Wilmington International Airport is in the middle of a $61 million, multiyear terminal expansion project – started before COVID-19 impacted the airline industry last year and slated to wrap up at the end of next year.

Joining us on this week’s WilmingtonBiz Talk is Granseur Dick, ILM’s facilities director, to share an update on the terminal project, other projects taking place on the airport’s property and the latest on where passenger levels stand as travelers return.

From retail to restaurants, Help Wanted signs abound in the Cape Fear region right now. And as the area gets ready for tourist season, the lack of people filling hospitality-related jobs could put a crimp on businesses.

On today's WilmingtonBiz Talk, we host a panel talk on jobs with representatives from the hospitality sector about what’s driving the drop in applicants and what might come next. Outreach from the local colleges might provide one solution.

The panel:

• Kim Hufham, President and CEO,  New Hanover County Tourism Authority
• Diane Withrow, Hospitality Management Program Director, CFCC
• Tom Ullring, General Manager,  Courtyard Carolina Beach Oceanfront hotel

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.

With the announcement this morning that Thermo Fisher Scientific plans to buy Wilmington-based PPD for $17.4 billion, we’re hosting a special WilmingtonBiz Talk session today to look closer at the deal.

Deutsche Bank analyst George Hill, who follows PPD as well as the health care technology and services sectors, joins us to talk more about Thermo Fisher, why the Massachusetts-based company would be interested in acquiring contract research organization PPD, and growth in the CRO industry.

Today's guest:

• George Hill

Hill is a managing director, senior equity research analyst covering the Healthcare Technology and Services space for Deutsche Bank. Before his position at Deutsche Bank, Hill held similar positions at RBC Capital Markets, Citigroup and SVB Leerink. He has been covering the healthcare services, technology and drug supply chain spaces for more than 20 years.

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.

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With North Carolina’s legislative session in full swing, we check-in with lawmakers on today's WilmingtonBiz Talk.

Members from the area’s legislative delegation answer questions about key bills, state budget priorities and the outlook on redistricting during which the GOP-led legislature will redraw political maps.

They also fill us in on measures with area impacts, such as film grant incentives and local spending, to changes to schools and health care.

The panel:

- 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.

Infectious disease specialist and NHRMC chief epidemiologist Paul Kamitsuka joins WilmingtonBiz Talk to answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Starting April 7, anyone over the age of 16 who wants the vaccine will be eligible to sign up for appointments in North Carolina. As the pace of vaccine supplies picks up, and the state eases more gathering restrictions, Kamitsuka talks about the different versions of the vaccines and what is being seen with side effects.

We’ll also ask Kamitsuka about the latest guidelines for people who are fully vaccinated. How do they change workplaces and public outings? Can vaccinated individuals transmit the virus, and when is masking still appropriate or not? What’s the latest on developing a vaccine for children, and what might the hurdles be there?

DR. PAUL KAMITSUKA
Wilmington Health infectious disease physician

Paul Kamitsuka, an infectious disease specialist, graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed his internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases. Kamitsuka serves as chief epidemiologist at NHRMC.

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.

Today we talk with two commercial real estate brokers about the state of commercial real estate in the Wilmington area and how the office, retail and industrial sectors are faring more than a year after the pandemic began to affect them all.

For example, what will become of office space as some workers return and others don’t? Will shopping center vacancies caused by failed retailers ever fill up? And why are industrial properties so sought-after these days?

Brian Eckel of Wilmington-based Cape Fear Commercial and John Hinnant of Wilmington-based Eastern Carolinas Commercial Real Estate will weigh in on those questions and more.

This week we talk with the head of Brunswick County’s economic development efforts about movement on the county’s largest pieces of industrial park land.

Bill Early, executive director of Brunswick Business and Industry Development (Brunswick BID) shares an update about the International Logistics Park of North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park, which are each about 1,000 acres.

We’ll also ask Early about economic development efforts in Brunswick County overall, and whether the addition of new employers has or hasn’t been impacted by the pandemic.

About today's guest:

BILL EARLY, Brunswick Business and Industry Development Executive Director

Bill Early began in 2018 as executive director of BID, a nonprofit organization that is the lead group for promoting economic development in Brunswick County. He came to the job with nearly 30 years of experience in economic development, including in Hertford County.

After a promising start in early 2020, and then a bust when COVID-19 shut the film industry down in March of last year, activity roared back to Wilmington in the second half of 2020. Four productions are currently filming in the area and are slated to wrap up this month.

Joining us for today's Biz Talk is Johnny Griffin, with the Wilmington film commission, and Guy Gaster, with the N.C. Film Office, to give us the latest on where things stand for projects and what might be on the horizon.

The panel:

- Johnny Griffin, Wilmington Regional Film Commission Director

Johnny Griffin heads up the local group responsible for marketing the area to the production industry. He became director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission in 1999. Griffin also sits on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Film, Television and Digital Streaming.

- Guy Gaster, N.C. Film Office Director

Guy Gaster directs the state’s film office, which falls under the Economic Development Partnership of NC. The office markets the state for filming, helps film production companies do business in North Carolina and connects productions to the state’s film and entertainment grant.

Construction on the city’s new North Waterfront Park in downtown Wilmington is slated to be done this summer. On today's Biz Talk, we’re joined by Amy Beatty with the city for an update on the $31 million project.

Along with other amenities, the park will feature an amphitheater for concerts and shows large enough to accommodate about 6,700 people. The first shows announced for the new stage are the Azalea Festival’s main concerts in August, rescheduled from last year when the festival got scuttled along with other major events during the pandemic.

N.C. Azalea Festival’s Alison Baringer English also joins us on Biz Talk about retooling the festival for 2021 and how it will roll out this year.

The panel:

- Amy Beatty, Community Services Director for the city of Wilmington
Amy Beatty, who moved to Wilmington in the early 1990s, has worked in different roles in the city government’s parks and recreation division. In her current position as community services director, she oversees the city’s parks and recreation, community development and code enforcement functions.

-Alison Baringer English, Executive Director of the N.C. Azalea Festival
Alison Baringer English became the N.C. Azalea Festival’s executive director in 2015, after the organization promoted her to the role. She first started working with the festival as its office manager and then coordinator.

The pace of home sales in the Wilmington area is such that some buyers are purchasing houses without even stepping foot in them. To hear more about the state of the housing market, we talk this week with two Realtors who are on the front lines of the real estate boom.

The Panel:

Ryan Crecelius, Principal broker at Nest Realty

Ryan Crecelius, principal broker for the Wilmington office of Nest Realty, began his real estate career in 2006 after graduating from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. In 2010, he built a unique startup brokerage that gained national attention by blending capitalism and philanthropy. He was also named the UNCW Young Alumnus of the Year in 2015, just after launching Nest Realty in Wilmington.

Kelsea Hertzler, Realtor with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage

Kelsea Hertzler is a member of the Paul Allsup Group of Wilmington-based residential real estate firm Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage. After years of working in customer service and education, Hertzler became a real estate broker with the goal of helping people buy and sell their homes with all of the knowledge and understanding they need to make the best decisions for them. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Hertzler lived in Seattle for two years before ultimately settling down in North Carolina.

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.