I first met Steve Jolley five years ago in Goldsboro, NC. At the time he was running Lighthouse Mortgage; a company that his father and himself had created and operated. As the economy shifted Jolley was smart to stay ahead of the trend and he moved to Wilmington, NC to open the insurance company Anchor Adjusters. Jolley also has a side business of chartering deep-sea fishing trips through his company Knot Reel Adventures.

1.Tell us a little about yourself: I am not necessarily a leader, but certainly not a follower. Although I am definitely an “outside the box” thinker.

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Names of Companies: Crabbies Restaurant, Midway Marina and Motel
Name of Entrepreneur: Terry Miles
1. Tell us a little about yourself: I am from Maryland originally. I am retired military. I was a Diving Supervisor in the Navy. I married my wife who is an artist. She always wanted a marina so we built one and kept adding on to it (motel and restaurant). We have had the marina and motel 22 years now and the restaurant for eight years.

2. What made you want to open this business? I was a commercial fisherman for some time. She would go with me and kept reading magazines that gave her the idea to open a marina.

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Name of Company: PJ’s Elite Thrift Store
Name: Phyllis Jean Hobert

1. Tell us a little about yourself: I became a widow six years ago and did not know what to do. I always loved thrift stores. When this one became open I thought I would give it a try.

2. Did you have prior experience or knowledge of the industry? I had always been an avid thrift store shopper.

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Name of Company: The SurfZone Company
Name(s): James and Amy Sannes
1. Tell us a little about yourself:
The SurfZone Company is a family-owned business that’s been operating as an on-line business for the past three years. We relocated to the Outer Banks area of NC last year and have been working to expand our product line as well build a new (larger) facility that will include a small retail space. Our new place will open in the Spring and offer our patented SurfZone Balance Trainer and OBX Longboards, both of which are manufactured onsite, as well a select choice of quality SUPs.

2. What made you want to open this business?
We love the water and the coastal environment. We surf and longboard/skateboard and recently took up paddle-boarding. Our goal is to be a resource for anyone with an interest in getting a board out on the water (or the street), regardless of their prior experience. Also, environmental responsibility is an important issue and we hope to use our website and Facebook page as a resource for information on local environmental events and happenings.

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