Former CEA category winners shared their progress since winning their awards.

Advanced Maintenance

(2011 winner in Professional Services)

Growth has been rapid for Advanced Maintenance, a company that provides preventive maintenance, repair and maintenance management for commercial vehicles. When the Wilmington company won in 2011, it had three corporate and four franchise locations. Now, five years later, it has two corporate locations, and its franchise network has grown to 16, co-owner Chris Holman says.

Five years ago, Advanced Maintenance’s sales were at about $6 million. Holman expects to top $20 million this year and exceed $40 million in 2017 as the company expands into its seventh state and adds five locations in Georgia and one each in Indianapolis, Phoenix, Miami and Huntsville, Alabama.

“We’re the only company registered in franchises that does what we do,” Holman said. “We’ve been approached many times for acquisition, but we enjoy what we are doing here in Wilmington with family and friends.”

Farmin’

(2012 winner in Retail)

Since winning in the Retail category in 2012, Carolina Farmin’ closed its store on Market Street, changed its name to Farmin’ and focused its farm-to-market operations on connecting farmers with restaurants and other food outlets. The reorganized company is poised to open a new grocery store, Farmin’ on Front, in downtown Wilmington.

The period of doing only wholesale through its Farmin’ Exchange division “served as an incredible source of knowledge for us,” Farmin’ CEO Ben Long said. “We learned the system we had could be made so much more efficient to provide higher economies of scale.”

Farmin’ developed each of its merchandise categories – seafood, meat, produce, bakery, creamery – into individual, independent production departments. Farmin’ Exchange provided locally sourced products to restaurants, caterers and country clubs.

As Farmin’ Exchange continues, the company is preparing for its new foray into retail, a process that has taken more than a year, Long said. Farmin’ on Front will open at 143 N. Front St. sometime this summer.

Modoc Research

(2013 winner in Biotechnology)

The past three years have been ones of growth for Modoc Research Services, according to the firm’s president and CEO Julie Orr. 

The specialized contract research organization has expanded its operations, partly through a 2015 alliance with German clinical research organization bioskin.  The deal advances Modoc’s dermatological drug and device development services.

“Our clients range from big pharma companies to local companies,” Orr said. “We’ve taken some different paths, based on FDA regulations changes.”

Modoc’s roster of clients has doubled, as has its Wilmington-based staff. It now employs six full-time people, with plans to add more this year, Orr said. In addition, Modoc contracts with project-specific workers. Although the number of contractors varies depending on the projects at hand, Modoc’s average number of contractors at any one time has increased, she said.

In the past year, Modoc moved to a new location at 1410 Commonwealth Drive that offered four times the amount of space of its former quarters on Racine Avenue.

National Speed

(2014 winner in Retail)

National Speed, a Wilmington-based auto performance shop, has set an ambitious goal for itself: expansion to 25-30 locations by 2020. It is taking the first step this year, with a location planned in Richmond, Virginia. 

“We’re looking to close out our funding round in the next 30 days,” president and CEO Jordan Watson said in mid-April. “We’ve worked mostly with individual angels and angel groups from the Wilmington area as well as some other places on the East Coast. We’re up in Richmond looking for a second store, and will open that in the fourth quarter of this year if everything goes right.”

National Speed uses metrics and data to create a consistent – and replicable – service model in an industry Watson describes as lacking standards. He said the local shop is positioned for another record year in 2016, after seeing 20 percent growth in each of the previous two years.

“We’ve got some really cool partnerships and relationships being formed with major players at places like Pep Boys that have rolled out hundreds of units,” he said. 
 

---

Previous CEA Winners

Here are all the category winners since the awards program started in 2009:
 

2015

Brand Assurance

Performance Culture

Elite Innovations

Carolina Green Building

Filmwerks International

GigSalad

The Harrelson Center 

Koolbridge Solar

MimiJumi

Surgilum

 

2014

Cape Fear Clinic

DocsInk 

National Speed

Next Glass

Odyssey Fire Protection

Quality Chemical Laboratories

SIVAD Business Solutions

TOZAL

WARM

Without Limits

 

2013

PlayerSpace

Orbita

Pink-Trash

Modoc Research

Cape Fear Research

GO2

Freaker

The Real Tooth Farieis

Monacares

Common Sense Films

 

2012

Applied Resource Management

Eco Express

Cape Fear Tutoring

Set Up Events

Carolina Farmin’

Edge of Urge

Pomp Event Furnishings

Glycotech

DryCase

Progress Earth

 

2011

Advanced Maintenance

Custom Fit Meals

E2

Flow

Frank Deals

Glide Bikes

LINC

Manufacturing Methods

Cape Fear Rain Water

Flow Sciences

 

2010

Holt Oil Company

CMS Tool & Die

Cucalorus

Kids Making it

N2 Publishing

Proficient learning

Cortech Solutions

Rogo

DigiEffects

Loadmatch Logistics

 

2009

TeraDisc

Freedom Lawns

orthoKinetic Technologies

Global Test Supply

Full Belly Project

Sapona Green Building Center

Genisys Networks

Opterex

Scheulefly

Virtual Law Office Technology