Capital at Play January 2015

Annual Manufacturing Edition

CA ITAL LAY The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

FE AT U R ING

Oriole Mill THE

Bringing new life to a dying industry p.10

Knock Out! Undergarments p.30 Misty Mountain Threadworks p.60 Deltec Homes p.76

M ID -W IN T ER R E T R E AT

Georgetown County, South Carolina > The City p.42 > The Beach p.48 > The Outdoors p.86

Volume V - Edition I complimentary edition

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January 2015

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| January 2015

Everyone knows there's jewelry inside a Wick & Greene box, but there's something else you should know... It's not just an ordinary gift from an ordinary person.

It is a message that

you are

very, very special.

After all, those who shop at Wick & Greene are still very much in love.

For extraordinary love 121 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801 828.253.1805 - wickandgreene.com January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

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| January 2015

Closeup of Jacquard Harness cords at The Oriole Mill p.10 Photo by Anthony Harden

F E AT U R E S vol. v

10

THE ORIOLE MILL FABRIC & DESIGN

30

KNOCK OUT!

UNDERGARMENTS

ed. i

60

MISTY MOUNTAIN CLIMBING GEAR

76

DELTEC HOMES

MODULAR STRUCTURES

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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C ON T EN T S L

j a n u a r y 2 015

front street in Georgetown, South Carolina, featuring the town clock on the Old Market Building

41

86

Georgetown County

Weekend Excursions

l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n

c a p i ta l a d v e n t u r i s t

This time of year, the cloudy days and leafless tress can become a burden on the mind, so we took a trip off the mountain to a place that’s casual, convenient, and, most importantly, coastal.

colu m ns

22 I t takes a bold wine to stand up to Old Man Winter Written by John Kerr

70 I nnovative Management: Minding Your Own Business

Written by Chuck Werle

8

| January 2015

When the mountains are cold and gray, there’s adventure just down the hill in Georgetown County, South Carolina.

briefs

26 Carolina in the West 56 The Old North State 72 National & World News

events

92 H appy New Year!

Too much of a vacuum in your social calendar could be a shock to the system. Take some time this January to ween yourself off your fun-filled holiday schedule with these events.

on the cover : Jacquard Harness cords showing harnessed repeat at The Oriole Mill. Photo by Anthony Harden

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Oriole the

Mill

Brings new life to a dying industry by pursing one goal: perfection written by anna r addatz photos by anthony harden

10

| January 2015

this page : Weft accumulators, also

called feeders, that allow for smooth feeding of weft yarns into the open shed of lifted warp threads

facing page : Jacquard Harness cords, showing 30-inch repeat Harness cords, lift warp threads to form the open shed for interlocking with weft threads

Located on the edge of a quiet, suburban neighborhood in Hendersonville, North Carolina, across the street from a Boys & Girls Club, is a low-slung red brick building.

From the outside, it looks like any industrial edifice. At first glance, you might guess it’s a warehouse or plant. In fact, originally constructed after World War II, it spent a substantial portion of its life as a frozen vegetable packaging plant.

Today, the building is still tied to its industrial roots, but in a very different way. Inside the 72,000-square-foot structure are cavernous rooms containing miles of thread, ten electronic looms, and stacks of some of the most gorgeous fabrics you’re ever likely to see.

The folks at The Oriole Mill are on a passionate mission to change the way American textile manufacturing works. Instead of focusing on higher outputs and bigger profits, owner Stephan Michelson and creative director Bethanne Knudson are developing a collaborative culture and are driven by the desire to create textiles worthy of passing down to future generations.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Co-founders Stephan Michelson & Bethanne Knudson

12

| January 2015

As a result, there is one word you will hear repeatedly from every person on their team: “perfection.” It’s a philosophy; it’s a goal; it’s what makes this young business stand apart from other fabric makers.

From First Date to Fabric Production The history of The Oriole Mill begins with a love story.

Back in 1998, Bethanne Knudson was single and 36 years old.

She had recently transitioned from a life in academia (teaching textiles and art at a variety of universities and colleges) to working as a trainer for a Macintosh-based Jacquard fabric design software. She was traveling three weeks out of every four, both nationally and internationally, and had very little time for a personal life.

A friend of Knudson’s, who was a Macintosh engineer, had just met a man named Stephan Michelson, a musician with a recording studio who had hired her to help him with ProTools.

That friend thought Michelson and Knudson would make a good couple, and tried to match them up.

Knudson was hesitant. Not only was she tired of the repetitious get-to-know-you game of singledom, she was also so busy with her work, she couldn’t imagine maintaining a real relationship. But she finally relented, allowing her friend to give Michelson her phone number.

Michelson called her on Thanksgiving weekend (“Which was very strange, right? Because any sane person knows that’s a

A closeup of a honeycomb weave woven with multiple weft colors to produce optical color mixing

Closeup of Jacquard cloth, showing motifs being formed from the warp lifts

time for family and travel,” says Knudson.) and they talked for an hour. “I didn’t know then that his typical phone call lasts for three and a half minutes,” she says.

After a couple more dates, and a flurry of heartfelt emails during Knudson’s subsequent business trips, the two were officially an item.

A couple years later, Knudson would open The Jacquard Center, a training facility in Hendersonville for full-immersion study of Jacquard woven textiles. And Michelson would continue his work as a statistical analyst for lawyers involved in litigation.

(His illustrious CV includes a PhD in economics from Stanford, teaching positions at Reed College and Harvard University, and stints at both the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute.)

But around 2004 Knudson was hitting a creative wall. As a textile designer, she naturally wanted to see her designs produced.

However, as North Carolina textile mills were disappearing, it was becoming harder to find mills to produce her work and that of her Jacquard Center students. And when she did find them, she was limited by their existing loom set-ups, yarn quality, and production schedules.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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As a result, Knudson wanted to get a Jacquard loom for The Jacquard Center. She and Michelson explored this idea, but, as Michelson says, “when you investigate what it takes, it turns out to be a very stupid idea.” One loom cannot produce enough output to support the infrastructure that that single loom requires.

“I expressed frustration, and he was looking to solve my frustration,” says Knudson of Michelson. “And, frankly, Stephan doesn’t do anything small.”

For Michelson’s part, he hated to see Knudson’s abilities go unexpressed. “Here’s this fantastic design talent without an outlet,” he says. “I wanted to help her have a platform.”

The only solution seemed to be to open their own mill. So the pair started looking for a location and equipment.

While Michelson seemed more than happy to invest his own time and money into such a massive undertaking, Knudson was nervous. “I had far more trepidation,” she says. “I was afraid of what we were taking on.”

Looking back, she realizes that she was right to be afraid.

“We both knew it was going to be very difficult, but I don’t think it ever occurred to either of us that it might be impossible,” she says. “That reality surfaced in 2008, which is when we were launching—and the economy collapsed.”

Launching Into a Dying Industry The American textile industry has been in decline for a long time.

Barry Conner, the head overhauler at The Oriole Mill, grew up in Rutherford County, North Carolina, in the 1970s. In those days most everyone in the area worked in textiles. His parents both worked in mills, and Conner, like many of his classmates, dropped out of high school (where he took elective courses in textiles) to work in the mills, which offered salaries of $30,000 to $40,000 per year. “In 1984, at the age of sixteen, I was making $480 a week,” he recalls. “We viewed it as a career you’d start in and retire from.”

But Conner watched as that career path disappeared. In 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed. Manufacturers began moving their facilities to Mexico to take advantage of cheap labor. “Textiles was one of the first industries to go overseas,” says Conner. “It was a major blow to the South and the whole Eastern seaboard.”

As a result, Conner left the mill, got his high school diploma, and went on to other things, including 14

| January 2015

Josh Durham adjusting Leno warp spool, which holds the outside edge (selvedge) in place

Ikat dyed, triple warp on a Macomber hand loom

Electronic controls for weft color selection and insertion

An inside view of a Staubli Jacquard head

working in his father’s restaurant business, and owning several businesses of his own, ranging from custom concrete coating to home restoration.

Meanwhile, the textile industry was dealt another blow in 2000, due to the U.S.-China Relations Act. The act lifted restrictions on Chinese imports, encouraging American manufacturers to outsource to China and leading to an influx of cheap, imported goods.

“While the rest of the country was focused on the California tech bubble bursting,” says Knudson, “the textile industry was

collapsing here, and no one seemed to notice or even care.” She says that it happened so quickly that in the spring of 2000 she was contacted once or twice a week by headhunters looking for Jacquard designers; by October those inquiries had turned into designers looking for work.

When Knudson and Michelson were looking for equipment for their future mill, they hoped to buy machines as they could afford them. But they found themselves in the position of scrambling to snag machines before they all left the country. Michelson, who had planned to put up the cash for the business, says he had never been in debt in his life. But he took out a $1.5 million line of credit in order to purchase equipment before it all disappeared.

“We didn’t think we would save the industry,” says Knudson, “just change the way it works.” But as domestic mills disappeared, it became clear that The Oriole Mill would play a small but important role in preserving an American industry.

Then, as Michelson and Knudson planned to launch their venture, the financial crisis of 2007-08 hit. Knudson says the economic downturn “was the last nail in the coffin for the mills that had hung on.”

The evaporation of short-term loans, which struggling mills and other textile-related businesses had been using to cover payroll, were the death knell. For example, Knudson says that “within

Not only were high-quality, Americanmade supplies disappearing at an alarming rate, the industry they were entering was shrinking fast.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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six months, we lost the last spinning mill in the U.S. that was capable of mercerizing* yarn.” (Today The Oriole Mill sources its mercerized cotton yarn from Egypt.)

This was a sobering reality check for the nascent business. Not only were high-quality, American*Mercerizing (mur-suh-rahyz): made supplies disappearing at an alarming rate, the to treat cellulosic materials, industry they were entering was shrinking fast. On typically cotton threads, with top of that, the peers that Michelson and Knudson sodium hydroxide so as to looked to for guidance and support had no interest shrink the fiber, strengthening in offering either. them and giving them a “There is not a textile industry, in a sense of people lustrous appearance. who identify with each other and think of themselves in a common quest,” says Michelson. “Mill owners are so into competition and backbiting. Everybody’s out to destroy everybody else.” He tells stories of mill owners who have purchased equipment they don’t need, just to keep Michelson from buying it. And he has heard of other owners who will destroy equipment when they’re through with it, rather than put it up for sale.

As a result, in many ways, Michelson and Knudson were on their own. They had a warehouse in Hendersonville (purchased in 2006), a handful of machines, and a lot of passion.

But perhaps most importantly, they had Barry Conner on their team.

A New Kind of Mill Worker In 2007 Conner was looking for a stable nine-to-five job so he could spend more time with his family, and had a job lined up with the City of Hendersonville. But then he heard about The Oriole Mill, and saw an opportunity to work with machines again, in an industry that was dear to him. “I thought it was wonderful that they’d found a niche in something that was long gone,” he says.

But what really drew Conner to The Oriole Mill was its fresh approach. In the old mill model, the goal was to increase profits by making more product, faster and cheaper. Each worker had one job that they did day in and day out, and, as Conner recalls, “management had no respect for you and didn’t care about anything going on with you.” Workers were seen as disposable, easily replaceable.

But Conner understood that Michelson and Knudson had a different vision. “Their idea was to take the finest materials on the planet and make perfect fabric,” he says.

“I just never had seen that in textiles.”

It was a philosophy that immediately resonated with Conner. “It’s about quality, taking your time, doing it right,” he says. “That was always my mentality that I was raised with. It’s just that you never get to use that in other environments.”

He joined The Oriole Mill team as overhauler (a role that Knudson describes as “someone who can take apart a weaving machine and make it as good as the day it left the factory”) and today he can’t think of one thing he doesn’t like about his job.

He and the other four employees don’t punch in and out at a time clock, and they’re self-supervised. Every employee wears multiple hats, so no two days are ever the same. And Conner gets to put his ingenuity to full use, coming up with new machine fixes all the time.

Michelson says that back when they were looking for machines, having Conner on their side was key. While dealers told Michelson he was crazy to look for equipment in the United States, since so much of it had gone overseas, he did find machines here and there, including two looms in a warehouse in South Carolina. “It was only because we had Barry that we had the confidence to buy them,” says Michelson.

“We knew Barry could make them work.”

Knudson agrees. She says that buying used equipment is like buying a used car: you never really know what problems you’re inheriting. “If you don’t have someone

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above ( l to r ) :

Libby O’Bryan, Bethanne Knudson, Stephan Michelson, & Barry Conner right :

Barry Conner, master machine overhauler far right :

Libby O’Bryan in the design studio with the pattern library in the background 18

| January 2015

For example, Knudson explains that most overhaulers would never operate a loom or make a sample for a designer—tasks they would consider “beneath their station.” And most designers would never actually be at the loom as their designs were woven, looking down on the mill workers as “grease monkeys.”

But she says that she and Conner often work together at the loom because they both share the same goal of making the best fabric possible. Conner is able to evaluate whether Knudson’s design will run smoothly in production, and Knudson can alter the design if need be. “At the loom, he and I together can solve a problem in four minutes,” says Knudson.

Designing, Cutting, and Sewing

This fabric is part of a series based on Bethanne’s etchings

of Barry’s skill and ability, you’re dead in the water,” she says.

“This mill would not exist without Barry.”

It may seem that with all of the mill workers who lost their jobs over the previous decades, there would be a glut of overhaulers who could fill this role at The Oriole Mill. But Knudson says that Conner’s level of skill is rare. Michelson adds that most of the people who worked in the previous mill structure don’t fit in at their company.

They tried hiring some of them before settling on the current team, but the level of flexibility and creativity demanded by such a small mill was a challenge for traditional mill workers. Used to having one role and one place in the hierarchy, they bristled at an environment that required constantly shifting duties.

“Paying workers a living wage and using materials that are longlasting and nontoxic should be the norm, not the exception,” O’Bryan says.

Today, The Oriole Mill has three main lines of business.

First, it sells yardage of their fabrics to the furniture industry.

(Crate & Barrel is currently selling a rocking chair, the Jeremiah Fabric Back Rocker, that features the Mill’s fabric.) Second, it weaves for Pavo Textiles, a baby-wrap company. And third, the Mill produces its own line of “top of the bed” products, which includes coverlets, duvets, throws, pillows, and shams—all of which are available at their website (theoriolemill.com).

As designer and creative director, Knudson is the visual mind behind the stunning patterns. She claims that explaining her design inspirations is hard for her, but that’s most likely because her inspiration comes from so many places—from historic textiles (a scrap of tatting made by her great grandmother) to old ceramic tiles (“They’re already in repeat, so they translate well,” she says.) to designs from her own drawings, paintings, and etchings. She also gets new ideas from special yarns or from playing around with weave structure.

Knudson says the most important element in her design process is just having the freedom to experiment—a luxury that many textile designers don’t have. Other designers usually have to work within set “recipes,” and may only have the option of altering colors or motifs. But Knudson, with a whole mill at her fingertips, including eight Jacquard looms that can create extremely complicated patterns, is at liberty to play. “We’re developing new recipes all the time,” she says, “and they’re distinct to this mill and our set-ups.”

While Knudson has major talent in the design arena, she will be the first to say that she’s not a seamstress. Her dream for the mill was to bring in yarn and then send out finished products. But for that she needed an expert in the “cut and sew” department.

“We knew those skills existed in this area, but we couldn’t find the caliber we needed,” she says. Similar to the challenge with finding mill workers, the cut and sew providers who had worked with the traditional textile industry were focused on doing things quickly. Knudson worried that once someone is used to doing a task with speed, it’s hard for them to go back and learn to do it slowly and meticulously.

Through a mutual friend, Knudson met Libby O’Bryan, a young woman who had a background in fashion design, patternmaking, sewing, and business administration. At the time, O’Bryan was January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 19

living in Chicago and was trying to figure out her place in the world. She was struggling with the shift of production from domestic to overseas, and the “continual glut of consumption” inherent to fashion cycles. Eventually, O’Bryan decided she wanted to start her own cut and sew operation where, as she describes it, “skill and labor in a domestic manufacturing environment could be preserved, honored, and celebrated.”

O’Bryan knew about The Oriole Mill and hoped to pick Knudson’s brain as a mentor. But Knudson surprised her by inviting her to run her cut and sew business out of the Mill’s facility—and offering to be O’Bryan’s first client. After some consideration, O’Bryan accepted the opportunity, moving to Asheville and launching the Western Carolina Sewing Company, or Sew Co., in 2010.

Today, O’Bryan spends about half of her time working on development and production for The Oriole Mill and the other half on her other clients. Her small team—made of up women from a variety of backgrounds (industry veterans, fiber artists, and custom apparel makers)—makes 400 to 500 items per month, ranging from baby wraps to karate tool bags to high-end women’s wear. While the clients may be varied, they all have one thing in common: they demand high-quality finished products.

“I don’t want some clients who don’t care if it’s perfect,” O’Bryan says. “That way, we always know to do our best work.”

Quality for Life Up and running for seven years now (the first yard of fabric was produced in 2007), The Oriole Mill is stable, but still searching for its place in the market. The fact that it’s still around at all could be considered something of a miracle.

As far as traditional manufacturing goes, the business is doing everything “the wrong way.” Instead of focusing on mass production, efficiency, and division of labor, this mill is all about perfection, experimentation, and a supportive work environment. The result is artisanal products that carry a relatively high price tag (coverlets start at $1,200, throws at $400).

But there’s a reason that the traditional manufacturing model is so popular: it’s very good at making money. Making cheap products and selling them to the masses is a tried-and-true recipe for getting rich. To eschew this model and still succeed in modern times means fighting against all odds—a fight that, for many, is well worth it.

O’Bryan says that cheap, ubiquitous goods come at the cost of poor wages, poor working conditions, and environmental damage. “Paying workers a living wage and using materials that are long-lasting and non-toxic should be the norm, not the exception,” she says. “If that was the case, the economy would shift to that reality, making our goods more accessible.”

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| January 2015

In short, if consumers purchased fewer higher-quality goods that could last for years, or even generations, then investing in those higher-priced items would make sense. In the fashion world it’s known as saving up for “investment pieces,” a trend that could take hold in the area of home decor as well.

The question is: are the American people ready for that shift?

Does the demand for high-quality goods actually exist?

Michelson worries that perhaps it does not. He offers an interesting comparison taken from his other passion—music.

He notes that in the music industry audio formats improved over time. From the phonograph cylinder to the vinyl record to compact discs, each format introduced better sound quality than the last. But now, with MP3s, sound quality has actually decreased. Michelson explains that music is recorded at about four times the bit rate as the consumer receives it as an MP3.

To him, this represents the first time in music recording history that the consumer has deliberately chosen an inferior product.

“There’s tremendous fidelity out there, but there’s no market for it,” he says. “The public has chosen convenience over quality. That’s our fear about textiles. We’ve produced this incredible stuff, but people are into cheaper, faster, whatever they can buy quickly at the store.”

For her part, Knudson is optimistic that this can change, as some people start to ask themselves different questions when

they’re shopping. “When I see something that’s such a great deal,” she says, “now I ask myself, ‘How can they do it for that price?

What corners are they cutting? Would I be comfortable rewarding this behavior if I knew how this product came to be in my hands?’”

Conner adds that the quality aspect of many products has suffered so much that both the consumers and the companies are starting to notice. He says the products coming from overseas often have so many defects that they have to be shipped back (a considerable cost for those companies) and re-done. And it’s not just foreign manufacturers who are guilty of shoddiness, Conner says he knows of an American mill whose output is 40% defects.

“A lot of companies have started to navigate back this way,” he says. “I don’t think [the domestic textile industry] will ever rise up to its former glory, but things are shifting.”

As they maneuver through this entrepreneurial journey together, Michelson and Knudson are betting their time, their resources, and their energy that the shifting tide toward quality over quantity is nigh.

And as they spread the word about their “top of the bed” line (which was recently featured in The New York Times), and make plans for future product lines (including “top of the table” items like tablecloths, napkins, and placemats), it’s clear that their guiding principle—perfection—will keep them on track toward making beautiful things that are worthy of future generations.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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It takes a bold wine to stand up to Old Man Winter

B

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john is the co-owner of Metro Wines located on Charlotte Street in downtown Asheville.

by JOHN KERR

ABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE. With temperatures plummeting towards their low of the year, it’s time to hunker down.

You’ve got to leave the house sometime and endure the bracing cold. But when you’re back, the only thing that can truly warm your bones is comfort food. Winter foods fit the bill—they tend to be heavier and have more meat and fat. Nothing quite satisfies like beef stew simmering all day in the slow cooker, or the bite of your secret chili recipe served while watching the game. To complete the meal, you’re going to need a wine that won’t get lost in the weight and richness of this rib sticking fare.

And it’s not just the cold that’s setting in. The excesses of the holidays may be over, but the bills of December are just starting to arrive in your mailbox. Perhaps it’s time to show a little austerity as you begin the New Year. Yes, you can retroactively justify that $200 bottle of Dom Perignon you poured on New Year’s Eve by cost averaging with a few $20 bottles bought in January.

To get the best value, you’re going to need to take the road less traveled. There are many reasons for the high cost of the wines you know so well, such as the fame of the winery or the region. Today’s goal is to drag you past the display of Napa Cabs to the back of the shop where they keep the lesser known wines. The corners of your wine shop hold the wines of great value—the wines that you pay only for the quality of 22

| January 2015

the juice in the bottle and nothing more.

Here are several wines that are either grapes you know but from a place you probably don’t, or wines that the regular wine drinker wouldn’t know about without several nights of homework. All of these wines stand up to winter fare. They are wines that have that extra oomph with a thicker texture or bigger fruit. And no, they are not all red wines. We’ll also offer up a few weighty whites along with one wine that I’ll bet you swore off when you first tasted it. All these unloved wines ask is that you give them the chance to win you over.

Let’s start with the world’s best loved red grape, Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Valley is arguably the most famous home for Cabs, pushing the price of the most coveted wines from this region well beyond the average car payment. It’s hard to find a good Napa Cab for less than $50, let alone below $30. But James Creek Vineyards 2010 is priced at only $23. The price

The corners of your wine shop hold the wines of great value— the wines that you pay only for the quality of the juice in the bottle and nothing more.

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stems from the low cost of the vineyard land in Pope Valley, an unknown valley that runs parallel to the Napa Valley. It has the same soil types, but not as much access to the coastal fog. The hotter climate results in a Cab with the signature Napa style, but plump with soft fruit.

For more great Cabernet Sauvignon, head to South Africa. While you weren’t watching, South African vintners used the last decade to vastly improve the quality of their wines. And you can feel better while you pour these wines knowing that South Africa is one of the “greenest” wine regions on earth. The style of South African wines tend to lie somewhere between the bigger wines of the West Coast and the complexity and structure of Europe’s best. One good example is Mulderbosch’s Faithful Hound 2012, at about $22. Faithful Hound has quietly caught the attention of wine critics worldwide. In recent years, Eric Asimov of the New York Times included it in his top 20 wine selection, and Wine Spectator placed it in their top 100 wine list.

When it’s time for meatloaf or a bacon cheeseburger, pull out South Africa’s Indaba Mosaic 2013, at about $12. You’ll find succulent flavors of blackcurrant, ripe brambly berry fruit, and dark chocolate with subtle spice notes in this Cabernet dominated blend. In the background is award winning consultant Bruwer Raats pulling the strings to ensure a perfect balance of fruit and acid.

Grow n on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius and neighboring volcanoes, Aglianico is slated to become Italy’s next big red. The best of these wines are dark and impenetrable with a dry, complex finish accented by the volcanic minerals drawn in by the vines. Fontanavecchia Aglianico 2009, at about $18, opens with aromas of underbrush, tilled soil, and black plum.

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The juicy palate delivers ripe blackberry and cherry accented by cinnamon, black pepper, and licorice. If you’re willing to open your wallet just a little more, step up to Fontanavecchia Aglianico Reserva 2007. This remarkable wine has more of everything found in the regular Aglianico. Normally, it is about $36 a bottle, however, an importer’s sale has lowered the price to around $32 a bottle in some North Carolina retail shops for a short time.

attracted to its sweetness and left the Nebbiolo grape for the vintners. Families began making wine from Dolcetto, and it soon became the region’s everyday wine. Renato Ratti Dolcetto d’Alba Colombé 2012, at about $19, is a great example. It’s spicy and mildly jammy pomegranate and cherry flavors are supported by a dense frame.

For me, the most comforting of comfort foods is Mexican cuisine. This fare pushes every foodie hot button—chewy corn tortillas heaped with tender chicken slathered in sharp tomatoes, onions, and chilies.

And all this topped with gooey cheese. Most of us have enjoyed Tempranillo and Garnacha but few have heard of Monastrell, a huge red. Juan Gil produces several Monastrell at different quality points. Your best bang for the buck is simply named Juan Gil Monastrell, priced at about $18. This wine is a slightly jammy beast that is pretty much a cross between Zinfandel and Shiraz.

But don’t limit Juan Gil to Mexican food. Place this wine on the table with empanadas or any tomato based Spanish dish.

Aren’t white wines too light for winter fare? Not so. White

For years I wondered why the creator of the martini decided to ruin a perfectly good glass of gin by adding vermouth.

For further Italian values, look to the indigenous grapes of Southern Italy. But there is one bargain wine in Northern Italy worth pursuing. Dolcetto is the workhorse grape of the Piedmont region. The name means “little sweet one” in Italian.

Before modern deterrents, Piedmont winemakers planted Dolcetto in the fields of the exalted Nebbiolo grape. Birds were

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For years I wondered why the creator of the martini decided to ruin a perfectly good glass of gin by adding vermouth. It wasn’t until I tried the original European version did I realize how a hint of vermouth made the martini the world’s most famous mixed beverage. If you’re bar hopping in Spain, it won’t take you long to notice that just about every establishment has its own version of vermouth on tap, serving it straight up or on ice.

A good vermouth should be on everyone’s bucket list. Spain and Italy make it by infusing wine with fresh herbs and bitter orange peel. Spain’s Perucchi red vermouth is the secret ingredient in Manhattans at many of North Carolina’s best restaurants. And it’s good enough to enjoy on its own. Build a roaring fire, and then bask in the warmth while sipping on a glass of Perucchi red along with a hunk of Manchego cheese.

You should find Perucchi red and white vermouth at your local wine shop for about $19.

So, fear not winter’s cold. Bold food with well paired wine will get you through the long winter nights. I hope these wines add to your indoor adventure while you hunker down and wait for spring.

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wines vary just as much as the range in red Beaujolais to Shiraz. Seek out a winter white—a heavy white that relies more on texture than on fruit. These wines have a viscous quality and the oak in some provides additional structure.

Heavy whites actually pair better than reds for winter dishes made from creamy sauces, or meals with main events like herbed roast chicken or braised pork.

If you like the heavy oaky California style, turn to Truchard Roussanne at about $24 for a great value. Everyone knows California Chardonnay, and its fame has pushed its prices into the $30 to $60 range. Few recognize the name Roussanne but there is a good chance that you’ve been enjoying it for years.

Roussanne is one of the blending grapes used to add weight to the white wines of Southern France. Truchard had the insight to use Roussanne to produce the Napa Chardonnay experience with a twist.

For a sure fire selection, look to cool-climate winemaking countries in Europe for a winter white. Gruner Veltliner from Austria is just now catching on in the United States, and the sommelier will give you a knowing nod if you ask him/her to recommend one. A good Gruner has a discernible texture, with tamped down fruit replaced by beautiful minerality. The best range from $30 to $50 a bottle, but Muller-Grossmann runs

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CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

Ashe County largest producer of trees in country

]

latest numbers show that Ashe County is now, in fact, the largest producer of trees anywhere in the United States.”

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According to The Washington Post, Ashe County is the largest tree producer in the country. According to its research, “American tree farmers harvested at least 17 million trees each year, according to the most recent USDA Agricultural Census.

And nearly half of these trees, about eight million, come from just six counties in North Carolina and Oregon…Topping the overall list is Ashe County, North Carolina, which produces just shy of two million trees per year. That’s nearly 100 for every man, woman, and child living there. The Ashe County Christmas Tree Association boasts that the county is the biggest tree producer east of the Mississippi. But the

Master plan to be prepared for Mountainsto-Sea State Trail western north carolina

as a continuous, off-road trail experience, presenting opportunities for hiking, biking, and horseback riding through some of North Carolina’s most scenic landscapes. In areas where the trail is not yet complete, detours along secondary roads give determined hikers the opportunity to complete the trek. A finalized master plan will determine a path toward official designation of remaining areas by establishing priorities for completing trail sub-sections. It will also merge regional planning efforts, recognize potential new partners and funding strategies, and form guidelines for signs and publicity. The state parks system has hired Planning Communities LLC to make a detailed master plan by late 2015 at a contract price of $120,000 supported through the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

According to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, a primary component of the enduring master plan for the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail will be ideas collected from partners, hendersonville, nc stakeholders, and the public. The 1,000mile trail corridor will eventually link After a twenty-nine year absence, FM Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky radioThe returns to Hendersonville with Introducing Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge State Park the awarding of an FM frequency to on the coast. Roughly two thirds of the Radio Hendersonville’s WHKP by the cross-state course has been completed Federal Communications Commission,

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according to president and general manager Art Cooley. WHKP was awarded an FM frequency (102.5) in 1957, which it maintained and grew into one of the area’s most listened to country music stations, WKIT, promoted as KIT KOUNTRY. The station was sold in 1985, moved to Greenville, South Carolina, and is now known as MY 102. The new Hendersonville FM station will be what is commonly known in the industry as a translator, which is limited by the Federal Communications Commission to re-broadcasting the signal of an existing low-power AM station. That process is known in the radio industry as simulcasting. According to Cooley, the FM translator will be located at 107.7 on the FM radio dial and will allow WHKP to reach areas in the county, both during daytime hours and at night time, with a top-grade, clear broadcast signal, which the AM station currently has difficulty doing. Now, listeners will have the choice of listening to WHKP at 1450 as they have for the past 68 years on the AM dial or tune to the new 107.7 frequency on the FM dial. The programs will be the same on both AM and FM. According to Cooley, the programming will essentially remain the same on the station, carrying

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the old north state

national & world

a heavy schedule of local news under the direction of Larry Freeman, along with occasional editorials and programs from out of the past. The FOX News Network, Rush Limbaugh, Clark Howard, several local financial and real estate shows, UNC along with Appalachian and Carolina Panthers Sports, plus local high school sports will also be continued. Music selections will include a broader mix of current and classic country hits. WHKP will continue to be heard world-wide on the internet web site at whkp.com.

carolina in the west

forty-seven artists with 69 individual entries. The votes were cast online, and over 11,500 votes were tallied. Covell’s entry titled “Good Tidings of Great Joy” received the most votes. Church congregations, groups, and individuals can download the Christmas card at episcopalchurch.org/page/2014-episcopal-church-christmas-card.

Robert Earl Keen joining MerleFest 2015 wilkesboro, nc

Area artist wins national Christmas card contest flat rock, nc

Flat Rock painter Joan Covell won the inaugural National Episcopal Church Christmas Card Contest. She is a member of the Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness. Although she spent time researching historical images of Bethlehem and studying plant life through pictures she took of date palms near the Sea of Galilee, her primary inspiration surfaced from a nine-day trip she took to Israel three years ago.

The national competition attracted

MerleFest has added Robert Earl Keen to the music festival’s lineup. The four day event, scheduled for April 23 to 26, 2015, is an annual gathering of musicians and music fans. The venue is the campus of Wilkesboro’s Wilkes Community College. Keen was welcomed into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, and has established a reputation as one of the nation’s finest musical storytellers. Keen’s next project, “Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions,” is expected to be released in early 2015. Keen’s participation in the festival highlights the diversity and quality of performers who take part in

Our athletic teams wear it with a winner’s pride. Green is the color of nature. Our location is the definition of the great outdoors. Green is the color of growth. Our boys mature into balanced, complete men – prepared for competitive universities, prepared for life.

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the event. MerleFest was established in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson.

The annual event has developed into the main fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs.

The music festival is celebrated for its unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, Americana, blues, country, Celtic, Cajun, cowboy, zydeco, rock, and various other styles. Other performers for MerleFest 2015 will be announced in the approaching months. The current lineup can be found at merlefest.org/lineup. Tickets for MerleFest are now on sale and Design 2015 Services may beby purchased at merlefest.org or by Joe Cottrell calling 1-800-343-7857.

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sor Jon Jicha painted some of his favorite fish for the North Carolina Department of Transportation to use in two new vehicle plate designs. The designs display native brook trout, which is North Carolina’s official freshwater fish, and red drum, the official state saltwater fish, in their natural habitats. The plates will help emphasize the necessity of preserving the state’s natural resources. In 2007 Jicha’s asked a district state senator to sponsor a bill supporting a native brook trout specialty plate. In 2014 the State Legislature approved the measure, also adding approval for a plate featuring the red drum. According to Patricia Smith, public information officer with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries in Morehead City, the sale of the plates will help fund habitat protection of red drum waters. However, there is a hurdle for the plate’s existence. For

the plates to be stamped and made, at least 500 orders for each one have to be collected before July 1, 2015. Plates can be ordered in two ways: North Carolina residents can go to their local DMV to fill out a registration form request, or they can visit the NC DMV online at edmv.ncdot.gov/ VehicleRegistration/ SpecialPlate. Before customers can order a plate through the DMV, they must first fill out an application form.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is col lecting Native Brook Trout applications (ncwildlife.org/Fishing/ NativeBrookTroutLicensePlate.aspx).

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is collecting Red Drum applications (portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/red-drumlicense-plate1).

Sierra Nevada opening taproom and restaurant mills river, nc

According to a company spokesman, Sierra Nevada Brewing plans to open its Mills River brewery taproom and restaurant in February. It will include a canning line at the brewery, and a music hall is expected to open in the summer.

The restaurant will hold nearly 100 tables and offer American classic food, highlighting sustainable and organic cuisine. Nearly 130 new employees have been recruited for the project, doubling Sierra Nevada’s workforce at the brewery in Mills River, North Carolina. With a music room upstairs, the taproom will offer a 20-barel pilot brewery with 16 to 20 taps dedicated for Sierra brews. Some will be exclusively offered at the site.

Asheville AC Hotel asheville, nc

Work has begun on the soon to be AC Hotel in downtown Asheville. The hotel will rise at the intersection of Market Street and Langren Alley with a 10

for third and fourth grade students. The program will involve six 50-minute classes at each elementary school and a trip to Appalachian State University’s Turchin Center to encourage students to connect to the arts.

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Broadway Street address. McKibbon Hotel Management is a franchise of Marriot International, Inc. and is a partner in the project. McKibbon will own and manage the 132 room hotel, which will include a 336 space parking deck. The hotel will also have 2,087-square-feet of meeting space available for guests. The hotel is expected to be at least nine stories and should open during summer 2016.

High Gravity Adventure to open in Blowing Rock blowing rock, nc

High Country Local Grant Recipients from Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation boone, nc

Watauga County citizens will benefit from grants recently awarded that accumulate to $5,400. Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation gave the grants to local helping agencies for the 2014 grant cycle. In 2006 the Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation established the Membership Foundation to provide such grants as the recent one. Its overall goal is to support the work of community organizations offering services that enrich the quality of life for the cooperative’s members. The Foundation’s priorities are to support projects in the areas of health, wellness, education, youth, and economic and community development. During the Membership Foundation’s current grant cycle, a total of $64,500 was awarded to help 15 different organizations across the Blue Ridge service area. Local organizations in the High Country that received grants include F.A.R.M. Café and Truch Center for Visual Arts. F.A.R.M. Café was awarded $3,000 to keep funding the feeding program, “Pay What You Can.” Customers who are unable to make a donation for their meal are asked to work in the restaurant for an hour to help pay for the cost of the meal. However, if that is not possible, no one is turned away.

Turchin Center for Visual Arts was given $2,400 to help fund the program, “The Artist Within,” an expressive art program

Construction is proceeding on High Gravity Adventure, a new aerial adventure park located next to Tweetsie Railroad. The attraction will have numerous components and high adrenaline activities for children and adults. High Gravity Adventure is scheduled to open this spring with the opening of Tweetsie Railroad’s 2015 season on April 10th.

High Gravity Adventure will contain three main components. There will be an Adventure Course with three levels of challenges that gradually progress in difficulty, being 20 feet, 35 feet, and 50 feet off the ground. More than 50 different challenges will make up the Adventure Course. The second element will be a Junior Course, positioned 15 feet off the ground and designed to provide activities for younger children.

The third component, planned as part of Phase 2, is a Zip Line Tour and Freefall.

The Zip Line Tour will take participants on an exciting series of aerial expeditions through Blue Ridge Mountain forests and meadows surrounding Tweetsie Railroad.

High Gravity Adventure will have activities for children as young as four or five years old, as well as adults. It will have state-of-the-art safety systems and the latest technology in all of its courses.

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Unmentionable Business THE

written by marie bartlett photos by anthony harden & courtesy of knock out ! ®

Most people, when they hear the phrase “Don’t get your panties in a wad,” think relax, calm down (the Brits prefer “knickers in a twist”). But when Angela Newnam, president and CEO of Angle Enterprises, LLC, hears the phrase she thinks “opportunity.”

As founder and owner of Knock out!® Panties, a Made-in-America undergarment and sleepwear brand carried in boutiques throughout the United States and overseas, Angela has found a viable solution to the age-old problem of women and the love/hate relationship they share with their underwear.

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angel a newnam :

Five years an entrepreneur, 14 years a mom, and 16 years a wife.

Swatches and fabric options

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Page Ashby, Leslie Betsill, and the line operator pose in front of the new slate fabric

Undies, unmentionables, personables that don’t fit or feel right are something that every woman can relate to: too tight, too loose, too flimsy to survive multiple washings. Let’s not even talk about the odor and “leakage” problem that isn’t discussed in polite society, but is the bane of many active women, especially as they age.

In fact, it was this very conversation Angela, an energetic, attractive blonde, had with a group of women friends that planted the seed for her now thriving company.

“After baby number three, around 2005, we were living in Charlotte. The discussion was how to lose baby weight, which led to working out and why there weren’t suitable undergarments for women that could absorb sweat. Or say you’re doing a jumping jack and you have the pesky leak. So I did a little research on products and found nothing.”

With an impressive business pedigree and her self-described driven nature, Angela started digging.

“I ordered fabrics, searched the patent database, and eventually found a technology in existence for odor and leakage control. Literally, it was a Febreeze® on fabric,” she says.

“More interesting, it was developed in Rutherford County, 32

| January 2015

North Carolina, near Tryon, and being used on hunter’s apparel under the brand name No Trace®.”

The small world grew even smaller when she dug deeper and learned there was a strong interconnection between her growing interest in fabric technology and her own personal background.

Her husband had grown up in Danville, Virginia, home of Dan River, Inc., one of the largest textile mills in America and the owner of the No Trace® odor absorbing technology. Like the majority of cotton mills, it was in financial straits by 2006, shutting plants left and right even before the recession closed in.

“We learned that Dan River had just gone bankrupt, and I wondered how to license their technology. What I found was that they hadn’t yet sold their patent. I made an offer. No one was buying anything in 2008, and the company was happy to get anything, even a low price. Once we had the patent, in 2009, we did a year of research and development to find the right wicking fabric and develop our patent for a new type of panty.”

Angela had bought the patent and developed some fabrics, but that was a long way from starting a business and bringing a product to market. “I took the leap, but I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had been a consultant to businesses, but not the founder of one. I guess the stars just aligned.”

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, the oldest of three, she grew up in Tryon. “My dad spent his entire career in textiles at Milliken in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and retired as an executive division president. After I graduated from Tryon High School, I went to the University of Virginia where I got my undergraduate degree in business. I wanted to work in manufacturing—I liked the analytics and the problem-solving aspects of it—so I joined A.T. Kearney, a leading manufacturing and supply chain consultancy. After three years, a former professor encouraged me to apply to Harvard Business School. That’s

where I got my masters in business administration, in 1996, met my husband, Todd, and moved to Charlotte.”

Harvard, she says, opened a lot of doors for her. She returned to consulting, with the premier firm of McKinsey & Company, advisors to the world’s leading businesses. McKinsey was growing its operations practices and had a new office in Charlotte.

“After living in New York, Boston, and Chicago, I was ready to return to the south.” Thereafter, she spent nine more years in consulting, five with Springs Industries, a billion dollar textile company in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

“So between my dad working in textiles, and my association with textiles, I had enough knowledge to be dangerous. I didn’t study textiles in school, and I am not a textile engineer. I did, however, know enough about textiles to find my way around the business. I love the feel of natural fabrics and fibers. I committed to *Supima®: A licensed staying away from synthetic fabrics, trademark, owned by and instead, figure out a way to get Supima and its members, the best performance out of natural used to promote products fabric, especially cotton.” made of 100% Pima cotton Moisture-wicking technology (a generic name for extra has been around for decades, long staple cotton) and used primarily in sports apparel is strictly controlled by made from synthetic polyesters. the grower organization.

The fabric is designed so that moisture cannot be absorbed and passes through the fabric, “wicking” it away from the body and dispersing it to an exterior part of the fabric for faster drying.

However, would it work on cotton, the fabric of choice for what Angela had in mind? Not just any cotton, but Supima*, which is the highest grade 100% cotton. A natural fiber that is “breathable,” cotton offers several advantages, including January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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“I run the photo shoots because I like that creative part of the job. We set out to portray soft and feminine, from all American girls to Marilyn Monroe. We want to come across as fun and light, with a product women will tell their friends about.”

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the ability to control moisture, insulate against heat and cold, and provide comfort through its softness and ability to stretch. That’s why it’s recommended by healthcare providers and is so often used in undergarments.

“It took numerous trials in the lab to get the wicking and the odor combination just right,” Angela recalls. “The first two trials failed. We had given very specific instructions, yet the technologies were not working together. Turns out, one of the companies we were working with had added a softener we hadn’t specified. Once that problem was fixed, we were finally rocking and rolling.”

By June, 2010, they were ready to send out samples to 100 women and see what response they received in return. When the results arrived, adjustments were made on the patterns, but everyone who sampled the built-in liner loved it.

Getting a name for the product was next. That’s where Angela’s creative side kicked in. She wanted something catchy and fun, yet practical.

“I was trying to think of a name for high tech underwear that had performance built in, names that were “sexy,” but were also strong enough to deal with sweat and odor, not exactly what you discuss at cocktail parties. My designer and I were messing around with names and she said ‘How about knockout knickers?’ I was like well, I like the “knockout” part. So we came up with a name that allowed a double meaning: the knockout meaning a glamour girl and the knockout image of the strong, active woman.”

Simultaneously, they set out to get the supply chain in place: a designer, a fabric maker, a sewer, distribution, and marketing. As a start-up company, it would be a huge challenge, Angela says. Putting it all together was like building a puzzle without a visual guide.

“Startups come along all the time, with about a ninety-five percent failure rate. Therefore, we didn’t always get a warm welcome. I had no patterns as yet. I had a good idea and some prototypes, but that was about it. We were told to return when we were bigger. Luckily, our fabric manufacturer had a great relationship with my first choice sewer, and through his recommendation, agreed to work with me. It just seemed everything was interconnected and was meant to happen this way.”

A graphics designer produced the website and marketing materials, using soft, provocative lips to portray a “secret” and feminine color schemes throughout. Angela liked that combination—soft yet strong.

B i l t m o r e Pa r k To w n S q u a r e | 8 2 8 . 6 76 .16 2 5 | m a r t h a l e r j e w e l e r s . c o m January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Knock Out! gloves used for the first photo shoot in 2010

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| January 2015

Their first sewing run took place in October of 2011, and their first retail sale took place the day before Thanksgiving. To launch the product, they held a “panty party” in Charlotte that November, something Angela says still plays a small part in the company’s marketing. Ironically, it was the very town in which she had sat a few years earlier, complaining there was “no good panty product out there.”

A panty party?

“It means we get a group of women together, drink wine, look at different styles and laugh about underwear issues. It’s a lot of fun. People are tactile by nature and want to touch the product, see if it’s soft, if the lace is scratchy, if it feels good. I get some of my best input from these events.” She does five to ten of these parties a year, mostly for kick-offs in new cities.

Their main audience seems to enjoy it most. “While we have styles for all ages, our primary market is the female between the ages of thirty-five and sixty, married, with kids, active, likes to work out, keep fit, and appreciates our cotton panty liner and what it does for them.”

With no manufacturing plant needed, here’s how the supply chain works: “Since our product is about the technology, we don’t own any factories. Instead, I specify the type of cotton to be used, (the highest quality we can find), specify where the fabric is made, which is a company in Georgia, and where the yarn is knitted (in North Carolina). Then it goes to our sewing factory in South Carolina.”

She prefers not to identify the name of their suppliers, not uncommon in manufacturing. They began with one color and limited styles, but soon increased their inventory to seven colors and twelve styles of ladies underwear, along with twenty mix-and-match, including men’s boxers and tee shirts.

She found a sales and marketing guru who came to her from the popular Spanx product line, working from Dallas, Texas, to reach out to sales reps in both the United States and Canada. Knock outs! were sent to Oprah Winfrey, who dubbed them “Ready for Anything at Anytime” and were featured on CBS, CNN, Fox News, and ABC. “We saw large spikes in sales as a result of the Oprah endorsement. She’s a trusted resource for millions of women.”

Specialty boutiques are her go-to retailers. She started with three and now has 650 retailers in the United States and ten different countries, including Canada. Sizes vary from extra small to plus sizes.

“I want every woman to be able to find something in my line that she loves. We have briefs, we have thongs, we have boy shorts, tiny to full coverage—we have it all. Personally, I love the new sleepwear we’ve added at customers’ requests. We designed it because night sweats are such a huge problem for millions of women, whether it’s hormonal changes they are going through or chemotherapy. I have night sweats myself and can finally sleep right through them.”

Angela tests every product, and she especially likes the tunic and plays tennis in the sports bra. “Everyone has a favorite style. My husband wears the tee-shirts and boxers. The fabrics have the comfort of cotton as well as performance for workout or just everyday sweat.”

Though her company is hugely successful—they won the Harvard Business Global New Venture Award in 2012—bringing a new product to market is incredibly hard, she has learned.

“I was under the mistaken impression that my product would sell itself because it was so good, but the truth is I had to hire a lot of reps, go to trade shows, and expend our time and energy on public relations. The most energy we exert now is trying to get the word out about our product.”

“We focus on keeping our customers happy with a great product and great service.

Our reps put the order into our system so we can approve it quickly. Then it goes out quickly. We chose to hire our own distribution team, rather than outsource, so I can call my team at the distribution center and they jump through crazy hoops to

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Look for us around town

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 37

make sure our customers get what they want. We usually ship within two to three days of an order coming in, but we have sent items overnight delivery. Our retailers love that. Our aim is to be a reorder business as opposed to a seasonal business.”

But, she says, you have to be good and stay good at multiple levels to compete against the giant retail markets: great customer service, design, fashion, and delivery.

“I look at every photo and every word that goes into our marketing and give the final say. I run the photo shoots because I like that creative part of the job. We set out to portray soft and feminine, from all American girls to Marilyn Monroe.

We want to come across as fun and light, with a product women will tell their friends about.”

When the few complaints arrive, those too are handled by Angela. “String is string and threads are threads so things do happen—a seam pops or a thread comes loose. But we offer a

100 percent money-back guarantee on our products. We give them a new one because my philosophy is that a happy woman will tell her friends and that’s what we’re all about. I’d rather

“When I pitched to Harvard Business School (all men), that’s what I told them. Most were from the high tech world, so I opened with a little humor: ‘I’m here to tell you about our software that will protect your hardware.’ They loved it, and listened to my story about how I wanted to make a product that changed lives.” hear from the disappointed customer so I can rectify the problem. I read reviews and respond to every unhappy customer.

Every customer who has a complaint—they hear from me.”

Her advice to others considering a start-up is blunt: “It’s gonna

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| January 2015

cost twice as much and take twice as long as you think it will and consume you for at least a while. The first couple of years, every time you turn around, there’s ‘We need this and we need that.’ You’re building a website, a product, a rep network, a retailer base, photography, and it’s money, energy, mind share.

So you need an enormous passion for what you’re doing.”

Her goal for the next five years is to maintain her Made-inAmerica approach and branch out carefully. Most recently, she licensed with a camouflage company launching the original No Trace® technology designed to counter odor for hunters’ apparel.

“If I had a million heads and an army of people, I could pursue many avenues. But you have to stay focused. You can’t be all things to all people. We thought long and hard before we went into sleepwear until we realized the two went together.”

Today, no longer a start-up, Knock out! is a small, but growing brand. While there are still low days when Angela thinks ‘What am I doing here? I could be out playing tennis,’ she savors the little things: an email from a customer who loves the product, a daughter who bought the product for her mom and wrote, ‘This is the panty you can’t live without,’ or someone who says, ‘I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep until I bought your sleepwear.’

“That’s what it’s about, making a difference,” she says. “That’s why I made this product. When I pitched to Harvard Business

School (all men), that’s what I told them. Most were from the high tech world, so I opened with a little humor: ‘I’m here to tell you about our software that will protect your hardware.’ They loved it, and listened to my story about how I wanted to make a product that changed lives.”

For fun, Angela has a unique little collection of dragons that friends have given her through the years, a hobby that began at a project dinner with one of her manufacturing client teams.

“You led us like a dragon,” was the message, “friendly most of the time but fire-breathing when we needed it.” Her downtime means wearing cowboy boots and listening to country music.

The company’s success and her role in making it happen all comes back to the adage about not getting “your panties in a wad.”

“Bad undies make for bad days,” she says. “Knock out! panties are about solutions one day (and one night) at a time. So we’ve done what we set out to do. When people come up to me with a big smile and say ‘I’m wearing my Knock outs!,’ that makes it all worthwhile.”

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| January 2015

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a mid-winter

retreat from the

leisure & libation

Georgetown County snow and cold in South Carolina’s

written by jeffrey green

Around mid to late January the romance of early season snow and hot drinks around warm fireplaces begins to fade. It is replaced by gray, sunless skies, bone chilling cold and depression.

The fortunate few, with extra time and money, catch planes for warmer climates, but what about us working stiffs with limited time and budgets? With you in mind our publisher and I recently previewed a weekend trip to Georgetown County, South Carolina.

You probably know all about Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Hilton Head, which is why we picked a lesser known county that many of you only pass through on Hwy 17 between Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

> the

cit y p.42

> the

be ach p.48 January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 41

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leisure & libation

The City OF GEORGE T OW N



If you don’t turn off Highway 17 in Georgetown, it’s a pretty nondescript town with the normal collection of gas stations, convenience stores, and fast food joints to serve the passing travelers. But if you head downtown to Front Street, you find an historic seaport and more Pre-Revolutionary War buildings still standing than in Charleston or Williamsburg.

The locals claim that the history of Georgetown began in 1526 as a Spanish Outpost on Winyah Bay. This would make it older than St. Augustine by almost 40 years, but the settlement only lasted six months and no remains have ever been located.

Permanent settlement began with the English in 1710 when a trading post was established on the Black River. Georgetown itself was founded in 1729 making it the third oldest city in South Carolina after Charleston and Beaufort. By 1732 it became an official port of entry, meaning that exports or imports could be loaded or unloaded directly in Georgetown without having to pass through Charleston and pay extra duties. The town boomed as a result.

Indigo and rice were major crops. By 1840 almost half the rice consumed in the United States was grown on the plantations around Georgetown.

Both these crops were incredibly labor intensive with slaves comprising 85% of the population of Georgetown County before the Civil War. The emancipation of the slaves led to the total collapse of rice cultivation. Social, political, and economic upheaval led to hard times with many old Georgetown families becoming land wealthy, but cash poor. Today’s Georgetown economy is driven by tourism, retirees, health care, commercial fishing, and manufacturing.

Georgetown’s historic Front Street was rocked by a fire in September 2013 that burned seven buildings, putting 130 people out of work and displacing 42

| January 2015

this page : the front porch of the

Kaminski House Museum

facing page : the town clock , the

distinctive feature of the Old Market Building on Front Street January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 43

leisure & libation

13 residents. While the City and property owners are still working on rebuilding plans, the good news is that seven of the eight affected businesses have relocated to new locations downtown. The Historic District is vibrant with twelve restaurants and a thirteenth set to open.

The town is bustling with shops and museums. Despite the fire, a boardwalk and docks still allows you to walk the length of Front Street along the Sampit River. The river is part of the Intracoastal Waterway making Georgetown a favorite stop for cruisers and sailors on their way to and from Florida.

Things to Do > k aminski

house museum

If you follow the Harborwalk west along Front Street, you dead end into the Kaminski House Museum, nestled under massive oaks on the banks of the Sampit River. Marcia Kaminski greets us at the door. Her uncle and aunt bought the house in 1931. A bundle of energy, she has to be at a meeting in 30 minutes. She gives us a quick tour of the downstairs, rattling off a detailed history of every antique and painting, before handing us off to house docent, Sue Hess, for a more leisurely conclusion to the tour.

The house was built around 1769 just prior to the American Revolutionary War

by Paul Trapier, a leading Georgetown merchant. Unlike many other homes, including the Stewart Parker house next door that face the river, Trapier turned his home 90 degrees to the river to capture the breezes along the front porch that runs the length of the house. Over the years the house has had multiple occupants including three mayors of Georgetown. The house has had a mind boggling fourteen owners and at least three expansions between 1855 and 1931 until it was bought by Harold and Julia Kaminski.

Julia Bossard Pyatt was born on February 27, 1900, into a highly regarded 44

The Kaminski House Museum

| January 2015

Looking out from the Kaminski House Museum Photo by Lisa Stalvey

Episcopalian family with deep roots in Georgetown plantation history. Harold Kaminski was from an equally established Jewish family. They got married in 1925.

Harold and Julia lived in the home while he served as Georgetown Mayor (from 1930-1935) and retained it while

The Harborwalk Photo by Paige Sawyer Photography

he served in Hawaii during the Second World War (from 1940-1945). Harold was the duty officer that fateful day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Harold died in 1953, but in between her world travels Julia lived in the house until her death in 1972. Her will bequeathed the house as a museum to the City of Georgetown.

The house contains an outstanding collection of 18th and 19th century English and American decorative arts

L

The North Guest House at Mansfield Plantation Photo by Thomas Namey

and furnishings, many of them reportedly obtained by barter from planter families in the area.

1003 Front Street, Georgetown kaminskymuseum.org

> swamp

fox tour

This one-hour narrated tram tour of the historic district of Georgetown drives by early homes and public buildings and visits one of Georgetown’s historic churches.

Departs from Bienvenue Home, 814 Front Street, Georgetown swampfoxtour.com

> shelling ,

lighthouse , or pl antation tours

Guests have the option of two different three-hour daytime tours or a two-hour evening Harbor Tour departing from the Georgetown Historic Waterfront.

Cap’n Rod’s: lowcountrytours.com Carolina Rover: roverboattours.com

> georgetown

count y museum

This museum houses 300 years of Georgetown American history.

120 Broad Street, Georgetown georgetowncountymuseum.com

> hopsewee

The Harborwalk

pl antation

extensive collection of maps, photographs, and exhibits, including the remains of an 18th century cargo ship. The museum is located in the Old Market Building.

633 Front Street, Georgetown 803code.com/ricemuseum

A plantation tour that features the birthplace of Thomas Lynch, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The home was built in 1735 and was the residence of just five families over nearly three centuries. Lunch or Southern Tea is also available on site.

494 Hopsewee Road, Georgetown hopsewee.com

Where to Stay

> south

carolina maritime museum

> mansfield

The museum offers South Carolina maritime historic displays, including the lens from the historic Georgetown lighthouse.

729 Front Street, Georgetown scmaritimemuseum.org

If you are looking for a Western North Carolina connection, this is it. Mansfield is owned by Asheville’s Skyland Automotive Inc. dealer, John Rutledge Parker, and his wife, Sallie Middleton, Jr. He is a descendent of the original Parker family owners that were granted a 500-acre plot of land just outside bustling Georgetown in 1718.

Today, Mansfield Plantation encompasses nearly 1,000 acres on the banks of the Black River. It is widely recognized as one of the most well preserved antebellum rice plantations in the United States. It is a fully operational bed and breakfast, and the venue is also available for private events and corporate retreats.

1776 Mansfield Road, Georgetown mansfieldplantation.com

> hobcaw

barony

Guests can experience two-hour mansion and plantation tours of this 16,000-acre wildlife preserve. The property includes a Discovery Center with a 1,200-gallon aquarium showcasing fish native to the area and is open by reservation only. hobcawbarony.org

> rice

museum

The story of rice plantations around Georgetown is revealed through an

pl antation bed & breakfast

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 45

leisure & libation

All Natural & All Local DRY AGED, PASTURE-RAISED

Asheville’s Only Whole Animal Butchery

artisan Smoked Meats, Sauces,

The Keith House Bed & Breakfast

> keith

house bed & breakfast

This house is a circa 1825 home in the Historic District that was the home of a former Georgetown mayor and has since been converted to an inn. Full service breakfast and complimentary evening refreshments are available for guests.

1012 Front Street, Georgetown thekeithhouseinn.com

Rubs, Charcuterie B EEF - L AMB - P ORK - C HICKEN

THE CHOP SHOP BUTCHERY 100 CHARLOTTE STREET, ASHEVILLE CHOPSHOPBUTCHERY.COM 828-505-3777 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

46

| January 2015

Where to Eat > seven hundred modern grill+ bar

Peter Scalise was about 60 days into his new waterfront restaurant, Zest, when the September 2013 fire burned it to the ground. The building was gone by 10am, but by 11am the intrepid Scalise and his business partner, John Cranston, were drawing up a lease for the replacement restaurant in the 900 block of Front Street. They named it Seven Hundred Modern Grill+Bar as a

tribute to the block that burned. Their American flag style logo has seven stripes representing the businesses that burned and a star for their sushi chef that died shortly after the fire.

It’s a comfortable casual place with indoor and outdoor seating. The fare is an eclectic mix of salads, burgers, sandwiches, and an extensive, tasty sushi menu in an area where few sushi options exist.

916 Front Street, Georgetown facebook.com/sevenhundredgtown

> river

room

This is one of the few waterfront options left after the fire, offering a vintage local lowcountry seafood menu.

801 Front Street, Georgetown riverroomgeorgetown.com

> rice

paddy

This fine dining restaurant serves locally-sourced ingredients and the local favorites—rack of lamb and crab cakes.

732 Front Street, Georgetown ricepaddyrestaurant.com

HIT TRAIL THE

L

TPC Myrtle Beach

If your quest is to play the best, hit the Trail. The Waccamaw Golf Trail offers 11 award-winning courses, fabulous restaurants, beautiful, uncrowded beaches and deluxe accommodations. Located between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, along SC’s Hammock Coast.

Visit online for spring specials, a FREE CUSTOM QUICK QUOTE and a complimentary round.

WaccamawGolf.com (888) 293-7385 Alfresco Bistro

> alfresco

bistro

Nobody enjoys outdoor dining more than the Italians. With both outdoor and covered alley dining, Alfresco Bistro has more outdoor tables than in. You can’t miss the bright yellow Front Street storefront where Chef Eddy Chacon and Lisa Hawes have established one of the best Italian and seafood bistros on the South Carolina coast. The day we dined outside for lunch I feasted on succulent ravioli with shrimp and a lobster cream sauce, while my companion enjoyed a wedge salad topped with grilled shrimp.

812 Front Street, Georgetown alfrescogtbistro.com

> big

tuna r aw bar

With waterfront, shabby, rustic dining, standouts at this restaurant include shecrab soup, tuna tar tar, shrimp and grits, and great grouper sandwiches.

717 Front Street, Georgetown bigtunarawbar.com

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leisure & libation

The Beach

PAW LEYS ISL A ND, LIT CHFIELD, MU R R EL L S INLE T, GA R DEN CI T Y

When you have had your fill of rice plantation history, you’ll find out why Georgetown County markets itself as South Carolina’s Hammock Coast. The county encompasses over 40 miles of beaches between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, Murrells Inlet, and Garden City all have their own distinct personalities.

In the prosperous days before the Civil War, nearby plantation owners and their families escaped the summer heat and enjoyed the breezes on the coastal islands of Georgetown County.

Pawleys Island is the least commercial of the beaches with its main residential streets (Myrtle and Atlantic Avenues) connected to the shops and restaurants on Highway 17 by North and South Causeway Road. With the exception of the Sea View

   

Inn, accommodations on this sandy, breezy beach island are typically home, cottage, and condo rentals. The far southern end of the island has a parking lot and beach access and offers spectacular sunrises for the early morning coffee and dog walking crowd.

One island further north takes you to Litchfield Beach, named after the inland Litchfield Plantation that still functions as a bed and breakfast and wedding venue. For people wanting a gated resort atmosphere with dining and recreation amenities, the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort will give you an upscale, full service experience compared to the more casual residential feeling on Pawleys Island.

Murrells Inlet bills itself as the “Seafood Capital of the World.” In a mere 3.5-mile strip, you find over 100 restaurants with many of them serving local, fresh seafood right off the boat.

The highlight of Garden City is a classic old fishing pier that takes you back to childhood vacations at the beach.

Things to Do > brookgreen Beach at the south end of Pawleys Island 48

| January 2015

gardens

After the Civil War many of the rice plantations along the banks of the Waccamaw River fell dormant and were abandoned. In 1930 the son of a railroad magnate, Archer Milton Huntington, and his wife,

looking out at the oce an

from Pawleys Island Photo by Austin Bond Photography

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 49

leisure & libation

Fighting Stallions, at Brookgreen Gardens Photo by Anna Hyatt Huntington

Anna Hyatt Huntington, purchased and combined four plantations comprising 9,100 acres into a summer home and sculpture garden to display works by Anna and her sister, Harriett.

They opened Brookgreen Gardens to the public in 1932 and it remains privately held in a trust and managed by a board of trustees. Today, 300,000 annual guests make it one of the largest visitor attractions on the South Carolina Grand Strand.

On our visit we were greeted by Bill Cepp, who retired to the beach, got bored, and took a part-time job as a shuttle driver for Brookgreen Gardens nine and a half years ago. Today, he works full-time in guest services management.

From the visitor center Bill led us through old moss covered oaks on the original driveway to the estate. The plantation house burned in 1901 and a more modern structure was removed because it had no historical significance. The footprint of the old plantation house is now the primary water reservoir for the entire estate. The only original building left is the plantation's outdoor kitchen, which today serves as the snack bar.

To the left of the reservoir, a butterfly shaped sculpture garden has been built on top of the formal gardens of the original estate. In those original gardens and subsequent expansions, you can find 1,400 works from more than 350 50

| January 2015

Atalaya Castle

sculptors…the largest comprehensive collection of figurative sculpture in an outdoor setting by American artists in the country.

When New York sculptor Richard McDermott Miller died in 2004, he left the contents of his studio to Brookgreen Gardens. A Sculpture Learning and Research Center has been built to house his 400 pieces and other indoor sculptures.

You can also walk beyond the walls of the old plantation to the viewing stand on Brookgreen Creek that runs north into the Waccamaw River. Natural wildlife abounds. On the grounds you can also visit The Lowcountry Zoo, the only accredited zoo on the Carolina’s coast.

1931 Brookgreen Dr, Murrells Inlet brookgreen.org

> atal aya

castle

Built by the Huntington’s as their summer retreat on 2,000 acres, Atalaya Castle is across today’s Highway 17 from Brookgreen Gardens in what is now the state operated Huntington Beach State Park. A separate admission is required.

Huntington Beach State Park also has

Diana of the Chase, at Brookgreen Gardens Photo by Anna Hyatt Huntington

TPC Myrtle Beach Courtesy of Waccamaw Golf Trail

great campgrounds just steps away from a stunning beach that is less crowded than other beaches in the area.

16148 Ocean Hwy, Murrells Inlet southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach

> the

pier at garden cit y

You enter through the game room and snack bar and emerge on a 668-footlong fishing pier with a covered bar, rain shelter, and bandstand at the end. Unless you are fishing there is no charge to walk

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Caledonia Plantation Photo by Austin Bond Photography

the pier and check out the catch. The Pieradise Café and the bar at the end of the pier is unfortunately closed in the winter because their seating is outdoors, but on a warmer winter’s day the pier is still a great place to check out the ocean.

S. Waccamaw Dr, Garden City Beach pieratgardencity.com

> golf

No trip to Georgetown County is complete without a round or two on a spectacular

golf course. The Waccamaw Golf Trail brings together eleven unique courses, including three that at one time or another have been ranked by Golf Digest in “America’s Top 100 Public Courses” (Caledonia, True Blue, and Pawleys Plantation). For golf lessons see Mel Sole Golf School below. wgolftrail.com

> cr a z y

sister marina

Here in Murrells Inlet you’ll find access

to fishing, boating, jet skis, kayaking, paddleboarding, parasailing, and other water adventures. (See our companion Capital Adventurist feature on page 86 of this issue for more outdoor options.)

4123 Business Hwy 17, Murrells Inlet crazysister.com

> hammock

shops

Shop and stroll through these clapboard style cottages that house over twenty different shops and restaurants. Hammock January 2015 | capitalatplay.com

51

weaving and sweetgrass basket making demonstrations are done daily.

10880 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island thehammockshops.com

Where to Stay > pawleys

pl antation golf & country club

With a signature Jack Nicklaus designed golf course set amidst 200-year-old, mossdraped oaks, this is an excellent home base for a Georgetown County golfing vacation. Accommodations range from standard rooms in the main complex to multiple bedroom golf course villas that can accommodate your entire party with all the comforts of home. Amenities include an outdoor pool, tennis courts, a fitness room, bike rentals, and a casual pub serving lunch and dinner.

70 Tanglewood Drive, Pawleys Island pawleysplantation.com

Pawleys Plantation Courtesy of Waccamaw Golf Trail

Litchfield Plantation Courtesy of Waccamaw Golf Trail

Pawleys Plantation also offers the Mel Sole Golf School which is widely considered one of the best golf teaching programs in the country, having been ranked as a “Top 25 USA Golf School”

by Golf Magazine every year since 1999.

680 Pawleys Plantation Rd, Pawleys Island melsolegolfschool.com

> litchfield

pl antation beach & golf resort

If you want a family or romantic vacation that lets you combine golf, tennis, the beach, a marina, a spa, and resort dining in gated privacy, Litchfield is a highly-rated option. You can choose between a suite in the old plantation house, the guest house, a cottage, or a villa.

14276 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island litchfieldbeach.com

> the

inlet sports lodge

This intimate 34-room boutique hotel just one mile south of the Marshwalk in Murrell’s Inlet is another great choice for a golfing vacation. Upscale dining is

52

| January 2015

L available onsite in the Bliss Restaurant and Lounge.

4600 Hwy 17 Business, Murrells Inlet inletsportslodge.com

> sea

view inn

For a casual, non-commercial, oceanfront experience right on Pawleys Island, look to the Sea View Inn that has been pleasing guests since 1937. Reflecting beach vacations from a quieter era, the inn serves three full meals a day and offers just 20 rustic rooms on this quarter-mile-wide island, with ocean on one side and salt marsh on the other.

414 Myrtle Ave, Pawleys Island seaviewinn.com

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Locals in the area frequently refer to the region as “elegantly shabby,” which is personified by The Marshwalk in Murrells Inlet. Starting in 2007, property owners banded together to build a boardwalk linking their properties, many of them old homes converted into restaurants. The boardwalk looks out onto Goat Island with its goat and peacock population. The boardwalk also links to the rebuilt Veterans Pier that was a Crash Boat Station during the Second World War in a time when German U-Boats were active off the Carolina coast. There are lots of fun rumors about submarines off Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, but the closest U-Boat wreckage was found near Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Today, seven different restaurants under multiple owners, employing 800 people in the season, work together to position Marshwalk to tourists and locals alike. Events include Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, and a Small Plate Crawl called “Taste of The Marshwalk” both in fall and this winter on February 7th and 8th. On February 17th (Fat Tuesday) you can look forward to “Marshi Gras

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The Marshwalk in Murrells Inlet - Courtesy of Waccamaw Golf Trail

on Marshwalk” with music, beads, and party favors. A key part of the success of Marshwalk is that all seven restaurants use identical glasses so you can carry your libations with you along the entire boardwalk anytime they are open.

> drunken

jacks

Managing partner, David McMillan, greeted us at the door. Starting as a kitchen manager over 30 years ago, he’s been a driving force for both Drunken Jacks and Marshwalk. The restaurant level comprises 140 seats with a larger bar area and outdoor deck below. With seafood being sourced locally just down the boardwalk, I ordered fabulously fresh yellow fin tuna, perfectly grilled medium rare, while my companion went for the fried grouper, with both dishes served with a really tasty succotash.

4031 Hwy 17 Business, Murrells Inlet drunkenjacks.com

> capt

dave ’ s dock side This is one of the oldest restaurants in Murrells Inlet with the original building opening in 1975. The current, much larger restaurant was built on the same location in 2006, and the restaurant expanded its menu by adding more sautéed and grilled items. Casual, waterfront

54

| January 2015

dining in a relaxed, classic Southern Florida style is how this restaurant positions itself. We chose to dine inside by the window rather than on the outdoor deck. I went for the classic fried seafood platter of shrimp, oysters, scallops, and a massive piece of flounder with crispy French fries…don’t tell my doctor. My dining companions both opted for a more sophisticated special of blackened grouper over grits. Service was top notch with the general manager, Russell Greene, and his team checking on us regularly.

4037 Hwy 17 Business, Murrells Inlet davesdockside.com Other restaurants in Marshwalk include: Bovines, Wahoo’s Fish House, Dead Dog Saloon, Creek Ratz, and Wicked Tuna.

Along the Georgetown County Coast >

> bistro

217 This bistro offers the fine dining options of seafood, steak, and pasta in the heart of Pawleys Island. Lunch and dinner are served either indoors or under a covered patio outside.

10707 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island bistro217.com

> fr anks

restaur ant and bar

This upscale American, Mediterranean, and Continental restaurant is a locals’ favorite, featuring brick oven pizza and indoor and outdoor dining.

10434 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island franksandoutback.com

> the

grilled cheese and cr ab cake company

Fabulous food can be found hidden away in a strip mall that is perfect for a casual lunch or early dinner. Patrons can find soups, grilled cheese, seafood sandwiches, and burgers on the menu.

2520 Hwy 17, Oasis Plaza, Garden City grilledcheeseandcrabcakeco.com

> quigley ’ s

pint and pl ate

This gastropub dining restaurant offers food that is inspired by the lowcountry and served in an English pub atmosphere, with fresh brewed ales and lagers.

257 Willbrook Blvd, Pawleys Island pintandplate.com South Carolina Restaurant Week: If you visit in mid-January, you will be able to enjoy all the specials associated with South Carolina Restaurant Week, from January 8-18. restaurantweeksouthcarolina.com

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THE OLD

NORTH

STATE [

news briefs

Blue Cross invests $4M in Durham mobile health startup state

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has invested $4 million in Durham mobile health startup TouchCare.

The investment, technically through the Blue Cross subsidiary Mosaic Health Solutions, nearly takes TouchCare to the full $5 million it is seeking in a Series A round, and gives Mosaic a minority stake in the company that launched in 2014. TouchCare’s mobile app remotely connects patients and their own health care providers through smartphones or tablets for video appointments. The app is free to download and TouchCare plans to generate revenue by charging fees to providers. Basically, doctors pay TouchCare HunterBanks_CapitalPlay ad.pdf

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11/4/11

Virginia, for repairs to concrete along the underside of the bridge deck. A $889,401 contract was awarded to Smith-Rowe LLC of Mount Airy for repairs to the steel crutch bents currently in place from bent 108 through 11. Work should begin in early 2015 and is expected to be completed by late 2015. The bridge will stay open during construction with a single lane closure, and flagmen or automated controls will be used to guide traffic through the work site.

]

for a service that helps facilitate patient connection. TouchCare markets its app as “highly scalable” and claims it “provides a more personal approach compared to phone calls, which can help in building patient relationships and increased patient satisfaction.” TouchCare launched its first generation product in July and contracts with more than 100 providers.

Wake Forest Baptist plans medical education building winston-salem, nc

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is planning a new medical education building for its School of Medicine. According to Wake Forest Baptist, funding for the $100 million capital project is part of a larger capital campaign that will be publicly launched next summer. Work on the project in the former 60 series R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company complex will begin immediately. As of now, it is scheduled to be ready for students in July 2016. “Hand-in-hand with our

OBX Bonner Bridge project dare county, nc

The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded two contracts for repairs to the Bonner Bridge that carries N.C. 12 over the Oregon Inlet in Dare County. A $331,250 contract was awarded to Precon Marine Inc. of Chesapeake, 10:42 AM

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philanthropic efforts, the Medical Center is fortunate in that Building 60-3 is a historic property, which qualifies the project for historic, new markets, and state mill tax credits,” explained Dr. John McConnell, CEO of Wake Forest Baptist.

Nearly half of the $100 million cost will be offset by tax credits. Speaking before the New Year, McConnell noted that their immediate start was due to the tax credits’ sunset December 31, 2014.

The 168,000-square-foot building will be developed in partnership with Wake Forest Baptist’s Innovation Quarter partner, Wexford Science + Technology LLC, a BioMed Realty Company.

Triangle Girl Scouts to sell cookies digitally triangle area

Girl Scout troops in the Trianglearea will participate in digital cookie sales through a new initiative made by the national organization. Customers using the new COCOdirect application will be able to place orders and pay for cookies online. Troop members will be able track and manage their sales online and through smartphones. Girl Scouts of

26

72

carolina in the west

national & world

the old north state

North Carolina Coastal Pines will begin using the COCOdirect platform at the beginning of its cookie-selling season, which launches January 17, 2015 and runs through March 1, 2015.

in 2000. Charlotte’s population grew 40 percent to 757,278, reportedly having the second fastest growth in the United States among cities with 500,000 or more residents, right behind Fort Worth, Texas.

Triad cities are growing fast

Aircraft tire maker selects N.C.

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According to recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, most Triad cities are growing, with some increasing their population by more than 35 percent in the last 13 years. From 2000 to 2013, population changes for the region’s communities ranged from a 36.57 percent increase to a 4.87 percent decrease. The 2013 five-year American Community Survey includes cities that had at least 10,000 residents as of the 2000 data set.

The suburban town of Indian Trail, 25 miles southeast of Charlotte in Union County, had the highest growth rate in North Carolina. Its population increased nearly 187 percent to 34,146. Raleigh’s population grew more than 50 percent to 414,530. The City of Oaks had the highest growth rate nationally for cities that had more than 250,000 residents

British tire manufacturer Dunlop Aircraft Tyres chose Mocksville for its first United States retreading facility, which will employ at least 40 workers. Improvements are in progress on a 108,000-squarefoot building at 205 Enterprise Way. In October, the company, a manufacturer and retreader of aircraft tires, selected the Mocksville building after considering multiple locations across the Southeast, including the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. Mocksville is about 60 miles northeast of Charlotte.

Dunlop secured a performance-based incentive package from Davie County and the town of Mocksville that will reimburse the company about $212,000 in taxes over five years, but approval of a $500,000 state building reuse grant was pending, and had to be confirmed before the project

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progressed. Following the grant approval by state officials, Dunlop’s commitment to the building has become official. It is located inside the The Hollingsworth Cos.’ Southpoint Business Park. Chip Sisk, senior vice president and industrial real estate director for The Hollingsworth Cos., said his firm’s construction company has begun work on the building that should be complete by January. According to Don Moss, a vice president with the Charlotte office of Colliers International who helped Dunlop with site selection, Dunlop signed a 20-year lease for the facility. John Seawell, project manager, said Dunlop plans to start setting up a payroll system at the beginning of 2015 and begin hiring in the spring.

Cleaning products supplier plans $11M Greensboro expansion greensboro, nc

Kay Chemical Company, a subsidiary of Ecolab that employs 445 in Greensboro, will expand its Gate City campus with a two-story, 37,000-square-foot office building to meet growing demand. The expansion is part of an $11 million project that includes upgrading the company’s existing facility at 8300 Capital Drive and adds 45 jobs over the next three years. Kay, a supplier of cleaning and sanitizing products such as degreasers and pot and pan detergents, currently has 50,000 square feet at its Greensboro campus. The company also operates a 539,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Winston-Salem.

According to Bob Sherwood, senior vice president and general manager for Kay’s global quick-service restaurant segment, the company intends to choose a contractor for the project in the first quarter and start on the new facility in the second quarter of 2015. The new building is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. Sherwood said the expansion will quadruple the size of the company’s existing training facility at Capital Drive and offer more room for functions such as IT and marketing that

have been housed in off-site leased space.

Kay is progressing on the expansion after winning $167,000 in incentives from the city of Greensboro, plus $244,000 from the state, including $100,000 from the One North Carolina Fund and $144,000 for training and recruitment.

Carowinds adds SlingShot for 2015 charlotte, nc

Carowinds unveiled plans for SlingShot, a ride that catapults it’s participants 300 feet into the air and then turns them head over heels before bouncing them up and down. SlingShot and giga coaster Fury 325 are the two new rides Carowinds is adding in 2015. The additions are part of a $50 million capital plan for the theme park, which sits on the North Carolina-South Carolina state line off Interstate 77. The park describes SlingShot as a two-person ride that involves speeds of up to 60 mph and “some brief weightlessness.” According to the new Carowinds general manager, Mike Fehnel, “Carowinds will be a destination for thrill-seekers. We’ll have two of the 10 tallest roller coasters in North America, a total of 14 roller coasters, which is something that only three parks worldwide can top, and now we’ll have two new ways for riders to scream with joy at roughly 300 feet in the air.”

N.C. Museum of Art to construct 164-acre, $13M park campus raleigh, nc

The North Carolina Museum of Art plans to construct a 164-acre campus, using $13 million for the first phase from an anonymous donor.New features include bicycle trails, walkways, new art, and a connection to the Capital Area Greenway. Although the first phase will begin in spring 2015, the museum’s planning director, Dan Gottlieb, says

the vision began in the late ’80s. “The museum had commissioned an artist and design team to imagine what the museum could be beyond its walls, and they came up with ‘Imperfect Utopia,’” he says. However, it didn’t go very far.

Since then, the prison, which sat on Blue Ridge Road, has come down, but Gottlieb claims he intentionally had the smokestack left intact. Gottlieb explained, “it can become this kind of beacon for the museum, for Raleigh, and for the emerging Blue Ridge Corridor...

There’s a concept being developed for that. I can’t give an exact date for when it will be revealed, but it should be within a few months.” Jim Hodges is the artist commissioned for the work.

Urban planning and design firm Civitas, Inc. of Denver, Colorado, is also on the team to develop the plan to “recreate the museum’s identity along the street front, to connect what people perceive as the building to beautiful landscape and a great walkway,” Gottlieb added.

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According to a recent report, the Durham-Chapel Hill metro ranks No. 10 among the best-educated United States metro areas. The ranking was developed by financial website 24/7 Wall St., and claims that more than 45 percent of adults in Durham-Chapel Hill have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to less than 30 percent of adults nationwide. Boulder, Colorado, has the highest percentage, with 58.5 percent of adults having at least a bachelor’s degree. The full top ten list of metros from first to tenth are: Boulder, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Corvallis, Oregon; Ithaca, New York; Lawrence, Kansas; Iowa City, Iowa; Ames, Iowa; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut; and Durham-Chapel Hill.

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Goose shows us how the ARC (adaptive ropes course) Harness works.

60

| January 2015

Over the winding Watauga River, down a narrow Valle (Crucis), and through coniferous woods lives…

Misty Mountain Threadworks written by melissa stanz

|

photos by oby morgan

Goose Kearse believes rock climbing is a wonderful metaphor for life.

It’s challenging and rewarding, with the ultimate objective being to get to the top and not get killed. You come to terms with fear; it’s a response that keeps you safe, but it can be debilitating. He says you have to question what’s real and what you can let go of—that’s when you realize how powerful the mind is and how it can push you forward.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 61

G

oose is co-owner of Misty Mountain Threadworks, located outside Boone in Valle Crucis. A longtime rock climber, he has applied this metaphor to his life and his business, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

His company is a climbing harness and related climbing equipment manufacturer. The company delivered some 30,000 harnesses last year to customers ranging from the military to zip line companies to operations with climbing walls and challenge towers to dedicated Misty Mountain gear groupies. More than 400 customers reorder regularly and thousands purchase directly from the website mistymountain.com.

Goose is driven and focused in a laid back kind of way; he’s also gracious with his time and enjoys talking with people. A multitasker, he cuts stray threads off harnesses as we chat for this story. The 53-year-old is physically fit and not shy about saying he can still climb at a level 5.10 and lift 300 pounds.

Misty Mountain proudly makes all of its products in the United States from its facility—a rustic converted barn—outside Banner Elk. It’s a “cut and sew” operation; the company buys all the components, like webbing, fabric, foam, and hardware, and then cuts the parts and sews them together.

62

| January 2015

Woody Keen, an avid climber who created the company in 1985, started by making harnesses in his garage. Woody and Goose were fast friends in high school in Charlotte, North Carolina. Woody, along with three other high school buddies, christened him with the name Goose way back in high school.

“We were driving around one day and one of my buddies, Bubba, commented on my long skinny neck, saying I looked like a goose,” laughed Goose. “Although I dropped that name for a time, when I came back to the area and joined Misty Mountain, the name stuck.”

Woody taught Goose the finer points of rock climbing, an experience he still recalls fondly.

“I had climbed a couple of times when I was 13 or 14 in a summer camp, so when Woody asked me to go climbing at Table Rock I knew it would be exciting, scary, and challenging. I also knew he would keep me safe,” said Goose. “Woody used nuts and hexes wedged into cracks to protect us going up; the next day I wore that tied hex to school, I was on fire to do more!”

When the two friends graduated from high school, Goose headed to UNC Chapel Hill; Woody went to Appalachian State.

Goose’s life and career took a different direction, and he went back to his given name, Mark. Majoring in chemistry, (he loves to know how things work and says science is the best way to do that) he continued his education, receiving a MBA from Wake Forest in 1984.

Goose sorting slings for a government contract order

above : Woody & Goose in Lake Burton, Georgia in the

mid-80s just when Woody was getting Misty Mountain started. Goose was on his way to Del Rio, Texas, to begin his second year of being in the workforce full-time. right : Mike climbing with Woody belaying him, back in the day.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 63

“I had several job offers, and I knew I wanted to go into manufacturing operations because we get to make things,” he said. “In graduate school I learned a lot about manufacturing and had summer jobs in the field.”

Goose/Mark joined the corporate world, working for Kendall, a Colgate-Palmolive company, as a management trainee, working his way up quickly to warehouse manager, supervising manufacturing of disposable packs and gowns. When Colgate purchased a urological catheter company in Malaysia, he jumped at the chance to learn international business and became manufacturing manager there, supervising transportation and food for some 400 employees.

Two years later, he returned to the United States, taking a job as a converting and finishing manager for Lydall, a company that manufactures blood filters.

When his buddy Woody called in 1989, the timing was right.

“I had been working for very large multinational companies, and I wanted to do something smaller, in a company where I could be closer to top management,” he explained. “Being in middle management, wearing a tie—it was a little confining.”

Woody’s first partner had just left the business, and he asked Goose to join the company as a vice president. Goose, still a bachelor at that time, was only too happy to come back to the mountains.

“Just to get to live in these mountains was fantastic. I remembered my time there as idyllic. I jumped back into climbing, fly fishing, and hiking with my dog. Instead of wearing a tie with chemical stains, I wore shorts and t-shirts,” he said.

Bringing substantial manufacturing operations experience with him, Goose implemented a piece works system, rewarding employees for doing more work. A few years later, former employee Mike Grimm returned to Misty Mountain, buying out Woody’s share to become a co-owner with Goose.

The company moved to its current location that same year Mike and Goose became co-owners, an old barn near Valle Crucis and Banner Elk. It’s in a stunning location along a river, a quiet, peaceful setting.

You really have to want to go there; it’s on a winding mountain road, then a hairpin turn onto gravel, crossing a low-water bridge, hoping the water is indeed low! Materials delivered in large trucks don’t attempt this bridge, Goose and company meet them before they cross it and download materials into pickup trucks for delivery to the factory. After crossing the bridge you travel along the river about a mile, arriving in the shady area in front of the barn on the right.

Inside the cavernous, old 7,000-square-foot building, there are tables, miles of harness rigging, gear slings, tethers, chalk bags, packs, and more gear. A design center in the back features a huge cutting table and all kinds of cool, funky materials.

There’s also a testing room for breaking prototypes to better understand the strength of all the components.

Upstairs, a dozen or so sewing machines hum along, operated by local craftspeople, many of them former textile workers in the area.

“We have 19 employees now, a combination of people who are very skilled in cut and sew operations, and people who are climbers themselves,” said Goose. “A lot of

“That was a low point for us,” said Mike.

“Two tractor trailers showed up with stuff from Vietnam, and it was a load of crap. That was when we decided that if we couldn’t make it ourselves, we just wouldn’t do it at all.”

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| January 2015

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A harness test dummy, used for testing weight and strength tolerances of final products

Leif Carter

Bri Wills

66

| January 2015

A sling being stretched until it snaps to ensure it meets safety standards

these people have been here 14 to 15 years.”

As a former employee, co-owner Mike recognized quickly that many changes were needed at Misty Mountain when he returned to the company in 1996. With a degree in furniture design and construction from Appalachian State University, Mike’s sweet spot was production manager.

“This was a great role for me, because all operations require process thinking, and I love to invent new things,” said Mike.

“Being a climber myself, a lot of products were created based on what I needed for my personal use. We’ve invented climbing equipment, jibs, fixtures, and testing equipment.”

The partners put new policies in place, moving from parttime employees to full-time employees with standard hours.

The design process evolved to focus on three things: usability, producibility, and sellability.

Mike and Goose had many of the same business strengths, so they split areas of responsibility and each took on some new things they needed to learn.

Goose was strong in manufacturing, but Mike’s creativity and process thinking capacity strongly qualified him for manufacturing, product lines, and implementing lean processes along the way. Goose gathered human resources, sales, and marketing under his responsibilities, noting that he always liked human resources because he likes people and they generally like him.

“Regarding sales and marketing, I thought, ‘How hard could it be?’ I decided early on that I don’t really sell things; I build relationships. We sell lifesaving devices. I must have a customer’s trust first because no one is going to risk their lives if they don’t trust us,” explained Goose.

The two owners also learned a hard lesson about outsourcing along the way. At one point, trying to save money and the company, they began overseas production.

“That was a low point for us,” said Mike. “Two tractor trailers showed up with stuff from Vietnam, and it was a load of crap.

That was when we decided that if we couldn’t make it ourselves, we just wouldn’t do it at all.”

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 67

Building relationships and trust paid off big time five or six years ago when the business was struggling. Recreational and program harness business was declining, and the country was in recession. Goose looked around at his competition and noted they were selling harnesses to the military, but how would he connect to military sources?

specifications for the US Army.

The mountain harness kit was a big success, and the co-owners realized that Special Forces—Green Berets, Seals, and other special ops—also needed reliable, quality harnesses.

“There weren’t that many people in the military who deal with harnesses, and I had to find them,” said Goose. “A special ops guy I knew was doing some training in Western North Carolina, so I invited him and his group to visit us. They now help us spread the love.”

After the visit from the special ops team, Goose traveled to Colorado twice to the Army's Special Forces Advanced Mountaineering School.

The result was a new product, an extremely comfortable, full-featured harness called the Cadillac tactical.

“I designed it, sent a special version to them for testing, and they really tested it. The guys and their superiors gave me feedback and recommended changes, which I made, and now we are in their supply flow.”

Misty Mountain’s military business is substantial, but the company was founded on making recreational and program harnesses. Phil Hoffmann was recently hired as Misty

“I just thought people in wheelchairs should be able to climb, and there was this kid that was born with no legs so we designed a harness for him,” said Goose. “I never thought we’d make any money doing this, but it was a good thing to do. ” At a 30th high school reunion, he ran into an old friend who connected him with some people who directed him to a military advanced planning briefing for industry. At that meeting, he met a guy from NADEC and asked him if he needed harnesses. The answer was a qualified yes, and Goose and Mike put their heads together to create the Milroc harness to

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| January 2015

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Mountain’s first sales manager to focus exclusively on the recreational side of the business, especially zip lines and climbing gyms. Phil is an avid climber.

“I’ve been climbing 15 years and always used Misty Mountain gear,” said Phil. “ That gear has saved my life many times.”

The company makes more than a dozen different harnesses and they are continuously improving harness design and comfort. They test their designs outdoors, climbing, hanging, falling, and hiking, returning with new ideas for how to make better harnesses and climbing gear, such as gear slings, packs, and chalk bags.

Special harnesses for women include a longer rise and bigger leg loops, and several different colors. Two harnesses, the ARC (adaptive ropes course) and the Easy Seat, were specifically designed for people who are disabled.

“I just thought people in wheelchairs should be able to climb, and there was this kid that was born with no legs so we designed a harness for him,” said Goose. “I never thought we’d make any money doing this, but it was a good thing to do. Now we make a ton of them.”

In 2013 the company connected with Mark Wellman, a paraplegic who made history by becoming the first paraplegic to climb El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

Mark now consults with Misty Mountain to improve and develop

new designs, focusing on security and support while still allowing for as much personal mobility as possible.

This business is personal to Mike and Goose, and when they are not working or outdoors testing, they are, well, climbing.

To Goose, climbing is great for anything, including social and spiritual perspectives.

“I was out climbing recently with some friends, employees, my son who is 16, and his friend, who had never climbed. It’s a great way to do something with my son, and it’s fun and challenging,” he said. “Climbing helps you problem solve, come up with solutions, and keeps you honest.”

Goose notes that climbing is also very focused and meditative in movement and requires him to stay in the present, step-by-step.

Misty Mountain is having a fun run now, and Goose believes their greatest successes are still coming.

“Our growth for the past couple of years averages 55% per year.

The success with our military business has reinvigorated me, and I want to repeat that in our other product lines, and reach out to new markets too,” mused Goose. “ I want to be able to hire more people and see it grow. I also want to make sure it continues to be fun.”

Knowing Goose, growth and fun will be no problem—it’s part of his and Misty Mountain’s DNA.

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INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT:

Minding Your Own Business

C

chuck has extensive PR experience & is currently the principal at Carolina Image Builders.

by CHUCK WERLE

S

OME THEORIES about running a small business (or even a large one) are worth implementing and others should be ignored at all costs. In fact, the best strategy might be to try going against the grain.

I’d like to talk about a few of those (good & bad) in this column, beginning with a basic foundation of human resources: filling a new position.

When you have a position to be filled, searching elsewhere for the right person should be your last resort. If it is at all possible, promote from within.

Consider the ramifications—by evaluating your internal staff, you give hope to your current employees. By improving their performance, those candidates will work harder. Morale is also elevated for those staff members who are looking to the future for increase responsibility and recognition for their own efforts.

If you assign new duties to a current staff member, delegate but do not abdicate. Turning over some responsibilities to trusted employees could actually lead to new improved methods of operation, as long as you are available to consider such proposals. Then everyone benefits.

By choosing to bring in someone from outside the company, internal staff members may also be forced to assist that individual, creating more work for them. And if the new staff member does not blend in, there are other ramifications that could affect the operation of your business. Employees who were not given serious consideration may begin looking for a position elsewhere.

If it turns out that you must go outside your organization to fill the position in question, choose wisely.

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| January 2015

To make the most of the situation, you can offer the new employee a compensation package with a hidden incentive. Let them tell you what they want in compensation for the work they will be doing, if you can afford that figure. No probation periods or other stalling tactics. By telling that individual you will pay him or her the salary suited to their talents and needs, that person will do everything possible to justify your support of their compensation, as well as their ideas.

If your business merits a performance appraisal system, such evaluations can often be a source of conflict. Many valued employees actually dread them.

Here’s a suggested solution. Discuss the rating with the employee after you have given him or her a blank version of the form for their own evaluation. The employees often give themselves lower ratings than you had in mind. After reviewing the staff member’s evaluation, complete the form with your viewpoint. Then the final session should lead to an equitable compromise.

It can also be beneficial to select an independent advisory board to review your business operation. Those individuals may offer suggestions from their own experience. Such sessions should be held on a regular schedule, preferably after the work day ends or before it begins. That limits interruptions. The most effective one I encountered had only five members. They were rewarded with a free breakfast before or during morning discussions and a classy diner each quarter. Sessions were scheduled twice a month by the business owner with an agenda he prepared, plus open discussions on any problem he was facing.

C Praise in Public. Criticize in Private.

I learned a great deal early in my career from a supervisor who was basically a tyrant. He screamed his criticism at employees in front of all the other staff members. Newer employees or sensitive staffers were especially vulnerable. And such “victims” often took other positions.

The lesson learned? Discuss key issues behind closed doors, so the employee is not humiliated. When praise is merited, make such announcements in front of all employees and post such notices of commendation on the bulletin board or in the company newsletter. The ultimate goal is continued or improved performance.

might be surprised or amazed at what they have in mind for your mutual benefit. When vital decisions have to be made, it is wise to ask your key executives for their candid insights.

Before making a final decision, ask them: “What do you think?”

Regardless of the outcome, they will be grateful that you asked.

There is a simple gesture that can add substantially to your image with customers or clients: send them birthday cards. It requires only a staff member with a calendar to make the initial contacts. As a vintage business owner once said to me, “aside from family members, only Aunt Mary remembers my birthday.”

If your business depends on frequent contact with clientele, phone messages can be vital. The chairman of a successful employment company based in this region recognized that voice mail endorsed by the phone company was both a blessing and a curse.

Yes, voice mail does offer some advantages. But it also was costing his company business when callers were bounced around without reaching the right party.

He promptly chose a friendly staff member to handle incoming calls personally. She was given a new title: Director of First Impressions. She was very cordial and directed callers to the right person. Compliments soon flowed from satisfied customers.

LU SHOTS F SHOTS What Sets You Apart...

Small business owners often get so absorbed in the day-to-day operations that they have little time to look at the big picture.

But that could be vital to future growth of the company. For example, it would be beneficial to arrange a meeting with key customers to see if you are providing services that help them reach their objectives.

That maneuver could be handled by asking key questions...

How are we doing? Do you have plans for expansion where we can help?

In terms of self-preservation, what is the status of your competition? Is there a new kid on the block? For example, recently in Asheville, Harris Teeter was forced to drop prices after facing Trader Joe’s across the street, plus a new Publix, Whole Foods, and others in or near Asheville. And Ingles just announced a huge revenue base compared to the previous year.

Are you positioned for future growth in your own market?

Are you seeking suggestions from your own employees? You

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Chuck has experience in PR with major companies including J. Walter Thompson, Leo Burnett Company, & Miller Brewing Co. He authored an executives’ guidebook on press relations that was distributed by Harvard University’s Business School.

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surface by the end of 2015. The device must also be capable of transmitting video of its progress to Earth.

Disney launches education apps

]

national

Pittsburgh firm offering ‘moon mail’ delivery pittsburgh

An outer-space delivery firm is working with Carnegie Mellon University to put a privately-owned lunar rover on the moon.

Astrobotic Technology and Carnegie Mellon are attempting to get their lunar rover to the moon to win $20 million in a Google-sponsored international contest intended to promote privately funded lunar exploration. The partners are even offering to “mail” personal keepsakes to the moon as a way to help fund the partnership’s rocket launch.

Astrobotic has leased a rocket built by a private California firm, Space X, to carry the lunar rover and is proposing the MoonMail service to help pay for the trip. Space X promotes a moon

rocket lease for $61 million, with a 10 percent discount for any of the groups competing in the Google competition.

Astrobotic has launched moonmail.co, a website that allows people to sign up to send their keepsakes in tiny MoonMail packages to the moon. As expected, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense regulate the freight. Astrobotic expects people will send non-volatile items like wedding rings, locks of hair, or other tiny heirlooms. A keepsake mailer is a hexagonal capsule ½-inch wide by 1/8-inch high, which sells for $460. The largest is a 1-inch by 2-inch hexagonal, which sells for $25,800. The rover, called Andy, is a solar-powered, knee-high, four-wheeled robot. According to terms under Google’s LunarX prize, the winning rover must travel nearly a third of a mile on the lunar

The Walt Disney Company is launching a new line of learning tools designed to help parents encourage kids ages three to eight to learn outside of school.

Disney Imagicademy starts with a series of mobile apps, but should eventually expand into other products such as books and interactive toys. Over time, the target age will also include older children.

To begin, Disney launched an iPad app called “Mickey’s Magical Math World” in December, focused on math-based activities such as counting, shapes, logic, and sorting. The app includes five add-on activities, such as “Minnie’s Robot CountAlong” and “Goofy’s Silly Sorting.” The basic app is free to use, but the enhanced activities cost $4.99 each or $19.99 for all five. Future apps, on subjects ranging from life science using characters from Disney’s “Frozen” to creative arts, will be closely priced. The apps are ad free,

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Asheville

keeping with laws that prevent targeting online advertising to children under 13. A companion app for parents lets grown-ups follow along with what their kids are doing, even if they are using a separate mobile device. After the math app, Disney will supposedly launch a creative arts portfolio, then science, reading, and social skills.

Delta updates cabin seating options global

Delta Air Lines Inc. revamped its on-board travel seating selections.

Beginning March 1, 2015, Delta customers can choose between: Delta One, formerly BusinessElite, offered on longhaul international routes; also between New York-JFK and Los Angeles or San Francisco; First Class is available on shorthaul international and domestic routes; Delta Comfort+ offers an upgraded experience on all two cabin aircraft around the globe; Main Cabin experience is offered everywhere Delta flies; Basic Economy offers Main Cabin service with fewer flexibility options and is available in select markets. Newly designed Delta One, First Class, and Delta Comfort+ seat covers will be installed on aircraft through mid-2015.

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national & world

Drizly makes deal with MillerCoors to offer free beer delivery service

Nobel prize for DNA discovery sold in NYC

national

A 1962 Nobel prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA sold at auction for $4.7 million, a world auction record for any Nobel prize. According to Christie’s, a buyer who requested to remain anonymous purchased the gold medal won by James Watson. The New York City auction house claims it is the first Nobel medal to be offered at auction by a living recipient. In 1953 Watson made the discovery with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins.

He says a portion of the proceeds will go to the University of Chicago, Clare College Cambridge, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island Land Trust, and other charities. In 2013 Crick’s Nobel prize sold at Heritage Auctions for $2.2 million. He died in 2004.

Drizly, the Boston-based maker of an on-demand alcohol delivery service mobile app, has made an agreement with MillerCoors to offer free beer delivery service in four major cities. This reportedly marks the first time an American brewer has partnered with an e-commerce company to sell its beer online.

MillerCoors paid Drizly to help create an online store where consumers in Boston, New York, Seattle, and Washington can purchase 12- and 24-packs of Miller Lite, which are then delivered to customers by local retailers. Nick Rellas, a graduate of Boston College, founded Drizly. Called “the Amazon.com for alcohol,” the app has been downloaded hundred of thousands of times. The startup generates revenue by charging a flat monthly license fee to liquor stores, which ranges between hundreds of dollars and thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the liquor store. Established in 2012, Drizly is backed by nearly $5 million in funding from investors and employs about 20.

new york city

United Airlines flight attendants to get the iPhone 6 Plus national

United Airlines reportedly plans to give all of its mainline flight attendants

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January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 73

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an Apple iPhone 6 Plus. The mobile devices will permit flight attendants to access important safety information and help better service customers onboard the carrier’s thousands of daily flights. The airline plans to distribution of the Apple devices to more than 23,000 flight attendants during the second quarter of 2015. Flight attendants will then be equipped to complete most onboard retail transactions using the devices. Flight attendants will also be able to access company email through the phone, as well as the airline website and the company’s Intranet, and its policies and procedures manuals. According to United, there are plans to replace flight attendants’ printed safety manual with an electronic version on the iPhone and give real-time reporting and follow-up on aircraft cabin issues and repairs.

The airline also intends to create a number of customer-focused tools for the Apple device.

Veterans Commission to start program training entrepreneurs austin, texas

The Texas Veterans Commission is introducing a training program for budding entrepreneurs. The Veteran Entrepreneur Academy is a four month program followed by a two year mentorship by the Veterans Commission meant to offer veterans small-business basics. The Veterans Commission is partnering with PeopleFund, a nonprofit business lender, to offer graduates startup or growth capital. Active duty and honorably discharged veterans or their spouses who complete the training would be qualified for a loan of as much as $35,000 at a five percent interest rate. The academy is accepting applications through January 26, 2015. Classes will be held in Austin and are scheduled for February 28th through May 9th. In order to be certified and qualify for the $35,000 loan, applicants must attend all on-site and online classes.

Parthenon marbles loaned to Russian museum st. petersburg, russia

Award-winning Food & Service Live, Local Music Nightly

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| January 2015

Part of the Parthenon marbles has left Britain for the first time through a loan of a sculpture to a Russian museum. The headless statue of a Greek river-god, Ilissos, will be on display in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg to help celebrate the institution’s 250th anniversary. The British Museum has held the marbles since Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, took them from the Parthenon in Athens in the 19th century. Considering the hostile relationship between Russia and the West, the decision will probably spark controversy, especially following the invasion of Eastern Ukraine last

year and the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July. Sir Richard Lambert, the chairman of the British Museum’s trustees, said they wanted to “leave room for flexibility if the political relationship between Western Europe and Russia changed.” In addition, the two month loan will resurrect the dispute about whether the marbles should be returned to Greece. Over the past four decades, the Greek government has argued that the 2,500-year-old sculptures belong in a museum in Athens. However, no talks had ever occurred with the Greek government about a loan of part of the Parthenon marbles.

Chinese Internet giant buys stake in Uber global

Baidu Inc., owner of China’s largest Internet search engine, DISCIPLINED, INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL GUIDANCE With a focus on corporate retirement plans and individual retirement planning is reportedly purchasing a minority stake in the car booking UNBIASED, DISCIPLINED FINANCIAL GUIDAN app Uber Technologies. According to China Public Radio, the nancial.com 828.665.4005 • mcquillingfi With a focus on corporate retirement plans and individual retirement plann investment could be worth as much as $600 million. Baidu is 1200 RIDGEFIELD BLVD., STE. 115, ASHEVILLE, NC 28806 allegedly giving cash and non-cash assets, including its resource as owner of the country’s search engine. Baidu’s investment Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. follows a $1.2 billion funding round that Uber reserved for global expansion. Since CEO Travis Kalanick founded the company in 2009, it has raised $2.5 billion. Uber is hiring drivers in 14 cities in China.

New York sets aside $50 million for startups new york city

Startups across New York have millions more dollars in potential venture capital. Governor Andrew Cuomo on established a $50 million state venture capital fund intended to support entrepreneurs as they transition their businesses from research to marketplace. The New York State Innovation Venture Capital Fund was created to incentivize startups to stay and build their businesses in the state. The fund is anticipated to leverage at least $100 million in private capital to support high growth areas including nanotechnology, clean technology, biotechnology, and information technology. The fund will have two segments.

One will help start-up companies linked to New York’s universities commercialize their products with small pre-seed stage investments of up to $100,000. The other segment will invest directly in seed or early stage companies with investments of $100,000 to $5 million. Empire State Development (ESD) will administer the fund and ESD’s new venture capital managing director, Brian Keil, will manage it.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 75

Vision

FROM

Detail of a scaled down representation of Deltec’s Monterey model

76

| January 2015

A 4,000-square-foot Deltec home, located on a lake front in South Carolina

Vanguard Deltec Homes’ journey from family “niche” business to international supplier

TO

written by roger mccredie photos by anthony harden

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 77

In the beginning there was Bucky Fuller.

That would be Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895 – 1983), “futuristic” architect, engineer, and inventor, who, among his other accomplishments, developed the “geodesic dome” building design. The dome (usually a half-dome when used in building) is made up of lattice-like overlapping circles across the hemisphere’s surface, creating a network of triangles each of which contributes to the structure’s overall strength, wind deflection, and stability.

See, and you thought they were just rounded buildings.

In fact, much of Fuller’s research and experimentation was done in collaboration with artist Kenneth Snelson at—wait for it—Black Mountain College in the late 1940s.

With Snelson’s design help, Fuller actually constructed an experimental geodesic building on the school’s campus.

Fuller patented his design in 1954.

And that was the year before a fellow named Clyde Kinser started up an operation he called Kinser Home Insulation of Asheville.

The manufacturing shop on Bingham Road in Asheville 78

| January 2015

Kinser actually sold his insulation door-to-door; he’d make a sale, then send a crew out the following day to perform the installation. It was instant service and a handto-mouth existence.

Kinser also paid attention to his customers’ input; in nearly every case they were looking for additional ways to make their homes tighter, warmer, and more fuel-efficient.

It wasn’t long before Kinser added aluminum-framed doors and windows to his inventory; next came vinyl siding and related products. Having thus diversified, Kinser renamed his company. He called it Kinco.

Clyde had two boys, Robert and Wayne. From the standpoint of creating a family business, which had always been Clyde Kinser’s ambition, his sons’ talents dovetailed beautifully. Robert, a structural engineer, had been working for the government at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Mark was sales and marketing oriented. Their respective talents dovetailed with their father’s overall vision and successful pulse-taking of the market.

A born entrepreneur, Clyde had already started and run several successful businesses. One was Peppertree Resorts, a chain of vacation communities, each consisting of separate housing units. Peppertree originally built its units as A-frames, which were undergoing a faddish popularity at the time. But early on it was discovered that A-frames had a number of disadvantages—wasted space, difficult accessibility to the second story loft area, and, above all, heating inefficiency—that made them particularly unsuitable for resort use.

Preparing roof trusses to be loaded on the truck for delivery

And that was the point at which the Kinsers’ building requirements and Bucky Fuller’s innovative design intersected.

The brothers had already been toying with the idea of a “round” unit design about the same time (the late 1960s) that another Asheville company, Rondesics, Inc., began building and marketing small “round” homes they named “Rondettes.”

The Rondette was circular all right, but it had a conventional roof that did little to contribute to stability or efficiency; it was more conversation piece than innovation.

So Robert and Wayne began toying with designs, this time incorporating two of Fuller’s geodesic elements, the overlapping compression rings and a “tension collar” roof system. These two key structural features gave the Kinser brothers’ new design exactly what they were looking for: compactness and even weight distribution, creating a building that was lightweight, yet extremely strong and stable.

The Kinsers called the company they developed around this building concept Delta Technologies, after the pattern of interlocking triangles formed by the crisscrossing compression rings, and made it a subsidiary of Kinco. Initially, Delta Technologies built its “round homes” for only one customer, the family-owned Peppertree Resorts. It wasn’t long, however, before other resort developers became aware of the desirable attributes of the geodesic units and began to place orders for them.

Deltec’s radial floor design shown during construction

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 79

That was when the next paradigm shift occurred. Vacationers and time-share owners who stayed in these half-round houses quite simply fell in love with them. They loved the panoramic views that could be achieved and the fluid design that allowed for maximum individualization of interior space. They wanted geodesic homes as primary residences. The demand, in fact, became significant enough that by the mid-1980s the company was filling more residential than commercial orders. That was when Delta Technologies, to reflect its new residential-driven marketing approach, shortened its name to Deltec. In 1994 the Kinsers completed their change-of-direction commitment by selling Kinco, the parent company, and doing a full-scale rollout of Deltec as both a brand and a manufacturing process.

Deltec Homes’ growing reputation for durability has dramatically reinforced during the spate of catastrophic storms that have struck the United States in recent years.

The Deltec design, which because of its shape and construction is highly resistant to wind damage, proved itself time and again in Hurricanes Ivan, Charley, Gustav, and even Katrina, when traditional stick-built houses were turned into matchsticks.

To date, not a single Deltec home has been destroyed by wind. Not one. Zip. In 2008 the television series Extreme Makeover Home Edition tapped Deltec to build the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum-certified house in Louisiana. Thanks to Deltec’s modular approach to construction, the job was completed in five days.

Today, more than 85 percent of all Deltec units are residential (although the company has designed and erected packages for schools, churches, and office buildings). The company, which has never shied away from the term “prefabricated,” produces about 200 custom-designed structures a year, each based on its time-tested design formula but custom-tailored to customer requirements. From its spacious, unpretentious plant off New Leicester Highway in Asheville, Deltec ships completed packages to home buyers from the Caribbean to the Caucasus.

The company is still family owned, and Robert Kinser is 80

| January 2015

chairman of the board of the closely-held corporation. But in 2011 the operations baton was passed to a non-family member, Steve Linton, a young, lanky, bespectacled Midwesterner who looks more like a laid-back junior professor than the president of a company that bills itself as “the original green builder” and is now recognized as the world’s leading builder of circular, energy-efficient homes.

Linton joined Deltec in 2007 and was tasked with heading up its newly-minted sustainable technologies department.

He brought to his job a degree in civil engineering from Cornell, the experience of having served as manager of several restoration projects in Boston—including that architectural jewel of Back Bay, Trinity Church—and a considerable knowledge of, and dedication to, green building techniques. Four years later he found himself in the president’s chair, which at that time was a precarious place to be.

“It was in the midst of the economic crunch,” Linton recalls. “The housing market was in survival mode, and we were no exception.”

Deltec, he says, was faced with a tempting but unpalatable option. “We could have just pulled back, cut some corners on quality and method and hunkered down,” he says. But almost as soon as the compromise opportunity presented itself it was rejected. “We decided that from a mission standpoint that would be a cop-out that would come back to haunt us in the long run,” he says.

“Deltec homes run between $150 and $200 a square foot to build,” he says. “That’s slightly above the overall median conventional home building cost, which is somewhere around $145 to $175. The payoff, of course, is down the road, in long term savings on maintenance and upkeep, and on the strength and protection we build in. Sure, we could have reduced those costs and started turning out cookie-cutter houses, but we’re a quality-driven company; cutting back on quality and custom design is not who we are.

“Sure enough,” he says, “the housing depression bottomed out and started to turn around last year. We’re moving forward again without having to make up ground we would have lost

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The company is still family owned, and Robert Kinser is chairman of the board of the closely-held corporation. But in 2011 the operations baton was passed to a non-family member, Steve Linton. this page :

Steve Linton, the new president of Deltec

facing page :

(top) Joe Schlenk, Deltec director of sales and marketing, talking with Linton. (bottom) Deltec uses #1 Structural Dense Select MSR Southern Yellow Pine, 2400 PSI. Each board is X-rayed by the supplier to ensure it is free from hidden knots and defects.

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| January 2015

THE POWER BEHIND HOME OWNERSHIP.

by compromising. It’s gratifying when you don’t take the easy way out, and it turns out you made the right decision. A vast majority of this country’s ‘green’ homes are made in Asheville, most of them right here.”

Out on a spacious, neat, and remarkably quiet shop floor, the company’s director of sales and marketing, Joe Schlenk, makes an all-embracing gesture, taking in equipment, home components packaged together like stacks of saltines, orderly stacks of plywood sheets, and various lengths of lumber. “Notice all this is inside, out of the weather,” he says. “Raw material is brought straight in here from the supplier. It won’t see the outside world again until it’s unloaded at a building site on the day assembly starts. It’s not left outside at the mercy of the weather. Why would we take a chance on something this valuable getting warped?”

“We have our own lumber contractor, who selects and cuts to our own specs,” Schlenk says. “Every board is stamped with

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| January 2015

our specs right on it,” he says, indicating a code in red ink on a two-by-four. “And instead of X-raying each board, which was the old way of doing things, we use Sonar to read uniform quality.

“You start with the best, you’re going to end up with the best,” he says. “The beauty of wood this dense is that climate extremes have very little effect on it. Some of these homes are going to the Caribbean, where it’s humid and rainy. The wood is so dense it not only doesn’t warp, it repels termites. Some of these are going to Mongolia, where its forty below in the winter with almost no humidity. The dense wood will retain moisture there and won’t get brittle and crack.”

He shakes his head and grins. “Mongolia,” he says. “They invented the yurt. They know about adapting homes to their climate. And we’re selling to them. Anything can be improved upon.”

Schlenk walks over to precisely stacked roof trusses waiting to be packaged. “See these nails?” he points. “They’re solid stainless steel.

They’ll never rust or warp. And they’re driven into that same super-dense lumber you just saw. Barring a catastrophic fire or direct hit from something like a wrecking ball, this truss is good for generations. Maybe centuries.”

“Look at this,” he continues, coming to a nearly completed modular wall panel. “See this header? Same prime lumber, but in twoby-sixes. The panels themselves are a special five-ply plywood sheeting made especially for us. Five plies,” he says.

“And here,” Schlenk says, stopping before a deceptively simple-looking piece of equipment that appears to be a sort of computerized, conveyor-fed saw, “here’s the backbone of all our green building capabilities. It’s an optimization scanner. We feed it specs and it calculates exactly how many different uses we can get out of a piece of wood. Say we’re cutting joists. This machine will tell the saw what length we need, then tell up how many scraps we’ll have left over and what size. If we’ve thought of a use for the overage, we program that info in and it will perform that cutting also—all during the same run. Those blocks over there came from a run. They’re exactly nine inches long. We’ll use them to reinforce header joints. Even the sawdust that’s created is collected in this bin, and we’ll use it to pack and reinforce panel spaces; what’s left, we’ll use for mulch.

“Altogether,” he says, “a Deltec home creates 81 percent less waste than a conventional stick-built home. We’re trying for zero percent waste, and I believe we’ll get there.”

“Remember, all the component assembly is done indoors, right here,” Schlenk says.

“Look at the work areas and the conveyor belts. They’re all waist high, which greatly reduces worker fatigue. You don’t have a bunch of people reaching up or scrooching down all day long to put things together. When the components leave here, all nice and waterproof-packed, they don’t have to be exposed again until the site crew is ready to put them together.”

So what does the future hold, for modular circular house and for Deltec?

“Well,” says Schlenk, “we can’t say it’s the wave of the future because we’ve already been doing this a long time. But more and more new home builders are looking at the alternative we offer. We’ll keep on doing what we’ve been doing, learning and refining as we go along. We were ‘green’ before ‘green’ was on most people’s minds.

Now it’s on more and more people’s minds every day. So we’ll keep trying to stay in front of that.”

“Mongolia,” Schlenk says.

“They invented the yurt. They know about adapting homes to their climate.

And we’re selling to them.

Anything can be improved upon.”

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 85

capital adventurist

Weekend Excursions in georgetown count y, south carolina

written by oby morgan

Photo by Paige Sawyer Photography 86

| January 2015

Photo by Austin Bond Photography

Photo by Jay Nelson

The South Carolina Coast conjures up images of beaches with grassy dunes, pungent marshes, remnants of the old world plantations, and shrimp boats lumbering along the coastline. Now we have a few new images to add to the library of the mind.

Paddle through the blackwater under the shade of ancient cypress trees, watch the dogs work the fields and pine forests for quail, and ease your conscience back on track with some cycling (on flat ground…).

No doubt, this is not the time of year where you can work up a sweat just by reclining in the shade just to end up cooling off by taking a dip in the ocean. However, the gray and somber tones of the mid-winter mountains can become oppressive to the mind, leaving those that reside in Western North Carolina (year-round) moody and in need of a change, however brief.

When the opportunity arises, aid the mind with a little change of scenery, without having to empty a wallet worn thin from the holiday season. Especially when the so many “off-season” coastal-towns are only a few hours away, we prefer to avoid the lines for food, crowds on the streets, and prices to match. As you may have noticed by the Leisure & Libations section this month, we shuffled down the mountain to Georgetown County, South Carolina, to see what things may be.

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 87

capital adventurist

Fishing in January

Considering our usual catch is with small mouth bass in the French Broad, or perhaps some native rainbow trout pulled from a honey hole in some stream to be named only on one’s deathbed, Captain Newman was able to give us some hints about what to aim for around Georgetown. “I only take people in-shore in January. Unlike the Outer Banks (North Carolina), Georgetown is located a long way from the gulf stream.” Fishing here is based in-shore. Most of what people are fishing for here is redfish, the standard in-shore target species around Georgetown. That includes the guy with some shrimp and a spinning rod, to someone with a flats boat and a fly rod. Once the water warms up in the summer months, speckled trout and flounder are in season and on the hook as well.”

In the winter however, juvenile redfish gather “as great big schools” in the estuaries of coastal South Carolina. “The key to fishing for them in the winter, though they aren’t going to be everywhere, when you find a school, they’re going stay in that area—or nearby—for the rest of the winter.” In Winyah Bay (and its surrounding creeks) the salinity varies from month to month (according to rainfall). “The redfish are pretty resilient” said Captain Newman. “They are generally fine with some fresh water for a little bit, but as a rule, they are a salt water fish.”

“You can sight fish while someone poles the boat through the marsh. But when you’re in marine environment, you’ll be in a tougher environment than in a freshwater stream or pond. There are a lot more predators to deal with than what a trout might encounter in a small mountain stream. If the fish think there’s a boat nearby, they’re gone.” Captain Newman cautions us. There’s a difference in the mentality of the fish when compared to the mountain environment. Regardless, we found it to be slightly less strenuous on the body and mind than wading out into a mountain stream, above 4,000 feet in freezing temperatures. The coastal catch is certainly worth a cast or two. As Captain Newman put it: “Duck season is over, the Super Bowl has been played, and until turkey season there’s not a whole lot of options.” Fishing for the “red” isn’t the only thing to do, but it’s definitely one of the best choices. Certainly useful if you’re spending the latter part of you work week dreaming up ways to trade your taupe painted office walls and email for a more aesthetic environment.

> Georgetown Kingfisher,

> Sweet Tea Charters,

> Winch Guide Service,

> Georgetown Charters

Captain Newman Weaver newman@gtownkingfisher.com gtownkingfisher.com Captain Jay Nelson winyahjay@yahoo.com winyahguide.com

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| January 2015

Captain Fred Rourk fishfred1@yahoo.com sweetteacharters.com

CaptMatt1000@gmail.com georgetowncharters.com

Fisherman at the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach

Photo by Jay Nelson

Photo by Austin Bond Photography

Photo by Jay Nelson

A dock leading into the Intracoastal Waterway Photo by Austin Bond Photography

Kayaking

The Waccamaw River meanders from Murrells Inlet through to the Winyah Bay in Georgetown proper. Its black water is speckled with towering cypress trees draped in Spanish Moss, various warblers singing in the brush, and swallow-tailed kites circling overhead.

Sea Kayaks make accessible areas that you might not get a chance to explore if at the mercy of a motorized group tour boat. Granted, you might not be able to hold your cocktail as easily if you’ve got a paddle in both hands, but the wildlife becomes far more perceptible when that outboard motor trails off into the distance.

Just to eliminate that potential excuse from activity, most places offer complimentary kayak or canoe delivery/pick-up when you rent from them.

> Waterway Power Sports 5790 Dick Pond Rd, Myrtle Beach, SC waterwaypowersports.com

> Surf The Earth 47 Da Gullah Way, Pawleys Island, SC surf-the-earth.com

> Black River

Outdoor Center blackriveroutdoors.com

> Crazy Sister Marina

4123 Hwy 17 Business Murrells Inlet, SC crazysister.com

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 89

capital adventurist

Cyclists gather for the unveiling of a new section of the Waccamaw Neck Bikeway Photo by Alan Fitton

Cycling

While Lance Armstrong and others who have climbed various pinnacles of the cycling world may come to the North Carolina High Country to train, those of us less interested in entering the Tour Da France and more interested in a solid day’s ride—and a good nights sleep—can appreciate removing the vertical element from the post-holiday workout routine. There are several trails to choose from in Georgetown county, and most will quickly carry you into other parts of South Carolina as well.

The East Coast Greenway runs 2,900 miles from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. No need to be intimidated though.

Only 289 miles of it are in South Carolina, and they aren’t just for cyclists either. We suggest visiting greenway.org for more information specific to your particular ambitions.

One stretch of the East Coast Greenway is used very extensively, called the Waccamaw Neck Bikeway. Though it is not the kind of place a speed cyclist would train, it is great for tourists and casual use by locals. You can ride your bike to eat, to Brookgreen Gardens, to the beach, to the library, to all kinds of destinations. The newest section being constructed runs not on Highway 17, but rather on Kings River road South of Wellbrook Boulevard. That portion is being constructed now to connect several schools, as well as the library and the beach.

Another resource, especially useful to someone not from the area, is the South Carolina State Trails Program (SCSTP), 90

| January 2015

East Coast Greenway Trailhead

found at sc.trails.net. Originally developed as the South Carolina leg of the Adventure Cycling Association’s Virginia to Florida route, the “coastal” route roughly parallels the coastline for 227 miles. It is intentionally routed away from the coast (just a bit) to escape the congestion and commercial traffic of Georgetown, Charleston, and Savannah.

However humorous it might sound, we reiterate an official comment on the website for the SCSTP (organized by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism). “It is important to stress that South Carolina’s roads were not designed for bicycle touring and they are not currently maintained for this activity. The inclusion of any route in this guide does not certify it as a ‘safe bicycling route.’” That goes for our guide as well. That being said, anywhere that has as little elevation change as the South Carolina Coast (certainly as compared to our little corner of the Carolinas), might appeal to even the most lethargic of visitors. Plus, it’s a good way to work off any unwanted calories left hanging around from the holidays.

> Cyclopedia

115 Willbrook Blvd, Suite J, Pawleys Island, SC cyclopediaonline.com

> Pawleys Island Beach Service 10570 Ocean Highway 17 Pawleys Island, SC pawleysislandbeachservice.com

MOST DECORATED COURSES MOST DECORATED MOST DECORATED COURSES COUR MOST DECORATE

“Ameri ca’s 100 Greate PLAY COME TWO PLAY OFOF SOUTH TWO OFTWO CAROLINA’S SOUTH CARO COME PLAY OF SO COME COME PLAY COME TWO PLAY OF SOUTH TWO CAROLINA’S SOUTH CAROLINA COME PLAY TWO OF SOUTH CAROLINA’S Public Courses”

MOST DECORATED MOST DECORATED COURSES COURSES

Photo by Jay Nelson

MOST COURSES COME PLAYDECORATED TWO OF SOUTH CAROLINA’S - Golf Digest COME PLAYMOST TWODECORATED OF SOUTHCOURSES CAROLINA’S

“Best Modern Course MOST DECORATED COURSES “Best Modern Courses”

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“Best Courses You Can Play inG South O L F C Carolina” LUB - Golfweek

Shooting in January

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TrueBlue Blue Blue True B True True Blue True Blue GOLF True Caledonia Most specifically, those are the Samworth, Santee Coastal, and WWW.FISHCLUB.COM | 1-888-483-6800 | PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. ASK ABOUT OUR TWO-ROUND SPECIALS! Santee Delta WMAs, but to get a clear bead on things you’ll True Blue TEE TIMES. GOLF PACKAGES. want to refer to the South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Guide “Best Courses You Can “Best Modern Courses” - GolfweekISLAND, S.C. WWW.FISHCLUB.COM | 1-888-483-6800 | PAWLEYS (listed online at dnr.sc.gov). So if you want to to show up and Play in South Carolina” ASK ABOUT SPECIALS! GTWO O L F -ROUND C L U B G O L F C GL OU LB F C L U B G O L F C L UOUR B shoot, and don’t have a local to guide you, Back Woods is about G O L F C L U B - Golfweek “Top 100 You Can Play” - Golf Magazine your only option. They are having a Pheasant Tower Shoot on January 31st, but you’ll want to call ahead if you want reserve“Best Public Courses 100 Greatest “BestYou Courses Can “BestCan Courses You Can “BestCan Courses Can You“America’s “Best Courses You “Best Courses You Public Courses” a blind for that one. For another local perspective or for last in South Carolina” “Best Courses YouPlay Can in South Carolina” - Golf Digest South Carolina” inPlay South Carolina” South Carolina” Play in South Carolina” -Play GolfinPlay Magazine minute gear, Blade, Barrel, and Reel is only a phonePlay callinaway. in South Carolina”

“Best Courses You Can MOST DECORATED COURSES Play in SouthCaledonia Carolina” Caledonia“Best Modern Courses” - Golfweek - Golfweek

G O L F

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“Best Public Courses in South Carolina” - Golf Magazine G O L F

> Back Woods Quail Club 647 Hemingway Ln, Georgetown, SC backwoodsquailclub.com 1408 Highmarket St, Georgetown, SC bbroutdoors.com

True Blue

“Top 100 You Can Play” - Golf Magazine

C L U B

G O L F C L U -B Golfweek - Golfweek Caledonia - Golfweek - Golfweek - Golfweek GOLF CLUB “South Carolina: True Blue Best in State Rankings” “Best Public Courses “Best Public Courses “Best Public Courses Courses “Best Public Courses “Best Public Courses - Golf “Best DigestPublic in South Carolina”

- Golfweek

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> Blade, Barrel and Reel

True Blue

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Rather than pulling your smartphone from your pocket and disrupting the experience before you, we encourage you to leave your technology behind and slip into the backwoods of the mind while you soak in the scenery of the South Carolina low-country. Don’t worry about the ever competitive social media. Let your friends use their imagination to dream up a reason why they stayed behind.

- Golf Digest ASK

- Golf Digest

“South Carolina: Best in State Rankings” ABOUT TWO - GolfOUR Digest

-ROUND SPECIALS!

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ASK ABOUT OUR TWO -ROU ASK ABOUTASK OUR ASK TWO ABOUT ROUND OUR SPECIALS TWO ROUND SPECIALS ABOUT OUR ASK TWO ABOUT ROUND OUR SPECIALS TWO ROUND SPECIALS !

Jan events

- january 7 Blue Ridge Fiber Show: Mountains & Meadows october 4

the north carolina arboretum , 100 frederick law olmsted way, asheville, nc This judged competition includes hand-woven, felted, and hand-spun work.

Works range from large and small decorative tapestry pieces, textiles for interiors, clothing, and accessories. Many of the entries will be available for sale.

admission: parking is $12 per personal vehicle, $50 per commercial vehicle, and $100 for buses /motor coaches

october 10 – february 1 Whimmy Diddles n’ Flipper Dingers

historic objects gallery, blowing rock art & history museum , 159 chestnut st, blowing rock , nc

This ex hibition features toys of Appalachia. On display, viewers will see toys and learn more about the history behind toys traditionally made and played with in Southern Appalachia.

Newer toys will also be on display, some of which museum-goers young and old will be able to play with in the gallery and experience firsthand.

admission: $4 - 5 , members free

info: blowingrockmuseum.org

together. Visitors are welcome to bring their instruments and play along or to just sit and enjoy the music.

admission: free january 3

Balsam Range Winter Concert Series 7:30 pm -10 pm colonial theatre, 53 park street canton , nc Come enjoy Balsam Range for its annual Winter Concerts at the Colonial. Tickets are available from the Colonial Theatre Box Office (open Monday through Friday from 8am until 4pm).

admission: $22

info: balsamrange.com january 3 , 10 , 17, 24 & 31

Bonfire Nights at Chetola Resort timberlake’s restaurant at chetola resort, 500 n main st, blowing rock , nc 5pm - 8 pm Every Saturday, join the fun at the new lawn fire pit. The event features live music, s’mores packages, and an outdoor bar with hot drink specials. No reservations are necessary.

admission: included with estate admission info: 828 -225 -1333 or biltmore.com january 9 -25

John & Jen fri & sat 7:30 pm | sun 2:30 pm

asheville community theater , 35 e walnut st, asheville, nc This is an original musical honoring brothers and sisters and parents and children, set against the background of a changing America between 1950 and 1990.

admission: $20

info: ashevilletheatre.org

admission: $5 for each s’more package

january 3 - 4 & 7 - 8 Gun & Knife Show

Enjoy a full slate of events that will please snow lovers and music lovers alike with the ever-popular Cardboard Box Derby, the WinterFest Rail Jam, live music, and much more. Please call for ticket prices.

info: 828 -295 - 5505

wnc agricultural center’s event center , fletcher , nc

The weekly Jam Sessions provide an opportunity for local musicians to play

info: 770 - 630 -7296

| January 2015

See the famous home decorated with dozens of Christmas trees, hundreds of wreaths, bows, and poinsettias, miles of evergreen garland, and thousands of ornaments.

- 11 Winterfest 2015 9am - 5pm beech mountain , nc

january 1, 8 , 15, 22 , 29 Weekly Jam Session 7:30 pm -11pm the jones house, 604 w king st boone, nc

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november 7-january 11 Christmas at Biltmore Daytime Celebration 9am - 4:30 pm biltmore, asheville, nc

See an array of guns and knives.

january 10

info: 800 - 438 -2093

january 16

Symphony Talk with Daniel Meyer 3 pm - 5pm reuter center 102 a , unc asheville campus , asheville, nc The best way to enjoy the Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks concerts is to come to the Symphony Talk for the inside scoop on the music, composers, and soloists. Come early to get a seat; this popular series is very well attended. Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s music director and conductor, Daniel Meyer, will speak about the performance for the next evening’s concert, and local music aficionado Chip Kaufmann will speak about the composers. This event is open to the public.

admission: free january 16

Drive by Truckers 9pm

the orange peel , 101 biltmore ave, asheville, nc English Oceans, the 12th release by Athens, Georgia’s Drive-By Truckers, is an elegantly balanced and deeply engaged new effort that finds the group refreshed and firing on all cylinders.

admission: $25 advance, $30 day of show info: theorangepeel . net

- 18 American Kennel Club (AKC) Dog Agility Trial 8 am -3 pm wnc agricultural center’s mcgough arena , fletcher , nc january 16

Watch as dogs jump hurdles, race through tunnels, and climb over A-frames at high speed. Spectators are welcome, but asked to please leave their dogs comfortably at home. This event is sponsored by Blue Ridge Agility Club.

admission: free

info: 828 -713 -3278

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 93

events

january 16 -18

UP

fri & sat 7:30 pm sat & sun 2:30 pm

asheville community theater , 35 e walnut st, asheville, nc Combining theater, acrobatics, dance, and aerial arts, UP is a full spectrum of the local troupe’s artistic and athletic talent. UP will take audiences on a journey through one man’s life and the adventures he experiences along the way.

admission: adults $15 , children $10

Art Affair

info: ashevilletheatre.org january 21-march 19

Orchid Talks in the Conservatory 11am on weekdays

biltmore estate conservatory, biltmore, asheville, nc

Enjoy a complimentary 45-minute talk about our beautiful orchid collection this winter. The capacity is limited to 15 guests daily. Reservations can be made during the day of your visit at any guest services location. The tour meets inside the center front doors of the Conservatory.

admission: included with estate admission january 22-24

Martin Dockery’s Wanderlust 8 pm diana wortham theatre at pack place, asheville, nc Dockery’s performances are dynamic, fast-paced, quirky, and hilarious. In Wanderlust: From Here to Timbuktu, Dockery acts out his winsome odyssey of dropping everything after ten years 94

| January 2015

of temporary work, buying a one-way ticket to an unknown land, and believing that fate will necessarily reward him with an epiphany, any epiphany at all. In unscripted stories that range from comical to solemn, from poignant to absurd, Wanderlust spins multiple narrative threads all at once, illustrating many basic, beautiful, uplifting human truths.

With enormous energy, immediacy, and physicality, Dockery’s enchanting tales become imaginatively picturesque and vicariously vivid. These performances are in The Forum.

admission: regular $28 , student $23 , child $15 january 22-25

Blowing Rock Winterfest main st, blowing rock , nc Enjoy the fun side of winter with events that include the Polar Plunge in Chetola Lake, Chilly Chili Cook-Off, WinterFeast, WinterPaws Dog Show, Winter Fashion Show, kids activites, and more.

admission: ticket prices vary info: blowingrockwinterfest.com january 22-25

Asheville Fringe Arts Festival events scheduled throughout the day asheville contemporary dance theater , 20 commerce st, asheville, nc This true Asheville Oddity offers local and imported performing artists the opportunity to create and showcase new, unique work. Artists explore the edges of their work, collaborate across genres, and bring innovative performances to culturally adventurous audiences. Every year, the festival usually features a variety of artists, including actors, dancers,

installation artists, theatre companies, Butoh dance, puppetry, alternative theatre, modern dance, and performance art. Folks can visit funky arts spaces all over town that host performances, installations, and several after parties.

All shows will be performed at least twice during the four days of the festival, with most of them occurring at 7pm and 9pm. The full schedule of shows is available after January 5th, along with online ticket sales. Pick from early and late shows at five venues: The Bebe Theatre, The Odditorium and Mothlight in West Asheville, LaZoom bus, and the Toy Boat Community Art Space. Each show runs for nearly an hour, encouraging festival goers to see two shows a night.

admission: ticket prices vary info: ashevillefringe.org january 24

Winter Warmer Beer Festival 3 -7pm u.s . cellular center , asheville, nc

Art Affair

Purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended, as the last five years’ events have sold out. Each ticket purchased includes a souvenir mug, samples during the event, and food provided by a local caterer.

admission: $48

info: ashevillebeerfest.com january 24

Laurent-Perrier Champagne Dinner 6:30 pm the farm at old edwards inn , highlands , nc An epicurean vision of champagne, at Laurent-Perrier, passion guides the hand. An unrivalled creator of style and

January 2015 | capitalatplay.com 95

events

Your source for Hearth and Patio needs

emotions since 1812, Laurent-Perrier suits every occasion and offers unique experience for all the senses through its innovation and comprehensive range of champagnes.

admission: $125 per person

info: for reservations , please call 828 -787-2625 january 23 & 25

Pan Harmonia Sonata Series fri 7:30 pm white horse black mountain , 105 montreat rd, black mountain , nc sun 3 pm first presbyterian church , 40 church st, asheville, nc

Big Green Egg World’s Best Smoker/Grill The most realistic and natural looking gas logs

828-252-2789 264 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, NC

The concerts feature Russian, French and American works: Serge Prokofiev’s epic Sonata for flute and piano, a riveting contemporary Sonata for viola and piano by American Jennifer Higdon, and the ethereal Prelude, Recitative and Variations for flute, viola, and piano by Maurice Duruflé. This project is supported by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. Pan Harmonia has received support from the NC Arts Council for its artistic excellence since 2007.

admission: $16 . 50 advance, $22 at the door , $5 for students (available at the door only) info: pan - harmonia .org

| January 2015

admission: $30 - $45

info: 50shadesthemusical.com january 31

The Tempest 8 pm diana wortham theatre at pack place, asheville, nc The New York/London based Aquila Theatre Company returns with one cast and two great plays. Many attend both for the rare opportunity to see a company of actors in repertory, performing very different roles on successive nights. The Tempest, believed to be Shakespeare’s final play, is imbued with magic, the supernatural, and a heightened sense of theatricality and in the experienced, nuanced hands of the Aquila Theatre actors.

admission: regular $28 , student $23 , child $15

january 31

50 Shades!

The Musical Parody 8 pm

thomas wolfe auditorium , u.s . cellular center , asheville, nc A hilariously naughty satire that explores the steamy relationship between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, as

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seen through the eyes of a trio of girlfriends at a book club meeting. As the women devour the novel, the character’s delicious affair comes to life before their eyes. Like the book series, 50 Shades! is not for those under the age of 18, but does not cross boundaries that would make general audiences squirm. Tickets are available at the U.S. Cellular Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster online, or charge-byphone at 1-800-745-3000.

If your organization has any local press releases for our briefs section or events that you would like to see here feel free to email us at events@capitalatplay.com Please submit your event by the first day of the month preceding your event.

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Transformations begin here.

Discover the promise.

www.carolinaday.org

828.274.0757

To engage each bright student, our creative and reflective educators craft a cohesive, inquiry-based curriculum in an inviting and stimulating learning environment. We break from outdated approaches to value realworld problem solving, project-based learning, service learning, and design thinking. Carolina Day School prepares students to create, engage, compete, and thrive in school and throughout their lives.

Inspire the Journey. Celebrate the Achievement.

VISIT LOWER SCHOOL GRADES PRE-K/5 1/29/15 Inside the Classroom

VISIT UPPER SCHOOL GRADES 9-12 1/13/15 Inside the Classroom

ALL-SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE Grades Pre-K/12 3/11/15 Lower/Middle/Upper

VISIT MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES 6-8 1/27/15 Inside the Classroom

VISIT KEY SCHOOL Grades 1-8 1/14/15 & 2/26/15 Open House

RSVP: CarolinaDay.org/Inside

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We’re a community bank right down to our core.

Community banking is in our very nature. Carolina Alliance Bank started as a community bank and we’re proud to say we always will be. So naturally, here in Western North Carolina, you’ll find all the virtues we’re known for.

Decisions made locally, for local benefit. Bankers you’ll run into in church, civic organizations, street festivals, and grocery checkout lines.

Good friends and neighbors. Professionals with the savvy, clout, and capital to meet your banking needs, along with the time and interest to really get to know you.

Clearly, this apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

Come see for yourself. Visit us at carolinaalliancebank.com.

You’ll like our flavor of banking!

1127 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, NC 28803 • 828-255-5711 218 North Main St., Hendersonville. NC 28792 • 828-233-0900 122 Cherokee Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207 • 980-321-5946 (Loan Production Office)

Also in Spartanburg, Anderson and Seneca

carolinaalliancebank.com

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Ingles change

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