In the years leading up to the 1972 Clean Water Act, pollution had rendered the French Broad River “too thick to drink and too thin to plow,” as acclaimed local historian Wilma Dykeman wrote. For generations, the river had been used as an open sewer, and sedimentation due to development, heavy metals, other industrial pollution […]
I have two pressing questions today: How did I get on the email list of the United Soybean Board, and is a deal with New Belgium Brewing the latest economic-development incentive package being discussed in closed session by both the Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners?
The city of Asheville has named two finalists for its request for proposals for community media: Web development-and-design firm Ponderwell and media outlet Mountain Xpress. Here’s all the submitted proposals, including those two.
The U.S. Postal Service is studying ways to reduce costs and one of those cuts might mean closing the mail-processing facility on Brevard Road that employs almost 200 people. That and other cuts have a Western North Carolina company — Mail Management Services — worried.
Back for a second reading before Asheville City Council, new rules allowing food trucks downtown passed 5-2 this evening, Sept. 13. Passage of the new rules clears the way for up to 10 food trucks to begin operating in Asheville’s core district.
Bill Russell withdraws from Council race; Governor revs up I-26 connector schedule; Facebook-savvy police surprise Patton Avenue cruisers, call for moderation; Thermo Fisher Scientific will expand Asheville operations and add 110 jobs
On Sunday afternoon, Asheville’s Patton Property Group held an Open House at 1 Norwood Park Avenue to promote its new Homes for Heroes program, which gives a 25 percent discount off the real estate commission to teachers, firefighters, public safety officers, health care workers, and military personnel looking to buy or sell a home in […]
After 10 years of doing business in downtown Asheville, The Old North State Clothing Company is closing its store at 2 Battery Park Ave. Owner Andy Archie blames the bad economy for increasingly sluggish sales.
Even in the midst of the Great Recession, some local businesses are doing quite well. What have they figured out that others haven’t? What can we learn from them? Here’s what three successful startups had to say about their own adventures on the road to economic viability. Industry Nine It might seem perfectly natural that […]
Living wages are good for business
U.S. business officials refocus on innovation at the annual Southeastern Economic and Workforce Development Conference.
8.1 % Unemployment in Buncombe County, June 2011 10.1% Unemployment in North Carolina, July 2011 $14.2 billion Total in personal wealth in Asheville metro area. U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics 53rd Asheville's rank, nationally, in “independent retailer vitality,” according to a 2011 survey by Civic Economics. Asheville ranked 7th in the mid-Atlantic region 12,051 Number […]
‘Tis the season when our congressmen visit their constituents, and business issues seem to be on their minds: On Thursday, Aug. 18, Rep. Heath Shuler will tour Kearfott Corporation’s Motion System Division in Black Mountain. Sen. Richard Burr was scheduled to visit Thermo Fisher Scientific in Asheville the same day, but canceled.
Relying on the nontraditional and colorful reporting of citizen-journalist Michael F. Muller, who spontaneously live-tweeted today’s deliberations, we bring you coverage of today’s Public Safety Committee meeting.
Follow live Twitter coverage of the keynote address at the Southeast Economic and Workforce Development Conference, where U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John Fernandez and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates will talk on the overall economic situation and efforts to promote job growth.
At a time when the local economy is sluggish, Industry Nine, designer and manufacturer or high-end bicycle hubs and wheels is thriving, with sales climbing 30 percent last year. Xpress takes you on a tour of this unique local business’s manufacturing process, going from raw aluminum, to finished hub, to wheel assembly.
The promise of $104 million being spent in rural North Carolina to connect those area with the information highway brought ebullient officials together at A-B Tech.
The promise of $104 million being spent in rural North Carolina to connect those area with the information highway brought ebullient officials together at A-B Tech.
When Dr. Robert Fields and Dr. Andy Runkle opened Vista Family Health in 2003, Mission Medical Associates wasn’t even a blip on the radar. For Fields, Vista represented the culmination of a long-held dream. Growing up in a Puerto Rican family in the U.S., Fields longed to open a practice that could serve both Latinos […]
Asheville has the second lowest unemployment rate of all North Carolina urban areas, according to a report released on July 28 by the state Employment Security Commission. The report contains a series of charts and graphs illustrating trends in the state, by employment sector, urban area and county.
In this edition of Local Matters—the Xpress weekly news podcast—news intern Caitlin Byrd talks about her story on the business of being a doctor, reporter Jake Frankel gives details on the most-recent Buncombe County Commission meeting, and environmental reporter Susan Andrew talks about the ongoing efforts of a UNCA student environmental group.
