Bladenboro Unveiling New Town Square at Grand Opening This Friday

Consider this my friend, your personal invitation to join me in my hometown of Bladenboro this Friday. I have the honor of broadcasting live on The BIG 957 WKML from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. from the brand-new Bladenboro Town Square.

The Town Square is a beautiful brick facility containing a restaurant, health-related businesses, a beauty salon, a barbershop, a bakery and more. In order to fully appreciate this project, you must visit in person.

Opening ceremonies begin at 11:30 a.m. followed by the ribbon-cutting at 12:00 noon.

With nearly 13,000 square feet of retail space, the Bladenboro Town Square will be a tremendous addition to downtown Bladenboro.

For those who have always wanted to be in business, come meet Chuck Heustess, the Director of Bladen County Economic Development. Chuck and his team will be on-site welcoming potential tenants and answering any questions that you may have. Entrepreneurs, veterans, etc., imagine the possibilities of owning your own business in the Bladenboro Town Square.

The new Town Square is comprised of two beautiful retail structures that are connected by a boardwalk. When you visit, you will notice that the buildings are elevated. After hurricanes Matthew and Florence which both flooded and devastated the downtown area, designers decided that the new construction would be built about the flood plain.

The Bladenboro Town Square is located at 125 & 131 South Main Street in Bladenboro, North Carolina.

The live broadcast by The BIG 957 WKML is presented by The Town of Bladenboro, Bladen's Bloomin' Agri-Industrial Incorporated, Boost the Boro and The County of Bladen.

The traditional bachelor's degree just isn't for everyone. In fact, there are a big group of people who opt to skip the traditional college route and still make very good money. There are plenty of jobs out there that don't requite a four-year bachelor's degree but still make $100K or more per year. No, it's not too good to be true. Let's get into some of these high-paying jobs that pay over $100K without a degree.

Before we get into those high-paying jobs, let's talk about how to land your dream job. Indeed.com has a great checklist of things to do when you're on the job hunt. One major thing is to create a good resume. They suggest to tailor that resume to every job to which you're applying, so that it fits the job perfectly. Make one "master" copy of your resume, and then use that as a template to create special resumes for each of the jobs for which you're applying. So, how do you tailer for resume? "When deciding what to include in your resume, choose actionable items that would capture an employer's interest," they suggest. "Along with including qualitative results in your work experience section, you can also add in some quantifiable data." They also say that numbers and statistics and numbers look good on a resume, so include those.

FlexJobs.com suggests to "research companies, rather than jobs." They say to "pursue companies that mirror your values to narrow your search, and to, "seek out organizations with a strong culture fit and a mission that aligns with yours." That's a great tip so that you're finding a company with the same values and ethics that you possess. Of course, it doesn't hurt to look for actual jobs on search sites such as FlexJobs.com and Indeed.com, too. Keep an eye out for opening at your desired company that pop up.

Now, let's get into some high-paying jobs that pay over $100K without a degree.

Careerkarma.com has Technology Sales Manager listed as the job without a college degree that makes the most money. Average salary is $161,920. Sound good, right? Minimum job requirements are, "Experience as a sales representative and a high-school diploma."

Another high-paying job without a degree, according to Careerkarma.com, is a Computer and Information Systems Manager. They make an average of $159,010 a year. You need computer science knowledge and 5 to 10 years of management experience, they state.

Here's an interesting one. A fire chief is on Indeed's list of high-paying jobs without a degree. They state, "Fire chiefs are responsible for overseeing and managing fire departments, which involves supervising personnel, developing budgets and planning emergency responses." National average salary is $105,287 per year.

Another job on Indeed list of high-paying jobs without a degree is Product Manager. So, what is that? "They may develop and implement the large and small business strategies that fuel the product development process and manage the launch of the product's features," they explain.

This is a really interesting one: Professional Sports Referee. The top salary per year is $210,000. But, they can make as little as $21,000 per year, too, as that's the average salary. So, you have to get a bigger gig to make more than 100K for this job. This is according to Resumeviking.com. They state, "No academic background is necessary, apart from obtaining a referee certification in the sport you want to referee. The stakes are high, but so is the return if you have the nerves for putting it all out there with no guarantees of ever gaining enough recognition to join in on this multi-billion-dollar industry!"

The national salary for a Senior Real Estate Manager is $133,076 per year," according to Indeed. They state, "Senior real estate managers oversee the daily operations of a property like an apartment complex or commercial building. They typically manage maintenance teams, ensure tenants pay rent on time and fill vacancies." They suggest to "gain experience in entry-level positions and work your way up to this job."

A Court Reporter makes an average salary of $103,270, according to Careerkarma.com. The job is to take notes on legal proceedings in court. "To land a court reporter job with no degree, you’ll need to take the exam for Registered Professional Reporter certification," they note. "This requires good listening skills, the ability to type quickly, and some knowledge of common legal terms."

Executive Assistant is No. 1 on US News and World Report's list of the highest-paying jobs without a degree. "Executive assistants support high-level executives in public offices and private companies," they state. "They may manage the executive’s schedule, make travel arrangements, prioritize the executive’s emails, and sometimes act as a receptionist or gatekeeper, serving as the liaison between the executive and anyone who wishes to meet with them."