Capital at Play March 2014 by Capital at Play Magazine

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Gamble a little time away

A Quiet History Westglow Spa

Craft, Food, Cocktails J. Scully & K. Westmoreland

The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

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Publisher’s Thoughts

EILEEN FISHER

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Events Section More Relevant Than Ever

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| March 2014

n this edition you’ll find a collection of various businesses with a foot in the past and an eye on the future. From Joe Scully and Kevin Westmoreland’s classically modern restaurants (p.12), to Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer “old old house” with one of the most modern spas in the world (p.52), their future is firmly rooted in the past. None of these are more exemplary than Daniels Graphics, and its pilot Jim Daniels (p.70). While Daniels Graphics offers many other services beyond printing, they have witnessed a transformation of the printing industry. This hardly means that they are a shrinking company, but rather they see the tremendous value in learning new things, adapting to the needs of the market. Interestingly, though Jim has added many new services over the years, their production floor has equipment from the 1960’s that is still in use today. Having new equipment only means they have new options. We see the same to be true for many other, constantly changing, industries. Acknowledging the printing industry’s similarity to the business of Capital At Play, publishing from the printing perspective has had a very long, colorful, and transformative history. From the initial printing of the Gutenberg Bible, people have always revered and feared the power afforded to those with a printing press. The phrase I’ve heard thrown around in the past is, “never mess with a man who buys ink by the barrel;” though, I think some would now say, “don’t mess with those who buy bandwidth by the Terabyte.” While that may be true for some (search engines and intelligence agencies included), the digital world has far less bearing on what lengths consumers are willing to go to find good content, even in the 21st century. With so much information available, reliable, truthful content becomes harder to find, and any credible media outlet clearly still wields influence. As some print media has experienced waning advertising revenue, they (this publication excluded) have had less cash to invest in their content, i.e.; articles, writers, editors, photographers, paper. In turn, the value of such publications to their readership suffers. As go the readers, so goes their revenue (…away). Though to some, it’s the readers who are leaving first. To this chicken and egg scenario, I offer my own perspective. I have always firmly believed when it comes to information, the content (not the platform) is king. The same is true for quality work in almost any form. If you find yourself or your business in a situation where you need to adapt, or learn new things, this should be seen as an opportunity. Face it head on. We can no more stop the changing needs of the world, than stop the world itself from turning. Rather than take this as a threat, which may leave you feeling constantly threatened, you can get a jump on it. Instead of seeing things in such a binary view: old versus new, you can keep adding the new to the old. Compounding your value and ability, rather than trading it in over and over. And when it comes to the competition, just know that not all content is created equally.

Sincerely,

Harley O. Morgan

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March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

BRUNK

The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

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publisher & editor

Harley O. Morgan associate publisher

Jeffrey Green contributing editors

Dasha O. Morgan, David Bradley, Alexina O. Morgan, Brenda Murphy contributing writers

Paul Clark, Eric Crews, Bill Fishburne, Hunt Mallett, Jim Murphy, Anna Raddatz, Camille Stimach, Mike Summey gr aphic designer

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e-mail advertising@capitalatplay.com or call 828.274.7305 high country inQuiries

e-mail jeffrey@capitalatplay.com or call 828.320.6152 for subscription information

subscribe online at www.capitalatplay.com or call 828.274.7305 for editorial inQuiries

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Capital At Play is a trademark of Universal Media, Inc. ia

Published by Universal Media Inc. PO Box 5615, Asheville, NC. 28813

UM UniversalMedia

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Media

| March 2014

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F E AT U R E S VOL. IV

ED. III

THE CRAFTED

A QUIET HISTORY

FROM MIMEOGRAPH

CULINARY EXPERIENCE - JOE SCULLY & KEVIN WESTMORELAND -

OF WEST GLOW SPA

TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM - JIM DANIELS -

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

Contents 4 P U B L I S H E R S N OT E

•

M A R C H 2 014

6 M A S T H E A D & I N F O R M AT I O N

•

S U B S C R I B E O N L I N E AT C A P I TA L AT P L AY . C O M

lo c a l i n d u s t ry

columns

24 Business Incubators

30 Hunt Mallett

Start-ups searching for value in small business incubators

Ice Wine: Hanging in there ’til the (not so) bitter end

48 Camille Stimach

l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n 37 Gamble a little time away Experience the new Cherokee, NC as well as its traditions

keepin’ it brief 32 Carolina in the West

Banking: Their responsibilities and your options

62 Mike Summey Learning the skill of delayed gratiﬁcation

c a p i ta l a d v e n t u r i s t 84 Cross-Country Skiing Experience pure Appalchian joy

66 The Old North State 80 National & World News

events 92 Get out of your Office See what’s going on in your community this month

on the cover , and shown in full above

A table that was created from various movable type, used by Daniels Graphics over the course of their history. These pieces were scattered throughout Daniels Graphics & in Jim Daniels’ garage, while many pieces still remain shelved for use on their production ﬂoor today. For printing purposes (and in reality), the type is reversed. What is shown is the mirrored image. 10

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THE

Crafted 12

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Culinary written by anna r addatz photos by anthony harden

Experience

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

Three simple words

are etched into the glass panels above the entrance to 48 Biltmore Avenue, home to a restaurant called Chestnut:

Craft Food Cocktails

Of course, any restaurant worth its salt takes both food and drink very seriously. But Joe

Scully and Kevin Westmoreland, co-owners of both Chestnut (in downtown Asheville), the renowned Corner Kitchen (in Biltmore Village), and Corner Kitchen Catering, are also very serious about the ingredient of â&#x20AC;&#x153;craftâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;as it relates to the dishes they serve, the balancing act of managing their businesses, and the relationships they share with members of the community. From disparate backgrounds, Scully and Westmoreland forged a strong friendship that evolved into a business partnership that would launch their careers as restaurateurs. Opening their first restaurant, Corner Kitchen, together in 2004, their partnership is officially a decade old this year. Over that time, they have become skilled at creating charming environments and delectable meals, all in painstaking detail and in a spirit of service to their guests.

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joe scully & kevin westmorel and March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 15

he term “craft” has a pretty mundane definition: “an activity involving skill in making things by hand.” By this definition, almost all cooking is craft. But Scully, who is head chef at both Chestnut and Corner Kitchen, uses the term both to describe what he does and what he doesn’t do. He compares the art of painting a landscape to the craft of tooling a leather belt. Whereas the painter turns canvas and paint into a mountain vista (i.e. more than the sum of its parts), a belt maker takes leather and turns it into a leather good. “As a craftsman,” says Scully, “I’m going to take a steak and make it a steak. I’m not going to take a steak and make it a landscape.” In other words, his food philosophy is to let the essential nature of the thing remain itself. Food and flavors that complement, but don’t disguise. In order for this to work, he stresses the importance of starting with high quality food, ingredients with an integrity worth maintaining. As a result of this approach, his dishes are reliable and approachable. “I’m not going to be a cutting edge chef,” 16

| March 2014

he says. While he respects chefs who treat cooking as an art, he warns against the business implications of doing so, giving the example of chefs who incorporate unusual ingredients into their dishes. “You may like the taste of fiddlehead ferns,” explains Scully, “and you may want to serve fiddlehead ferns. But fiddlehead ferns don’t taste that great to most folks. They look weird and nobody will eat them. Meanwhile, they cost $16 per pound.” This isn’t to say that Chef Scully wouldn’t know his way around a fiddlehead fern. His impressive culinary resume boasts stints at a range of well-heeled establishments from Atlanta to New York City, including the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Cherokee Town & Country Club, Indigo Coastal Grill, The Druid Hills Golf Club, and, to top it off, the United Nations. But prior to studying cooking at the Culinary Institute of America (from which he graduated first in his class), Scully’s restaurant roots were decidedly more modest. His first restaurant job was as a host at a busy Houlihan’s Old Place in Hackensack, New Jersey, not far from where he grew up. “They

kevin & the chestnut staff

tasting the dish of the day

wanted to train me as a manager,” says Scully. “Part of that was a rotation in the kitchen, and I never left.” He was attracted to the team-based aspect of it. “Never having been an athlete of any real sort,” says Scully, “I didn’t really understand the concept of goals reached through concerted effort. All of a sudden I found a team I could be a part of that I really liked.” Working in a bustling restaurant that served hundreds of guests each night instilled in Scully a down-to-earth food philosophy that remains the foundation of his current approach. His business partner underscores how important Scully’s level of craft is to their success. From Westmoreland’s perspective, in addition to Scully’s vast knowledge of food and natural flavor pairing abilities, there are two keys to successfully working a craft. First, he references Malcolm Gladwell’s assertion that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. “We live in a time when there’s instant gratification with virtually everything,” says Westmoreland. “To be a craftsman is to understand that to be really good at something, you have to put in some time.”

In addition, while artistry is all about invention and never making the same thing twice, craft is about repetition and honing. “You’re going to have to make the same thing over and over again,” he says. “Ten thousand reubens later, it should be close to the first reuben you made because that’s what people love.” Along these lines, both Scully and Westmoreland are adamant that their work is about serving others. If someone orders something that’s not on the menu, they’ll do their best to make it happen. If a customer is unhappy with any part of the experience, it’s their job to figure out how to fix it. Westmoreland says, “You cannot be overly prideful in this business because we are here to serve. It’s not about us, it’s about the customer.” He adds that it can be difficult for chefs— who can be notoriously competitive—to swallow their pride. But the co-owners lead by example and encourage their staff to see criticism not as malicious, but supportive. “Ten years ago, criticism just irritated me,” says Scully. “But if you take criticism in the vein that it’s designed to make you better, it makes it easier to take. Take what you can, use what’s March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

useful, and just let go of the rest.” Westmoreland’s levelheaded management skills are the yin to Scully’s creative culinary yang. With a corporate background in healthcare and IT, Westmoreland brings project management and operational savvy to the partnership. Westmoreland describes Scully as “Type A, very creative, and very high energy,” with a get-things-done attitude that finds the shortest line between point A and point B. As if to prove that second point, when asked about how they’re different from one

| March 2014

another, Scully replies simply, “Kevin’s nicer.” He explains: “When people say, ‘Your staff is so nice’—and they say that all the time—that’s because of Kevin. If I were to hire them, they’d be cutthroats. Kevin brings a humanity to it that manifests in a healthy workplace.” Digging a little deeper, it’s clear that this is not by chance. Westmoreland has put an incredible amount of effort into building teams that are functional and friendly. A decade ago, as he and Scully started playing with the idea of opening a

restaurant, Westmoreland read every book he could get his hands on about the business side and realized that one of the major industry challenges is high turnover. He was determined to avoid that fate and realized that the best way to do it was to hire nice people. “You can train people how to open a bottle of wine, or even how to cook,” says Westmoreland. “But you can’t train them to be nice.” Once they have good people on board, the partners set clear

expectations and invest in their employees’ success. If a staff member isn’t working out, they communicate to the employee about the issue and give them three chances to shape up. Then, if they have to let that person go, the individual understands why. This management approach has resulted in some dynamics that are virtually unheard of in the restaurant business. They have one employee who has been with them for over a decade, and another who came back to work for them some time after being fired. “They said, ‘I’m a different person now, and I

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 19

understand what you wanted from me,’” says Scully. Employee retention is certainly bolstered by the fact that both Scully and Westmoreland aren’t above rolling up their sleeves and working in the trenches on a regular basis. Westmoreland says, “I don’t have an ivory tower complex. There’s nothing in this restaurant that I’m not willing to do, whether it’s washing dishes or taking out the trash.” In contrast to his work in the corporate world, Westmoreland

gratification and sense of impact can be more immediate. Westmoreland explains: “The last project I worked on at the IT company was a $3 million Oracle project that took five years. And I don’t know if they ever finished it! Here, you can make a decision in the morning and [by] afternoon see that it made a difference.” Of course, running three businesses that are only closed three days a year and employ over 100 people combined, there

“It’s a common thing here in Asheville,” says Joe Scully. “If you haven’t made your money already, you’d better be imaginative about what you do for a living.” says that he was surprised by the constant urgency of the restaurant business. In an office it’s usually okay to delay a meeting or project until tomorrow; in a restaurant that’s not an option. “Everything has to happen now,” he says. “There’s no waiting. When the train leaves the station, you don’t stop it. You’ve got to help it or get out of the way.” The upside of this compressed timeframe is that the personal

| March 2014

are always decisions to be made, from big picture strategies to dozens of little daily calls. Westmoreland and Scully recognize that the building of a business is never really “done,” and say they’re committed to a continual improvement process. As one recent example, after gathering input from staff, they purchased a new point of sale (POS) system for both restaurants that has made workflow more efficient, enables co-marketing between

adrian r amirez ,

working up breakfast March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

restaurants, better monitors sales and expenses, and provides a slew of other business benefits. As Westmoreland finishes describing the POS transition, Scully smiles and adds dryly, “It’s not the kind of thing I get excited about, but that’s what gets Kevin up in the morning. He’s doing all that kind of stuff, and I’m over here cutting celery.” The give and take between Scully and Westmoreland is natural, and their enthusiasm for their work is contagious. In speaking about the business they sometimes finish each other’s sentences, and as they bustle around Chestnut before the doors open for the day, they share lighthearted quips with the staff and each other. It’s no surprise that these two were friends before they were partners. Scully and Westmoreland met back in 2002 through their children, who were in the same school district. As their friendship developed, they learned that they shared an entrepreneurial drive. “We knew we were going to do some sort of business together,” says Scully, “but we weren’t sure exactly what.” For his part, Scully was ready for something big. He had been cobbling together work in kitchens around Asheville, but discovered something that a lot of newcomers realize. “It’s a common thing here in Asheville,” says Scully. “If you haven’t made your money already, you’d better be imaginative about what you do for a living.” While he was excited to be living here, he was also feeling a bit penned in by the small market opportunities—or lack thereof. “Once you’ve been an executive chef at the United Nations,” he says, “when you come to Asheville there’s not a whole hell of a lot for a guy who’s able to run a $15 million food operation. I was really stuck here professionally.” In the meantime, the company that Westmoreland worked for was sold. The day he was given severance was the day he and Scully signed the lease on 3 Boston Way, the 1890’s building in Biltmore Village that would become

| March 2014

corner kitchen in

Biltmore Village

Corner Kitchen. “That severance money was some of the seed money for the restaurant,” says Westmoreland. The partners quickly found a supportive restaurant community. They’re members of Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR), an organization that brings together the owners of local independently-owned restaurants to support one another, elevate the business climate, and share marketing opportunities. Restaurateurs from other cities may be amazed to see how AIR breeds collaboration over competition, but to Scully and Westmoreland it’s a no-brainer. “The reason we do it is because there’s no downside,” says Scully. By uniting and sharing best practices, the economic force grows and everyone gains. Scully and Westmoreland are also adamant about sourcing local ingredients and working with local groups whenever possible. They proudly list Hickory Nut Gap Meats, Troy & Sons Distillers, Annie’s Bakery and other local businesses as partners on their website. They’re excited about the Field to Fryer to Fuel Project (F3), which creates a chain between locally-grown canola oil, restaurants, and biodiesel producers. And they’ve been long-time clients and supporters of Danny’s Dumpster, a local waste hauler and compost processing facility. But they also just find it’s more fun to have a business that’s driven by face-to-face relationships, instead of by defaulting to the cheapest option. “We like to have Frankie from Inland Seafood come in so we can all talk to Frankie, because we like Frankie,” says Westmoreland. “He’s the driver, but to me, he’s Inland Seafood.” In the end, the partners are doing their part to contribute to the kind of place they want to live in—for Scully as a transplant and for Westmoreland as an Asheville native. They support local nonprofits like Eliada and Manna Food Bank by donating food and money and serving on boards. They embrace the connectedness of this small city and the myriad of personal relationships it incubates. And they work to maintain the quality of life that Asheville is famous for by finding a healthy balance between business concerns and family priorities. The restaurant business is notoriously brutal—it’s financially high-risk, physically demanding, and extremely time-intensive. Westmoreland and Scully have purposefully built a partnership that shares those burdens and enables them to maintain active

family lives as well. “A lot of restaurant owners are single partners,” says Westmoreland. “They are the single person who runs everything, and the quality of life is not always there. We made the decision that we’ll each take less money home, but we’ll have more time to see our children.” There’s no doubt that they have long work days, both up before sunrise, responding to texts, calls, and emails constantly, and checking in at both restaurant locations. Right now they both spend a majority of their time building their burgeoning catering business. But they make sure that the evenings have a more personal focus. While their customers may see them at one of the restaurants at dinner time, it’s not because they’re working, it’s because they’re dining. And they claim that more often than not, they’re eating dinner at home with their families. “It’s a fundamental difference between us and many restaurateurs,” says Scully. “We will not do more restaurants and take on more businesses if it compromises our ability to deal with the most important thing in our lives, which is family.” This is not to say that their ambition has run out. While for now the focus is meeting goals with their current businesses, their eyes are always open to the future. Westmoreland says, “We’re not there yet, but I think we have at least another restaurant in us.” They get calls about opportunities almost weekly. Over time they’ve learned not to jump on every opportunity, that more will come along. But the temptation can be strong. For Scully especially, an empty space feels like a creative canvas and he immediately starts imagining the possibilities. “It’s hard because I’m a kid inside,” he says. “I see a place and want to turn it into something else.” But what they’ve learned from their current restaurants and from looking at other spaces is that it’s best not to come in with a preconceived idea. Back to the idea of craft, the same way a tree trunk tells a wood carver what kind of figure it should be, a location can communicate its essence to a restaurateur. “Chestnut said what it wanted to be,” says Scully. “Same with the Corner Kitchen. The next building will tell us what it wants to be, too.” March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 23

local industry

Searching for Value in a Small Business Incubator WRIT TEN BY BILL FISHBURNE PHOTOS BY ANTHONY HARDEN & BILL FISHBURNE

boomer sassmann

Let’s say it’s been five years since college and things aren’t going the way you’d hoped. The big corporate job went away faster than an Oldsmobile Rocket '88. You latched onto something that paid less but you still have a dream of starting your own business.

If this is you, or the kid living in your basement, you might want to check in with any one of North Carolina’s 58 Community College based Small Business Centers. They’re an integral part of every Community College and offer services ranging from free consultation to full-blown low-rent business incubators.

They’ll help with anything from business ideas to business plans, production, marketing and even dealing with the government. Their job is to help young businesses get started. 24

| March 2014

steve schain

meg r agl and

ut do they work as advertised? Can they help you hatch your dream? It depends on who you ask and where you look. A disturbing recent study by Alejandro S. Amezcua, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, found that of 20,000 incubated businesses studied the failure rate was “much higher than that for a control group that had not been incubated.” There was no data available on the causes of these failures. They just failed. Another strange factor is that Amezcua’s study matched the control group of both incubator and non-incubator businesses by “comparable size, industry, age, location and ethnic and gender identity of the owner.” Gender identity, apparently, is a new benchmark for data comparison. His data also paired each incubator company with three comparable non-incubator companies. The deck, possibly, was stacked by the larger sample of non-incubated companies. Regardless of being incubated or not, data collected by Entrepreneur Weekly, the Small Business Development Center, Bradley University, and the University of Tennessee shows that 46 percent of all small business failures are caused by “incompetence.” The leading variety of incompetence is “emotional pricing.” If that is the case then perhaps the incubator businesses that failed didn’t listen to their mentors. Too many may have been started by people who automatically turned to the government for support, didn’t understand that profit is good and didn’t build up necessary cash reserves during the critical start-up months when they received taxpayer subsidized below market rent. Whatever the causes of these alleged problems, our time with participants in incubator programs has led us to absolutely believe they can be instrumental in getting new ideas into the market and imparting the skills necessary for survival. The key to success, however, is a deep, ingrained understanding by the entrepreneur of how business works, and especially how paper profits do not equate to the cash flow necessary to pay salaries, expenses and taxes. In searching for candidates for this article we focused on the readily available participants at A-B Tech in Asheville. A-B Tech, however, isn’t the only choice. Blue Ridge Community College in Henderson and Transylvania Counties offers SBC programs in both Hendersonville (Flat Rock) and Brevard. Isothermal Community College in Spindale and Rutherfordton; Haywood Community College in Clyde and 54 other locations around the state bring the training, facilities and camaraderie of the business incubator to nearly every North Carolina community. Asheville’s A-B Tech has the largest program in the Western North Carolina area. Thanks to the gift of land and office buildings at the old BASF facility in Enka, the college provides space for up to 15 clients at a time according to Jill Sparks, executive director. “First, we offer free confidential counseling to anyone and everyone,” Sparks says. “It doesn’t cost anything to talk to us, and we aren’t going to tell anyone you came in. Second, we offer about 100 small business oriented seminars a year. Many of these are free, three hour seminars. For example, it could be a seminar on Google Analytics. In February there was a luncheon seminar on making cell phones and

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tablet computers work for your business. We have a series of seminars offered by the Small Business Administration, and much more. Anyone who wishes to learn about small business can find something they need.” For more information go to the website, www.abtech.edu/sbc. Sparks then put us in touch with three current small business owners who are tenants (or “Founders” as they are called) in the A-B Tech incubator program. Here are their stories.

Meg Ragland Plum Print

Plum Print is a company with a unique product built around the idea that there isn’t a mom in the world who doesn’t treasure the “refrigerator art” their children bring home from school. No matter the age of the children today, the art and other important papers can generally be found stuffed in a drawer, in a box in the attic, or passed on to the child for safekeeping. Plum Print takes this refrigerator artwork, photographs it, digitizes it and turns it into beautiful coffee table books that will be passed on for generations. Ragland and a girlfriend founded Plum Print in New York City in 2012, when Ragland was living in Brooklyn with her husband and three children. “My co-founder and I just started talking with our friends and discovered that most moms have this artwork somewhere. We thought this would be a great way to keep it. We put up a website and it has basically taken off. The Ragland’s moved to Asheville in 2012. Her husband, Gar, is also an entrepreneur who moved to the region to explore its rich musical traditions and to find and develop new artists. He has offices in the Echo Mountain recording studios on Patton Avenue. “We learned about the incubator soon after we moved here, and we were amazed at all it has to offer,” Meg says. “Basically we were two moms starting a business, and we needed help with marketing, advice on finances, legal help, and we were paying about forty times as much a month in rent as we are now. The fact that the incubator would subsidize our office space was the number one reason I was first interested. But all these other resources and advisors and members of the incubator community were available to help us out. It all made it beneficial to our business. We’ve been here not quite a year.” After enrolling in the business incubator program, Plum Print was selected to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program of entrepreneur development. The Goldman Sachs initiative is a 5-year worldwide program to invest $500 million in new women-owned businesses. They have now

| March 2014

meg r agl and

photographing artwork in her lightbox

partnered with the Tory Burch Foundation. Over the course of four months, Ragland’s business partner back in New York is in a class mapping out a five-year business plan. “The plans run 500 pages,” Ragland says. “It’s quite an undertaking.” One of the small Plum Print’s biggest problems right now is finding someone who can print a good, quality hard-cover book at a competitive price.

steve schain

carlie wagner , steve schain , and robert nipper

Steve Schain The 3D Professor

Schain is a veteran of computer graphics beginning in 1984 when he owned a Commodore 64 as a high school student. His company, Spectralight Images, LLC, has four divisions that focus on specific products or delivery systems that meet the needs of a wide variety of clients. The 3D professor division conducts stand-up client training in Autodesk products and others as required. Autodesk was one of the first companies to produce cross-platform computer aided design software. Schain became an Autodesk certified trainer in 1998 primarily, he says, because of his background in computer animation. “A friend and I started Computer Animators Plus in 1993. We started getting jobs. I taught 3D animation software in Orlando and that introduced me to Autodesk. We primarily are a training development company. We started years ago as a graphics and animation company, and I did instruction on the side at a couple of local community colleges in Orlando. I started the business in high school, in 1984 or ‘85, just to do graphics. When I graduated college I wanted to get into 3D animation. We started getting jobs. We didn’t have a reel or anything. “I was a mechanical designer for 15 years in the simulation and training industry. I was teaching as a side business with Spectralight Images in 2007 when I moved to Asheville as a designer for Volvo. When they shut down the Arden facility, I didn’t have anything to do. I went to A-B Tech in 2008 for their entrepreneurship program. Then I got into their associates program and their student business incubator program. “I went to Hendersonville and got in with SCORE to get everything together for my presentation for the student business incubator. Along with that you got some money that helped. It gave me the start that I needed to help focus on the business and what was going to be important. I focused on a training development company rather than continuing the shotgun approach. My first year my gross sales were $11,000. I got into the full business incubator. That was four years ago, 2010, in September. I had two focuses. First was the training. Second, a

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 27

local industry

friend had gotten in touch with me regarding a glasses-free 3D display. You don’t need the glasses. I partnered with A-B Tech and their foundation to put a display into the A-B Tech lobby. It all has to be created using 3D animation systems. You can do it with cameras, but you need eight cameras set up in a very specific orientation, all looking at the same point. “We’re using one of the displays at A-B Tech right now to get advertisers on it. We’ve got the process down so that when we get an ad we can turn it around in a week and get it on the display, get it out there. That’s one side. We also have four organizations within Spectralight Images. One is 3D Professor. That’s our live, stand-up training. We’ve gone from one or two training sessions a year to one or two a month.” Schain’s four operating divisions are crystal clear in his mind but seem odd in a company with just a handful of employees. But then, he has created each of them to meet a specific need. “Spectralight Images is just our general company name. If we’re actually there, physically, doing the training, that’s 3D Professor. We just started Spectra3D Printing where we do 3D printer sales for prototype design and manufacturing. Anyone who’s serious about it, we can help them create products using Stratasis 3D printers. Spectra3D Advertising is our 3D display technology and marketing. And of course, Spectralight Images does our training development.” Schain is overwhelmingly positive about the benefits of the incubator. “Over the last couple of years being in the incubator has helped us focus on what’s important to get our abilities and products down on the ground. In three years here we’ve gone from $11,000 in sales to $180,000, and from one employee to six. It’s a great program.”

Boomer Sassmann Big Boom Design

Boomer Sassmann remembers being in social studies class in the 8th grade and talking to a girl who was discussing her screen name on AOL. “I went home and said, “Dad, we need to get on AOL.” He said no, but we’ll get the Internet. “My dad was a techie, and he had a lot of stuff laying around the house. I was putting together computer systems when I was eight or nine years old. I also had an interest in cars. I got a job cleaning up around a car shop. The owner helped me appreciate the value of precision machining. I got into CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining about the time we were all transitioning into computer-aided manufacturing. I went to Appalachian State,but they didn’t have a CNC machining

| March 2014

program so I got into industrial design which was basically product design. They were crafting our curriculum to get jobs at Black & Decker and DeWalt designing drills and hand tools. I got some pretty good skills from that. “Then I saw the Internet was just gobbling up so many aspects of life. I got a job working at a web company that built little stand-alone single web pages for businesses. Then I got into Adobe Flash. I was basically jaw-dropped when I did this little Flash job, and my boss was able to sell it for $15,000. I, of course, made $700. Over time, I started doing more and more, design, training, job quotes. Everything except sales. It scared me to death to think a 20-year old could walk into a business and sell what I was building. Then it occurred to me that if the older generation, the business owners of that time, were going to take the younger generation seriously about anything it was the Internet. So I continued to work for these other web companies, and then I split off and started Big Boom Design in 2007. “We started with basic websites and right at that time I was starting to get into content management systems. WordPress was starting to take off. I watched all these other web companies build their businesses on mystery and confusion and smoke and mirrors as far as how they conveyed stuff to their clients. With content management systems they could go in and make changes to their own data without calling me. That’s actually a very good thing for everyone. “We build websites that are very, very transparent. You show your client everything they’re doing, and you get to make money and create a better product, and you build a better relationship. Too many web designers built their business on the principle of don’t tell the client what you’re doing. We started just building lots of websites. I started stacking up employees, and we evolved into an Internet consulting firm. We still build websites, but they’re much bigger and more impressive sites these days. “Giving someone a full perspective of what they have right now is part of the process. A lot of time we help them through Google Analytics. We help them understand the traffic they have and what they could have. Then we do a big, full analysis of their business, in particular their web presence, and help them measure their digital fingerprint. We then offer up a plan and most of the time we get the contract to carry out that plan. Sometimes it’s just giving them the training they need. A lot of the time it’s an overhaul of their website, or just setting up some custom Google Analytic reports. We also offer hosting, because you can’t be in the web business without having a place to host. Sassmann doesn’t think he has all the answers yet. He’s not content with his current business, just pleased. He has more dreams yet to be fulfilled. “In 10 years I hope to still be in Asheville. I have a couple of more businesses in my head. I’d like to do more with automotive businesses. I don’t want to build the business to sell, but at the same time I want to have time to get these other businesses going.”

We asked all three of our young entrepreneurs what they had gotten from their time in the incubator:

boomer sassmann

Ragland: “Setting us up with office space, the resources, the connections outside in the community and those in the incubator. The staff or the other entrepreneurs can help us find answers to any random, little question. It is so great to spend time with these other entrepreneurs who have been here longer than we have. “More than just that, when I fi rst got here I was knocking on these guys’ doors. They helped me with cameras, and with our website.” Schain: “When you’re a business owner you’re so close to it. I have four companies, but Boomer saw it a little differently. Our employees see it from the inside but the outsider point of view has been the most valuable thing I have encountered.” Sassmann: “For me, I was working at home when I started stacking up employees. I was going from coffee shop to coffee shop to get out of the house to meet with clients. I was looking for a connection to other small business owners in the technology field. But the leads groups were way too salesy. I wanted somebody who could charge me up. I couldn’t find it. Then I came here and found they had that, plus the discounted rent. It is way more than just cheap office space. I can walk next door and say, ‘Steve, what do you think of this?’” Schain: “Nobody is just out for themselves. Everybody is willing to help. I’ve never had anyone say I don’t have time for you. They might say let’s look at it later, but they are there for you.” Sassmann: “We have this one common thing. We’re trying to grow. Someone may have read a good book. It crosses business genres.” They all see themselves staying in touch. Schain sums it up best: “Ideally, I would like to have a showroom where interested people are able to see and touch a professional quality 3D printer and 3D printed products. I would like it to be in an office building with other offices, so I don’t lose the camaraderie we have here.”

“Nobody is just out for themselves. Everybody is willing to help. I’ve never had anyone say I don’t have time for you.”

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 29

by HUNT MALLETT

Ice Wine

Hanging in there â&#x20AC;&#x2122;til the (not so) bitter end

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When the subject of sweet wines comes up, many mistakenly think of sugared-up, high alcohol grocery store wine that your Aunt Edna might pull out of the back of the cabinet over the refrigerator and pour over ice cream. The truth is, there are many types of lovely sweet wines that are perfect as an aperitif, on their own, or as a pairing with a variety of foods and desserts. 30

| March 2014

he styles range from the Ports of Portugal, the Sherries of Spain, France’s Sauternes, Germany’s Rieslings, and Ice Wines from the colder climates of the grape growing regions. It’s the last style, Ice Wines, that come to mind as I scrape the ice off my windshield after the Jetstream delivers another Arctic express. Ice wine is said to have been discovered in Germany after a winemaker, who left his vineyard during harvest, returned to find his vines had frozen with the grapes still intact. He picked them anyway, and, when crushing the grapes, he found that the frozen pulp that stayed with the skins contained ice crystals of water, but the free-run juice, or must, was loaded with residual sugar. This ultra-sweet must was fermented and the resulting wine produced a sweet wine with low alcohol and high acidity. Over the years, the practice became refined, and the art of making “Eiswein” in Germany and Austria now produces wines that are like the nectar of the gods. The balance between the acidity and the natural sweetness keeps the taste from being cloying and has a drying effect on the back of the pallet. Modern harvesting still involves hand picking the frozen grapes, both because of the need for a gentle hand in selecting the grapes, and because many of the vineyards are clinging to the steep hills and river banks that produce the finest grapes in Germany and Austria (too steep for machinery). By far the majority of the grapes are the Riesling varietal, although Ice Wine can come from Vidal, Gewurztraminer, and even Cabernet Franc. These grapes contain higher levels of acidity, keeping them refreshing and light on the pallet. The high cost of Eiswein results from the intensive labor, and selective picking involved in harvesting the grapes, often carried out at night to keep the fruit frozen during its quick trip to the fermentation tanks. Couple that with the low yield of sugar-concentrated juice from the grapes and it becomes evident that it takes a lot to make a little amount of Eiswein. It is often sold for very high prices for a .375ml bottle, luckily sipping it in small glasses allows one to enjoy it in small amounts. Serve the wine slightly chilled on its own, or paired with desserts that are slightly less sweet than the wine. It also pairs wonderfully with soft and aged cheeses, such as triple cream Brie and Camembert, and also with foie gras. Modern technology has allowed winemakers to shortcut the process and to produce similar styles in areas that don’t freeze. They can have a normal harvest, then blast-freeze the grapes to get the same effect. Sometimes these are called vin de glacière (ice box wine) to distinguish them from true Eiswein. The pricing of these wines is considerably less. While it’s still hard to get me to give up my dry, red wine in the midst of winter, an Eiswein can be a sweet diversion that provides great satisfaction, especially when paired with the right foods. Get some advice from a local wine merchant on which types are available, and enjoy it with family and friends.

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CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

Gladys Knight’s husband envisions community center canton

William McDowell cherished his youth in the Western North Carolina mountains. The Canton community cultivated McDowell, who continued his life as an owner of jewelry stores, real estate worker, and now assists in running an artist development company with his wife, renowned soul singer Gladys Knight. McDowell claims his confidence comes from the small Western North Carolina town, and he hopes to give something back to the community. His plan is to transform the Reynolds School property on Reynolds School Road in Canton into a lively community center. McDowell, who grew up near the school, explained that the project will “show

]

we do have some pride in what we own and the blessing of how people treated me growing up.” His mother worked as a cook at Reynolds, and his grandfather was president of the booster program for the football team, of which his uncle was a standout. Reynolds served as an extension of his home. During integration, the students were consolidated into Pisgah High School, which opened in 1966. McDowell said after the students left, the building became a storage facility for a junk dealer. Now, he imagines it a place that could serve everyone, adding that Knight would love to teach music classes for kids. In addition, children would take etiquette courses and the elderly could walk around a safe new track. The track, which McDowell estimates will total nearly $2 million, is first on his to-do list. He will host a series of meetings for the community to give input, as he wants

everyone to play a large role in programming and the ultimate vision. He intends to raise money for the project, including potentially staging a spring or summer benefit concert in Asheville. Knight and McDowell purchased a home in Fairview in 2005 but primarily live and work in Las Vegas. The 20,000-square-foot school building was built in 1930. According to tax records, the building and 6.5-acre property is valued at $78,100. McDowell bought the school property during a December auction for $80,000.

New Fresh Market opens in March asheville

Asheville’s newest Fresh Market location will open to the public on March 5 at 8 am. The company’s 16th North Carolina location is located at 1378 Hendersonville Road in the Parkway Centre. The new store is over 25,300 square feet and includes a bakery, full service meat counter, seafood, more than 200 imported and domestic cheeses, and a 400-item produce section. This Fresh Market store will partner with the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry and Caring for

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Children by giving regular food donations. Grand opening activities such as chef demonstrations, food sampling, and drawings for The Fresh Market gift cards will take place. In addition, a reusable shopping bag and a sample-sized bag of the company’s gourmet coffee will be complimentary to the first 1,000 customers.

Temporary rate reduction extended for Blue Ridge Electric members western north carolina

The board of directors decided to extend a temporary rate reduction by three months for members of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation. Previously, the board approved a onemonth rate reduction for February bills. Now, members will additionally receive the reduction on their March and April bills. A usual member using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month will see a $9 reduction. CEO Doug Johnson explained, “The extreme cold temperatures and high winds have caused our members to use a lot more electricity than we have seen in a number of years.

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In some cases, members have used triple the kilowatt hours than normal, which is causing a severe impact on electric bills. This rate reduction will provide some much needed relief for all members.” On January 7, the cooperative hit an all-time peak demand for electricity, when temperatures hit their lowest in years. The electricity demand was 384 megawatts, surpassing the previous year by 10 percent. The reduction is possible because the cooperative experienced higher than budgeted electricity sales due to the colder than average weather.

Managing director of ASU entrepreneurship center boone

Erich Schlenker has been named managing director of the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University. Schlenker joins faculty director Ben Powell in leading the center and coaching students in establishing and operating their own businesses. Schlenker brings a variety of experience to the position. Most recently, he helped a start-up international mining

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company in addressing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and regulatory issues, implementing financial controls, overseeing operations and building relationships with business and government officials in Guyana in South America. Prior to moving to the High Country in 2008, Schlenker founded and operated Synaptis, a Raleigh-based software training company supporting enterprise financial and human resource planning applications. He previously worked 11 years at Intel Corporation, where he managed a decentralized team to coordinate and synchronize marketing and branding strategies with top PC manufacturers worldwide. He also notably managed the market development team that launched and coordinated the Intel Inside brand campaign in the U.S., European and Asia-Pacific markets. Schlenker received the Intel Achievement Award for his efforts, the highest honor an employee can accomplish at Intel Corporation. Schlenker received a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Clarkson University in New York. Created in 2006, the entrepreneurship center is located in the Walker College of Business and was named for Hickory-based Insight in 2011 when a 1,700-square-foot, contemporary space was opened in Raley Hall

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on campus. The center encompasses four offices, a student lounge, meeting area and incubator office space for student entrepreneurs. Along with offering support to students who are launching businesses, the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship’s staff also develops innovative programs, seminars and activities for Appalachian students of all majors, and connects the university and regional business and community leaders.

Plasticard-Locktech International transitions into an ESOP asheville

Plasticard-Locktech International, better known as PLI, is officially an Employee Owned Company. The announcement was made to all 320 employees at a special event held at the Kimmel Arena on the Campus of UNC Asheville. After 25 years of the same private ownership, the partners and board of directors approved the plan to alter the company into an ESOP, or Employee Stock Ownership Plan. In doing so, the company is effectively being sold, over time, to the current and future employees of the company.

amazing trajectory of growth.” Located As a successful and growing company, other parties interested in purchasing in Asheville with distribution facilities the company have frequently approached in Canada, The Netherlands, Dubai and PLI. While inspecting all of those opporHong Kong, PLI is the largest hotel key tunities, it became clear that a practical card manufacturer in the world and a suitor might not be possible. The only way leading specialty printer. the company would consider selling was if it found a partner or acquiring group that shared the passion and the vision of the company and sought its continued growth and well being. Mark Goldberg, president and CEO, explained, “One of the amazing things about an ESOP is that swannanoa our employees get and continue to earn Warren Wilson College has received a shares in the company at zero cost to $400,000 gift in order to establish the them…There are significant tax benefits Irene Pennington Broyles and Glenn to the company and the employees.” Boone Broyles Fellowship, which will These tax savings help to guarantee the help preserve and manage the Warren continued growth and financial health Wilson College Forest in perpetuity. of the company in addition to helping Irene Broyles, a Somerset, Kentucky finance the stock purchase of company’s resident who had survived her husband, shares by the employees. It also makes Glenn, made the gift before her passing PLI more competitive when considering on November 14. She was a librarian other possible acquisitions. Goldberg at Somerset High School for 32 years, noted, “The existing management team and the couple owned and operated a remains in place, as does the current tree farm in Kentucky for many years. board of directors.” Peter Krauss, chief Glenn’s brother, Boyd, and Boyd’s wife, sales and marketing officer, added, “Daily Edith, were also partners in the farm operations of the company remain the that received numerous environmental same. However, we now have an even awards. Irene Broyles graduated in 1939 more motivated and engaged team that from Dorland-Bell School in Hot Springs, will ensure that our customers always North Carolina, which 10:42 merged with the come first and that PLI remains on this HunterBanks_CapitalPlay ad.pdf 1 11/4/11 AM

Warren Wilson College receives major gift for college forest

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Asheville Farm School in 1942 to form what eventually became the four-year Warren Wilson College in 1967. The Broyles Fellowship will support the college forest director, presently sustainable forestry professor, David Ellum, Ph.D., in using innovative methods of teaching students in forestry, and in conducting research in sustainable forestry, forest management, forest science and forest policy. It also will support the director’s supervision of Warren Wilson College students who are focusing their studies in sustainable forestry and academic fields related to preservation of the college forest. Warren Wilson’s 1,130acre campus encompasses 625 acres of managed forest. The college has a strong academic program in sustainable forestry within its environmental studies department, as well as a forestry work crew, one of more than 100 student work crews at the college.

for my children’s children and your children’s children” by attracting technology workers and companies to the Asheville area and enhancing the city’s profile as a business location. Mayor Esther Manheimer believes the music, arts, technology, and ideas festival, which is scheduled for April 23-27, will “put us on the map not just for beer and tourism.” In the past, Moogfest has primarily been a music festival. According to Adams, even though he expects Moog Music will lose money on the revamped event, the company is altering it to “an economic development event” for the city, region and state. Council approved contributing $40,000 for the festival in addition to in-kind support valued at $50,000.

Asheville will lend a hand to Moogfest cost

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asheville

City Council officially approved giving $40,000 to Moogfest. Mike Adams, head of event producer at Moog Music, explained that Moogfest “will create jobs

Spring student enrollment reaches an all-time high

We do medicine for these family members, too!

Spring enrollment at Western Carolina University has hit an all-time high as the number of students at WCU this semester surpassed 9,600 for the first time in university history. The spring enrollment record comes after WCU broke its fall enrollment record in September, with

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10,107 students on the record for the first semester of the 2013-14 academic year. Spring enrollment numbers at institutions of higher education generally are lower than fall enrollment, as some students do not return for a second semester for reasons that vary from academic to personal. Preliminary census data compiled by the university’s office of institutional planning and effectiveness shows that enrollment for the 2014 spring semester is 9,649. According to Tim Metz, assistant vice chancellor for institutional planning and effectiveness, that is a 3.07% increase over last spring’s enrollment of 9,361 and is the highest on record for spring semester. The swell in spring enrollment seems to be driven, at least in part, by a high percentage of first-semester freshmen returning to campus in the spring for a second semester. This year’s fall-to-spring freshman retention rate is 90.02%, a slight decrease from the spring 2013 rate of 91.23%, but still above the spring 2012 retention rate of 87.53%.

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March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 37

leisure & libation

ou can pack several vacations into one brief stay at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. The recent completion of the resort’s $650 million expansion more than doubled the games it offers and provided lots more to do during a day trip or multiple-day getaway. The action never stops at the casino, which operates around the clock every day of the year. The 150,000-square-foot gaming room has everything from penny slots to high-stakes live cards. The floor is always humming with activity somewhere, and on weekends the whole place is jumping.

There is now so much to do that you likely won’t leave the 56-acre property, though you may want to if you bring your family. Children are welcome anywhere in the resort except the gaming areas. About an hour’s drive from Asheville, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is the largest hotel in the Carolinas. Its 1,001 rooms and 107 luxury suites in three towers are 98 percent occupied year-round, drawing guests primarily from Asheville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Knoxville. Many don’t come to gamble at all but are there for shows at the 3,035-seat Event Center and to dine at the resort’s 10 restaurants. Many come just to be soothed and pampered at Mandara Spa. “This is a weekend getaway for my wife and me,” Josh Jones of Knoxville said recently, taking a break from playing craps. “It’s a win-win for both of us. She gets to go to the spa, and I get to have some fun gambling. The food is good, and the atmosphere is always really busy.”

HONORING THE LAND

The earth-toned resort, owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation, is managed by Caesars Entertainment, the world’s largest casino entertainment company. Its award-winning design by the international design firm Cuningham Group Architecture honors Cherokee tradition by paying homage to the land on which it sits. The resort’s undulating roof-lines mimic the roll and rise of the mountains that surround them. Soco Creek, a bold body of water, runs through the property, dividing the dog-friendly hotel from the casino and running beneath the two huge sky bridges that connect the two.

| March 2014

The surrounding mountains are referenced throughout the resort’s architecture. Columns inside the casino resemble massive trees. Crystal balls threaded from the ceiling look like water droplets clinging to a spider’s web. Shimmering sculptures above the gaming area simulate clouds and rushing water. Players direct friends to find them by the region they’re playing in—Earth Water, Woodland Moon and Mountain Breeze. The first thing you notice about the casino when you enter is how vast it is. The floor seems to go on forever, pinging and dinging with the sounds of 4,000 slot machines. Bursts of applause arise from the 130 live tables. Colorful carpet and high ceilings absorb most of the chatter of thousands of people trying their luck. Lighting is low. Televisions turned to games and sports shows are everywhere. The commercial-free music, relentlessly upbeat, is familiar to anyone who came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Servers wearing paprika-colored uniforms circulate with trays of free coffee, water, and soft drinks. Smoking is allowed in the general gaming area on the main floor but not in the Food Court, in the non-smoking gaming area, or on the upper floor, which is home to stores, the well-regarded BRIO Tuscan Grill, and the Event Center. Crowds are smallest early in the day on Mondays through Wednesdays. From Thursdays on, things pick up considerably. Friday and Saturday nights are packed. Periodically at all times, computers flash the day’s winnings. Within 10 minutes in late morning during a recent visit, the day’s payout leaped $62,000, from $790,000 to $852,000. By 12:30 p.m., the payout was just over $1 million. Payout for the year was $180 million, the readout said.

harr ah â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cherokee casino resort March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 39

leisure & libation

while you ’re there ...

Oconaluftee Indian Village

cherokeehistorical.org | 218 Drama Road, Cherokee, NC | 866-554-4557 (Open May 1st-October 18th) Oconaluftee Indian Village places you in a Cherokee village in 1760, a time of European invasion and rapid change for the Cherokee. Villagers dressed in period-appropriate clothing carve canoes, mold pottery, make masks, weave baskets and more. Craftspeople pound arrowheads and carve blowguns, while dancers perform Cherokee dances. The village also has interactive demonstration and hands-on Cherokee pottery classes for kids. Led by guides whose familiarity of Cherokee life comes through extensive research and oral tradition, tours demonstrate the Cherokee’s stewardship of the land. Tours begin every 15 minutes (except 12 and 3 p.m.), with the last tour leaving at 4 p.m. when the gates close. There’s a picnic area and mile-long nature trail.

| March 2014

L Harrah’s Cherokee has a dizzying assortment of colorful, whirling slot machines, grouped in clusters, most with fanciful names like Secrets of Stonehenge, Southern Belle, and American Original. It has games based on movies like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, as well as many based on popular games such as Monopoly and Wheel of Fortune. Other games feature the likenesses of Dolly Parton and Michael Jackson. Most slot machines accept cash, from $5 bills to $100 bills, and allow players to add ways to win to their spins, increasing the payout but costing more if they lose. Live table games with dealers have their own minimum and maximum bets, posted on the table, such as a $50 minimum and $5,000 maximum. Minimum bets rise as the week progresses. If you don’t know how to play a game, the dealer will explain it (he or she may also recommend you go to a lower limit table). Craps is a hugely social game that tends to elicit the biggest cheers and groans on the floor. Playing against the house, players bet on each other’s rolls. The game moves quickly. Everyone leaning around the table is having fun, at least while they’re winning. Wander around and you’ll find a live game to your liking. There’s blackjack, roulette, three-card poker and a card game called “Let It Ride.” Le Fu Men, a red-lacquered Asian-themed table room with live dealers, gives players a taste of exotic gaming. Adorned with traditional wall screens and a striking moon gate entry design, the room has its own bar and cashier, as well as baccarat and blackjack. It also has some of the old video table games that people still love.

Everyone leaning around the table is having fun, at least while they’re winning.

while you ’re there ...

Unto These Hills

cherokeehistorical.org | 688 Drama Road, Cherokee, NC | 866-554-4557 (Open May 31st-August 16th) One of the longest-running outdoor dramas in the country, the play/pageant Unto These Hills tells the story of the Cherokee Indians in Western North Carolina, from the height of their powers to the tragic Trail of Tears forced exodus. Performed nightly, except for Sundays June through mid-August, the show in the 2,800-seat Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee has been performed since 1950 and has been rewritten recently to better reflect the Cherokee experience. Admission is $23 for adults, $13 for children six to twelve, and free for those five and under.

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 41

leisure & libation

view from the top of Clingman’s Dome at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

the observation tower

at the top of Clingman’s Dome

historic buildings and gardening

at the Mountain Farm Museum

while you ’re there ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

nps.gov/grsm (Directions for the Cherokee, NC entrance can be found online) 865-436-1200 Cherokee is a gateway to the nation’s most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a huge backcountry playground with lots of car-friendly choices. Scattered along the Cades Cove Valley’s 11-mile loop road are historic churches, barns, houses and a working grist mill, as well as a large campground. In Cataloochee, visitors can see elk, churches, a school and several homes built in the late 1800’s. Many drive up to Clingman’s Dome, the third-highest mountain east of the Mississippi, or over to Fontana Dam, the tallest dam east of the Rockies. Hiking trails and picnicking sites abound throughout the park.

| March 2014

L There’s a room for higher-limit slots and games. The table game limits might start out lower in the week and build as time progresses to the weekend, when $200 minimums are common. There’s an even higher-stakes room in back of the high-limits area, staffed when the casino has a group of high rollers coming in. Back there, there are only two tables. It’s much quieter. When you’re done with a game, you cash out and receive player vouchers that can be redeemed for money or used to play other games. Harrah’s rewards its guests for playing, dining, and shopping at the resort. Guests who sign up for a Total Rewards card at one of the four reward centers receive credits toward free rooms, meals, and show tickets. Everyone starts at Gold Total Rewards level. Based on their play and wagering, they move up to Platinum, Diamond, and Seven Stars levels. Reward credits expire after a calendar year and can be used at any Caesars’ property. Because the casino is so large, it’s easy to lose track of where certain games are. To make them easier to find, the resort has installed touch-screen directories that locate games by name, type, location, size of bet and other criteria. The interactive maps will also help people remember where in the two large parking decks they parked, as well as tell them about upcoming shows at the Event Center. There are several places in the casino to take a break from gaming, including the Essence Lounge. The smoke-free area has free live music, such as Jukebox Johnnie’s Live Band Karaoke on Thursday. Wednesdays through Mondays, its 33 LCD-screen TVs are tuned to professional and college sports. The lounge has drink specials every day. It also has 25 bar-top games. For Diamond- and Seven Stars-level players, there’s the VIP Lounge, an area that looks like the lobby of an expensive modern hotel. Neon blue lights glow under the bar. Beaded chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Comfortable wing chairs are covered in prints of contemporary patterns. Big and cozy, it oozes privilege.

PLAY AND BE PAMPERED

Connecting the casino and the hotel is the Grand Rotunda, a cavernous entry space that depicts original Cherokee legends through video, sound and light. Ascending 75 feet to the ceiling, the rotunda appears to be supported by eight massive architecturally designed trees pulsing with LED lights. More than 40 speakers convey sound throughout the cathedral-like space. Twin 68-foot waterfalls splash into a geometrically shaped pool punctuated by a peninsula whose walkway allows people to enter into the falling water without getting wet.

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Oconaluftee Visitor Center/Mountain Farm Museum nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/mfm.htm | Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Life 100 years ago in what became the Great Smoky Mountains National Park meant you protected your water source and smoked meats in log buildings separate from the family’s living quarters. Those buildings can be toured at the Mountain Farm Museum (U.S. 441) two miles from Cherokee. The authentic structures are next to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, whose indoor exhibits include dioramas describing the history and wildlife of the area. Near the center is the easy 1.5-mile Oconaluftee River Trail.

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 43

leisure & libation

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Where the casino is lively and stimulating, the hotel is quiet and restful. VIPs can check themselves in at the staffed VIP welcome center. Everyone else checks themselves in with their Total Rewards card or waits at the counter. While employees check their reservations, guests are treated to the arresting sight of money growing on trees, an animation projected from the long, multi-paneled display on the wall. Waiting for the rest of their party, they can relax in the marble-f loored lobby’s deep leather chairs or sit by the fireplace nearby, taking a seat beneath large lanterns whose warm red and blue tones reflect the flames of the gas jets. The hotels rooms are as comfortable as they are convenient to the games, shows, and restaurants. The standard room has either a king-size bed or two queen-size pillow mattress bed s a nd a Berber-carpeted sitting scene from area with a sofa bed. The Unto These Hills bathroom has an imported Italian marble vanity, tiled shower, and separate water closet. The hotel’s junior suite has a separate living area with a full-size sleeper sofa and chairs. The bathrooms offer bathrobes and jet bathtubs. There are two “super suites,” which have marble foyer entrances, parlor rooms, glass-front terraces, and a full-time concierge.

| March 2014

Museum of the Cherokee Indian

cherokeemuseum.org | 589 Tsali Boulevard, Cherokee, NC | 828-497-4985 The Museum of the Cherokee Indian uses computer-generated imagery, special effects and audio to bring to life the Cherokee story, from 11,000 years ago to the present. The self-guided tour takes visitors past dioramas and life-size figures through various periods of Cherokee life, from the time when mastodons were killed with spears to the cultural changes today’s world has had on the Cherokee.

L Just off the hotel lobby downstairs is the Lobby Café, offering Starbucks coffee and coffee drinks, handcrafted salads and sandwiches and a selection of fi ne wine and imported beers. The hotel’s spacious, warmly lighted Selu Garden Café overlooks Soco Creek. Serving up comfort food like pot roast and chicken potpie, it also has an all-you-can-eat bar at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can likely find what they’re craving at the Chefs Stage Buffet above the casino. Its seven market-inspired stations prepare everything from Southern food to international fare, as well as barbecue, pizza, sushi, soup, salad, Asian, Mexican and Italian food and desserts from around the world. The 600-seat dining area has leather seats and earth-toned walls. Prices vary, depending on whether you’re a Total Rewards member, but they average about $25 a meal, less for brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Children six through twelve are half price, and children five and under eat for free. The popular Noodle Bar, near the Le Fu Men gaming area, serves noodle soups, dim sum, house specialties and small plates at its 17-seat counter. It’s so popular that there is usually a line of people waiting when it opens at 6 p.m. Its chefs turn out food each night until the wee hours of the morning. Built with imported Arabescato marble, BRIO Tuscan Grille overlooking the Grand Rotunda prepares northern Italian specialties that include oven-roasted steaks, chops, and fresh fish. Pizza is made in a hardwood-infused oven. On the resort’s main floor, Ruth’s Chris Steak House grills USDA prime steaks in the restaurant’s signature style, served on a 500-degree plate. In the Food Court beside the gaming area there are four restaurants—Dunkin’ Donuts, Pizzeria UNO Express, Johnny Rockets, and Winning Streaks Deli. Kids aren’t allowed in the Food Court, but they may eat at The Chefs Stage Buffet, Ruth’s Chris, and BRIO Tuscan Grill. The resort’s 3,035-seat Event Center books top names across all genres, including country, classic rock, oldies, R&B, pop and comedy, as well as sporting events. Past shows have included

while you ’re there ...

Great Smoky Mountains fly-fishing

Vibrant. Active. Fulfilling. that describes life at Deerfield. our residents enjoy activity-filled days and nights, an extensive list of amenities that includes a fitness and aquatic center, a spa, art and craft studios and classes – and they feel safe, secure and well cared for by our expert staff. Enjoy the comfort and peace of mind that living in a life care community provides. our beautiful campus is located just minutes from the historic Biltmore Estate and Asheville’s eclectic downtown. call to schedule a visit and discover the active retirement lifestyle you deserve.

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The rivers and streams that flow through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are stocked with trout. Wild and stream-bred rainbow and brown trout thrive in the park, as does the native Appalachian brook trout. Overhanging branches make for tight casting, and the fish tend to be small.

A n E p i s c o pA l R E t i R E m E n t c o m m u n i ty

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 45

leisure & libation

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| March 2014

Hank Williams Jr., Lady Antebellum, and ZZ Top. The center’s 60- by 40-foot stage and state-of-the-art audio system and theatrical lighting have accommodated large productions like Celtic Woman and mixed martial arts. Upcoming shows include comedian Gabriel Iglesias on March 22, the Zac Brown Band on March 29, and country music hit makers The Band Perry on April 25. The non-smoking Event Center has three tiers of seating, including box seats to the right and left, as well as four VIP suites. Two bars inside the center serve guests during the shows, while concessions are available in the breezeway. Backstage, the Green Room where performers wait to go on is lined with photos of past performers, many of them signed. Children sixteen and under are welcome at the center if they are accompanied by an adult. Young adults sixteen to twenty who have tickets to an event may attend without adults, but must be dropped off and picked up at the center by an adult, according to resort policy. The 18,000-square-foot Mandara Spa, far away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the resort, exudes a calm that surrounds you immediately upon entering it. Blending elements of Native American culture with Balinese-inspired treatments, the spa pampers guests with therapeutic luxury. Signature Cherokee-inspired treatments include the Lavender Healing Repair Facial and the Juniper Berry and Algae Detox, which use herbs revered by Native Americans for their healing properties. Among treatments and packages for men is the Mountain Escape, which includes a traditional deep tissue massage followed by an Elemis Skin IQ for Men Facial. Couples can indulge in massage side by side and enjoy a bathing ritual in a large hydrotherapy bath with champagne and chocolate treats. Mandara, named for a Sanskrit legend about the gods’ quest to find the secret to eternal youth and beauty, offers guests a menu of hair and nail treatment options and features a nail bar, pedicure thrones, and styling stations. Men’s and women’s dressing areas have lockers and plenty of rolled towels for use. Each has a sauna.

Blending elements of Native American culture with Balinese-inspired treatments, the spa pampers guests with therapeutic luxury.

while you ’re there ...

Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual Gallery

quallaartsandcrafts.com | 645 Tsali Boulevard, Cherokee, NC | 828-497-3103 This is one of the region’s most beautiful art galleries and the nation’s oldest Native American cooperative, across the street from the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. The gallery promotes the traditional arts and crafts of the Eastern Band of Cherokee by showcasing the work of more than 250 members. Its offerings are extensive and include beautifully rendered dolls, masks, pipes, weapons and carvings made of wood, shell and stone. Artists learned their skills from their community, helping preserve a way of life.

L Heated gravity chairs help patrons relax by a jet-stream tub filled with water plunging from three broad falls. Nearby is the quiet, eight-sided Relaxation Lounge, defined by the four huge trunks that ascend from the floor to the skylight in the ceiling. Wicker cushioned chairs and ottomans rest inside the pillars. Calming music plays through the air. The air here, as it does in the massage rooms and throughout the spa, smells clean and fragrant. The light is low. Just off the spa is the sun-warmed, glass-enclosed indoor pool and Jacuzzi, open to views of the mountains. The hotel’s new fitness center, fi nished in November, has all the cardio and strength equipment available at a small health club. In January, crews were working on the resort’s outdoor pool. Many people come just for the shopping and dining. Studio is a ladies’ apparel shop that sells clothes by Karen Kane, Erin London, Nik+Zoe and Tribal Sportswear. Kanati’s has jewelry, handbags, shoes, watches and fragrances by Brighton and Fossil. Gilded Basket has Harrah’s branded shirts, jackets and other wear, as well a selection of locally made Cherokee crafts. Callaway Golf Shop, located in the hotel’s 21 story-tall Creek Tower, carries the latest Callaway golf clubs, clothes, shoes and more. The shop’s professionals can fit customers with clubs. Hotel guests have privileged access to the nearby Sequoyah Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-72 championship course owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The practice area has a driving range, putting greens and a chipping area, as well as lunch and beverage service. Designed by world-renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones II along with Native American golf pro Notah Begay III, the course has been named one of the country’s best new golf courses by Golf Magazine. Perhaps the best part of playing at the resort is sharing it with others. Gift cards are sold at any of the property’s retail outlets for up to $500 or at the casino cashier cages for up to $3,000. The cards can be used at any of the resort’s restaurants, bars, retail shops and valet or may be cashed out with the cashiers. They have no activation or service fees, no expiration dates and can be re-loaded. They are not good at the independently owned Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and BRIO Tuscan Grille. Josh Jones loves everything about the resort, which incidentally houses one of the largest permanent exhibitions of contemporary Eastern Band of Cherokee art. Jones’ break in the action on the casino floor came as he and his wife, off somewhere gaming with her friends, were expecting other friends to check in for the weekend. “You can make this a nice family getaway,” he said. Or it can be a day excursion for just you and your adult pals. Jones loves the excitement of the place. “It’s a chance to win some money,” he said. Or not. “You don’t come here expecting to win. You come here hoping to win,” he said. “You hope you can beat the house. You get great food, great fun and you get a chance to get away from home.”

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 47

by CAMILLE STIMACH

Banking:

camille is Founder and Executive Director of Dollars and Common Sense.

Their responsibilities and your options

We are living in a time of uncertainty and mistrust when it comes to government, the economy and financial institutions. Are banks safe? Can we trust them? Which one should I pick? Should I just hide cash under my mattress? These are questions so many Americans ask themselves every day. I think in order to answer these questions people need to be informed about the basic roles of a bank and what are the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibilities and the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibilities. 48

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aving spent years in banking, it became painfully obvious to me how little people knew about the banking industry. Every day we hear and read things about banks, mainly negative. I want to talk about how to bank successfully. When you are shopping for a home, do you walk into the first house you walk through and just buy the house without asking any questions about your new purchase? No, most people look at many houses before they settle on one. Home buyers want to make sure they get the best interest rate and an affordable price. Yet it baffles me the number of people who will walk into any bank, open accounts and sign up for whatever bank products the banker suggests. This is your money we are talking about. People have to take a much more active role in their banking. Banks are a for profit business and it is their job to make money. I take no issue with this. Car dealers are a for profit business and yet people go to dealerships every day to buy a car and seem to be satisfied. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying the banking industry is a smooth well-oiled transparent machine. I am saying though that it is up to you to make sure you are an informed banker. If I am looking for a place to put my money and open up bank accounts that I will use on a daily basis, I want to make sure I choose a banking institution I trust and feel comfortable with. How do I do that? I do it the same way as if I was looking to buy a home or a car. I shop around. There are different types of financial institutions, and the banks most familiar to people for their everyday banking needs are retail banks and credit unions. There are some differences between these financial institutions. A bank is an institution that accepts deposits and uses these deposits in lending activities, either directly or through capital markets. A bank exists with a motive for profit and that is to generate income for its shareholders. On the other hand, credit unions are cooperative financial institutions that are owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of providing credit at reasonable rates, and providing other financial services to its members. Most credit unions are not-for-profit. Your basic bank is set up as follows. You have your tellers, bankers and manager. The person you will want to really interview is your new banker. Why is the banker the most important you ask? If you need to open up a checking or savings account, apply for a loan, or find out about credit card options it is generally the banker that will assist you in these matters. Since this is a person you are allowing to give you financial advice it is up to you whether you find this person to be sincere and

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trustworthy. Does this person have your best financial interests at heart or are they trying to make their sales goals for the month? This is where it becomes the customer’s job to ask the important questions and in order to do that you must have an idea of what your goals are when you meet with that banker. Bankers run the gambit; some will tell you need a credit card when you already have four in your purse, some will tell you to apply for an equity line so you can finish that home repair you have been wanting to do even though you are trying not to accrue any more debt, and of course you have that banker that will tell you that you need to open an additional two checking accounts when you already have enough. The banker you are looking for is the one that sits down and takes the time to get to know you and your current financial situation and what it is

don’t know what a bank really does. Some of the comments I hear from them are, “I don’t want to put my money in a bank in case it gets robbed;” “Banks rip you off;” “I am going to keep my money at home;” and “My parents say banks are bad.” Some of the children I have taught for three years now could probably tell you more about banking than some of the customers I helped when I was in the banking industry. Aside from them knowing the mechanics of banking it is just as equally important to me for them to understand their fi nancial responsibility when it comes to banking. When teaching my students about banking and customer responsibility, I make sure they know what they are accountable for and what their role is as a customer. First and foremost, it is not the bank’s job to manage your money, that is your job. It is not their job to call you with a daily balance update and let you know if you are running low on money. If a customer incurs an overdraft fee because they were not keeping track of their spending, that is on the customer. Many bank customers these days rely on online banking for everything. I myself use online banking but I use it in addition to a check register. Many people find that to be an archaic system. The reason I do this is because online banking is not always 100% accurate. Customers do not always account for outstanding checks waiting to clear or automatic drafts that have yet to clear. Just as I tell my students, if you want to rely on online banking 100% that is fine, but if you do not keep additional records and you incur an overdraft fee because of matters I just mentioned do not get angry at the bank. If a banker talks you into opening a credit card and you find out after the fact there is an annual fee, do not get mad at the banker, you should have read the material on that credit card before signing up for one. Too often we think the banks should be the experts and always have our best interest at heart, but that is not always the case just like anything in else in life. It is our job to ask questions, do our homework because after all it is your money. Do I believe banks are safe? Yes, I do. However, when it comes to my money, you can bet that I am going to inquire about every fee, every cost, and how I benefit financially from what they are selling me. So should you!

People have to take a much more active role in their banking. Banks are a for profit business and it is their job to make money. I take no issue with this. Car dealers are a for profit business and yet people go to dealerships every day to buy a car and seem to be satisfied. you are looking for in a bank. Some of the important questions you want to ask of your banker are first and foremost about fees: ATM, minimum balance monthly service fees, check return fees, and overdraft fees. Make them take the time to go through them with you. Also, if that bank is trying to sell you a credit card, ask them why you should pick their card over someone else’s. If you already have several credit cards ask them why they believe you should have another one. Also know that if you have a problem with your credit card most banks will have you call a 1-800 number since the credit card department is generally separate from the retail bank. If you already have a checking and savings account and they are trying to sell you another one, have them explain what purpose that additional account serves and what fees are attached with an additional account. If you end up getting a loan through a bank, find out who is going to service that loan, don’t always assume it is the bank where you got the loan; it may be, it may not. Find out though. One other important thing to inquire about is overdraft protection. Have that banker explain in detail what that means to have or not to have overdraft protection and any fees that might be attached to that. Part of my 5th through 8th grade curriculum for dollars and common sense goes into depth around many different aspects of banking. There are the students who have been into banks and might even have their own savings account, but yet they 50

| March 2014

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photo by Frederica Georgia 52

| March 2014

A Quiet History OF

Westglow Spa article by jim murphy

The good life is alive and well at a resort spa in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. And, thanks to a philanthropic proprietor, the place is making miserable lives a bit better half a world away.

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

he spa is called Westglow, and the elegance of the name cannot fully describe the luxurious reality of the place. For starters, overnight guests can stay in a Greek Revival mansion that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was built by the artist, Elliott Daingerfield, who chose the name Westglow because “the sunsets are always glowing, never glaring” as the evening sun settles over Grandfather Mountain.

Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer bought Westglow in 2005, spent nearly a year making renovations and opened in 2006. Bonnie smiled as she recalled some of the challenges of the restoration. “This is an old, old house. It was built in 1917. By the time we took over, it needed a lot of work. Jamie was in charge of the renovation. She assembled a team, an architect, a decorator. But still, there were a lot of things that we did not anticipate having to replace. The columns, for instance. The original columns came from Europe. They came up the mountain by oxen. They had to be replaced because they were rotting. And we wanted to maintain the integrity.” The restored mansion includes such touches of integrity as several of Daingerfield’s original paintings hanging in prominent places, many of his books on the library shelves, and period a nt ique s s c at t ere d throughout the rooms. E ve n t he f lo or i n g d i spl ays t he s a me Greek key pattern that Daingerfield had originally installed. The house reflects a quiet history, which B on n ie a nd Ja m ie have worked hard and effectively to preserve. Their own history with the place has added a new chapter. “It was about 18 years ago,” when they first discovered Westglow, Bonnie says. “Jamie photo by and I were looking for Frederica Georgia

| March 2014

a summer place. We started looking in the Asheville, Highland, and Cashiers area when Jamie suggested we should try Blowing Rock. We drove over here, and all the way we were on the phone, trying to get a room reservation. Every place was booked. Finally I found one room available at Westglow Resort. It was the only available room in town, and I really believe there are no accidents. We felt this house was very cozy and comfortable, and the spa was wonderful. I fell in love with it.” The love affair proceeded slowly. Bonnie and Jamie found their summer home in Blowing Rock, but in Florida, where they live year round, complications intruded. Bonnie’s father, Rowland, was the founder and CEO of Claire’s, the retail chain that specializes in accessories and jewelry for teen-age girls. When Rowland suffered a stroke in 2002, Bonnie became CEO. Her responsibilities to the company and her parents left no time for taking over a spa in the mountains nearly 800 miles away. “I had said years ago that I would love to buy the spa. And one day I was in a board meeting when I got a call from the ow ner, Glend a Valentine. She said, ‘I’m ready to sell,’ and I said ‘I can’t do it at this time. I can’t run two businesses.’ The next summer we came up as usual, and we were very glum because it

the rel a x ation lounge March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

“It’s no different. You have to run a tight ship. I learned at some point that a business is a business is a business. Even though it’s a spa, it’s still a business and it has to run like a business.” was under contract with someone else. And I said to Jamie, ‘If the contract falls through, it was meant to be.’ And the contract fell through. And I immediately said I’ll take it.” What she took was much more than a grand old mansion. Just steps away is a spa that is as modern as the mansion is traditional. The Life Enrichment Center is equipped with every conceivable amenity, from an indoor swimming pool and two whirlpools to a steam room, two saunas and rooms for facials and massages to a workout gym with a stunning array of resistance apparatus and a separate section filled with cross-training machines. It includes dressing rooms, shower rooms—and a sprawling “Relaxation Lounge” where soft music caresses even softer lounge chairs that overlook the 42-acre property to face a panoramic view of the surrounding Blue Ridge mountains. After a day of working out in the gym, sitting in the Jacuzzi, perhaps hiking in the surrounding mountains, relaxing under 56

| March 2014

the touch of an expert facial or massage, playing a set of tennis and finally basking in the comforts of the Relaxation Lounge, a guest need go no further than the ground floor of the mansion for a dinner that completes the Westglow experience. Rowland’s Restaurant serves elaborate gourmet meals with the same understated elegance that marks the Westglow signature. “The restaurant is named after my father,” Jamie says, and his portrait hangs prominently in the main dining room. “He loved good food, fine wine. He was a real gourmet. So we decided instead of catering to people who were coming here to lose weight, I wanted a restaurant he would be proud to come to. We changed the menu to an indulgent menu. You can still have spa portions, but the menu is completely different.” The difference is apparent as soon as you sit down. Where many fine restaurants leave no salt or pepper on the table, trusting their food will need no additional flavoring, at Westglow

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 57

photo by Aaron Bristol

“So there’s a lot of oneon-one with employees here, and initially that was a big surprise,” she says. “Running a small business is a little more difficult than running a large business.” — bonnie 58

| March 2014

schaefer

the tables contain a small tray with five compartments, each displaying a different salt. The waiter explains the unique qualities and strength of each. A quick taste test confirms the subtle differences. Then the menu reveals items such as a Roasted Corn and Pimento Salad with marinated kale, manchego cheese, artichoke, honey vinegar, and Marcona almonds. And entrées such as Pan Roasted Breast of Fowl, which features a choice of duck or chicken and includes Ashe County cheddar broccoli cassolette, wild mushrooms, local potatoes, gooseberry, pimento gelee and faro crisps. Bonnie adds a note of pride in describing the restaurant named for her father. “Everything that we buy in the kitchen— with the exception of the fish—is local. And organic.” Perhaps the ultimate point of pride at Westglow is its membership in Relais & Châteaux, a worldwide association of about 500 luxury hotels and restaurants. To become a member, the group requires that facilities have a “truly unique character,” such as landmark status or an idyllic setting in addition to luxurious accommodations and gourmet cuisine. From Claire’s trinkets for teens to Westglow’s lavish luxury seems like a long reach, and Bonnie acknowledges the differences. Claire’s had between 16,000 and 19,000 employees; Westglow has 90. “So there’s a lot of one-on-one with employees here, and initially that was a big surprise,” she says. “Running a small business is a little more difficult than running a large business. At Claire’s there were many levels of management; it was like running a well-oiled machine. What I did here was bring the culture of Claire’s. It was a real family culture, because my father always looked at the company as a Mom and Pop.” But she says that ultimately, the differences are not as significant as the similarities. “It’s no different. You have to run a tight ship. I learned at some point that a business is a business is a business. Even though it’s a spa, it’s still a business

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and it has to run like a business. And employees are so important. They can make or break your business. Customer service is paramount.” Warming to her topic, she leans forward, waves a hand for emphasis. “My dad always said it’s important to hire people smarter than you. If you hire smart people, it makes your job easier. It’s what I’ve done at Claire’s and here. I trust when I hire somebody that’s smarter than me they’re going to make me look good. “When I purchased the spa, the staff here were afraid that they’d be losing their jobs. The majority of those people are still here. I don’t think we fired anybody; the only people who left were onto other opportunities. The staff makes the place. “One of the big, big things we always did at Claire’s, we always promoted from within. Because when you bring someone in from outside it takes them a while to learn the culture. And people want to put their stamp on things.” That last thought stops her, and she takes a moment to decide whether, or how, to tell the next episode. She decides to go ahead. “We brought someone in from outside into a sensitive executive position. He wanted to change everything, and I told him, ‘When your name is on the front of this place, you can change it.’ He was nasty to the staff…” She stops to PRESORT R STD. RT shake her head. “He was a disaster. So U.S. POSTAGE T TAGE promoting from within, yes. The people PA I D understand the culture, they understand PERMIT #593 ASHEVILLE, NC the business.” She leans back in her chair, glances down at the fireplace in the comfortable library, where a large oil painting hangs above the fireplace, discreetly concealing a built-in television. On the far wall a gallery of framed photographs recalls some prominent guests. The list reads like an all-star team from politics, show business, and activism. Hillary and Bill Clinton, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Lily Tomlin, James Taylor, Marvin Hamlish, Gloria Steinem. The roster speaks more to Bonnie’s philanthropy than her

business experience. Once again, she credits her father for who she has become. “He always said it’s important to give,” she says. It’s a lesson she has taken to heart. She sits on advisory boards for major charities and supports a wide variety of institutions, from Appalachian State University to the Simon Wiesenthal Center to Mount Sinai Hospital. But perhaps her major commitment is to the issue of sex trafficking. Her voice takes on an urgent intensity when she addresses the subject. “Sex trafficking has become such a huge issue. Because it’s right here in the United States. It’s not just ‘Over There.’ And it’s much more lucrative than even the drug business because it’s recyclable. These women and children get passed from man to man to man. They’re slaves, you know, until they’re used up.” Her commitment has taken her to remote parts of the world—and it has brought survivors here to Blowing Rock. Her speaking pace quickens, and her thoughts run together as she recalls an event she sponsored in 2008. “Gloria Steinem came here, and we had a conference here and we got to give all these women from all over the world who run safe houses and save women and protect them, we got to give them—a lot of them were trafficked themselves as kids—and we got to give them the experience of being pampered in the spa.” She lets out a long breath, leaning back in her chair, enjoying the memory. The following year, Gloria Steinem gave Bonnie another lifetime memory, naming her Woman of the Year for Steinem’s organization, Equality Now. In reaching back for the memory, for the first time in a conversation that lasted more than an hour, Bonnie became flustered. “That was amazing. Amazing. It was her 75th birthday. She decided to pick the honoree, and she picked me. When she gave me the award I was flabbergasted. Talk about a mentor. I love her. She is one of the people besides my father who has influenced me most in my life. When she gave me the award it was tantamount to being knighted. I can’t describe it. It was a beautiful thing.” From a spa in the North Carolina mountains to a brothel in the slums of India seems like a long stretch. How does she balance those disparate interests? “I have a great capacity to compartmentalize.” She laughs and turns her attention back to the Westglow compartment. “This is truly a joy. To have a place that makes people happy. They have a great meal, have great massages and facials. What’s not to like?”

“Sex trafficking has become such a huge issue. Because it’s right here in the United States.”

Chapter 6

Practical solUtions

Practical solUtions For YoUr BUsiness

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by MIKE SUMMEY

Learning the Skill of

Delayed Gratification

mike is an

entrepreneur, author of several books on real estate, and also an avid pilot and philanthropist.

The title says “Learning the Skill of Delayed Gratification.” But is delayed gratification a skill? Webster defines “skill” as expertise that comes from training, practice, etc. It also defines it as knowledge, understanding or judgment. So, I ask you, is delayed gratification a skill?

oday we live in a society where people want everything now. The concept of delayed gratification has been relegated to the back in favor of a “Why wait?” attitude. In the years before easy credit, delayed gratification was more of a standard than a learned skill. It didn’t take training or practice to know that if you didn’t have the money or goods to 62

| March 2014

trade for what you wanted, you waited until you did. It wasn’t until the advent of credit that delayed gratification became a skill that had to be learned. Gratification is the reward you receive for services or benefits. Delayed gratification comes from delivering services or benefits fi rst and then allowing the gratification to accumulate long

enough for it to become meaningful. Farmers understand this when they clear fields, till the soil, plant seeds, wait for them to sprout, then tend the growing plants until finally they produce a crop that can be enjoyed. I guess you could say this is also a learned skill because in years gone by if they didn’t see the process through to a successful conclusion, they might starve to death. Instant gratification comes from receiving the reward first in exchange for a promise of services or benefits later. While receiving the reward first may give you a great feeling in the beginning, as time passes and the promise of services or benefits must be fulfilled, the joy of receiving the reward diminishes rapidly. Often it turns into anguish as you realize you aren’t able to reap the rewards of today’s effort because you have already pledged them for yesterday’s pleasure. As co-author of the Weekend Millionaire book series (McGrawHill Publishing), I have encountered thousands of people who were disappointed because our real estate investing books did not offer a get-rich-quick method of investing with the promise that you could quit your job in six months and become a millionaire. The book series does, however, provide classic examples of how delayed gratification can, over time, allow you to build wealth and retire early with a growing stream of income. A properly purchased income property may take 10-15 years to mature, but then it can provide an income for the rest of your life and your children’s lives. But, that’s a topic for another time

and it depends on you learning the skill of delayed gratification. Retirement plans like 401Ks and IRAs are other examples of delayed gratification. You have to work today, set aside part of your compensation and wait years to realize the rewards, which come in the form of better and more secure golden years. The reason I refer to delayed gratification as a skill is because these types of investments are voluntary rather than life sustaining. You have to train yourself to forgo immediate rewards in anticipation of greater ones in the future. The government even tries to encourage you by allowing you to defer paying taxes on income you set aside for retirement. There are many other forms of delayed gratification that can’t be measured monetarily, but they all have one thing in common, they all involve deferring today’s rewards for the expectation of greater ones in the future. In education, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals put in years of school work in anticipation of better careers in the future. In sports, athletes put in years of training in anticipation of excelling in their particular athletic endeavor. Musicians and actors put in hours of rehearsal and training in anticipation of outstanding performance when in front of audiences. If people are willing to study, train and rehearse in anticipation of delayed gratification, why is saving and investing money so hard to comprehend? What separates man from beast is his ability to think and reason. Instead of roaming through fields and woodlands each day foraging for sustenance like other animals, man learned to

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acquire and store goods to carry him through the lean times. He learned to barter excess inventory in exchange for items of which he was in need. Eventually he established common units of exchange that could be used to acquire items from others who were not in direct need of his excess inventory. Today we call this unit of exchange money. My theory is that because today’s efforts can be rewarded monetarily, it requires a learned skill to invest money and wait for delayed gratification. Since money is the common means of exchange used to acquire what we want, the temptation to get it now, overrides the restraint required to obtain even greater rewards through delayed gratification. The “I-want-it-now” attitude that has been fostered by easy credit has turned the concept of delayed gratification on its head. People no longer ask, can I afford the purchase, they ask, can I afford the payments. They fail to take into consideration the impact of interest. Since interest has to be paid on borrowed money, it requires more earnings to pay for a financed purchase than it does for one paid for in cash. In addition, many times you can get significant discounts when you are able to pay cash for purchases. The problem is it requires developing the skill of delayed gratification to save the money for large purchases rather than financing them. This is a skill fewer and fewer parents are teaching. When they buy toys or gifts for their children without expecting them to do anything in return or don’t require them to wait a while to before getting what they want, they deny them the opportunity to learn the skill of delayed gratification. Since money can be exchanged for almost anything, the temptation to spend it now readily overshadows the discipline to save it and invest. Dealing with these competing emotions is a learned skill. It’s a skill that requires forward thinking and goal setting. It’s the skill of delayed gratification. Planning and dreaming of spending a week in the Bahamas makes it much easier to forgo a few weekend get-a-ways in order to save the money to do so. The goal of spending your golden years leisurely playing golf, fishing, traveling or whatever else you really like to do is supposed to make saving for retirement more attractive and easier to do. The problem is, in today’s society, people are so bombarded with enticing ways to enjoy life during their earning years that they lose sight of their long term goals and end up struggling through what should be their golden years. As a result, the skill of delayed gratification is slowly being eroded. I have written many times about the three D’s of success. Desire, Discipline and Dedication! These three D’s are like the

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Christ sChool legs of a three legged stool. With all three in place you have the good balance which is critical to learning the skill of delayed gratification. First, you must have Desire. That’s where goal We make water work for you. setting originates. Unless you have a strong enough Desire for something, what you call goals are merely wishes and hopes. Goals established as the result of a strong Desire form the basis of the process required to learn the skill of delayed gratification. When true goals are established, the second D comes into play. To reach goals, you must have the Discipline necessary to take actions that move you toward the goals. And finally, once you begin moving toward your goals, you must have the Dedication to stick with it long enough to achieve them. This is not a difficult concept to understand, but it is one that many people fail to An Episcopal School for Boys achieve because they become distracted by other enticements that steer them off course. Christ sChool Comprehensive Here’s a good way to learn the skill of delayed gratification. college counseling program Boarding and Day Pick something that you really want; something you intensely Grades 8-12 Full Arts Program with three Desire. It doesn’t have to be a big item, but it should be someannual drama productions. 500 Christ school rd. thing that costs at least a few hundred dollars. Let this be your Asheville, NC Science Center with robotics, initial goal. Then create a plan to get it. Your plan may be as MythBuster lab and observatory 828-684-6232 simple as putting $25 from each paycheck into an envelope with the intent of saving enough to pay cash for the purchase. www.christschool.org Once you get started, see if you have the Discipline to religiously put aside the money each time you get paid. As you watch the money accumulate, you will be able to project how long December_C@P.indd 3 12/2/13 2:33:08 PM it will take you to reach the goal. The closer you get the more your anticipation will intensify. Finally, see if you have the Dedication to keep at it long enough to accumulate the money required to make the purchase. Getting it earlier by going in debt doesn’t count. , LLC If you can follow this process with a small goal, once you make the purchase, you will experience the joy that comes from knowing you set a goal and accomplished it. By doing this on We make water work for you. a small scale you will have done everything you need to do to achieve larger goals. This is how you learn the skill of delayed gratification. The good feelings you get by setting and achieving small goals will make setting and reaching larger goals easier. As you continue achieving larger goals, the process will become even more rewarding and before long you will understand that with patience and persistence, and following the three D’s, anything is possible, even exceeding your wildest dreams.

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THE OLD

NORTH

STATE [

news briefs

Lonerider Brewing Company expands raleigh

Over the next couple of months, R aleig h-based Loner ider Brew ing Company will expand distribution to Maryland, D.C., Tennessee, and Virginia. According to CEO and co-founder Sumit Vohra, the undertaking will cost more than $1 million. As a result, partnerships will be established with 18 different distributors. He says the planning required the assessment of legal and regulatory differences between the states. Vohra explained: “Some want you to incorporate in the state, while others want you to apply for brand registration…Then you have to see what kind of taxes you pay. Some states get back to you more quickly. They were all complex in some form or fashion.” The Nashville, Knoxville and

]

Chattanooga, Tennessee markets introduced Lonerider beers on February 17. Starting March 3, Eastern Virginia and Virginia Beach will see Lonerider beers in stores. The launch in Maryland and D.C. will continue through mid-March. Lonerider’s signature beers include Shotgun Betty Hefeweizen, Peacemaker Pale Ale, Sweet Josie Brown Ale, and Outlawed seasonal beers, which will all be offered at select bars and grocery stores in the new locations.

General Manager of new Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino cherokee

Brooks Robinson, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, announced

Lumpy Lambert as general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel. Lambert began his gaming career at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in October, 1997 as a casino operations supervisor. He rapidly worked his way up to become the casino manager, director of casino marketing, vice president of casino operations, and, since 2011, assistant general manager of casino operations. Robinson noted, “Lumpy is widely respected by his peers and Tribal leaders, and has proven his continuous commitment to ensuring the success of the gaming business on behalf of the Eastern Band.” Lambert said, “I’m really grateful and looking forward to this opportunity…It’s an exciting project building a new casino, a new team and creating even more great jobs in Western North Carolina. I’m also eager to begin building relationships within Cherokee County and becoming part of the community.” Lambert has experience in building a new casino, as he helped lead the Cherokee property through a six year, $650 million expansion project, which was completed in 2012. He also led the implementation of traditional table games in 2012, and celebrated the record-breaking success of the resort’s first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit event in 2013. The $110

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Kellogg to close Charlotte plant charlotte

Kellogg Company announced the longtime snack plant in Charlotte will close its doors this year. It plans to close its cookie manufacturing facility on Louise Avenue, cutting nearly 195 full-time jobs. The plant bakes various cookies, including Famous Amos, Austin Sandwich Cremes, and Iced Animals. The cereal and snack maker, based in Michigan, says it is also eliminating two production lines at its Cincinnati plants. In addition, Kellogg revealed its decision to close plants in Ontario and Australia. The closings come during the company’s Project K four-year efficiency and effectiveness program that involves cutting 7% of its global work force, which is reportedly an estimated 2,200 workers worldwide. Kellogg estimates the cost of restructuring and consolidation to be

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between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion. The company intends to open a new snacks manufacturing facility in Malaysia and expand a plant in Thailand.

Alamance site among finalists for Beretta plant alamance county

A nearly 200-acre sight in Alamance County was on gunmaker Beretta USA’s list of six finalists for a $45 million manufacturing plant. The fi nal chosen location for a plant that is expected to begin production in the fi rst quarter of 2015 and create 300 jobs is in Gallatin, Tennessee. According to Jeff Reh, a member of Beretta USA’s board, the N.C. Industrial Center in Mebane was the gunmaker’s top choice in North Carolina. It was the only place in the state that made the company’s fi nalist list. The N.C. Industrial Park, one of the Triad’s largest industrial parks with 600 acres, is located at the intersection of Route 119 and South Third Street Extension. The center is currently home to several large tenants including Ford Motor Company and safety products manufacturer Kidde. Reh noted the

the old north state

center would have offered Beretta up to about 170 acres of land, although the company only needed about 100 acres. “The site was a top location because it was remote enough for us to use for outdoor shooting of shotguns, which was a requirement for the plant, but yet close enough to population centers that we would have a good number of job applicants to choose from,” he explained. Reh added that the company also looked at several other unidentified sites in North Carolina, some of which also scored well and all of which were brought to Beretta’s attention by Governor Pat McCrory’s economic development team. Reh said Beretta officials visited a total of 80 sites across seven states before choosing the Tennessee location.

Former Harris Teeter CEO joins wine tech startup’s board wilmington

Wilmington’s well-known startup, Next Glass, recently added Thomas Dickson, the former CEO of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., to its board. Dickson retired as CEO of the grocery chain, based in Matthews, after The Kroger

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Company’s acquisition was completed in January. Kurt Taylor, now the company’s CEO, founded Next Glass, which took N.C. Technology Association honors in 2013. It is a research and technology company that delivers personalized wine and beer recommendations to consumers using patent-pending science and software. The technology permits Next Glass to objectively analyze each bottle of wine and beer, extract its chemical compounds and store the “DNA” into its Genome Cellar. The drinker reaps the benefits, as the firm’s software “learns” what one enjoys so that it can recommend what he or she should try next. Dickson is joining two other executives as the board’s newest members: Ray Groth, managing director at Axum Capital Partners in Charlotte, and Scott Sullivan, co-founder of Wilmingtonbased Cameron Management.

| March 2014

Mims Distributing sells old warehouse in Raleigh

Pepsi Bottling warehouse in Greensboro purchased

raleigh

greensboro

The Mims family, owners of the Raleigh beer distribution business Mims Distributing, have found a buyer for the warehouse building they left on Atlantic Avenue two years ago. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland paid $3.2 million for the 89,000-square-foot facility. Blind Industries is preparing to relocate many of the manufacturing operations and the employees currently working at the Raleigh Lions Clinic for the Blind facility on Bush Street. Mims Distributing had moved its operations from the building off of Atlantic Avenue to its larger, more efficient facility on Ebenezer Church Road in Raleigh in 2012.

According to public records, an entity managed by Randy B. Spell, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Lorillard Tobacco Company, purchased a former Pepsi Bottling Ventures warehouse along Spring Garden Street in Greensboro for $1.1 million. The 47,737-square-foot industrial warehouse sits on 5.38 acres. The records show that Three B’s Investments LLC, of which Spell is the registered agent, bought the facility and land from Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC and closed on the acquisition in mid-January. Jim Boyd, a broker with Real Estate Associates Inc. in Durham, represented Pepsi Bottling Ventures in the transaction. Boyd said

Three B’s Investments LLC is planning to convert the warehouse into a storage facility. Boyd noted, “Nothing’s going to get torn down. They may spin off a parcel or two…There are tons of roll-up doors that allow you to go into the building on the ground.” Spell assured that his position at Lorillard “has nothing in the world to do with my personal business transactions.” According to senior vice president of operations, Matthew Bucherati, Raleigh-based Pepsi Bottling Ventures was no longer using the 3121 Spring Garden Street facility. In 2012, Pepsi Bottling Ventures expanded its operations to a 526,000-square-foot Union Cross Business Park in WinstonSalem. W hile speak ing about he warehouse that was originally built in 1957, Boyd explained, “(Pepsi Bottling Ventures is) disposing of some old, functionally obsolescent bottling facilities in

a very methodical way as they replace them with state-of-the-art larger facilities, and that is what facilitated this.”

for the nuclear, fossil and renewable power markets, as well as an advanced-technology defense contractor.

Babcock & Wilcox wins $40M in American Electric contracts

Durham’s Emrise grabs military technology deal

charlotte

A subsidiary of The Babcock & Wilcox Company of Charlotte has been awarded contracts worth more than $40 million to supply environmental equipment for two United States power plants. The coalfired plants, owned by American Electric Power, are in Texas and Oklahoma. Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group Inc. will engineer and supply a fabric fi lters for particulate emissions control for the plants. B&W provides energy technology and services, mainly

durham

According to a statement, Emrise Corporation in Durham has received $1.1 million in new orders for radio frequency devices. Executives commend this accomplishment as a sign of recovery. The statement says the devices will be used in systems to be employed by “a military organization of a foreign country.” Deliveries of the ordered devices will begin in the third quarter of 2014 and be fulfilled by mid-2015.

SPRING IS HERE! One All Souls Crescent • Historic Biltmore Village (Directly across from J. Crew) • Asheville, NC • 828.505.8140 www.palmvillageasheville.com www.facebook.com/Palm.Village.Asheville March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 69

| March 2014

jim daniels

cranking the

Mimeograph into a

New

Millennium written by jim murphy

photos by anthony harden

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com

| March 2014

he printing room throbs with the efforts of two massive multicolor presses and a series of machines that cut, fold, and assemble the catalogs, brochures, and posters that come off the presses. The room is as well lit as a basketball court on game day—and even bigger. The design room produces a muted hum against the insulation of padded cubicles where Apple computers stand ready to create the layout and the look for a client’s promotional material. The man in charge of all this orderly, even sleek production is Jim Daniels. Jim’s office at the front of the building looks out on Swannanoa Road through a window that runs the length of the room. Awards cover the walls, and family pictures of three smiling generations sit on a side table. And then there’s Jim’s desk. It is not so much a workspace as a mini-warehouse, displaying no fewer than 11 stacks of papers, each at least a foot high. They contain brochures, folders, pamphlets, binders, booklets, correspondence, proposals, and a vast selection of unclassified random paperwork. Jim shows a sheepish grin as he swears he could find anything he might need in his maze of stacks. One wonders if some of the documents in his towers of paper might reach all the way back to the beginning of the business in 1948. That’s the year doctors sent Jim’s father, Ernest, to Asheville in a desperate effort to deal with his tuberculosis. “The doctors sent him here to die,” Jim says. But Ernest was a widower with a young son to support, so he rejected the death sentence and began looking for a way to support the two of them. “He had been a stenographer in Florida. He knew how to take dictation and he was a good typist. So he went to the offices around Pritchard Park, looking for temporary stenographer work—taking dictation, typing letters. He got enough work that we managed to survive.” One of his clients was a law firm, and he soon made a deal to provide free typing services in the morning in return for desk space and use of their equipment in the afternoon. Pretty soon, the elder Daniels was ready to expand to his own office. “He rented a room in the McIntyre Building in Pack Square Park. He borrowed $50 to buy a used typewriter and mimeograph machine and he put out a shingle that said, Daniels Secretarial Service. I worked there after school and on March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 73

Saturdays and—if we were busy—on Sundays. My job was to crank that damn mimeograph machine. I was making a quarter an hour. After a while, business was good and we expanded to two rooms.” Expansion became the company keyword. Daniels Secretarial Services soon became Daniels Duplicating, then Daniels Duplicating and Mailing, and Daniels Business Services before it finally settled into its current identity: Daniels Graphics. As the name changed so did the location. Over the next four decades the company moved to bigger offices six times, finally settling in their current headquarters on Swannanoa Road. Along the way one of their offices was in a building that had been occupied by Mission Hospital. “We were using the morgue, the laundry, and the D.O.A. room. By this time we had three or four presses, duplicators, folders,

| March 2014

cutters, cameras, and stuff. Maybe five or six employees. I think my pay was up to $100 a week by then. We were doing real well. “Our biggest customer was GE in Hendersonville. One day they contacted us and said, ‘You know, we’ve got a little building out here that’s full of our literature.’ It was sales documentation, collateral material, that kind of stuff. They said, ‘Could you store it for us, send it out to our customers?’ That was the beginning of our fulfillment business.” Now an entire floor of the Daniels building—20,000 square feet—is dedicated to fulfillment and mailing. In the fulfillment area, rows of shelving are stacked with printed material for an array of clients in the furniture and bedding industries. The promotional and product packaging pieces are ready to go whenever the client needs them. Daniels can ship the products to the client or to its overseas manufacturing headquarters. Daniels

also provides direct-mail service. A client sends in a mailing list, and Daniels’ mailing department can fold, insert, seal, and stamp items, and send them on their way. Daniels can give its clients full service, from the initial design of a piece, through the printing, and, finally, the direct mail marketing. This post-printing dimension to the company began back in the late ‘50s with that request from General Electric. “GE was our biggest customer back then. We depended on them. And they’re still a good customer. We’ve been working together since 1958.” As Daniels was moving to ever bigger offices, it was also growing in a different direction: Acquisition. “In 1969 we acquired the Miller Printing Company. The sign on the side of the building said Western North Carolina’s largest printer. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s what the sign said.” Two

later acquisitions, in Hickory and Newton, North Carolina, gave Daniels a foothold in the furniture industry. “By now we were working in two locations, Asheville and Hickory.” As Jim looks back at those years of expansion, he considers the philosophy that kept the company growing. “We’ve always been a company of firsts. We had the first offset press, the first automatic typesetting, the first digitization, the first computers. We always tried to keep ahead.” Sitting at his conference table, Jim deflects the suggestion that he has every reason to be satisfied with his accomplishments. He began college while serving in the Air Force, came home and finished his business degree at UNC Asheville and went to work putting his classroom learning and his business experience to the test. Along the way he developed one guiding principle. “We always wanted to distinguish ourselves. Distinctive is more

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 75

| March 2014

“We’re not crying in our beer because we are growing. But it’s a tough environment. We have to maintain our reputation as a company of firsts.”

important than excellence because anyone can be excellent. To be distinctive, that’s the trick. People want to deal with you for some reason only they may know. It could be quality, could be service, personality, price, anything.” Being first and distinctive built Daniels Secretarial Services into the Daniels Group, which includes Graphics and Daniels Communications. “My father got into answering telephones back in 1955 primarily because there was no one else around here doing it. It began as a 24/7 answering service, which we still have. It caters mostly to doctors or service people who are always on call.” The communications company added a system to monitor fire and burglar alarms. “Pretty much any kind of alarm someone may have,” Jim says. Its third function is web-based fulfillment. “A client can call or email us with a request to send a catalog or promotional piece to one of his customers.” Jim says the communications company accounts for about a quarter of Daniels’ business. In all the years of expansion and acquisition, are there any decisions he regrets? Any Big Mistake he’d like to go back and undo? He thinks about it for a while, then offers a hesitant reply. “I probably would have involved more people in more decisions. I’ve involved our key people, but I’ve often read about people who have involved floor laborers and got great results. I didn’t do that. Might have missed out on some great ideas.” The thought stays with him and after another pause he adds a quotation from the poem, “Myself,” by Edgar Guest: “I don’t want to stand with the setting sun And hate myself for the things I’ve done.” He grins. “I can’t remember where that came from, but I believe it’s a good rule to live by.” With the turn of the 21st century, living in the print industry took on some serious new challenges, first in the area of technology and then in the economy. The growth of the computer as a business tool took a heavy toll on the industry.

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 77

Self-publishing programs suddenly gave the smallest business the ability to design its print materials and send the completed file on to the printer. “We used to meet with our customers and work out what they wanted, build the file with them,” Jim says. “Now most of them do it themselves and email us the files. But those files may contain internal mistakes that we can’t always correct. When the client sees the proof, he wants to make the corrections, which can sometimes be pretty complicated. When that happens, the first victim is our schedule.” Beyond the complications of the computer age, the printing business took a serious hit in what Jim calls the Great Recession. “Some of our major customers have simply gone out of business,” he says. “Our major problem is finding customers to replace them.” During a tour of the pressroom, both the color presses were up and running, and Jim acknowledges the company is still doing well. “We’re not crying in our beer because we are growing. But it’s a tough environment. We have to maintain our reputation as a company of firsts. Our management team meets weekly to try to discern what’s next, what’s coming, what’s real, what’s out there, what’s imagined, what’s a fad, what’s likely to stick.” He says the rapidly changing technology is constantly reshaping the requirements of the printing industry. And that makes decisions even harder. “When we’re considering adding a piece of equipment, we have to ask, will this piece just replace something that’s worn out or is there something that will give us a bigger leap, that will give us a better position than we have now?” One example of the tricky landscape is the relatively recent development of QR codes. Usually found in magazine ads or on product labels, the code appears as a small square containing a maze of black dots. The Daniels’ website says QR “adds dynamic web content to a static printed piece.” A potential customer simply scans his smartphone over the code to connect to the company’s website. The Daniels’ description goes on to say, “QR codes seamlessly integrate your clear and consistent marketing message from printed piece to online presence.” But now the QR code may be replaced by something newer and even more sophisticated. “We’ve endured a couple of webinars on it,” Jim says. “It’s called REM or OEM, something like that. It was pretty much Greek to us, but we will be the ones who have to print it on the labels.” That would mean buying expensive new machinery. “And when we get that, we have to get a sales force to go out and sell it to the manufacturers. And be able to ship to them in time to get it on the shelves. And I’ll have to learn a new language.” He shrugs at what seems like his next inevitable learning experience. The conversation has gotten him thinking about all the new developments that have made the printer much more than someone who applies ink to paper. “We’re also involved in cross-channel marketing. We invent a marketing program for a customer and tie the efficiency of the internet with the effectiveness of direct mail and we use both electronic and direct to reach and sell to the customer.” The man who has been a printer since the 1950’s just shakes his head. But he’s making it work. Daniels’ client roster contains a healthy sampling of nationally known brands, but he tries to keep the emphasis on regional service. His

That borrowed $50 for a used typewriter and mimeograph turned out to be a pretty good investment.

| March 2014

PAYROLL, TAXES, AND W-2’S TAX RETURNS (INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE) TRUST & NON-PROFIT TAX RETURNS FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR OVER 39 YEARS

company has produced the annual Bele Chere posters, and they regularly produce pieces for Warren Wilson College, UNC Asheville, and A-B Tech. “We have customers in Mexico and New York. That’s a pretty good spread. But what we have tried to do is specialize more regionally in North and South Carolina because it’s easier to service and ship to.” As he speaks of the challenges, one begins to wonder if the job still has the allure that drew him into all those decades of expansion and acquisition. We have entered a new century—a new millennium—and the issues have changed even more dramatically than the calendar. He laughs at the notion that the fun might be gone. “If half the people in America enjoyed their job half as much as I enjoy mine, there wouldn’t be any productivity problems in the country.” But still… It is a long reach, both in years and knowledge, from cranking a mimeograph machine to buying digital six-color presses. Does he think about retirement? “Why would I do that?” The chuckle betrays his question as a humorous parry, and he settles into a serious answer. “My daughter, Jami, is vice-president of marketing. She’s the obvious one to take over, but at this point she doesn’t think she’s quite ready to drive the bus. She’s on the bus; she’s close to the front seat. One of these mornings she’ll wake up and say she’s ready. Then I’ll retire.” But until that morning, he’s still having fun. Back in the pressroom he was asked the value of all the high-tech equipment spread across the floor. His answer was delivered in a matter-of-fact tone: “About three million.” That borrowed $50 for a used typewriter and mimeograph turned out to be a pretty good investment.

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Lockheed Martin fires most powerful portable LASER weapon nationwide

A weapon that could mean the end of traditional missiles has been revealed. Lockheed Martin announced it has tested a 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser, the highest power ever fired. According to the firm, the weapon could eventually be mounted on jets, tanks and fighter planes, and will more than triple in strength before being used in combat. The record-breaking power output was accomplished by combining various fiber lasers into a single, near-perfect quality beam of light. The process, called Spectral Beam Combining, sends beams from multiple fiber laser modules, each with a unique wavelength, into a combiner that forms a single, powerful, high

]

quality beam. Dr. Ray O. Johnson, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Lockheed Martin, explained: “Advancements in available laser components, along with the maturity and quality of our innovative beam-combining technology, support our goal of providing lightweight and rugged laser weapon systems for use on military platforms such as aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks.” The successful demonstration is the most recent in the firm’s bid to create a viable portable laser weapon. Preceding laser weapon demonstrations in the industry showed target acquisition, tracking and destruction. However, these solutions were limited for tactical military use because their laser inefficiencies resulted in significant size, power and cooling needs not readily supported by principal military ground and airborne platforms. The project has received funding from the US Army, which is also working with

Boeing on a laser mounted weapon. In addition, Lockheed Martin’s Salina, New York factory is getting a significant boost as the U.S. Air Force expanded its orders for new radar surveillance equipment to $98 million. The Air Force reportedly added a new $8.5 million order for air traffic control surveillance equipment from the upstate New York defense contractor. The U.S. Air Force said it placed an order with Lockheed Martin’s New York plant for the additional $8.5 million to modernize its long-range surveillance radars in accordance of the Seek Igloo North Warning program. This addition to the contract increases the amount the Air Force is spending with Lockheed Martin to modernize Cold-War era radars, which give early warning and air traffic control surveillance of North American airspace, to $97.9 million.

Apple planning new TV box worldwide

Apple is accelerating with its television aspirations with work on a new set-top box and content deals. According to sources, the company is arranging to release a new Apple TV set-top box and

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34 years serving Asheville.

surgeon general warning: cigars and pipes are not safe alternatives to cigarettes

has been talking with Time Warner Cable and others to add content. Apple is reportedly hoping to reveal the new device by April and launch it before the holiday season, though the release date is contingent upon programming agreements. One source claims Apple is upgrading the box to feature a faster processor and an improved interface, compared with the prior version.

Google develops contact lens glucose monitor worldwide

Google unveiled a contact lens that monitors glucose levels in tears, which could potentially ease millions of diabetics who must jab their fi ngers to draw their own blood up to ten times a day. The prototype, which Google claims will take at least five years to hit the market for consumers, is one of various medical devices being designed by companies to make glucose monitoring for diabetic patients more convenient and less invasive than the traditional fi nger pricks. The lenses use a minuscule glucose sensor and a wireless transmitter to help those among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 382 million diabetics keep a close eye on their blood

nationwide

U.S. health regulators on approved the fi rst drug to treat a sleep disorder that primarily affl icts the blind. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Vanda Pharmaceuticalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hetlioz capsules for patients who have problems sleeping because they cannot detect light. The condition, called non-24-hour disorder, is estimated to affect up to 100,000 Americans, most of whom are totally

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sugar and adjust their dose of insulin. At fi rst glance, the device looks like a typical contact lens. However, on closer examination, there are two twinkling glitter-specks loaded with tens of thousands of miniaturized transistors, and ringed with a hair-thin antenna. One of the lead researchers, Brian Otis, said it took years of soldering hair-thin wires to miniaturize electronics, essentially building tiny chips from scratch, to make what he claims is the smallest wireless glucose sensor ever made. Worldwide, the glucose monitoring devices market is reportedly expected to be more than $16 billion by the end of 2014.

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blind. These people can find their sleep patterns reversed, sleeping during the day and being awake at night. Vanda said it plans to launch the drug in the second quarter. Analysts estimate the drug could reap sales of more than $350 million annually.

Amazon eyes Kindle checkout service for physical stores nationwide

Amazon.com Inc. is reportedly working on a checkout system for brick-and-mortar stores that would use its Kindle tablets for payment processing. Amazon could allegedly have the system up and running by summer 2014. According to anonymous sources, the plan could be altered or canceled, and has been designed with the help of engineers Amazon hired in 2013 from GoPago Inc., which focused on point-of-sale systems. If Amazonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan progresses, its competition would be traditional checkout systems from companies including VeriFone Systems Inc. and NCR Corporation, and startups that include Square Inc. Amazon also may allegedly be interested in a payment card and app combo that would permit users

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to link all their credit-card accounts to pay for purchases.

FedEx to test all-electric vehicles

committed to improving the efficiency of its vehicles as part of our EarthSmart initiatives.” If the Nissan e-NV200 performs well in the field, FedEx and Nissan will likely expand the availability of the all-electric delivery vehicle.

washington, d.c.

FedEx Corporation and Nissan Motor Company, Ltd., announced that the two companies will start testing an all-electric compact cargo vehicle in Washington, D.C. This will be the first time the Nissan e-NV200 will be operating in North America. FedEx Express and Nissan have previously performed tests with fleets in Singapore, Europe and Brazil. Mitch Jackson, vice president of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, FedEx Corporation explained, “As a global fleet operator serving 220 countries and territories worldwide, FedEx is

| March 2014

Disaster? There’s an app for that nationwide

There is now an app to warn doctor’s offices and hospitals when to expect a flood of sick flu patients. Among three new apps recently launched by John Hopkins Medicine, it is intended to help hospital emergency departments and first responders better prepare for major disasters, such as flu outbreaks. The apps were created by the Johns Hopkins National Center for the Study of Preparedness

and Catastrophic Event Response, or PACER. The FluCast app was designed for hospital emergency departments and infectious disease experts to reliably estimate the number of flu patients a hospital is likely to see in a given week based on a specific hospital’s historical data and data from Google Flu Trends. The app provides advanced warning of potential influenza caseloads so hospitals can prepare. An update was also made to an existing app called the “Electronic Mass Casualty Assessment and Planning Scenarios,” which allows users to estimate the casualties that could result from 11 different disasters. According to the Department of Homeland Security, those disasters as include anthrax, an improvised explosive device, an open air explosion, food contamination, the release of a blister or nerve agent, a toxic gas release, an explosion on public

transportation, a nuclear device exposure, pneumonic plague and pandemic disease. An app called Surge was made for hospitals, intensive care units and other departments to determine surge capacity. The app can simulate bed needs, the efficient movement of patients to open beds, discharge planning and other steps to increase bed capacity for disaster patients.

Boeing and NASA experiment with fuelsaving wings & engines nationwide

Wind tunnel tests should be ending soon on a Boeing-NASA “truss-braced” aircraft wing that could one day save airlines loads of money on fuel costs, and hopefully keep passengers’ ticket prices

down. Boeing, in partnership with GE Engines and NASA, is also studying innovative designs for hybrid jet engines that could save even more fuel, by running on battery power during part of a flight. However, we shouldn’t expect to see these aircraft in the next decade. By the 2030’s, though, these technologies could cut fuel burn by 60 percent. They could also direct the path to aircraft quite different than today’s standard twin-engine jet configuration. Through its Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research program (SUGAR), Boeing has been working on a range of ideas. The concept behind the truss-based wing is that one way to make wings more efficient is to make them longer and more slender, like a glider wing. The issue for a commercial jetliner is creating these thinner wings to be strong enough to support an aircraft. One solution, a system used early in the

history of aviation, is to prop up wings with angled supports, called trusses, that take some of the weight off the root of the wing. NASA has been wind tunnel testing a smaller model of such a wing, built by Boeing at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The model wing has an “aspect ratio” of 19, referring to the ratio between the length and width of a wing. A higher aspect ratio means a thinner wing. Most jetliners have an aspect ratio of about nine, but the strength of carbon fiber construction allowed Boeing to extend this to 11 for the 787 Dreamliner, a primary reason why the model saves fuel. Boeing also plans to increase the aspect ratio of the 777X over the current model using a carbon composite wing. However, truss wings bring complications, such as turbulence around the truss structures. Studies are focusing on this key area.

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capital adventurist

| March 2014

Cross-Country skiing - Experience Pure Appalachian Joy BY ERIC CRE WS

anyone who has ever trudged any considerable distance through even marginally deep snow knows full well that traveling through a snow pack is hard work and not easily enjoyed â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unless , that is , one is cross - country skiing .

special thanks to bl ack dome mountain sports & trent thomas for being one of the are as only providers of cross - country eQuipment as well as providing the ge ar for this e xpedition (140 tunnel road in asheville , 828 -251-2001 or 800-678 -2367) March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 85

capital adventurist

irst de veloped in prehi storic times as a way to travel efficiently across the vast, snowy frontiers of the Scandinavian Peninsula and surrounding areas, cross country skiing revolutionized winter transportation. By the 1850’s, the sport of cross country skiing was introduced to North America by Norwegian and Swedish immigrants. One of the most notable pioneers of the sport, the legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen, was an avid skier and advocate of cross country skiing who many attribute as being one of the first to introduce the sport to North America. Johannsen, who lived to be 111, reportedly still glided through the snowy woods on a daily basis well past the age of 100 and attributed his health to his love of skiing. It’s easy to see where he was coming from, as anyone who has ever trudged any considerable distance through marginally deep snow knows full-well that traveling through a snow pack is difficult and not easily enjoyed. Unless, that is, one has taken up the art of cross country skiing. These days, the sport is undertaken more as a recreational activity than as a necessary means of travel. However, these two aspects are closely related and still bind the sport to its roots. The difficulties that many hikers experience when attempting to hike to the snowy vistas and wind-swept summits of North Carolina’s highest peaks and balds during the midst of winter, the times when the snow drifts high across the trail and the cold wind whips across the open fields, are well-known and are often too daunting of a challenge for most hikers to surmount,

| March 2014

leaving many to opt for indoor exercise. But for avid hikers like Randy Johnson, the author of four adventure guidebooks about hiking and exploring the mountains of North Carolina, the sport of cross country skiing offers him a chance to get outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery of North Carolina’s highest peaks and ridges. “For me, cross country skiing allows me to get into some of the most beautiful places around, places that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to access,” Johnson said. “The total immersion you get in nature, particularly in the most spectacular winter locations, makes it just that much more enjoyable.” According to Johnson, once you’ve mastered the various techniques of cross country “ if we get an skiing, the experience is pure inch or two joy. “If you’re one of those in town , then people who like hiking and you that ’ s usually like physical exercise, cross country has that physical eleenough snow ment, certainly, but there are to head up to also the other times that you’re the parkway,” going downhill, or you’re going thompson said across the flats and you’re striding and gliding, using different techniques, such as skating, and it becomes just a really rhythmic ski experience that’s very unique. It’s not like your typical downhill skiing experience, it’s much more diverse and all-encompassing, and that’s what I truly love about it. “Cross country skiing is simply the best way to get out and explore the most spectacular places in the mountains of North Carolina,” he said. “People don’t realize how easy it is once you learn the technique. Not enough people appreciate just what kind of winter grandeur the Southern Appalachians have. Cross country skiing is the way to find it.” The popularity of Nordic skiing in Western North Carolina first began in the mid-1970’s according to Trent Thomas, owner of Black Dome Sports on Tunnel Road. Thomas recalls first taking an interest in Nordic skiing around that time when he would frequently travel to the Western United States as a gear salesman in the outdoor gear industry. After experiencing the joys of exploring the outdoors on skis in other locations, Thomas realized that Western North Carolina offered some great opportunities for skiing. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Thomas sold thousands of pairs of cross country skis and telemark skis through his outdoor gear shop and has been working to promote the sport as a fun winter activity ever since. In the late ‘70s, when he first began skiing in Western North Carolina, Thomas said few people were skiing the high elevation areas despite winters that often provided months of excellent skiing possibilities at places such as Roan Mountain and areas along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since then, the sport has come a long way and winter days at Roan Mountain now bring skiers

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 87

capital adventurist

from all across the region looking to sample the excellent conditions and beautiful vistas that have made the area the most popular cross country skiing destination in the southeast. “Cross country skiing is great because it gets you outside in a season when there just aren’t a whole lot of other people out there, so you can enjoy parts of our mountains where any other time of the year you are in a crowd,” Thomas said. “Sometimes it’s hard to convince people that skiing is even an option when it is 60 degrees and sunny in Asheville, but at places like Mount Mitchell and Roan Mountain, you’d be surprised at how good the conditions can be.” Like Johnson and Thomas, Asheville resident John Thompson, who works at Black Dome as a manager, enjoys the solitude and exercise cross country skiing affords him when he is out on a snowy trail, blazing two tracks with his skis toward a wintry vista on one of his favorite mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway and the surrounding trails that branch off of the nation’s most visited National Park rank near the top of his list of favorite ski destinations. The Parkway’s close proximity to town, and the multitude of access points in the area, provides Thompson with the opportunity to get out in the afternoons after work to catch the conditions when they are prime for skiing. “If we get an inch or two in town, then that’s usually enough snow to head up to the Parkway,” Thompson said. “Because of the elevation difference between the Parkway and Asheville, usually a small snow in town translates into a bigger snow event at the higher elevations along the Parkway. It’s definitely the most convenient, it’s a lot of fun and it’s just a great area for those who are first learning the sport.” For Thompson, skiing is more than just a sport that gives him physical exercise through the cold months of winter. In addition to elevating his heart rate and exhausting his legs, cross country skiing regularly provides him with a renewed appreciation of the beauty of nature. “Once you get the technique of kicking and gliding down, skiing turns into just a very graceful sport that allows you to experience the beauty of nature in all of its winter perfection,” Thompson said. “The woods and mountains are a quiet, peaceful place in the winter, and being able to get out there and experience that in person is just truly amazing.”

Top Destinations in our Area s o c o g a p ( b l u e r i d g e pa r k way ) Thompson likes Soco Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway for its close proximity to Asheville and the ability to reach high elevations via state-maintained roads that are usually clear. “That section of the parkway is some of the highest elevation on the entire roadway,” he said. “It also seems to pick up a lot 88

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more snow, and because it’s a couple thousand feet higher than Asheville, the quality of the snow is a lot higher.” Thompson recommends heading south from Soco Gap where skiers can make their way to a campground located at over 6,000 feet in elevation that consistently has great snow. “There aren’t a whole lot of trails in that area, but there are a lot of spur trails that make for some great options to explore areas away from the parkway,” he said. Johnson agrees that Soco Gap is one of the top spots in the Asheville area. c l i n g m a n ’s d o m e ( g r e at s m o k y m o u n ta i n s n at i o n a l pa r k )

Johnson said skiing along the 7-mile road from Newfound Gap to the summit of 6,643-foot-tall Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in Tennessee, is one of his favorite options for Nordic skiing, but only if the roads leading up to the junction are in decent shape. He recommends calling the National Park ahead of any trip to make sure the area can be accessed. The 14-mile-long round trip is a big day, Johnson said, but the best part is that after climbing uphill to the summit, the return trip is all downhill. “It’s a great day trip and the view from the summit is hard to beat,” he said.

r o a n m o u n ta i n Roan Mountain is by far one of the most popular and wellknown cross country skiing destinations in the southeast, and after making a trip to the mountain during winter months it is easy to see why. W hether skiers head out through the dense rhododendron-protected trails toward Rhododendron Gap where extensive views await or you opt to explore the open, snow-covered grassy balds along the Appalachian Trail, there are countless opportunities for winter adventure. Johnson said he has been skiing at Roan Mountain since the 1970’s at a time when few skiers were utilizing the area as a skiing destination. “For Asheville people, Roan Mountain has got to be the number one destination,” he said. “It’s a total cross country skiing and snowshoeing haven. I think Roan Mountain gets at least as much snow or more than Mount Mitchell. Combine that with the views and you’ve got a really special combination. I don’t think anybody disagrees that Roan Mountain is one of the most

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special places in America. “Roan Mountain is one of the top places in the area for scenery,” he said. “With all of the balds, the 360 degrees are everywhere up there. For me, it’s really spectacular because you can see all of the surrounding balds and mountains.” Thompson agrees with Johnson that Roan Mountain is one of, if not the best, cross country skiing areas in the southeast. He recommends beginners head out the Rhododendron Gap trail because the shelter provided by the dense vegetation along the trail usually makes for excellent skiing conditions, as well as a less-frigid skiing experience on windy days, whereas the exposed balds can often become wind-scoured and icy, making for more challenging conditions for new skiers. “A lot of times in our area the snow can be fairly wet at the middle elevations around Asheville, but at Roan Mountain the higher elevations usually mean that the snow that falls will be a nice, dry snow, which makes for great skiing conditions,” Thompson said. “It’s also one of the few places in the area where there are open balds that offer 360 degree views,” Thompson adds. For experienced skiers looking to winter camp, Thompson recommends skiing out to Yellow Gap where there is an Appalachian Trail shelter. However, the higher elevations and the wide-open terrain can make for some tough conditions. 90

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“The winter conditions up there can get the most brutal of any winter conditions in the entire southeast,” he said. “I’ve been up there before in single digits with the wind howling through the open spaces and it was just brutal, until I was able to get back into the trees, so that is a very important thing to keep in mind when heading up there.” m t. r o g e r s

( g r ay s o n h i g h l a n d s s tat e pa r k , v i r g i n i a ) For experienced skiers looking for a place to explore scenic terrain, Thompson said the Mt. Rogers area of Grayson Highlands State Park is hard to beat. “It’s obviously more challenging than skiing at places like the Blue Ridge Parkway because of the elevation changes and the nature of skiing on trails with varied terrain,” he said. “But it’s a beautiful area with open balds with a lot of great options for things to do.” Johnson agrees, saying one of his favorite options is to take winter camping gear with the intentions of setting up a winter basecamp and making ski trips from there. Johnson said while it is a two-plus hour drive to get to the area, it is well worth it. Once there, he recommends accessing

the area from Massey Gap at Wilburn Ridge. “It’s got great access and is nice and flat,” he said. Johnson recommends skiing or snowshoeing in to setup a basecamp one mile in and then taking day-trips throughout the area. “It’s just an incredible area with so many great options that it should be on everyone’s list of winter destinations, especially if you’re interested in doing winter camping,” he said.

moses cone manor

Randy Johnson considers the miles of carriage roads and gently sloping trails found on the Moses Cone Estate near Blowing Rock one of the best winter cross country skiing destinations there are with one caveat, the snow pack needed for cross country skiing there isn’t as reliable as some of the area’s other destinations. For that reason, Johnson recommends keeping Moses Cone an option when a large snowstorm impacts the area and accessing the higher elevations is more challenging. In addition to over 30 miles of carriage roads, the estate also offers some great grassy meadows that, when snow-covered, provide a great chance to learn how to navigate steeper terrain on Nordic skis.

s k i t h e v i a d u c t ( b l u e r i d g e pa r k way ) In the winter, when snow blankets the mountains and valleys of the High Country, there are few places more beautiful to take in the view than the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain. What makes the area even more special is the chance to ski over the Linn Cove Viaduct, an engineering marvel heralded for the way it snakes around the steep slopes of Grandfather Mountain. The viaduct, which was completed in 1987 at a cost of $10 million, is a 1,243-foot-long bridge that marked the last section of the parkway to be completed. John Thompson enjoys skiing on the parkway because the flatter gradient offers skiers a chance to get into the kick-and-glide rhythm that embodies what the sport is all about: moving easily through deep terrain in beautiful snow.

Eric Crews is a writer and photographer who writes about outdoor adventure sports in the mountains of North Carolina. Follow his adventures online at: www.landofskyadventures.com

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events

March MARCH 1-2

2014 WNC Beginners Bee School SATURDAY 9 AM - 5 PM | SUNDAY 12 PM - 4:15 PM FOLK ART CENTER , BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY MILEPOST 382 , ASHEVILLE, NC

Open to all with an interest in bees, this two-day workshop will cover everything a prospective beekeeper needs to know. Learn about bees and their biology and behavior, the equipment and setup of your apiary, costs and the how-to’s of handling and managing your bees through the seasons.

$45 FOR THE WEEKEND MARCH 3

Bowl 4 Art 5:30 PM - 8 :30 PM ROCKIN’ BOWL , 271 ROSMAN HIGHWAY, BREVARD, NC The Transylvania Community Arts Council is holding this fundraiser at the bowling alley, which will be closed to the public for this private party. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes, high score, winning team, strikes and spares. If you get strikes and spares, you will get tickets to enter a raffle to win fun prizes. Local artists and businesses are donating some raffle prizes. Local artists are also taking bowling pins and creating pieces of artwork with them. These unique pieces of artwork will be placed in a silent auction that evening. For those who do not bowl but want to come cheer and have fun, raffle tickets will be on sale for $3 each or two tickets for $5 or ten tickets for $20. Admission includes dinner, snacks, a non-alcoholic drink, bowling shoes, and bowling. There will also be a cash bar with partial proceeds going to the TC Arts Council.

ADMISSION: $25 MARCH 4

STOMP 8 : 00 PM

SCHAEFER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS , 733 RIVERS STREET, BOONE, NC STOMP is explosive, provocative, sophisticated, sexy, and utterly unique, appealing to audiences of all ages. The international percussion sensation has garnered an armful of awards and rave reviews, and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments, including matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, hubcaps, to fi ll the stage with 92

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magnificent rhythms. Direct from New York City, STOMP makes its debut in the High Country for one night only.

ADMISSION: ADULTS $38 | STUDENTS $18 MARCH 8

Downtown Dribble 10 :45 AM DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE

A dribble parade will take place for children 5-12 years of age. Registration will take place beginning at 9:45 am at Pack Square. Participants will receive a free basketball and t-shirt and will dribble from Pack Square to the US Cellular Center. Participants in the Downtown Dribble will also be able to attend Saturday’s noon session at either US Cellular Center or Kimmel Arena free of charge.

FREE MARCH 9

Hendersonville Chamber Music 3 : 00 PM FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH , 1735 5TH AVE W, HENDERSONVILLE, NC The North Carolina Symphony Woodwind Quintet, known for its interpretation of French Romantic composers, will perform.

ADMISSION: $20 | 828 - 808 -2314 WWW. HENDERSONVILLECHAMBERMUSIC .ORG MARCH 12

Critter Time for Tikes and Tots 10 : 00 AM WNC NATURE CENTER , 75 GASHES CREEK RD, ASHEVILLE, NC This is a creative way to learn about animals geared toward 3-5 year olds and parents. During this session, “Barnyard Buddies,” visitors can learn about life on a farm. Activities celebrate animal life, forest ecology, and conservation through fun and games in a comfortable indoor space, crafts, animal encounters, walking tours, and/or story time.

FRIENDS OF WNCNC MEMBERS $10 PER PARENT & CHILD COMBINATION | ALL OTHERS $12 PER PARENT & CHILD COMBINATION | ADDITIONAL ADULT OR CHILD $5 828 -259 - 8082

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MARCH 13

Cane Creek to Carnegie Concert 7: 00 PM DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE, 2 SOUTH PACK SQUARE, ASHEVILLE, NC

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The Cane Creek Middle School 8th grade honors symphonic band will hold a concert to raise money for their trip to Carnegie Hall in NYC in April. Come out and enjoy beautiful music and see this talented group of students perform before they head to the Big Apple. All seats are general admission, and tickets are limited. All proceeds go to the Cane Creek band’s trip to Carnegie Hall. The 8th grade honors symphonic band at Cane Creek Middle School, in Fletcher, is one of four middle school bands in the country that has been chosen to play at the prestigious Carnegie Hall on April 19, 2014 at the National Band and Orchestra Festival.

ADMISSION: $10 FOR ADULTS | $7. 50 FOR CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER CONTACT LORI KANE AT 828 -280 - 4209 OR LORIKANE2000@YAHOO.COM WWW.CANECREEKBANDTRIP.COM MARCH 14 -16

The Hobbit FRIDAY 7:30 PM SATURDAY 2:30 PM

ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE, 35 EAST WALNUT STREET, ASHEVILLE, NC It’s unusual for a modern work to become a classic so quickly, but Tolkien’s “ring” stories, which began with The Hobbit, are clearly in this very special category. They stir the imagination and intellect of everyone they touch. Bilbo, one of the most conservative of all hobbits, is asked to leave his large, roomy and very dry home in the ground in order to set off as chief robber in an attempt to recover an important treasure. It’s the last thing that any sensitive hobbit would want to do, but great benefit eventually results, including in the hearts of those children and adults who continue to enjoy this kind of magic.

ADMISSION: $12- $22 WWW. ASHEVILLETHEATRE.ORG MARCH 14

Wham Bam Bowie Band! 6 PM - 8 PM Highland’s Tasting Room is a unique blend of fresh beer in a family-friendly, top-quality music venue. Enjoy all of their beers, a tour and specialty offerings rarely found outside the brewery. Wham Bam Bowie Band! has decided to pay tribute to David Bowie’s catalog by starting with his earliest era. The band plans to work their way through the catalog in somewhat of a chronological order. Wham Bam Bowie Band! brings Bowie’s iconic music to life, onstage once again.

FREE | 828 -299 -3370 | 12 OLD CHARLOTTE HWY, SUITE H, ASHEVILLE, NC

FINE JEWELRY & DESIGN STUDIO

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Downtown Asheville 828-254-5088 Hours: Mon-Sat 10:30 - 6 March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 93

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events

MARCH 14

The Paul McKenna Band 8 : 00 PM DIANA WORTHAM THEATER , 2 SOUTH PACK SQUARE, ASHEVILLE, NC According to Fatea Magazine, The Paul McKenna Band has “the potential to dominate the Scottish/Irish traditional scene for the next twenty years.” The band has lived up to the title “Best Up and Coming Artist of 2009,” touring extensively in Europe, the USA, and Canada, and in 2013 released its third studio album Elements. With a contemporary approach, though not straying too far from its roots, the band honors the traditional alongside the innovative with outstanding vocals, driving guitar and bouzouki, intense fiddle playing, and a pairing of flute and whistles.

ADMISSION: REGULAR $30 | STUDENT $25 | CHILD $15 MARCH 14

Bulb Expert Brent Heath To Speak in Downtown Asheville 10 AM TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE Attention all Western North Carolina gardeners: This event will be the talk of the town! Bulb Expert Brent Heath of “Brent and Becky’s Bulbs” will present “Bulbs as Companion Plants” at 10am, Friday, March 14, at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Asheville. This event is free and open to the public. Considered one of the country’s leading experts on the year-round use of bulbs in gardens of every type, Heath is co-owner, with his wife Becky, of the award–winning catalogue Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. Among the topics he plans to cover: incorporating shade tolerant flowering plants into a landscape, identifying critter proof and critter resistant bulbs, and planting certain bulbs with other perennials, annuals and woody plants. After the hour-long presentation, orders may be placed for bulbs, grasses and other plants from the company’s Summer 2014 catalogue. Bulbs should be delivered by mid-May. For additional information on Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, please go to www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com. This event is sponsored by the French Broad River Garden Club Foundation.

WWW. FBRGCF.ORG MARCH 18

Tot Time 10 :30 AM -11:30 AM

ART PLAYCE FOR CHILDREN IN THE ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM , 2 SOUTH PACK SQUARE Parents with preschool age children are invited to bring their youngsters to the Museum’s interactive Art PLAYce for Children for a new monthly series called “Tot Time,” featuring a new guided art activity designed especially for tiny tots each month. Discover the art of play through this new education program of the museum. An adult must accompany participating children.

FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION | FREE FOR KIDS AGE 5 AND YOUNGER 94

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MARCH 21-22

The Chase Brock Experience 8 : 00 PM DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE, 2 SOUTH PACK SQUARE, ASHEVILLE, NC

One of Western North Carolina’s most notable young cultural prodigies is Hendersonville native Chase Brock, choreographer of Broadway’s Spiderman. Turn Off the Dark, brings his New Yorkbased dance company to Asheville to perform some of its hottest, hippest works.

ADMISSION: REGULAR $40 | STUDENT $35 | CHILDREN $15 STUDENT RUSH DAY- OF-SHOW ( WITH I . D.) $10 828 -257- 4530 WWW. DWTHEATRE.COM

Don Giovanni • April 4 & 6, 2014 An intriguing combination of stark human tragedy and touching comedy, set to Mozart’s musical genius.

South Pacific • July 18, 19 & 20, 2014 The beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein’ musical, featuring one of the most romantic scores of all time.

Die Fledermaus • October 2014 An Appalachian Party with the twists and turns of the mountains elegance and back roads.

All Show Tickets On Sale Now For tickets: 828-257-4530 • www.dwtheatre.com For information: www.ashevillelyric.org

Gorgeous gardens will be in full glory as 75,000 tulips and many other blossoms welcome springtime during Biltmore Blooms festival of flowers. See spring evolve with a steady progression of floral color and a succession of blooms. Biltmore celebrates the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted and his final project, George Vanderbilt’s magnificent Biltmore gardens. This festival of flowers begins with the bright golden yellow of daffodils and forsythia in the gardens, coinciding with an opulent display of potted tropical plants and lavish flowers inside Biltmore House. The season continues with a massive tulip bloom across the estate, multi-colored azaleas, rhododendron and roses in the Historic Rose Garden.

ADMISSION: INCLUDED WITH ESTATE ADMISSION ($24 . 50 - $49. 00) 800 - 411-3812

CUSTOM CARS & RESTORATIONS

stomers! Thank you to our cu siness for 30 years in bu

Restorations Custom creations Custom paint Kit cars

5522 WILLOW ROAD HENDERSONVILLE, NC 828-693-8246

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BR YO ING UR U S S

Festival of Flowers 2014 THE BILTMORE ESTATE, ASHEVILLE,

RE A ST C O TU RA A TI L O N S

MARCH 20 -MAY 23

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events

MARCH 20

stage concept, and the simple act of standing up is transformed into a stupendous feat, while walking up a wall becomes the most natural and effortless event.

North Carolina Elk Program 3 : 00 PM - 8 : 00 PM WNC NATURE CENTER , 75 GASHES CREEK RD, ASHEVILLE, NC Join the Nature Center for an exploration of the native elk species that has returned to the mountains of North Carolina. The program includes a presentation and a field trip to Cataloochee Valley to see the elk.

FEES: $20 PER PERSON | $18 FOR FRIENDS MEMBER

MARCH 29 -30 Orchid Show 10 AM - 5PM

NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM , 100 FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED WAY, ASHEVILLE, NC

MARCH 28 -29 LEO: The Anti-Gravity Show 8 : 00 PM DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE, 2 SOUTH PACK SQUARE, ASHEVILLE, NC In this gravity-defying one-man show fluid, real-world handstands, tumbles and falls are projected by an ingenious video

Serving Western NC Since 1921.

TICKETS: REGULAR $35 , STUDENT $30 , CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER $15; STUDENT RUSH DAY- OF-SHOW ( WITH VALID I . D.) $10 828 -257- 4530 | WWW. DWTHEATRE.COM

Visitors will step into a lush, tropical world at the Western North Carolina Orchid Society’s Annual Show. Thousands of orchids fill the Education Center of the Arboretum in this show, which is one of the largest in the southeast. This year’s theme, “The Lost World of Orchids,” will be an adventure of the imagination. World-class orchid growers from around the country and regional orchid societies will fill the exhibition hall with

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dazzling color, exotic scents, and hints of an ancient world in carefully crafted displays. Vendors will offer orchid supplies and plants for purchase, including the rare and hard-to-find. WNC Orchid Society members will be available to answer questions and provide orchid-growing advice. Visitors will also have the opportunity to attend a number of educational programs given by professional orchid growers and hybridizers.

$12 PER PERSONAL VEHICLE | FREE FOR MEMBERS 828 - 665 -2492 | WWW. NCARBORETUM .ORG NOW-MAY 18

Be the Dinosaur: Life in the Cretaceous NC ARBORETUM , 100 FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED WAY, ASHEVILLE, NC

created. The exhibit also features full-size dinosaur bones and a paleontology field station. The simulation at the core of this exhibit is, to-date, the most complex simulation of dinosaurs and their world ever created. For the first time, artificially intelligent dinosaurs roam across realistic terrain. The dinosaurs have simulated muscle and digestive systems. Virtual winds circulate digital odors, and plants grow and have accurate nutritional values. In order to prepare for a trip into this exciting virtual world, visitors will need to â&#x20AC;&#x153;digâ&#x20AC;? through other exhibit components to unlock the secrets of how dinosaurs survived, and thrived. Admission to exhibit is included in parking fee

$12 PER PERSONAL VEHICLE | FREE FOR MEMBERS 828 - 665 -2492 | WWW. NCARBORETUM .ORG

During this exhibit, you can travel back in time 65 million years. This groundbreaking exhibit combines video game technology and traditional components for an oversized adventure. Visitors take control of their own dinosaur and explore a fully interactive reconstruction of the most complex ancient ecosystem ever

March 2014 | capitalatplay.com 97

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Business Banks On Experience.

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Meet the commercial banking team at Forest Commercial. Each of these professionals combines extensive market knowledge with comprehensive banking experience to give you the advice and guidance you need. They’re backed by local management that offers the advantages of prompt responses and practical solutions. For a reliable source of capital – and a closer banking relationship – talk to Forest Commercial.

ForestCommercialBank.com Asheville: 1127 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803 • 828-255-5711 Hendersonville: 218 North Main Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792 • 828-233-0900 Charlotte: Loan Production Office, 122 Cherokee Road, Charlotte, NC 28207 • 980-321-5946 Member FDIC

An Asheville-Based Bank Serving Commercial, Professional And Personal Clients.

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