Asheville Chamber & EDC Announce Pam Lewis as Director of Entrepreneurship

June 1, 2011

The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville – Buncombe County (EDC) are pleased to announce the selection of Pam Lewis as Director of Entrepreneurship. Lewis is currently Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurial Development at AdvantageWest.


The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville – Buncombe County (EDC) are pleased to announce the selection of Pam Lewis as Director of Entrepreneurship. Lewis is currently Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurial Development at AdvantageWest.

In her new role, Lewis will lead Chamber and EDC initiatives to foster entrepreneurialism throughout the community and work to support and attract individuals who either want to start companies or relocate their small businesses. Lewis will champion public policy issues on behalf of small businesses in partnership with local, state and national efforts and connect entrepreneurs with appropriate community resources and services.

“Pam’s valuable experience in working with entrepreneurs from all backgrounds and in all stages of growth – from start-up to mature – set her apart,” said Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the EDC Ben Teague. “Her knowledge of the unique needs of entrepreneurs will help us advocate on behalf of small businesses and provide greater support for the needs of our small business community.”

Lewis, a previous small business owner, was one of the first staff members at AdvantageWest. She has served in several roles, including Assistant Treasurer, Director of Operations, and is currently Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurial Development. In 1999, she left AdvantageWest to serve as Executive Director of Travel and Tourism for Burke County. Lewis rejoined AdvantageWest in 2005.

A notable recent achievement is her development of the Juicy Ideas Collegiate Competition, an annual contest for students that encourages entrepreneurship as a career path, which she created with support from Google. This entrepreneurship competition is open to nearly 300 colleges and universities across the nation. Lewis also developed the Certified Entrepreneurial Community program, the first program of its type in the country, an intensive five-step process that certifies communities as entrepreneur-ready. In addition, Lewis directed the planning and execution of AdvantageWest’s major events and conferences, including the recent Carolina Connect conference for entrepreneurs and investors.

Concurrent with her position as Senior VP of Entrepreneurial Development, Lewis also served as Director of the Western North Carolina Film Commission, a role she will retain through the summer in collaboration with AdvantageWest, responsible for helping facilitate activity on feature films, documentaries, commercials, television films and series, music videos and reality TV programs.

Lewis serves as a member on numerous advisory boards and committees, including the A-B Tech Incubator Advisory Board, Western Carolina University’s Center for Rapid Product Realization Advisory Board, The High Country Business Development Network and the Board of Directors for HandMade in America. She completed the Basic Economic Development Course at UNC-Chapel Hill and has made presentations on entrepreneurism at several local, regional and national events.

Lewis will assume her new role with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce / EDC on Monday, June 20.

The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (EDC) is a public-private partnership committed to creating and retaining high quality jobs, community leadership, and being a resource for better business decisions. The EDC accomplishes this mission through its four core services: business retention and expansion, small business and entrepreneurship, research, and marketing and recruitment. The EDC is funded by Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Asheville 5 X 5 Campaign.

The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce is a 2,000 member organization representing 86,000 employees. Chamber members collaborate with community organizations and coalitions to support the community and each other with the mission of increasing the region’s livability by advancing its economic vitality. The Asheville Chamber works diligently to ensure that Asheville continues to prosper while also protecting the natural beauty of the area. In 2006, the Chamber moved to a new location and is home to a 4,000 square foot Visitor Center which welcomes 200,000 visitors per year.