Secretary of State visits Hope Mills; Recognizes town for economic revival

By Staff Report, posted Nov 4, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

The Honorable Elaine Marshall and Hope Mills Mayor Jessie Bellflowers. Photo courtesy of the Town of Hope Mills.

North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall recently turned her attention to Hope Mills in Phase 3 of the Elevate Hope Mills Initiative.

Elevate Hope Mills began as an effort to educate, strengthen and economically boost the small-business ecosystem in Hope Mills. What began as a modest four-week pilot has since inspired statewide attention and national conversation.

The initiative’s three phases — Community Resource Fair, Financial Empowerment Series and Small Business Accelerator — were intentionally designed to move participants from information to implementation.

The first phase brought over 60 vendors together for a single-day business fair that generated thousands of dollars in sales and reconnected local entrepreneurs to their community. The second phase focused on financial empowerment, helping residents and small business owners strengthen credit, open high-yield savings accounts and build long-term financial stability. The final phase, the Business Elevation Accelerator, transformed participants into confident, strategy-driven CEOs ready to scale, hire and sustain growth.

By the time the accelerator concluded on Oct. 29, 2025, more than 15 businesses had restructured their operations, identified new revenue streams and built the confidence to pitch their vision to local investors and partners during an intimate graduation ceremony.

Prior to that on Oct. 25, 2025, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall traveled to Hope Mills to deliver the keynote address at the Business Elevation Brunch. During her keynote, Secretary Marshall delivered a powerful message of resilience and emphasized the importance of visibility around community resources. She reaffirmed the state’s ongoing commitment to making it easier to start and sustain a business in North Carolina, noting that the work being done in communities like Hope Mills strengthens the very foundation of the state’s economy.

Secretary Marshall also praised the program for aligning with her office’s Rural Rise Initiative, which focuses on empowering entrepreneurs in smaller communities and improving access to the tools and resources that drive business sustainability.

For Crystal McLean, founder and chief strategist of Crystal Clear Consulting Group and the creator of the Elevate Hope Mills Initiative, the recognition from the Secretary of State was both humbling and affirming.

“I never expected it to receive recognition from the state,” said McLean. “We were simply working to empower our local economy, but this has proven that the need is real and that the work matters. I’m grateful to have led it forward.”

The brunch also featured insights from a diverse lineup of experts:

● Tiffany Haywood, Founder of The Tiffany Haywood Brand, shared small-business marketing strategies.

● Theresa “Terri” Tibbs, global and corporate human resources specialist, discussed compliance and workforce planning.

● Fatia Thompson, community banker, spoke on building meaningful relationships with financial institutions.

● Crystal McLean shared actionable strategies for accessing capital and positioning businesses for growth.

Together, these voices painted a vivid picture of what collaboration looks like when public

leadership and private enterprise share a common goal.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our economy. When we elevate them, we elevate our entire community,” said Mayor Jessie Bellflowers in a press release.

Hope Mills has proven that when strategy meets purpose, even the smallest towns can attract the attention of the highest offices in the state — and redefine what it means to rise together.

Copyright © 2025 Enhanced Media Management Inc. dba Greater Fayetteville Business Journal
This story may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal, noncommercial use only and in accordance with our Terms of Service located at https://bizfayetteville.com/useragreement.