Improving Business in the Wilmington Region

Live Oak Bank to be Corporate Sponsor of WBD Invitational

Plans for WBD’s 2025 Invitational golf tournament are well underway, with 75 teams set to compete on October 16th at River Landing Country Club. Live Oak Bank will be the Corporate Sponsor of this year’s event, which forges fellowship among the region’s business leadership while raising funds to fuel Greater Wilmington’s marketing and recruitment programs.

Longtime Wilmington banking leader Brad Neigel, head of Live Oak Bank’s Wilmington Commercial Banking Team, says the sponsorship is an important aspect of his company’s commitment to Greater Wilmington, where the bank has based its headquarters since its bank’s founding in 2008. “We’re very much involved in the community, and our philanthropic efforts prioritize workforce development, education and health and human services to help raise the average median income of the residents of our region,” says Neigel, whose 25 years in the banking industry have included leadership posts in Wilmington, Raleigh and Charlotte. “Live Oak Bank has always been a very committed corporate citizen,” he says.

Live Oak Bank built its pioneering reputation as a digitally based national lender to small businesses. More recently, it has expanded its portfolio to include conventional, locally oriented commercial lending. “In January of this year, we launched a local commercial banking division focused exclusively on Southeastern North Carolina and Greater Wilmington businesses,” Neigel says. “With our new focus on local businesses, our affiliation with WBD really takes it to another level.”

A subsidiary of Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. [NYSE: LOB], “America’s Small Business Bank” employs a 775-person workforce at its Wilmington headquarters. Neigel himself has participated in WBD’s annual golf tournament since 2018. He says the event brings together WBD members from across the region, “providing an excellent networking opportunity.”

River Landing’s two 18-hole courses routinely host competitive golfing events and are a popular destination for golfers at all levels of experience. The River Course has been ranked #1 in the region and #20 in North Carolina. The Landing Course ranks #2 in the region and #31 in the state. Both were designed by Clyde Johnston, nationally acclaimed architect based in Hilton Head.