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Entrepreneurs

2017 CEA Winners: Where Are They Now?

By Staff Reports, posted May 4, 2018
Coastal Entrepreneur winners from 2017 (File photos)
CAVANAUGH & ASSOCIATES
COMPANY
: Cavanaugh & Associates P.A. aims to cultivate stewardship of natural resources through innovation, improving the efficient use of water resources and the harvesting of valuable products from wasted organics (bioenergy). 
YEAR FOUNDED: 1995 
EMPLOYEES: 13 
UPDATE: “Cavanaugh & Associates just completed a revolutionary project, Optima KV in Duplin County, that is the first project to put swine waste into the natural gas pipeline. Duke Energy has contracted to buy the renewable natural gas (RNG) from the five participating swine farms for a period of 15 years. . . . We believe this project is going to help catalyze development of farm clusters to waste to energy projects in the state.”
PHOTO: Gus Simmons, director of Bioenergy 
 
COASTAL COVE OF WILMINGTON 
COMPANY: Coastal Cove of Wilmington provides seniors with housing, personalized supportive services and health care designed to accommodate the activities of daily life. 
YEAR FOUNDED: 2016 
EMPLOYEES: 17 
UPDATE: Coastal Cove, which opened an upscale, private 4,400-square-foot state-of-the-art residential care home in Wilmington in 2016, plans to develop Coastal Cove of Hampstead, a three home, 18-resident private campus. “We are targeting an early spring 2019 opening date. We plan on bringing 35 jobs to the Hampstead market with the development of Coastal Cove of Hampstead.” 
GROWTH AND INNOVATION: “Coastal Cove provides a niche option for those with mild cognitive impairments, with an intense focus on social engagement and activities within the community. Also we seek a smaller, homelike environment.”
PHOTO: Justin Luquire, president /founder  
 
CUCALORUS CONNECT 
COMPANY: Cucalorus Connect is a business conference that grew from Cucalorus, which was a CEA winner in 2010.  
YEAR FOUNDED: 2015 
UPDATE: The “connect” part of Cucalorus Connect is now one of three main components of the Cucalorus Festival, along with film and stage. Additional growth is planned over the next five years. Cucalorus Chief Instigating Officer Dan Brawley said the CEA application, “The Cucalorus Connect Conference’s visionary supporters were the catalyst for [the festival’s recent] transformation as entrepreneurs joined together to expand the Cucalorus brand. These leaders shared a vision for the growth of Cucalorus’ exploration of technology and for the festival’s potential to showcase ALL of the unique assets that make Wilmington such a great place to live, work and play.”
PHOTO: Laura Brogdon-Primavera, organizer, and Sean Ahlum, member  
 
HALF UNITED  
COMPANY: Half United 
YEAR FOUNDED: 2009 
EMPLOYEES: 8 
UPDATE: “Since receiving the CEA award, Half United has been featured in ELLE Magazine twice and on The View. In August of 2017, the company designed an exclusive line for Target. Through its partnership with Elevating Christian Ministries, it helped fund three bread ovens in Haiti. It also provided more than 400 fruit trees in Fiji through its charity partner there, Northern Christian Training Centre. In late 2017/early 2018, Half United partnered with Port City Java to raise more than $13,000 to feed children in the Wilmington area. The company has also launched its own on-site retail space.” 
TOP THREE TIPS: Never give up; have a plan before you get going; and emphasize teamwork.
PHOTO: Carmin Black, co-founder 
 
BATTLE HOUSE-TACTICAL LASER TAG
YEAR FOUNDED: 2015 
EMPLOYEES: 8
COMPANY: Battle House-Tactical Laser Tag is a 10,000-square-foot indoor tactical laser tag arena built out like an indoor city with two-story buildings, a fake bank and a jail. Games last 90 minutes with red versus blue team missions.  
UPDATE: “We ended 2017 having served 21,591 customers last year, which was a 48% increase over 2016, with over 43,000 customers served since we opened,” wrote Darek Huckbody, owner of the Wilmington Battle House location.
GROWTH AND INNOVATION: “we are moving forward in three main areas, adding more owner-operated locations, equipment sales and franchising.” A couple of examples include a potential Fayetteville or Raleigh location and the creation of a battle house line of laser tag guns.
PHOTO: Darek Huckbody, owner
 
PAWS4PEOPLE
YEAR FOUNDED
: 1999
EMPLOYEES: 14 
ORGANIZATION: paws4people, a 501c3 charity, educates and empowers people to use assistance dogs to change their lives. paws4people also raises and trains dogs, and places facility dogs with handlers.  
UPDATE: In June 2017, paws4people closed its fiscal year with more than $1.3 million in public support and revenue, the second consecutive year the organization exceeded the $1 million threshold. In September last year, paws4people was one of 20 grant recipients from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences for the 2018 Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program and was awarded $300,000.
GROWTH AND INNOVATION: “each paws4people assistance dog is the tool, the technology, and the positive force through which paws4people helps to transform and, for a majority of clients, to save lives.”
PHOTO: Kyria Henry, executive director  
 
MANUFACTURING METHODS 
COMPANY: Manufacturing Methods (MM) makes a range of products to customer specifications. It also provides design and early-stage prototypes, as well as fully completed mass produced parts.  
YEAR FOUNDED: 2006  
EMPLOYEES: 50  
UPDATE: The company experienced exponential growth between its first CEA award in 2011 and its second win in 2017, officials said. MM has a projected revenue of $7 million for 2018, a 40 percent increase from 2017.  
GROWTH AND INNOVATION: “Since moving to our current 50,000-sq.- ft. facility in Leland, we have implemented all facets of lean manufacturing processes. . . . Every new customer is viewed as a long-term relationship regardless of the size and scope of work. This has fueled MM’s large number of growing repeat customers.”
PHOTO: Pete Peterson, owner and CEO  
 
PHOENIX HOMETOWN HIRES 
COMPANY: Phoenix Hometown Hires, now StepUp Wilmington, addresses the need for greater employment and economic opportunities for thousands of residents in Wilmington and the surrounding Cape Fear area through job readiness training, job placement and life skills training.  
YEAR FOUNDED: 2003 
EMPLOYEES: 10  
UPDATE: “Since receiving the 2017 CEA award, StepUp Wilmington increased its year-over-year revenue by 70 percent, placed the most jobs ever in a single year, 171, and went through a rebranding, changing its name from Phoenix Hometown Hires to StepUp Wilmington as part of the organization’s long-term strategic plan. As part of the rebranding, StepUp Wilmington set a goal to place 1,000 jobs over the next four years, creating over $20 million in wages.”  
TOP THREE TIPS: “1. Clearly define your mission, and your ‘one thing.’ For SUW, it's Jobs 2. Create a strategic plan that lays out specific goals and a road map for the organization 3. Hire innovative people and inspire them to do great things.”
PHOTO: Will Rikard, executive director  
 
PLAYERSPACE
COMPANY: PLAYERSPACE Inc. is a registration, program management and communication enterprise software system. 
YEAR FOUNDED: 2006 
EMPLOYEES: 8 
GROWTH AND INNOVATION: “We spent a lot of time building a product and infrastructure that could scale and our exponential growth in terms of revenue, product lines, and new market segments is a direct result of it. The infrastructure here referenced is across the board: IT, Software, Business Management tools, and even our accounting and customer service systems. We have utilized all different types of software from homegrown to third-party enterprise project management systems to ensure the analytics, tools, and data are at our fingertips to most efficiently and effectively run PLAYERSPACE.” 
TOP THREE TIPS: “Have a good product or service and get a fair price for it. Never get out-hustled by anyone or any entity. Treat your employees like they are your customers, because they are.”
PHOTO: Todd John, founder and president 
 
VAVAROOM
COMPANY: Vavaroom sells rooms of furniture on a virtual platform with the veil of interior design services. 
YEAR FOUNDED: 2016 
EMPLOYEES:
UPDATE: “It has only been a short time since we were awarded the 2017 CEA Award, but we have packed it with serious growth, thanks in many ways to the efforts of CIE and the services they have provided to help entrepreneurs grow and develop their strengths. We obtained a $50,000 investment to expand our marketing program, hire new employees and improve our web site. We have hired a PR firm and have developed a robust marketing strategy that can cater to a national platform.” 
GROWTH AND INNOVATION: “Our best product differentiator is our sales tool of a 3D rendering that has photo-like qualities.”
PHOTO: Cathy Maready, co-founder
 
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