In the Summer of 2013 I spearheaded the launch of a new retail and marketing startup with a  focus on sustainability and locally produced, NC products that were natural or organic. As the Executive Director I worked with my two fellow directors to  ensure we were capable of operating as a business. Our first six month phase was designed to serve as a beta test for the business, to see if both vendors and consumers would respond to the concept.

Our 3 person team (2 of which were full-time students) worked during this six month period to secure the federal, state, and local legal requirements for running a retail operation, did store upfit, personally pitched the store to vendors, and created marketing materials.