Wilmington "brand" debated at breakfast event

There is no clear definition to the "Wilmington Brand," a topic discussed by five panelists at the Power Breakfast event, hosted by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal on Tuesday. Topics discussed included industry versus a knowledge-worker economy, city and county government mergers, education, medical and engineering industries and how Wilmington is perceived both within and outside the community.

“It’s really a place about dreams,” said panelist Jeff Morvil, a local advertising executive.

“We have to continue to strive to be a city that is steeped in tradition, but have a modern flair about it,” offered panelist Tom Looney.

The five panelists were Melanie Cook of Coastal Carolina Tomorrow; Tom Looney, the entrepreneur-in-residence for the Cape Fear Future initiative; Jeff Morvil, president of Morvil Advertising and Design; Chad Paul, managing partner of Harbor Island Partners and Rick Randall, CEO of Trans1 Inc.

Many mentioned that Wilmington is a destination city and that Wilmington does not compete with Raleigh or other parts of North Carolina, but it does compete with Charleston and Savannah in the continued population shift southward. “Wilmington is one of the most beautifully situated places where that migration will occur,” Tom Looney said.

The challenge is how to connect the lifestyle that draws people here with the resources to create a thriving community. Answers centered on entrepreneurship, education, the arts and inclusiveness of people and industry. Chad Paul, a panelist and managing partner of Harbor Island Partners, said that Wilmington  has a “pre” and “post” I-40 identity. In the “pre” I-40 mindset, residents from Raleigh and other parts of the state still see Wilmington only as a vacation destination, while the “post” I-40 mindset sees opportunity.

Paul said that people who get relocated here because of a company assignment, may not have as much opportunity as entrepreneurs looking to strike out on their own. “It may or may not be a great place for a career,” Paul said. “But if you’re a start-up, it could be a great place for a start-up.”

Rick Randall, the CEO of Trans1 Inc., wondered how Wilmington could realize an engineering and medical school to spur some start-ups and to develop workers who could contribute in those areas. “We’ve got the senior management, but we need the workers,” Randall said of his company. “We should be educating those people in this community, not in the places that they are leaving.”

Just as important as new businesses and the growth of business is the inclusion and development of the arts and education community. “The notion that you can separate the social, such as arts and K-12 education, from economics is a myth,” Looney said. “They are economic drivers as much as social drivers. The integration of those are an essential part to our success,” he said.

The proposed Titan cement illustrated a bigger question for the panelists—is there a place for heavy industry and knowledge-based work in our community? Melanie Cook focused on a “diversity of industry” and noted the different types of jobs that industry adds to the overall economic picture. “This may be the very community that they need to come in,” Cook said about Titan. “I think we owe it to all businesses and all types to allow them into the community. But to just say across the board, this is all we’re going to accept is unrealistic,” she said.

Discussion also centered on how to sustain a focused effort to attract new businesses and initiatives to Wilmington. Paul said that it would push the region forward if the city and county government were merged. “I think the city and county governments are not the leaders, but they control the balance of the region,” he said noting that several agencies overlap. “The city and county have to organize themselves,” he said.

But action, in some regard, rather from a single entity or several entities was encouraged to help organize new residents, new businesses and new ideas. “I don’t think we’ve realized or tapped the political power. And part of that is that we haven’t organized in our own community,” Cook said.