Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Small Business of the Month: Zöe Dental



Congratulations to Zöe Dental, our small business of the month!

Zöe Dental is a full-service dental office with a strong commitment to customer service and to the Asheville community. In addition to expanding the business to accommodate a growing patient base, Zöe Dental completed its 2nd Annual Dentistry from the Heart event providing more than $28,000 in free dental care for those in the community who could not afford it otherwise.

Read on for our interview with Dr. Perry Stamatiades.

Asheville Chamber Board member Chris Silliman of
First Restoration Services with Dr. Perry Stamatiades
Tell us a little of the history of the company.
I purchased the practice of Dr. Bill Cave in 2005 and changed the name to Zöe Dental.  Zöe means life in Greek—when we begin working with patients, we want to establish lifelong relationships.  We don’t just care for your teeth—our practice is about growing and sharing life with our patients.  In 2007, we moved to a new state-of-the-art facility and have been there ever since. In 2013 we added Dr. Hayes to our practice to handle the demand of patients wanting to join our practice. We are a full service dental office treating patients of all ages, from the simplest dental cleaning to more complex treatments.

What are you most proud of about the company?
The customer service we offer.  In today’s medical industry there is a huge lack of customer service.  We take that matter seriously and go beyond patient expectations to ensure they receive the best experience and care available.    

Best advice you’ve gotten for leading a small business.
1. Be a servant to your customers and put their needs first.
2. Always look at revenue over cost.
3. Always better before cheaper.

Your favorite thing in your workplace.
NOT having a personal office. It’s a time waster.  You spend most of your time checking/responding to email, making phone calls, handling personal tasks, and other items that are important but should not be done at work.  This allows me to be more productive and spend more time with patients and cultivate important relationships.  Eliminating distractions helps me focus on growing our practice.

What’s next on the horizon?
With a new in-house marketing coordinator, we plan to expand our brand and add more patients, which will create more jobs for doctors and other team members.   We plan to keep providing each patient with the best experience and be more available for appointments to better accommodate their busy lives.

The Chamber’s tagline is, “Connect. Engage. Impact. Thrive.” Pick one of these terms and tell us what it means to you as a small business in Asheville.
IMPACT.  My membership with the chamber allows opportunities to network with other business owners, and has helped our practice become more visible to the community. With that said, we’re able to impact Asheville by employing more team members and treating more patients. Our success has helped us impact not only our team members and patients, but also the Asheville community by hosting an annual Dentistry from the Heart event where we provide free dentistry for a full day to those in the community who are unable to afford dental care.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Black Mountain Chamber posts upcoming 2015 events


 

May
8th-10th   Steel Magnolias - Play written by Robert Harling. Presented by Front Porch Theatre at Black Mountain Center for the Arts,  blackmountainarts.org 
 
7th       Taste of Black Mountain, 5:30-7pm at White Horse, Admission Fee. exploreblackmountain.com

7th-10th    L.E.A.F. - Lake Eden Arts Festival at Camp Rockmont, Tickets on-line in advance,  theleaf.org

15th-17th   Steel Magnolias -  Play written by Robert Harling presented by Front Porch Theatre at Black Mountain Center for the Arts,  blackmountainarts.org 

16th     10th Annual Plant Sale, 9am-4pm in Monte Vista parking lot. Beautification Committee

June 
6th-7th     18th Annual Black Mountain Arts & Crafts Show, Free, 10-5pm on Saturday and 10-4pm on Sunday on Sutton Street in downtown Black Mountain.  Old Depot Association, 828-669-6583 olddepot.org

18th-20th   9th Annual Art in Bloom, Gala Opening Party, Gallery show, Garden tours. Admission Fee.      blackmountainarts.org

July
4th       Downtown Street Dance & Fireworks  4pm , townofblackmountain.org

4th       Montreat Parade – 10am in Montreat

August
1st      Annual Museum Benefit Yard Sale  -  Swannanoa Valley Museum – 828-669-9566,
swannanoavalleymuseum.org

7th      Sourwood IDOL Contest – 7pm  FREE. Cash prizes.  Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce 828-669-2300

8th-9th  Sourwood Festival, 9am-8pm  Sat., 9am-5pm Sun, FREE. downtown Black Mountain,  sourwoodfestival.com

29 -      Asheville Super – Spartan Race   Info & registration www.Spartan.com

October
10th       Fall by the Tracks Festival and 5K Fun Run,  downtown, olddepot.org  

15th-18th  L.E.A.F. - Lake Eden Arts Festival at Camp Rockmont, tickets on-line.  theleaf.org 
31st       How1-O-Ween Pet Parade & Festivities   - 828-669-0065

December
3rd-31st    Deck the Trees – 24 beautiful Christmas Trees on display (result of decorating competition). Free at
Monte Vista Hotel

4th         It’s a Wonderful Life – Holly Jolly   Shops open w/refreshments, entertainment & Santa. 5-8pm
downtown, exploreblackmountain.com

5th         Christmas Parade, 4pm downtown,   exploreblackmountain.com

5th         Circle of Lights at Lake Tomahawk,  6pm, townofblackmountain.org


OnTrack Financial lists education classes offered in May



May Financial Education Schedule
Classes are free unless noted. Pre-registration required. Call today at 255-5166.
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Budgeting 101 - A budget plan is one of the best tools for financial empowerment. Learn how income, expenses, and debt all affect a successful budget and gain tools to help you create a realistic budget.
  • Wednesday, May 6 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm - offered through the Women's Financial Empowerment Center
  • Wednesday, May 27 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm - offered through the Women's Financial Empowerment Center
Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it. - Find out what you know about credit!  Learn what credit is, how to fix your past credit mistakes, read your credit reports, understand credit repair, and more.
  • Monday, May 4 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm OR
  • Thursday, May 14 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm OR
  • Tuesday, May 19 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm OR
  • Friday, May 29 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm
Homebuyer Education Series - ($50.00 participant fee) Our HUD-certified course provides a step-by-step explanation of the home-buying process, a fantastic resource book, and an opportunity to interact with local real estate / lending / legal professionals so that you can make an informed decision about the biggest investment you will probably ever make. Certificate received upon completion.    
  • (2-part class) Saturdays, May 23 & 30 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • (4-part class in Hendersonville) Wed., May 6, 13, 20 &  27 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Manage Your Money Series - Our most popular seminar deals with the basics of budgeting, setting goals, planning spending to realize goals, saving strategies, and tracking spending.
  • Saturdays, May 9 & 16 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Emotions & Spending - This class explores the powerful role of emotion in our use of money, and provides tools for understanding those connections and working with the influential pull our emotions have on our spending patterns.
  • Thursday, May 21 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm - offered through the Women's Financial Empowerment Center
Planning for Your Financial Future - Are you ready to invest your money in the stock market but not sure how to begin? Learn the basic vocabulary and concepts that will help you in taking the plunge into smart financial investing. (Guest speaker: Harli Palme - Parsec Financial)   

·         Thursday, May 28 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm - offered through the Women's Financial Empowerment Center

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Pre-registration requiredCall OnTrack WNC today at 255-5166.
All classes listed are held at OnTrack WNC offices - 50 South French Broad Ave. Second Floor

Our VOICE announces 6th annual Walk a Mile Asheville


Our VOICE, Buncombe County’s incorporated rape crisis center, is pleased to announce their 6th Annual Walk a Mile event, to be held Saturday, May 2 2015 at Roger McGuire Green (City/County Plaza). 

Walk a Mile Asheville is the people’s march against rape, sexual assault, and gender violence.   It began in 2010 as an event during which men donned women’s shoes (mostly heels) to show their solidarity with women during National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 

This year, Walk a Mile Asheville will look a little different. Men and women are encouraged to walk in the shoes of another. As in years past you will see men in heels of all heights, but it is not necessary to wear heels to attend.  “The key is just to be there!  March with us in an effort to stop sexual violence in our community- in whatever shoes you’d like,” encourages Angelica Wind, Director of Our VOICE.  This year, you will see women and young people as well as men join the march- because we understand that this is an issue that impacts everyone in our community.   

This year’s “Sneaker Sponsors” include Blue Ridge Bone & Joint Lower Extremity Service, Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty, Make Noise, and Lenoir Rhyne.  “Flip Flop Sponsors” include Mars Hill, Parsec Financial, Tupelo Honey, Farm Burger, Uplevel You/ Christine Kane, Beverly Hanks and All in One Financial Services and are joined by sponsors of all levels. 

Registration is at 10:00 on the day of the event, and the walk begins at 11:00.  For information about individual or team registration, or to learn how you can sponsor or donate to the event, go to www.ourvoicenc.org or call 828-252-0562.