Bringing Craft Beer and Economic Impact to Marion, NC
The Craft Brewing industry seems to favor collaboration, and Mica Town Brewing, coming soon to Marion, NC, is no exception.
Building collaborative relationships is how owners Jason Snyder and Emily Causey, are making their entrepreneurial dreams a reality.”Three months after buying a house and moving to Marion we read an article where the city manager mentioned that Marion would be interested in having a brewery. That prompted us to reach out to him and from there we’ve built a supportive relationship with the city,” says Jason. “Marion is our home, but it is also a natural choice for a brewery. It is one of only a few cities in Western North Carolina that doesn’t have a brewery within 20 miles”
When it came time to get a loan for the business, Jason was referred to Mountain BizWorks through the Small Business Administration. “I really liked the process at Mountain BizWorks. It was more like an interview, more like building a relationship,” says Jason. “Chris Grasinger pointed out some weaknesses in our business plan and we went back and did some more research. In the end the Mountain BizWorks team like my business plan and were willing to give me a shot.” Even the loan was a collaboration between the Natural Capital Investment Fund, NC Rural Center, and Mountain BizWorks.
Mica Town Brewing, named to honor the mining history of the area, is set to open in late 2017. Their vision is to create a community gathering place that not only provides success for the owners, but economic impact for Marion.
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