Wilmington’s best-known startup and another up-and-comer have similar beginnings: Both were created after established companies needed better industry-specific software systems.   Not satisfied with what was available on the market, both Live Oak Bank’s Chip Mahan and Community Association Management Services’ (CAMS) David Sweyer set out to develop ...

From using artificial intelligence to predict sales to capitalizing on a seafood staple, this year’s Coastal Entrepreneur Awards winners run the gamut. While vastly different, what the 11 companies and organizations do have in common is being chosen by a panel of judges as CEA category winners. Their wins were based on whether they are entrepreneurial and of those ...

Sandy Harris didn’t plan on becoming the volunteer executive director of Pender County Christian Services.   But Harris, whose husband is a minister, started volunteering at PCCS about 23 years ago after an accident sidelined her from her career as a medical office manager.   “I was called to this. This is not a job,” she said. “This i ...

While it sounds like a simple idea, it’s one that isn’t widely available: go to the gym on your schedule any time of day or night when it works for your life.   But it is at the heart of Hybrid Athlete Foundation’s app, which allows that convenience for the athlete and security for the facility owner.   President and founder Albert Steed exp ...

Envisioned by husband-and-wife team Girard and Tracey Newkirk, Genesis Block provides business development services that support small business owners, entrepreneurs and early-stage startups. Its mission is to build an entrepreneur class in Wilmington that is inclusive of everyone, while having a special focus on ventures led by minorities and women.   “The ...

Inspired by her experiences of summer seafood cookouts on the Jersey Shore when she was growing up, Danielle Mahon decided to share the experience of a low country boil with folks in coastal North Carolina.   Soon after she and her family moved to the state, she developed her signature offering – seasoned, ready-to- cook seafood in a metal pot – and open ...

Covering nearly three quarters of Earth’s surface, the ocean is one of the planet’s most valuable natural resources. Although it’s already the primary food source for 3.5 billion people, scientists believe the ocean could supply six times more food than it does today. And that bounty goes beyond food. Pharmaceutical companies increasingly are looking to t ...

When it comes to running a business, one important aspect is sales forecasting, which can help owners and leaders predict their revenue to plan for employee pay, operating expenses, buying more inventory and attracting investors.   Accurately forecasting sales, however, is easier said than done, according to Phil Everhart, who founded SmartFox Technologies as a solu ...

It’s been said that the road to success is always under construction, and the saying rings true for the McDuffie family.   James and Myra McDuffie opened MeMa’s Chick’n’ & Ribs in Burgaw in 2017, serving up classic Southern cuisine and smoked meats prepared from family recipes passed down from James’ mother, Mary, also known as MeMa ...

Nathanael Conway, CEO of Wilmington-based Blue Roll LLC, is working on branching out his production company into the communications world.   Conway has jumped on board with a nonprofit organization that will help gear his move for the next phase of Blue Roll.   Conway in 2018 started Blue Roll, a business that creates video for branding, marketing and awarene ...