The opening of Generator Supercenter of Wilmington off Gordon Road has brought six jobs to the area and is one of more than two dozen new businesses that have celebrated openings with the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce this year.
In its latest Economic Growth Update released Wednesday, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce reported that it held ribbon cutting events for 26 area businesses in the first and second quarters of 2018.
The new businesses represent a total of 392 jobs -- 180 full-time and 212 part-time jobs -- that flowed into the area with their openings. The numbers, however, only represent a snapshot of this year’s job creation and do not represent all the jobs created by new business openings in the New Hanover County area, according to the chamber.
The chamber’s ribbon-cutting event for Generator Supercenter was held June 1. That was the day the center opened for business at 6756 Gordon Road, Suite 140, said Dan Miller, owner of Generator Supercenter.
The business, which is a part of a franchise based in Houston, Texas, offers a turn-key solution for generator needs, including installation and service, he said. The company's generator provider is Generac, which is an American-made generator, Miller said.
Miller said the company hit sales objectives in June that he didn’t expect to accomplish before November, indicating a pent-up demand for the company's services.
“So, we are six months ahead of our projections,” he said. “Honestly, we didn’t think we would be nearly as busy as we are. The very first month we opened we blew away our … projection as far as reaching my first sales goal.”
Generator Supercenter wasn't the only business that celebrated its opening with the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce last month.
Topsail Steamer also had a ribbon-cutting for
its new location on 530 Causeway Drive in Wrightsville Beach on June 13, bringing seafood steam pots in a one-time use pot to take home, steam and eat, to the area. The business also has a location in Surf City.
Other business in the chamber’s report ranged from the hospitality and health and medicine sectors to retail and business and professional services.
Of the jobs numbers shared by the chamber, Generator Supercenter has hired six employees since its June opening, Miller said. He anticipates that the employee count will double by August.
According to the chamber, the total of 26 ribbon-cutting events this year has already surpassed the 24 held by the chamber in all of 2017.
In each job sector, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce reported the following for Q1 and Q2 of 2018:
(
Chamber note: This list does not represent all jobs created by new business openings in New Hanover County. It should be considered as a general snapshot of business activity.)
