Capital At Play May 2015

The DeWine Family

Managing McCormick field p.48

Sweet

Chris Steuber

Takes The Off-Road Less Travelled p.66

The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

Success

With honey brokers, Kim Allen & Jillian Kelly, owners of Bee Charmer p.10

colu m ns

The Intersection of SEO, PR, & Social Media p. 26 AEITF: Bring Your Own Device to the Workplace? p. 58 Volume V - Edition V complimentary edition

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Part Two: Need a Passport Just to Visit your Bank? p. 76 May 2015

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B I LT M O R E P A R K T O W N S Q U A R E , A S H E V I L L E , N C • M A R T H A L E R J E W E L E R S . C O M • 8 2 8 - 676 - 1 62 5 May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 3

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| May 2015

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| May 2015

this page :

Team signed baseballs over the years, along with game balls from important games in Asheville Tourists’ history photo by Anthony Harden

on the cover :

A honey bee pollinating an Echinacea flower photo by Harley Morgan

F E AT U R E S vol. v

10

SWEET SUCCESS AT BEE CHARMER KIM ALLEN & JILLIAN KELLY

ed. v

48

MANAGING McCORMICK FIELD THE DEWINE FAMILY

66

THE OFF-ROAD LESS TRAVELLED WITH CHRIS STEUBER

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

7

C ON T EN T S m a y 2 015

L Wilmington Beachfront

ult and time onals, finding

20

35

82

The Asheville Outlets

Wilmington, North Carolina

Mountain Sports Festival

lo c a l i n d u s t r y

Ready, set, go! No more road-trips to find good deals.

colu m ns

26 T he Intersection of SEO, PR, & Social Media Written by Justin Belleme

58 A EITF: Bring Your Own Device to the Workplace?

Written by Doug Lineberry

76 P art 2: Need a Passport Just to Visit your Bank?

Written by Ryan Coffield 8

| May 2015

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

Aching for some summer weather? It’s sunny and warm a few hours away.

Fifteen years of collaboration, competition, and fun.

briefs

events

30 Carolina in the West 62 The Old North State 78 National & World News

90 May Day is a national public

holiday in many countries.

Only in some, is it celebrated specifically as International Workers’ Day which commemorates the Chicago Haymarket affair of May 4, 1886. The U.S. celebrates it’s Labor Day on the first Monday in September.

*(1986). May Day: A Short History of the International Workers’ Holiday, 1886–1986. New York: International Publishers. p. 41–43.

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Kim Allen (left) & Jillian Kelly

10

| May 2015

Sweet written by toni sherwood

photos by anthony harden

Success kim allen & jillian kelly of bee charmer

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

11

Two entrepreneurs with zero retail experience open up not one, but two stores in Asheville within a four-month stretch.

Wonder why?

You could say it’s ‘just bee cause.’

Seven years ago, Jillian Kelly had to change her diet for health reasons. She gave up gluten and dairy and started searching for healthier ingredients to replace culprits like refined sugar.

A chef pal in Chicago turned Kelly on to a basic formula for replacing refined sugar with honey, which soon became a staple in her diet. “We were buying honey at Whole Foods and that’s expensive,” Kelly says. “Honey is just expensive period.”

Kelly and her partner, Kim Allen, were biding time while their son Cameron finished high school. But the long-term plan was to move to Asheville, North Carolina, where they had good friends and loved the local culture. “It’s such a great foodie town. People ‘get’ nature, organic, local,” Kelly says. “We really wanted to be part of a community. You can get swallowed up in Chicago, it’s so huge.”

They just had one tiny snag to figure out: how to make a living in their new hometown. The idea for a retail store arose when a friend commented on their abundant supply of bee related items.

“We bought a lot of honey, and people would give us candles and t-shirts and stuff, and a friend of ours was like, ‘You have so much bee crap you could start your own business,’” Kelly says. The idea resonated and seemed like a very good fit with Asheville.

12

| May 2015

Kelly took a beekeeping class at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago just prior to the couple relocating. In September of 2013, Kelly and Allen made the move to Asheville, coincidentally the same month city councilmen Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith unveiled the first Bee City USA street sign in the nation, right in Asheville’s City-County Plaza.

Bee Cause Lately a great deal of media attention has focused on the plight of honeybees and their fragility, much of it blamed on our pesticide-rich farming and agricultural practices. In 2006 honeybee colonies started disappearing, later designated as ‘colony collapse disorder.’ To combat this alarming situation and raise awareness, the Buncombe County chapter of the North Carolina Beekeepers Association established Bee City USA. On June 26, 2012, Asheville City Council voted unanimously to make Asheville the inaugural Bee City USA. Bee City USA has defined a set of standards for creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, vital to feeding our planet.

The cities of Carrboro and Matthews, North Carolina, followed suit as well as Talent and Ashland, Oregon. The hope is that many more cities will apply and adopt these standards.

Asheville is also home to the Center for Honeybee Research, which teaches beekeeping classes, researches honeybees, and holds the annual Black Jar Honey Contest to raise awareness and funds for research.

“The Center for Honeybee Research and Bee City USA are our charitable organizations,” Kelly says. “We opened our store in West Asheville in June, 2014. We asked people for donations to help out Bee City, and we raised money for it that night.”

Bee Charmers Both Kelly and Allen were longtime fans of the book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg, later adapted into the popular film, Fried Green Tomatoes.

The book spent 36 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and the film was nominated for two Academy Awards and received an award from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). One of the main characters, Idgie Threadgoode, is a tomboy who has a crush on her friend Ruth.

Although the book does not explicitly label their relationship as lesbian, the town accepts the friendship and love between these two women, who run the Whistle Stop Café together in the 1930s, when such relationships were generally taboo. The May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

13

Wooden honey dippers an antique honey tin

Kelly began clerking in the cattle options in 1982. Her boss recommended her to a brokerage group just starting up in the fledgling bond options pit.

Whistle Stop Café was a place for all kinds of folks to stop in to mingle and feel accepted.

Kelly and Allen envisioned their store to be as welcoming as the Whistle Stop Café, so they searched through the book looking for ideas for store names.

On page 87 of the book, Ruth says, “You’re an old bee charmer, Idgie Threadgoode, that’s what you are.” ‘Bee Charmer’ had the right sound and feel, and the connection to their favorite book and the themes it explored was a perfect match.

The couple negotiated for their West Asheville location at 707 Haywood Road, but it was going to take eight months for the landlord to get permits and hire workers to build it out. It was not easy to wait, but the good news was it gave Kelly and Allen a chance to decompress and transition into their new life.

The Bee Trade Both Kelly and Allen had long careers at the Chicago Board of Trade; Kelly as a clerk in the bustling bond options pit, and Allen as a trader in the corn options.

Allen started clerking with zero experience on a day that 14

| May 2015

would test any weathered veteran: Black Monday 1987. But the coincidences didn’t end there. She started her trading career in one of the most volatile market periods in the agricultural sector: the drought of 1988. Her long career is notable; most traders only last a few years in the tough trading floor environment saturated with stress, and there are very few women traders.

Allen even timed her exit well. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), who now governs the Board of Trade, just announced the closing of almost all of its futures pits in both New York and Chicago, including the corn futures pit, which is set to close July 2, 2015. It was a devastating decision for many, with over 500 people set to lose jobs in Chicago. Allen sees the options pits following suit in the next three to five years.

Allen is no stranger to managing risk, negotiating prices, and gauging the market, skills she brings to the table in her new role as shop proprietor. “It’s stressful running a store, too,” Allen admits, “but in a completely different way.”

Kelly began clerking in the cattle options in 1982. Her boss recommended her to a brokerage group just starting up in the fledgling bond options pit. “I said I don’t know anything about bond options,” Kelly recalls. “My boss said, ‘No one

The West Asheville store

does.’” Within a couple of years the bond options exploded into one of the busiest pits on the Chicago Board of Trade. Kelly eventually left in 2000. “My nerves were shot,” she admits.

Kelly shifted gears into a completely different career as a massage therapist.

She also taught massage techniques at the Chicago School of Massage, now the Cortiva Institute. Kelly went on to become the school outreach manager at the National Certification Board for therapeutic massage and bodywork for three years. Her final years in Chicago were spent restoring their 110-year-old house to get it on the market.

Two bees are better than one Any good floor trader knows the value of location. If you’re not close to a broker who can see and hear you, you’re not going to make much money. Likewise in retail, location plays a huge component to revenues and overall success. But it’s better to be in the pit trading, even if you have to maneuver yourself over time to the spot you really want.

“When we got this space, we knew we wanted to be downtown but there was nothing available,” Allen says. “Plus rents were going up because of supply and demand.”

Retail space in downtown Asheville is at a premium; rents are high, availability is scarce, and there’s plenty of competition. A good trader knows she may have to pay a premium in a rising market to get in. So when Allen heard about a newly available space downtown, she was tempted. But the fledgling store in West Asheville was just getting on its feet, and a second store would mean a lot of additional work.

One resource she could call on was her mentor, John Woods, teacher and business developer at Mountain BizWorks where she and Kelly had taken classes in preparation for opening their store. “He worked for a Fortune 50 company for 25 or 30 years,” Allen says. “Smart guy.”

“We asked him, ‘Are we crazy for May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

15

“We don’t have 75 acres of sourwood trees here in West Asheville,” Kelly explains, “When we say local it may mean Maggie Valley. It may mean Lake Toxaway.”

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opening up a second store? Here are our numbers,’” Kelly recalls. “He said, ‘You’re kind of crazy if you don’t.’”

They opened the second Bee Charmer store at 38 Battery Park Avenue in downtown Asheville in October 2014. The couple also got officially married at City Hall the same month. “I was wearing a bee charmer t-shirt,” Kelly says.

Good Taste “One of the things that’s been wonderful about working with your spouse is that we’ve found what we’re each good at,” Kelly says. “Kim has such a great business sense.”

Kelly tends to handle the public relations and marketing, with Allen doing the negotiating, using her innate trading skills. “If I’m on the phone with somebody, I say, ‘Send me fifty, here’s the credit card,’” Kelly admits, “whereas Kim will say, ‘If I buy 100, will you give me a price break?’”

In choosing products the women have strict criteria: it must be something they would (or do) have in their own home, or something they would wear themselves, and they taste any honey or food product they consider carrying. The dedication to quality is evident; the store is tasteful, homey, and inviting.

Kelly’s skills as a teacher are now focused on educating customers. “We have a message about the health of the bees,” Kelly says. “Planting pollen friendly plants to help bees thrive and not using pesticides that would hurt. Responsible beekeeping.”

She is continually educating herself about bees and bee products. This past weekend Kelly took a three-day intensive course in apitherapy, which is the practice of using beehive products to treat illnesses and alleviate pain.

Worker Bees With pottery coming from local artist Lori Theriault, body products from local beekeepers like Sherrye Perry of Gypsy Bee Natural Soap Company, and t-shirts printed at Image 420, just down the street from the West Asheville location, they aim to keep it as local as possible.

“Only in Asheville would people come in and ask if we have local honey,” Allen quips, “and this really happened, somebody said, ‘How local?’”

West Asheville certainly has beekeepers pulling honey and creating products, but it’s restricted by natural limitations; bees need abundant nectar sources.

“We don’t have 75 acres of sourwood trees here in West Asheville,” Kelly explains, “When we say local it may mean Maggie Valley. It may mean Lake Toxaway.”

One West Asheville beekeeper they know from their local beekeeper’s club brought them 20 jars of honey before Christmas, and within two weeks they had sold them all. But whatever the definition of local, the beekeepers they work with are grateful to have a place to sell their products. Some may also sell their products at the farmer’s markets, but they are seeking an additional outlet for their large supply. Others don’t want to spend their time sitting at a farmer’s market, they’d rather have their products in a store that’s open every day and that attracts walk-in customers who may not shop farmer’s markets, such as tourists.

On a typical day customers might walk into the West Asheville store to find Kelly sitting on the floor sorting through a pile of body products and Allen in the backroom

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For more information on Bee City USA and the Center for Honey Bee Research visit www.HoneyBeeResearch.org www.BeeCityUSA.org www.Ashevillebeecharmer.com May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

17

They have found hiring students is not necessarily the best fit, since at exam time and holidays students fly the coop.

Some students leave town for the whole summer. Relying on employees is the only way they can do the behind-the-scenes jobs like ordering products, paperwork, and even monitoring their suppliers for sustainable practices. So if someone doesn’t show up to man the store, the owners have to fill in. “We want to be the face of the business, but when you’re also ordering and managing everything it’s a lot,” Kelly says.

A Taste of Joy Kim and Jillian in bee suits near their bee hives

trying to keep up with the mounting paperwork while eating lunch. “We’re CEOs and janitors,” Allen quips. They’re still trying to get the mysterious formula of product ordering down for two stores that appeal to different clientele. “The turnover in products requires lots of ordering,” Kelly says.

But the pace is nothing like it was to get both stores up and running. “We were really tired, working seven days a week,” Kelly admits, “and we’re like, we came here for a simpler life and we’re not having it.”

But with their team now in place they are able to take two days off a week, a luxury they are grateful for. “Most people starting a business don’t see the light of day for two years,” Allen says.

“So I think we’re pretty fortunate.”

Not even a year into the business, Bee Charmer is already a profitable endeavor. They’re able to pay employees and their bills out of revenues as they amortize their investment over the long term.

One of the challenges has been selecting employees. “You have to be sure everybody in your hive is getting along,” Kelly says. “The nice thing is a couple of the people we’ve hired have grown up here, others have moved here, and they connect us to other people.”

18

| May 2015

With enticing names like ‘Southern Buzz’ and ‘Italian Rhododendron’, honey has a wide range of flavors, with subtleties determined by the nectar source. “It’s like the difference between a chardonnay and a cabernet, that distinct,” Allen says.

If you’re curious about the variety of flavors, you can take a seat at their honey bar and sample them — for free. “Someone sits here and puts honey on their tongue and I’m like, ‘Are you okay?’ And they’re like, ‘I’m six at my grandmother’s table,’” Kelly says. “I love the stories about how someone in their family was a beekeeper, or a memorable meal, an experience; they share that.”

Kelly and Allen are welcoming proprietors, making the atmosphere peaceful. Strangers shake hands and swap stories while they sample a huge variety of honeys from around the globe. “We have honey sourced from east coast to west coast,” Allen says.

“We have honey from France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Scotland, Ireland, Tasmania; so all over the world.”

“Kim and I have found that when people come and sit at the honey bar we get to experience joy,” Kelly says. “It’s such a great feeling to be a part of something joyful and wonderful.”

For these two, joy has become a valuable commodity. “There’s no joy at the Board of Trade,” Allen admits. “It’s a backstabbing, competitive, even openly hostile environment.”

Inside the Hive Kelly and Allen are excited about finally getting their own beehives delivered to their backyard in East Asheville, but they won’t be harvesting them for honey.

“We are fortunate, our bees are coming from the Center for Honeybee Research in West Asheville,” Kelly says. “Our physical hives are coming from a friend who’s a master beekeeper named Debra Roberts. She loves bees; she doesn’t even pull honey.”

“She’s out there in an authentic way,” Allen agrees.

If you’ve ever wondered about the secret life of bees, you’re in luck. Within the year you’ll be able to observe Kelly and Allen’s bees going about their daily business. Allen had the brilliant idea to wire the West Asheville store for a big screen display, which will broadcast a live video feed directly from inside their hives. Now everyone can get close to bees without a chance of getting stung.

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W W W . B I L T M O R E P R O P E R T Y G R O U P . C O M May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 19

local industry

Asheville Outlets THE

written by bill fishburne photos by anthony harden

Ready, set, go. The doors are open at the Asheville Outlets mall just off of Interstate 26.

Much like Black Friday, shoppers needed to get there early to get the best items. With buzz and excitement, a whole array of “big city” retailers have come to Asheville, bringing a wide variety of merchandise and low, low prices. To drive up excitement, the actual names of the specific retailers were held in suspense. The names of the retailers were doled out by teaspoons to the media. Only one day at a time the general public could find out who was coming— perhaps on television, perhaps on Facebook or Twitter, or perhaps in the newspapers.

20

| May 2015

lef t : A photo of old Biltmore Square Mall center : Progress

on the outlets as of March 2015

[

factoid

ashe ville outlets will offer in a

325,0 0 0 - s q .- f t.

70

]

or more shopping location s

fac i l it y . e ac h s to r e o p e n s o u t i n to a n

outdoor shopping arc ade . the facilit y i s e xpecte d to e m ploy

800

to

1000

people and gener ate

$8.3

million per ye ar in ta x

re venues at state and local le vels .

It’s a May Day to remember when the new Asheville Outlets mall opens in the old Biltmore Square Mall location. It’s new, it’s exciting, and, yes guys, our wives will dump us off like autumn leaves blowing from the back of the truck as they head for this new regional attraction. It’s brand new, not just a face lift, and it’s exciting. Visitors will come in the form of Biltmore Estate tourists, who might stay an extra day for the excitement of shopping, as well as day-trippers, driving in from a 100-mile radius to do some sightseeing, have lunch or dinner in Asheville, and see the new outlets and pick up some bargains.

So, what is an outlet store and how does it differ from stores in the Asheville Mall or the old Biltmore Square Mall?

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

21

local industry

[

factoid

]

ne w engl and de velopment is the de veloper of ashe ville out-

lets . con struction is contr acted to winter con struction of

atl anta g eorg i a . f i n anci ng wa s arr ang e d th ro ug h tr e m ont

re alt y c apital , a commercial re al estate investment and advi -

sory company. tremont has a re alt y portfolio valued at more than

$775

million . the a s he ville outle ts inve stm e nt i s li ste d

in the tremont portfolio as a

496,000- sq .- f t.

mall under the

biltmore square name . new engl and ’s portfolio lists more than

50

million square fe e t of re tail , commercial , and re sidential

space to their credit. ne w engl and is he aded by chairman and founder stephen r . k arp, vice chairman ste ven s . fischman , and

president dougl ass e . k arp. the local manager is sharon morgan .

First of all it’s outdoors. The Asheville Outlets developer realized that competing with the Asheville Mall on South Tunnel Road was a losing proposition. Two or three or more different owners of the Biltmore Square property had proven that. The Asheville Mall wasn’t even a target anymore. It is a local shrine for indoor mall shoppers and the stores they want to find in a mall environment. Anyone seeking to compete should just go ahead and wire their money to the Nigerian lottery guy. Same guaranteed result, lots less time and effort.

[

factoid

]

the asheville mall was the vision of the l ate richard l . (pokey )

coleman , a pioneering de veloper in the ashe ville are a . the mall

opened in an unde veloped are a on the other side of the ashe ville tunnel in

1971

and took ashe ville by storm . within a fe w

ye ars , with mall grow th well be yond the de veloper ’s dre am s ,

facing page : Sharon Morgan, CSM, CMD, general manager, working at her desk at the Asheville Outlets

downtown asheville was a wastel and of deserted buildings and was nearly devoid of nightlife (other than a few bars) after the

bankers and l aw yers went home . the situation was so dire that

cit y council determined government intervention was required . council voted to approve a massive downtown rede velopment p ro j ec t t h at wo u l d h av e t u r n e d m o s t t h e c e n t r a l b u s i n e s s district into a massive indoor mall . the proposal , called the

strou se greenb erg project, c alled for bu lldozing e very thing

bet ween pat ton avenue , hay wood street, i -240, and broadway.

the

11

square block are a of vintage

1900

buildings would be

destroyed in order to gain feder al funding . the was estimated at

$125

million ,

($275

million in

1981 2015

price tag doll ars )

and ashe ville would have lost ne arly all of its current charm . opposition soon formed led by downtown businessman wayne c a l dw e l l , w h o p u t to g e t h e r a n o d d coa l i t i o n o f b u s i n e s s

p e o p l e , p r e s e rvat i o n i s t s , l i b e r a l s , a n d co n s e rvat i v e s . i t m ay

have been the one thing ne arly e veryone in ashe ville opposed .

th e i s s u e wa s d e f e ate d . a w e l l- docu m e n te d s e n i o r th e s i s o n

th e m at te r by u nc a s h e v i lle s t u de nt m o lly sag e r i s ava i l a b le o n - l i n e at ht t p :// toto . l i b . u n c a . e d u / s r srhistory

22

_ 2012/ sager _

molly. pdf.

| May 2015

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The Asheville Outlets are completely privately financed.

There are no bonds being floated, it doesn’t ask for anything to be condemned, and in its former life as the Biltmore Square Mall it has proven to be as easy to get in and out of as the original Asheville Mall was in 1971. How long that will last is a question. I-26 needs to be widened, and a lot of people have virtually spent the better years of their lives talking about the I-26 Connector across the French Broad River. No one knows how that project will be funded or when and if it will even be started. But for now, Asheville Outlets has a prime location with room for expansion without encroaching on its neighbors.

According to Sharon Morgan, general manager of the Asheville Outlets, outlet stores offer a different shopping experience. “The first thing you’ll notice at Asheville Outlets is the stores face an open walkway not an interior mall corridor,” Morgan says. “The developer wanted to incorporate Asheville’s love of the outdoors, and our shopping experience reflects that.

There are covered areas to block the rain and sun, but you are really enjoying a completely different environment from a traditional mall.”

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 23

local industry

Eliminating the interior corridors also brings a significant reduction in overhead that the stores can pass on to their customers. There are no expenses for common area heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (H VAC). Each store pays the cost of its own space. The size of the store and its architecture determine the H VAC cost it incurs. Vendors will lease stores that range from small to tens of thousands of square feet. They can even lease a gussied up cart out in the breezeway, selling any number of specialty items from hand crafted jewelry to custom made baseball caps. They’re not all leased yet, so nobody really knows where the entrepreneurial spirit may lead. Morgan believes the carts will reflect Asheville’s extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit.

The fact of the matter is that talking with Sharon Morgan is like taking the introductory lecture to Mall Management 101 at a good university. Asheville Outlets is her 10th mall.

She is a veteran of the business and was the Biltmore Square Mall manager when she was hired by the Asheville Outlet’s developers to bring the new facility on line.

Morgan is quick to thank local businesses and tourism officials for their support, especially the Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Village, and the Chamber of Commerce. “If we can add one day to a person’s stay in Asheville, everyone will benefit,” she says.

24

| May 2015

“I actually started my working career in radio, television, and newspapers,” she explains. “I was with WKPT- AM/FM and TV in Kingsport for five years, then went to Houston to work in FM radio for a black rock Christian station. That was a ton of fun. I moved to Longview, Texas, to work for a Cox newspaper,

then got homesick and transferred to Atlanta. I wanted to get back to the mountains (she’s from Kingsport) so I found a job with the Ft. Henry Mall in Kingsport as marketing director. I did the same thing for the Bristol Market and at the Blacksburg Mall. That was where I was both the manager and the marketing director. I took the industry professional management courses through International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) not only to have the right certifications for the jobs but to learn how to do them. I recommend it to everyone who plans to make a career in retail marketing.”

[

factoid

]

The floor plan of the outlets is virtually identical with that of the Biltmore Square Mall. The developer liked the mall’s layout and even left the food court in its original location. But everywhere, they removed the roof.

The future of the Asheville Outlets could be brilliant but really remains to be seen. Other regional outlets are successful, and Asheville’s many other attractions give it a huge edge over outlets simply stacked alongside I-85 with no real attraction and, in many cases, no compelling reason to exist. Morgan is quick to thank local businesses and tourism officials for their support, especially the Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Village, and the Chamber of Commerce. “If we can add one day to a person’s stay in Asheville, everyone will benefit,” she says.

the icsc is a stabilizing force in retail sales and management t h at l i f t s i t s m e m b e r s a b ov e t h e co n c e p t o f p ro m ot i n g t h e b e s t s a le s p e r so n i nto m a n ag e m e nt w ith n o f o r m a l tr a i n i n g .

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that salesperson of ten is a fish out of water . retailing is just a s pro f e s s i o n a l a s s e l li n g r e a l e s tate , w ith r eg u l ati o n th at involves multiple , overl apping l ayers of cit y councils , count y pl anners , ta x ation , and , of course , cre ating gre at customer

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woman with a credit c ard , good shoes , and an outle t mall

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in management have to have a minimum of three ye ars experience in their specialt y plus t wo ye ars of formal icsc education .

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CONTENT MARKETING:

The Intersection of SEO, PR, and Social Media

I

J

justin belleme

is a WNC native and the founder of JB Media Group, an online marketing agency based in Asheville.

26

N THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE INTERNET, the consumer decision making process has shifted significantly. In today’s world most consumers begin with either an idea of exactly what they want to buy or with a question about what might best meet their needs. Consumers often start with social media or search engines to confirm their purchasing decisions or ask their questions.

They are then confronted with more choices, advice, and educational resources in their quest to make an informed buying decision. In other words, digital access to information and peer advice has empowered the consumer, yet created a new layer between companies and their customers that must be understood and influenced to ensure marketing success.

In this new paradigm there are three arenas that influence consumer behavior: 1. Social media where people ask their friends and anyone listening for advice on their purchasing decisions; 2. Search engines where people ask questions and search out third party reviews and educational content in order to make informed buying decisions; 3. Online media and industry influencers who are seen as experts and who can shine a significant light on the product and services that they choose to cover with positive editorial content.

| May 2015

All three of these communication channels can dissuade the consumer from a particular product or company if the reviews, social feedback, or editorial coverage are negative in nature.

Most businesses see these three arenas as separate marketing initiatives and often fail to recognize the overlapping strategy and implementation necessary to create positive momentum toward successful brand awareness, search engine rankings, social media buzz, and positive media coverage. There is a marketing tactic at the intersection of these divergent goals—content marketing.

Content marketing is the practice of creating useful educational and informative content published through channels that you control, including your own website, social media, email marketing, website embedded video content, and earned guest editorial opportunities on industry websites.

When integrated with website tracking, content distribution to ensure maximum use of created content, automation tools to stay in touch with captured leads, and a well refined sales process for converting leads to customers, content marketing

J

can accomplish all of the goals listed above to create an integrated campaign driving search engine marketing, social media, and public relations success. Together, these put your company or product right where consumers are looking for information to make their buying decision.

Benefits of Content Marketing

An integrated content marketing strategy offers many advantages over siloed efforts. le a d d e v e lo p m e nt : One of the greatest challenges of online marketing is converting visitors from awareness to purchase. In our busy world we may learn about a product or service long before we actually need it while doing preliminary research. Proper tracking and lead capturing techniques allow businesses to capture leads during the research process and enter them into a long term sales pipeline.

t h o u g h t l e a d e r s h i p : Tactics such as providing free

education in the form of community classes, infomercials, books, and articles have long been used as successful options for establishing thought leadership within an industry. These efforts can drive word of mouth marketing and sales over time. Online content marketing expands this strategy to your website by making that website a valuable industry resource for learning about the products and services you provide. br anding and authorit y building : Social media, including paid advertising to spread your content to a wider audience, along with guest and third party editorial content, can be leveraged to create much greater brand awareness and authority within your industry. This is key to moving consumers from awareness through trust into purchase and eventually referral of your products and services.

reducing the barrier to conversion : Another challenge with online marketing is the tendency to only count and track the end of the buying process when a customer makes a purchase. In today’s fast paced, entertainment driven world, the online buying process often takes several website visits and multiple customer touch points. When properly implemented with complimentary tracking tools, content marketing can be used to capture leads earlier in the process. Tracking visitors who download an educational resource, watch a video, visit a specific page, or fill out a form requesting more information can all be used to better understand which tactics within the content marketing strategy are driving qualified leads and for refining strategies over time to continuously improve results.

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 27

Challenges of Content Marketing

The greatest challenges for businesses when it comes to content marketing is creating the content and implementing the technical systems for deployment, distribution, and tracking of results. On the content creation side of the equation, most companies, especially small and mid-sized businesses, struggle with finding the time and content creation talent within their team. Even with someone identified to write the content, it can be difficult to know what to write about and how to best leverage these writing efforts in an effective way.

Creating an editorial calendar can provide the structure and focus needed to create a continuous stream of content. Themes and topics can be brainstormed internally or with a marketing support vendor, and once documented and prioritized, these themes can guide content creation efforts for the quarter or an entire year. Focusing on one theme at a time and rotating through themes can add additional focus and organization to content creation efforts. For example, the content team could create several short blogs, industry expert interviews, list articles, short videos, info-graphics, and client testimonials for the same theme, and share that content on the company’s website, email newsletter, and social media channels. Together

they can then be combined into a long white paper, case study, or ebook available for download.

Internal Content Creation vs Outsourcing

The decision on whether to perform content marketing in-house or to use an outsourced vendor is a common marketing staffing and budget question. There are challenges and benefits to both fully in-house and fully outsourced arrangements. The challenge of in-house is focus and prioritization. Typically, content marketing is only part of the marketing strategy. Other more immediate tasks such as generating social media and email marketing content, or scheduling and executing in person, marketing at events, conferences, and sales meetings can end up using up all of the time of the in-house marketing team. It’s easy to procrastinate complex tasks such as writing a series of content articles and implementing them correctly. The skills required are different between writing the content, designing the graphics, producing the videos, implementing the content on the site, and deploying the distribution strategy. The benefit of in-house content creation is access to information and knowledge. Typically, the in-house marketing team has a full understanding of the products, services, and brand, and easy access to internal knowledge resources that can be leveraged for these efforts.

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| May 2015

J divides the content development tasks between client and agency Outsourcing can provide benefits, including deadlines and resources and expert freelance writers. The agency serves as a clear delivery dates for content creation, comprehensive underproject manager for deadlines and the client marketing coordistanding of the overlapping strategies involved in effective content nator serves as liaison and scheduler for access to the content marketing, and continuous testing across multiple clients to experts at the company. ensure best practices This can create a rewardare implemented and ing project experience kept up with. The main IT ’S EASY TO PROCR ASTINATE where the company feels challenge of outsourcing involved and engaged is the level of industry COMPLEX TASKS SUCH AS WRITING A in their own marketing knowledge needed for SERIES OF CONTENT ARTICLES AND without over leveraging effective content creation.

IMPLEMENTING THEM CORRECTLY. their internal resources.

The outsourced agency Best practices are mainmust quickly become tained, and tracking and an expert in your indusmilestones can create accountability and budget control. try, branding language, and marketing goals. It is possible to In the end, it is not nearly as important how a content marovercome these challenges if the vendor has a well-developed keting strategy is staffed and managed but that it is created client on-boarding and discovery process, and if the vendor uses and implemented. Consumers are increasingly internet savvy, interviews with the internal content experts as a major part of information driven, and social. This combination makes content the content research process. marketing a must for businesses who wish to position themselves One tactic that has become increasingly popular is a blended to influence consumer behavior. A coordinated and strategic approach where an outside agency provides strategy, implementation support, and part of the content development. In content marketing strategy can do just that. these arrangements the agency partner creates the topics and

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CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

Might As Well Jump buncombe

After visiting a trampoline park in Greenville, South Carolina, Bret and Jennifer Pacheco, owners of an Asheville accounting firm, decided to risk creating one back home. Asheville’s Launch Trampoline Park is now scheduled to open in July or August. The 26,000-sq.-ft. recreational facility will feature wall-to-wall trampolines with five rooms for private parties, a game arcade, and a cafe. There will also be a foam pit with various forms of obstacles and a less extreme place for little kids to jump. Teams will be able to play sports, like slam-dunk basketball or dodgeball. The undertaking is made possible through Launch Franchising, a three-year-old Rhode Island corporation founded by former New England Patriots cornerback Ty Law. Asheville’s will be

]

one of ten jumping houses on the East Coast. The Pachecos wanted to bring to the area a facility where the whole family could have fun together. A viewing deck will be available for parents who don’t want to get in the fray. Launch Asheville will accommodate structured services for fundraisers, field trips, fitness classes, nights for special age groups, and corporate events. Joey, Launch’s seven-foot chartreuse kangaroo, will be officially in charge of the fun. Tickets are expected to run between $12 and $15.

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into compliance with new EPA regulations. The paper mill currently runs on four coal-powered boilers that don’t meet the new emissions standards. To become compliant by 2019, the factory will equip two boilers with state-of-theart emissions technology and adapt the other two to run on natural gas. But before the plant can start using natural gas, PSNC will have to upgrade the supply lines. Last year the factory appealed to the state for funding to help with the transition. Convincing the legislature they would be forced out of business and forced to lay off 1200 workers for want of the resources necessary to become compliant, lobbyists on behalf of the factory secured a $12 million grant from the Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund. The state also offered to pay PSNC $2.1 million for system upgrades, but PSNC rejected the terms and conditions of the unsigned agreement. Since 1990, Evergreen’s Canton facility has spent $330 million on coming into compliance with evolving environmental standards. Evergreen is considered the state’s largest industrial air polluter. The EPA estimated the new emissions guidelines, intended to reduce coal burning, would affect about 1,000 boilers nationwide. The American Forest

3130 US HWY 70 Black Mountain

s

and Paper Association had predicted this could force the shutdown of 30 mills.

Industry Leaders Noticing Asheville’s RTX buncombe

Resort Travel & Xchange (RTX) will be promoting its international timeshare exchange services at the 2015 American Resort Development Association’s World Convention at the Orlando World Center Marriott. The Asheville-based company is experiencing record growth. Having debuted in 2012, RTX has already gotten 80,000 members to sign on to its services.

Working for owners, developers, and homeowners’ associations, RTX seeks to provide flexibility not offered elsewhere.

For example, it allows time sharers to split their vacation time, make deposits for up to two years in advance, and take advantage of last-minute getaways for as low as $49 per week. Perks of membership include packages offering airport lounge memberships and discounts on hotels, cruises, car rentals, and restaurants. As an added bonus, members receive frequent email tips and notifications and a subscription to RTX Traveler magazine.

Amazing year-over-year statistics for

62

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the old north state

national & world

2014 include a 250 percent increase in exchanges with a 224 percent increase in last-minute getaways. 5000 exchanges and getaways were transacted with an average fulfillment time of 4.4 days. To keep up with demand, the company opened a second office in Orlando and more than doubled its staff. It now employs 80. This January was RTX’s best month ever.

Wine & Food Festival buncombe

carolina in the west

20 to disclose the most revered talent of the region. Sweet is a time of desserts, music, drink, and fun on Friday August 21. Then on Saturday at the US Cellular Center, Asheville’s largest event facility, the Grand Tasting presents the best in wine, food, spirits, beer, and competitive entertainment. Last year 4,000 festivalians gathered to enjoy a riot of local and international wineries, local Beer City and area breweries, regional distilleries, restaurateurs and chefs, farmers, and artisan food producers who transformed the US Cellular Center into a culinary circus.

Culinary events will take place throughout the day, as well as the Winemaker Competition and the Top Chef & Mixologist Challenge Finales.

The Asheville Wine & Food Festival was named as a Top 20 Winning Event, in 2014 by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Now in its seventh year and named by the New York Post as one of the best festivals of its kind in the country, also listed as a Top 20 Winning Event for 2014 by the Southeast Tourism Society, the Asheville avery Wine & Food Festival features more Pete Gerdon, superintendent of than 300 wines, creations prepared by Grandfather Golf & Country Club in Asheville’s celebrated and internationally Linville, announced the hemlocks on recognized chefs, as well as samples of the golf course are as healthy as they local artisan food products, craft beers were before the blight hit. Fifteen years and spirits. Elixir mixology and culinary ago, hemlock woolly adelgids came competition events take place throughinto the Great Smoky Mountains and out the spring and summer. These started reducing the life expectancy of events culminate on Thursday, August HunterBanks_CapitalPlay ad.pdf 1 11/4/11 10:42 AM

Yummy Adelgids

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hemlocks from 800 years to just five.

80 percent of older hemlocks and over 50 percent of forest hemlocks are now dead. The rebound of the hemlocks can be attributed to Watauga entomologist Richard McDonald. Observing that hemlocks thrived among woolly adelgids in the Pacific Northwest, he assumed the little critters had a predator. McDonald’s business, Symbiont Biological Pest Management, controls pests through natural means, such as introducing predator insects. McDonald persuaded leadership at Grandfather’s to send him to Seattle to collect Laricobius nigrinus beetles. Nicknamed Lari, the bugs had already been approved by government for introduction into Western North Carolina. McDonald has since made sixty trips to Seattle and collected approximately 150,000 Lari bugs for release. He says it wasn’t until 2009 that he saw a reversal of the blight. It all began with a $25,000 contract from Grandfather’s. McDonald now sells the beetles for $5 each, and saving hemlocks has become the major focus of his business.

In the Leafy Treetops buncombe

Rumors that somebody wanted to cater breakfast to full-service tree house suites patterned after a rogue hideout in the Canadian woods sounded a bit far-fetched, but members of the Woodfin Planning and Zoning Board actually gave Asheville developer Michael Parrish the go-ahead to construct twenty of what will be the first tree house bed and breakfasts in Western North Carolina.

The short-term rentals would capitalize on the spectacular panoramic views in a 35-acre residential development to be known as Serenity subdivision. Joel Allen, the architect for Whistler, British Columbia’s HemLoft, has been hired for the project. Built in a hemlock forest, HemLoft was an egg-shaped, eclectic, and classy hideaway. Allen built it on the sly when he was jobless with $10,000 32

| May 2015

worth of free materials scrounged from Craigslist. While visiting New York with his girlfriend, Allen was persuaded to share his story with Dwell Magazine.

Having his secret little hideaway uncovered for a national glossy, Allen had to come clean with the authorities, and he subsequently had some online fun marketing HemLoft. Allen is now studying Asheville architecture to develop a sense for what would be a unique local design.

Whereas other tree house accommodations in the country typically share facilities, the Serenity units would be self-contained, like hotel rooms.

Making Honest Thoughts Presentable watauga

A regional chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) was organized in Blowing Rock.

With high interest, the group held its first meeting at the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. Kevin Troyer, a construction contractor and owner of 4 Forty Four by day, is behind the effort. Before that, Troyer was collaborating with Roger Fair in the Johnson City chapter. Troyer believed Watauga and Ashe counties were ripe for their own chapter because of their diversity of local genres, rich musical history, and opportunities for education offered by Appalachian State University. Troyer supports the NSAI because, he argues, it is difficult for a musician to progress in a vacuum. He says he encounters numerous folks who say they have a song in their heart, but they don’t know how to take it to the next step. NSAI provides opportunities for collaboration, feedback, and skill-building.

Troyer argues the mission of the NSAI is not so much to get half-baked pieces on the charts as to make sure outstanding works of art and soul are available. The NSAI was founded on Music Row by Eddie Miller and others in 1967 as a trade association for lending moral support and defending composers’ rights.

Sugar Doesn’t Want People Waiting in Line avery

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort is investing in improvements. Most notably, it expects to have a new, high-speed Doppelmayr chairlift up and running for the 20152016 ski season. The detachable lift chairs will seat up to six skiers per chair and make the trip to the 5,300-foot peak in five minutes. The resort’s president, Gunther Jochl, expressed interest in allowing skiers to spend more time on the slopes and less time waiting in line. By streamlining the lift routes to Summits #1 and #2, traffic flow is expected to increase by 2000 people per hour.

While construction is underway, Sugar Mountain will not be offering summer lift rides or hosting SugarBrew this year. The Sport Shop will be open for the annual Fourth of July sale, and Oktoberfest is still on. Sugar Mountain currently runs ten lifts to over twenty slopes ranging from beginner treks like Easy Street and Little Nell up to the difficult Gunther’s Way, the Black Diamond Tom Terrific and Boulderdash, and the Double Black Diamond Whoopdeedoo.

A Fine Example buncombe

Eighteen-year-old Ian Huffman is going into business to raise money for college. He recently opened the Snow Cone Shack on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. Snow cone shacks were not uncommon in Texas, where Huffman spent a year at a private high school.

Huffman recently left TC Roberson High School to finish his graduation requirements online. Huffman plans to study business in college, and he views the Snow Cone Shack as a low-risk opportunity to learn the ins and outs of business. Huffman says navigating the permitting process was the most difficult part of starting up. It took two months.

Scott Metcalf, who reviews building

plans for code compliance for the City of Asheville, guided Huffman through the process. The shack will operate out of a tent to keep overhead low. Huffman estimates the startup cost him $5,500; he still has about $15,000 in savings.

Huffman will assume a management role, having hired two employees to wait on customers. The shack will be open after school on weekdays and from 12 to 8pm on weekends. This isn’t Huffman’s first business. He tried selling headphones online for awhile and mowed lawns for cash while in middle school. Citing a love of finance and economics and a distaste for bureaucracy, Huffman says he would like to be a hedge fund manager one day.

Biltmore Property Refurbishes More buncombe

Biltmore Property Group has redesigned and repurposed an underutilized warehouse on Sweeten Creek Road. It is now leasing commercial space to Sherwin Williams, Old School Subs & Deli, and Asheville Phoenix Properties.

Sherwin Williams has long been selling paint in the area. Old School Subs & Deli has been operating nearby for some time as well, but now they will be able to offer inside dining. Asheville Phoenix Properties/Keller Williams Biltmore Village will be the first Mega Agent Office for the Asheville-area real estate brokerage. An additional 1600-square-feet of the building remains available for lease.

With holdings in three Southeast cities, Biltmore Property Group is the largest property owner in Biltmore Village.

Other holdings include the Ruth’s Chris Steak House building, the award-winning medical office space known as the Historic Biltmore School at Vanderbilt Park, and the two-story retail complex on the northwest end of the village.

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| May 2015

L leisure & libation

Wilmington north carolina

ďƒŞ written by jeffrey green photos courtesy of wilmington and be aches cvb

> the

cit y p.36

> the

be ach p.42

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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leisure & libation

Wilmington the city

& the river

It’s hard to read anything or go online without encountering the touting of Asheville and Charleston as the “hottest” and “coolest” emerging cities in the southeast. Being an Asheville and Western North Carolina based magazine, we are comfortable with our coronation but can’t help thinking that there is a less heralded, less crowded, but equally appealing historic beach/river community right here in North Carolina. We’re talking about Historic Wilmington on the Cape Fear River and its companion beach communities of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach.

E

nglish colonists began settling the area in the 1720s. The first community founded in 1732 went through various names before becoming Wilmington in honor of Spencer Compton, the Earl of Wilmington, in 1739.

Early industries like lumber, ship building, and railroads have gradually been replaced by

36

| May 2015

manufacturing, film making, and tourism. In recent years Wilmington has developed a vibrant restaurant and nightlife segment. Many historic homes and downtown commercial buildings have been renovated and restored. A one-mile-long Riverwalk has been constructed. In 2014 USA Today named Wilmington as “The Best American Riverfront.”

L Things to Do > >wilmington r ailroad museum

I have visited Wilmington many times over the last thirty years, mainly to sail or sit on the beach, so I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon the Wilmington Railroad Museum, just north of the Hilton Hotel downtown.

For more than 125 years the railroad was Wilmington’s largest industry. In 1840 the Wilmington & Welden Railroad ran 161 miles from the coast to Welden, close to the Virginia border. It was the longest continuous railroad in the world at that time. As the Confederates’ major port in the Civil War the railroad was dubbed “The Lifeline of the Confederacy.”

It was the fall of Wilmington to Union forces and the subsequent loss of access to that railroad that became a major factor in the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox, Virginia.

The Wilmington & Welden Railroad merged with others near the turn of the

this page :

(left) The Wilmington River Walk (right) The Wilmington Railroad Museum facing page :

(left) The riverfront with the Henrietta III Riverboat (right) Airlie Gardens May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 37

leisure & libation

> >battleship

north carolina

This battleship is moored across the river from downtown and is one of the most decorated ships of WW II. It is two city blocks long and 15 stories high. Two hour self guided tours are available in the summer from 8am-8pm, with adults tickets costing $14.00.

1 Battleship Road, Wilmington www.battleshipnc.com John Knox River Taxi available to the battleship from the foot of Market Street. www.cfrboats.com

> >biking

Enjoy biking along the River to Sea Bikeway from downtown Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach or take the Gary Shell Cross City Trail. www.rivertoseabikeway.com www.crosscitytrail.com

Battleship North Carolina 20th Century to become the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). ACL was headquarted in Wilmington for over sixty years until July 1960 when they moved over 1,000 employees and their families to their new headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida; a devastating blow to the Wilmington economy.

Founded in 1979, the museum pays homage to the history of ACL and railroading in the Southeastern United States. From the street, visitors are attracted to their collection of a vintage locomotive, boxcar, and caboose, but it’s the contents of the authentic 1883 railroad freight warehouse that will thrill both the “big” and “small” kids in your family.

For the history buffs there is a room full of photos and railroad artifacts, but it is the next two rooms that will be your salvation on those vacation days when it rains at the beach. The Children’s Hall is full of trains for kids to play with and a child-size caboose for them to climb 38

| May 2015

in. They can also look for “Thomas” on a large-scale train layout. The adjoining 1,500-square-foot Model Hall is an HO scale layout that recreates coastal Carolina railroad scenes in the early 1950s as we were transitioning from steam to diesel. Twelve operating trains run in historically accurate recreations of Wilmington and Wilson. Summer hours are 10am-5pm daily and Sundays from 1-5pm.

505 Nutt St, Wilmington www.wrrm.org

> >airlie

gardens

The Gardens feature 67 acres of walking paths, a freshwater lake, formal gardens showcasing seasonal blooms, and mighty live oaks. The summer concert series begins in May the first and third Friday of each month. Open daily from 9am – 5pm, adult tickets are $9.00.

300 Airlie Rd, Wilmington www.airliegardens.org

You can bring your own bike or rent from one of these local companies.

Bike Cycles: 6801 Parker Farm Road, Wilmington www.bikecycleshop.com Wrightsville SUP: 96 W. Salisbury St, Wrightsville Beach www.wrightsvillesup.com Pleasure Island Rentals: 2 N. Lake Park Blvd, Carolina Beach www.pleasureislandrentals.com

> >boat

tours

A wide selection of boat tours are available. North Carolina’s Largest Riverboat, the Henrietta III, offers sightseeing with lunch, sunset, or dinner cruises.

Check the Cape Fear Riverboats website for days, times, and pricing. The same company also operates a water taxi to the battleship and the smaller Captain J.N. Maffitt for narrated tours and private charters.

101 S. Water St, Wilmington www.cfrboats.com

L Wilmington Water Tours also offers Cape Fear River, sunset, and charter cruises.

212 S. Water St, Wilmington www.wilmingtonwatertours.net

> >cape

fear serpentarium

The serpentarium is not for the faint of heart. A saltwater crocodile, anaconda, python, Komodo dragon, king cobra, and a large collection of other venomous snakes can be viewed daily from 11am – 5pm. Tickets cost $8 for adults and children over two.

20 Orange St at the corner of Water St. www.capefearserpantarium.com

> >ghost

walk of old wilmington

Walk along a 90-minute adventure in the depths of Old Wilmington to the city’s most actively haunted homes and burial grounds.

Nightly at 6:30 & 8pm Adults $13.00 Tour begins Riverfront at Market and Water Streets www.hauntedwilmington.com

> >historic

home tours

Wilmington boasts a National Register Historic District that is among the largest in North Carolina, with 230 square blocks of historic homes from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Tours are available at: The Bellamy Mansion, 1861 www.bellamymansion.com The Latimer House, 1852 www.latimerhouse.org

Only a few Colonial era homes survive with the Burgwin-Wright House Museum & Gardens open to the public.

Burgwin-Wright House Museum & Gardens www.burgwinwrighthouse.com

“Your Inspiration... Our Innovation” 305 Airport Road, Arden, NC - 828.687.8770 novakitchen.com

Purchase tickets individually or buy a week-long passport giving access to all three historic homes for $24.

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 39

leisure & libation

>>

holly wood location walk

With 500+ film credits Wilmington is known as Hollywood East. This walk is a 90-minute tour of current and past movie and TV locations. It is open at 2pm daily, except Mondays and Fridays, and also 10am on Saturdays. Adult tickets are $13.00.

8 Market Street www.hollywoodnc.com

> >springbrook

farms horse dr awn tours

Enjoy a narrated tour of the historic riverfront and stately mansions of Old Wilmington by a costumed driver. Tours are offered Sunday through Thursday 10am-10pm, and Friday and Saturdays from 11am-10pm. Tickets for adults are $12.00 www.horsedrawntours.com

Where to Stay > >front

street inn

If you want to be close to the restaurant and nightlife vibe of downtown Wilmington, the Front Street Bed and Breakfast Inn is the place to lay your head. Each of the twelve rooms or suites is unique with American art and furnishings gathered piece by piece from galleries, fairs, and auctions. The antique furniture is offset by modern, comfortable bathrooms, and some suites have balconies with garden and sunset views.

Afternoon tea is served with fresh baked cookies. An above-average Continental breakfast with great selection is included in the room rate.

215 S. Front Street, Wilmington www.frontstreetinn.com

You’ll pay more for west facing rooms, but will be rewarded with spectacular views of the river and fabulous sunsets.

301 N. Water Street, Wilmington www.hilton.com

Where to Shop > >the

cotton exchange

Wilmington has an eclectic mix of specialty shops all over town, but you will find a good concentration at The Cotton Exchange across from the Riverside Hilton. Eight graciously restored buildings connected by brick walkways, open-air courtyards, and gigantic heart pine beams house 30 unique specialty shops and restaurants.

321 N. Front Street, Wilmington www.shopcottonexchange.com

> >mayfaire

> >hilton wilmington riverside

If you are seeking a more traditional hotel experience, but still want to be walking distance to everything, The Hilton is a good choice. Located directly on the river, this hotel has recently been remodeled and includes a Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

40

photo by Front Street Brewery

| May 2015

town center

Wilmington’s shopping, dining, and entertainment destination features 65 shops, 24 restaurants, a 16 screen movie theatre, two grocery stores, two hotels, condos, and apartments.

6835 Conservation Way, Wilmington www.mayfairetown.com

Where to Eat > >front

street brewery

The building dates back to 1865 and has served as a variety of retail establishments over the years. In 1995 it opened as a microbrewery and restaurant in the days when taking on the big breweries was an oddity rather than common place like it is today. The restaurant is a casual, comfortable place with an extensive menu of over 25 sandwiches and burgers, and over 35 entrees. Selected appetizers are half price from 4 to 6pm and after 10pm daily.

At any given time there are around ten locally, handcrafted beers on tap. In late 2014 Front Street Brewery named UNC Wilmington graduate Kelsie Cole head brewer. (While she has been promoted as the first female head brewer in the state, she was probably second to Julie Baggett who held a similar position at Huske Hardware House in Fayetteville in 2009.) Kelsie trained under the former head brewer, Kevin Kozak, and at The American Brewers Guild in Salisbury, Vermont. You can meet her in person during three free daily afternoon tours and tastings.

L Front Street also has an extensive premium whiskey selection which they claim is the largest in the state. Open daily from 11:30am-midnight.

9 N. Front Street, Wilmington www.frontstreetbrewery.com

> >caprice

bistro

Enjoy a Parisian-style French bistro from Thierry and Patricia Moity, the previous owners of Patou Bistro in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cafe de Bruxelles in New York City. The Bistro features excellent French fare with superior service and an extensive wine list, as well as Martini’s, champagne, and classic cocktails. Dinner is served daily from 5pm to 2am.

10 Market Street, Wilmington www.capricebistro.com

> >circa 1922

Highly rated tapas style dining and wine bar in an historic old bank building in downtown. Sushi and sashimi is also on the menu, as well as an extensive wine list and a good selection of Kraft cocktails. Open for dinner only, daily starting at 5pm.

8 N. Front Street, Wilmington www.circa1922.com

> >henry ’ s

This classic American fare is found in a contemporary space with picture windows, stacked sandstone walls, and sponge painted ceilings, as well as a comfortable, separate bar area. Located south of downtown towards Carolina Beach, we went at lunchtime and it was packed with locals. Lunch and dinner are served daily 11am to 11pm, with live music on Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:30pm in the bar or on the patio.

2508 Independence Blvd, Wilmington www.henrysrestaurant.com

Nine and dine.

> >indochine

Exotically decorated, Thai-Vietnamese Asian Restaurant that is a local favorite, and has racked up multiple local restaurant awards for over a decade. Indoor and outdoor dining with private huts, a Tiki bar, and lotus pond. Lunch is served Tuesday through Saturday, with dinner daily.

7 Wayne Drive, Wilmington www.indochinewilmington.com

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leisure & libation

The Beaches carolina

,

kure

,

& wrightsville

Wilmington has always been intertwined with its beaches, even marketing itself as wilmingtonandbeaches.com. These beaches include Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach. The most interesting history lies with Wrightsville Beach, a four-mile-long beach island and an interior area called Harbor Island. Heading east towards the beach off Harbor Island, go left at the US 74/76 split and you’ll encounter an easy-to-miss historic cottage on your right just before the final bridge to the beach.

Housed in the 1909 Myers Cottage is the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History.

A

long with period furnishings, historical objects, and photos you’ll find a model of the beach as it looked in 1910. Wrightsville Beach settlement began 1853 with the construction of the Carolina Yacht Club, the brainchild of seven Wilmington businessmen that loved sailing nearly as much as their work.

A rail line linked the beach to town in 1888, spurring development and day trippers from Wilmington.

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| May 2015

With the advent of electricity the trail became an electric trolley in 1902. The most significant structure, The Lumina Pavilion, with a large dance floor and entertainment complex, was constructed in 1905. The model features these long gone structures, as well as the 1897 Seashore Hotel, the 1905 Oceanic Hotel, and the 1905 Hanover Seaside Club.

303 W. Salisbury St, Wrightsville Beach www.wbmuseum.com

L this page :

Carolina Beach Pier photo by Peter Doran

facing page :

(left) A young girl learning to surf (right) Wilmington Beach

Further south you will find Kure and Carolina Beach with the Carolina Beach Boardwalk, including the famous Britt’s Donuts, family owned and operated since 1939. www.brittsdonutsfanclub.com Kure Beach is also home to the oldest ocean front pier on the Atlantic coast and the nearby North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

Things to Do > >the

north carolina aquarium

When you are beached out or, heaven forbid, it rains, The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher offers an excellent spot to kill a few hours or entertain the kids.

Much of the aquarium and its tanks are correctly devoted to plants and sea creatures found in nearby waters, but more exotic creatures like a white alligator, sea horses, brightly colored tropical fish, large spiny lobsters, jellyfish, lionfish, moray eels, poisonous snakes, and frogs are also on hand to keep everybody interested.

The aquarium is very hands-on with an area where you can touch sea stars, horseshoe crabs, rays, and even sharks.

This spring the aquarium will add an interactive Lorikeet exhibit. These medium-sized, brightly colored parrots from “down under” are sure to be a hit with the kids.

The visit can be greatly enhanced by a little advance planning. The aquarium’s website lists feeding times of various tanks by day of the week. You can also see and converse with a diver in the main tank twice daily. Short, engaging, educational films are shown at various times during the day in the auditorium. There is a gift shop and an outdoor snack bar that operates daily during the season. The Aquarium is open 9am – 5pm daily, with adult tickets costing $11.95 and tickets for kids under 12 costing $8.95.

900 Loggerhead Road, Kure Beach. www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 43

this page :

(top) Kayaking near Carolina Beach State Park Photo by Gary Allen (middle) Guests enjoying the Round Viewing Window at The North Carolina Aquarium Photo courtesy of The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

> >boat,

sailboat and paddleboard rental

Create your own tour or excursion by way of sailing, fishing, swimming, or sightseeing. Sea Mark 20’ and 21’ boats accommodating up to 10 adults are available for rental.

Entropy Boat Rentals, 7618 Mason Landing Road, Wilmington www.entropyboats.com

> >charter

fishing

> >k ayak &

paddleboard rentals

> >surfing

school

The Whipsaw is a 42’ Custom Carolina Sportsfisher, family owned and operated by Captain Robbie Wolf. Half, three-quarter, or full day charters are available with all equipment and ice provided.

Bridge Tender Marina, Wrightsville Beach www.wrightsvillebeachfishingtrip.com Paddleboard lessons.

The Blockade Runner Hotel on Wrightsville Beach blockaderunnersoundside@gmail.com Lessons from Tony Silvagni, who is currently ranked 9th in the world for Professional Longboard. Check out the live surf camera at www.carolinabeachsurfcam.com. Surfboards, paddleboards, kayaks, beach chairs, umbrellas, canopy tents, skim, and body boards are all available for rental.

100 Hamlet Avenue, Carolina Beach www.surfschoolnc.com

> >wheel

fun rentals

This rental location offers bike, beach, and paddleboat rentals, including beach cruisers, surfboards, boogie boards, chairs, and umbrellas.

Two locations on Carolina Beach www.wheelfunrental.com 44

| May 2015

L Where to Stay > >the

holiday inn resort at wrightsville beach

There are just a few full-service hotels and resorts on Wrightsville Beach. The highest rated is the Holiday Inn Resort. For over fifteen years general manager, Anne Marie Hartman, has presided over the original construction, reconstruction after Hurricane Fran in 1996, and recent remodeling. As we tour the hotel it is obvious that she is on top of every detail and knows all of her staff by name. There is not a room with a bad view in the house.

Ocean, beach, and sunrise views can be seen over the pool in the front, and intracoastal and sunset views are found in the rear.

The resort is family focused with Kids Club daily activities for children aged four to twelve, that will allow parents some breathing room and personal time. There are also free breakfast and dinner selections for kids dining with their parents in Oceans Restaurant. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, two hot tubs, and a wading pool. They also have a large playground, sand volleyball court, and a fitness center with a beach view.

1706 N. Lumina Ave, Wrightsville Beach www.wrightsvilleholidayinnresorts.com

> >block ade

runner

This property offers oceanfront and soundside rooms, as well as activities for kids and adults, including beach rentals and lessons. Oceanfront dining can be enjoyed at East Restaurant.

275 Waynick Blvd, Wrightsville Beach www.blockade-runner.com

> >shell

isl and resort

All ocean suites at this privately owned condominiums are in a rental program so fixtures and decorations vary by unit. The resort also has a restaurant and oceanfront lounge. Several years ago the resort was seriously threatened by beach erosion, but a federally funded project in 2007 has restored the beach to its former glory.

2700 N. Lumina Ave, Wrightsville Beach www.shellisland.com

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 45

leisure & libation

Where to Eat > >oceanic

seafood restaur ant

The Oceanic is the only Wrightsville Beach restaurant located directly on the beach. The Crystal Pier is attached to the restaurant and has outdoor seating where you can dine over the ocean. There is a bar and two indoor dining floors with a third floor for private parties. Extensive seafood selections are available (grilled, broiled and fried), as well as soups, salads, steaks, and pasta. Lunch and dinner is served daily starting at 11 am. Brunch is on Sundays at 10 am. For a great deal there are oyster specials (raw, steamed, stuffed, or oyster shooters) every Monday and Wednesday from 4pm to close. When the weather permits there is also music on the pier, and the pier is available by reservation for weddings and private events.

703 S. Lumina Ave, Wrightsville Beach www.oceanicrestaurant.com

> >22

north

Known as: “The best kept secret on the beach,” this restaurant has a blackboard menu as the selections change almost daily based on the freshest available ingredients. Cape Fear style cooking is featured with French and

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L Creole influences. The night we dined we feasted on Oysters Rockefeller, lobster corn bisque, curried scallops, and porterhouse pork chops. Dinner is served daily from 5pm.

22 N. Lumina Ave, Wilmington www.22north.net

> >causeway

cafĂŠ

The cafe is a famous Wrightsville Beach breakfast and lunch landmark celebrating its 29th year. Nothing fancy, but beloved by tourists and locals alike. Expect to wait at peak times. The cafe is open from 6am to 2:30pm daily.

114 Causeway Drive, Wrightsville Beach www.causewaycafewb.com

> >fishbites

seafood restaur ant and fresh

market

Fresh seafood and a live lobster tank allows you to have your fresh catch prepared pan seared, grilled, blackened, broiled or fried. Steamer platters are available with crab legs, shrimp, clams, oysters, and mussels. This is not only a seafood restaurant, but a fresh market as well. Lunch and dinner can be enjoyed daily from 11am, with brunch on Sundays.

6132-11 Carolina Beach Rd, Wilmington www.fishbitesseafood.com

> >surfhouse

Sunset in Kure Beach Photo by Peter Doran

Over the years this location has evolved from a beach shop with a lunch counter to a full blown restaurant that serves locally sourced, sustainable food at reasonable prices. Open for dinner Thursday through Saturday, and lunch and brunch Friday through Sunday.

604 N. Lake Park Blvd, Carolina Beach www.surfhousenc.com

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48

| May 2015

A century of

“Greatest The

Show on Dirt written by roger mccredie photos by anthony harden & courtesy of the asheville tourists

”

On a foggy morning in March, McCormick Field is part empty theater, part haunted house.

Stand on the pitcher’s mound and look westward towards home plate and beyond at the ranks of mistshrouded seats. In just a few weeks the stands will be alive. The crowd’s movement will be constant; its noise punctuated by announcements over the PA system and organ fanfares (“da-da-da-DAH, da-DAHHHHH!”).

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 49

Popcorn & Cracker Jacks; baseball classics available at McCormick Field

But for now there is silence; drop your gaze to the plate itself, exactly sixty feet and six inches away. If you squint into the veil of fog, you may see a series of ghostly figures walking over from the on-deck circle. Men in uniforms of baggy, dirt-smeared flannel, with curiously antiquated knee socks and shoes with wicked-looking spikes.

Here’s one, a tall fellow, heavily suntanned, with an easy gait and a pleasant Dutch grin. (That would be Gehrig.) And another, black and powerful, with eyes that have seen much, swinging a 34-inch bat in vicious little warmup arcs. (That would be Robinson.)

Or squint a little harder and you’re standing in not-yet-McCormick Field, looking down the first-base line at the makeshift dugout of the Asheville Moonshiners. There among the players is the manager, not-yet-a-legend, Jack Corbett. During the season he stays at Mrs. Wolfe’s boarding house, Dixieland. And the 50

| May 2015

gangly, falling-all-over-himself kid with him? That’s Mrs. Wolfe’s youngest boy, Tom. Corbett recruited him as batboy. Tom’s older brother, Ben, sometimes mans the scoreboard, swapping out the numbers for runs and innings and cracking wise at the fans around him. Everybody likes Ben. If that’s what you’re seeing, you’ve squinted yourself back in time exactly a century. It’s 1915. Next year Tom Wolfe will go off to college and later he’ll write books. He’ll write about Ben’s death from influenza three years from now, and he’ll rename Jack Corbett “Nebraska Crane” and make “Crane” one of his best-drawn characters.

A hundred years. That’s a long time to play baseball.

League baseball actually came to Asheville around 1897, when the Asheville Moonshiners (honest) took the field, and it has been played continuously, in one form or another, by one organization or another, ever since. The Moonshiners morphed

into the Redbirds, who were replaced by the Mountaineers.

Then, in 1915 – the same season that Jack Corbett secured Tom Wolfe’s services as batboy — some wag observed that the entire roster was composed of players from “off” and quipped: “Hell, these guys are nothin’ but a bunch of tourists.” The name stuck. And it was in that same banner year that Asheville’s own baseball team, with its nickname now made official, brought home its first championship.

But it was nearly a decade before the resident ball club actually had a residence. In 1924, at a hefty cost of $200,000, the city constructed a proper stadium and named it for Dr. Lewis McCormick, who was at that time the only bacteriologist in town. McCormick had garnered notoriety and the thanks of the city for his “Swat That Fly!” campaign, which educated folks as to how the common housefly was a vector of all manner of disease and encouraged them to be aggressive in destroying them. Naming the field for McCormick was doubly appropriate, in that young men have been swatting flies in the Old Ball Yard ever since.

The city lost its baseball franchise (along with pretty much everything else) during the Great Depression. But in 1934 the Columbia Sandlappers upped stakes from the banks of the Congaree and moved, bags, bats, baggage, and franchise, to McCormick Field. As FDR had promised, happy days were here again. Furthermore, during the same period, arc lights were installed at McCormick Field. With the arrival of night baseball, local productivity increased in proportion to a decrease in worker absenteeism on game days.

One day in 1926 a stocky man with a peculiar waddling gait visited the new stadium. He stood here on the pitcher’s mound, where you are still staring into the mist, and said: “My, my, what a beautiful place to play. Delightful. Damned delightful place!”

That was Babe Ruth’s take on McCormick Field.

On his first visit to Asheville, the previous year, Ruth hadn’t even made it to the ballpark.

The New York Yankees, who were traveling back north from spring training in Florida were scheduled to meet the Brooklyn Dodgers at McCormick Field for an exhibition game to mark the opening of the 1925 season on April 14. But it was a greenaround-the-gills Ruth who disembarked at Asheville the day before. In fact, the first thing he did upon entering the station was to faint.

Now The Babe had not been feeling well for several weeks, but those familiar with his larger-than-life persona, including his extravagant fondness for booze and rich food, put his peakiness down to partying. But Babe had contracted the flu just as the team was leaving Sarasota and had been feeling woozy during the whole trip. He was whisked off to his suite at the Battery Park Hotel, where he was watched over by a local doctor, A. S. Jordan, and was shipped on to New York the next day.

By that time the rumor mill was in overdrive and the press reported that Ruth was believed to have died in Asheville, his corpse spirited away to avoid publicity. This came as news to

“Our job,” Brian says, “is to market what’s on the front of the uniforms, not what’s on the back. The name and numbers – that’s the Rockies’ department. The logo – that’s ours.”

Mr. Moon races around the bases against a young fan

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

51

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| May 2015

A young Tourists fan, leans over the dugout in hopes for an autograph

Ruth, who had arrived at New York’s St. Vincent’s Hospital and promptly underwent surgery for what was described as an “intestinal abscess.” (He missed the first few weeks of regular play, but joined the team on June 1 and finished the season without incident.) The media laughed at themselves (they did that in those days) and called the whole incident “The Bellyache Heard Round The World.” Five years later, Babe and the rest of the Yankees, including Babe’s pal and alter ego, Lou Gehrig, were back in town, winning another exhibition game.

The 30s were team-building years for the Tourists, first under former major league outfielder Possum Whitted, then under Billy Southworth (who would go on to guide the St. Louis Cardinals to two World Series), and finally under ex-White Sox fielder Hal Anderson.

Anderson’s 1939 Tourists brought home the league championship trophy.

World War II forced the suspension of regular league play, but Asheville had its baseball nevertheless. Ad hoc Tourists teams shared McCormick with the recently formed Asheville Blues of the old Negro League. And in 1948

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Big Green Egg Ashevillians got a look at the future: The Dodgers came to town again, bringing with them big Number 42, Jackie Robinson, who had single handedly broken major league baseball’s color barrier.

That was the same year that the Tourists, under former Cubs pitcher Clay Bryant, walked off with the Tri-State League championship.

But darkness descended again in the mid-50s, when the Tri-State League folded after several years of declining health during which it had been kept alive by contributions from Community Baseball, Inc.(CBI), a nonprofit formed

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housing space for various vendors who, come April, will be selling everything from beer to hot dogs to funnel cakes. The sprinklers are on now in the outfield and a platoon of workers is raking and rolling the infield dirt and meticulously weed-eating along the base lines. McCormick Field emerging from winter is a study in manicured emerald grass and groomed red clay. The ghosts have fled with the fog, and it’s time to meet the present inheritor of the Great Tradition.

That would be Brian DeWine, a slender Ohioan and offspring of a baseball-loving family who were in the seed and twine business.

That’s right: seed. And twine. And baseball. To those who know the DeWines’ family history (of which you, gentle reader, are about to be one), it all makes sense.

The DeWines hail from Greene County, Ohio. Brian’s father, Mike, is a former United States Senator from Ohio and is also presently serving as that state’s attorney general. And Mike’s parents (Brian’s grandparents) were Dick and Jean DeWine, who owned DeWine Seeds and later acquired the Ohio Twine Company. The senior DeWines both died in 2008.

In 2010 the family, led by Mike DeWine, formed an LLC called DeWine Seeds Silver Dollar Baseball. And shortly thereafter, that company acquired – wait for it – the Asheville Tourists franchise,

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expressly to keep the local game from going under. By 1955 CBI had done all it could and McCormick’s gates were locked, to remain so for three years. That was when a local business owner, Wesley Talman, stepped up to the plate and helped establish a farm club relationship with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Once it became obvious that Asheville loved its baseball and would avidly support it given the opportunity, other national clubs actually bid for the right to associate with the little team in the nice stadium in the beautiful place. During the 1960s the tourists served as a double-A farm club, with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds, bringing home another championship in 1968 under the aegis of Sparky Anderson, who would go on to a long and colorful career as manager of the Reds themselves. The seasons came and went, as did the players, many of whom went on to make it in the majors.

And McCormick sat tucked into the side of its wooded hill and hosted the fans, the out-of-towners looking for something to do and, even more, the locals, who came to spend an evening or a summer Sunday afternoon at the Old Ball Yard.

And now you may be aware that the fog has lifted, the morning sun is shining brightly on a very modern structure, built in 1992, with a cantilevered roof, three types of modern, comfortable seating, and a concourse running behind the whole structure,

828-669-0075 www.towncountryfurniture.net

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which by now was affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. Brian, a 2002 graduate of Clemson, was installed as president.

“It took about a year for us to get our legs under us,” says Brian from his office near the outfield. “We let that first season

still up,” he says. “People with kids can have them home and in bed by nine or so. Also, it’s suppertime. They can eat out right here at the park. It’s easier for them, the kids love it, and the food’s good.” (The DeWines own the concessions, which are overseen by a third-party business, and they are in charge of operations at the park; all baseball and administrative decisions are made by the Rockies organization.)

By concentrating on family attendance, Br ia n conti nues the fa m i ly-f r iend ly policy instituted by Ron McKee, the promotion-savvy manager of McCormick Field during the 1980s and 90s. McKee’s philosophy was, “I want to treat the fans like I had invited them into my living room.” It was McKee who introduced merchandise giveaways and between-innings fan contests; the former induces the parents to buy programs, the latter to keep restive kids amused.

“We’ve introduced more merchandise giveaways, more fireworks, – everybody loves fireworks – and upped the kids’ free ticket age from two and a half years to five years. That’s a greater inducement to get young families out here,” Brian says.

He stood here on the pitcher’s mound, where you are still staring into the mist, and said: “My, my, what a beautiful place to play.

Delightful. Damned delightful place!” That was Babe Ruth’s take on McCormick Field. play itself out while we sort of sat back and took notes. Then we started making adjustments that we thought would improve attendance and the Tourists experience. So far we’ve been right.”

One change was the moving of Saturday evening game time back an hour to six p.m. “At six, during the season, the sun is

s now open for Spring 2015 classes beginning January 12.

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The Pitcher Zach Jemiola fires a strike in a Tourists victory

lef t to right

The the original family business: “DeWine Seeds” a seed company started in Yellow Springs, Ohio Brian DeWine: the President and overseer since 2010 A meeting on the mound Branding has also undergone a change. The team mascot and logo, Tedd E. Tourist, a teddy bear in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, has stepped into the background. The merchandise for sale in the well-stocked team store, next to the ticket office, features a logo changed from the familiar swash “A” to a more formal block “A” with mountains behind it, and the full insignia now also includes a moon – homage to the old Moonshiners.

“Our job,” Brian says, “is to market what’s on the front of the uniforms, not what’s on the back. The name and numbers – that’s the Rockies’ department. The logo – that’s ours.”

“We’re like all teams,” Brian continues. “Our biggest challenge is the weather. The field will be tarped early on if it starts to rain, but we can untarp it instantly when the rain lets up. If it looks like the rain will hamper attendance, though, we’ll go ahead and call the game. Once we’re on the field, though, and 56

| May 2015

fans are in place, we’ll play in anything short of a hurricane.”

“This is definitely a baseball town,” he continues, “even if the great percentage of attendees don’t follow the team’s progress.

They’re here to watch real baseball – maybe baseball at its purest level— in person instead of on television. They can be passionate about the Yankees or the Dodgers or whoever at home. They come here for the experience of sharing in the game first hand. I’ll bet you ninety percent of them couldn’t tell you next day what the score was. But they had a good time. At least that’s what we hope.”

Leaving this historic place, it’s hard to avoid looking up at the currently unlit scoreboard. The top row of numbers is marked “Visitors.” The bottom is marked “Tourists.”

People get a kick out of that.

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EXECUTIVE TECHNOLOGY FORUM:

Bring Your Own Device to the Workplace?

I

N 2 01 4 , UNITED STATES MOBILE DATA TR A FFIC exceeded 530 petabtyes per month; the equivalent of 133 million DVDs each month or 1.4 billion text messages each second. “Smart” mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, smart technology wearables, etc.) provide instant access to information, and for many, serve as a bridge between their personal and professional lives.

D

D oug L ineberry

is Special Counsel with McNair Law Firm, P.A., and focuses his practice on intellectual property representation.

58

There is no denying that personal technology has invaded the business world. Millions of American workers are setting up office where and when they can connect to the internet. And, with access to an ever-growing range of devices, workers are not limiting themselves to hardware supplied by their employers. In response, organizations are increasingly supporting the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) trend. By 2016, 38% of companies are expected to have implemented BYOD programs; that estimate rises to 50% by 2017. But before adopting a BYOD policy, a company should first understand its benefits and the associated risks.

Benefits

The statistics supporting BYOD speak for themselves. Some 19% of firms believe BYOD improves employee satisfaction, and another 17% feel BYOD will improve productivity now and in the future.

Nearly one-half of IT managers strongly agree that BYOD has a positive impact on worker output and 59% of IT decision makers believe their company

| May 2015

would be at a competitive disadvantage if they did not embrace BYOD. Aside from the numbers, the benefits of BYOD are numerous. BYOD lets employees use devices with which they are already familiar, allowing them to handle work-related tasks with greater ease and efficiency. By permitting employees to use their own devices, employees can work whenever and wherever they are needed, which allows for faster communication and constant collaboration. And often most attractive to employers, it can save the company costs associated with providing and maintaining the devices. Approximately 56% of IT decision makers believe that BYOD has completely changed their company’s culture.

Cautionary Points

While BYOD may boost worker satisfaction, increase productivity, and decrease spending, it is not without its dangers. The “at your fingertips convenience” of BYOD presents various corporate, security, and privacy issues for the employer and

D employee. Mobile employees, especially those working primarily from home or outside the office, are not “immersed” in the company culture as are employees working in the office. One way to combat this is to have regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings to help reinforce company values. Other issues may include having to upgrade company infrastructure to support all devices, dealing with unnecessary distractions in the workplace, and additional costs for securing the company network and the protection of company data.

The security issues associated with BYODs are paramount concerns: 75% of mobile applications will fail security tests

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Employers must always remain cognizant of this. Further, network capacity may be hampered as employees use both company and personal devices on the same network, raising load and collapse risks. Mobility, with its cutting edge advantages, may also cut employers, as it allows for exposure to intruders seeking to gain entrance into the system, hackers, corporate thieves, employee error or carelessness, employee inappropriate behavior, etc. Companies need to consider mobile device management,

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endpoint security solutions, password protection, encryption, remote wipe capabilities, and mobile penetration testing to combat these threats.

Careful thought should be given to employees using mobile devices in international markets. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recommends the following security measures be considered to lessen the chances of “electronic eavesdropping:” —— Avoid alien Wi-Fi networks; —— Clear internet browsers after each use; —— Only log into your company’s network via company computers; and —— Change all passwords upon returning from business abroad.

Implement a BYOD Policy

Another powerful tool in an employer’s arsenal is a wellcrafted BYOD policy. At a minimum, the policy should address the primary concerns of how to deal with an employee’s device

60

| May 2015

becoming compromised or lost and what action is taken with respect to a device when an employee leaves the company. Indeed, a company should consider aligning access to employee devices based on the employee’s job duties and the corresponding need for company access. Those employees with less need for mobile connectivity receive less access.

A comprehensive BYOD policy should address acceptable uses of mobile devices on company time. Indeed, specify what mobile functions are allowed. If your company has intensive trade secrets in how it manufactures a product, require camera and video capabilities be disabled while on-site. Employers may also define what apps are acceptable for company business and prohibit others. Employers should specify what company resources may or may not be accessed by mobile devices, such as prohibiting access to company documents, contacts, etc. Employers also have the luxury of defining what devices they will and will not support and requiring employees to present the devices to IT for inspection and configuration before allowing the devices to have access to company assets. Company security protocols, such as device lock and password strength, should also be clearly delineated in the policy.

Another drastic, but sometimes necessary, precaution is to

D The policy should reflect that the risks and benefits of mobile remotely wipe an employee’s device. If a company wishes to employees intertwine: keeping up with technology, cyber security, employ this as a security measure, it is advisable to inform the employee satisfaction, and preserving corporate culture. Once the employee of this in writing. In fact, have the employee sign at that policy has been crafted, be sure to communicate it to employees particular point of the policy acknowledging that a wipe of his so that they understand the device may be necessary if policy’s purpose and their certain events occur with responsibilities pursuant to respect to the employee’s the policy. By understandmobile device.

ANOTHER DR ASTIC, BUT ing the risks and putting Given the uncertainty of SOMETIMES NECESSARY, the right solutions in place, mobile security, employers PRECAUTION IS TO REMOTELY a business can balance may also want to consider WIPE AN EMPLOYEE’S DEVICE. the productivity gains that cyber insurance. A 2014 result from a BYOD program, survey of United States. while reducing the chance of companies reports that 55% data loss or breach—resultplan to buy cyber insurance ing in both a satisfied workforce and a BYOD policy that keeps in 2015. This is double the 2013 figure. These policies help cover up with the ever-changing pace of technology. a range of events, including extortion, privacy liability, breach mitigation costs, consumer redress, electronic vandalism, and errors and omissions.

Asheville Executive Information Technology Forum (AEITF) provides Once a company decides to allow mobile device usage for ongoing discussions on key technology issues facing local organizations company purposes, it must take steps to ensure appropriate and fosters the development of relationships essential to their members’ security measures and a BYOD employee policy are put in place. success. Doug spoke at the February 2015 meeting of AEITF.

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 61

THE OLD

NORTH

STATE [

news briefs

Belk Could Change Hands charlotte

The large department retailer Belk reported revenues last year of $4.1 billion and a $146.1 million profit but announced it may be up for sale. Word came by way of spokeswoman Jessica Graham’s statement that the company was “performing due diligence to carefully explore all options for our future.”

Profits represent a 7.8 percent drop over last year’s. Belk has now contracted with Goldman Sachs to review its longterm corporate plan and weigh various courses of action. The process could take several months. Belk is publicly traded, but its shares don’t move much because 60 percent of the company’s 41 million shares are owned by Belk family members. The chain was founded in 1888

]

by William Henry Belk, and the family is now in its third generation of leadership. The company operates 300 stores in sixteen states, employing over 1300 in its Charlotte corporate offices. Total outstanding stock is valued at $3 billion, and the company has $430 million in outstanding debt. By way of comparison, Macy’s acquired May Department Stores in 2005 for $16.6 billion.

Rearranging the Furniture hickory

RHF Investments, the parent company of high-end upholstery manufacturer Century Furniture, has agreed to buy out Jack Glasheen, Jimmy Moore, and Tim Rogers. The three will retain their

executive positions of CEO, president, and vice president of manufacturing, respectively, at Hancock & Moore and Jessica Charles. Hancock & Moore, founded in 1981 by master craftsman Moore, is a custom crafter of heirloom furniture. Jessica Charles custom-crafts upscale upholstered furniture. RHF will acquire all assets of Hancock & Moore, Jessica Charles, and 200 Steele; and the name, intellectual property, and partial inventory of two other manufacturers of high-end furniture, Councill and Thomas & Gray. Not included in the deal is the Councill factory in Denton, North Carolina, which has been manufacturing upscale residential and office furniture.

The plant will shutter its operations, forcing the layoff of approximately 125 workers. Councill, formerly Councill Craftsman, has been operating since 1977, having been purchased out of bankruptcy by Hancock & Moore in 2003.

Second Go for NC B Corps raleigh

A number of state representatives have sponsored a bill to bring the B Corp to North Carolina. HB 534, The North

80 Charlotte Street Asheville, NC 28801 (828)252-1594 CarpetOneAsheville.com

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| May 2015

Carolina Benefit Corporation Act, passed the House on its first reading. Similar bills had been introduced in 2011 and 2013 and failed. Opposition has largely concerned the blurring of traditional roles for business, government, and charity. Sponsors believe their peers are now better-educated about the meaning of and potential for the change. Whereas twenty-eight other states, plus the District of Columbia, allow businesses to incorporate to pursue solutions to social and environmental problems, North Carolina corporations are bound to serve no other purpose than the maximization of shareholder profit. B corporations may take on any charge from scientific exploration and arts promotion to health and welfare protection and support for other organizations that provide a public services. Unlike nonprofit organizations, B corps would not be tax-exempt.

It’s Grow Time charlotte

Bojangles’ Incorporated has filed to go public. Documents indicate the chain of chicken and biscuit eateries intends to use proceeds to begin funding a strategy realizing year-over-year growth of 7-8

26

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national & world

percent. The company will be listed on the NASDAQ as BOJA. The number of shares and price per share have yet to be released, but the company has a target of raising $100 million. Bojangles’ currently runs 254 restaurants and franchises 368 more. In 2014 food sales totaled $406.8 million and franchise sales totaled $628.6 million. Net income was $26.1 million. Last year, Bojangles’ opened 24 company-operated restaurants and 28 franchises, and it expects to open a similar number of each this year. Bojangles’ is expected to add stores in the South, as an aggressive expansion to other markets back in the 1980s resulted in a net loss of 200 stores. Bojangles’ was founded in Charlotte in 1977 by Jack Fulk, Sr., and today, 60 percent of its restaurants are located in North Carolina.

Tourist Groups Chase Dino Dollars statewide

There is no shortage of businesses attempting to capitalize on the recent dinosaur discovery in Raleigh. In March Appalachian State University’s Andrew Heckert found fossilized evidence of a variety of aetosaur, believed to be a

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forebear of the modern crocodile. Prior to that, nobody really thought dinosaur fossils existed in the state. So, in addition to all the dinosaur hunters being attracted to digs, the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro has opened an exhibit that allows visitors to stroll among animatronic dinosaurs and then watch an educational video. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Museum of History also have exhibits, and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is bringing Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train, a PBS Kids series, to Bryson City. Heckert may also see an increase in visitors to his own fossil and mineral museum on ASU’s campus.

Quit Rolling, Start Selling wilmington

CE O a nd fou nder Br ia n E ste s announced the official beta launch of BOMbidsTM. BOMbids is a cloud-based marketplace providing nationwide visibility for bills of materials. The website allows businesses to post bills of materials, RFP’s, RFQ’s, and any other lists of goods and services solicited. Motivated

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sales reps can search the site using SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes, product categories, or keywords, and make a bid. A few clicks does have advantages over roving a region making cold sales calls. Vendors may choose whether they want to run open or sealed bidding processes, and they may view updates in realtime. Users may receive instant notifications of changes to watched bids and postings of new BOM’s. Estes started BOMbids to reduce inefficiencies he encountered during twenty-five years in engineering, technical sales, and management. BOMbids fosters a sense of trust and fairness by using preset processes for bidding and vetting buyers and sellers through Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. There are no membership dues, monthly fees, or minimum transaction requirements. Vendors only pay when contracts are awarded.

Talk about Energy Costs wilmington

Duke Energy has filed an appeal in response to the state’s assessment of a $25.1 million fine for groundwater pollution in its coal ash ponds at the utility’s Sutton Plant near Wilmington.

Duke charges the fines exceed what is legally allowed by state and federal governments and are in conflict with regulatory agency guidelines. In addition to the “unreasonableness” of the fines, Duke levels that they were imposed with insufficient findings of fact. Legal counsel Mark Anderson argues the penalties were not assessed for any disaster, intentional or negligent, or even any seepage of harmful chemicals into the environment. Instead, Duke was fined for having harmful chemicals in containment on its own property, which have been monitored for safety and reported to officials for over a decade. The fine is four times larger than any previous fine for environmental jeopardization imposed by the state and thirty-four times larger 64

| May 2015

than any other water pollution fine. Coal ash sparked environmental concerns in February 2014 when a stormwater pipe under Duke’s Dan River pond failed.

The NC DENR charged Duke for being out of compliance 1822 days when the regulators’ own data can show Duke was out of compliance only 27 days.

App Offers Perspicacious Interaction raleigh

Thus far, Todd Olson has collected $1.25 million in debt from six investors during his Raleigh-based startup’s latest round of funding. His company, Pendo, has been in business just over a year. It was founded by Olson and a few other software developers with experience working for big names like Google, Cisco, and Red Hat. Pendo provides a means for users of its app to effortlessly collect “all” the behavior of customers.

Pendo not only assembles the data in a neat analytics package, it uses this data to guide customers efficiently along paths they will likely find pragmatic and engaging. Pendo’s website bills the product as a tool for making decisions based on fact rather than who has the most charisma in the room. Olson still wants to raise another $250,000. Funds from this round will go toward hiring four more professionals for sales and marketing and development. A lot of contributors in this round are repeats from the company’s first, which raised $900,000.

Getting Fluffier riegelwood

International Paper, based in Memphis, is investing $135 million in overhauling its Riegelwood, North Carolina, plant for the production of fluff and softwood pulp. Annual global demand for the

two products is expected to increase three and four percent, respectively; f luff being the absorbent material found in paper diapers and adult incontinent products. The plant currently manufactures International’s Carolina Coated Bristols brand of cardstock, but the line has been sold to MeadWestvaco Corporation. Details of the deal were not disclosed. When it goes online in 2016, the fluff and softwood pulp facility will add 400 million tons to International’s output, a 40 percent increase over current levels. New operations will be set up to allow the company to easily shift operations to create one or another type of fluff as orders may require. Company representatives indicate no jobs will be lost this year, but they make no promises for 2016, when the transition will be complete. Following the announcement, IP stocks were given “Barbarian at the Gate” status for exhibiting unusually strong behavior, trading at 237.3 percent above the normal price range.

There’s Money in Big Anniversary Years wilmington

The numbers are in, and it looks like the Civil War sesquicentennial celebrations in the southeastern part of the state were a huge draw for local businesses.

The weekend of January 17-18, during which memorials for the falls of Fort Fisher, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach took place, was marked by bumper-tobumper traffic. Hotels and motels were booked up for miles. Official visitor counts at the Fort Fisher State Historic Site totaled 21,930, up from 7,500 last year. Si Lawrence, spokesman for the site, said he thinks “some more people slipped in over the fence.” A get-together of the Friends of Fort Fisher drew 175 descendants of Civil War veterans to town. Annual counts at Fort Fisher rose from 614,000 in 2013 to 748,000 in 2014. Events at Fort Anderson in Brunswick County drew only 4000, but

spokesman Jim McKee was impressed, noting rain had turned scheduled events into a washout. The Battle of Forks Road drew over 2000 visitors and 800 school children, who got to hang out with re-enactors. The Civil War Trust estimates a family of four would spend $1000 on food, lodging, and souvenirs on a typical visit to a Civil War site.

The Right Stuff for a Government Contract cary

Carol i na Adva nced Dig it a l, Incorporated was awarded a $20 billion SEWP V NASA contract to be executed over the next ten years. SEWP stands for Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement. SEWP V contracts are specifically for providing federal agencies with “state-of-the-art computer technologies, high-end scientific and engineering processing capabilities, and network equipment and peripherals.”

Carolina Advanced Digital specializes in networking and security solutions, and it is well-versed in fulfilling federal contracts with high performance ratings. Management, price, and past performance were deciding factors in the company’s selection. It received preferential treatment as a certified Veteran-Owned Business and HUBZone company.

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OffRoad The

66

Leaf springs for an upcoming build | May 2015

Less Travelled

written by arthur treff photos by anthony harden & courtesy of u - joint off road

A small shop off Cane Creek Road in Fletcher, North Carolina, has a large presence in their niche market, and ‌ anywhere else they go, frankly...

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 67

this page , clockwise from left:

A dual shock upgrade

A diesel oil cooler being worked on as part of an engine upgrade A rear axle during install and waiting for the next step Close up of oil cooler

A 68

| May 2015

U-Joint’s founder, Chris Steuber

A

SQUAR E WOODEN TA BLE DISPLAYS neatly arranged copies of Overland Journal, while the adjacent wall bears large, high definition, photos of jacked-up four-wheel-drive vans surmounting impossibly steep terrain… wheels clambering over boulders, axles tilting in opposing directions, giving the appearance that the trucks are made of rubber.

They are all the creation of the man who is giving us a tour.

A tour of the headquarters of U-Joint Off Road, a company that specializes in the conversion of ordinary vans into aggressive four-wheel-drive rock climbers.

“We manufacture a complete conversion kit that allows anyone with mechanical ability to convert their van at home,” says U-Joint’s founder, Chris Steuber. “We’ve shipped them to customers worldwide. We also do full turn-key conversions here, for owners that don’t want to get their hands dirty.”

We walk into a cavernous shop space. A long van chassis has been laid bare, while the van’s body hovers eight feet off the floor. One technician is loosening immense bolts to remove the front axle, while another grinds some corrosion from the frame.

New, heavy duty axle, steering, and suspension components are standing by awaiting installation, and the engine can be seen undergoing overhaul in an adjacent bay.

To our surprise, the van’s owner wanders in to visit his project,

U-Joint Off Road 6” lift 4x4 swap being build for a customer in Georgia

and his Christmas-morning, starry, gaze is met with a warm greeting by the U-Joint Off Road staff.

He’s a local plumber who has owned it since new, racking up close to a quarter of a million miles while plying his trade.

He had become so attached to this vehicle, that, when he bought a replacement, he decided to do a complete frame-up restoration to convert his retired van to a deluxe, go-anywhere retirement van.

But…why?

“When I was a kid I thought vans were cool,” says Chris. “I think it was the freedom that drew me to them. I daydreamed of building one and would sketch interior layouts all the time.

I also read a comic book called The Punisher and he drove a van that was all tricked out with guns ‘n’ stuff.

“I was drawn to 4x4’s in general after the blizzard of ’92 when my family was stuck at home for five days. I wanted to be prepared when I grew up, so when I saw my first 4x4 van, it was a game changer! Also, as a musician, I was always hauling gear and friends, so I wanted a vehicle that would do it all.”

Handy with tools, and undaunted by such a large task, the 19-year-old Chris began to overhaul a very beat up four-wheeldrive van he had purchased used. Working out of his mother’s garage, he taught himself about vans and four-wheel-drive.

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 69

Building a front axle for a mail order customer Three years, and thousands of dollars later, his dream vehicle was complete. It didn’t have comic-book capabilities, but it worked.

The Grand Experiment This vehicular obsession was no fleeting infatuation; with his van completed, Chris continued to read about four-wheel -drive products and projects. One day in 2001, he pointed the van west, and drove all the way to Los Angeles. He didn’t know a soul there, but that didn’t matter. Chris was determined to gain employment with the leading four-wheel-drive shop, Off Road Unlimited (ORU).

If enthusiasm could stand in for job experience, Chris should have been hired to run the company. His eager request for employment, however, was met with a simple ‘No.’ Poor and new in town is not a recipe for relaxation. Chris threw himself into finding employment. An accomplished classical and rock bassist, he secured some music gigs. Within months, he scored a job working in television. The pay was lousy, but he took every shift offered.

Coworkers wanted to move up the TV ladder, but not Chris, this was just another job—his dream lie in working on trucks at Off Road Unlimited. A year after being refused, his moment arrived: Chris was called to interview at ORU.

Answer Man He aced the interview, but the position offered was answering the company emails. Chris didn’t like it, but it was a foot in the door. This was to be fortuitous, as he didn’t really know much about 4x4 conversions; his own van project gave him just enough knowledge to pass the interview.

Serious man that he was, Chris knew he had to get up to speed quickly for his new employer. What he lacked in experience, Steuber made up for in dedication. Each email question was researched thoroughly. What he couldn’t find in ORU’s catalog, he’d look for online, or ask questions of the mechanics on the floor.

Chris amassed a large body of technical knowledge, as well as experience in dealing with customers email. The company noticed his progress and, within six months, he was asked if he wanted to do something more.

‘At last,’ he thought, ‘I’ll be twisting wrenches on the shop floor.’ Instead, he was asked to man the parts sales counter as well as answer emails. Steuber stumbles into the serendipity stream once again.

Swimming in Sales Months spent answering emails were the perfect training for selling Off Road Unlimited’s parts, and professionals will tell you that sales are made or lost on the salesman’s product experience and communication skills.

Chris quickly became the top grossing salesman at ORU and 70

| May 2015

traveled extensively to trade shows, which was another opportunity to learn. Life was good; he was living his dream, was learning about how to run a business, and he was making good money…which began to burn a hole in his pocket.

A gear head to the core, Chris was plotting his next four-wheel-drive van conversion.

He would do it by himself, working after hours in his employer’s shop. This project would be on a brand new, two-wheel-drive Ford E-series van, which he would convert to a four-wheel-drive, and it would be lifted 8” to allow the use of very large tires.

This was a lot different than rebuilding his old van; it was more like designing a new one. Four-wheel-drive conversions require that the front suspension be removed and replaced with a solid axle that can drive the front wheels.

The transmission has to be modified to drive that new axle in addition to driving the rear. Because his 4x4 van had to be raised, the suspension and steering mechanism needed to be relocated and replaced with heavy-duty components.

During his tenure with Off Road Unlimited, Steuber had developed a short list of vendors whose four-wheel-drive parts he wanted to mount in his newest project.

This also gave him the time to think about how he wanted to mount everything and create a project workflow plan.

He took copious notes during the build, including pictures and drawings of the numerous brackets, hangers, and specialized tooling that had to be fabricated…just in case he wanted to convert another future van or maybe build one for a customer.

Vanaconda When his project rolled out of the shop, its stance was so aggressive that a friend dubbed it ‘Vanaconda.’ It was an amazing vehicle to look it, but driving the tall, muscular van was even more surprising. Despite having been raised 8” to cruise over obstacles, on the pavement Vanaconda could corner better than most two-wheel-drive vans, whose bodies roll sideways in aggressive maneuvering.

Steuber had altered the position of the van’s axle to optimize the finished vehicle’s suspension and steering geometry, thus eliminating the body roll so prevalent in high profile vehicles.

Chris was encouraged to showcase Vanaconda during the annual automotive aftermarket show, SEMA, in 2006. The custom van generated quite a buzz, the first of many glimmers from the 4x4 van market.

Stepping Stones Off Road Unlimited’s owner decided to take his company another direction and compete for parts sales with the large online retailers. This was 2007; Chris had been selling for the company five years and he thought it was a bad move. He quickly secured employment as director of sales and marketing for Kilby Enterprises and gave his notice at ORU. Kilby was another 4x4 after-marketer, and Chris stepped into the position with authority. 2007 was a different year for him. He was running sales in a successful company, and he started to use online forums as a marketing tool.

“I didn’t start using the four-by-four forums until late ’06, early ’07,” says Chris.

“A friend of mine had a shop in Nor[thern] Cal[ifornia] and he was very successful using the forums to build his business. So, I began to contribute to some during my final year at ORU and kept it going at Kilby.”

These forums are websites, which serve as bulletin boards for specific topics. A visitor can post a note containing a question on the board and expect responses from other users. The posts and answers form what’s called a ‘thread,’ and some threads on popular forums can run into hundreds of pages, with thousands of posts, and tens of thousands of views.

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Given that his career in sales began with answering customer email, participating in forums was easy for Chris. Posting on a 4x4 forum, as a representative of a leading equipment vendor, he was performing a public service to enthusiasts, as well as gaining their confidence as potential customers.

Over an 18-month period, Chris became a household name on some off-road forums, and his opinion was sought regularly.

When he began to post photos of his Vanaconda project, his credibility and internet popularity soared. He was flooded with requests for plans and parts from forum users who wanted to create their own aggressive, haul-it-all vehicle.

Chris wasn’t interested, as he’d launched a four-wheel-drivethemed clothing line, ‘U-Joint Off Road,’ which garnered a bunch of customers thanks to the forums, but it didn’t pay the bills. Steuber told his forum followers he’d always offer them advice but wasn’t interested in selling kits…but, months later, bowing to pressure, Chris made 15 sets of the brackets he had designed for Vanaconda to sell.

“I said, guys, this is a one-time offer, first come, first served,” says Chris. “They immediately sold out. I was shocked. I’d priced them fairly, and the profit margin was attractive, so I started to think differently about starting my own business.”

Southern California was a very expensive place to start a business, especially one that requires a large industrial building.

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Clearly a move was in order were he to launch his own van conversion company.

Rock to the East In the fall of 2008, Vanaconda carried him back to Western North Carolina to open his own four-wheel-drive van conversion company. Chris would keep the name of his clothing company, U-Joint Off Road (UJOR), because in the minds of his internet following, Chris Steuber and U-Joint Off Road were one in the same.

Home is the last place most people U-Joint, noun: think of when relocating a business, Universal joint, a form but the reasoning was sound. He knew of coupling between commercial real estate rates were two rotating shafts lower, he had a network of mechanics allowing freedom of from his youth, and, most importantly, angular movement marketing via the internet could be in all directions. done from anywhere.

He didn’t have enough money to purchase the equipment necessary to make the business viable, so he got busy. Chris worked as a landscaper for a friend with the understanding that if he got any van calls, he’d have to answer. A steady income reduced the stress of the business launch. Birthing U-Joint Off

These are current projects. Some are completed, and others are waiting for the conversion or new upgrades

Road was to be a conservative, methodical process. The first step was to develop a website.

His experience in Los Angles had shown him that paying someone to do web design and all the required updates is expensive, and quick responding web techs are usual. So, he did his own website.

Next, he looked into web optimization companies. The $300$400 per month fee they charged was way too steep, but he’d taken copious notes on the optimizers’ proposals. A web-geek friend taught Chris what all the words meant, so he set to the optimizing task.

Before these efforts, a Google search for ‘4X4 Van Conversions’ put his new company, on the 4th result page. Afterwards, his U-Joint Off Road appeared at the top of the first page. While getting the site up and running, Chris continued to contribute to 4x4 van forums because he knew that was crucial for success.

A year and a half landscaping and Chris got his first turnkey van conversation; someone was sending him a vehicle to rebuild.

By 2010, he moved into his first shop, and U-Joint Off Road became a full-time business.

In the ten years that U-Joint Off Road has been operating, a great deal has happened. Their sales have grown 30-40% annually. They operate out of a 3,600-square-foot facility at 195C Cane Creek Road in Fletcher, North Carolina. In 2014

they sold 70 conversion kits, half of which U-Joint Off Road installed themselves.

Content is Crucial The 2015 production schedule will be the ninth run of UJOR customized kits, adding to the approximately 350 units presently on the road.

Chris doesn’t spend any capital on traditional advertising.

The best customer response has been generated by word of mouth and by involvement in online 4x4 forums. To that end, UJOR sponsors a forum on ExpeditionPortal.com, where he has meticulously entered over 4,000 posts to date.

Responsiveness to customer requests via the Web and phone has been a distinguishing feature between UJOR and competitors. Chris rarely sees his competitors participating online, much to their detriment.

“Online involvement is key for my business, so I check the forums three times a day,” say Chris. “And it’s not just answering technical questions, every day I also photograph something that’s going on here and post it to my Instagram followers. This automatically goes to my Facebook page too.”

There’s a term for Chris’ online involvement: Content Marketing. Put simply, it is any marketing that involves the

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 73

creation and sharing of information (content) in order to acquire and retain customers.

This content can be presented in a variety of formats, including forum posting, video, case studies, how-to guides, question and answer articles, photos, etc. For a basic tutorial on content marketing, see the February issue of Capital at Play.

Content marketing has been around for centuries; Michelin’s Travel Guide, which first appeared in 1900, gave drivers information on auto maintenance, accommodations, and other travel tips. Seth Godin, an American author and marketer, stated in 2008 that ‘content marketing was the only marketing left.’

Customer feedback glows with praise for Chris Steuber’s hand holding. Well before they actually become customers, Steuber has helped used van buyers evaluate market offerings. When asked why he gets so deeply involved he says, “I’d hate for someone to buy a van that will be problematic to convert, or that won’t fulfill the role intended.” It is this bullish dedication to contact marketing that drives U-Joint Off Road.

Answering emails and forum posts doesn’t end when the sun goes down either, so Chris is working during a large percentage of the life he shares with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.

“Jennifer and I have three children under the age of three, two of which are twin boys,” says Chris. “I could not be in this business without her support and understanding. Having a strong marriage is a large part of our success.”

majority of the vehicles they have converted have been purchased used and the market is deep. Since 1980, E-Series has been the best selling American full-sized van and held 79.6% of the full-size van market in the United States in 2007.

Chris learned a great deal during his Los Angeles years. For instance, many four-wheel-drive conversion kits contained wearing parts that could only be purchased from the manufacturer. For parts that tend to wear, U-Joint Off Road uses standard automotive items available worldwide, in assemblies

To augment the current parts flow, U-Joint is expanding into an adjacent, 2,100-square-foot shop space. $50,000 in machinery will be purchased to bring a small portion of production in-house.

The Kit that Fits U-Joint’s kits will fit any 1992 to 2014 (last production year) Ford E-series van and cab-chassis. The discontinuation of the E-series van is not a concern for the company because the

like axles, brakes, shocks, springs, and steering actuators.

One of the key contributors to a U-Joint van’s over the road behavior are their custom leaf springs. Overly stiff springs will reduce body roll in cornering, but they also create a bumpy ride. Knowing that truck spring manufacturers over build their springs, UJOR has them custom assembled from stock.

All of the fabricated parts of the kits are manufactured in the United States from high quality materials, with a high degree of fit and finish. You can pick out the quality of a U-Joint Off Road van from ten feet away. The high stance of these vans allows a detailed look at the undercarriage, so Chris makes sure that every part is beautiful to behold, completed with shiny cadmium plated hardware.

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So what happens to your Ford van after you drop it off at U-Joint Off Road? That depends on you. Customers who plan on keeping their vehicle forever, usually want the crew to remove the body from the chassis and, while the entire frame is exposed, repair any rust or damage evident. Additionally, engine and transmission overhauls are most easily accomplished at this time.

U-Joint has not found any local engine shops that are willing to overhaul a diesel to the level of quality they expect. Since they know which parts are prone to failure as mileage and years increase, a UJOR-overhauled power plant will contain parts replaced proactively, particularly ones that are difficult to access (read: costly) when the engine is covered up.

While the engine undergoes overhaul, the existing front suspension is completely removed. New leaf springs and a solid drive axle are installed, but moved forward from the original position, which is key for road handling. Springs, shock absorbers, and steering components are attached using U-Joint’s proprietary hangers and brackets.

Once everything has been double and triple checked, the body is lowered and reattached to the chassis.

“My favorite moment in the shop is the day a van comes down off the lift.” Chris smiles. “That never gets old; it’s immediate gratification.”

Rolling into the Future What plans are there for the future? U-Joint Off Road will continue to improve their product offerings in response to customer requirements, but they’ve barely scratched the surface of the van conversion market. Chris has a long list of other products he wants to offer, from bumpers to roof ladders, roof racks to underbody storage compartments.

Currently, U-Joint Off Road subcontracts their parts manufacturing to a network of smaller job-shops, one of which is working almost full-time for them. The quality is stellar, as are lead times, but the situation does not allow the company flexibility to manufacture much more in the way of new products.

To augment the current parts flow, UJOR is expanding into an adjacent, 2,100-square-foot shop space. $50,000 in machinery will be purchased to bring a small portion of production in-house. The tools needed include: a CNC-cutting machine, a metal bender, a welding station, and small powder coating capabilities.

The staff of four full-time technicians will suffice until the manufacturing demand begins to take away from conversion shop production. Chris has always been conservative before adding full-time employees because he takes the responsibility very seriously. We’ve seen this repeated on just about every Capital at Play story; successful small businesses only expand facilities and staff when demand consistently outstrips the company’s capacity.

Ford stopped making the E-series van in 2014, how will that impact UJOR? A very small percentage of their annual conversions are on brand new vehicles. Chris believes that U-Joint Off Road could prosper for decades on the surviving worldwide rolling stock.

However, Nissan’s new commercial van is also a body on frame design, which has caught Chris’ eye. If the vehicle proves to be as successful a seller as the Ford E-series, his company could design a new conversion kit to suit the Nissan van.

Chris Steuber is a dynamic man who’s serious about his business, which he guides with wisdom, mixed with the innocence of a youth tending to his paper route. Twenty plus years into his automotive career still finds him having fun and approaching every customer and project with imagination, enthusiasm, and reverence.

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Part 2: Need a Passport Just to Visit your Bank?

I

N LAST MONTH’S COLUMN, I TALKED ABOUT THE Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, or “FBAR”, which requires taxpayers to disclose their interests in foreign financial accounts that exceeded $10,000 in value at any time during the previous calendar year. While the FBAR filing requirement is by far the most common foreign financial reporting burden taxpayers with assets overseas must bear, it is not the only disclosure fling of which to be aware.

R

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a member of The Van Winkle Law Firm’s Business and Tax Groups, working primarily out of their Asheville office.

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The other disclosure-oriented filing the IRS has been putting particular emphasis on in recent years with increased enforcement measures is Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets.

While more taxpayers are aware of Form 8938, as it is filed each year with your individual income tax return, many taxpayers do not fully understand the breadth of its applicability.

A few months ago, I ran into a friend of mine from St. Louis, where I attended law school. We had not seen each other in quite some time, and in catching up on the events of the past few years, he said something that particularly piqued my interest. He mentioned that he and his siblings had gone in on purchasing a house together just outside of the city of Edinburgh, in Scotland. One of his brothers lives over there, and came home last summer with the idea of the three of them going in on the property together, with the three families all taking turns using it for vacation, renting the property out during the rest of the year, and hopefully selling it as the area continues to develop and property values rise.

My friend, being a big (putting it mildly) golf fan, was ecstatic about having a place to stay so close to St. Andrews and other famous Scottish courses.

Given the recent explosion in short-term vacation

| May 2015

rentals through websites such as VRBO.com and AirBnB.com, their interest in earning a little income with the property as it appreciates was not all that surprising. What was more interesting to me was that they chose to purchase the property with a limited liability partnership, in which each of them held a one-third interest. By holding the property in a partnership, rather than outright as individuals, my friend and his siblings had taken an otherwise non-reportable foreign asset and brought it under the purview of Form 8938.

The types of assets covered Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets overlap significantly with those covered by the FBAR. However, there are some notable differences. For example, the FBAR does not require disclosure of ownership of foreign securities if you do not hold those securities in an account with a foreign financial institution. Form 8938 does require disclosure of such assets. Similarly, Form 8938 requires the disclosure of interests in foreign hedge funds and private equity funds, while the FBAR does not. Finally, and most importantly for my friend, interests in foreign partnerships, including those holding real estate for investment purposes, must be disclosed on Form 8938, while they can be left off of an FBAR filing, in many cases.

R

It’s time to

Bloom

The good news, if my friend’s situation is strikingly similar to your own and you are wondering what a Form 8938 even looks like, is that the failure to file Form 8938 is not always as risky as the failure to file an FBAR. For one thing, the disclosures on the Form 8938 are often also found on other filings you may already be making with the IRS on an annual basis. Forms 3520, 5471, 8621, and 8865 (relating to foreign partnership interests) all cover some of the same foreign financial interests and assets that are covered by Form 8938. If you are filing any one or more of these, you do not have to duplicate those disclosures when filing Form 8938.

The second big difference in the FBAR and Form 8938 filings is their respective reporting thresholds. As you may recall from my last column, if the total of your foreign assets covered by the FBAR exceeds $10,000 at any time during the year, you are required to disclose them. With Form 8938, the bar is much higher: you are only required to disclose if the total value of your reportable assets is greater than $50,000 at the end of the tax year, or eclipsed $75,000 at some point during the tax year (these numbers are even higher for individuals actually living abroad, or married individuals who are filing jointly). In my friend’s case, he came in just under the threshold for 2014, but he will need to watch the value of his interest closely as the years go by, especially if his increased presence in the United Kingdom leads to new bank accounts or other investments in the area.

Finally, the consequences of not filing your Form 8938, though still significant, do not quite measure up to those of an FBAR violation. While the failure to file a single FBAR can carry civil penalties in the six digits, the penalty for failure to file a Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets with your tax return is capped at $60,000, and in most cases will not come close to approaching that figure.

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BY HOLDING THE PROPERTY IN A PARTNERSHIP, R ATHER THAN OUTRIGHT AS INDIVIDUALS, MY FRIEND AND HIS SIBLINGS HAD TAKEN AN OTHERWISE NONREPORTABLE FOREIGN ASSET AND BROUGHT IT UNDER THE PURVIEW OF FORM 8938.

Of course, all penalties are bad penalties, regardless of the amount. This is why the takeaway from these two installments on foreign asset reporting requirements should be clearly stated: if you or your spouse have any assets resting outside the borders of the United States, you need to directly address your reporting responsibilities with your tax adviser or return preparer. Even if you are already reporting any income you generate from these assets, you may still have unfulfilled disclosure requirements. With foreign financial institutions being required to turn over more and more information on their US account holders, taxpayers should not wait to deal with any outstanding FBAR or Form 8938 issues. The benefits of the IRS’s many disclosure programs (such as decreased civil penalties and immunity from criminal prosecution) are only available to those who step forward voluntarily

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UPDATES FOR

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NATIONAL WORLD [

aircraft leasing, energy finance, and other endeavors that support its industrial operations. GE executives report GE Financial is healthy, but new regulations are making it not worth the effort to run profitably. It is one of four non-banks to be classified as a “systematically important financial institution,” subject to higher standards and closer scrutiny.

could work directly with companies to whom it sells its data. The move raised no concerns until March, when Twitter announced it would terminate all agreements with resellers of its full stream of Tweets and associated metadata.

DataSift was the most adversely affected.

It services thousands of companies that, in turn, service thousands more. Nick Halstead, founder and CEO of DataSift, said he was blindsided by the move, caught in the middle of a new round of fundraising. The move was evidently one of cost-cutting; Twitter was getting only 20 percent of profits from DataSift’s reselling of its data. As part of Twitter, Gnip will interface directly and “much faster and much deeper” with data buyers, bypassing dilutions of information and finances introduced by middlemen.

Twitter Dismisses Middlemen

Starbucks Connects the Disconnected

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Twitter has been clear that it prefers not to deal with third parties. Corporate plans called for the severance of clients that added no corporate value. Last year, Twitter acquired Gnip so the company

With Walmart and Target announcing they will pay living wages, Starbucks Coffee has announced it will set aside at least $250 million to make sure each of its employees in the United States,

news briefs

GE Sheds, Shareholders Applaud fairfield, ct

GE announced it will dismantle GE Capital, and hardly a soul is complaining. The process started with the sale of $26.5 billion in real estate. The decision sparked an 11 percent increase in GE stock values, but they remained 20 percent below pre-recession levels, when former CEO Jack Welch ran the company with a more innovative focus.

The move will free up $90 billion for shareholders in the form of dividends, buybacks, and proceeds from spinoffs.

With $500 billion in assets, GE Capital was the nation’s seventh largest financial institution. GE will not cast off all its finance activities. It will stay active in

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whether they work part - or full-time, will be able to graduate from a four-year college without tuition debt. Prior to this, the company had offered tuition coverage only for juniors and seniors, and 2000 employees were tak ing advantage of the program. Degrees will be earned through Arizona State Un iversit y ’s est abl ished d ist a nce learning program. Starbucks has also pledged to hire 10,000 “Opportunity” or “Disconnected” Youth, which are euphemisms for the cadre between ages 16 and 24 who are currently neither working nor in school. The initial hit on the budget is sure to work wonders for recruitment and retention.

Reaching for Exaflops argonne, il

Intel announced it would be partnering with supercomputer vendor Cray in a contract to build two supercomputers for the United States Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.

The first, named Theta, will come online in 2016. Running on 1.7 megawatts, it will deliver 8.5 petaflops (quadrillion floating point operations per second).

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The second system, Aurora, will deliver 180 petaflops, or eighteen times what Argonne’s current supercomputer can process while consuming only 2.7 times more power. The value of the contract, over $200 million, will be negligible for Intel, which grossed almost $55.9 billion last year. The news rides on the coattails of an announcement of a $325 million investment by the Department of Energy in supercomputers for Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore laboratories. The long-range goal is to achieve exaflop (quintillion) processing. Aurora will be accessible to myriad researchers, particularly materials scientists researching solar panels and batteries, biologists studying the impacts of biofuels, electromechanical designers making better vehicles, and engineers improving wind turbine technology.

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billion. The same transaction last year would have cost $6 billion. FedEx’s offer, at eight euros per share, is considerably less than United Parcel Service’s nine and a half euros, but the latter was struck down by European antitrust regulators. TNT’s business last year fell way below 4Q targets. FedEx’s move is strategic because courier business is expanding, but mostly outside of the United States. The deal is not complete though, and there is a chance FedEx will get the same treatment UPS did from the regulators. With the current purchasing power of the dollar in Europe, many more United States takeovers are anticipated.

Stowaways en Route to Arctic pacific ocean

FedEx Hopes Antitrust Sentiment Has Softened hoofddorp, north holland

FedEx announced its intentions to take over Dutch competitor TNT Express.

The timing is ripe to take advantage of the collapsing euro. FedEx offered $4.8

Shell Oil Company filed papers in an Alaskan court claiming the company will suffer irreparable harm and monetary damages if six Greenpeace activists occupying an Arctic-bound rig are not removed. The activists, representing the United States, Germany, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden, and Austria, traveled

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to the Blue Marlin vessel carrying the Polar Pioneer rig in inflatable boats and used climbing gear to reach their perch. Once settled, they unfurled protest banners. Shell responded by filing, charging the occupation could delay or prevent Shell from transporting necessary supplies, equipment, and personnel to locations on the Chukchi Sea for which Shell has legal permits for explorative drilling. The safe season for oil exploration up there extends only until October. The activists argued the complaint is beyond the Alaskan court’s jurisdiction because their action occurred in international waters on a Dutch vessel. Communicating via satellite, one said she would not leave until somebody served her papers.

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With a month and a half to go, the SnapPower Kickstarter campaign had already raised thirteen times its initial funding goal. The invention had 10,000 contributors. One reason that is anybody gifting more than $16 would get a SnapPower Charger. The concept is simple. The problem it solves is all those cumbersome adapters for electronic devices. The SnapPower Charger is nothing more than a faceplate with a USB port extension. Its installation requires nothing but a screwdriver to remove the existing faceplate and screw the SnapPower Charger on. The outlets will still be available for other appliances. The idea is not unique; its advantage is the simplicity in its installation. The charger is the second invention marketed by Jeremy Smith and Sean Watkins. The first, a nightlight built into a faceplate, attracted $269,000 in funding the first week of its Kickstarter campaign.

IBM Invests in IoT Unit armonk, ny

IBM just committed itself to investing $3 billion in an Internet of Things (IoT) unit. IoT devices are considered the next evolutionary step of post-PC technology. The concept consists in a network of electronic devices receiving environmental signals through sensors and communicating with each other.

Things in the system could include phones, heart monitors, or automobile transponders. Currently, IoT is used for climate control systems and other household conveniences. The IoT market is expected to grow from $1.9 trillion to $7.1 trillion by 2020. IBM’s new unit will be run with a staff of 2000 specialists partnering with AT&T, ARM Holdings, and The Weather Company. But IBM’s Bluemix IoT platform is not without competition. General Electric and Cisco are among other developers. Last year, IBM, GE, Cisco, AT&T, and Intel formed the Industrial Internet Consortium to establish standards for IoT.

Batteries Could Become So Last-Year los angeles , ca

Southern California Gas Company, in cooperation with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Fuel Cell Research Center, is launching demonstrations of a system for better matching power supply and demand. It also scores green points, California law requiring at least 33 percent of power supplied by utilities to be generated with renewable strategies by 2020. What is proposed is the application of solar energy to hydrolyze water. The hydrogen thus generated will then be combined with carbon dioxide to produce methane, which can then be burnt as a synthetic renewable. The extraction of the greenhouse gas is referred to as creating a

negative carbon footprint. Germany is already using surplus wind power to fuel commercial-scale operations. In light of higher capacity, longer life, and lower costs, power-to-gaw technology could outsmart traditional batteries.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FA A) has approved test flights for Amazon’s delivery drones. The FAA had approved testing for a prototype drone in March, but that model had long since become obsolete as it languished awaiting an FAA go-ahead. Amazon’s vice president for global public policy, Paul Misener, said the company no longer tests that model, but has moved on to testing new designs abroad. The obsolete drone had waited six months to get approval in the United States, but no other country has imposed more than a two-month delay. The new drones are capable of carrying 5-pound payloads, which means they could handle about 86 percent of Amazon’s sales. They can fly faster than 50 mph, but the FAA has capped their speed at 100 mph. The drones are also prohibited from flying higher than 400 feet above ground.

Competitor Alibaba Group Holding has already completed trial drone flights in Beijing. Ginger tea packets were delivered to 450 happy customers who signed on for the test.

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com

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Mountain Sports Festival

CELEBR ATES

15 YEARS

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far lef t : Cyclocross racers lef t : Performers onstage at the 2014 festival below : Kids climbing wall

written by toni sherwood

Shanna Powell of Endless Bikes enjoying the festival

photos by steve barker of icon media asheville

May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 83

capital adventurist

T

he Mountain Sports Festival (MSF) started with a few competitive events in downtown Asheville and a handful of vendors, but has now blossomed into to a thriving annual festival in Carrier Park. Over the past decade and a half, the all-volunteer board has navigated uncertainty and risk, jumping through hoops and overcoming many obstacles, not unlike one of the festival’s competitions.

Amidst the mad race to get everything organized in time for the big Memorial Day weekend extravaganza, board members past and present sat down with Capital At Play to reminisce over the journey.

p r e pa r i n g f o r t h e r a c e MSF founder Stuart Cowles says it all began when a group of entrepreneurs in the outdoor industry came together over a common goal: to build awareness of the abundant mountain sports opportunities that Western North Carolina has to offer.

“We talked about how powerful it could be to bring the first time user, the pros, the reps, and the retailers all together,” Cowles says. “A place where a world class paddler could be rubbing shoulders with a person holding a paddle for the first time in their life.”

Current festival chairman Jay Curwen is the very embodiment of this idea. Curwen was a pro triathlete for a decade in the 90s, and he attended the very first MSF as a competitor.

Over the years he has put together several competitions for the festival, including the Rock 2 Rock 10K Trail Run, which is now in its ninth year. In 2006 he transitioned from competitor to board member. “They made me drink a beer or two at a pizza place in town and buffaloed me into it,” Curwen quips.

ta k i n g t h e l e a d From the very beginning, the idea of the festival caught the interest of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA). Because the BCTDA receives their funding through bed taxes levied on hotels, an outdoor festival that could attract overnight tourists fit well with their goals. The BCTDA awarded the fledgling festival a grant for over $50,000 in media exposure, which included creating a logo, image and branding, as well as advertising dollars.

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As committees formed around the various sporting events: running, rock climbing, and paddling; there was only one element lacking: a leader.

“One day I’m in a small meeting with two members of the Tourism Development Authority,” Cowles recalls, “and I said ‘Someone needs to run this’, and they said, ‘Yes, we agree.’”

Launching a brand new festival with an all-volunteer leadership was a shaky enterprise, and the BCTDA had some reasonable fears of losing their investment.

“The whole concept was super-teetering,” Cowles admits, “but it was already out in the press and had been publicized, so they had a vested interest in wanting to see it completed.”

Cowles found himself in the hot seat, especially when a key person unexpectedly dropped out just two months before the festival was set to launch. Cowles grabbed

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the helm and steered the festival toward the finish. He credits the passionate volunteers for helping to pull it off.

The very first festival took place in downtown Asheville, in what was then called City-County Plaza (now Pack Square). There was a vendor village and a demo village. Cowles recalls there was a race that started at the Plaza and several other sporting events there. Competitions were the main draw that inaugural year, with music playing second fiddle.

“That first year was amazing. To be able to pull it together from a volunteer pool with all the events we had to operate was significant,” Cowles says, “and to make it run seamlessly after only three months of hands-on planning, that was cool.”

The group learned a lot from that first year. “To be honest, after the first year we saw what beer revenues could be and that changed things,” Cowles says.

going nonprofit The first two years volunteers put in countless hours to get the festival up and running. By year three, with his own business to run, Cowles knew he would have more limited involvement. The decision was made for the festival to transition to a 501(c) with a board of directors. Cowles was named executive director. Fortunately, the volunteer pool had grown, along with the recognition and interest in the festival, and the board came together.

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“By the third year we had about $380,000 worth of sponsorship, both in-kind and monetary, so it was really impressive,” Cowles says. “I partnered with Sports Marketing Consultants and they put in $50,000.” Sports Marketing Consultants, Inc. is a sport marketing consulting firm based out of Charlotte with ties to big brands like NASCAR and Coca-Cola.

With a dedicated board now divvying up the work, the festival started to pick up steam.

The third year was distinguished by a huge increase in vendors. Additionally, local nonprofits were invited to attend, attracting the Canary Coalition and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to name a few. More activities were added to the roster, while a flurry of press releases and advertising fueled publicity. The wide variety of activities and interest groups attracted even more attendees. “It was packed, just packed,” Cowles says. The festival had quickly grown from 5000 attendees in the first year to around 20,000 attendees by year three. Finally, the MSF had come of age.

h a n d i n g o f f t h e b at o n In 2005 the City of Asheville made a motion to take over the festival and run it under the Department of Parks and Recreation.

“The nature of a nonprofit is that it can be dissolved or taken over by a municipality,” Cowles explains. Although this meant Cowles was let go as executive director, he saw the change as a positive one for the MSF. “At the time the festival needed it,” Cowles admits. “The police expenditure alone was significant.” In years past the City of Asheville had donated the police infrastructure as part of their sponsorship, but they were not prepared to donate it any longer.

“The city felt like MSF was a commodity that could be as valuable as Bele Chere at the time, and it made sense,” Cowles says.

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organize the festival. They could also leverage relationships with advertisers and vendors by offering sponsorship packages at both Bele Chere and MSF. In 2006 Christen McNamara became the MSF director as part of her job description with the Department of Parks and Recreation. The board remained intact to advise the municipality, and McNamara could delegate tasks to her staff.

Two influential changes happened during this era: the location of the festival moved to Carrier Park and the date of the festival was rescheduled for early May. “It was my first year as director, and it was scary moving,” McNamara admits. But there was little choice with City Plaza literally a construction zone during its transformation into Pack Place.

With a much larger stage at Carrier Park, the music naturally became a more dominant aspect of the festival. McNamara had staff she could call on that were savvy booking bands. “We had someone booking bands for Bele Chere, and we’d say, ‘Can you help us book MSF too?’” McNamara recalls.

But the other change the City initiated was not as successful: bumping festival weekend from early June to early May. “It rained more and it was tough on the event,” McNamara says.

“It seemed like every year it was 50 degrees and raining,” Curwen recalls. “I remember thinking, if we’d just wait a month for this thing it would be awesome.”

The City made note and shifted gears. “We ended up moving the date again to the end of May and it started to take off,” McNamara recalls. “We went from about 5000 attendees our first year at Carrier Park, to about 20,000 by my last year in 2010.”

McNamara speculates the city had originally made a three-year commitment to run the festival, and then extended it because it was going really well. “I think they saw that it was thriving and realized they had done their job and it was time to hand it back,” McNamara says.

facing page :

(left) Cyclocross competitors (right) 2014 MSF Festival Village this page :

(top) Face painting is part of the Heartstrings Family Fun Center (middle) Racers in The Collier Lily Ride (bottom) The Blood Gypsies performing onstage

Generally, board members feel the city was a helpful partner and established many relationships that are still intact today.

bac k to th e boa r d In 2010 the city handed MSF back to the board. Now the volunteers had to scramble to cover costs and responsibilities that had been out of their jurisdiction for the past five years.

“It was very frightening because the festival itself had relied on the city and its infrastructure in a big way,” Curwen admits.

Police control, parking, facility rentals, and electricity were now big line items that had to be paid for out of revenues. With their shoestring budget, it was a nerve-wracking situation.

Current festival director Terry Bemis recalls the transition.

“When the city wasn’t involved in the music that was a big blow for us,” Bemis says. “Booking bands is an art form and we had to find someone with that expertise.”

Yet there were positives to having board members back in control.

“The city does a really good job of putting on events, but they basically have a template,” Curwen explains. “So you lose some of the homey uniqueness and coolness that a festival like ours can have. The trade-off is you’re risking a lot because you’re doing it yourself.”

“There’s no doubt the city has the infrastructure and ability to put barricades up and police and all that,” Cowles agrees, “but the cognitive input from the board members and the dedication from the time you put in, that’s what gives the festival its flavor in my opinion.”

on the sidelines Friday through Sunday on Memorial Day weekend the festival offers an array of activities, demos, and competitions, each organized by individual promoters.

“Our deliverable is the village: the food, beer, vendors, creating this atmosphere. You couldn’t do that on your own,” Bemis says. “Then we’ll help you with marketing, a webpage, social media, so we set the table for whatever event someone wants to do.”

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Asheville native Forrest Merithew has been attending the festival since 2007. He is one of several new board members this year and will serve as vendor director.

Friday night the festival kicks off with a cylcocross race organized by Asheville Cyclocross. “It’s an energetic, frenetic race,” Merithew says. “Bikers speed through tight turns over varying terrains, and people can watch and cheer from the sidelines.” Saturday morning Asheville Community Yoga will offer a donation-based yoga class in the park. The music stage will feature ‘The Congress’ on Friday night and ‘The Lee Boys’ on Saturday night. Merithew says there’s a family friendly area with events for kids, such as the Heartstrings Family Olympics.

But many events by necessity happen off-site.

The challenge is to get competitors back to the festival village once their race is over. Curwen’s strategy is to put beer tokens in competitor’s race bags.

Unfortunately off-site events are out of view for festival-goers at Carrier Park, but modern technology may soon change that.

New board member Cathryn Wile is an avid white-water

kayaker, mountain biker, and ski enthusiast. As marketing director for MSF she sees plenty of new opportunities on the horizon.“It would be awesome if competitors take GoPro videos of their races,” Wile says. “Then we could edit it into a video and show it before a band plays to really pull that sports element into it.”

MSF founder Stuart Cowles says it all began when a group of entrepreneurs in the outdoor industry came together over a common goal: to build awareness of the abundant mountain sports opportunities that Western North Carolina has to offer.

MSF board members are always looking for new ways to entertain their attendees. One idea is a wilderness video exhibited

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on a big screen outdoors. Video would be a less expensive alternative to booking bands, but more importantly it could appeal to a wider audience. “Everybody likes the wilderness because that’s why they’re attending the MSF,” Cowles says, “but not everybody likes the same band.”

“I can imagine 15 years from now the festival can grow to have multiple locations,” Curwen says. “Like the park behind McCormick field; if that becomes trails, you can have a landbased stage and a water-based stage to connect them all.”

“I’ve even thought it would be cool to have a concert where you can see the stage from the river and float in,” Bemis says.

breaking even “I think we came out of last year with $1200 to roll into this year,” Curwen says. “It’s stressful for sure.” Despite the tight budget, the MSF has earned a solid reputation by paying their artists on performance day.

The key to revenues is food and beer sales, and the key to beer sales is good weather. With the festival on Memorial Day weekend, there’s a far better chance of the weather being beautiful. And regardless of rain showers, it’s still hot enough to attract a crowd.

Wells Fargo is this year’s stage sponsor, investing $7500.

Other sponsors include Subaru, Western Carolina University, and Pisgah Brewing Company, but every person attending the festival has the opportunity to become a sponsor.

“The beer funds a lot,” Bemis says. “In a way everyone is a micro-sponsor, one microbrew at a time.”

w i n n i n g th e r ac e The City of Asheville dissolved the infamously popular Bele Chere festival in 2013 due to budgetary restrictions, but the Mountain Sports Festival has continued to survive and thrive.

“We always felt in the shadow of Bele Chere,” Bemis admits.

“Now we’re in this odd elder statesman role.”

Board members are continually looking for ways to bring in more participation with local businesses, such as welcoming food trucks for the first time last year. “I think the greatest predictor of our success is the local community,” Bemis says.

“As one of our great sponsors said, ‘All ships rise with rising tides,’” Cowles adds, “and maybe now with activities on the French Broad river blowing up, the River Arts District blowing up, and volunteerism blowing up, the festival will rise up and see a new birth.”

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may

EVENTS

may 1- 3 18th Annual French Broad River Festival 8am Friday until French Broad River, Hot Springs, NC

may 1

Reuter Center Singers Concert 6-9pm The Manheimer Room, Reuter Center UNC Asheville The in-house choral group of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNCAsheville will perform its ever-popular spring concert. Specializing in classical, popular, and show-tune greats, the singers, under the direction of Chuck Taft, have put together a show to take you back to the 1960s. Selections will feature hits from The Beach Boys and The Beatles.

> Free > 828-251-6140 > olliasheville.com

> General Admission: $90, Parking Pass: $50, See website for more rates.

> frenchbroadriverfestival.com

may 1

Asheville Wine & Food Festival – AMUSE 6-8pm The Morris Hellenic Cultural Center 227 Cumberland Ave, Asheville, NC A culinary artistry and showmanship preselected by the chef and mixologists, intensified by the competition among competitors, and emphasizing smaller, more intensely flavored courses. “The amuse-bouche is the best way for a great chef to express his or her big ideas in small bites.” Taste and judge the best chef and best mixologist. Presented by Capital at Play.

> $49 Tickets > ashevillewineandfood.com 90

Enjoy a weekend of camping and music from myriad acts. Performances by acrobats, jugglers, super-sized puppets, and hula-hoopers are also on the bill. Scheduled activities include a river clean-up, kayaking, a raft race, a mountain bike race, and lots and lots for kids to do in the Earthfare Kids Village.

Proceeds from admissions to this Party with a Purpose will go toward local charities. To date, over $100,000 has been given to causes such as American Whitewater, Manna Food Bank, and Eliada Home for Children. Camping amenities may be arranged. Dogs, weapons, illegal substances, and unauthorized vending are prohibited.

| May 2015

may 1- 3

The Asheville Magic Festival 12-10pm The Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway, Asheville, NC Magicians will be appearing in and around the Masonic Temple for a threeday weekend. Jay Scott Berry has put together a family-friendly program to show off various forms of the ancient art.

Magicians will perform on-stage, in the street, and close-up for debunkers. There will be opportunities to learn some tricks, all-star galas, and a Magical Masquerade Ball. Talent has been collected both locally and internationally.

> 7 Shows and 5 Lectures: Adult $199, Child $149; 7 Shows: Adult $99, Child $69; Single Events $10-$30

> 916-234-6966 > ashevillemagicfestival.com may 3

may 2

Bearwallow Beast 5K Trail Run & Festival

7:30pm

1:30pm

Images Of Italy Blue Ridge Conference Hall, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock, NC

Bearwallow Mountain Road And Us 74-A Gerton, NC

The Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra will wind down its season with a celebration of Italy’s finest. The evening will open with Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” and end with Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” Featured soloist Kiffen Loomis, winner of the symphony’s Young Artist competition, will treat audiences to his unique interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s challenging “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”

Event organizers dub the run, which nets 3.1 miles and 1400 feet of elevation, the fiercest in the Southeast. They argue it will challenge any runner. Starting at the bottom of Bearwallow Mountain Road, runners will make a rush for all the food and brewsky that will be sold at the finish line. Spectators are invited to catch a shuttle at Grand Highlands so they can party at the finish line. Kids may register for the 1k Fire Tower Fun Run.

>Tickets: $35 > 828-697-5884/ > hendersonvillesymphony.org

> Registration: Adult $35, Child $5, Spectator Free

> bearwallowbeast.com

may 2 & 3

Tour De Falls 9am-5:30pm Dupont State Recreational Forest, Near 89 Buck Forest Road, Cedar Mountain, NC For those not inclined to hike, a bus will be shuttling around the DuPont State Recreational Forest to showcase four spectacular displays of natural beauty. Stops on the 12-mile circuit include Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Lake Julia. Guides will be on-hand both on the buses and at the stops. The tour lasts approximately three hours.

> Requested Donations: Adult $12, Child $6 > 800-828-4244 or 828-883-3700/ > dupontforest.com may 6

Bank Local.

Crest Mountain Canteen – A USO Tribute 7pm Crest Mountain Dinner Show, 6 Celebration Place, Asheville, NC Bob Hope will host entertainment from Betty Grable, The Andrews Sisters, and additional big-band sounds from the 1940s. Elevated Entertainment is the trademark of M7, providing events with panoramic views of the city and mountains.

Doors open at 5:30 for cocktails, and service for a buffet dinner will begin at 6:00.

> Admission: Show Only: Adult $25, Child $22; Dinner: Adult $19, Child Free > 828-252-2637/ > crestmountainpresents.com

may 8 -10

Haywood County Civil War Sesquicentennial Weekend Friday 7pm-Sunday until Waynesville, NC In May of 1865, after Lee surrendered at Appomatox, and after the Battle of Bentonville, a little-known skirmish took place in Haywood County. White Sulphur Springs in Waynesville is the official site of the last shot of the Civil War east of the Mississippi. The commemorative weekend will be replete with reenactments, tours of five Civil War sites, memorial

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May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 91

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may 8

12th Annual Tourism Day 10am-2pm I-26 Welcome Center, Mars Hill, NC The I-26 West North Carolina Welcome Center invites the public to its beautiful grounds for a day of free food and entertainment. Performers at this all-out picnic will include the 21-time national champion Bailey Mountain Cloggers and musicians Roger Howell and Joel Shimberg. Exhibitors include wool carders, yarn spinners, the Madison County Ham Radio Operators, and the beautification division of the Department of Transportation.

> Free > 828-689-4257 > vsealock@nccommerce.com may 9

Ravel And The Duke 8pm Thomas Wolfe Auditorium Of The US Cellular Center, 87 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC

Now Open!

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Conductor Daniel Meyer and the Asheville Symphony will provide the backdrop for virtuoso Joe Lulloff on the sax. Lulloff will attempt to conjure the milieu of twentieth-century greats who jet-setted between New York and Paris as he interprets Debussy’s “Rhapsodie,” Ellington’s “Black, Brown, and Beige,” Milhaud’s “Scaramouche,” and Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloe, Suites 1 and 2.”

15

>Tickets: Adult $19.59-$44.50, Youth $8.50-$29.50

> 828-254-7046 > ashevillesymphony.org may 10

Pops & Patriotic Concert 3pm Blue Ridge Conference Hall, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock, NC T h e 8 0 - m e m b e r, a l l - vo l u n t e e r Hendersonville Community Band, conducted by Winford Franklin, will perform its annual show this year on Mother’s Day. Arrangements of pop, Broadway, and marches will be accentuated with a touch of jazz. Selections only begin with a mix of “Yankee Doodle,” “Misty,” “On a Clear Day,” “That’s Entertainment,” “The Lion King,” and “Stars and Stripes.”

>Tickets: Adults $10, Students Free > hcbmusic.com may 14

Brandon Heath Concert 8-10pm Kimmel Arena Event Floor, Sherrill Center 321 – UNC Asheville Contemporary Christian artist Brandon Heath, perhaps most famous for his hit single, “Give Me Your Eyes,” will be giving a benefit concert to raise scholarship funds for UNC-Asheville athletes. The event is sponsored by UNC Asheville Athletics and University Enterprises.

>Tickets: Floor Seating $30, Advance General Admission $20, Door General Admission $25

> 828-251-6934 > calendar.unca.edu/MasterCalendar. aspx

N T H A N UA L

may 15 -17

Naturalist Weekend Consult itinerary Grandfather Mountain, 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC The staff at Grandfather Mountain have combed their networks to pull together an exceptional weekend of quality presentations. Some of the best outdoor interpreters and educators in the region will open the eyes, ears, and noses of attendees. Programs of interest include presentations about the area’s wildlife, wildflowers, bird songs, and geology.

All events are included with the price of admission.

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3 Days of Live Music, Outdoor Sports & Craft Beer

> Admission: Senior $18, Adult $20, Child $9

> 800-468-7325 > grandfather.com may 15 - 31

May 22-24, 2015 Carrier Park, Asheville, NC FREE www.mountainsportsfestival.com info@mountainsportsfestival.com

“Romeo And Juliet” Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 7:30 Hazel Robinson Amphitheater 92 Gay Street, Asheville, NC The Montford Park Players will open their new season in the brand new Hazel Robinson Amphitheater. You know the story, but perhaps you would like to see how North Carolina’s Longest Running Shakespeare Festival assembles it.

> Free > 828-254-5146 > montfordparkplayers.org

Music Featuring: The Lee Boys | The Congress | Funk You | East Coast Dirt | Cameron Stack ft. Matt Mommson | Fireside Collective | Grits & Soul | LYRIC | Sirius.B Events Including: Rock2Rock 10K | MSF Cyclocross | NCOBS Collier Lilly Ride | Heartstrings Family Fun Center | SUP Yoga | SUP Race | Yoga | Crossfit | Ultimate Frisbee | Kolo Bike Park Mountain Bike Race | Disc Golf & More Eat & Drink: Pisgah Brewing Company & lots of local food vendors New This Year: A silent auction!

may 15

Downtown After 5 5-9pm North Lexington Avenue, Asheville, NC Third Fridays from May through September, the Asheville Downtown Association, with sponsorship from May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 93

events

Prestige Subaru, will host a street celebration. Entertainment for May’s festival will be provided by CJ Chenier, son of Clifton [King of Zydeco] Chenier.

Beginning as a saxophonist with his dad’s band, CJ morphed his style into a mix of zydeco, funk, blues, R&B, swamp, and country. He now plays accordion and sings for his Bayou Diesel Band.

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met.”

- W. B. Yeats

> Free > 828-251-9973 > ashevilledowntown.org may 16

Asheville Toy Expo Open 7 days a week in the Historic Grove Arcade.

828.252.0020

Now

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9:30am-3:30pm The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, NC Organizers hope to corner the market in toy collecting conventions in the City of Asheville. Their goal is to create a fun and inexpensive family-oriented event.

All are welcome to take a walk down memory lane.

> Admission: Adults $4, Toddlers 4 and Under Free

> ashevilletoyexpo.com

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> Free to Spectators > 800-468-5506 > beechrecreation.org may 16

Hendersonville Antique Car Club Honor Air Benefit Show 5-8pm South Main Street Event Area, Hendersonville, NC All proceeds will benefit Honor Air. Ten $25 prizes will be awarded for registered vehicles. The Hendersonville Antique Car Club is a group of auto enthusiasts who like to get together and raise money for worthy causes. One needn’t own a car to belong.

> Registration Fee: $10 > hendersonvilleantiquecarclub.com may 21

may 16

brunch weekend

best photo ops are expected on top of the mountain, where cyclists will depart for a rolling start and eventually complete the race, and an after-party will be thrown at the town hall.

Beech Mountain Metric 7am-4pm Beech Mountain Visitor Center 403A Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, NC Bicycle riders will compete in a classic mountain metric finishing at the top of Beech Mountain. Cyclists will have the option of taking a 62-mile, 8000-foot climb, or a milder 43-mile route, with only 5600 feet of climbing. The former is the route of former Tour DuPont races.

Spectators are welcome to congregate at the starting line at the Old Historic Banner Elk Elementary School, but the

Pan Harmonia’s Season Finale 7:30pm White Horse, 105 Montreat Road, Black Mountain, NC Pan Harmonia will close its fifteenth season with J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #4, and Vivaldi’s “Summer” from the Four Seasons and “La Tempeste di Mare.” Featured will be the internationally-acclaimed Margaret and Rebecca Humphrey on strings, Barbara Weiss on harpsichord, and Kate Steinbeck on flute. The same show will be performed at the Masonic Temple in Asheville at 5pm on May 17.

>Tickets: Advance $16.50, Door $22, Student $5 > 828-254-7123 > pan-harmonia.org may 21

A Garden for Cutting 10-11am NC Cooperative Extension Offices, 94 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, NC This month’s selection for the Gardening in the Mountains Lecture Series will be a talk by master gardener Gail Banner.

From spring to autumn, brilliant floral arrangements could be waiting outside your door. Banner will discuss how to bring the elements of greenery, fillers, and focal point flowers together with clippings from her own garden. Attendees must register in advance by calling.

> Free > 828-255-5522 > buncombemastergardener.org may 22 - 24

15th Annual Mountain Sports Festival Friday 6-10pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 10am-6pm Carrier Park220 Amboy Road, Asheville, NC Local musicians will grace the stage throughout the festival.

Sporting events include a 10k, a cross-country run, a cyclocross, yoga, disc golf, and a climbing wall. Multiple activities will be offered for children. Races may require pre-registration with entry fees. See website for details.

> Free > mountainsportsfestival.com may 23

Night Of The Spoken Word 7:30-9pm Ashe Arts Center, 303 School Avenue, West Jefferson, NC Join local artists for a fast-paced evening of poetry, short-stories, and prose. Offerings range from storytelling to excerpts from one-act plays. In a free-flowing setup, registered authors will play open mike, getting a chance to, in only five minutes, introduce the public to their work and gauge audience interest.

New to the Asheville area?

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AMUSE AMUSE Introducing

PRESENTED BY

AMUSE & ESSENCE 2015: An amalgamation of the exciting Mixology Competition and Chef's Challenge.

delectable evenings leading

at this year's ELIXIR and Grand Tasting events.

May 1, 2015 6:00 - 8:00 PM

MHCC Event Center

Historic Montford • Asheville, NC $49 • Tickets Available at

AshevilleWineandFood.com May 2015 | capitalatplay.com 95

estate Bill Fishburne is all about real

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events

The annual event is sponsored by the Ashe County Arts Council.

> Free > 336-846-2787 > ashecountyarts.org may 23 - 24 Garden Jubilee Festival 9am-6pm Main Street, From Sixth Avenue To Caswell Street Hendersonville, NC More than 200 vendors will showcase their trades. Thousands of varieties of seeds and plants, including hard-to-find ones, will be for sale. Other exhibitors will be selling lawn furniture, garden tools, planters, bird houses, and pottery.

The Lowe’s Expo, located at the visitors’ center, will be the festival’s centerpiece.

Representatives from national firms will be sharing tips and distributing free samples of lawn and garden products.

Bill Slack, who works for Southern Living Magazine, will be giving a number of workshops. Displays of the latest in garden décor and hands-on projects for kids are among other offerings. A hospitality tent will allow participants to drop off purchases and continue to browse hands-free.

> Free > 800-828-4244 or 828-693-9708/

| May 2015

> Free > waynehenderson.org may 30

Mad Mountain Mud Run Afternoon Berkeley Park, Hendersonville, NC It’s what it sounds like. Event organizers say it best. “Get your mud on for a 3+ mile mad and muddy, crazy and filthy obstacle course race and festival.” Runners compete in teams of four and must register in advance. Start times will be staggered.

Master Mudders intent on winning will go first. Murky Mud Mates, who want to beat the clock but probably won’t win, will get the middle heats. Nitty Gritty Mud Lovers, who include children, folks dressed in Spandex like superheroes, and anybody else who wants to slop around for fun, go last. At least visit the website for a good laugh. “Here’s to mud in your eye!” they say. 100 percent of proceeds will benefit Hands On!, a local organization specializing in teaching children arts and crafts.

> Registration: Teams $200,

Spectators Free > 828-697-8333 > madmountainmudrun.com

historichendersonville.org

may 29

Backstreet Park Concert Series 5:30pm-7:00pm Backstreet Park, 2nd Avenue, West Jefferson, NC Wayne Henderson and Helen White will provide the musical backdrop for picnickers on the lawn. Selections will include traditional, old-time, and

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bluegrass. In the event of rain, the show will move indoors.

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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