Hal Real named Entrepreneur of the Year by New Castle County Chamber

Hal Real, founder and president of Real Entertainment Group, Inc./World Cafe Live, is the recipient of the 2016 David J. Freschman Entrepreneur of the Year award from the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. The award will be presented at the Chamber’s annual Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 4.

Real formed Real Entertainment Group, Inc. in order to “radically change the landscape for contemporary music audiences and artists.” In October 2004, Hal delivered the first installment of that promise by opening World Cafe Live, a live music venue, restaurant and events complex located in Philadelphia.

In 2011, World Cafe Live opened its second venue at The Queen Theatre on Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware. The venue has served as a  catalyst for the revitalization of the historic Market Street corridor in the heart of downtown Wilmington.

According to New Castle County Chamber President, Mark Kleinschmidt, “Hal Real took a huge entrepreneurial gamble by opening a venue in a run-down old theatre on lower market street. That gamble paid off, not only for his business, but for the City of Wilmington. The entrepreneurial spirit now pervades the Market Street corridor and Hal deserves tremendous credit for that.”

Named for the late David J. Freschman, the chamber’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year award recognizes a CEO or business owner who has transitioned an idea into a viable, sustainable enterprise.