Over the past 14 years, local food pantry Share the Table has grown prolifically.

It’s evolved from a fledgling church-based group to an organization that provides 1,000 meals each week. Key to the group’s recent growth has been its new 10,000-square-foot facility at 21 Perkins Drive in Hampstead.

The building was the result of $1.3 million in fundraising and allowed the food pantry to expand and enhance its services. It was also among the commercial projects recognized Thursday during Cape Fear CREW’s 7th annual Awards of Excellence, winning in the community enhancement category.

Live Oak Bank won in the Best Design category for its Building Four, which opened on Live Oak’s campus last summer. The building “embodies biophilic design as the region's first building constructed with a 100% mass timber structural system,” according to Cape Fear CREW’s presentation.

“Though requiring substantial coordination to allow for an exposed structural system using off-site prefabricated materials, the building design team masterfully conquered the unique challenges of the design.”

Live Oak Bank also received Cape Fear CREW’s Impact Award, which recognizes an individual or company that exemplifies “outstanding leadership in the commercial real estate industry,” has made a significant contribution, and has had a positive influence on the region’s commercial real estate industry. The company has invested $150 million in five state-of-the-art buildings on its growing midtown campus.

The New Hanover County Government Center won in the Project Excellence - Industrial & Office Award category. The project encompasses 130,000 square feet of new construction, including 105,000 square feet of office space, a 25,000-square-foot 911 call center and Emergency Operations Center and a 7,500-square-foot Board of Elections building. Work on the project, a public-private partnership, wrapped up in spring 2023.

The Project Excellence - Multifamily, Mixed Use & Retail Award went to the Metropolitan at the Riverwalk, a “transformative mixed-use development” with 293 residential units, retail space and a 488-space parking garage located along the Cape Fear River north of downtown Wilmington, according to the CREW presentation. 

“The project revitalized a former brownfield site, overcoming complex foundation challenges and coordinating construction alongside active park operations,” the presentation stated. The Metropolitan at the Riverwalk welcomed its first move-ins in the summer of 2023.

Terry Espy, owner and president of Momentum Companies, won the Influential Woman in Commercial Real Estate Award. Espy has had a 30-year career in commercial real estate, and “her unique fusion of skills and expertise helped shape the redevelopment of South Front Street and helped promote Wilmington on the national stage as a food destination,” the CREW presentation stated. Espy was also recognized as a downtown leader and advocate for the arts. 

Karen Widmayer, a marketing communications expert specializing in commercial real estate, received CREW’s Beth Quinn Excellence Award. She was also recognized as a “driving force” and active member in Cape Fear CREW.