Monday, May 11, 2009

More than 250 members of the entrepreneurial community of southeastern North Carolina will celebrate the 13th annual 2009 Coastal Entrepreneurship Awards at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, May 14 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Burney Center.

Ten category winners and the 2009 Coastal Entrepreneur of the Year will be honored, including companies such as an international medical device and testing firm based in Southport, a software company led by a UNCW alumnus and a lawn care franchise in the southeastern United States.

Keynote speaker and founder of Hotjobs.com, Richard Johnson, will share his experience of building one of the Web's most successful companies. Seven judges will present the awards, including Fred Eshelman, Bob Rippy, Chad Paul and Jeanette King, whose reputations speak volumes to how important entrepreneurship is to the coastal region.

Entrepreneurship is fundamental to economic recovery in uncertain times, according to Jonathan Rowe in the UNCW Cameron School of Business (CSB). Skilled individuals who may have lost their jobs or are negatively impacted by the recession often start new companies which can help stabilize an economic recovery. Existing companies, like the winners of the Coastal Entrepreneur Awards, must use innovation to "do more with less" to continue to grow.

The event is being hosted by the UNCW CSB in partnership with the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. The CSB Center for Business and Economic Service (CBES)'s new entrepreneurship initiative played a key role in facilitating the awards. The initiative aims to be a catalyst for entrepreneurial growth in southeastern N.C. by bringing together emerging and high-growth ventures, entrepreneurs and support organizations to create business growth, jobs and innovation.

Visit www.uncw.edu/cbes for more information on the event.

Media are invited to capture visual and interview opportunities. Event organizers and entrepreneurship experts, including Rowe, are also available for interviews prior to the event upon request.

Media Contact:
Joy Davis, Marketing and Communications, 910.916.8603 or davisjc@uncw.edu