/A

2008

Castle Home Builders 108 Middle Point Road Hampstead, NC 28443

270-4812 salimig@charter.net www.castlehomebuilders.com

5

$350,000-$475,000

50 —

2

Sal Migliara Buillder 1994

List is based on voluntary responses to a Business Journal survey. Homes include single-family homes, townhomes and condos.

Want to be considered for The List? Request an industry survey by emailing lists@wilmingtonbiz.com.

The Business Journal will feature the following lists in upcoming publications: Assisted Living Facilities • Financial Planners

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November 6 - 19, 2020

This year’s Cucalorus Connect workshops build on the format of our Community Conversations series using film as a catalyst for discussion about undoing racism. Six events will explore the relationship between storytelling and action as we tackle the nation’s most pressing issues and seek a path to real action and change.

StoryShift: Accountability in Documentary MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16 2:00PM / LIVE ONLINE

Creatively Speaking with Damon Young TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 7:00PM / LIVE ONLINE

Stories of Home and Land THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 2:00PM / LIVE ONLINE

Leadership: 7 days, 7 generations TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 2:00PM / LIVE ONLINE

From Hardship to Hope WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 2:00PM / LIVE ONLINE

Impolite Conversations about race, education, justice and health FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 2:00PM / LIVE ONLINE

Participate in the conversation for free by registering at cucalorus.org/connect!

Get festival tickets and passes at cucalorus.org/boxoffice

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