NEWS RELEASE: Novant Health Will Add Two New Members To Board Of Trustees

Mar 24, 2021

Wilmington, N.C. – March 24, 2021 – Novant Health is adding two new members to the board of trustees: Brian Eckel and Jason Thompson.

Both Eckel and Thompson were members of the Partnership Advisory Group, a 21-member group of hospital board of trustee members, physicians and members of the New Hanover community charged by the county and New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) to determine the future of NHRMC.

They will serve as representatives for the Novant Health Coastal Region board of managers and will attend their first meetings in May 2021.

“I’m pleased to welcome Brian and Jason to our board of trustees,” said Carl S. Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health. “With their extensive community work, expertise in strategic growth and invaluable participation with the Partnership Advisory Group, they will be instrumental in expanding Novant Health’s strategic initiatives to southeastern North Carolina.”

Eckel is a co-founder of Cape Fear Commercial, a boutique, commercial real estate firm in Wilmington, where he oversees strategic planning and has extensive experience specializing in corporate advisory services and strategic real estate planning. He is also a partner in the firm’s development arm, GHK Cape Fear Development. Before co-founding Cape Fear Commercial, Eckel was vice president of Ackerman & Co. in Atlanta, where he specialized in representing Fortune 500 companies, as well as emerging growth technology organizations. He is a native of Wilmington and has served as the co-chairman of the Economic Development Board and on the board of directors for Wilmington Downtown, Inc. Eckel has been appointed to the zoning board by the New Hanover County Commissioners and sits on the board of directors for the REALTORS Commercial Alliance of Southeastern North Carolina, Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builder Association and Business Alliance for a Sound Economy. He also serves on the Land Acquisition Committee of the Coastal Land Trust. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Thompson is the owner of American Property Experts, a recycling and biomass fuel production facility. He served in the United States Marine Corps for eight years, specializing in logistics and air delivery of assets. Thompson previously served as a New Hanover County Commissioner for four years and as a Wilmington City Council member for eight years. In addition, he has served on the Wilmington Industrial Development Committee, New Hanover Parks & Recreation Committee, Cape Fear Community College board of trustees, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, the Cape Fear Public Utilities Authority, the Wilmington Airport Authority and the Wilmington Tree Advisory Committee. He aspires to be a positive influence in his community and spends time on endeavors aimed at achieving this goal. He is particularly interested in organizations that serve at-risk youth or in-need veterans. Thompson is a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois Gies School of Business in Champaign.

About Cape Fear Commercial
Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Cape Fear Commercial LLC, is a boutique commercial real estate firm that provides targeted brokerage, property management and development services. The firm helps owners, users, developers and investors to successfully navigate the real estate market and is consistently recognized as an industry leader for the unique perspective it brings to every project. For more information, visit www.capefearcommercial.com.