A proposed polymetallic nodule refinery that’s eyeing Brunswick County as a potential location could bring up to $500 million in investment and around 300 jobs to the area, according to Andrew Tong, CEO of Cobalt Blue Holdings LLC, one of the companies behind the project. Cobalt Blue Holdings, an Australian minerals-processing and mining company, and its project p ...

Brunswick County is one of four U.S. sites eyed for what could become the world’s first commercial polymetallic nodule refinery. The proposed facility, referred to in a news release as Project Infinity, is the product of a consortium between Australian minerals-processing and mining company Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited and Glomar Minerals LLC, an American critical ...

Fire up the cannons. It’s almost time for the N.C. Fourth of July Festival, held in the Brunswick County city of Southport and beginning with activities in June. “We’ve been celebrating July 4 since 1795, the first recorded celebration of the Fourth here,” said Hugh Fosbury, this year’s president and festival chairman. “We’ve go ...

This spring and summer have been a rough time for the city of Southport’s Parks & Recreation Department. In March, four of the department’s employees were placed on paid administrative leave, according to a news release the town emailed that day. Their job titles and identities were not released at the time. “These actions were due to the app ...

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably been there – Hefty bag in hand, you hastily whisk through your child’s room scooping up excess, unwanted or orphaned markers, colored pencils, paint sets, glue sticks, construction paper, even googly eyes, and head straight for the trash bin. Guilt might briefly descend, but you’ve won, at least temporarily, ...

HOW DID THE COMPANY START? ALEXANDRA RICHARDSON: “Tommy is my husband, which of course makes me biased; however, he was working in digital marketing, and when he first brought the idea to me, I said he was nuts. He had never built a fence in his life. He started this business with nothing and is sitting at $217,000 in revenue in five months, with amazing subcontract ...

On May 20, the Greater Wilmington Business Journal posted an opinion from the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce via its CEO. The opinion piece offers little explanation of exactly how/why the Eastwood Road overpass (aka the “Flyover," or formally U-5710) will significantly improve traffic or benefit businesses an ...

Few topics of conversation are more compelling in southeastern North Carolina right now than growth and traffic congestion. Across our region, residents and business owners are increasingly feeling the impact transportation challenges are having on daily life, workforce mobility and long-term economic growth.   For many residents, traffic has become a daily frustrat ...

Wilmington-headquartered Atlantic Packaging, a distributor of industrial packaging materials, has launched a venture capital investment firm.  New Earth Ventures is the dedicated investment and innovation arm of Atlantic Packaging, and according to an SEC filing, the firm is targeting a $25 million fund.  "We launched New Earth Ventures because packagi ...

Porch Concepts, a Wilmington outdoor furniture store, has been acquired by Casual Furniture World, another outdoor furniture retailer that's headquartered in Winston-Salem. According to a news release, the acquisition expands Casual Furniture World’s footprint to include four showrooms across the Carolinas, including locations in Winston-Salem, Greensboro and ...