Partners

Mountain BizWorks partners with a variety of local organizations to deliver services to small businesses.

Asheville-Buncombe Technical College (A-B Tech): Mountain BizWorks and AB-Tech collaborate to host training events and classes for entrepreneurs, including AB-Tech’s business-incubator tenants, and to cross-refer clients.

AdvantageWest Economic Development Group: Mountain BizWorks manages the back-end operations for the AdvantageWest Opportunity Loan Fund; serves on the Fund’s loan review committee; provides training to communities that participate in AdvantageWest’s Certified Entrepreneurial Communities program; and collaborates with the Blue Ridge Advanced Manufacturing Initiative.

Asheville Area Arts Council: Mountain BizWorks participates in annual Creative Sector Summit works with Asheville Area Arts Council to support businesses in the creative sector.

Asheville Grown Business Alliance: Mountain BizWorks collaborates with Asheville Grown to help promote and support local small businesses.

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP): Through a grant from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, ASAP, Mountain BizWorks and Organic Growers School provide classes, coaching and other services to help farmers and value-added producers preserve and grow their enterprises.

Blue Ridge Community College: Mountain BizWorks partners with Blue Ridge Community College to host the annual Women’s Business Conference at BRCC. Mountain BizWorks offers its business training and consulting seminars at both campuses – Flat Rock and Brevard.

Blue Ridge Food Ventures: Mountain BizWorks clients with food-product, baking or catering businesses utilize Blue Ridge Food Ventures’ shared-use kitchen incubator and natural products manufacturing facility to start or grow their businesses.

Center for Participatory Change (CPC): CPC organizes worker-owned businesses or cooperatives; CPC’s practice is to refer cooperatives to Mountain BizWorks for intensive business coaching.

Chambers of Commerce: As an Asheville-based nonprofit business, Mountain BizWorks is a member of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce; we work with the Chamber to host seminars and events for business owners, particularly existing businesses that can benefit from Mountain BizWorks’ consulting and larger loans. We are also members of the Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce, Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce, Clay County Chamber of Commerce, Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, and Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

City of Asheville: The City’s Minority Business Program and Mountain BizWorks collaborate to serve minority entrepreneurs; in conjunction with other local organizations, we sponsor the annual Minority Enterprise Development Week of WNC.

Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation: Eagle Market Streets provides basic training in business planning and financial management to entrepreneurs, who are then referred to Mountain BizWorks for additional classes, coaching and/or loans.

Handmade in America: Mountain BizWorks works closely with Handmade in America to provide business classes and coaching to craft artists who seek to start or grow businesses.

High County Seeds of Change: This Heifer International-led initiative in Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes and Alleghany counties supports businesses that increase access to locally produced foods; businesses are referred to Mountain BizWorks for business training.

Kleiwerks International: Mountain BizWorks and Kleiwerks partner to deliver business planning classes to Urban Farm School participants through Kleiwerks’ Ashevillage Institute.

Land of Sky Regional Council: We are currently working with Land of Sky Regional Council to help map the local food system. Land of Sky relies on Mountain BizWorks to provide business training to specific groups of entrepreneurs, including those operating agricultural or food-related businesses.

Latino Advocacy Coalition (El Centro): Latino Advocacy Coalition partners with Mountain BizWorks to provide Latino entrepreneurs with classes and educational programs, and to host the annual Children’s Day and Business Expo in Hendersonville.

NC Choices: Mountain BizWorks partners with NC Choices to provide educational and networking opportunities for food producers, processors, and other food businesses.

NC Cooperative Extension: County agents across western North Carolina work with Mountain BizWorks to provide business workshops and classes to entrepreneurs.

Mill Spring Agricultural Center: As a resource center for agricultural and business development in Polk County, the Mill Spring Agricultural Development Center provides meeting and classroom space for Mountain BizWorks, and helps promote Mountain BizWorks’ services to the agricultural community.

Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF): Mountain BizWorks has a Memorandum of Understanding with NCIF to cross-refer potential borrowers and co-lend to small businesses.

OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling: Mountain BizWorks and OnTrack Financial collaborate to provide financial management coaching and workshops, helping individuals address topics such as budgeting and credit, and set and meet their personal and business financial goals.

Rural Support Partners: Mountain BizWorks collaborates with Rural Support Partners to identify ways to better serve rural entrepreneurs and build sustainable rural economies; specifically, Rural Support Partners is helping us to map and confirm our role in local food system.

Self-Help Credit Union: Self-Help is the one regional office of a statewide community development financial institution in WNC. Mountain BizWorks and Self-Help cross-refer small-business borrowers.

Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA’s local Small Business Development Center and Mountain BizWorks work closely to cross refer clients, ensuring that entrepreneurs have the resources necessary to start and grow their businesses.

Spark Tank: Mountain BizWorks is a member of Spark Tank, a group of 17 local organizations that recently marked ten years of collaboration and working together to create a more dynamic future for small businesses in western North Carolina. Spark Tank members work together to cross-refer clients and share market knowledge. Members include: AdvantageWest, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, A-B Tech and the Small Business Center, Asheville SCORE, BioNetwork BioBusiness Center, Blue Ridge Food Ventures, City of Asheville Minority Business Program, Eagle-Market Streets Development Corporation, Handmade in America, Land-of-Sky Regional Council, Mountain BizWorks, Self-Help Credit Union, Sequoyah Fund, Small Business and Technology Development Center, UNC-Asheville Family Business Forum, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

UNC-Asheville’s Family Business Forum: Mountain BizWorks provides services to members of UNC Asheville’s Family Business Forum, ensuring they have access to the resources necessary to enhance the viability of their closely held and family-owned businesses.