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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
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.

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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.

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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
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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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
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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.
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.
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