Entrepreneurs Find Lifestyle Appeal in Blue Ridge
Published Mar 23, 2009
Entrepreneurial success has bred even more success in Western North Carolina, a region that claims a higher percentage of small businesses than the state as a whole.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy in Western North Carolina,” says Pam Lewis, senior director of programs for the Advantage West Economic Development Group. “We’re the right place for entrepreneurs.”
The region’s growing reputation as a hub of innovation is no accident.
The Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council, founded by Advantage West in 1995, focuses on four main initiatives for small business owners:
1. Education
2. Networking
3. Capital formation
4. Communication
The Blue Ridge Angel Investors Network, another Advantage West Program, is an avenue through which new businesses can seek out capital.
Veteran entrepreneur Thomas Dempsey founded SylvanSport in Cedar Mountain in 2005. The 12-employee company makes the GO Camper, a super-light, high-tech trailer for gear-savvy outdoorsy types. Dempsey says he believes Western North Carolina has an environment particularly favorable for entrepreneurial outdoors enterprises.
“Our economic development leaders and community leaders recognize those unique gifts that we have, and they want to attract businesses that also recognize those gifts and respect them. I think that’s why one of the target sectors has been the outdoors industry,” he says.
The region’s strong tourism industry also draws many small-business owners looking to cater to travelers.
“As manufacturing jobs disappeared in this region, they were replaced by tourism-based cottage industries – lots and lots and lots of small businesses,” says Arthur O’Neil III, owner of the Gateway Club in Waynesville. “There is huge opportunity for entrepreneurs here.”
O’Neil’s current venture is a town club, based on the business model of urban city clubs, which he hopes will provide a steadier stream of revenue than a restaurant that ebbs and flows with the tourism season.
Technology is another up-and-coming sector in the region. Jute Networks, a software development company, helps entrepreneurs connect with the markets and resources they need across the country through its Web-based network relationship management product.
For Sean McDonald, chief marketing officer, the quality of life in Asheville is a key selling point in the fast-paced world of tech start-ups.
“I can literally drive home, change clothes, grab my dog and be out trail running on the Blue Ridge Parkway 15 minutes after I left my office,” he says. “In the future, I think there will be a lot of startups who see this place as the place to be on the East Coast to live a high quality of life and build a high-growth business.”
Story by Michaela Jackson
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