The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is excited to invite the community to our final Power Breakfast of 2025! 

This Power Breakfast, themed “Taking Care of Business,” will be taking place on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden from 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

This will be a chance for local entrepreneurs of all levels to hear from influential state and regional leaders and gain insights that will help shape the future of our business community. 

This Power Breakfast will feature North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall, and Carolina Small Business Development Fund (CSBDF) CEO Kevin S. Dick as panelists.  Together they will discuss business sustainability and growth across our region.

“Bringing these two as panelists is going to be one of the most important panel discussions I’ve ever led,” shared GFBJ Associate Publisher Faith Hatton. “Secretary Marshall recently visited our area for a Business Roundtable event in Hope Mills, and we are so proud to be the event to host her in Fayetteville.” 

Secretary Marshall has been a trailblazer in North Carolina politics and economic development. She will share insights on the state’s evolving business landscape, innovation and what it takes to build a strong, sustainable business climate.

“We are proud of our work at the Secretary of State’s Office to facilitate the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit that fuels dynamic local economies like the Fayetteville region every day. Our first-of-its-kind research collaboration with Fayetteville State University shows us how essential small businesses are to North Carolina’s success – sparking just a 5% increase in businesses reaching self-sufficiency can add up to $2 billion and more than 24,500 jobs to North Carolina’s economy each year,” shared Secretary Marshall.

The CSBDF, a Raleigh based 501(c)3 nonprofit, has been an advocate for small business development since starting in 1990. 

Led by Dick, the CSBDF works statewide as an economic development engine to deploy capital in underserved communities. These communities can be defined as those that don’t have access to “traditional” bank capital, or businesses owned by women, Veterans or other underserved demographics. 

Dick is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. His perspective on access to capital, growth strategies and community development will add valuable depth to the discussion.

"The Fayetteville-Cumberland area and surrounding counties are extremely important for the state's economy and therefore extremely important for Carolina Small Business Development Fund. We call it an honor and a privilege to be part of the Power Breakfast, share the stage with Secretary of State Marshall, share information about our programs and services and hear from area business leaders about how we can help them. We look forward to Dec. 4,” shared Dick. 

The Power Breakfast will be the first time the organization returns to Fayetteville since their  Black Entrepreneurship Celebration held in early 2025 at the  Fayetteville Technical Community College campus.

“I’m excited to provide a platform for them to be able to share their funding resources with businesses that could really use them,” shared Hatton. “There are so many opportunities being underutilized in this community, I believe the questions we’re preparing will lead to a very informative and beneficial discussion for our audience.” 

Tickets are available online at www.fayettevillepowerbreakfast.com