New C12 Forums Launching in the Outer Banks and Elizabeth City

The winds of growth and transformation are blowing across Northeastern North Carolina. With its breathtaking coastline, vibrant tourism economy, and expanding small business landscape, the Outer Banks is a unique and influential marketplace. Just inland, Elizabeth City is emerging as one of the fastest-growing business hubs in the region, recently named among the top 10 most affordable small towns in America by Realtor.com and showing signs of rapid development in healthcare, logistics, and education sectors. Into this thriving environment, C12 Mid-Atlantic is launching brand-new forums to support Christian business leaders, guided by newly commissioned Chair, Kelly Chestnut.

This expansion represents a fresh wave of leadership and opportunity for CEOs and business owners in areas such as Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Duck, Currituck, and Elizabeth City. These forums are not only designed to help leaders grow great businesses, but to equip them to lead for a greater purpose.

A Region Ready for Purposeful Leadership

The Outer Banks is best known as a premier destination for tourism, yet its business community is diverse, resilient, and full of potential. From hospitality and real estate to maritime services and entrepreneurship, leaders here face complex challenges and opportunities unique to coastal life. Meanwhile, Elizabeth City continues to experience population and business growth, fueled by its strategic location near Hampton Roads, VA, and a deepening investment in infrastructure and workforce development.

The time is ripe for C12 forums to thrive here, bringing together local Christian CEOs and owners who desire to grow their companies with excellence while honoring God in how they lead, serve, and steward their influence.

Meet Kelly Chestnut: Leading with Vision and Heart

Newly commissioned in June 2025, Kelly Chestnut will lead these C12 forums with authenticity, insight, and a deep calling to serve. A seasoned professional with a rich background in financial government accounting, operations research, cost estimation, and strategic planning, Kelly brings decades of experience and wisdom to the table.

Before joining C12, Kelly served as a Senior Analyst for the Army National Guard Headquarters in Arlington, VA, overseeing financial modeling for an $11.1 billion portfolio. His career spans the Pentagon, senior operations leadership at RaceTrac Petroleum, and critical roles across nonprofit, private, and public sectors. As an ORSA expert, he provided strategic insight to top military decision-makers and played a pivotal role in optimizing multimillion-dollar programs.

What sets Kelly apart is not just his professional acumen, but his heart for ministry and love for the local church. His life was transformed through the faithful witness of other men who walked with him through hardship and called him toward Christ. Having experienced that transformation personally, he now seeks to offer the same for others.

Kelly serves as Director of Men’s Ministry at Church of the Outer Banks and has led similar ministries in Virginia. His passion is discipleship—loving others as Christ first loved him. As he steps into this new role with C12, his vision is clear: to build up strong men and women in the marketplace who will lead businesses with integrity, courage, and an eternal perspective.

He and his wife Monique (also a veteran) live in the OBX with their five daughters, where they are deeply invested in the life of the community. Their story is one of redemption, grace, and wholehearted surrender to Christ.

What C12 Offers Business Leaders in the OBX and Elizabeth City

C12 is not just a peer group or leadership course—it is a transformational experience. As the world’s largest network of Christian CEOs and business owners, C12 provides:

• Monthly Peer Advisory Forums where leaders collaborate, share challenges, and speak truth in love
• One-on-One Coaching with Chairs like Kelly who bring practical business wisdom and spiritual accountability
• Tools and Frameworks that align business strategy with biblical values
• A National Network of over 4,000 members who are living out their faith in the marketplace

More than anything, C12 is about building companies that honor God, bless employees, and shine light in their communities.

A Time of Renewal and Impact

This is more than a geographic expansion, it’s a spiritual investment. As new forums are launched in the Outer Banks and Elizabeth City, we believe God is preparing leaders to rise up in boldness, build companies of purpose, and impact the world around them.

Whether you lead a real estate agency in Duck, a construction firm in Currituck, or a healthcare organization in Elizabeth City, there is a place for you in this movement.

Join the Movement

If you are a Christian business leader in Northeastern North Carolina, now is the time to connect. New C12 forums are forming now in the OBX and Elizabeth City, and there is space at the table for those ready to pursue excellence and eternal impact.

To learn more or to connect directly with Kelly Chestnut, visit C12 Mid-Atlantic. Let’s build businesses that matter for today and for eternity.