Chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1994, AdvantageWest is a non-profit public-private partnership whose primary focus is marketing the North Carolina mountains to corporations seeking to relocate or open a new facility, expand an existing business within the WNC region, and those who might otherwise improve the quality of life for citizens within the region through activities such as filmmaking, entrepreneurship and tourism.

Advantage Wests’s 23-County region covers nearly 10,000 square miles-larger than eight other U.S. states and roughly the size of the State of Maryland. Publications such as Money, Kiplinger’s, Outside, American Style, Modern Maturity and Forbes have ranked Western North Carolina as a top destination for living, working, recreation, arts, technology, and retirement.

Offices are located at the Asheville Regional Airport in office space shared with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. The Advantage West taff stands ready to assist you and your business. Please contact the Advantage West team at 828-687-7234 or info@awnc.org to get started. Visit www.AdvantageWest.com for more information about the Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council (BREC), the Blue Ridge Angel Investors Network (BRAIN), the Western North Carolina Film Commission, Blue Ridge Food Ventures,  and the Certified Entrepreneurial Community.

Revitalizing Rural Communities in WNC

The North Carolina Rising project examines the successful revitalization of rural communities in the state. The project includes a series of segments on UNC-TV’s public affairs program, North Carolina Now, that examine how local communities are reinventing themselves through innovative options such as tourism, small business, alternative crops, biotechnology and biomanufacturing, food processing, military contracts and education.

Get Involved in Town Hall Meetings

Funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation, the project also includes the broadcast of four town-hall meetings, one of which will be live from Western Carolina University, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Moderated by UNC-TV’s Shannon Vickery, the town halls will feature a dialogue among expert panelists representing local leadership in education, policy and industry, and give viewers an opportunity to learn more and join the statewide conversation about rural economic development. AdvantageWest President & CEO Scott Hamilton will be among the panelists at WCU.

Sarah Benoit, Internet Marketing Specialist

My name is Sarah Benoit and I am owner and creator of AshevilleBusinessNetworking.com. My goal is to work throughout the year to provide a comprehensive networking resource for local businesses of any size. If you are searching for business advice, consulting, guidance, seminars, trainings, services, classes, networking events or simply support from your local community I guarantee you will find it here.

As a small business owner I believe it is important to not only grow my own company and bottom line, but to financially strengthen the Asheville and WNC community as a whole. In the long term this will help build a more vibrant, exciting and economically stable city and region, as well as achieve increased personal success and professional satisfaction for all of us.

During the month of October 2009 I will be adding a wide variety of information regarding local business organizations, networking events and more. I will also be sharing many of my professional philosophies and local recommendations. I encourage each of you to share your thoughts, ideas and perspectives on local business. I look forward to growing our community TOGETHER!