Four of Honest NC’s contributors are starting small businesses. Our goal – invest and give back to the state we love so dearly.

Nice Stache is composed of Melissa Church and Scott Heath, two Raleigh-based designers who are excited to bring you cool stuff to wear, awesome stuff to hang on your walls and whatever else their creative brains can think up. What you’ll see here is a collection of hand-screened goods, plus featured works by other artists from the beautiful state of North Carolina.

Matt Huffman Photography is a full-service studio specializing in commercial, wedding and editorial photography. After graduating from N.C. State in 2004, Huffman spent the next few years as a travel photographer, exploring the far reaches of Asia, Australia, Europe and the Pacific Rim. Huffman specializes in shooting on location across the state.

I’m starting Keynoma, a biotechnology research and marketing company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a low-profit limited liability company, Keynoma was founded for charitable-scientific purposes – to combat complications associated with traumatic brain injuries, especially among members of the military community. Keynoma will develop treatments and therapies to improve brain cognition, function and recovery.