Mega Networking Returns on Friday!

The bi-annual Mega Networking event is set for Friday, May 8 at the Crowne Plaza from 8 a.m. - noon. Come and meet fellow Chamber members in an organized, fun, “speed-networking” kind of way! Registration is limited to one person per company, and five people per industry. The cost to register is $30. Contact Laura Wolf for more information or to register for the event. Thank you to Gold Sponsors Clear Channel Asheville and Nationwide Insurance – McKinney Agency, Silver Sponsor Manpower, and Host Sponsor Crowne Plaza.

Vote Asheville as Beer City USA

A little known fact is that Asheville has the highest number of micro-breweries per capita than any other city in the United States. Asheville's reputation is becoming well known for our well crafted brews. Currently an online poll is taking place at examiner.com and it has Asheville trailing Portland by two points as the Beer City USA.  Help our Asheville breweries and vote Asheville Beer City USA today by clicking here.

Asheville Book the Perfect Mother's Day Gift!

The Asheville Shop at the Chamber has many gifts that any mother would be happy to receive on Mother's Day.  The Asheville Shop features a wide selection of local crafts, paintings, photos, and books on Asheville and Western North Carolina. The Asheville Shop also has Asheville branded clothing for all seasons. Visit the Asheville Shop at the Chamber today to get your mother something special on her special day!

Chamber Challenge 5k: Team Clydesdale from Dixon Hughes

Last Wednesday's training session at the Chamber was extremely well attended with over 30 runners and walkers turning out. Jeff interviews a few members of Team Clydesdale from Dixon Hughes, the presenting sponsor of the 2009 Chamber Challenge 5k.  Watch the team interview, a video from the training session, and for a little comedy, Jeff recalls the time he tried to run on a treadmill with his eyes closed, all at the See Jeff Run Blog, your unofficial Chamber Challenge Trainer.

Small Business Week Table Top Networking Event

The Chamber is hosting a Small Business Table Top Networking event on Tuesday, May 19, from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Chamber. The evening is presented by FASTSIGNS and also sponsored by the Advocates for Small Business. The event is the Chamber's mini business expo with table top displays.  Table tops will be located throughout the Chamber and will be available on a "first come, first served" basis. Reserve your table online today or contact Carol Hensley at 828.258.6116. 

Hot Tips: How to Harness the Power of Guerilla Marketing

If you find it challenging to find the necessary budget to market your company, this seminar is for you! Coined by Jay Conrad Levinson, guerilla marketing is more about matching wits than matching budgets. Guerilla marketing can be as different from traditional marketing as guerilla warfare is from traditional warfare. Rather than marching their marketing dollars forth like infantry divisions, guerilla marketers snipe away with their marketing resources for maximum impact. Learn how to deploy unconventional techniques in order to get conventional results, with a limited budget. The workshop takes place on May 7 from 9 -11 a.m. at the Asheville Merchants Corporation Boardroom in the Chamber Building. Registration for the session is $20 and can be taken online or by phone at 828.258.6116. Thank you to the Advocates for Small Business for presenting the Hot Tips series.

AAA Vacations Asheville Bring Members an Exclusive Holiday Tour

The Chamber and AAA Vacations Asheville announce a special, holiday tour to Europe for its members, their families and friends. The Alpine Christmas tour is an exclusive opportunity for Asheville Chamber members. The tour, provided by AAA Member Choice Vacations, is operated by the nation’s oldest tour operator with vacations to all 7 continents and offers the holiday traveler a balanced mix of leisure and active involvement to ensure travelers get the full experience of Austria as well as Munich, Germany.  Informational meetings for anyone interested in learning more about the trip will be held at the Chamber on May 6 and June 2 at 4 p.m.  For more information contact 828.253.5376. 

This Week on the Chamber Blog

This week on the Chamber Blog we look at Wine and Dine on the Mountain which took place last weekend at Old Edwards Inn & Spa. The blog also has two stories of Asheville companies expanding, Dixon Hughes and Netriplex.  Dixon Hughes, the CPA firm, has expanded its Florida presence while Netriplex expands its Asheville workforce by over 30%!   For these stories and more Asheville business news visit blog.ashevillechamber.org.

Hunger Luncheon, Friday May 8

Did you know that 20% of children in Buncombe County are living in poverty? Join Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County and the Junior League of Asheville at a “hunger luncheon” on Friday, May 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (registration from 11:30-11:45 a.m.) at MANNA Food Bank (623 Swannanoa River Rd Asheville, NC 28805). The “hunger luncheon” will recap the Child Watch Tour (poverty impact on our children, youth and families) events and illustrate the food security and nutritional concerns facing too many children in Buncombe County. At this lunch, Children First/CIS is excited to unveil its new targeted focus on decreasing poverty for children and youth. Cost is free. RSVP to Greg Borom at gregb@childrenfirstbc.org or 828.259.9717, by Thursday, May 7 at noon.

The 15th Annual Mountain Housing Opportunities Ramp Festival

This weekend, volunteers will gather to build eight wheelchair ramps for Buncombe County homeowners who are elderly or disabled and have low or limited income. The Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) Ramp Festival brings the community together to provide an important service to Buncombe County homeowners who are elderly or disabled with low or limited income. The festival is part of MHO’s Emergency Home Repair program which eliminates immediate threats to life, health and safety in the homes of low-income homeowners with special needs. MHO’s Emergency Home Repair program currently provides over 150 safety-related repairs each year.

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