About Rob

Rob and his wife Michele have lived and worked in Wilmington for the past 24 years. Rob is a licensed General Contractor and owner of a small business, Rob Zapple Design and Build Inc., and is active as both a residential and commercial builder throughout New Hanover County and the Cape Fear region.  He specializes in historic renovations and custom home building.  Michele owns and operates Carolina Gymnastics Academy, where kids come first, and learning is important.

Rob is active with several non-profit organizations that serve Wilmington and New Hanover County.  He is an active member of Rotary International with the Downtown Wilmington Rotary Club and is Past President and currently on the Board of Trustees for the Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts Inc..  Rob was elected to the Board of Directors of the Children’s Museum of Wilmington and serves on the Board of Directors for WHQR 91.3 FM, Friends of Public Radio.  He also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance before stepping down in 2013, after six years of service. In February, Governor Cooper appointed Rob to the North Carolina Building Code Council as the county commission/county manager representative member.

Rob is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Michele, have been married 38 years.  They have three children; Holden, Zoey and Jack, all of whom have graduated from North Carolina universities, and four grandchildren.

In 2012 Rob took on the challenges of running for public office with a campaign for a position on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.  Although not elected, Rob continued to advocate through the public process for those goals that would help our community grow and prosper, and was elected to the New Hanover County Commission in 2014, and re-elected in 2018.