Conference to Showcase New Business Hot Spot in North Carolina

Wilmington, NC - January 24, 2003 Opportunity 2003-Business Begins Where the Ocean Ends to be held March 6-7 at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Opportunity 2003 is for entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. This intimate event will deliver entrepreneurial opportunities, investment insights, and contacts with new faces in a premier, high-growth, ocean-side community. Participants will gather at one of the local beachside resorts to talk with entrepreneurs and investors active in new enterprises for this fast growing region of the country.

Entrepreneurs who are starting a new business and investors seeking an attractive venture are increasingly looking to Wilmington, North Carolina, because of its friendly entrepreneurial community. Recently cited by Forbes as one of Americas top spots to start a new business, Wilmingtons entrepreneurial community is gaining national attention. Gene Haley, who is starting a new business in Wilmington, noted that the dollar goes farther here, and the financial barriers to entry and growth can be reduced by up to 50 percent." A new resident of the area, Nancy Hauge, of 54th Street Partners, commented, I find the convergence of Wilmingtons business climate and its natural climate a 'Perfect Storm of opportunity for growth businesses."

Keynote speakers include Bill Raduchel, Former CTO, AOL/TimeWarner and CSO of Sun Microsystems; Howard Lee, COO, NanoOpto; Marina Donohoe, Enterprise Ireland, CEO Americas; and Maria Gotsch, Senior Vice President of the New York City Investment Fund and President of Civic Capital Corporation. Seminars that focus on key issues include Top Ten Secrets for Successful Start-Ups, Legal Issues for Todays Business, Choosing the Right Investor, Doing Business in Wilmington, Business Opportunities from the Film Industry, and Creative Deal Structure.

OPPORTUNITY 2003 is presented by the Coastal Entrepreneurial Council (CEC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the success of entrepreneurial and growth firms in southeastern North Carolina. For information concerning the conference, go to         www.cec-nc.org or call (910) 452-0006.