Volume 4 Issue 19: Mar 14, 2025

Helo

Click on the cover image to flip through the entire issue.

Mar 20, 2025

Getting things done in Dunn: Nancy Blackman reflects on her career in supporting and funding small businesses in rural NC

Nancy Blackman. Photo provided by Blackman.In the landscape of regional rural economic development, Nancy J. Blackman stands out for providing financial opportunities to hundreds of small businesses and helping them to forge a path forward in uncerta ...

Mar 20, 2025

On a mission: Kaylynn Suarez is ready to engage with the community as the new executive director of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival in 2025

PHOTO BY RAYMIE DAY PHOTOGRAPHY Kaylynn Suarez became executive director of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival in December of 2024. Since then, she has outdone herself at every turn. But it’s not just all her experience, Suarez’s positive, go-get ...

Mar 20, 2025

Editor's note: "I'm Every Woman"

Happy Women’s History Month all! I hope you took some time to reflect on the important women in your life on International Women’s Day this past Saturday, March 8. I myself have had the unofficial theme song of the month “I’m Every Woman” by the irre ...

Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
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Chancellor Darrell T. Allison
Fayetteville State University

FSU: Redefining Success and Service through the Power of Partnership

Posted Mar 16, 2026
As I mark my 5th year as Chancellor at Fayetteville State University, I can only promise that we will continue to develop opportunities and strengthen partnerships that drive success. It was well documented prior to my arrival that FSU, the state’s s
  ...read entire article
Mar 20, 2025

A perfect pitch: WBC at CEED hosts fourth annual HERPitch competition to launch Women's History Month

Left to Right: WBC Director Danice Langdon, HERPitch finalists Karla Jackson, Shatara Het Heru Bey, Anedra Walls, Miss North Carolina High School America 2025 Abigail Dries, HERPitch finalists Lonyae McCune, Tia Whittlesey and Yeniz Parton. Photos by ...


Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
cape-fear-valley-ear-nose-throat-lillington albino-chiodo-md headshott

Cape Fear Valley ENT helps patients breathe easier

Albino Chiodo, MD - Otolaryngologist, Cape Fear Valley Ear, Nose & Throat – Lillington
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Gratitude: Honoring the generosity of a community by maximizing impact

Scott Embry - Executive Director & CEO, United Way of Cumberland County
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Where Warfighter Needs Meet Textile Innovation: Why FEDTEX 2026 Matters

Lee Moritz, Jr. - Federal Business Development, North Carolina Military Business Center

In The Current Issue

CommWell Health opening new location in Coats; announces retirement of CEO

Graphic courtesy of CommWell HealthCommWell Health, a large private nonprofit Community Health Center, was recently awarded a competitive grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand essential healthcare access in C


Advancing military technology: Dragon's Lair pitch goes from idea to production

Spc. Alexander Soto, a paratrooper assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, presents the modular drone case at the Airborne Innovation Lab, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Feb. 9, 2026. Soto noted the recurring problem of drones


Hogs & chickens & turkeys, oh my! Sampson County Friends of Agriculture Ag Rally scheduled for March 17

Graphic provided by Sampson County Friends of AgricultureThe Sampson County Friends of Agriculture would like to invite the greater Fayetteville community to their annual Agriculture Rally on March 17, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Originally organized by