News for Business

McGee’s Crossroads – Benson, NC – On November 18, 2025, CommWell Health a Community Health Center System serving Southeastern North Carolina, announced the reopening of its 7,700 sq ft McGee’s Crossroads office for improved patient experience located at 70 Crape Myrtle Dr., in Benson, after extensive renovations. CommWell Health has been serving the Johnston County community for nearly 50 years. ...read more

Mayor Andy Moore and Mayor Pro-Tem Sloan Stevens have formally requested a 90day extension from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on the Market Street project to allow time for additional collaboration and evaluation of alternatives that better serve the Town’s downtown corridor.  Market Street is a critical artery through Smithfield’s historic downtown and a key driver of ...read more

Scam Targeting PPP Loan Recipients  KS Bank, the NC Bankers Association, as well as state and federal banking regulators are seeing a scam increasingly spreading across the country that targets recipients of Paycheck Protections Program (PPP) loans issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Scammers have contacted PPP loan recipients and impersonated bank employees, local law enforcement, or ...read more

  NC Chamber, Blue Cross NC Partner to Help Small Businesses Afford Health CoverageSmithfield, N.C. – With small businesses feeling the impacts of rising health care costs, the NC Chamber has partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) to provide a new, more affordable health plan option for small businesses, their employees and their families. This plan, ...read more

Johnston County Building Inspectors Earn Statewide Award for Hurricane Helene Response Smithfield, N.C.- For their service after Hurricane Helene, Johnston County’s Building Inspections Department received the Barry Gupton Award, a major honor from the North Carolina Building Inspectors' Association (NCBIA). The award is presented to individuals or organizations that show exceptional commitment ...read more

KS BANK WELCOMES TRAVIS B. BAILEY AS CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT  (SMITHFIELD, N.C.) – KS Bank, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Travis B. Bailey to its Senior Executive Management team as the Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, Bailey will lead the bank’s retail branches and management and ensure that KS Bank continues to deliver exceptional service ...read more

KS BANK CELEBRATES NEW FULL-SERVICE BRANCH IN BAILEY, NC WITH OFFICIAL RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY(SMITHFIELD, NC) – KS Bank hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 24th, to celebrate the bank’s new Bailey branch. The ceremony featured remarks from Leigh Deans, with the Bailey Chamber of Commerce, Owen Strickland, Mayor of Bailey, Walter Wells, Mayor Pro-tem of Bailey, Earl W. Worley, Jr., ...read more

You’re sitting on a goldmine and don’t even know it. Right outside your storefront, in the coffee shops and laundromats and food trucks humming a block away, are patterns, habits, and whispers that—if read right—can tell you exactly what your next move should be. Strategy isn’t just spreadsheets and quarterly forecasts, it’s how well you can read the room, especially when the room is your zip ...read more

KS BANK SPONSORED COMMUNITY EVENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES(Smithfield, NC) – KS Bank was the proud presenting sponsor of the first Harnett Business Resources Summit, hosted by the Dunn, Lillington, Coats, Erwin, and Angier Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Central Carolina Community College Small Business Center. The event provided tools, resources, and insights for entrepreneurs ...read more