Most of us probably don’t think a lot about the knife we grab to chop an onion or slice a tomato. Nicholas “Nic” Nichols not only thinks about knives, he obsesses over them.   As a kid growing up in Brunswick County, Nichols often explored the automobile junkyard his father ran for 35 years. While some people picked through the junkyard for usable ...

A local partnership led by the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW) is a recipient of the Regional Impact Grants from NC IDEA, according to a press release. NEW, the University of North Carolina Wilmington Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and the UNC-Pembroke Thomas Entrepreneurship Hub received a grant aimed at helping “strengthen the inf ...

Local entrepreneurs Girard and Tracey Newkirk are growing a for-profit business development company in downtown Wilmington, but the couple also has their sights set on an even bigger goal: to create innovation corridors in the Port City and beyond.   The Newkirks opened Genesis Block last year and are serving more than 90 entrepreneurs, small businesses and corporat ...

A pandemic-delayed weeklong event to celebrate and foster a Blue Economy, which encompasses ocean-related industries, launched Tuesday morning. With mostly free in-person and virtual events, workshops, seminars, investor panel discussions and more, the All Blue Week offerings will last through Saturday.   The concept focuses on tapping into the region’s exi ...

For a lot of women, the menstrual cycle comes with pain, which many manage with painkillers. A Wilmington entrepreneur’s recently launched product aims to address the issue with less pain medication. This week, Airlie Wedemeyer has launched MyPeriodPal, a reflexology band that relieves menstrual discomfort, according to a press release. “I invented MyPeri ...

Crews have made progress on the expansion of nCino's Mayfaire-area headquarters. As a result of the project, the publicly-traded, cloud banking firm based in Wilmington will have enough space to allow for at least 600 new employees. The expansion of nCino (Nasdaq: NCNO) incudes a new parking garage, an additional office building with 90,000 square feet and a ...

A Wilmington-based maker of all-natural cleaning products has a new ownership team with the goal of expanding products to large retailers. SQUEAK has been acquired by Parker Wilson, owner of Sparked Consulting, and Ohio-based Bum Brands, according to a press release this week. Jayna Crittenden, who started the company in 2018, will remain part of the business as the ...

Local and national TV audiences will get to learn about Wilmington startups and entrepreneurs starting Tuesday through the airing of the first episode of START UP. The first episode will air on PBS (WUNC-DT4) at 4:30 p.m., as well as on World Channel. After airing, episodes will be available for view on PBS.org and Amazon Prime. The first episode highlights TRU C ...

Wilmington is once again being recognized as a top global emerging ecosystem for startups, according to a report from research firm Startup Genome and Global Entrepreneurship Network. The city ranked No. 81-90 in the Top 100 Emerging Ecosystems list which “showcases the strengths in ecosystems with the highest potential to become global top performers,” the ...

Cape Fear Catamarans capefearcats.com Year founded: 2003   Number of employees: 8   Top official: Barry LeRay, owner and lead designer   Company description: Custom builder of aluminum hull catamarans used by fishermen, pleasure cruisers and fire and rescue departments   Target market: “Any boater or organization that demands high-end ...