I know that the end of the year is here and it’s hard, but I need our local business community to just hold on and stay focused for these last few weeks of 2025!
We’ve come to this, our second to last issue for the year, and it really tickles me that the entire business community peaced out for Thanksgiving. All of the news trickled to a stop on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and didn’t ramp back up until Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Just looking at my email you can see the responses and new incoming emails get slower and come to a halt. Now that we’re back, I’m fully expecting to see the same pattern around Christmas, but we just have to keep holding on!
Work has begun on our final issue of the year: “That’s a wrap 2025!” As we gather stories from this year to recap, it is crazy to think about some of the great stories that have come from our community in one year.
It’s also been quite the year for the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal. With the addition of our new staff member Ellie Rhodes handling our events, the launch of our new video segment Business Beats and even more announcements to come, it feels like this year flew by!
We hope you enjoy this issue. We cover the final phase for the Fayetteville Outer Loop opening (page 3), a hemp farmer located in Dunn with big plans for the future (check the cover), the latest update on the Gray’s Creek Water infrastructure improvement project (page 5) and the headliner announcement for the Cool Spring Downtown District’s annual New Year’s Eve Celebration (page 10).
This will be my last editor’s note and I’m looking forward to seeing you all in 2026!
This is the first year of the Veteran Business Expo, and it grew out of Fayetteville PWC’s Economic Impact Program, which focuses on expanding access and opportunity in public-sector contracting while strengthening the local economy. It builds off th
Lynlene Apiary and Crafts is owned and operated by mother-daughter duo Carolyn Kleinert and Jolene Kleinert. They are certified apiarists and sell honey, candles made with beeswax, soaps and other crafts at local farmers markets. Photos by GFBJ.Lynle
Big T’s has been a local favorite of Hope Mills since 2000 when Timmy (Big T) and Donna Gray first opened right on Hope Mills Lake. It is a seasonal restaurant, so many of Big T’s loyal customers were happy to hear they would now be open year-round, seven days a week.
