CFCC Small Business Center staff receive statewide awards
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Two Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center staff members have received statewide recognition for their work supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The awards were presented during the North Carolina Small Business Center Network’s Fall Professional Development Conference on November 4th.
CFCC Small Business Center Director Jerry Coleman was named a co-recipient of the 2026 State Director of the Year award.
The recognition comes after CFCC’s Small Business Center helped launch more new businesses this year than any other center in North Carolina’s network.
Coleman also helped bring the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program to the Cape Fear region. The free program provides business training, access to capital and personalized support services.
In addition to his role at CFCC, Coleman serves as regional director for nine Small Business Centers in southeastern North Carolina.
His statewide work includes economic impact reporting, professional development and coordinating initiatives such as the ProfitCents Users Group and the Small Business Center Network Startup Showdown.
CFCC Small Business Center program coordinator Jenna O’Neal received the Service Excellence Award for her contributions to the network’s statewide administrative committee.
The committee includes representatives from four community colleges and recently launched Administrative Quarterly Connect, a virtual networking initiative designed to help staff collaborate and improve operations across the state’s Small Business Centers.
The committee is also developing a centralized resource that will provide administrative staff with onboarding materials, training videos, checklists, reference guides and professional development opportunities.
The North Carolina Small Business Center Network operates through all 58 community colleges in the state, providing confidential business counseling, training, technical assistance and connections to resources for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.
For more information about the CFCC Small Business Center, visit cfcc.edu/small-business-center.
