Power Breakfast Series: Wilmington's Most Intriguing People of 2021

Coastal Health and the Blue Economy with Dr. Ken Halanych

Halanych, Executive Director of UNCW’s Center for Marine Science, will talk about how research informs societal needs in coastal regions.

 The Power Breakfast series is a quarterly gathering of the business community and other community leaders to talk about issues of interest to our region. Each breakfast features a panel discussion or individual speaker focusing on topics of interest to local companies.

To learn about becoming a sponsor for this event, contact [email protected]
 
This episode was recorded on December 14, 2021

Power Breakfast Series: Wilmington's Most Intriguing People of 2021

Becoming a Breakout City with Natalie English

English, President and CEO of the Wilmington Chamber, will talk about cultivating a new generation of entrepreneurs.

The Power Breakfast series is a quarterly gathering of the business community and other community leaders to talk about issues of interest to our region. Each breakfast features a panel discussion or individual speaker focusing on topics of interest to local companies.

To learn about becoming a sponsor for this event, contact [email protected]
 
This episode was recorded on December 14, 2021

Power Breakfast Series: Wilmington's Most Intriguing People of 2021

Investing in Growth with Brian Clark

Clark, Executive Director of North Carolina Ports, will talk about supply chain challenges and growth plans.

The Power Breakfast series is a quarterly gathering of the business community and other community leaders to talk about issues of interest to our region. Each breakfast features a panel discussion or individual speaker focusing on topics of interest to local companies.

To learn about becoming a sponsor for this event, contact [email protected]
 
This episode was recorded on December 14, 2021

Power Breakfast Series: Wilmington's Most Intriguing People of 2021

Tech Towns with Dave Sweyer and Will Mansfield

The executives from Vantaca and Suzy will talk about the opportunities and challenges for tech firms in our region.

The Power Breakfast series is a quarterly gathering of the business community and other community leaders to talk about issues of interest to our region. Each breakfast features a panel discussion or individual speaker focusing on topics of interest to local companies.

To learn about becoming a sponsor for this event, contact [email protected]

This bonus episode was recorded on December 14, 2021

Now that the North Carolina’s legislative session has wrapped up for the year, we check-in with lawmakers on today’s WilmingtonBiz Talk.

Members from the area’s legislative delegation answer questions about the budget, including local items, key bills and redrawn election maps.

BizTalk Guests:

Rep. Ted Davis Jr.
Davis, a Republican, represents New Hanover County in the state House’s District 20. A former New Hanover County commissioner, Davis was first appointed to fill a House seat in 2012 and has served five full terms. He serves as chair of the House Judiciary 1 committee and vice chair of the Strategic Transportation Planning and Long-Term Funding Solutions committee.

Sen. Michael Lee
Lee returned to the N.C. Senate after winning the District 9 seat representing New Hanover County. He was first appointed to the Senate in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. Lee, a Republican, chairs the Senate Education/Higher Education committee as well as the Appropriations on Education/Higher Education committee.

WilmingtonBiz Talk is a weekly interview program on Facebook Live, which is rebroadcast on YouTube and numerous podcasting platforms. The Business Journal newsroom selects guests based on current events so our community can hear directly from newsmakers.

The omicron variant is the latest COVID-19 update that public health officials are watching. U.S. officials said Sunday that while the variant is beginning to circulate domestically, early indications suggest it might not be as severe as the most recent delta variant spread.

David Howard, New Hanover County’s public health director, joins today’s BizTalk to go over what we know and don’t know so far about the omicron variant as well as details about a new pandemic operations team the county is forming.

Featuring:
DAVID HOWARD, New Hanover County health director

David Howard started as the county’s public health director in April after serving as New Hanover County’s interim public health director since the beginning of the year. Before that, he was the county’s assistant public health director, a role he held since 2017.

WilmingtonBiz Talk is a weekly interview program on Facebook Live, which is rebroadcast on YouTube and numerous podcasting platforms. The Business Journal newsroom selects guests based on current events so our community can hear directly from newsmakers.

Wilmington tech company Vantaca recently announced it plans a $5 million expansion and doubling of its workforce with about 100 new jobs. The company, which works with association management companies, has secured local and state incentives tied to the expansion.

On today's BizTalk we discuss the company’s growth and those incentives with Vantaca CEO Ben Currin.

BEN CURRIN, Vantaca CEO

Ben Currin started his career at Vantaca as executive vice president in 2018. Since then, he became chief operating officer and then CEO in July 2020. Before Vantaca, Currin was in the U.S. Navy where he served at the reactor/electrical office in the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston.

WilmingtonBiz Talk is a weekly interview program on Facebook Live, which is rebroadcast on YouTube and numerous podcasting platforms. The Business Journal newsroom selects guests based on current events so our community can hear directly from newsmakers.

Some local efforts to support startups and small businesses have been focusing on minority- and women-owned business owners. To that end, Wilmington entrepreneurs Tracey and Girard Newkirk founded Genesis Block, a company that provides business development services.

They’ve also recently launched ANZA, a technology platform designed to support the growth and connection of minority- and women-owned businesses, and they’ve got plans to establish innovation corridors throughout the Wilmington area.

On today’s WilmingtonBiz Talk, the Newkirks provide an update on Genesis Block and discuss their plans for growth.

The Panel:

TRACEY NEWKIRK, Co-founder and President, Genesis Block

In addition to being one of the leaders of Genesis Block, Tracey Newkirk is chairwoman of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce African American Business Council and serves on the boards of WARM (Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry), the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Alliance. Genesis Block was the 2021 Coastal Entrepreneur Award Winner in the Professional Services Category.

GIRARD NEWKIRK, Co-founder and CEO, Genesis Block

Girard Newkirk is an alumnus of the Google for Startups Black Founders Exchange and won the 2018 Regional Startup World Cup in Nairobi, Kenya. He serves on the boards of Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington Downtown Inc, Cape Fear Collective and Cape Fear Community College IT Advisory Committee.

WilmingtonBiz Talk is a weekly interview program on Facebook Live, which is rebroadcast on YouTube and numerous podcasting platforms. The Business Journal newsroom selects guests based on current events so our community can hear directly from newsmakers.

An FDA advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11. If the FDA and CDC approves emergency use of the pediatric doses for Pfizer’s vaccine, providers are preparing for distribution as early as the next couple of weeks.

Pfizer has released data from its clinical trial about the vaccine, which is a third of the dose older children and adults already have had access to.

Meanwhile, a recent Ipsos poll showed that two-thirds of parents surveyed said they were likely to vaccinate their child after approval comes. For the rest, concerns about side effects and long-term unknowns were their primary reasons for hesitancy, according to the poll.

Joining us for today's BizTalk are area public health and medical officials to discuss the vaccine for younger children, plans for distribution and questions they’re fielding from families.

They’ll also update how case numbers are looking locally with the delta variant and an upcoming health board meeting about potentially lifting New Hanover County’s recent indoor face covering mandate.

The Panel:
DR. PAUL KAMITSUKA, NHRMC chief epidemiologist/Wilmington Health infectious disease physician
DAVID HOWARD, New Hanover County health director