Staff

Bio

Buddy Bengel is a young entrepreneur from New Bern, NC. He received his degree in Business Management and began his MBA at Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Ct.). Buddy is the managing partner of the Morehead City Marlins and Baker’s Kitchen Restaurant and Bakery. He is owner of Bengel Sports Marketing and Consulting, and Beer Army Burger Company. Buddy’s consulting work has ranged from sporting goods companies Spalding and 3n2 Sports (Baseball footwear and apparel company) to political campaigns, public relations, and speech writing. Buddy has spent time playing professional baseball in America and internationally in Italy and with Italian National team. He was previously a member of the Carteret General Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and Carteret County Economic Development Board. He is formerly a member of the North Carolina Education Lottery Commission appointed by former Governor Pat McCrory where he Chaired the Gaming and Marketing Committee, a member of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation Board of Directors, Founder of the New Bern Relief Fund, the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging government affairs committee member, and a member of the Carteret County Navigators Rotary club. In February of 2019, he was honored with the Ken Conrad Award for Service to the Community on behalf of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association as well as the Good Neighbor Award winner for the State of North Carolina on behalf of the National Restaurant Association. He is also a former candidate for Lt. Governor.

Buddy is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina Class XXIII and most recently the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.