Sky High Growth Award Nomination Deadline Extended

The deadline for nominations is now October 12 for the 2009 Sky High Growth Awards presented by Advanced Business Equipment in conjunction with the Advocates for Small Business. The Sky High Growth Awards is an annual event recognizing the area's fastest growing small businesses for their outstanding achievements and contributions to our region's economy. The event is the October Business After Hours on October 29 at the North Carolina Arboretum but nominations are being accepted now.  Learn more about the awards, the event, and nominations by visiting the event website. The Business After Hours are presented by Clear Channel Asheville.

2010 China Trip Informational Meeting

The Chamber is announcing a special opportunity for business and recreation with a trip to China from April 6 - 14, 2010. The trip will allow local business leaders to make key connections in China and explore the Chinese culture at an attractive price. The trip is open to the community with a special discounted rate for Asheville Chamber members. Anyone interested in the trip should plan on attending an informational meeting on October 8 or October 27, from 5 - 6 p.m. at the Asheville Merchants Corporation Boardroom in the Chamber building. You will be traveling with other business leaders and Chamber members in an informal setting with experienced and knowledgeable guides.  Click here to learn more about the 2010 Trip to China.

Meet The Media Presented by the Advocates for Small Business

Meet the Media, presented by the Advocates for Small Business, is your opportunity to learn about local media operations and hear from local media experts representing newspaper, radio and TV on how to submit information to them, their policies on news releases, faxes, e-mails and photography. The panel discussion will be moderated by Linda Brandt of LB Marketing Services.

Media representatives include:

The session takes place Thursday, October 22, from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at the Asheville Merchants Corporation Boardroom in the Chamber Building.  Please register for the Meet the Media session on the Chamber website.

Industry in Education Week

The Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will join the Chamber's Partners in Education Board and Economic Development Coalition in recognizing ‘Industry Appreciation Week’, October 12-16. The events will recognize the sustained economic impact, the history of product innovation and the community service contributions of our manufacturing community with a focus on current EDC/Chamber led workforce development initiatives. The centerpiece of the week is “Educator in Industry Day,” which will expose 100+ area educators to the diversity of career opportunities and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities of Deltec Homes, Jacob Holm Industries, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Unison Engine Components. Additional scheduled events include a Lean Manufacturing Seminar and Shingo Tour with NCSU Industrial Extension Service, and an EDC sponsored Luncheon for manufacturers to discuss and launch a four-county regional workforce development partnership between our manufacturing community and public school systems. For more information – please click here!

Forum on Organizational Culture

On October 28, CultureQuest Consulting will host a half-day forum at the Asheville Chamber on measuring, building, and leveraging organizational culture. The featured presenter will be Richard Barrett, founder of the Barrett Values Centre and creator of the innovative Cultural Transformation Tools. Participants will learn why culture is the new frontier of competitive advantage and a 5-step process for creating your desired culture. The session takes place from 1:30-5 p.m. and costs $149. For more information please call 828.252.8449. To register please email ana@valuescentre.com.

Lighten Up 4 Life Still Accepting Teams

Employers in the United States spend $13 billion annually on the total cost of obesity. Lighten Up 4 Life can help. It’s easy for your employees to sign up and helps to promote a true lifestyle change that is healthier for the individual and represents real cost savings for employers. In addition to helping employees lose weight and establish healthier lifestyles, area employers report that Lighten Up 4 Life and their teams that participated brought unexpected benefits of increased teamwork among employees. We’ve found that participants working as a team tend to have the best results. For more information visit lightenup4life.com/mission/coordinator. Participants can register online, so directing your employees there is simple.