Husband-and-wife team Ronald and Karen Pinney have been creating beach-themed decor for about five years.   Despite the COVID-19 pandemic impacts, business for the couple's home decor and furniture operation, 341 Repurposed, has been booming, so much so that they’ve had to add a storefront and new workspace to keep up with the orders coming in.   Bo ...

No matter how big your home is, the coronavirus pandemic could be making it feel smaller after six months of working, learning and mainly just staying at home.   Inspired by his work with Wilmington’s Cargo District and its use of containers, Bryan Kristof has been working on a new company that offers a potential solution: backyard flex spaces made of shipping ...

Lighthouse Films is the 2020 Coastal Entrepreneur of the Year.   The company, which is based in downtown Wilmington, took home the wooden surfboard Tuesday evening during a pared-down Coastal Entrepreneur Awards ceremony.   Because of COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s event took place outside at Wrightsville Beach Brewery with this year’s 11 CEA ...

Three minority-owned small businesses came away from Genesis Block Demo Day Tuesday with awards that will help them strengthen their ventures. The area business owners whose presentations earned the judges’ nod were Travis Corpening of All Your Cool Ideas, an education startup that brings STEM awareness to young people of color; Ada Suter of Innate Health Family C ...

An event coming next week aims to recognize the economic impact of minority- and women-owned businesses.  UNCW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in partnership with UNCW's Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, is hosting the Virtual Cape Fear Region Minority Enterprise Development Week from Monday to Saturday next week, Oct. 5-10. ...

The Greater Wilmington Busi­ness Journal is publishing the winners of the fifth annual MADE Awards competition again in this issue because the coronavirus pandem­ic’s spread to the U.S. in March postponed the WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo, which would have included this year’s MADE Awards winners. But there is some good news. Several of this ...

To further support North Carolina’s Black entrepreneurs, NC IDEA foundation has established the North Carolina Black Entrepreneurship Council (NC BEC), according to a Thursday news release. Establishing the NC BEC will allow the foundation to serve the entrepreneurial aspirations and economic potential of North Carolina’s Black community, the release stated. ...

Live Oak Bank Chairman and CEO Chip Mahan said plans are in the works to create a downtown Wilmington building for the purpose of creating jobs and growing businesses.  In a video interview posted online Tuesday with Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, the discussion between Mahan and Saffo turned toward economic pathways to addressing recent social justice issues. Mahan& ...

T. Shaw Designs LLC Wilmington   Year founded: 2015 Top local official: Tom Shaw, owner/operator Company description: T. Shaw Designs LLC is a graphic design and artistry firm that offers silkscreened artwork, event posters, apparel and merchandise items, as well as marketing, branding and advertising services to corporate and music industry clients. Pro ...

Genesis Block is an initiative set up to include coworking and incubator space where people working on tech startups and small businesses can come together in a creative environment to collaborate. The founders of Genesis Block are entrepreneurial couple Tracey and Girard Newkirk. The initiative, which is expected to be located in downtown Wilmington, has also e ...