Luella's big move

Looks like Luella's is packing up the smoker and moving to North Asheville! After just celebrating their two year anniversary in South Asheville, Luella's is making plans to move to 501 Merrimon Avenue (formerly Gusmo’s Mojo Café and Boston Pizza).

Updates on the progress of construction will be posted on the Luella’s Bar-B-Que facebook page.

Mountain BizWorks names interim CEO

Former Chamber Board Chairman and one of our most active members / volunteers, John Mark Stroud, has been selected to be Mountain BizWorks interim CEO.

Below is the official announcement from Mountain BizWorks.

The Mountain BizWorks Transition Team has been hard at work for the past two months and has completed the first phase of the executive transition process. Under the direction of Gary Landwirth and Judy Futch, project consultants, the team conducted an organizational assessment that served as the basis for the Mountain BizWork Board’s development and approval of a 12-18 month update to the organization’s strategic plan, a leadership plan for the new CEO and the CEO position profile.

In reviewing the transition timeline, the Board made the decision to appoint an interim CEO to ensure continuity of leadership and a smooth transition to the new CEO. The Mountain BizWorks Board is pleased to announce that John Mark Stroud has agreed to serve as the interim CEO. John Mark is dedicated to the mission and work of Mountain BizWorks, has been a strong Board member and is an effective leader who will provide the leadership needed during the transition. John Mark will continue in his role of Chair of the Executive Transition Team.

“I am thrilled to be able to help Mountain BizWorks in this time of transition. My short-term role will be to maintain the organization’s stability and continuity while we search for the permanent leader. Once the ideal candidate is selected, I will help our new CEO get established and ready to lead our organization into the future.” - John Mark Stroud

John Mark is a native of Western North Carolina, having grown up at Lake Junaluska in Haywood County. After several successful years working for Marriott Corporation in Atlanta, he returned to the mountains he loves with the intention of starting his own business. That dream was realized when he opened his FASTSIGNS in 1995. After twelve years of double-digit growth and many accolades, John Mark sold his business to focus on the commercial real estate investing that he had been doing since 2000.

The Transition Team is now in the second phase of the project to advertise the position, review applications, interview top candidates and recommend the final candidate to the Board. Position announcements have been placed with microenterprise and non-profit organizations with a full position profile available on Mountain BizWorks’ website, www.mountainbizworks.org. Applicants are encouraged to email materials to search@mountainbizworks.org before May 8, 2009.

The Team is committed to a comprehensive recruitment process and hopes you will assist in encouraging people you know to apply. A short version of the position announcement is included below for your review and distribution.

Thank you for your continued support of Mountain BizWorks. We look forward to sharing more with you as the transition process progresses.

Sincerely,
Sallie Broach
Chair, Mountain BizWorks' Board of Directors

Apartments with a view

A week or two ago we were invited out to tour the Cadence Village at Woodland Hills apartments in North Asheville. Cadence Village is located conveniently right off of 26 West at the New Stock Road exit just one mile from Weaverville.

The community is extremely nice with a great mix of residents ranging from working professionals, to families, and retirees. The selling points for me were:

• Security: Cadence Village is one of only a few gated apartment communities in the Asheville area.
• Comfortable: The apartments, grounds, and shared facilities all had a very comfortable feel to them
• Amenities: The pool, clubhouse, and exercise facilities all seemed top notch. The pool especially looked inviting, too bad it was 50 degrees out the day we visited.
  
• Affordable: The rents seemed really reasonable with 1, 2, and 3 bedroom options available

You can learn more about Cadence Village at Woodland Hills on their website or stop in for a visit!

The pool ready for summer:

A pretty great view even for a cloudy day:

The apartments all seemed to be very spacious and included washers and dryers:

The clubhouse looked like a lot of fun:

Asheville Ranks #6 Places for Business & Careers by Forbes

The Asheville Metro region was recently ranked by Forbes.com as #6 Best Metro Places for Business & Careers. Curious how we have stacked up in other rankings? You can access a list of other top rankings for the Asheville area by visiting the Economic Development Coalition’s website.

See the information on Asheville from Forbes.com.

Asheville Announces New Flights Again - NYC Here we Come!

The Asheville Regional Airport has announced new flights for the second time in the past week. Last week AVL announced flights with AirTran to Orlando, now Delta is offering daily flights to LaGuardia. Here is the official announcement:

The Asheville Regional Airport Authority is pleased to announce that Delta Air Lines will begin daily non-stop service to New York City. Flights from Asheville Regional (AVL) to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) start June 4, 2009, using 50-seat regional jets.

“Passengers now have another option when traveling to New York with the return of non-stop flights to the “Big Apple”,” said David N. Edwards, Jr., A.A.E., Airport Director. “Asheville Regional Airport, with our partner Delta Air Lines is proud to bring this new service to the Western North Carolina community.”

The daily flights on Delta to LaGuardia will take place at the following times:
From To Flight # Departs Arrives
LGA AVL 6637 9:00 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
AVL LGA 6626 11:45 a.m. 1:45 p.m.

“As we continue leveraging the opportunities presented by our merger with Northwest, Asheville will now see a direct benefit with new nonstop service to New York’s LaGuardia Airport and the opportunity to connect through our global gateway at John F. Kennedy International Airport to over 40 International destinations and five continents,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s managing director of schedule planning.

Travelers can book their tickets now at www.delta.com and www.flyavl.com. Atlanta, Cincinnati and Detroit are other destinations currently provided by Delta out of Asheville. Asheville Regional Airport is also served by AirTran (beginning June 11th), Continental and US Airways.

Strive Not to Drive Planning Session April 3

Strive Not to Drive has become an annual event that encourages people to avoid driving their car for one or more days during a specific week to experience the benefits and opportunities of walking, bicycling, riding the bus, carpooling, telecommuting, etc. This year Strive Not to Drive will be held during the week of May 11-15th; which is also National Bike to Work Week.

How can you help? It’s easy.

• Attend the employer breakfast on Wednesday, April 8th from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Greenlife Grocery Community Center located off Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Receive information on Strive Not to Drive and hear from other employers who participate in other transportation programs. PLEASE RSVP BY FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2009, NOON to Kathy Molin, TDM Coordinator, City of Asheville 828-232-4564.

Asheville to Orlando with AirTran

Just received this release from the Asheville Regional Airpot, great new flights to Orlando with AirTran:

The Asheville Regional Airport Authority is pleased to announce that AirTran Airways will begin new non-stop air service between Asheville and Orlando International Airport on June 11, 2009. Service will be operated using 117- passenger Boeing 717 jets. These jets will provide two classes of non-stop service to Florida where travelers can enjoy beaches and sunshine.

“This new service is great news for Western North Carolina as it will inject new energy into our local business economy and support our vital tourism industry,” said David N. Edwards, Jr., A.A.E, Airport Director. ”Asheville is a great place to do business, and this new service from AirTran, a low-cost carrier, demonstrates our commitment to Western North Carolina.”

The flights on AirTran will take place at the following times/days:
Asheville to Orlando: 1:10p.m. 2:45 p.m. on Tues, Thurs, Sat
Orlando to Asheville: 10:55 a.m. 12:35 p.m. on Tues, Thurs, Sat

Introductory Sale Fares will begin at $69 and must be purchased by April 16, with travel completed by June 25, 2009. Travelers can book their ticket at airtran.com and flyavl.com.