Welcome to the Land of Waterfalls
MOVE UP to a higher elevation where business, pure natural resources, small town charm, global connectivity and world class culture meet.

Thanks to today's technology you don't have to work in an area with declining water or air quality, rising crime rates or bumper-to-bumper city traffic and be content with a quality of life only on vacations. "Transylvania" in Latin means "across the woods" and is also known as the "Land of Waterfalls" with over 250 waterfalls in the county.

Success Story

QUOTATIONS COFFEE HOUSE

Weekend gatherings of neighbors, friends (and a few total strangers) at a Starbucks coffee house in Minneapolis set the stage for a major career transition for Lynne Montague-Clouse from a healthcare insurance marketing consultant to an entrepreneur and owner-manager of Quotations Coffee House in Brevard. But the road to success has not been without some bumps.

Lynn Montague-Clouse (front), Quotations owner and Sandra Novack, her partner, prepare for the morning rush of coffee drinkers.

"I had been thinking seriously about a career change from corporate life for some time, and my husband, Jon, and I had decided that we wanted to move to a warmer climate and a small, friendly town," Lynne says. We began researching locations, visited Brevard, and it was love at first sight."

Lynne and Jon began building a vacation home in Connestee Falls in 2003 and Lynne continued her search for a small business opportunity. "During one of our Sunday visits to Starbucks back home, it suddenly struck me that owning and operating a coffee shop and 'community meeting house' was what I really wanted to do. When I saw that there was a great opportunity for such a shop in Brevard, the whole concept came together for me." more

Business Development Resources
This issue features Self-Help Credit Union, a community development financial institution providing loans to small businesses and non-profit organizations.

When a small business needs financing to expand and grow its operations, one of the organizations that can provide direct assistance is Self-Help, one of the nation's leading community development financial institutions.

Joyce Harrison (left), Self-Help's regional director for WNC, reviews a loan application with Tracy Ward, underwriter, at their Asheville office.

Self-Help makes loans that range in size from a few thousand dollars to several million, depending on the project being financed. The loans are available to meet a variety of needs, including:

• Starting, buying or expanding a business or a non-profit organization
• Purchasing or constructing real estate
• Purchasing equipment and machinery
• Providing working capital
• Purchasing inventory more

What's New in Business

BUSINESS NETWORKING & TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

Attention business owners, managers and other interested parties: Want a great opportunity to interact and network with some of the area's top experts in information technology and business strategies? If so, mark your calendars for a Business Networking and Technology Showcase on Thursday, May 8 at the Porter Center at Brevard College.

Beginning at 2:00 pm, presentations and panel discussions will include:

2:00 pm - Internet technology, website design and hosting; online management programs; online vs. off-site systems. Panel members: Rich Winslow, Automated Results, and Clark Wilkins, QMD Accountworks. Facilitator: Dean Landreth, Director of Information Technology, Transylvania County.

3:00 pm - Data security, storage and recovery; hardware and software innovations; automated facility security. Panel members: Paul Parker, Carolina Information Technology & Research Corporation, and Mike Millsap, Mayent Solutions. Facilitator: Ed Coye, Coye Consultants.

4:00 pm - Opportunities in technical education and their application to your business. Panel members: Eric Schmieder, Blue Ridge Community College; Michael Fuiks, Brevard College; and Jeff McDaris, Transylvania County School System. Facilitator: Gary Heisey, Director of the Small Business Center at Blue Ridge Community College.

5:00 pm - "The Triple Bottom Line." A presentation by Steve Cochran, CEO of Sustainable Strategies, LLC of Asheville. Steve will offer ideas about how businesses can integrate environmental, social and financial factors to improve the "bottom line" of their operations.

Get answers to your questions about current IT applications, what's coming in the future and what you can do about it by attending the May 8 event. The afternoon sessions are open to the public and there is no admission charge.

Hosts for the conference include the Transylvania Partnership, Blue Ridge Community College, AdvantageWest and the Transylvania County Planning and Economic Development Department.

Experience the Lifestyle

April Concerts At The Porter Center

Anthony & Beard, organ & trumpet
Sunday, April 6, 7:30 pm
Tickets $20

John Pizzarelli Quartet, jazz/standards
Thursday, April 24, 7:30 pm
Tickets $30

For more information on these and other concerts or to purchase tickets contact the box office at 828-884-8330.

April Events at TC Arts

Friday, April 25 - Brevard's 4th Friday Gallery Walk

Saturday & Sunday, April 26-27 - Scenic 276 Studio Stroll

Guerrilla Divas
Back by popular demand.
Saturday, April 26, 7:00 pm Tickets $14

For more information visit www.tcarts.org or call 828-884-2787.