The first issue of Capital at Play is out, and it aims high. The magazine's mission is to examine the faces of capitalism, and "profile those who take the risk, those who share that risk, and those who support them, inspiring others to do likewise, while giving back economically and socially to the communities that support us."

The founders of Capital at Play say they are looking beyond the stockholders' concerns, and believe "that people are in business ... to fulfill a more emotional and personal need."

Here are some of the topics tackled in the first issue, which is available in print, and online to subscribers:

Vertical Wind: Most people go their whole lives without ever experiencing something as unique and wonderful as the experience you can get at the Appalachian Amusement Center for just $30. Chris Landon, through collaboration with Harold C. Larsen ... designed, built, and even sells, Vertical Wind Tunnels identical to the L1 model currently in full operation just 30 minutes from Asheville. Chris wants to give customers the ability to simulate skydiving, and truly ride a nearly flat airspeed profile from edge to edge...

Asheville's Asian Sensation: 589 AD marked the end of the Chen Dynasty, the last of the southern Chinese dynasties in Asia -- until now. The new Chen Dynasty has quietly emerged in Asheville and gained popularity among aficionados of Asian cuisine everywhere. Richard Chen and his family operate three extremely popular award-winning restaurants. While Chen focuses mostly on Ichiban, a Japanese steak house and sushi bar located immediately north of Biltmore Village, his family also owns and operates Wasabi, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, and Kanpai, their Thai restaurant and sushi bar. ...

Leader of the Pack: John Murias decided to go into dog training full time, because it was the most satisfying work he had ever done. To his surprise, it’s also the most lucrative. ... He is so good with dogs that his customers call him the local Dog Whisperer ...

Oscar Wong Can't Say No: One of Asheville’s premiere craft brewers turned 70 last October. He doesn’t plan to stop working. Oscar Wong is the king of Asheville’s thriving craft brewing industry. We talked with him about why he continues to work every day. ...

Health & Science - Paranoia at the County Line: FLETCHER, NC – Welcome to Paranoiaville. It’s a large community centered on the Buncombe-Henderson county line on U.S. 25, where at least four health care providers and one set of county commissioners are arm wrestling for the local health care prize. The issue causing the paranoia is the decision by Pardee Hospital and Mission Healthcare to establish a joint venture health care facility in Fletcher. ...

Who are Capital at Play's readers, or will be its readers? According to the media kit: "Capital At Play is the only magazine that moves from the human struggles of entrepreneurs, their risks, their failures & successes, to information on beer and wine production, to political responsibility, and even local and state briefs, as well as briefs from around the world. A rapidly growing community of readers looks to Capital At Play to witness the free spirit of enterprise - whether one’s passion is politics, real estate, leisure, libation, business in any form, or simply the pursuit of knowledge. The readers of Capital At Play are engaged, inquisitive, and imaginative and are deeply immersed in this magazine."

Capital at Play will reach "over 50,000 readers in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. - Including Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania, Haywood, Polk, Jackson, Rutherford, Madison McDowell, Swain, Clay, Macon, Graham, Cherokee, Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Anderson, and Spartanburg counities.- Targeting 50% women and 50% men in the 25-65 year old age group with income levels of $35,000 and up.- Over half of the readers targeted are in the 35-55 year old age group, with income ranging from $60,000 to $250,000."

In a letter of introduction from the publisher, Harley O. Morgan sees the capitalist as on a hero's journey:

As any Capitalist knows, work is hard. Your days are long and the nights even longer. You’re sticking your neck out. The payment may equal the time and emotion you put into the work, but only after years of struggle. So we ask: Why? Why go to all the trouble? Why suffer the emotional roller coaster, the uncertainty, the anxiety? Why risk the money you scrimped and saved for years, on what others might call a long shot? It’s because you see an opportunity, because you want to help shape the world you live in. It is because you understand that you can make more money and be more creative driving a giant earthmover than digging with a shovel. Why make more money? Does it mean more happiness? Only if you have some imagination.

We strive to cater to those that see the world with curiosity, wonderment, and a thirst for knowledge regardless of age. Any child will tell you, fun cannot be regulated. Imagination cannot be mediated or controlled. That’s why if you want to keep it, you can’t stifle it. That is why capitalism is so important to our spectacular way of life. Some guys, a few hundred years ago, had the imagination to see what could be, if they could only have possession over the money they worked so hard for. Capitalism means demanding the necessary tools, the necessary freedoms to make one’s dreams come true.

Someone once told me, “People will support that which they help create.” That is precisely how capitalism works. Inside Capital At Play we want to show you what others have created, and to examine the faces of capitalism, the most creative and fulfilling economic system in the world. In every issue we intend to show how capitalists, big and small, have been driven by their ideas and passions. This magazine is a platform for businesses to show how they realize the full potential of their capital - and see how others do or do not - in a more than “monetary profit” perspective. In doing so we hope to inform and challenge others to go and do likewise, giving back economically and socially to the communities that support us. This is why we exist, and we hope that you enjoy what you find.

If you absolutely love what you see, if you decidedly hate what you see, if you have an emotional or logical response of any kind, we want to hear from you. Send me an email at harley@capitalatplay.com.

Who's behind Capital at Play?
Publisher: Harley O. Morgan
Executive Editor: David Bradley
Senior Correspondents: Bill Fishburne, Dasha Morgan, Linda Cluxton
Contributing Editors: Alexina Morgan, Hunt Mallett, Linda Cypres, Mike Summey
Contributing Photographers and Graphics: Linda Cluxton, John Lattimer, Willard Fishburne, Tatyana Timacheff, Elizabeth Crabtree
Creative Associates and Layout: Patrick Braswell, Kevin Quinn, Kathy Sue Wells, Andrea Dedmon, Bill Richards, Matt Tuers, Bishop Garnett, Jeff Goss, John A. Umberger, Daniel Sellers, Randall Redfield
Marketing and Advertising: Patricia Starnes (Senior Sales Associate), Angela Frizell, Clint Parker, Mark-Ellis Bennett
Distribution Manager: Katrina R. Morgan
Published by Universal Media, One Boston Way, Biltmore Village, NC 28803