New construction around North Brunswick County: Updates Summer 2015

Additional restaurants and service professionals are coming soon to The Villages at Brunswick Forest.

Have you recently noticed the ground being leveled in Brunswick Forest’s commercial section and wondered what new businesses you can look forward to?

Not one, but several additional establishments are soon on their way to The Villages at Brunswick Forest. Slainte Irish Pub, Flights Craft Beer and Wine Bar, Swell Vision Center and Legacy Homes by Bill Clark will dwell in a new 10,000-square-foot building in the existing commercial town center by early 2016. Berry Financial Group, ATMC and Farm Bureau Insurance will also be joining the complex, each with its own free-standing location late in 2015.

The Villages is continuing to take shape with these latest additions. Nearby residents currently enjoy the existing town center’s dining, grocery and retail shopping. Medical facilities, banking, commercial offerings, and home and beauty stores already complement the wide-ranging mix.

It is important to Brunswick Forest’s developer, Alan Kerry, president of Lord Baltimore Properties, to continue to house businesses that are “good stewards of the community” and provide residents with convenient and necessary services.

North Brunswick Magazine asked the new businesses to introduce themselves and tell us how their services will benefit and enhance the community.

Berry Financial Group. Inc.

Berry Financial Group is enthusiastic about opening in Brunswick Forest. Since 1987 President Richard Berry and Vice President Jan Berry, along with their 15-member financial team, have specialized in providing expert financial services to the retirement community. Understanding that knowledge is key, Richard developed a program titled Confident Financial Future. Over the years, his program has taught thousands of individuals the know-how of protecting assets, increasing income and reducing taxes during retirement. Helping people achieve financial independence is important to the Berrys.

“The residents in this area have worked hard their entire lives,” says Richard. “They deserve to enjoy their retirement with the peace of mind that their nest egg is safe. As we grow older, we need to reduce the risks to our investments. That is what we specialize in … strategies that will help the residents of this area reduce risk so that they can enjoy their retirement, knowing they won’t outlive their money.”

Berry Financial Group already has investors in the area, so they feel that The Villages at Brunswick Forest is a convenient location where they can offer readily accessible financial advice and consultation.

Swell Vision Center

Swell Vision Center can’t wait to make its home in The Villages and join the opportunity to serve the Brunswick Forest community and surrounding area.

“The positive energy and tight-knit family vibe emanating from the community is apparent,” says Craig Scibal, optometrist and owner of Swell Vision Center, “and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.”

Scibal grew up in Morehead City, N.C., and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2009. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Houston College of Optometry in 2014, where he received numerous clinical scholarships and awards. Scibal’s love of the coast brought him back to eastern North Carolina.

“I enjoy surfing, live music, sipping craft beer and going on adventures with my dog, Horatio Fizkin Scibal,” he says.

Independent and locally owned, Swell Vision Center is a full-service optometric office.

Services include state-of–the-art comprehensive visual examinations, contact lens examinations, medical evaluations (including diagnosing, managing, and treating cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetes), pre and post-operative surgical care (including cataract surgery and LASIK), and emergency medical eye care. Swell Vision Center will also offer a complete optical shop selling lenses and hand-picked designer frames from which every member of the family can choose.

ATMC
Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation, better known as ATMC, is proud to mark its 60th anniversary by making its cutting-edge technology known to the area with a new, two-story, full-service retail store at The Villages.

ATMC began providing service to Brunswick County and other rural areas in 1955 because larger companies of the day would not deliver telephone service to less populated, remote locations. Today ATMC is still committed to delivering the latest technology to the area. It offers many services, including telephone, digital cable, high-speed Internet, wireless and security service. The company is proud to offer the most advanced broadband speed service, known as FOCUS (Fiber Optic Communication User Service).

“We offer almost unlimited bandwidth and next-generation features,” says Jody Heustess, ATMC vice president of marketing and customer service. “We can provide up to 1 Gigabit internet connection.

“With all of the growth in Brunswick County, we had requests for fiber optics. Now, with every new build in Brunswick Forest, we are offering this technology. We bury the fiber optic network all the way to the home for optimal service.”

ATMC’s goal is to continue to expand their services to local businesses as well.

The new building will operate as an Experience Store that encourages customers to come in and see for themselves the power of the technology and how it works. Since ATMC is an authorized AT&T Wireless dealer, customers will also have a chance to see, touch and practice using the latest phones and tablets. Existing customers will be able to conveniently manage their accounts and add services.

“ATMC likes doing business face-to-face,” says Heustess. “We are looking to grow in this area and establish a local presence.”

Legacy Homes by Bill Clark

Since 1977 Bill Clark has built high-quality, affordable homes for families in various regions of the Carolinas. The company’s new Design Center in Brunswick Forest will serve as the hub for the builder’s new brand called Legacy Homes by Bill Clark.

The builder’s successful partnership with Brunswick Forest helped guide the decision to build at The Villages. The central location between counties will ensure individualized attention to customers.

“Bill Clark Homes has evolved,” says Annah Norris, sales and marketing director, “into a builder that offers completed homes for sale, multiple product lines to choose from, extensive customization of our portfolio plans, and now the full customization of a home to make it truly one-of-a-kind for our customer. The design center will allow us to give each customer even greater tools to create the homes they have long dreamed of.”

North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Group

Farm Bureau began in 1953, primarily to offer affordable insurance coverage to farmers and those in rural areas. Today, Farm Bureau’s main headquarters is located in Raleigh and it offers services for farmers and non-farmers alike. In fact, Farm Bureau has offices in all 100 counties in North Carolina.

“We are a multi-line insurance agency,” says Mark Ellenberg, Farm Bureau agency manager. “As North Carolina has grown, so have we. Our products are now more diversified to meet the needs of one of the fastest-growing areas of our state. In addition, we contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield for varying health insurance needs.”

Knowing where to build an office can be a tough decision for a business.

“Leland is a very dynamic area,” says Ellenberg. “When we built the office we are currently occupying in 1997, Leland was still a sleepy area. Magnolia Greens was not complete. Waterford was in the early stages. Brunswick Forest was just that … a forest. There was no Walmart or anything on that side of 17. While we knew that Leland had the chance to grow, we had no idea where or how much.”

Ellenberg is happy they made the choice to be a part of The Villages.

“Brunswick Forest is a destination for commercial and residential homes that has room for more growth,” he says. “With our agency force, we hope to be able to help the residents of Leland by becoming more visible and accessible by relocating to Brunswick Forest.”

Ellenberg believes that Farm Bureau stands out from the competition because of its people. Their agents, customer-sales representatives and associate agents are available during the day, and they will even schedule evening and weekend appointments to make it easier for their customers.

Slainte Irish Pub

Slainte (pronounced “slawn cha”) is a word originating from Scottish Gaelic and literally means “health.” In places like a local pub, it is something said when drink glasses are raised to exclaim “cheers!” or toasting to one’s health. The Villages will be Slainte’s newest location, with others in historic Southport, Hampstead-Surf City and Monkey Junction. Slainte will offer a traditional pub menu featuring frequent live music.

Flights Craft Beer and Wine Bar

Along with Slainte Irish Pub, DJ Moran, owner, will also open Flights Craft Beer and Wine Bar within The Villages. For those new to the concept, the tasting and comparing of several wine or beer selections is often referred to as a flight. Friendly, knowledgeable servers will introduce customers to exciting new tastes. In addition to an expanding list of unique wines and craft beers, there will be a distinctive menu that changes every two weeks. Food will be served on small plates, tapas-style. Beer and wine tastings will alternate to constantly give a fresh encounter with each visit. Every six weeks, Flights plans to introduce an additional enticing feature in which special food and wine parings from around the world will be shared in a seven-course tasting.
Above: The new businesses in The Villages will be open in early 2016.

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