A fast-growing online social platform for real estate investors was named Entrepreneur of the Year at Wednesday’s Coastal Entrepreneur Awards.  Connected Investors came away from the event with the CEA wooden surfboard, created by Kids Making It, that is passed from winner to winner each year. The annual event is co-sponsored by the Greater Wilmington Busi ...

On a day in Wilmington about four decades ago, elementary school student Ron Sparks asked a pharmacist a question, then watched as the blood drained from the man’s face.   “A look of complete and total horror came across it,” Sparks said.   The then-9-year-old Sparks – now an engineer and owner of Sparks Engineering – wanted to k ...

NYE'S CREAM SANDWICHES 2936 Orville Wright Way, Suite 10 Wilmington No. of employees: 4 year-round, with an additional 4-6 during the summer and holiday season   Year founded: 2011 Top local officials: Christian Nye, owner and executive chef   Company description: Before the ice cream sandwich became trendy and artisanal, Nye said he was pa ...

Who would you invest $100,000 in?   That’s one of the pieces of advice we give our Coastal Entrepreneur Award judges each year when they’re faced with the task of making their picks.   Who shows high-growth potential?   Who is making a name for themselves and cutting through the noise?   Who, out of these stacks and stacks of nominat ...

Sean Hensler is quick to share credit for the success of his surgical equipment supply business.   Much credit is also due to Hensler, a health care professional who holds patents for devices his Wilmington- based company markets. Others are in development.   The U.S. Marine Corps veteran is founder and CEO of Hensler Surgical Technologies LLC.   Hensl ...

The idea to merge cryptocurrency with renewable energy resulted in the formation of KWHCoin, a blockchain-based renewable energy startup in Wilmington.   “Blockchain technology enables you to share information over the internet, and it allows you to connect peer-to-peer,” said Girard Newkirk, founder and CEO. “I’m a strong advocate of renewab ...

With more research and knowledge about concussions surfacing in the past few years, parents, coaches and athletes have become increasingly aware about the dangers they can pose for those who have suffered from them.   Wilmington-based startup Sport- Gait Inc. has tapped into that market by creating a platform for monitoring and managing concussion symptoms.   ...

Leland-based Tri-Tech Forensics, a company that started out manufacturing and assembling evidence collection kits and crime scene investigation products, continues to grow more than 35 years after it was founded.   A big boost more than a year ago came with the acquisition of Rescue Essentials, a firm that sells emergency medical kits.   On a recent weekday, ...

In 1983, a group of Wilmington residents started to feed the hungry out of a kitchen at Church of the Good Shepherd on Queen Street. The soup kitchen later moved to the basement of First Baptist Church until it found its current location, complete with a full commercial kitchen, at Good Shepherd Center’s main campus on Martin Street.   What was born out of ...

"We left 2 days late this deployment but we are floating across the Atlantic en-route. Deployment 2019. Today is St. Patrick’s Day we have decorated my workspace in shamrocks and dressed as leprechauns. Let’s see where this journey goes.”   This is the start of one Compass Bracelet’s story.   The next stop for this particular brac ...