Seaboard Social Hall Round 2
Client
McKinley
Project Owner
Location
Project Value
Industry
Account Executive(s)
Tom Thomas, Trey Wilson
Services Provided
Presentation Coaching |
Presentation Development |
Proposal Development |
Seaboard Social Hall Round 2
Client
McKinley
Project Owner
Location
Project Value
Industry
Account Executive(s)
Tom Thomas, Trey Wilson
Services Provided
Presentation Coaching |
Presentation Development |
Proposal Development |
Project Overview
Seaboard Social Hall was a 43,000-square-foot adaptive reuse of a historic 1951 industrial building at 1315 S. Fifth Avenue in Wilmington, North Carolina. The project transformed the former National Linen Service facility into a community destination anchored by a 16,000-square-foot music and events venue with capacity for up to 1,200 guests, a curated food hall, a commissary kitchen, ghost kitchen operations, and a makers market. Estimated at approximately $15 million, the project represented one of Wilmington’s most ambitious hospitality developments. The client engaged PRESWERX to support a second-round competitive pursuit through a written proposal, a selection presentation, and presentation coaching.
Client Challenges
A second-round pursuit required the client to build on its prior submission while sharpening every element. The challenge was presenting a complex, multi-use project as a single cohesive vision that resonated with a development-savvy owner:
Communicating the breadth of a 43,000-square-foot mixed-use program across food, hospitality, and live events as one unified story rather than a list of components
Differentiating the team in a second-round selection where evaluators had already reviewed prior submissions
Designing a presentation that demonstrated both construction competence and a genuine grasp of the project’s cultural and community mission
Together, these demands called for pursuit materials that were sharper, more targeted, and more compelling than the first round.
Scope of Work
PRESWERX developed a full suite of second-round pursuit materials tailored to the complexity of the Seaboard Social Hall program. The team produced a written proposal that clearly articulated the client’s qualifications and approach to adaptive reuse of a historic structure, framed around the owner’s community-driven vision for the site. PRESWERX then built a selection presentation structured to carry evaluators through the project’s layered programming and the client’s execution strategy in a logical, compelling sequence. Presentation coaching sessions prepared the client’s team to deliver with confidence, maintain their narrative under questioning, and respond to panel questions as a unified group.
PRESWERX Approach
PRESWERX treated this second-round engagement as a strategic rebuild rather than a revision. The goal was a pursuit package with sharper differentiation and a more disciplined story throughout. Specific actions included:
Reframing the proposal narrative to foreground the client’s adaptive reuse experience and community-oriented values, aligning the submission directly with the owner’s vision for the space
Structuring the presentation to guide evaluators from scope comprehension to confidence in the team’s capability, with each section building on the last
Conducting coaching sessions focused on delivery, pacing, and anticipated panel questions so the client’s team presented as a cohesive, prepared unit
The result was a materially stronger second-round submission with a clear voice from first page to final slide.
Results Delivered
PRESWERX delivered a complete second-round pursuit package calibrated to the demands of a competitive, multi-round selection. Every deliverable was built to advance the client’s position with precision. Key outcomes included:
A revised proposal that clearly communicated the client’s qualifications, adaptive reuse approach, and direct alignment with the owner’s vision for a 43,000-square-foot community venue
A structured selection presentation that gave evaluators a clear, compelling path through a complex, multi-use project scope
Coaching sessions that prepared the client’s team to present with confidence, hold the room, and answer panel questions fluently
The client’s team walked into the second-round selection with a sharper story, stronger materials, and the preparation to back them up.
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