It has been a very busy first month of the new year for the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal team and me. As many of you may know, I am the new publisher of the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal, and it is my pleasure to wish you all a happy new year!
Thank you for the positive community feedback I’ve received so far. My announcement post on LinkedIn is still receiving likes and encouraging comments, and I’m truly grateful for the support.
We have a small but mighty team here at GFBJ, and our new editor, Stephanie Meador, is doing an amazing job staying connected to the community and continuing to grow our network. While my responsibilities have shifted, I will still be out attending events and writing limited content.
I’ve worked with Marty and this team for the past three years, and I’m proud to have helped foster its growth and audience in our community. In this new role, I have several goals to increase the visibility and brand awareness of the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal. One key focus is putting a magnifying glass on our send list. I’m working with our new staff member, Ellie Rhoades, director of audience, to trim it to ensure our publication is visible and accessible to businesses and business owners across our seven-county coverage area.
Starting this year, we are launching our Community Connections initiative, which will place -limited- print copies of the Journal and our annual Book on Business in key small business and economic development hubs throughout our region.
We are also working to launch a digital subscription option so readers can instantly access any issue across the Journal’s five-year tenure without having to contact our office.
Along with creating new partnerships and maintaining current sponsorship support, I’m also focused on lifting up our community in a more visible way through the continuation of our weekly Business Beats segment — a video series launched in September 2025 to showcase positive business news across our region. Not everyone has time to read a full article, but you might have time to watch a two-minute recap highlighting the biggest stories in local business.
2026 is going to be a great year, and with this team, you’ll be seeing a lot more of us.
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.
