“Everything I’ve been able to do has been made possible by others extending me an opportunity. And the nature of my work and service has been to seek out ways to uplift and extend opportunities to others.”
—Nick Neptune, general manager, Transfer Co. Food Hall & Grocery

by Catherine Currin
photographs by Eamon Queeney

Nick Neptune wears many hats, and community advocate is the topmost one. He’s lived in Raleigh since 2010 and has a few entrepreneurial endeavors—both side gigs and full-time—under his belt since then, including a DJ-and-events company and a collaborative coworking space. Now, Neptune is the general manager of soon-to-open Transfer Co. food and community hall, and he says he’s eager for the impact he believes it will make on Raleigh. “What truly appealed to me was this project’s potential for growth in the community. We’re using food as our vehicle to connect and uplift,” Neptune says. Meanwhile, he’s also an ambassador for the East Coast Greenway Alliance, working to “promote healthy behaviors and active play outdoors” by encouraging use of public greenways from Maine to Florida. His efforts happily collide at the Chavis Greenway adjacent to Transfer Co.’s historic East Davie Street space.

Neptune celebrates community, and his enthusiasm for it is contagious. “Raleigh’s growth and development has been stunning to watch and a privilege to participate in,” Neptune says. Next up: East Raleigh. “By creating environments where individuals may connect with each other—a dance floor, an art exhibit, a dinner table—the hope and the promise has been for greater social connection among disparate communities, and the extension of opportunity for those historically long denied it in our city.”—Catherine Currin