A goal of the Small Business Administration is to encourage more small businesses to become involved in federal contracting. An announcement July 25 from the SBA indicated that the agency is making progress toward that goal, at least nationally.   During the federal fiscal year of Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021 – the most recent year for which complete data are a ...

Tucked away off Blue Clay Road, a young farmer is carrying on a family tradition he is determined not to let die.  Twenty-two-year-old George Graham Trask is in the midst of his first summer season as head farmer at Trask Family Farms, a new business on old land centered around getting back to old ways.  For now, customers can get a taste of the farm’ ...

A professional men’s soccer team is poised to return to Wilmington by 2024, if recently announced plans come to fruition.  Will it be a resurrection of the Hammerheads? Maybe so, officials say.  Late Friday evening, United Soccer League (USL) League One announced USL had granted a newly formed group exclusive rights to pursue a League One expansion fr ...

Holly Childs resigned from her role as president and CEO of Wilmington Downtown iNC, the organization announced Thursday afternoon.   Childs, whose resignation takes effect immediately, said she is returning “home for family reasons,” a news release stated.   She took over as head of WDI in January 2021, shifting the organization’s focus mor ...

Guy C. Lee Building Materials, a long-standing building supply company in North Carolina has purchased one of Wilmington’s oldest family-owned businesses, E.W. Godwin’s Sons Lumber Co.   The buyout is a new step for both businesses and allows Smithfield-headquartered Guy C. Lee to fully integrate into the Wilmington market while still maintaining nearby ...

Last month, Absolute Collision purchased three out of four of Wilmington-based Register’s Auto Collision's auto repair shops.  Register’s Auto Collision opened in Wilmington in 1975 at 128 Harley Road. The company, operated by Steve Register, who took over the business from his father, also has a location in Hampstead at 15744 U.S. Hwy. 17. It opene ...

Last month, O2 Fitness closed its flagship Wilmington gym in Mayfaire, then earlier this month, shut the doors at its Porters Neck location for good.  Around 2018, the company had five separate locations operating in Wilmington and roughly 15,000 members. Now, it’s down to just two locations but is planning to open a third within the next couple of years.&nbs ...

A prominent think tank that annually ranks economic growth in American cities has placed Wilmington in the 21st spot. Wilmington’s new ranking puts the growing city ahead of several urban hubs officials often compare it to when measuring performance indicators. The Milken Institute published its 2022 best-performing cities analysis Monday, which charts economic gr ...

As Wilmington International Airport (ILM) continues its travel-related expansion plans, airport officials are looking to maximize use of the land that's left on the airport’s home base for business purposes.  At last week’s New Hanover County Airport Authority meeting, board members gave staff the direction to formulate a request for qualifications ...

The following are summaries of the top 10 most-read stories Greater Wilmington Business Journal online stories in 2021, the top spot taken by a WilmingtonBiz Magazine story about the Battleship North Carolina.   1. Ship Shape: Rebuilding the Battleship In 2009, the U.S. Navy gave two directives: either make plans to scrap the USS North Carolina or set out to rest ...