About Us
About Leslie
Leslie Lockhart is a North Carolina native, having been born in Charlotte, going to school at UNC-Chapel Hill, and settling down in the Triangle. She has been married to her husband Jim since 2013, with a daughter named Kelsey, and always a pet or two in the family. In college, she was dedicated to the marching band, and her double major in Theatre and Communications.
For many years after college, she worked in the entertainment industry in New York City and Los Angeles before coming back to NC. With less options in entertainment in NC, she found herself in marketing and public relations positions, using her natural creativity. She started her first business in 2013- a community and relationship marketing franchise with a company called The N2 Co. Through the program, she ran a monthly neighborhood magazine in an Apex, NC neighborhood called Abbington- helping small local businesses stand out through not only the magazine, but social media, and events!
With the fast growth of Apex in the last decade or so, it was apparent to Leslie that she needed to serve the community as a whole and not just one neighborhood. Her new brand, Positively Apex, connects the Apex community like never before. The nucleus of her program is still a magazine, with the brand new expanded Friendship area magazine, which reaches thousands of homes in the West Apex, Friendship, and New Hill areas- arriving in mailboxes each month!
Leslie has built a reputation as a community cheerleader, and is very involved in local networking groups, as well as other organizations, like the Apex Chamber of Commerce, for which she serves on the Board of Directors and chairs the Ambassador committee. She was selected as the 2021 Ambassador of the Year, and is excited about continuing to connect and help small businesses grow in Apex for many years to come!
About Positively Apex
Positively Apex is an idea that has grown organically over the past decade. What started as a small neighborhood magazine, is now a community at large program consisting of many different aspects and layers to help community businesses and residents connect with each other in a positive and fulfilling way!
We are just at the beginning of all that this expanded vision will entail for the community. Step One was relaunching a community magazine to tell community stories, and build businesses. While that will always be growing, Step Two is building our online community engagement through our social media pages, this website, and our blog. Step Three is to start a non-profit arm to build a community fund for residents and businesses with an urgent need. Step Four will be a brick and mortar storefront to serve as a shop for local merchandise, as well as a visitor’s center, networking/ event space, and more! Somewhere in there we may start a podcast too!
The name Positively Apex came one night while watching the tv news, and noting how negative everything seems to be in the world these days. Leslie declared to create a brand and space for sharing and creating good news and positive endeavors in our community! So very rarely will you see negative news shared on our channels. It’s not to be ignorant, but just to create a safe space to focus on our mission and vision. There are plenty of places to find the “real” news, so let’s be different and bring people together instead of pulling them apart!
Our Mission
Mission Statement
Positively Apex exists to strengthen community through genuine relationships while celebrating diversity and inclusivity, connecting neighbors, and helping local businesses grow through authentic and personal interactions.