Cape Fear Business Roundtable

This week's guest is Karen Sphar, who has served as Executive Vice President of the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce since 1991. Tune in as Karen discusses the Chamber's efforts to connect local businesses with each other and with consumers and provides an overview of the various events and programs through which the Chamber helps promote the Southport-Oak Island area business community. O...

For 15 years as an internal medicine physician, Dr. Chris Sepich, MD, saw firsthand the struggles of some of his most vulnerable patients, especially when a car accident or other critical medical incident left them unable to share their quality-of-life preferences. This often led to a delay in care and the patient’s loved ones in arguments or even in court battles when a patient’s wishes had never...

Tune in as Hugh Fosbury, 2026 President of the N.C. 4th of July Festival in Southport, discusses plans to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Planned events include a re-enactment of the first 4th of July celebration in Southport, the 41st Annual Firefighters Freedom Competition & Apparatus Expo, the Patriots Ball, the We the People Gospel Fest, the World's Largest Ic...

This week's guest is Josh Winslow, CEO of Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation. Tune in to learn more about Brunswick Electric, Josh's career path, and how BEMC is preparing for the future under his leadership.

This week's guest is Josh Torbich, CEO of Christian Recovery Centers, Inc . CRCI is a non-profit organization that provides free drug and alcohol treatment, recovery, and re-entry services for men and women struggling with substance use disorder. CRCI offers a faith-based, evidence-based program supported by scientific interventions. Josh also hosts "Behind the Citgo," a podcast that explores jour...

Meet local veteran and business owner Chris DeHart of All About Energy Solutions . Chris and his team can insulate everything from your crawlspace to your attic. They stop moisture problems, insulate garage doors and can even kill mold. Chris also discusses Veterans Memorial Reef , a non-profit he is involved with that provides a unique way to honor veterans.

North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce executive director Thom Kelly and 2025-26 board president Shari Leone discuss the Chamber's upcoming Business Expo and Bands, Brews & BBQ events, which offer residents of northern Brunswick County the opportunity to connect with local businesses. 

Meet. Dr. Paul Hrvol, chiropractor with Coastal Integrative Health's Leland location. Dr. Hrvol is originally from Sullivan, Illinois, and relocated from St. Louis to coastal North Carolina to enjoy life by the beach. He played baseball through college and has always loved sports, especially golf. Today, he works as a chiropractor in a clinic alongside physical therapists and massage therapists, a...

Cape Fear Business Roundtable is kicking off 2026 with an economic outlook from Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi, Regional Economist with the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Tune in as Dr. Guettabi discusses the state of our regional and national economies heading into the new year. Cape Fear Business Roundtable is hosted by  Frank Williams  and sponsored by  Pioneer Strategies  and  Pioneer Special...

Velva Jenkins, current CEO of YWCA Lower Cape Fear, is set to retire in January 2026. Tune in as Velva discusses the programs offered by the YWCA and how they positive impact women in our area. Prior to joining the YWCA, Velva worked at Brunswick Community College for over 30 years. She began her career in economic and workforce development as the first director of the Small Business Center at BCC...

Thom Kelly is the newly minted executive director of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce. He succeeds longtime executive director Dana Fisher, who departed after 15 years at the helm. Thom provides insight into how his career path prepared him for this role and shares thoughts on his future vision for the Chamber, which serves the business community in Leland, Belville, Winnabow, Navassa, Nort...

Tony Caggiano, widely recognized as the ADA Comply Guy, is a leading expert in website accessibility and ADA compliance. With a deep understanding of digital inclusion laws and best practices, Tony has dedicated his career to empowering companies to create inclusive digital experiences and helping them avoid legal risks, improve customer experience, and unlock valuable opportunities like the Acces...

This week's guest is Jim Flock, founder of JSF Industrial & president of the Cape Fear Manufacturing Partnership . Jim discusses how his 40+ years of manufacturing experience developed a passion for training and workforce development and outlines why he founded the Cape Fear Manufacturing Partnership, which has grown to approximately 70 members in four years. The partnership's next meeting is...

This week’s guest is Franklin Rouse, owner of Franklin Rouse State Farm in Leland. Franklin grew up in Morehead City and attended N.C. State University, where he earned a degree in business management. He opened Franklin Rouse State Farm agency in Leland in 2008. Franklin is active in both the community and the insurance industry and has served on multiple boards, including the N.C. Insurance Unde...

This week's guest is Rick Paxton, owner of  Magnetic Marketing, Inc . and Rick Paxton & Associates - Dream Vacations . Rick was born at James Walker Memorial Hospital in Wilmington and lived here until around second grade. He lived in Southeastern Virginia and Durham, N.C. until joining the United States Navy in 1985. He graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Communications (...

NOTE: There is a technical glitch that makes it sound like Judy is talking over Frank. That's a technical glitch -- I promise you she wasn't doing so! We're trying to find out if the system we use to record can fix this. If so, we will upload a new video. This week's guest is Judy Budd of ConnectCapeFear.com , an online networking directory focusing on New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender Counties....

This week's guest is Victor Fernandes, owner of Fernandes Fit , author of " Reclaiming My Authentic Self: A Journey from Fear to Freedom " and host of the " Fitness is Our Business " podcast. Tune in as Victor describes his career journey and shares how he helps busy professionals take control of their health and fitness to thrive in their demanding lives.

This week’s guest is Keesha Starr, owner of K Starr Coaching and author of “The Bright Side of Monday.” Keesha is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Coach with over 25 years of experience building teams in every type of business. Her training in ministry and leadership from the New Life Drama Company and traveling for seven years as a team coordinator eventually led to the nonprofit sector. Keesh...

Tune in as Kelli Benton, a Leland resident and owner of Seaglass Monthly Market , tells how her career led her from Brooklyn, New York to southeastern North Carolina and how she moved from working for a large corporation, FedEx Freight, to owning and operating a monthly small business market. Kelli explains her passion for connecting with small business owners and also discusses what led her and h...

This week's guest is Art Dornfeld, co-owner (along with his wife) of Carolina Sun Pool Doctors, a local business that has been keeping pools healthy for over 30 years. Art retired from the U.S. Navy in June 2004 after 22 years of service. He served as a Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer, and his last duty station was MCAS Cherry Point, where he served as the Senior Search and Rescue Medical te...

Barrett Earney, CEO of Wilmington-based Earney IT, discusses his career path in the information technology industry, current trends and issues including AI and cybersecurity, and shares lessons he's learned along the way.

Jon Tait is a financial advisor with Signature Wealth in Leland and past president of the Leland Area Rotary Club. Jon tells us about his career journey, his approach to working with clients, and shares some general insights into current market conditions. 

This week's guest is Lisa Leath, Chief People Officer at Vantaca, founder of Leath HR, and past board chair of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

Jason Gaver tells us how his career led from active-duty military service to leading the Brunswick County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity . Jason also outlines his bold, aggressive vision for Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity, dispels some common misconceptions about how Habitat helps people achieve the dream of home ownership, and shares how area residents and businesses can get involved with...

Reggie Shropshire of ActionCOACH tells us how his career led from active-duty service in the U.S. Marine Corps to working as a successful business coach. Coach Reggie discusses ActionCOACH's services and offerings and shares some of the common things he's observed holding business owners back from achieving their goals.