Local entrepreneurs, retailers and business experts talk about what it takes for homegrown food and beverage businesses to get their products into grocery stores.
Tag: Mountain BizWorks
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Local programs offer help to new and expanding businesses
A-B Tech’s Small Business Center and Mountain BizWorks are among local organizations that aim to help new and growing small businesses thrive in Asheville.
Outdoors for all: New grant offers support for equity-driven recreation
The Outdoor Equity Fund, a $125,000 grant program launched earlier this year, aims to support individuals and organizations who are focused on advancing equity in outdoor recreation.
Green in brief: WNC Nature Center opens new exhibit
In partnership with the WNC Farmers Market, the Asheville zoo launches its Educational Farmers Market Garden starting Wednesday, Nov. 16. The new exhibit focuses on sustainable relationships between agriculture and nature.
What’s new in food: Food Truck Boot Camp rolls into Cherokee
Food Truck Boot Camp aims to help chefs break into the culinary industry. Also: Mamacita’s Street Food opens in the RAD; Oaxacarolina dinner takes place at Botanist & Barrel; and more!
Green in brief: Nonprofits plan conversion of Saluda Grade into trail
The path, running along an inactive railway, would stretch about 31 miles northwest from Inman, S.C., through Tryon and Saluda before terminating in Zirconia, about 7 miles southeast of Hendersonville. Hendersonville-based Conserving Carolina; Greenville, S.C.-based Upstate Forever; and Spartanburg, S.C.-based PAL are leading the effort.
Mountain BizWorks’ Catalyst Cohort program champions entrepreneurs of color
Since October 2020, this yearlong course has provided local businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color with foundational business training, one-on-one coaching, facilitated peer support and $2,000 to put toward achieving their business goals.
Letter: Women need to be included in entrepreneurial ecosystem
“Women need to be mainstreamed into the high-growth, scalable, fundable entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Second Mountain Raise highlights crowdfunding for WNC businesses
More than 100 potential investors packed into Hi-Wire Brewing’s event space Nov. 10 to hear pitches from Western North Carolina small-business owners looking to raise capital for their enterprises at a gathering hosted by nonprofit Mountain BizWorks.
Mountain Raise connects small businesses with local investors
Mountain BizWorks is hosting its second Mountain Raise Wednesday, Nov. 10, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Hi-Wire Brewing. The event features five WNC businesses — Cardstalk, GreenLifeTech, North Cove Leisure Club, Spectra3D Technologies and SteakAger — that will present their fundraising goals to the community in the hopes of drawing local investors from all income levels and walks of life.
What’s new in food: Water Street launches on N. Lexington
Water Street opens, Bold Rock adds downtown tap room, Noble Cider adds Sunday brunch and more
County considers $500K boost to One Buncombe Fund
While the initial round of One Buncombe money was split between emergency assistance for individuals and low-interest loans to small businesses, the new $500,000 would go entirely toward grants of up to $5,000 for business owners.
Tourism recovery grant recipients reflect one year later
Of recipients of grants from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority’s Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund who responded to a recent survey, 97% were open as of June 30. Nine respondents were closed at the end of June, including five which had closed permanently.
Q&A with Kareen Boncales, director of entrepreneurship at Mountain BizWorks
Many people who volunteer with the Peace Corps consider it a life-defining experience. Kareen Boncales is one of them. She served in Cameroon from 2009-11 in small enterprise development, teaching basic business skills to everyone from farmers to boutique owners. “I really admired that entrepreneurial spirit of turning challenges into opportunities,” she recalls. “I knew […]
Asheville’s new hotel system awards points for sustainable lodging
Asheville, home to more than 8,465 hotel rooms and counting, is providing a pathway for hotel operators to rack up some major brownie points by incorporating sustainable features and practices in plans for new hotel construction.
Downtown survey flags longstanding issues, new pandemic concerns
Outside of COVID-19, the top three business issues reported in the latest Asheville Downtown Association survey remain virtually identical to those of previous years: downtown cleanliness, safety and parking for both visitors and employees.
TDA will not support additional COVID-19 relief from room tax revenues
“I think we’re failing our community if we don’t get that $3 million out there,” said Andrew Celwyn, a member of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority board and owner of downtown Asheville’s Herbiary retail shop, in reference to a pot of money the authority had successfully used to support tourism businesses last year.
Biz Briefs: Mountain BizWorks, Dogwood Health Trust team up for PPP 2.0
PPP 2.0 Help is at hand for qualifying local businesses seeking to access federal pandemic relief funding. In partnership with Dogwood Health Trust, Mountain BizWorks has opened the application process for a second round of Paycheck Protection Program awards. As with the first round of funding, DHT is committing $2 million to enable Mountain BizWorks […]
Commission considers $150K in small business relief Jan. 26
While county relief has heretofore been available only in the form of low-interest loans, businesses will now be able to seek grants of $5,000 to hire or rehire employees at a living wage. Staff had previously believed such a grant program to be illegal but had since received updated guidance from the UNC School of Government.
One Buncombe Fund distributes over $1.3M in COVID-19 relief
Nearly 1,050 households have received over $453,000 in emergency assistance from the fund for necessities such as housing, utilities and transportation. And roughly $853,000 has been loaned to 92 area businesses to help them weather the coronavirus’s economic impacts, contributing to the retention of 674 jobs.
Tourism businesses patch together local, federal funds in bid for survival
Restaurants, brewers, hoteliers, tour companies and retailers were all among the 449 named Paycheck Protection Program beneficiaries with headquarters in Asheville. At least 46 of those entities also received help from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority to fill needs unmet by the federal loan effort.