Burke, Caldwell add 107 new businesses in October

New business formation remained steady across Burke and Caldwell counties in October, with 107 new entities registered during the month and the two-county total for 2026 climbing above 1,000.

North Carolina Secretary of State records show 63 new registrations in Burke County and 44 in Caldwell County during October.

October’s 107 registrations were down slightly from 109 in September, a decline of about 2%, but remained above August’s 93 filings. June, with 134 registrations, remains the strongest month recorded across the two counties so far this year.

Through Oct. 31, Burke and Caldwell counties have recorded 1,071 new business registrations in 2026, according to The Paper’s running analysis of Secretary of State records. Burke accounts for 589 registrations, while Caldwell has recorded 482.

The October roster again showed that limited liability companies remain the dominant structure for new businesses, particularly among contractors, property ventures, service companies, and small consumer businesses.

The October summary excludes dissolutions because of an unclarified statistic. The N.C. Secretary of State’s data for October records show an unusual concentration of status changes on Oct. 30. Of 106 entities removed or revoked during the month, 99 were processed on Oct. 30 — 54 in Burke County and 45 in Caldwell County.

Clarifications will be included in future reports.

BURKE COUNTY

Morganton continued to lead Burke County business formation, with 30 of the county’s 63 October registrations.

Connelly Springs followed with 16, Hickory with nine, Hildebran with four and Valdese with three. One registration carrying a Burke County designation used a Lenoir address.

Construction, property, and home-service businesses were prominent.

New registrations included Sasquatch Powerwashing, AcesFull Lawn Care, Veteran Home Improvement & Repair, Quality Duct Sealing, Specialty Homes & Buildings, Kilpatrick Land Management, Ibex Roofing, Carolina Hydrovac Solutions, Gutter Group, Tree Contracting & Construction, A&O Roofing Partners, and Trailhead Home Services.

Property-related entities included 28611 Properties, Hart Ridge, RJM Serenity Lane Capital Partners, Smart Garrison Dr, The Meadows at Oakridge, and C & D Mobile Home Park.

Professional and health-related registrations also made up a visible part of the month’s activity.

Carolina Compass Counseling and Family Services and Mindful Insights Counseling and Consulting registered in Morganton. Other new professional firms included Precision Myotherapy, Guiding Hands Medicaid Consulting, Burke County Business Solutions, and LeadWell Consulting.

Retail, food, and consumer businesses included The Ugly Loaf, Jane and Company Boutique, Rescue SoS Vending, Dona Margaritas Tacos, and The Sugar Daisy.

Burke’s October list also included agriculture, logistics, software, defense, events, medical services, and creative businesses, reflecting the broad mix that has characterized local filings throughout the year.

CALDWELL COUNTY

Caldwell County recorded 44 new business registrations during October.

Lenoir accounted for 26, Hudson had eight and Granite Falls six. One each used addresses in Collettsville, Hickory, Rhodhiss, and Concord.

Construction and skilled trades again stood out.

New registrations included New Creation Plumbing, Carolina Elite Plumbing, MTC Painting & Cleaning, Dirt Cheap Pressure Washing, Shell General Services, Fences Plus, Los Tres Hermanos Painting, Blue Ridge Climate Solutions, and Clark & Sons Septic Service.

Transportation and automotive ventures included JC Auto Brokers, Matheson’s Transport, Mooney Motorcars, Watson’s Towing, and True Hauling.

Caldwell also added a mix of consumer, professional and industrial businesses, including Grandma’s Attic Antiques and Collectibles, Appalachian Holler Supply, The Honey Comb Beauty, Gifted Hands Barber, Nour Kitchen, Vassello Consulting Group, Hudson Forge Technologies, and Stallion Racing Components.

Property-related activity remained visible as well, with entities such as PAP — 16th St, NAS Ventures, and several holding or investment companies appearing on the October roster.

STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL CONTEXT

The local numbers come as North Carolina continues to experience historically strong levels of business formation.

The N.C. Secretary of State’s office has reported sustained growth in new registrations statewide, while N.C. Department of Commerce research has found that the post-pandemic increase in entrepreneurial activity has extended beyond the state’s major metropolitan areas.

Commerce previously reported that all 100 North Carolina counties experienced growth in business applications per 1,000 residents between 2019 and 2022, with particularly strong increases in rural areas. The agency has cautioned, however, that a business registration does not necessarily translate into a company with employees.

North Carolina’s Main Street communities also reported strong business activity in fiscal 2025-26, with 308 new businesses, 2,393 new jobs and more than $507 million in downtown investment, according to Commerce.

Burke and Caldwell counties are both part of the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Northwestern Prosperity Zone and the state’s Appalachian region, where small business formation and local investment remain important parts of the economic mix.

Secretary of State registrations are not traditional business licenses. They document the creation or registration of LLCs, corporations, and other legal entities. A filing does not establish that a business has opened a storefront, hired workers or begun generating revenue.

Even with that limitation, the October numbers show that business formation remained active across both counties. With 1,071 new registrations through the first 10 months of 2026, Burke and Caldwell continue to post a steady stream of new ventures heading into the final two months of the year.