Press release from
AdvantageWest

Both startups and seasoned business owners in the AdvantageWest region found themselves in the spotlight during a recent annual celebration of entrepreneurs and the contributions they make to the economy. National Entrepreneurship Week, held across the country, got strong support from area media, including live news segments on WLOS-TV and a series of live interviews on Clear Channel radio stations.

Featured entrepreneurial ventures included BeKind Solutions, a Polk County business that makes organic cleaning products; Cab Hound, a new app for consumers and taxi companies, based in Jackson County; Carolina Pig Polish, an award-winning barbecue sauce made at Blue Ridge Food Ventures; Dynamite Roasting Company, a coffee roaster located in Black Mountain; Hominy Valley Farms, located in Buncombe County, which grows and sells local meats and produce; Noble Cider, the region’s first hard cider, made from local apples and located in Asheville; and The Red Radish, a catering and gourmet-to-go service and event space in Black Mountain, which hosted the live TV segments that aired 5-7am on Feb 18.

Others involved in the coverage, in addition to AdvantageWest, included representatives from the SBA and A-B Tech’s Small Business Center & Incubator, and Carl Bartlett, mayor of Black Mountain and co-chair of the town’s Certified Entrepreneurial Community(R) Leadership Team. Our thanks to all participants and our media partners for their involvement. Links to the TV and radio segments can be found here.

AdvantageWest is the regional economic development partnership serving the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina. Chartered by the state General Assembly in 1993 and incorporated as a501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1994, AdvantageWest is a public-private partnership governed by a 21-member board of directors. Our program of work focuses on advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurial development, agribusiness, the green economy, and filmmaking through the WNC Film Commission.