Capital at Play September 2018 by Capital at Play Magazine

Stephen Becker & Jerry Sewell Big Bridge Design p.18

Josie Mielke & Family Urban Orchard Cider Co. p.84

Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise colu m ns

The Mother of

Good Luck: Part 2 p.30

Alcohol Rules and Regulations

he Garden Column: T Weeds to Keep p.62

plus Listing of Alcohol Producers in Western North Carolina p.43

The Wine Column: Off (the) Road Dining & Drinking p.80

– annual

alcohol e dition –

7 TRUTHS & 1 LIE About Bar Ownership

p.67

Volume VIII - Edition IX complimentary edition

capitalatplay.com

September 2018

| September 2018

Offering agency-level marketing services to our agents and developers capitalizes on 42 years of local real estate leadership. - W. Neal Hanks Jr. -

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

Q&A

Beverly-Hanks Marketing WHY DOES BEVERLY-HANKS PROVIDE A MARKETING DEPARTMENT FOR ITS AGENTS? Agent responsibilities are becoming increasingly complicated and time-consuming. Nowhere is the trend more clear than in marketing. In Western North Carolina, we are the only brokerage offering agency-level services laser focused on real estate. Our award-winning team is handpicked for their credentials, specialized knowledge, and expertise. WOULDN’T INDIVIDUAL SELLERS BE BETTER SERVED BY AN AGENT WHO HANDLES ALL OF THE DETAILS OF THEIR SALE? When agents focus their strengths on the client and allow professionals to execute the marketing plan, everybody wins. The demands of showing properties, facilitating inspections, and managing closings pull agents in a lot of directions. Smart agents know they can’t do it all. However, agents need to be confident that their clients are served well. Drawing from the worlds of advertising, film, journalism, technology, and art, we produce results for our agents’ clients every day. HOW CAN DEVELOPERS BENEFIT FROM A BROKERAGE WITH A FULL MARKETING TEAM? Effective strategies for new home communities are different than marketing a single home. Assembling a cohesive plan can be difficult and expensive, especially when using an outside agency. Our interdisciplinary team helps developers generate prospective buyers through proven strategies we’ve been refining for over 40 years in the real estate industry. AS YOU OPTIMIZE YOUR MARKETING STR ATEGY, WHAT ARE YOU MOST FOCUSED ON GET TING RIGHT? At no time in the history of real estate has our audience’s attention been so fractured. Yet, there’s one element that runs through all these new channels: the visuals. We are sharply focused on providing our sellers’ properties with as engaging a visual presence as possible. Our marketing budget subsidizes the cost of professional photography, 3D tours, video, and floor plans for our agents. The right visuals in the right places ensure our agents and their clients’ homes stand out.

108

| September 2018

About Beverly-Hanks Thousands of home buyers and sellers choose us for the results-oriented service that has been our hallmark since 1976. Our strength lies in the ability to provide the services of highly trained, caring REALTORSÂŽ who are experts in their communities. Our diverse team of marketing professionals draw upon critical disciplines to provide our agents and their clients with best-in-class marketing services.

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 109

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Editor’s Thoughts

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recurring theme of this magazine is the primacy of connections—how the members of the Western North Carolina business and entrepreneurial communities are so inextricably intertwined that if one were to sketch out some elaborate, detailed visual family tree or a Seven Degrees of Separation diagram, we’d have people collectively slapping their faces in disbelief over what a small world this region actually is. These overlapping connections are perhaps no more evident than within the area alcohol industry. From an all-in-the-family profile of a prominent local cidery, and a look at the folks behind an area brewery-centric design/marketing company; to the intricacies outlined in our analysis of the ever-evolving regulatory landscape regarding alcohol sales and production, and a firsthand report on how to plan and open a bar; you will spot connections galore, and none of them insignificant. Picture one such web of interactions: The cider maker I mentioned obviously needs apples for the cider, the fresher the better, so the fruit gets sourced from local orchards rather than from some far-off locale; for the same reason, the apples get pressed locally then the juice is transported directly to the cidery’s fermentation tanks. Yeast must be added and, you guessed it, it typically is obtained from a local yeast production facility; ditto the additional farm-sourced flavorings—blueberries, for example—that help make possible the cider flavor variants. If you’re doing the math here, you probably have at least a sense of the regional economic chain that is set into motion before the first glass of cider has been poured. And I haven’t even mentioned the number of employees it takes to operate and maintain the cidery’s equipment and its tasting room. Multiply all this by the number of breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries (don’t forget the neighborhood bars, either), and you’re looking at a huge and intricate economic engine that our alcohol industry represents. Like I said—connections.

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Information & Inquiries Capital at Play is Western North Carolina’s business lifestyle magazine. It embodies the idea that capitalism thrives with creativity—that work requires an element of play. Exploring everything from local industry to the great outdoors, Capital at Play is inspiration for the modern entrepreneur. In every edition we profile those who take the risk, those who share that risk, and those who support them—telling the untold story of how capitalists are driven by their ideas and passions. We cater to those who see the world with curiosity, wonderment, and a thirst for knowledge. We present information and entertainment that capitalists want, all in one location. We are the free spirit of enterprise.

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e-mail advertising@capitalatplay.com or call 828.274.7305

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for subscription information

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subscribe online at www.capitalatplay.com or call 828.274.7305

marketing & advertising

Editorial content is selected and produced because of its interest to our readership. Editorial content is not for sale and cannot be bought. Capital at Play is financially sustained by advertisers who find value in exposure alongside our unique content and to the readers who follow it. This magazine is printed with soy based ink on recycled paper. Please recycle. Copyright © 2018, Capital At Play, Inc. All rights reserved. Capital at Play is a trademark of Capital At Play, Inc. Published by Capital At Play, Inc. PO Box 5615, Asheville, NC. 28813

Capital at Play is protec ted through Tr ademar k Regis tr ation in the United States. The content found within this publication does not necessar ily ref lec t the views of Capital At Play, Inc. and its companies. Capital At Play, Inc. and its employees are not liable for any adver tising or editor ial content found in Capital at Play. The ar ticles, photogr aphy, and illus tr ations found in Capital at Play may not be reproduced or used in any fashion without express wr it ten consent by Capital At Play, Inc.

| September 2018

Our Recent Notable Sales MIKE DAVIS 828-301-6773

DAMIAN HALL 828-817-2046

CLOSED representing buyer and seller 173 Macon Avenue GROVE PARK | $1.85 M

CLOSED representing seller 93 Running Bear Lane HONEY HILL COVE | $1.1 M

LAURA LIVAUDAIS 828-712-5445

MEG ATKINSON 843-601-4191

CLOSED representing seller 185 Kimberly Avenue GROVE PARK | $1.3 M

CLOSED representing buyer and seller 1308 S Lake Summit Road LAKE SUMMIT | $1.4 M

ELLEN MCGUIRE 828-551-7027

BRITT ALLEN 828-450-8166

CLOSED representing buyer 15 Sunset Lane SUNSET MOUNTAIN $1,367,500

CLOSED representing buyer 9 Bradford Vistas WATERFORD LAKES $1.075 M

2018 | capitalatplay.com IvesterJacksonBlackstream.com | 18 S. Pack Square, AshevilleSeptember | 828.367.9001

Capital at Play has partnered with Bclip Productions to bring the pages of each edition to life, just for you. Featured at Capitalatplay.com and our Facebook page, we give you exclusive interviews and insider info on the people, places, and faces of Capital at Play has partnered with Bclip Productions to bring the pages of each edition to life, just for you. Featuring a new enterprise throughout Western North Carolina. Visit us on social media or at our website to see the latest 60 Seconds at Play.

second video every two weeks, we give you exclusive interviews and insider info on the people, places, and faces of enterp throughout Western North Carolina. Visit us on social media or at capitalatplay.com to see the latest 60 Seconds at Play NOVEMBER VIDEO

RYOBI QUIET STRIKE PULSE DRIVER AVL TECHNOLOGIES DISASTER RELIEF PRODUCT VIDEO p roduct l aunch video

COCONUT BAY BEACH r esort p romotional video

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MARKETING AND TRAINING VIDEOS FOR BUSINESS At Bclip we do more than tell your story. Our business-ﬁrst mentality and combustible creativity set us apart from other video production companies. It’s our mission to help our customers sell their products, train their staﬀ, and entertainINcustomers with video. We strive to eat, sleep,p and think like the FOX HUNTING WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA wonderful companies we work with. photo by DonWestPhotos.com at Tryon Hounds

( .76)

www.bclip.com MARKETING AND TRAINING VIDEOS FOR BUSINESS 10

| September 2018

At Bclip we do more than tell your story. Our business-ﬁrst mentality and c creativity set us apart from other video production companies. It’s our mis help our customers sell their products, train their staﬀ, and entertain custo video. We strive to eat, sleep, and think like the wonderful companies we w

on the cover :

DRINKS AT Little Jumbo Bar, photo by Lynne Harty thi s page : TOPS OF a variety of beer cans designed by Big Bridge Design, photo by Anthony Harden

w 60 prise y.

combustible ssion to omers with work with.

F E AT U R E D vol. viii

BRIDGING ART AND BEER

ed. ix

PARADISE FOUND JOSIE MIELKE & FAMILY

STEPHEN BECKER & JERRY SEWELL

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

C ON T E N T S s e p t e m b e r 2 018

photo by Lynne Harty

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

The ABCs of Alcohol Rules and Regulations

& The Capital at Play Annual Western North Carolina Alcohol Producers’ List

insight

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

7 Truths & 1 Lie About Bar Ownership How To Start A Bar

colu m ns

14 1 Million Cups’ 4th Anniversary

30 The Mother of

Good Luck {Part 2} Written by Joanne Morgan

briefs

34 Carolina in the West 76 The Old North State

62 The Garden Column: p e o p l e at p l ay

Weeds to Keep

Written by Cinthia Milner

96 Christie’s/Ivester Jackson/ 80 The Wine Column: Blackstream Luxury Real Estate Market Update

| September 2018

Off (the) Road Dining & Drinking Written by John Kerr

events

98 Animal Logic: The 2018

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“A Weekly Reunion With Friends” In Asheville there is a place for guidance, resources, and support if you’re a budding entrepreneur and seeking a peer group: 1 Million Cups, which is marking its fourth anniversary. Anyone who has lived in Western North Carolina for the last four years has no doubt heard the name 1 Million Cups (1MC). Since the group recently passed an annual milestone— the inaugural 1 Million Cups Asheville gathering was in late August 2014, so a fourth anniversary celebration will be held on September 5 during, appropriately enough, Asheville Entrepreneurship Week, at the 1MC event space—we want to offer a tip of the CaP hat to the people who have been putting in some serious sweat equity for the past four years. We have additionally teamed with Bclip Productions to create a special video tribute to 1MC, which you can view at CapitalatPlay.com. Some background: The volunteer-driven 1 Million Cups is actually a national, multicity (180 communities) organization created in 2012 by the Kansas City, Missouri, based Kauffman Foundation, whose vision is “to foster a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens in their communities… It focuses its grant making and operations on two areas: education and entrepreneurship.” The name “1 Million Cups” derives from Technori founder Seth Kravitz’s article “A Million Cups,” which proposed that “true communities are built through meaningful interactions between people over a million cups of coffee.” By bringing entrepreneurs and thinking people into the same room and getting them to share experiences, thoughts, and visions about their businesses and their communities, the seeds of industry are planted in fertile soil. In Asheville the original organizers were already well-known faces among the entrepreneurial community, including Justin Belleme, of JB Media Group; Craig McAnsh, of Mojo Coworking; 14

| September 2018

Mandy Berger, of The Buzz; Paul Hedgecock, of eCommerce Business Solutions; and Josh Dorfman, then director of entrepreneurship at Venture Asheville, now CEO of The Collider. The current organizers are Melody Isis Herman, of Pop Benefits; Carrie Ann Bentham, of RISC Networks; Emily Breedlove, of Hatch; Ellen Soderberg, of Homestead Creative; Allis Grosh, of Hatch, Anthroware, and Burban; and marketing consultant Jacqueline Lowe. At a typical 1MC gathering (in downtown Asheville at RISC Networks and the Asheville Social Hall, having outgrown the original 2014 space at Mojo Coworking) one is greeted by several large vessels of coffee, a lot of smiling faces, and plenty of business cards. Networking and making connections are the obvious selling points for 1MC, but it’s when a local presenter gets up and talks about his or her business—from its origins, to its successes and missteps, to its current trajectory—that things genuinely get animated. Following each presentation is a 20-minute Q&A with the audience, the idea being to “build an entrepreneurial ecosystem” through a shared learning experience among the presenters and attendees. Capital at Play has certainly benefited from the presence of 1MC in our town, and we have featured a number of those entrepreneurs in our pages, including the folks behind Brightfield Transportation Solutions, Plum Print, UGoTour, Roots Hummus, Lolo, No Evil Foods, Better Than Unicorns, Wishbone Tiny Homes, French Broad Chocolates, and Shecology. With all that in mind, let’s see what some of the principals and presenters have to say.

Nothing you wear is more important than your smile! Jeremy Littlejohn, co-founder of RISC Networks: “Entrepreneurship is something that must be lived. It can’t be taught. 1MC is a way for people to live the entrepreneurship exper ience. It challenges presenters and attendees to push and stretch their limits and see just how brave they are.”

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George Glackin, co-founder and chair of board, Hatch: “I came to 1 Million Cups in January of 2015. I was just new to Asheville, and I went, ‘You know what, this seems kind of cool—I’ll go check it out.’ And it has changed my life.”

Deanna Banaszak, co-founder and CEO of Crunchy Bananas: “I really love the fact that I can engage with so many other like-minded individuals that may not have the same fields as me, but we can all learn from one another.”

Jon Jones, CEO of Anthroware: “1 Million Cups is kind of a drum beat. And it’s something that happens every week. You can’t really underestimate what you can get out of the connections in a community, and this is the fastest way to get there.”

Sadrah Schadel, co-founder of No Evil Foods: “1MC Asheville is an integral part of building and supporting a thriving entrepreneurial community. After presenting our story we felt ushered into an inner circle of passionate founders and advocates who share a common belief and experience in building an enterprise from the ground up and understand the struggle.”

Emily Breedlove, executive director of Hatch: “1 Million Cups Asheville has proven itself to be a highly approachable and effective gateway for high-growth entrepreneurs to enter the Western

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com BEFORE

AFTER 2 TREATMENTS

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For more information, please contact us at 828.274.7305 or at advertising@capitalatplay.com - Space reservation deadline of September 20th 2019 -

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a single person, I just showed up to 1MC and started talking to the people sitting around me asking them, ‘What are you working on?’ I found recommendations for jobs, made lots of great contacts, and now, after living here for almost two years, it’s like a weekly reunion with friends.” photo by Erica Mueller Photography

photo by Brenden Almand Photography

North Carolina ecosystem. By creating a casual space for new innovators to engage, 1MC is opening doors and creating new connections every week. In addition, the pitch prep training is such a powerful method for preparing individuals for the process of clearly articulating and justifying their business growth opportunity. When all community resources collaborate to streamline access to tools, training, and technical advisement, the entire region prospers.”

Since 2014, 1 Million Cups in Asheville has hosted close to 200 business founders for presentations and its popular “fireside chat” interviews. Recently implemented have been panel discussions; the “Open Pitch” program, which gives business owners who may be too early to present at a 1MC gathering the opportunity to hone their presentation skills and get early-stage feedback; and “Student Pitch Days,” held during area university students’ end-of-semester periods in order to let budding young entrepreneurs get some valuable in-person experience. Melody Isis Herman, founder of Pop Benefits and a lead organizer for 1MC for the past three years, emphasizes, “1MC creates an environment of support, growth, collaboration, and community. To be in business, especially for yourself, means you’re going to face all kinds of challenges—both personal and professional—and having access to others that ‘get it’ or have experienced something similar can really help, even if it’s just to feel like you’re not alone. There’s a genuine camaraderie that happens here, and relationships cultivated here have consistently resulted in business partnerships, new business formations, friendships, client relationships, jobs, and mentorships.” Herman adds that 1MC isn’t only a vehicle to move a business forward or connect entrepreneurs to the resources they need to scale: “It’s a place to elevate one another, to root for one another, to not only create success for ourselves, but to assist one another in creating success. It’s a place to get better, to be

“To be in business, especially for yourself, means you’re going to face all kinds of challenges—both personal and professional—and having access to others that ‘get it’ or have experienced something similar can really help, even if it’s just to feel like you’re not alone.” Jeff Kaplan, director of entrepreneurship Venture Asheville: “I’d pitch at 1MC because they always end the Q&A with, ‘How can our community help you?’ That’s exceptional and unique. Just consider this value proposition: As an entrepreneur you can pitch a community of other entrepreneurs, investors, connectors, mentors, job seekers, etc., and then, after you run through your pitch, you can set the criteria for the support that you need. When I moved here [in late 2016], not knowing

better, to succeed, to mess up, to build confidence. And once you decide that you’re committed to your own growth and success and you’re ready to show up, you can know that there’s a place for guidance, resources, and support that is here, and ready to back you up and to show up for you. “It’s a very special thing.” 1 Million Cups meets each Wednesday morning 9-10AM, at RISC Networks and the Asheville Social Hall, 81 Broadway. Details: www.1millioncups.com/asheville.” September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

THE CAN for Boojum Brewing's Hootin' Annie, sitting on the original Becka Schoedel illustration created for the design.

| September 2018

Bridging

Art & Beer

written by jim murphy photos by anthony harden

When Stephen Becker and Jerry Sewell assumed ownership of Ashevilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Bridge Design, they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize that they would soon become an integral force in the booming Western North Carolina alcohol industry.

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 19

Jacob Voig t, Jerr y Sewell, and Stephen Becker | September 2018

his is not your father’s Bud.

The surge in craft breweries and the creativity of brewmasters has created a plethora of brands offering an overflow of flavors. Bryan Smith, manager of the Tasty Beverage Co. in Asheville, estimates his store carries about 300 brands, with no fewer than 800 flavors. Call it the beer shelf bottleneck. All that variety leaves the shopper with a luxurious array of options—and a bewildering mass of choices. So, many shoppers simply make their buying decisions based on the beer’s label. As anyone who has recently perused the beer selection at their local shop or grocery store, those labels offer an amazing variety of colors, graphics, and themes. Compared to the Budweiser, Schlitz, and Pabst Blue Ribbon cans of yore, it’s like the difference between black-and-white television and color, or music recorded in monophonic versus stereo. Are beer labels that important? A young woman, visiting from Richmond and shopping at Tasty Beverage, suppressed a giggle as she admitted, “Always.” Her preferred graphics? “Animals.” She began to turn red as she summed up, “I don’t think it’s smart; it’s just what works for me.” A man from Fayetteville was more positive about his label choices. “Absolutely,” he said, with absolute conviction. And did it ever turn out to be a disaster? “Hey, we’re not talkin’ about buyin’ a car, we’re talkin’ about a beer. What the hell!” Yes, the labels are important.

ORIGINAL ART WORK for Hi-Wire brewing, that has been turned into logos, packaging designs, and more. September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

A COLLECTION of beer tap handles, designed by Big Bridge.

*** One of the companies producing those labels is Ashevillebased Big Bridge Design, where co-owners Stephen Becker and Jerry Sewell focus their business on the alcohol industry, particularly beer. Before they shifted from being a general-interest design firm, their clients included nonprofits and doctors, along with what Becker calls “a few breweries,” beginning with Green Man and then Hi-Wire. Now alcohol—beer, cider, and wine—accounts for about 80 percent of their business. Sewell, who handles the business plan, explained why he began concentrating on breweries: “Since I’ve been in Asheville I’ve seen only one brewery fail. That was Craggy, and the reason that they failed—and I’m not afraid to say it—is they made horrible beer. You have to make good product, and these breweries in Asheville, they make the best beer in the country and in the world.” 22

| September 2018

But doesn’t a concentration on a single industry leave a lot of neglected opportunities? Becker disputes the notion. “We didn’t walk away from other clients,” he explains. “We just put a focus on the breweries. And because we put a focus on some breweries, we picked up other clients. It has caught people’s attention that we never realized we were going to.” He goes on to list a golf course, a bicycle component company, the city of Brevard, and a property management group as being among those clients. On a steamy summer day, the business attire at Big Bridge runs to T-shirts, shorts, and sandals. The company works out of a 20-by-20 workspace in the RAMP Studios makers community on upper Riverside Drive. The design of their headquarters could be called “primitive indifferent.” A concrete floor and scant furniture set the theme, and the walls are bare save for a display of client beer logos. A shelf unit along the back wall holds several dozen beer cans—empty—showing examples of the many labels they have created, along with a number of

unique beer tap handles. Over in one corner of the room they are building a complicated contraption called a CNCR (Becker explains the initials stand for “computer numerical control router”), and it will enable them to fabricate items such as the tap handles and signage. The hub of their design process is a back corner, where Becker and fellow designer Jacob Voigt stand at their computers, which sit on elevated tables. Mounted on the wall behind them hang three dry-erase whiteboards crammed with barely legible lists of things to do.

Beginnings Big Bridge dates back to 2001, when founder Stephen Lutz started what Sewell says was “originally an old-school advertising firm. Usually print. That type of business was really outdated.” When the economy began to collapse in 2008, Big

When the economy began to collapse in 2008, Big Bridge started taking on water and almost went under. “We weathered the economic storm, but barely.” Bridge started taking on water and almost went under. “We weathered the economic storm, but barely,” Becker recalls. He joined the company during the down time in 2009, at a point when the company had given up its studio and was working from what he describes as a “virtual office.” Eventually, Sewell joined the firm in 2013, when the economy was gaining momentum— and, not insignificantly, when the Western North Carolina alcohol industry was also experiencing significant growth, with the regional brewery scene in particular starting to explode. Business steadily improved, and he and Becker bought a majority interest the following year from Lutz (who remains a minority owner but does not take an active role in the day-to-day operations). They opened a small office on Eagle Street in downtown Asheville and, taking note of the business opportunities the area’s growing beer industry presented, began to specialize in beer, subsequently hiring Voigt as Art Director; Becker’s official title with the company, incidentally, is Creative Director, while Sewell’s is Director of Business Development. At the beginning of 2017 they moved to their present location in the RAMP Studios. September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 23

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For Becker, the journey to Big Bridge began at Appalachian State, where he majored in graphic design. He worked for five years at a design firm in Durham, but eventually decided to relocate to Asheville because he already knew the area and, as he states simply, “It’s where we wanted to live.” Landing at Big Bridge while the economy was in the depths of recession, he hung on with the company until business began to pick up. Now, as both owner and designer, “I get pulled in a lot of different directions.” Combining his design and business responsibilities, he has evolved into what might be called an artpreneur. But does he miss full-time design? “Sometimes, but I’ve also been doing it a long time,” Becker says. “It’s still fun to dive in and work on projects, but I also like to step out and explore other avenues. Being involved with the different things we’re trying to do with the company allows me to do that without reinventing myself.” Becker’s career path was straight and simple. Sewell’s was quite the opposite. He graduated from Louisiana University at Lafayette with a culinary arts degree then came to Asheville in 1999 to manage a restaurant—which folded. (“Not my fault,” he deadpans.) He and his wife decided to remain in Asheville, so he began exploring his options and ended up managing a print shop until 2013, when he got the opportunity to join Big Bridge. It was a year later that he and Becker bought the company. “I had run a business for 12 years, so what I was bringing to the table was structure,” recalls Sewell. “When I came on they were just doing design and there was no real growth. So, in order for us to build the business and attract top designers like Jacob, we had to grow, and so we started focusing on the breweries. I brought over the same system that I used to get business in the print shop. It was more networking with printing and packaging guys, and that was a huge step forward for us.” The firm’s growth has been significant. “In craft beverage we have about 65 clients, representing thousands of products,” he says.

SKETCHES FOR developing the Boojum tap handle.

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 25

The Devil is in the Details: CREATING A BREWERY LOGO

It seems like a lark: Dream up a design for a beer can label, and take the rest of the day off. But when the designer faces a blank computer screen, the limits of their imagination are one of several challenges. This process is perhaps an ultimate application of the adage: “The devil is in the details.” To illustrate the process of producing their labels, Big Bridge Design’s Jacob Voigt took Capital at Play through the computer pages of his design for the Ecusta Brewing Company logo. Voigt explains that it begins in a conference with the client to develop a general theme. He draws a pencil sketch to create a raw concept, and then powers up his computer. The first element is type fonts. “I’ll look at as many as 40 fonts and narrow it down to a general style,” he says, adding that he then decides what text can fit in the design and begins to “finesse the layout.” He adds more pages, making minor tweaks. Regarding the Ecusta logo, “the compass star wasn’t really working. It was looking too busy. So, I eliminated the east and west directionals. North and south was enough to indicate that it’s a compass.” His next element becomes the hops that curl up the sides of the design: “You’ve got to get some hops. Every brewery will want a drawing of the hop at some time, whether it’s for a poster, a sticker, or logo. They’re going to want it. And [the breweries’ designs] can’t look the same. So you have to figure out a new way to draw it every time.” Next, he makes subtle changes, such as softening the edges of the lettering. “Those little tiny things make all the difference. I might spend an hour working on things like that, and most people wouldn’t consciously notice, but those details make a difference.” His next challenge is color, so he opens a page with 16 versions of the logo in different color themes (“I narrowed choices to these combinations, then down to three”), then he clicks through to the next page showing his final color choices… and the finished version of the Ecusta logo. In the creation of that logo, the full process took as many as 100 computer screens while he made changes and tried different elements; he might spend anywhere from 10 to 20 hours working on a design like this. Concludes Voigt, “People look at it and say, ‘I can draw that in 10 minutes. What took you so long?’ But you’ve got to look at all the details that go into it.” And the dozens—even hundreds—of choices it entails. 26

| September 2018

MEREDITH COOK Big Bridge's Accounts Manager and Voig t, in the R AMP studio.

Voigt picks up the thought. “Hi-Wire brewery gives us a different can or label almost every week,” he says. “They need new designs for different series they have coming out: their sour series, specialty cans, their small batch. Their [account] is really fun to work on.” He joined Big Bridge as a freelancer in 2014 and moved into full-time status the following year. The business was growing, and client demands were becoming too much for Becker to handle alone. A native of Asheville, Voigt had graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in commercial design. “Took many of the same courses as Stephen,” he says. He returned to Asheville, hoping to make a career in his hometown. Watching him work alongside Becker, it appears he has found a professional home as well.

Designs On Beer As designers, Becker and Voigt describe a process that is loose and lively. But within their creations, they must remain aware of technical realities that could affect their design options. For instance, beer can labels are produced in three categories: shrink-wrap sleeves, pressure-sensitive labels, and pre-printed cans. Each of those categories imposes technical considerations that set it apart from the others. The designer has to keep those technical tidbits in mind. He also has to make room in his

design for the mandatory government notices (such as alcohol content) that must be included on a label. Big Bridge’s client base has grown steadily, to the point that in addition to Becker and Voigt creating designs, the company also employs freelancers for some of the work. “The breweries fuel a lot of really good design,” Sewell says. “And it also creates work for some artists in town. We work with tattoo artists and illustrators.” Becker adds, confidently, “We’re picking people who are extremely talented.” To initiate the design process, a freelancer usually presents a pen or pencil sketch, which serves as the launching point for Becker and Voigt to go to work at their computers. As an example, Becker offered a recent label for Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA. “We sat down around a table,” he says, “and concepted with the owners and the illustrator [then] sent her running to create an initial sketch.” The illustrator came back with an image of a hippopotamus roaring into a megaphone in front of color panels that suggested a mosaic. The final label was bright, colorful, and whimsical. “The design often begins with the name of the particular product,” Becker continues. “Mosaic is the name of a hop. She took it from there.” He recalls working with Hi-Wire Brewing, one of their original brewery clients. “With Hi-Wire we sat around a conference table in our small office on Eagle Street and concepted out in September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 27

one session all four of their flagships beers. So, five years later, we’re still using all of that original art, but it’s just gone through tons of different changes.”

we start seeing something that we might not have come up with on our own.” Sewell, the business-minded partner, sums it up: “They’re passionate about beer; we’re passionate about design. It’s ultimately collaborative.” Becker agrees, saying, “One thing very specific to this industry is the breweries take on the personality of the owner and head brewer, and you have to tailor things to that. It’s not my product— it’s theirs. We’re trying to be as authentic as possible to our clients.” Becker’s interest in his clients has led him to get involved with the proposed North Carolina Craft Beer and Beverage Museum, where he is a member of the board of directors. “Being on the board allowed me the opportunity to create a logo that will shape the museum’s identity for years to come,” he says. “The logo is a playful exploration of glassware shapes specific to beverages that fall in the category known as craft.” The museum is aiming for a location in Asheville. It is still several years away, but the plans include exhibits on the many elements of North Carolina’s history with

“It’s easy now to get caught up in beer, but what I like to look at is just beverages. So, the same idea that’s worked well for us in the craft brewing industry, it’s starting to work for us in different areas.” Voigt picks up Becker’s train of thought. “One of the fun parts of working in this industry is that these are all creative people, and so they’ve got an idea of a look or a theme that they’re bringing to us that might be something we wouldn’t have thought of. When they start talking about that kind of stuff, the wheels start turning in our heads and

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alcoholic beverages. Of course, North Carolina beers will occupy a prominent role. The museum’s executive director, Kimberly Floyd, notes that at the moment they are “still in planning, and focusing on traveling exhibits as we look for a permanent space; the focus is education for locals, tourists, and industry professionals. Our goal is to co-locate with A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast and offer exhibits, programs, workshops, and events that will look at the cultural, social, and economic history of our state, as well as the science behind our craft beverages.”

“It’s Fun as Hell” Big Bridge now occupies a prominent role in the craft beer industry. It has grown from its “virtual office” days through that “small little office” on Eagle Street to a thriving design firm in a booming industry. So, what’s next? Sewell has been giving that question some thought. “It’s easy now to get caught up in beer,” he muses, “but what I like to look at is just beverages. So, the same idea that’s worked well for us in the craft brewing industry, it’s starting to work for us in different areas. We’re picking up wineries, cider companies,

and we’re going to pick up some more coffee companies, so we’re starting to branch off. Ideally, I would love it to be a third of our business in each category.” Big Bridge has Big Plans for the future, but in the meantime, they are all enjoying their jobs day-to-day and cite, in particular, the uniquely creative, one-on-one nature of their current client relationships that perhaps wasn’t that prominent prior to the company’s conscious pivot to the regional alcohol industry. “It’s just a great atmosphere,” Sewell says. “The people we work with are great. The breweries fuel a lot of really good design.” Becker picks up the thought, saying, “It’s collaborative in a way I’ve never seen as a designer.” He sums up the high they get, not from the beer, but from the people they work with and the work itself: “It’s fun as hell.”

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 29

column

The Mother of Good Luck { part 2 } More on pre-closing due diligence with commercial real estate.

joanne morgan

is an Asheville native, and an attorney with Ward and Smith, P.A.’s Asheville office.

AST MONTH WE EXPLAINED

the importance of the due diligence period, during which one should conduct a thorough title examination, as well as a detailed survey of the property under consideration.

Environmental Inspection

Even though you may have had nothing to do with causing contamination, unless you conducted “all appropriate inquiries” to discover whether contamination exists prior to closing, once you own the property, you’re going to be legally responsible for any clean-up of contamination of the soil or water that’s discovered to be existing upon, or underneath, the property. Where the historical use of a piece of property is unknown or unconfirmed, a prudent purchaser will obtain a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (referred to as a “Phase I”) which explores the past use of the property. When a Phase I comes back “clean” it typically means that the research revealed no past uses of the property that could have led

| September 2018

to contamination, and your environmental due diligence is complete. You have then conducted “all appropriate inquiries.” However, if a Phase I reveals that the property was once used as a gas station, dry cleaners, waste dump, etc., the “all appropriate inquiries” regulation requires that you must at least obtain a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, in which samples of soil, air, and water (as applicable) are tested for any actual contamination. If the Phase II shows there is no evidence of contamination, you may then be insulated against liability if any contamination, in fact, exists. In instances in which a Phase II does reveal certain contamination, you and the seller can work together to negotiate how the contamination will be addressed or remedied (and paid for) before you close.

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Zoning Compliance Your attorney will research the zoning ordinances applicable to the property, to make sure that its current use, or your intended use (if different) is automatically allowed, or if you must apply to the zoning authority for a variance for your intended use. This search will also reveal if you have the worst case—that your intended use is never allowed. This is also important if you’re looking to construct a building on undeveloped land. Knowledge of the applicable zoning ordinances will help you understand how large your improvements can or must be, the set-back requirements, any use prohibitions, and any ancillary requirements for items such as parking lots and landscaping, etc.

Stormwater Facility In certain industrial parks and commercial settings, land will be subject to a shared stormwater facility, which is designed to handle stormwater runoff and to control water flow rates. These facilities include pipes, ditches, underground tanks, and stormwater ponds.

Bob Lewis Ballpark, a complex of seven baseball fields and part of the larger Enka Youth Sports Complex, was once the site of an industrial landfill. Our attorneys helped secure the property, obtained nonprofit organizational status, and negotiated with the Department of Environmental Quality to see the project-funded by local donations and support from Buncombe County and the Tourism Development Authority through to completion. When it comes to helping little kids have big-league fun, we've got this. 32

| September 2018

You should work with an engineer to determine the existing or necessary stormwater facilities required for the property you’re purchasing. Your lawyer can also help you understand the

SURVEYS, ENVIRONMENTAL EX AMINATIONS, AND ZONING PROCEEDINGS CAN REQUIRE MANY WEEKS OR MONTHS TO CONDUCT AND CONCLUDE, AND THE CLOCK STARTS TICKING WHEN THE PARTIES HAVE A FULLY EXECUTED CONTR ACT. maintenance obligations that you would owe to your fellow land owners (if any) in connection with maintaining a stormwater

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facility, and the necessary easements that you should obtain to have the legal right to utilize an existing stormwater facility infrastructure for the benefit of your property.

Existing Tenants A well-written purchase contract will require the seller to inform you of any existing tenants and give you copies of all written leases that affect the property. You will work with your attorney to determine which leases will continue to be in existence after closing (and therefore assigned to you as the successor landlord at closing), and which tenants could be given proper legal notice of their need to relocate before or after closing if you need the space they occupy for your purposes.

Financing Before your due diligence period expires, you’ll want to have a loan commitment letter from your lender. The letter will outline the terms of the loan the lender is willing to give you to purchase or improve the property and will provide reasonable assurance that your loan financing will be approved as long

as the requirements of the commitment letter are satisfied by the closing date. If, however, you’re unable to get a necessary loan and are short of cash to close, this will not relieve you of liability to the seller for breaching your contract. Your attorney may be able to negotiate terms in the purchase contract to limit your liability in such an event.

Conclusion While most of these tools and evaluations are easily addressed prior to the closing, it’s important to work with someone you trust and to begin your investigation as soon as you have a fully signed purchase contract in hand (if not beforehand!). Sur veys, environmental examinations, and zoning proceedings can require many weeks or months to conduct and conclude, and the clock starts ticking when the parties have a fully executed contract. While it may seem daunting, with careful and diligent examination before you’re the new owner, you’ll avoid any post-closing remorse.

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CAROLINA in the

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news briefs

Scholarly Authority watauga county

The first cohort from Appalachian State University’s (ASU) Police Development Program graduated in May and took the certification exam in August. The program was begun by ASU’s Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Andy Stephenson, who graduated from the pilot program at Indiana University. The program is open to all students at ASU who can pass the interview, background investigation, and psychological evaluation. The ASPD program covers all costs, including training, equipment, and uniforms. Stephenson says he likes handling officer training at the university level because for the profession to evolve, it needs the critical thinkers, effective communicators, and responsible citizens ASU aims to cultivate. While getting

]

training in first response, communications, diversity, de-escalation, and how to respond to an active aggressor, cadets will also work 12-20 hours a week for the university patrolling large events or securing buildings. Stephenson hopes graduates will represent a multicultural, tolerant, and educated force capable of building trust with the community. Seventy students first applied to enroll in the program, which currently only has room for 25.

Mission’s Dogwood buncombe county

While the sale of Mission Health to Nashville-based HCA is not yet inked, Mission has moved forward with setting up the Dogwood Health Trust. At full buildout, the charitable organization

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would be the third largest foundation in the state. It was created because the law requires proceeds from the sale of a nonprofit to a for-profit to go into a foundation that will further the mission of the former. Janice Brumit, whose resume includes a long list of high-profile board appointments including chair for Mission Health, has been selected to serve as the foundation’s inaugural chair. Mission is currently accepting nominations for filling other seats at the table. It is expected the foundation will be several years in the making. While taking care of the necessary paperwork and setting up offices, the board will learn best practices from similar foundations. It will then prioritize health needs in the region and develop partnerships. No grants are expected to be disbursed until 2020. Mission’s President and CEO, Dr. Ron Paulus, estimates the hospital could sell for $1-2 billion, giving the foundation an initial balance of about 5% of the total.

Saddle Light polk county

Mike Schatzberg, of Cherokee Hill Farm in Tryon, has been partnering with world-renowned saddler Ron Friedson to develop an extra-lightweight,

76 the old north state

quality saddle for eventing and endurance. Whereas most saddles weigh 12-14 pounds, the Featherweight weighs only 8.75. Working with clientele in Great Britain and Israel, the collaborators began with the Pegasus Unicorn design, which Friedson sells. The Pegasus is made with spring hinges on either side of the front saddle tree. The springs allow the saddle to be used with multiple horses, even ones with asymmetric backs. The design distributes pressure lightly across the horse’s back, the University of Zurich rating the saddle at 12-25kPa, while anything under 35kPa is considered good. Both the saddle’s light weight and self-adjusting form-fitting are good for a horse’s physical and mental health. Work is now underway to integrate springs into the saddle’s rear panels as well. Another feature Friedson and Schatzberg developed is a breakaway stirrup with the silver and white design traditional riders are demanding. The stirrup is also angled to facilitate recovery should a rider lose his footing.

Quiet Accommodations haywood county

Waynesville will be getting a new hotel, and at least one planning board member

feels out of the loop. In the know are the town aldermen, who already agreed to give the hotel’s developers an 80% discount on property taxes for six years; as well as the county commissioners, who are scheduled to approve additional incentives. Members of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority and the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce had helped with feasibility studies and negotiations. And by the time the designs came before the planning board, the hoteliers had already secured the necessary permits. All they needed was approval for a rezoning. Robert Hermann suggested the process was backward, to have so many approvals before members of the planning board – or even the general public – knew where the project would be built or the flag the hotel would fly. At least via the planning board meeting, it became public knowledge that the Shah family, who have been hoteliers for Waynesville’s Best Western for 25 years, will be the developers of a four-story, 65-room, upper mid-scale hotel. Town staff explained it is not unusual for disclosures about large, national chain construction to remain under wraps until negotiations justify a formal announcement.

carolina in the west

Rainy-Day Fund Softens Trauma transylvania county

The Transylvania County Board of Education unanimously agreed to appropriate $126,950 from the school system’s fund balance toward the purchase of trauma kits. The kits consist of online training, equipment, and materials for responding to an active shooter incident in a school. The legislature had already committed to funding the program as a pilot for the state, and they had planned on disbursing the appropriation in equal monthly installments. Then, Norris Barger, head of business services for the school system, received an eleventh-hour email from the provider, Blue Spear Solutions, saying full payment was due in short order. The notice was so hotoff-the-press, board members did not have time to review it before their regularly-scheduled meeting. Seeking input from the board’s legislative liaison would have proven useless, since the General Assembly was not scheduled to meet again until November. Discussion before the vote was taken indicated the program would not be comprehensive, but board members said there would be no going back if something were to happen and teachers did not have the training.

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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For Those with Ideas... buncombe county

Mountain BizWorks was one of 13 organizations in the nation to receive a Wells Fargo Works for Small Business: Diverse Community Capital program grant. The awards are given to United States Department of the Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institutions, which are private nonprofits that serve the underserved. For 27 years, Mountain BizWorks has been granting loans, valued anywhere from $1,000 to $250,000, to small businesses in Western North Carolina. Recipients typically have responsible business models, but can’t get financing from conventional lenders for lack of capital and connections. Mountain BizWorks not only lends capital, it manages the loans locally and provides mentoring by an extensive network of business owners. The Wells Fargo award includes $250,000 for program funds and $400,000 for lending capital. Mountain BizWorks will use the funding to meet its goals of expanding to help 100 businesses in the next three years and creating or saving 225 jobs, two of which will be supported at Mountain BizWorks.

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Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise

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Construction of a $4.5 million, 1000foot runway extension to help Macon County businesses may be delayed. Earlier this year, the Macon County Airport Authority was blindsided to learn mandatory archaeological work had not been completed for an earlier, 2009 expansion. The airport was built on ancient Cherokee land of high archaeological interest, and authorities had come up with a plan for removing, cataloging, and displaying artifacts. TRC Environmental in Chapel Hill satisfactorily handled the removal of artifacts for $4.5 million, but the firm required another $193,000 for the cataloging and displaying. Somewhere along the way, the request for additional funding got lost in the shuffle. Fortunately, however,

the airport can use two years of NonPrimary Entitlement funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to complete the work, but first it must convince the county commissioners to provide a 10% match. Completing the work could take another 18 months. The extent of additional archaeologic work required for subsequent expansions is something to be determined by the feds, the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee.

Put Your Paws Together polk county

Purrrfect Bark received the 2018-2019 Retailer of the Year award from Pet Product News in the People & Pet Partner category. Purrrfect Bark was recognized for its general work with the Foothills Humane Society and the pet adoption agency Paws, Prayers, & Promises (profiled in the November 2017 issue of this magazine); tending to the pets of fallen K-9 officers; donating raw goat milk for rescued kittens and puppies; and feeding the pets of people struggling financially through Thermal Outreach. Owner Eric Mack, who enjoys being in the business of helping pets live healthier lifestyles, said the company’s service outreach could not be possible without the business’ loyal customers. Pet Product News is a trade magazine for retailers of pet-related goods and services. It reaches about 25,000 weekly in the United States and Canada. The awards, which included eleven categorical winners and one grand prize, were announced in June at the SuperZoo trade show in Las Vegas. The overall winner was Healthy Pet Products of Pittsburgh.

Living on Campus jackson county

Western Carolina University (WCU) selected Wilmington-based Zimmer Development Company to construct a 500-bed apartment for students. This is not a dormitory, but an apartment for

upperclassmen, a housing type usually provided by the private sector. The university is involved because it foresees demand for student housing outpacing its current plans for replacing and rebuilding existing stock. The housing will be built across Highway 107 from the university, on property the university owns. Known as the Millennial Campus, this property is leased by the university to the WCU Endowment Fund because that entity has legal authority to enter into to a broader range of contracts than the university can. The endowment fund will sublease the land to Zimmer, which will build and manage the apartments. Exact terms have yet to be detailed. Zimmer was selected from among several bidders because of the attention it paid to existing plans for expanding student housing and the local businesses it was going to include on its team, including Civil Design Concepts and Vannoy Construction.

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The Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee approved a $31 million appropriation for constructing a crisis stabilization center where the old Cherokee Indian Hospital stands. After approving an initial $1.7 million for planning two years ago, discussions for moving forward were twice tabled. More recently, Principal Chief Richard Sneed called for revisiting the issue, saying action was urgent in light of the current opioid crisis. In the planning phase, tribal leaders had analyzed six designs before settling on one with a $39 million price tag. With 14 semi-private rooms, four at-risk rooms, a medical procedure room, and space for group therapy and consultation, 59% of the facility will be used for direct patient care. The rest will be office space. Albert Rose and Tom Wahnetah thought the price was not right, noting Asheville would soon open a detox center renovated for $1 million. They were the only two council members to oppose the funding, after Rose failed

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in an attempt to divide the question and vote on the office space separately. The tribe will now contribute about $3 million a year to the project from its Debt Service Sinking Fund, which accumulates about $11 million a year.

Gary Steuber is a firm believer in the invigorating and weight-management benefits of juice.

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Brothers Gary and Joey Steuber opened the first Mountain Juicery in South Asheville in 2014. Now, Ashley and Walker Covington have opened a store in Hendersonville next to Planet Fitness. The couple says business has been good in the first month. They even have a drive-thru. Mountain Juicery sells fresh, cold-pressed juices in single-serve bottles. They’re made with as much local produce as possible, and they’re pressed in-house. Juices follow the industry standard of having weird names like What’s Up Doc? and Hulk Milk. Smoothies have similar names; for example: You Lift Bro? and My Date with Chocolate. Other products include smoothie bowls, which are like smoothies before they go through the blender; shots and elixers; grab-and-go salads from Blue Finch Plates; and coffee from ShareWell Coffee Company and Roastery. Prices run around $6-$10, but 1-Day Juice Cleanse packages cost $50.

While updates on the Mission Health purchase dominates news cycles, another large hospital merger in Western North Carolina has been announced. LifePoint Health—the parent company of Haywood Regional Medical Center, Harris Regional Hospital based in Jackson County, and Swain Community Hospital—has agreed to be purchased by RCCH Healthcare Partners. Both operations are headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, where RCCH is owned by funds managed by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. With 7,000 physician affiliates, 60,000 employees, and 12,000 licensed beds, the combined company will be valued at $8 billion. LifePoint’s value was approximately $5.6 billion, subtracting $2.9 billion for debt and minority interests. No changes to service are anticipated by the merger. Explaining the decision, spokespeople cited the same factors driving mergers nationwide, which include patient diversion, rising costs of pharmaceuticals, a desire to use state-ofthe-art equipment and recruit and retain

top talent, and compliance with growing medical records requirements.

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The Caiyalynn Burrell Child Crisis Center will soon open in Asheville to treat children and teens in behavioral crises. The facility will be the first of its type in Western North Carolina and the second in the state. A growing number of children in emotional trauma are being held for days in hospital emergency rooms waiting for a hospital bed to become available anywhere in the state. Teens may even be sent to jail. The new facility will be at the location of the former Neil Dobbins Center, a detoxification, de-escalation center for adults, which has moved to a behavioral health complex with wraparound services down the road. Vaya Health provided $1 million for the new facility, and almost 100 partners contributed in other ways. Vaya will stay engaged with the undertaking in a consultancy role, but Family Preservation Services of North Carolina will run the operation. The offices were named after an Asheville girl who was lost to trauma. At the ribbon cutting, Kody Kinsley, representing the state’s Department of Health

FA LL: A PER F EC T TIME TO PL A N T

| September 2018

and Human Services’ Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, said 20% of children in the United States suffer a mental health condition.

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With support from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, SylvanSport CEO Thomas Dempsey was the impetus behind the recent three-day Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence Summit in early July. Dempsey was also the driving force behind the establishment of an Outdoor Recreation Industry Office for the State of North Carolina. A firm believer in the need for business and government to work closely together, he convened a conference of delegates from each state with an Office of Outdoor Industry to participate in the drafting of an accord. States sending delegates were North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming. Highlights of the Confluence included the establishment of a set of principles for guiding the industry. The four focus areas were economic development, public health and wellness, conservation

and stewardship, and education and workforce development. Another highlight was a panel discussion by North Carolina’s Governor Roy Cooper and Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper. Outdoor recreation is a $28 billion industry in North Carolina.

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Park Ridge Health announced a partnership with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for its emergency department. CEO and President Jimm Bunch clarified the partnership did not represent a sale or merger; Park Ridge was only entering into a collaboration to hire new emergency department physicians out of Wake Forest’s training program. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has entered into similar partnerships with other community emergency departments in the state. An academic institution, it has one of the oldest emergency medicine training programs in the country. Under the partnership, all emergency department physicians will be board-certified, having completed their residencies in emergency medicine. All physicians working in the department will remain employed in their current capacities; the partnership only pertains to new hires.

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Henry Ford raced his cars to boost sales. Today, the A merican Solar Challenge is providing opportunities to do the same for solar cars. Among the leaders in this year’s challenge is Team Sunergy from Appalachian State University. Their car, Racing on Solar Energy, or ROSE for short, was built from scratch by the team and looks like a streamlined, late-model Corvette with solar cells on the hood. It has a maximum speed of 75 mph, a peak cruising speed of 55 mph, a range of 300 miles per charge without activating onboard solar power, and a recharge time of 1-4 hours. The team qualified by finishing third in the track-based Formula Sun Grand Prix. Then, in the American Solar Challenge (ASC 2018), it tied for second place with a team from Minnesota. In the ASC, the cars drove over 1,700 miles from Omaha to Bend, Oregon. ROSE was one of the few participating cars that didn’t come from a school with a strong engineering curriculum. As a finalist, the team is now qualified to advance to the World Solar Challenge next summer. For whatever reason, the team is amplifying the fact that the car has dual cupholders.

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local industry

The ABCs of ALCOHOL

Rules & Regulations written by jennifer fitzger ald photos by anthony harden

It’s the Goldilocks question: Are North Carolina’s laws governing alcohol too onerous, too relaxed, or just right? We asked area businesspeople, industry experts, even a state legislator—and, unsurprisingly, received an intriguing range of opinions.

hen you take a sip of a refreshing adult beverage, chances are you don’t consider all of the rules and regulations that are in play. From production to purchase, the alcohol industry is closely monitored by both the federal and state government. “We are extraordinarily regulated,” says Pete Barger, president of the Distillers Association of North Carolina (DANC) and CEO of Southern Distilling Company in Statesville. Barger is very familiar with the rules and regulations that a North Carolina distillery must follow. He explains that his distillery, which was incorporated in 2014, is the largest craft distillery in the Southeast—one of the top five or 10 in terms of volume and capacity in the nation. His primary products are bourbons and North American whiskeys—among them, unaged wheated bourbon whiskey and several high rye

straight bourbon whiskeys—with an annual capacity of about 15,000 barrels. “The other thing that’s unique about us is that a lot of folks [in general] are interested in building their own brand and we are as well. We have several brands that are out in the marketplace now—six different SKUs including throughout Western North Carolina—but the biggest part of our business is producing bourbons and whiskeys for other distilleries—including craft distilleries—so that’s really our niche in the marketplace. We have a ‘Grain to Glass’ distillery, but we produce in large volume, so for brand owners that don’t necessarily want to invest in a production facility—those are the kind of folks that we do work for.” The Distillers Association of North Carolina is a 501(c)(6) established in 2016 that represents a growing population of craft distillers in the state. September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 43

local industry

In terms of DSPs (Distilled Spirit Producers), North Carolina is one of the largest states in the nation, with more than 50 distilleries listed at the abc.nc.gov website, not that far behind the giants of Colorado (100) and California (118) in terms of licensed DSPs. Distilleries must have a Distilled Spirit Producer License from both the state and federal government. “Every state is different,” continues Barger. “We all have to adhere to federal guidelines. We all pay federal excise tax on every proof gallon of product that we produce. But from there each of us has to adhere to the unique laws of the state we live in. North Carolina is a controlled state. What that means is the marketplace is controlled by the state government. The remainder are open states—it’s a more laissez-faire system where brokers and distributors handle all of the distribution and the retail marketing of the product. But in your controlled states—North Carolina, Virginia, Oregon, to name a few—the distribution and retail sales of the alcoholic product is controlled by the state.” Barger explains that in controlled states, there is much more regulation, but, in many ways, controlled states are easier to work in than an open state. “We do business in the Northeast and most states in the Northeast are open states,” he says. “It’s very convoluted because we have to work with so many distributors, brokers, logistic folks—so many hands touch it before it actually gets to the consumer and everybody wants a cut. Obviously, there’s room for favoritism and that sort of thing in that kind of system. In a controlled state system, really, particularly North Carolina, it’s a lot simpler. We’ve got a lot of laws and a lot of regulations that we adhere to, but we are only really reporting to the state, so our product goes to a state-controlled warehouse. It goes on a truck that the warehouse provides. From there it goes on a truck that the warehouse provides out to the ABC stores. The ABC stores at that point pay us. We are guaranteed payment. There’s a lot of nice things about that. Also, access to the market is nice. We have great opportunities to access the market because of the controlled system.” 44

| September 2018

North Carolina distillers have to petition and sell to individual ABC boards before their product can be distributed in that particular market. There are over 160 boards in North Carolina. While the access to the market and the leveling of the playing field is good in a controlled state, Barger says that on the flip side there are a lot of antiquated laws that are a throwback from Prohibition that distillers have to deal with, making how they do business more difficult. “What we say is, we’re not for abolishing the controlled state system that we currently operate under that is very restrictive in some ways,” says Barger. “We don’t want to abolish it because there are a lot of good things I mentioned that we like. We’d like to see the system reformed and modernized and streamlined. That’s one of DANC’s primary legislative agenda items. Every year we establish a legislative agenda. We look at priorities that are important to us. We can’t solve all the problems, but we prioritize those problems. “We have a lobbyist and that lobbyist basically goes to session and helps us fight those battles. Slowly but surely, we are gaining voice. We are gaining traction and we are winning a lot of those battles. We would like to see some of the laws modernized so that they are more favorable to industry— allow us to be more competitive, allow us to get our product out into new markets— things like that are important to us, so that’s always a big part of the agenda. We just take it one step at a time. “We’re really interested in equity or parity—beer and wine [makers] can do a lot of things distillers can’t. There’s really not a good reason for it. For instance, you can go to a winery or a brewery and you can buy their product right there and drink it. You cannot go to a distillery and buy a mixed beverage.” In the past, distilleries could not sell any of their product directly to consumers visiting them. They were required to send all products to Raleigh, then as Barger noted above, on a truck back to an ABC Store for distribution. Recently, though, things have shifted—slightly—to allow distillers a degree of flexibility.

“Now today, if we’ve got a tourist that goes on the [distillery] tour and wants to buy a bottle, they don’t have to go to the ABC Store,” says Barger. “They can buy it right there onsite. Which is really important to us because it has helped us build our brand with the larger markets and it’s important to all of us. So, we were able to get the law passed about a year and a half ago [the so-called ‘Brunch Bill’] that enabled us to sell a limit of one bottle per person per year. Now we’re up to five bottles per person per year. So slowly but surely, we’re making some of these changes. What we are really looking for is the ability to grow our businesses, expand our employment, and ultimately, one of the things that we have targeted is let us operate our facilities—our operations—like the beer and wine guys today. “We would like to be able to sell the product right out the front door. We are okay with paying the taxes. We just don’t want to have to send people away if they want to buy the product. And at the end of the day, if the state and the local municipalities collect the tax, we really don’t understand why that’s a bad thing. So, these are some of the examples of modernizing and making laws more supportive of industry. Again, if somebody wants to come in and buy our product in the form of a mixed drink, why shouldn’t they be allowed to? Right now, we are prohibited to even provide a mixer. We can provide a free sample—a quarter ounce per SKU per person. Again, it has to be free.” There’s always discussion about privatizing the state system, and the Distillers Association of North Carolina’s official position is that they are not in support of privatization. “We support the controlled state system,” says Barger. “However, with one major caveat: We support modernization and reformation of the current system so that it is more streamlined, more supportive of this growing industry in North Carolina, which indirectly employs a lot of people. “Old habits are hard to die. This is a very political hot potato, and people have very strong opinions about it because there is a lot of money involved. We get that. We don’t want to take a dime away from you. We just want to be more successful. At the end of the day, we want parity, equity with our brothers and sisters who are in wine and beer. If it’s good enough for them, why isn’t it good enough for us? “Western North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; these are very different places than they were 50 years ago—even 20 years ago—and we think it’s just appropriate that the laws are modernized and streamlined to reflect the complexion of North Carolina today.”

The Chemist Brandon Horne, the CFO and one of the minority owners of Apothecary Beverage Company/Chemist which recently opened on Coxe Avenue in the South Slope section of downtown Asheville, is pleased with the level of support his distillery received from the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau—the federal agency that regulates distilleries) and the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission.

Definitions to

Drink To Malt Beverage

Beer, lager, malt liquor, ale, porter, and any other brewed or fermented beverage containing at least one-half of one percent (.5%), and not more than fifteen percent (15.0%), alcohol by volume. Any malt beverage containing more than six percent (6.0%) alcohol by volume shall bear a label clearly indicating the alcohol content of the malt beverage.

Fortified Wine

Any wine, of more than sixteen percent (16%) and no more than twenty-four percent (24%) alcohol by volume, made by fermentation from grapes, fruits, berries, rice, or honey; or by the addition of pure cane, beet, or dextrose sugar; or by the addition of pure brandy from the same type of grape, fruit, berry, rice, or honey that is contained in the base wine and produced in accordance with the regulations of the United States.

Unfortified Wine

Any wine of sixteen percent (16%) or less alcohol by volume, made by fermentation from grapes, fruits, berries, rice, or honey; or by the addition of pure cane, beet, or dextrose sugar; or by the addition of pure brandy from the same type of grape, fruit, berry, rice, or honey that is contained in the base wine and produced in accordance with the regulations of the United States.

Spirituous Liquor

Distilled spirits or ethyl alcohol, including spirits of wine, whiskey, rum, brandy, gin and all other distilled spirits and mixtures of cordials, liqueur, and premixed cocktails, in closed containers for beverage use regardless of their dilution.

Source: The North Carolina: ABC Commision abc.nc.gov/Product

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 45

local industry

“While some of the laws by which we have to abide are restrictive in themselves, the administrators want to make sure that we have what we need to comply with those laws,” says Horne. “We have also been impressed with the level of support and friendship we have received from others in our industry, especially in Asheville and some from Nashville as well. We have also certainly benefited from the reduced Federal Excise Tax for small producers—it went down from $13.50 per proof gallon to $2.70. That’s a significant financial benefit, which we would like to see maintained. Some of the surprises are the stark differences we can face in laws within the state as compared to other states.” As with Southern Distilling’s Barger, Horne feel that achieving parity at the state level for the excise tax would be the next major milestone he would like to see. Currently, wine has a $1 per gallon tax, beer $0.62 per gallon, and spirits have 30% on taxable sales (applies to the tasting room sales, and ABC store sales include this tax in the price). In terms of what would make a further, significant difference to the company’s bottom line, Horne suggests (a) allowing tasting rooms to be open on Sundays; (b) eliminating the five-bottlesper-person-per-year direct sales limit, which is an administrative burden on both the distillery and the state; (c) eliminating a current requirement for distilleries to place a “commemorative tour sticker” on each bottle sold at the tasting room, also an administrative burden with no discernible benefit; and, (d) allowing for special events at distilleries during which consumers would be able to have tastings of the products in mixed beverages. “In general, we do appreciate the protections in place at the state level which prevent the large companies in our industry from pressuring retailers and restaurants to avoid carrying our products,” Horne explains. “There are benefits to the control state system for smaller producers. The biggest challenge we will have is in building distribution outside of the state, as each state’s laws are so different. It’s all a part of the process of growing.” He adds that local regulations are not insignificant factors during the opening process for a distiller, either. “There are multiple city and county agencies overseeing building codes and the health department. Given that there isn’t much precedent for a new distillery in the central business district, this was an education process for all involved. Overall, the longest delays were in this realm of effort, as many delays compounded the next delay, and having a certificate of occupancy is required for the state distillery permit, which meant that we could not produce even test batches until that point.”

Little Jumbo Horne’s observation isn’t lost on Chall Gray, whose Little Jumbo opened last November in downtown Asheville. It was the sixth bar project he’d been involved with, so he knew to build in extra time to account for unforeseen delays. It’s rare that a project won’t have some delay or surprise costs. 46

| September 2018

“This is an occlusive industry, overall,” says Gray. “There are not a lot of resources out there for people who want to figure out how it works. Whether you just want to open a neighborhood bar, or attempt to start a national spirits or wine brand, the barrier to knowledge is intense, and can seem impenetrable at first. If you can surf the NCABC website (www.abc.nc.gov) or the TTB website (www.ttb.gov) and not glaze over, then that’s a good step. If you do glaze over—you’re not alone. Everyone is always trying to understand the rules.” Gray—who also wrote “7 Truths & 1 Lie About Bar Ownership” for this issue (p. 67-75) about how to start a bar—states that the alcohol industry is not an easy one to succeed in and make money. “In a market like Asheville, that has experienced such tremendous growth, I see people getting into this business because they think there are easy profits to be had. There are a lot of easier ways to make money than in the booze business—and I’ve seen large amounts of money lost in the process of learning that lesson. Execution trumps everything in this business. Everyone has access to the same data points, the same equipment, the same real estate market. What differentiates is if you know your metrics and operational principles and make them work. “I know firsthand how hard it is to make even a minute change to the statutes, and thus I’m under no illusion that a wand can be waived and everything can just get updated. There are a lot of laws in the NCGS that haven’t changed since they were drafted, following the 21st Amendment, and as a consequence there are some parts of the laws that are slightly out of step with our modern world and industry.”

Too Onerous, Too Relaxed, or Just Right? John Trump, author of Still & Barrel: Craft Spirits in the Old North State (and no relation to the current POTUS), believes alcohol regulations across North Carolina are too onerous. “Asheville is unique, for reasons obvious to anyone who has visited,” he says. “So, North Carolina’s stranglehold on alcohol, inherent with the state monopoly, isn’t so apparent in that city because of the beer and liquor culture. In smaller towns and communities, many of which have a strong contingent of prohibitionists, it’s not so hard to feel the state’s ‘control,’ which is a word many lawmakers like to use. Breweries and wineries can make their products and sell them, oftentimes, in the same place they’re made. Not so with distillers, who can sell five bottles per customer per year at the distillery but can’t sell mixed drinks, which, I think, promotes a communal environment. We can’t taste liquor in ABC stores, either, so we’re falling behind neighboring states and failing to use our legacy as distillers and spirits innovators to our advantage. As I often say, it’s not about drinking, or even alcohol, but rather about allowing entrepreneurs and innovators to practice their craft in a free market, and on a level playing field.” The author shares that a version of Senate Bill 155 (enacted during the 2017-18 session, it was officially listed as “an act to make September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 47

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various changes to the alcoholic beverage control commission laws”) included a provision to allow direct online sales from distilleries to customers, but it was stripped from the measure because of arguments that minors would then be able to order and consume the alcohol. Distillers still sell online, but through out-of-state distributors. Which means that North Carolina never sees the excise tax from those online sales. “In North Carolina,” continues Trump, “customers can buy five bottles of liquor direct from the distiller every 365 days. Neighboring states have limits, but they aren’t nearly as draconian and are generally based on ‘daily’ purchases. Virginia, like North Carolina, is also one of 17 alcohol ‘control’ states. But with some big differences. For one, Virginia alcohol sales are governed by a statewide authority, which focuses on promotion and retail sales. The disparities between the ABC boards in Virginia and North Carolina are telling. The Virginia ABC is an authority, an independent political subdivision not unlike the Virginia Lottery, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, and the Virginia Port Authority and MCV Authority. The North Carolina ABC, however, falls under the Department of Public Safety, with, as stated on its website, an ‘overall objective to provide uniform control over the sale, purchase, transportation, manufacture, consumption, and possession of alcoholic beverages in the state.’ The word ‘control’ is key, often popping up in legislative committee hearings and church pulpits.” Leah Howard, manager of Fairview-based H&H Distillery (profiled in the September 2017 issue of this magazine), points out that all the regulatory hoops distillers have to jump through makes for a frustrating, time-consuming process. “A lot of waiting in general,” she says. “One permit usually relies on another permit’s approval. So ultimately, it’s a waiting game. We began the process in 2012—and opened out doors in 2015.” As for the “Goldilocks question,” Howard is clear in her assessment: “Those laws made by NC are too onerous. We have to sell our product via marketing efforts, that many times by law cannot even include a tasting. When bars and restaurants pick up our product, we cannot even thank them or share that publicly. If the restaurant wants to have a special event for us, we cannot even go and represent ourselves. We cannot come in our branded clothing and talk about the product. We cannot mix anything in our spirits [for tastings] on our distillery premises, and we can only serve 4 1/4 -ounce pours per person, per 24-hour time period. If you love our spirits, you can buy directly from us at the distillery, but only five bottles per person, per year. “I really cannot express how many times people have asked us to do something and we have had to turn them down for legal reasons. I have people suggest to us all the time things we should do to market ourselves, and we simply can’t. The more people we have who understand some of the restrictions we have on our industry, the more support we have to move forward with making changes. We could be a thriving craft

$ 24.9 Million

$ 1.2 Billion

Collected by the state ABC Commission from permit application fees and renewal fees for the benefit of the General Fund in 2017.

Annual economic impact related to craft beer in North Carolina.

$ 1 Billion-Plus In total liquor sales by the ABC boards during the fiscal year of 2017.

Statistics from the ABC Commission North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control 2017 Annual Report and The NC Craft Brewers Guild

spirit state, and all parties involved would be better off for it. But we have to start making our voices heard about the need for change.” Author Trump adds that free-market reforms regarding liquor are always on the radar for lawmakers, brewers, and vintners, though distillers have told him not to expect much legislatively this session, which picks back up in November. He expects that online sales will return to the conversation, as well as implementing a happy hour, which would allow bars and restaurants to offer drink specials for a certain period of time. Currently that’s not the case in North Carolina, as drink specials must continue all day.

Sunday Morning Mimosa Last year marked the passing by the North Carolina General Assembly of the so-called “Brunch Bill” (which is how the aforementioned Senate Bill 155 was commonly referred to), which among its provisions was one allowing local municipalities to vote on whether to permit Sunday alcohol sales by restaurants and grocery stores at 10AM rather than noon. ABC Stores remain closed on Sunday, which means no sales of distilled spirits. “Brunch has become an important culinary offering, and the Brunch Bill has enabled restaurants to better meet customer needs,” says Lynn D. Minges, president and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA). “It’s too early to tell the full impact, but we’re hearing positive feedback from across the state that business is strong and growing. Brisk brunch sales translate into an opportunity to hire more employees and generate more tax revenue for the state.” The NCRLA works collaboratively with the North Carolina ABC Commission, local ABC boards, wholesalers, breweries, wineries, distilleries, and others to explore common-sense reform to laws and regulations. “Going forward, we are providing input on potential reforms that would allow restaurants to better serve their customers— for example, improving access to boutique spirits,” says Minges. “Customers are requesting a wide variety of rare and high-end

spirits, so we are exploring avenues to allow restaurants to meet that customer demand. “The General Assembly recently commissioned a study on ABC laws, and we were invited to weigh in on behalf of restaurants and hotels. After surveying our members all over the state, we determined that there is a need for some commonsense reforms to the ABC system. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to advocate for incremental change that improves customer service and maintains public safety.”

Rep. McGrady: “A lot of the requests for changes are taking unnecessary laws and rules off the books that have accumulated over the past.” Republican State Representative Chuck McGrady of Hendersonville explains that the essence of the Brunch Bill is broadening local control over alcohol, which is a theme throughout our state’s history with alcohol. “I voted in support because the business community as a whole came to us with a clear problem that was upsetting their customers,” he says. “The best example is grocery stores setting up shopping carts used to store alcohol stripped from customers at checkout doing their Sunday morning shopping that were simply unaware of the law. Leaving it up for local governments to decide made sense to me and judging from the overwhelming, immediate move by local governments to allow for the sale of alcohol before noon, this change was long overdue and welcomed in our communities. I also heard from my constituents that they supported this change. “Politics is the art of the possible. We begin with the status quo and take input from the business community and others—North Carolina Chamber, distillers/brewers, restaurant and lodging—on September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 49

local industry

proposed changes and improvements to current law. Right now, a lot of the requests for changes are taking unnecessary laws and rules off the books that have accumulated over the past. We always listen to our regulatory agencies such as ABC commission and law enforcement to be aware of any possible negative unintended consequences of our legislative/regulatory adjustments.” McGrady says that after speaking with entrepreneurs who regularly have to deal with ABC permitting and making sure they stay within the laws, he believes some processes are unnecessarily onerous. However, from a consumer standpoint, he believes things are, for the most part, just right. What, if any, other bills or pushes for legislation regarding the alcohol industry are currently in the works, or coming in the future? “First, we will continue to review the vast amount of regulation and legislation on alcohol control and work with industry and regulatory groups to get to a fair, responsible, and understandable set of rules,” says McGrady. “I think there are problems with the ABC store system, mainly in regard to their overhead costs stemming from too many ABC boards. After the success of the Brunch Bill, I am seriously considering a ‘Happy Hour Bill’ to loosen the restrictions on businesses’ ability to price and sell their products.”

Eighth in the Nation The Brunch Bill also contained items that directly impacted North Carolina breweries—allowing the sale of “crowlers,” 50

| September 2018

which are not resealable (unlike “growlers,” which are, and which have been permitted for beer since 2013, with the law getting expanded in 2015 to include ciders and wines), at taprooms, bottle shops, etc.; permitting a brewery to give beer tastings to brewery tour participants; and allowing quality control sampling in the permitted commercial brewery premises for sensory analysis, quality control, or educational purposes. “Many of North Carolina’s rules and regulations governing breweries were established quite a while ago, and have become outdated for our current craft beer environment,” says Lisa Parker, operations manager for the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild. “Add to that the influx of new breweries across our state, and the various business models being put into place, and we’ve decided to focus our efforts on clarifying many of the grey areas in the law [and] provide guidance to brewers.” With just over 280 breweries currently in production, North Carolina is ranked the eighth-largest brewing state in the nation. The Guild works to defend the rights of North Carolina’s craft breweries, as well as advocate on their behalf, and continues to work on clarifying and improving the laws that impact North Carolina brewers on a daily basis. “North Carolina’s regulations are more brewer-friendly than most any other state in the South,” says Parker. “However, our legislation is not yet as progressive as some of the other top craft beer states in the nation. There is always work to be done, however; with a few exceptions, the laws in North Carolina are actually quite good. In fact, North Carolina has the best craft beer laws in the South.”

One law that some brewers feel is unfair is the self-distribution cap that limits a brewery to self-distributing 25,000 barrels a year. Once the brewery reaches the 25,000-barrel mark, it is required to hire a distributor to distribute all of their beer. The Craft Freedom Lawsuit, brought against North Carolina in 2017 by Charlotte brewers John Marrino of Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Todd Ford of NoDa Brewing, is going to trial. Marrino and Ford had formed Craft Freedom, an initiative to change the self-distribution cap, and in May a superior court judge ruled against the state’s motion to dismiss, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. Marrino and Ford’s website, www.craftfreedom.org, states: “In North Carolina, breweries are allowed to distribute their own beer… up to a point. A misguided law, created to support local distributors, now threatens our growing craft breweries. The law mandates that once a brewery produces a certain amount of beer in a calendar year, it must engage beer distributors to distribute all of their beer. The distributor gains ownership of the brand and control over all sales, delivery, distribution, and quality control during transportation—basically everything that matters to a company. “The brewer loses almost 30% of its revenue and margin to the distributor, a devastating financial blow to any company. Finally, regardless of performance, North Carolina law makes it virtually impossible to fire a distributor and regain control of the brand. The brewery is locked in forever. Brewery owners have no choice, and no say in what happens to their business. This is currently the law. And it needs to change.”

Lynne Mason, CEO/owner of Boone’s Lost Province Brewing Company (profiled in the September 2017 issue of this magazine), which is one of the supporting breweries listed on the Craft Freedom website, succinctly sums things up, telling us, “[As] a small and independent craft brewery, we believe that each Craft Brewery should be able to decide which method of distribution works best for them.”

Looking Toward the Future Before the Brunch Bill, before Craft Freedom, there was “Pop the Cap,” a brewers-spearheaded movement during the early 2000s that resulted in then-Gov. Mike Easley signing into law a bill that raised the alcohol by volume cap in the state from 6% to 15%. The legislation allowing for high alcohol content beer to enter the state kick-started a movement because a number of products like IPAs, Porters, Stouts, and Sours were now available here. Retailers capitalized on this new product selection; for example, changes in alcohol policy allowed wine shops to expand into craft beer and fostered an explosion in bottle shops and in beer and wine sections in traditional retail stores. Andy Ellen, president and general counsel of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, explains that the ongoing evolution in North Carolina alcohol policy has positively changed the retail environment, allowing for the customer’s retail experience to be reshaped. “Rather than risking buying a bottle of wine from a North Carolina winery

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

local industry

that they had never tried or an expensive six pack of craft beer,” says Ellen, “customers were now able to sample these products in the grocery store or at a bottle shop, which often led to the purchase of a product they would have never tried. Because many small breweries and wineries did not have the capital to bottle or can their product, growlers and crowlers allowed consumers to take home the beer or wine that they had on-tap at a local bottle or wine shop or even grocery store. This allowed many breweries and wineries to grow and expand, which has been great for economic development in North Carolina. Additionally, allowing for sales at 10AM on Sunday allowed retailers to better serve their customers who may be doing their weekly shopping on Sunday or grabbing a six pack of their favorite beer before heading to the beach.” Ellen says the next horizon in alcohol regulation is taking a hard look at getting state and local government out of the business of selling spirituous liquor, while allowing the ABC

“It is time for the state to entrust retailers to responsibly sell spirituous liquor in the same way that they sell beer and wine, just like the state entrusts restaurants and bars to responsibly sell beer, wine, and spirituous liquor.” Commission to continue to regulate the sale of spirituous liquor. “It is time for the state to entrust retailers to responsibly sell spirituous liquor in the same way that they sell beer and wine, just like the state entrusts restaurants and bars to responsibly sell beer, wine, and spirituous liquor,” he says. “Alcohol law often runs contrary to everything anyone has ever learned about selling goods. While it is a heavily regulated product, it is often so over-regulated in a manner that made sense fifty years ago but makes no sense in 2018.”

***

There you have it—a look at the many perspectives of those involved in our regional and state alcohol industry. It’s a slippery slope to find a balance of the rules and regulations—to support the large number of businesses that are in the alcohol industry as producers or suppliers, while at the same time keeping safety and responsibility of the consumer in mind. Stay tuned.

| September 2018

ABC REVENUE FORECAST 2018 WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA - SALES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR -

Avery -

$ 3,264,070

Buncombe - $ 41,417,574 Cherokee - $ 3,832,000

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Clay - $ 2,358,000 Haywood - $ 6,644,380

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Henderson - $10,189,510

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Jackson - $ 4,638,902 Macon - $ 4,935,767 McDowell - $ 2,836,555 Mitchell - $1,250,000 Polk - $1,123,367 Rutherford - $ 4,398,950 Swain - $1,927,880 Transylvania - $ 3,514,500 Watauga - $ 8,135,216 Yancey - $1,208,500 Statistics from the ABC Commission North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control 2017 Annual Report

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

local industry

Note from the Editor

As we have done in the previous two years, we are publishing a map of the 18 counties of Western North Carolina, with Jennifer’s listing of all breweries, wineries, distilleries, and cideries dotting this corner of the state. Among the relevant data points: (A) does the company have a retail taproom or tasting room rather than just being strictly a manufacturer; (B) how many barrels or bottles does it produce, on average, per year, as a measure of size and productivity; and (C) what is the number of full-time and part-time employees. (The latter, in the aggregate, serves as a general indicator of how the alcohol industry directly impacts the regional employment outlook.)

We intend to keep the online version of this information updated on a regular basis, so please let us know of any updates, corrections, or additions we need to be aware of. It’s located at the Resources section of CapitalatPlay.com. We’ve tried to be as complete as possible, but as the accompanying report on the previous page outlines, the regional alcohol industry continues to be in flux. And yes, as before, we accumulated our information the old-fashioned way: traditional journalistic inquiry—calling and emailing the principals, and consulting publically-available online resources—and not by utilizing algorithms, as many other such surveys do.

Western North Carolina Breweries 1. Boondock Brewing Tap Room & Restaurant West Jefferson Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 20 PT: 43

7. Flat Top Mountain Brewery Banner Elk Barrels Made Per Year: 700 Employees FT: 4 PT: 3 flattopbrew.com

2. Lost Province Brewing Co. Boone Barrels Made Per Year: 830 Employees FT: 21 PT: 29 lostprovince.com

8. Blind Squirrel Brewery Plumtree & Burnsville Barrels Made Per Year: 900 Employees FT: 25 PT: 5 blindsquirrelbrewery.com

3. Appalachian Mountain Brewery Boone appalachianmountainbrewery.com

9.Dry County Brewing Co. Spruce Pine Barrels Made Per Year: Nanobrewery Employees FT: 1 drycountybrewing.com

4. Booneshine Brewing Co. Boone Barrels Made Per Year: 1,500 Employees FT: 5 PT: 3 booneshine.beer 5. Blowing Rock Brewing Co. Blowing Rock Barrels Made Per Year: 5,000 Employees FT: 18 PT: 37 blowingrockbrewing.com 6. Beech Mountain Brewing Co. Beech Mountain Barrels Made Per Year: 300 Employees FT: 3 PT: 2-6 beechmountainresort.com/mountain/ brewery

10. Mica Town Brewing Marion Barrels Made Per Year: 400 Employees FT: 2 PT: 5 micatownbrewing.com 11.Yellow Sun Brewing Rutherfordton Barrels Made Per Year: 50 Employees FT: 2 PT: 3 facebook.com/yellowsunbrewingco/ 12. Homeplace Beer Co. Burnsville Barrels Made Per Year: 400 Employees FT: 2 PT: 5 HomeplaceBeer.com

| September 2018

13. Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery Chimney Rock hickorynutgorgebrewery.com 14. Triskelion Brewing Co. Hendersonville Barrels Made Per Year: 900 Employees FT: 5 PT: 8 triskelionbrewing.com 15. Southern Appalachian Brewery Hendersonville Barrels Made Per Year: 1,500 Employees FT: 2 PT: 12 sabrewery.com

19. Mad Co Brewing Marshall Barrels Made Per Year: > 200 Employees FT: 2 PT: 3 madisoncountybrewing.com 20. Oskar Blues Brewery Brevard Barrels Made Per Year: 125,000 Employees FT: 70 PT: 9 oskarblues.com 21. Brevard Brewing Brevard Barrels Made Per Year: 2,000 Employees FT: 2 PT: 5 brevard-brewing.com

16. Sanctuary Brewing Hendersonville Barrels Made Per Year: 500 Employees FT: 5 PT: 4 sanctuarybrewco.com

22. Ecusta Brewing Co. Pisgah Forest Barrels Made Per Year: 500 Employees FT: 3 PT: 6 ecustabrewing.com

17. Blue Ghost Brewing Co. Fletcher Barrels Made Per Year: 550 Employees FT: 6 PT: 12 blueghostbrewing.com

23. BearWaters Brewing Co. Waynesville Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 10 PT: 2-6 bearwatersbrewing.com

18. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Mills River Barrels Made Per Year: 500,000 Employees FT: 360 sierranevada.com

24. Boojum Brewing Waynesville - 2 locations Barrels Made Per Year: 2,500 Employees FT: 10 PT: 25 boojumbrewing.com

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25. Frog Level Brewing Co. Waynesville Barrels Made Per Year: 500 Employees FT: 2 PT: 2 froglevelbrewing.com 26. Innovation Brewing Co. Sylva Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 5 PT: 6 innovation-brewing.com 27. Sneak E Squirrel Brewery Sylva Barrels Made Per Year: 200 Employees FT: 3 PT: 10 sneakesquirrel.com

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28. Satulah Mountain Brewing Co. Highlands Barrels Made Per Year: >500 Employees FT: 2 satulahmountainbrewing.com 29. Currahee Brewing Co. Franklin Barrels Made Per Year: few thousand Employees FT: 5 PT: 2 curraheebrew.com 30. Lazy Hiker Brewing Co. Franklin Barrels Made Per Year: 800 -1000 Employees FT: 10-15 lazyhikerbrewing.com

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32. Nantahala Brewing Co. Bryson City Barrels Made Per Year: 5,000 Employees FT: 20+ nantahalabrewing.com

35. Valley River Brewery Murphy Barrels Made Per Year: 300 Employees FT: 4 PT: 4 valleyriverbreweries.com

33. Andrews Brewing Co. Andrews Barrels Made Per Year: 150 Employees FT: 1 andrewsbrewing.com

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Buncombe County Breweries 1. Lookout Brewing Black Mountain Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 4 PT: 3 lookoutbrewing.com

4. Turgua Farmstead Brewery Fairview Barrels Made Per Year: 150 Employees FT: 1 PT: 4 turguabrewing.com

7. Sweeten Creek Brewing Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 1200 Employees FT: 6 PT: 11 sweetencreekbrewing.com

10. Catawba Brewing Co. Asheville 2 locations Barrels Made Per Year: 17,000 Employees FT: 23 PT: 37 catawbabrewing.com

2. Black Mountain Brewing Black Mountain Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 1 PT: 6

5. Whistle Hop Brewery Fairview Barrels Made Per Year: 100 Employees FT: 3 PT: 5 whistlehop.com

8. Hillman Brewing Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 5 PT: 8 hillmanbeer.com

11. Brouwerij Cursus Keme Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 537 Employees FT: 13 PT: 7 cursuskeme.com

6. Highland Brewing Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 45-50,000 Employees FT: 50 PT: 20 highlandbrewing.com

9. French Broad Brewing Co. Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 250 Employees FT: 4 PT: 4 frenchbroadbrewery.com

12. Hi-Wire Brewing Asheville 2 locations Barrels Made Per Year: 15,000 Employees FT: 23 PT: 10 hiwirebrewing.com

3. Pisgah Brewing Co. Black Mountain Barrels Made Per Year: 5,000 Employees FT: 10 PT: 6 pisgahbrewing.com

| September 2018

13. DOWNTOWN A. Bhramari Brewhouse Asheville Employees FT: 3 PT: 3 bhramaribrewing.com B. Lexington Avenue Brewery Asheville lexavebrew.com C. Thirsty Monk Woodfin and 2 Asheville locations Also Brother Joe’s Coffee Pub Barrels Made Per Year: 300 Employees FT: 30 PT: 16 monkpub.com D. One World Brewery 2 Asheville locations Barrels Made Per Year: 800 Employees: 26 oneworldbrewing.com E. Wicked Weed Brewing Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 36,000 Employees FT: 135 PT: 85 wickedweedbrewing.com F. White Labs Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 25 Employees FT: 20 PT: 12 whitelabs.com G. DSSØLVR Brewing Company Asheville dssolvr.com

14. SOUTH SLOPE H. Ben’s Brewery Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 200 Employees FT: 2 PT: 1 benstuneup.com I. Burial Beer Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 1,500 Employees FT: 9 PT: 8 burialbeer.com

J. Twin Leaf Brewery Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 800 Employees FT: 7 PT: 1 twinleafbrewery.com

21. Ginger’s Revenge Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 750 Employees FT: 5 PT: 6 gingersrevenge.com

K. Green Man Brewery Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 15,000 Employees FT: 15 PT: 15 greenmanbrewery.com

22. Wedge Brewing Co. Asheville 2 locations Barrels Made Per Year: 2,100 Employees FT: 7 PT: 44 wedgebrewing.com

L. Eurisko Beer Company Asheville euriskobeer.com

23. New Belgium Brewing Co. Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 250,000 Employees FT: 130 newbelgium.com

15.Habitat Brewing Co. Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 300 Employees FT: 2 PT: 2 habitatbrewing.com 16. Asheville Pizza and Brewing Asheville 3 locations Barrels Made Per Year: 8,500 Employees FT: 60 PT: 100 ashevillebrewing.com 17. Zebulon Artisan Ales Weaverville zebulonbrewing.com 18. Eluvium Brewing Company Barrels Made Per Year: 100 Employees FT: 2 PT: 2 Weaverville eluviumbrewing.com 19. Blue Mountain Pizza and Brewpub Weaverville Barrels Made Per Year: 140 Employees FT: 1 PT: 1 bluemountainpizza.com 20. Zillicoah Beer Co. Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 450 Employees FT: 2 PT: 5 zillicoahbeer.com

24. Archetype Brewing Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 600 Employees FT: 6 PT: 4 archetypebrewing.com 25. Oyster House Brewing Co. Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 500 Employees FT: 15 PT: 3 oysterhousebeers.com

Partnering with donors and nonprofits to inspire giving since 1978. Del i b erate g e n e ro s ity. Mu l tipl ie d. w w w. cf wn c. o rg

26. UpCountry Brewing Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 600 Employees FT: 10 PT: 20 upcountrybrewing.com 27. Fahrenheit Pizza & Brewhouse Asheville

fahrenheitpizzabrew.com 28. Fermented Nonsense Brewing Arden Barrels Made Per Year: <250 Employees: 1

facebook.com/fermentednonsensebrewing/ 29. Mills River Brewery Arden Barrels Made Per Year: 300 Employees PT: 4

millsriverbrewery.net

57 September 2018 | capitalatplay.com From top: photos by Mark VanDyke,

Angeli Wright and Travis Long

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7. Overmountain Vineyards Tryon Bottles Made Per Year: 25,000 Employees FT: 2 PT: 5 overmountainvineyards.com 8. Mountain Brook Vineyards Tryon Bottles Made Per Year: 4,800 Employees FT: 1 PT: 5 mountainbrookvineyards.com 9. Russian Chapel Hills Winery Columbus Bottles Made Per Year: 50,000 Employees FT: 3 PT: 2 russianchapelhill.com 10. Green Creek Winery Columbus greencreekwinery.us 11. Point Lookout Vineyards Hendersonville pointlookoutvineyards.com

KEY p t : pa rt - t i m e f t : f u l l- t i m e

w i t h o u t ta s t i n g roo m on - s ite

n e w s i n c e o u r 2 017 l i s t i n g

Western North Carolina WINERIES

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buncombe

graham

26 25

avery

yancey

haywood

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rutherford

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7 8 9

12. Burntshirt Vineyards Hendersonville Bottles Made Per Year: 48-60,000 Employees FT: 19 PT: 31 burntshirtvineyards.com

16. PlÄ&#x201C;b Urban Winery Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: TBD Employees FT: 4 pleburbanwinery.com

20. Addison Farms Vineyard Leicester Bottles Made Per Year: 10,000 Employees PT: 5 addisonfarms.net

24. Calaboose Cellars Andrews Bottles Made Per Year: 6,000 Employees PT: 1 calaboosecellars.com

13. Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards Hendersonville Bottles Made Per Year: 72,000 Employees PT: 16 saintpaulmountainvineyards.com

17. Fox Hill Meadery Marshall Bottles Made Per Year: 5,000 Employees FT: 1 foxhillmead.com

21. B&C Winery Maggie Valley bcwinerync.com

14. Bee & Bramble Fine Meads Fairview Bottles Made Per Year: 9,600 Employees FT: 1 beeandbramble.com

18. Longleaf Vineyard Marshall longleafvineyard.com

22. Deep Creek Winery Bryson City Bottles Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 2 deepcreekwinery.com

25. Valley River Vineyards Murphy Wine Made Per Year: 400 gallons valleyrivervineyards.com

19.Fontaine Vineyards Leicester Does not process grapes on the premises- vineyards only. fontainevineyards.com

23. Eagle Fork Vineyards Hayesville Bottles Made Per Year: 8,000 Employees FT: 3 PT: 3 eagleforkvineyards.com

15. Biltmore Winery Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: 1,800,000 Employees FT: 23 PT: 1 biltmore.com

26. Nottely River Valley Vineyards Murphy Bottles Made Per Year: 10,000 Employees PT: 2 24 during harvest nottelywine.com

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 59

local industry

KEY w i t h o u t ta s t i n g roo m on - s ite

p t : pa rt - t i m e f t : f u l l- t i m e watauga

Western North Carolina CIDERIES & DISTILLERIES

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ell

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madison yancey

4 2 3 5 3 21 6 7 8

swain

haywood

mcdowell

buncombe

graham

6 7

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cherokee macon

clay

1. Black Mountain Ciderworks & Meadery Black Mountain Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000 Employees FT: 2 PT: 1 blackmountainciderworks.com 2. Daidala Ciders Asheville daidalaciders.com 3. Urban Orchard Cider Co. Asheville 2 Locations Barrels Made Per Year: 968 Employees: 28 urbanorchardcider.com 4. Noble Cider Asheville Barrels Made Per Year: 2,500 3,000 Employees FT: 6 PT: 3 noblecider.com

n tr a

ani s y lv

5. Bold Rock Hard Cider Mills River Barrels Per Year (at full capacity): 600,000 case equivalents Employees: 100 Across the East boldrock.com

2. Oak & Grist Distilling Co. Black Mountain Bottles Made Per Year: 2,000 Gin Gin & Whisky Employees FT: 2 oakandgrist.com

6. Flat Rock Ciderworks Hendersonville Employees FT: 1 PT: 2 flatrockciderworks.com

3. Asheville Distilling Co. Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: 300K Whiskey (Troy & Sons) Employees FT: 5 PT: 2 ashevilledistilling.com

7. Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider Hendersonville Employees PT: 5 facebook.com 1. Blue Ridge Distilling Co. Inc. Bostic Bottles Made Per Year: 102,000 Whiskey (Defiant Whisky) Employees FT: 5 PT: 1 defiantwhisky.com

| September 2018

4. Howling Moon Distillery Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: 20,000 Moonshine Employees FT: 3 howlingmoonshine.com 5. The Chemist Asheville Gin & Brandy . Employees FT: 6 chemistspirits.com

6. Dalton Distillery Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: 3,000+ Rum Employees FT: 3 PT: 2 addistillery.com 7. Eda Rhyne Distillery Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: 20,000 Herbal liquors and other spirits Employees FT: 2 PT: 1 edarhyne.com 8. H&H Distillery Asheville Bottles Made Per Year: 10,000 Rum and Gin Employees FT: 4 PT: 1 hhdistillery.com 9. Elevated Mountain Distilling Company Maggie Valley Bottles Made Per Year: 30,000+ Whiskey, Moonshine, Vodka Employees FT: 2 PT: 7 elevatedmountain.com

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 61

column

Weeds to Keep

Learning to live with a little imperfection may actually be good for your garden.

EEDS. WE’ VE ALL HEARD THE

saying, “One person’s weed is another person’s wildf lower” (Susan Wittig Albert), but who are we kidding? If the gardener didn’t plant it, it’s a weed. And seriously, we’ve spent our gardening careers pulling them. Why would we allow some to stay?

cinthia milner

is a garden coach at B.B. Barns Garden Center & Landscaping Services in Arden, North Carolina Capital at Play stresses that you should not eat any wild plants, herbs, weeds, trees, or bushes until you have verified with your health professional that they are safe for you.

Geoff Lawton, a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher explains that weeds are not the problem, but instead, they can reveal problems to us. Specifically, weeds can teach us about our soils. They highlight what nutrient deficiencies exist, the alkalinity of the soil, compacted or loose soils, and perhaps more importantly, they help remedy many of these issues. Weeds are informative for the gardener when we stop to observe them. In September gardeners are pulling or spraying weeds furiously, attempting to rid the garden of next year’s weed crop as many weeds are setting seed now. Before you eradicate, stop and study. What are your weeds telling you about your garden’s soil? Could certain weeds be of benefit? If so, consider cutting off the seed head, but leaving the foliage, allowing the plant (weed) to serve its purpose. Could you change your fertilizer regime and thereby reduce the weeds that thrive in a nutrient deficient spot in your garden? It’s a paradigm shift for gardeners to think of weeds as potentially helpful, but as all gardeners know, nature acts with purpose. If a weed is present, there’s a good reason why.

| September 2018

The lists below—of weeds to keep and reasons why—is not an excuse to skip pulling weeds, but one to help gardeners realize that every part of their garden is beneficial, and part of a larger ecosystem whose goal is always toward stabilization. As the gardeners, we are the stewards of our plots of nature, and it’s our job to decide which plants stay and which ones go. Let’s rethink that elimination process, even considering that some weeds are a pretty wildflower after all.

Seven Benefits of Weeds

1. Weeds are the plants that keep barren soil in

place (vetch, clover, ground ivy). Wind and rain erosion lessen due to the presence of weeds. If you have bare spots in the garden or slopes you fear erosion on, and the weeds there aren’t noxious (ivy, poison ivy, etc.), consider letting them stay to help with run-off.

Certain weeds (dandelions, thistle, Queen Anne’s lace) have taproots that reach far down

C into compacted, clay, or hardpan soils, breaking up the soil and creating room for root growth and air exchange. And tilling them into the ground releases nutrients they’ve accumulated. They also act as a wick for water from deep reserves. Leave a few every few feet in your more compacted areas of the garden, while making sure they do not go to seed. We don’t want a garden of weeds, but where they are helpful, let them be.

3. Other weeds attract beneficial pests to the garden and even

repel a few non-beneficial ones. Studies aren’t conclusive on this, so experiment on your own, but Queen Anne’s lace is said to be a host for ladybugs, and milkweed repels wireworm. Use lambs-quarters to lure leafminers away from your spinach, and dandelions to draw honey bees. And, it bears repeating, don’t let them go to seed. (You’re getting the point of it by now.)

4. Remember, all weeds like good, nutrient-rich soil, but

when you see chickweed, knotweed, dandelion, and nettle, chances are the soil is compacted and nutrient deficient. A change in your fertilizing program helps reduce or eliminate them.

Weeds promote biodiversity. They are part of a healthy ecosystem that, when eradicated, makes that system more susceptible to disease and pests. Reduction, not elimination, is the goal.

6. Weeds are good for the soil in the long term. They have

tenacity other plants don’t and show up first in a barren place doing remedial work as noted above. They are first to reestablish the ecosystem and, contrary to thoughts of stealing nutrients from the soil, they often replenish the soil when tilled into it. Decaying weeds feed microorganisms that promote healthy soil.

7. Some weeds are edible (dandelions, plantain, purslane, red clover), and many gardeners gather them, adding nutrient-rich greens to salads and stews.

2. White Clover Annual or perennial: Perennial.

fresh or dried. Taste ranking is low.

Indicates: Low fertility,

Best way to get rid of it:

low in nitrogen.

Benefits: Clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant.

Edible: This one is edible,

Hand pulling, cultivation, application of mulch. Add more nitrogen and less phosphorous when fertilizing.

but should only be eaten

3. Queen Anne’s Lace Annual or perennial: Neither, it’s a biennial, meaning it completes its life cycle in two years. Blooms the second year.

Indicates: Poor soil. Benefits: It attracts butterflies and other beneficials to the garden.

Edible: It has many medicinal and edible uses, but it is commonly confused with deadly hemlock. Better to know how to identify it correctly first. Best way to get rid of it: Do not allow it to go to seed. Cut off all seed heads.

4. Broadleaf Plantain Annual or perennial:

Edible: Primary use is for

Perennial.

medicinal purposes.

Indicates: Compacted soil.

Best way to get rid of it:

Poor and low fertility.

Benefits: Taproot breaks up soil. Accumulates sulfur, calcium, and manganese which, when tilled under, fertilize the soil.

Hand dig it out, including the taproot. Keep a healthy, aerated lawn and garden. Do not allow to go to seed.

5. Dandelion

Seven Weeds to Keep

Annual or perennial:

Edible: Medicinal and

1. Chickweed

Perennial.

edible.

Indicates: Compacted,

Best way to get rid of it:

Annual.

fertilize the soil when it decomposes.

Indicates: Overly rich,

Edible: It can be used

Benefits: Clay buster, and

Annual or perennial:

moist soils, though found in compacted soils, too.

in salads and is high in Vitamin C and B.

Benefits: Accumulates

Best way to get rid of it:

potassium, phosphorus, and manganese which

Hand pulling.

hardpan clay soils. it accumulates potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Dandelion attracts pollinators, ladybugs, parasitoid wasps, and lacewings.

Hand pull, removing the entire taproot. This weed requires an herbicide for full removal if the infestation is severe enough.

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 63

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6. Goldenrod Annual or perennial: Perennial.

Indicates: Dry, loose soil. Benefits: Besides the ornamental value, goldenrod is a pollinating plant that attracts butterflies and honey bees.

Edible: Medicinal. Best way to get rid of it: Don’t. It makes a beautiful addition to the perennial and vegetable gardens and is not the ragweed that causes allergies that many believe.

7. Common Blue Violets Annual or perennial: Perennial.

conditions with pretty spring, blue blooms.

Indicates: Acidic soil that

Edible: Edible—the violets

is low in calcium.

adorn salads.

Benefits: The plant is a

Best way to get rid of it:

hardy groundcover that grows from part sun to full shade and in moist

Waxy leaves make it hard to get rid of with chemicals, pulling it is easy.

| September 2018

So now, if you’re thinking, oh good, I don’t have to weed, hold on (and reread the above). Let’s stay in the middle and avoid the extremes. After reviewing the pluses of keeping some weeds, let’s discuss why we still need to weed. Presently, my yarrow has decided that no other plant gets a spot in the perennial border. It wants the whole place to itself, and while I like the yarrow (“Moonshine” to be exact), I like the other perennials, too. Katherine S. White, in her book, Onward, and Upward in the Garden, referred to this August conundrum as the “war in the borders.” Every perennial, annual, and weed is presently duking it out for prominence, and those with less bullying power (my salvia) are losing altogether. As the gardener, it’s my job to ensure that every plant has space for light and air circulation and viewing. I planted my perennials because I enjoy each one. It’s frustrating when I discover them buried under the hydrangeas. The same goes for the weeds. I like the common blue violets. They work as a groundcover under my flowering shrubs, but where my thyme grows, out they go. No plants or weeds are allowed dominance over another. One of the top five questions my clients ask me is, “What’s a weed and what’s a plant?” Pointing to different plants in their yard as we stroll through their landscape, they quiz me, plant or weed? They’re typically apologetic for not knowing, believing that the distinction is evident to everyone but them. Not so. Most of us would fail a weed identification quiz. Here’s where learning your

weeds is helpful. Which ones are annual weeds and which ones are perennials weeds? How do they spread, and how aggressive should removal be? It’s no different than understanding the flowers and shrubs you planted. If a perennial gets out of hand, can it be cut back? How far? Knowing your weeds allows you to determine better where to concentrate your energies. Some weeds are less invasive than others or even beneficial. Focus on those that want the whole garden to themselves when weeding.

best to throw weeds out with the trash. Compost bins may not get hot enough to kill weed seeds.

4. If you don’t have time to weed, cut the flower or seed heads off to reduce proliferation of weeds.

5. Use two to three inches of mulch to reduce weeds, and

remember, adding more than three inches creates other problems (invites critters, suffocates tree roots, etc.).

6. Add groundcovers to suppress weeds. Groundcovers

Seven Tips for Keeping Weeds Under Control

1. Disturb as little of the soil as possible. Use a sharp knife

to dig the weed out and avoid turning over the soil where weed seeds are waiting to sprout. Try using a Japanese garden knife to get beneath the roots of weeds. They’re great for slicing where you need without disturbing too much of the surrounding soil.

Weed after a good rain. The weeds are easier to pull up, root and all. Avoid mucking around too much in the wet soil, though. If you can reach across, instead of stepping on wet soil, do. Rake up the soil when finished to reduce compaction and runoff.

Do dispose of the weeds. Don’t put them in the compost. Unless you’re a composting guru, it’s probably

can be anything from hostas to tight groundcovers like creeping jenny to ornamental grasses or carexes.

7. Be specific with watering. Water the plants you want to thrive and avoid watering the weeds.

For places that need extra care, try layered cardboard or newspaper smothered in mulch, which works well to suppress weeds. Weed the area first, water it well, then put down cardboard or paper, and mulch. If you want to plant in that area, cut a small x in the cardboard and continue to water the plants. Substantial perennials and shrubs work best. Nobody wants a messy garden full of weeds, but learning to live with a little imperfection may be as good for the garden as it is for the gardener.

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 65

| September 2018

leisure & libation

7 TRUTHS & 1 LIE About Bar Ownership

written by chall gr ay

LIT TLE JUMBO, photo by Lynne Har ty

An Asheville bar owner—with experience in opening several other bars in the past—pulls back the veil. Spoiler alert: It ain’t all wine and roses. But the good parts can be very good. September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 67

leisure & libation

THE LIE

THE TRUTHS 1. It Starts with An Idea 2. Dollars & Numbers & Dollars 3. The Importance of Fundamental Choices

1. It’s Easy, Fun, and You’ll get Rich

4. Permits, Professionals, Licenses, or: The Odyssey 5. On Plumbing, Night Calls, Bodily Excretions... and More! 6. On Longevity, or: Culture, Systems & Adaption are Everything 7. It’s Easy, Fun, and You’ll get Rich

IT STARTS WITH AN IDEA At some point you’re captured by something. Something perfect in the atmosphere of a room in a certain bar in a certain city, somewhere. And that feeling, the one that captured you, sticks. The next part is critical: What do you decide to do with that feeling? For many people that feeling becomes a treasured memory. Maybe they return to that bar, or maybe they find a bar in their town that also evokes that feeling, and it becomes their regular place. Others, though, are struck with the idea of opening their own bar. Romantic notions, perhaps. Although in order to be effective, romantic notions must be rooted to some truth, do they not? Let’s consider for a moment that you fall into that latter camp. You like the idea of coming into your bar, greeting the regulars by name. Testing out that new bourbon in an Old Fashioned is a type of quality control you wouldn’t dread. In our consideration, let’s say you become a little more serious about opening a bar. The next step is to figure out the concept. Put as succinctly as possible, the concept is the central idea of the business. There are countless types of bars out there, whether you want to have a beer bar with all the rarest rauchbiers, or maybe a cocktail lounge with a comprehensive collection of single malts. Perhaps it’s a neighborhood wine bar, a sports pub, or any number of other ideas. Regardless, clarity on what you want your offering to be is essential. How will you structure service? It’s key to think through every aspect of an evening of business, and a guest’s experience. Will they be greeted by a sign, telling them to seat 68

| September 2018

POST 70, photo by Anthony Harden

themselves, a friendly host, or a guy on a stool checking IDs? Different concepts require different things. Will they order at the bar, or is there table service? These are a few of the dozens, sometimes hundreds, of questions it’s important to address in the concept planning phase. “Start with your strengths” is the advice of Charlie Hodge, owner of Sovereign Remedies cocktail bar in Asheville. Once you hone in on the aspects you know the most about, it will help identify the knowledge gaps that need to be filled. The length of time it takes to fully outline a concept varies, depending on the concept, the location, and your experience, but even for an experienced operator this process often takes hundreds of hours, spread over a number of weeks or months.

Dollars & Numbers & Dollars No matter what type of place you’d like to open, it will take some money. Whether it’s a small neighborhood dive bar or a fancy cocktail lounge in the middle of downtown, it’s important to figure out relatively early a range of how much it will cost. Then make sure you have (or, if you’re not independently wealthy, have access to) more than that amount of money. If you don’t have the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars you’ll need laying around then you need to find it. Banks will not like you when you say that you’re opening a bar or restaurant. Depending on their (and your) level of experience and general comportment, they may laugh at you, nod in sad resignation, or just gradually stop responding to your emails. That’s not to say it’s out of the question; mankind has, after all, walked on the moon before; but more to say—good luck, my friend. Invariably you’ll need to scrape some of your own money together. You may look to private investors if you happen to know any. Or, the main driving factor behind many businesses: friends and family. (For a detailed discussion about funding a fledgling business, read “Creditworthiness, Collateral, & Capital” in the August 2018 issue of this magazine.) It will probably require more money than you think. And in many cases, even more than that. And you need to make sure that you have some left after the buildout and opening goes over budget. “Be absolutely sure you have enough operating capital on day one,” is how Jacob Sessoms, owner of cocktail lounge Imperial Life and Table restaurant in Asheville, puts it, adding that lack of operating capital at opening was one of the most common mistakes he’s seen inexperienced owners make. Just finding the money also isn’t enough—you must put in place properly executed agreements with your investors/friends/ family/partners/wealthy benefactors. I have heard many horror stories of businesses and relationships and even families being torn asunder because the parties didn’t have clearly defined financial agreements. Even more critical is to correctly keep track of the monies once you have them. Making sure you establish organized accounting systems and have clean numbers from day one will photo by Lynne Har ty

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 69

leisure & libation

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save you time, money, and sanity in the long run. A friend once related a story of being a year behind on his books for four years—he just couldn’t get caught up. Don’t let it happen to you. In this business, money only comes in one way: When customers walk through the door and purchase something; but it can go out in literally hundreds of ways. If you don’t have an established track record of successfully managing complicated accounting systems, it’s quite necessary to find someone who does. Even if you are skilled at accounting it’s a good idea to have someone else check your work—bookkeeping for a restaurant or bar is a good bit more complicated than many other brick-andmortar small businesses. Here’s some advice that applies to many areas: Don’t take your own word for it that you’re skilled enough in a particular area to do that for a busy business.

The Importance of Fundamental Choices The oft-quoted (and true) statistic about restaurant failure is that 80% of restaurants and bars close within five years of opening. When you think about it, that’s a lot of lost time, energy, money, blood, sweat, and tears. And, sadly, the fate of many places is decided sometime around when they open. Maybe it was a poor location, or a great location with a concept that didn’t fit with what the neighborhood needed, or any number of other fundamental choices. It’s not uncommon for inexperienced owners to get caught up in the general excitement of starting a business or the element of it that most thrills them. Then, sometimes, corners can get cut while considering these fundamental choices. You may feel so strongly that your idea works perfectly for this location that you don’t do enough research on the neighborhood, and on whether the numbers work for the space. Time goes by. Decisions get made and leases signed, sometimes on little more than gut feeling. Deciding whether to have a full-kitchen, a limited delistyle food offering, or no food whatsoever can affect both

your start-up and annual labor cost projections by six figures or more. Key decisions like this and many others often get made without sufficient data or exploration to support the conclusion. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you’re making a key decision and it’s not in an area that people already seek

Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you’re making a key decision and it’s not in an area that people already seek out your advice on, find an expert in that area and talk to them. out your advice on, find an expert in that area and talk to them. Are you an expert in restaurant labor costing estimates? (And trust me, even those of us that have been at this for a long time still get labor cost estimates wrong.) If not—find one! I once had a consulting client who had settled on a location for a concept in Austin, Texas. He had funds, a thought-out concept, and even menus, and asked September 2018 | capitalatplay.com

leisure & libation

me to help him finalize his profit and loss pro-formas. He had vastly underestimated his labor, food, and operating costs. The numbers were so far off that after I showed the client some more realistic projections he decided (wisely) that the concept was not financially viable for the location. There are many degrees and levels of fundamental choices, so do your best to give them proper due and consideration. Taking for granted that a location has enough traffic to support your concept is a dangerous assumption. So is trying to introduce a higher price point or unusual fare. It’s easy to mistake yourself for your target customer, or what the neighborhood clientele will resemble, but in reality, they’re usually quite different. Many businesses that falter at this stage do so due to a lack of clarity on the identity of their business, and how it will fit with the area. While discussing this point, Meherwan Irani, owner of Asheville Indian cuisine restaurant Chai Pani, noted that strip mall Chinese buffets rarely go out of business because it’s very clear what they are. As Irani put it, any operator should be able to succinctly express their concept in no more than a sentence or two. The more research and preparation you do to support your own conclusions before spending money and making commitments, the better your chances of success.

Permits, Professionals, Licenses, or: The Odyssey Sadly, it’s no longer the late 19th Century boom time, when one could slap a bar together with some decent lumber and the help of a few benevolent passersby. Opening an establishment to serve drinks and food to the public requires working in concert with a retinue of architects, contractors, engineers, plan reviewers, zoning officials, inspectors, and many others. 72

| September 2018

photos by Anthony Harden

“It’s about absolute due diligence, especially with regard to the [building and alcohol] codes,” Sovereign Remedies’ Hodge declares. “In this business there are plenty of horror stories of leases being signed, construction being started, and then unexpected regulatory issues coming up. In some cases, perhaps it means an extra $50,000 in opening costs, or worse. I know of a project that began construction, only to find out that the zoning laws wouldn’t allow their business to open in the location. The project was abandoned, the money lost. (See our article on commercial real estate due diligence, “The Mother of Good Luck,” elsewhere in this issue.) Let’s take Asheville as an example. In nearly every case, if you are looking to open a business that will serve alcohol in Asheville, you will need some type of approval from each of the following: City of Asheville zoning, City of Asheville plan review, Metropolitan Sewerage District, Buncombe County Health Department, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, the Fire Marshal, and the North Carolina ABC Commission. (If you’re planning on producing beer, wine, or liquor, you can count on getting the feds involved—which is a Kafkaesque maze we won’t dwell on at the moment. (See p.43 for a discussion of alcohol regulations and restrictions.) The cost for these permits and inspections can range from $5,000-$7,000 on the low end, to $20,000 and above for larger projects.

These will require the services of a licensed architect, engineer, and general contractor. These professional fees are unlikely to be less than $25,000 and can often be significantly more. As with many industries, most issues can be resolved with either time, money, or both. It’s a good idea to become accustomed to prolonged amounts of time where both money and time seem to just flow through one’s hands like dishwater.

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love and create new ones with your stylist. packed. Keep it light: the least number of pieces for optimal packed. Keep it light: the least number of p I once askedoutfitting the owner of several is our goal. And never forget socks and undies again! outfitting is our goal. And never forget sock world-famous bars in San Francisco what EVENT STYLING - $60/HOUR skill he looks for most when hiring. He Identify a full look for your big event: hair, makeup, attire & answered, instantly, that it was plumbing skills—and then clarified that he wasn’t accessories, suitable for headshots, business website joking. The flipside of a profession updates, and commercial styling. thru Thursday Monday thru Thursday – 8 am-8 pm where you can Monday sip Manhattans and be – 8 am-8 pm Sunday Post Brunch, Sunday – Post Brunch, please. “working” is that you will–inevitably dealplease. with more disgusting, unpleasant, or just STYLISH SEND OFF - $60/HOUR massively inconvenient issues than most Let us pack for you! Where are you going and how fabulous do you other people do in their respective fields. need to look? Outfits will be photographed, folded, and packed. As Imperial Life’s Sessoms drily puts it, “If the sewage is backing you can’t Duo deal –up, Receive a 20% discount on all services when we tackle Duo deal – Receive a 20% discount on all s just walk away.”two closets in your home. two-closets in your home. PERSONAL SHOPPING $50/HOUR A brief list of personal experiences Earn a FREE HOUR you gift Professional FREEtoHOUR for yourself Tackle yourthe shopping lists with onlineEarn linksa sent you directly from each time that come to mind: Numerous tripsfor toyourself each time Closet Cleanse or Personal Stylist Package orstylist send or us send a referral Closet Cleanse or boutiques Personal Stylist Package answer alarm calls between the hours of your us on a mission to Asheville’s best to 2:00 and 6:00AM, once while thatincluding purchases a package. that purchases a package. find you something in a pinch. contending with a 103º fever; several evacuations due to fire alarms, gas DUO DEAL – Receive a 20% discount on all leaks, or actual fire; various nauseating services when we tackle two closets in your home. experiences with overfull grease traps; sewage lines that backed up due to someone forcing an entire pint glass down the toilet; multiple calls when employees were seriously injured on the Earn a FREE HOUR for yourself each time you gift the Professional job and en route to the hospital; having Closet Cleanse or Personal Stylist Package or send us a referral to leave a family vacation because a that purchases a package. manager quit without notice. The list could go on, but that’s a start. The restaurant and bar business APPOINTMENTS & AVAILABILITY can be an all-consuming, dirty, and Monday thru Thursday – 8 am-8 pm frustrating master at times. There Sunday – Post Brunch, please. are certainly aspects of grandeur and glamour, but there are also times when you must scramble to grab the nearest Allison Jerele Dema Badr Dema Badr trashcan for a guest to hurl into, because allison@jsmithboutique.com alliso stylescoutasheville@gmail.com stylescoutasheville@gmail.com the restroom is occupied. Mobile 1.828.545.9707 Mo Mobile 1.828.280.6627 Mobile 1.828.280.6627

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leisure & libation

photo by Lynne Har ty

On Longevity, or: Culture, Systems & Adaptation Are Everything If you ask several dozen successful owners, the main keys to long-term success (and I have), the answers will usually cluster around three areas: culture, systems, and adaptation. Culture is a nebulous, hard-to-define thing in general, but especially so in a hands-on small business environment. Make no mistake, though; every business and team, no matter how small, will develop its own culture. As the owner and leader of the business, it’s incumbent upon you to create a culture where your employees are treated well, enjoy coming to work, and find fulfillment in their work.

Anyone that lasts in this industry develops good systems. The quality of the systems in place is almost always a good indicator of a bar’s overall performance. Keeping proper inventory means you know if a bottle of wine walks out the back door, or a recipe is being prepared incorrectly. Costing systems will ensure that everything going across the bar to the guest has the proper margin. It sounds overly basic, and in many ways, it is. It’s the repetitive work of putting rows of small, similar, boring numbers onto spreadsheets over and over again. But it’s those little numbers (a few pennies saved on this, a dollar on that) which, over time, add up. A popular item being underpriced by $1 could affect the bottom line by $4,000-$5,000 at the end of the year.

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“[Restaurant and bar] businesses fail because the owners don’t change with the circumstances,” according to Sessoms, who, in addition to operating his two other businesses, is currently re-concepting Tod’s Tasties in the Montford neighborhood. Neighborhoods change. Regulars move away or get married or get divorced. What works and what your customers want changes over time. In actuality this happens every day. It’s

the longer hours and less pay?” The remark was in jest, but the sentiment holds a kernel of truth. “It takes a certain amount of irrational optimism to get into this business,” he notes. The bar and restaurant industry can be quite profitable when approached correctly, but there are certainly much, much easier ways out there to get rich. Let’s consider for a moment, though, that you weren’t just looking for the easiest way to make

Of those aforementioned 80% of restaurants that fail, many close in the 12-to-24-month range, due to poor fundamental choices. The other time range where you’ll see the most closings is at the five-year mark. an incremental change you rarely notice, but live with and must respond to. “You shouldn’t ever [let yourself] feel too comfortable as an owner,” adds Chai Pani’s Irani.

It’s Easy, Fun, and You’ll Get Rich Of those aforementioned 80% of restaurants that fail, many close in the 12-to-24-month range, due to poor fundamental choices. The other time range where you’ll see the most closings is at the five-year mark. These are often because the operators aren’t making enough money, are tired, and generally realize that the day-to-day job they’ve created for themselves by owning a restaurant is not as much to their liking as something with different types and amounts of stress, risk, and demand. When asked what had been the biggest adjustment to working in restaurants and bars from his previous career in sales and marketing, Irani immediately quipped, “You mean other than

a buck. Being a bar and restaurant operator means a continual series of new and different challenges. The best operators in this field find an intrinsic joy, a feeling of flow, and a set of challenges that is usually just short of overwhelm, while solving a never-ending series of unique problems. The unglamorous moments will certainly be there, and there may even be glamorous ones as well. But, if it’s the right type of crazy merry-go-round for you, here’s how you’ll know: At a certain point you’ll notice that when you’re working, large parts of your day don’t really feel like work at all. And that’s an occasion worthy of a drink. Chall Gray is author of The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator and is a co-owner of Asheville bar Little Jumbo.

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STATE [

news briefs

Air Traffic Controllers on Autopilot raleigh

The North Carolina Department of Transportation was one of ten selected from among 149 applicants for a Federal Aviation Administration Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program. The state proposed setting up a network of distribution centers for medical deliveries. It is presumably already in talks with software developers for vehicle selection and low-altitude air traffic control, and public and private organizations interested in participating as subgrantees are preparing pitches. Other countries are already using the technology. For example, the Silicon Valley company Zipline has worked with the Rwandan government to set up a network of drones that delivers blood

]

to remote hospitals in fifteen minutes instead of four hours. Over a 30-month period, the DOT’s program will collect data for the FAA that will be used to inform policy and infrastructure design. Drones are not only faster than automobiles for short-hauls, they cost less, are better for the environment, and require less infrastructure buildout and maintenance.

Pegasus Saddles?

students had been studying: mythology and economics. Students had to come up with a product, and like Nike, market it with a mythological theme. They had to solicit an investment of up to $40 from their parents and come up with a business plan, which included a Plan B should their product sell out. They had to calculate costs of production, decide on a sales price, and determine profits. When the day arrived, the other classes in the school made 15-minute shopping trips to the booths the children had set up. Proceeds would go to a charity elected by the students. The two hottest-selling items were Pandora’s Slime and Aphrodite’s Ice Cream. Aphrodite’s company was methodical, making critical decisions from the offset. Pandora’s Plan B was to have children pay 50 cents for a piece of candy, and if they could throw a “thing” in a bucket, they could choose which piece of candy they received.

kinston

It was the first annual Business Day at Southwood Elementary School, and students in Miss [Caroline] Murphrey’s fourth-grade class were given the assignment of selling a product with a theme based in Greek mythology. The final project combined two subjects the

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Charlotte, Raleigh, and Oklahoma City will bring the number of cities AT&T is setting up with 5G to six. Dallas, Atlanta, and Waco were announced a few months

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ago; six more cities are expected to join the list by the end of the year. The 5G infrastructure will support device operations of the near future. With enhanced features for deep learning, artificial intelligence, and ambient awareness, 5G will afford users: an expanded field of deviceto-device communication; faster, more reliable, higher-quality connections; and download speeds around 1GBps. AT&T said the service is being provided to cities of different sizes intentionally, to disrupt the perpetuation of the digital divide. Also gearing up for future demand, Verizon plans to bring 5G to five cities this year. Even though 5G mobile devices are not yet on the market, Sprint and T-Mobile, two companies considering a merger, are already selling equipment that will be able to take advantage of 5G in 30 markets.

A Master in Espionage

the old north state

of Defense contract, invented a cloaking material transparent to microwaves. One of his graduate students, Lieu Ruopeng— who liked leaking Smith’s work for publication in journals with Chinese authors claiming priority—invited friends from China to photograph and take measurements of Smith’s equipment. Once discovered, Ruopeng was kicked out of the university, but his Chinese company, now valued at $6 billion, displays an advanced version of Smith’s invention in its lobby. The story called attention to what the FBI believes is widespread espionage conducted by graduate students acting for foreign governments. China is the country that most concerns the United States due to the extent, complexity, and potential for harm their operations pose. The Chinese are known to publish a shopping list of wanted intelligence and technology each year, and Smith’s stolen research was on the list.

North American CEO, is friends with the company’s founder, Tim Darmanin, and he indicated that would not move to California to take the job. Billed as a state-of-the-art dog-washing machine, the units are more like car washes for dogs. The setup starts with a walk-in tub with a glass door. The dogs go inside, and the owner stands outside, feeds the machine about $10, and then selects the wash cycle. Choices include shampoo, rinse, conditioner, flea dip, lo-dry, hi-dry, and disinfect. The wash cycles are applied with nice, warm water using a hose with a spray nozzle. Persons visiting the headquarters can either wash their dogs or buy one of the machines. If used once or twice a day, the machine can pay for itself in 1-2 years. The K9000 is reportedly a commonplace feature at modern pet stores and car washes across Australia. Other businesses that buy the machines include apartment buildings, veterinarians, petfriendly hotels, and parks.

Hosin’ and Scrubbin’

Robo Sewage

wilmington

cary

The North American headquarters for Australia-based Tru Blu K9000 have opened in Wilmington. The town was selected because Paul Baron, the

Biobot Analytics strategically places chemical-analyzing robots in sewer systems as a means of assessing the collective health of a community. The

durham

Following indictments in an Iranian espionage ring, a recent Congressional hearing designed to identify safeguard strategies for universities held up a case study from North Carolina as a poster child. Dr. David Smith, a professor at Duke University, had, under a Department

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of Co-Creating TheinCare Experience. company, based Cambridge, Massachusetts, pitched their system to 800 mayors at a recent United States Conference of Mayors. “Our goal is to transform sewers into public health observatories,” said cofounder Newsha Ghaeli. Whereas the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction conducted a similar operation on 56 cities, it analyzed water from those entire cities in wastewater treatment facilities; Biobot, instead, breaks the city down into groups of thousands of households. An unlikely city selected for a Biobot pilot test was Cary. With a population of 160,000, the town has a reputation for being serious, intellectual, and well-behaved. City leadership was interested in the technology, having committed themselves to action following a rash of opioid overdoses beginning in 2016. They then pursued and won a $100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to install ten Biobots in city sewers. Data collected would inform any targeted programming.

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An anonymous shopper paid $1 million for as many toys as it could buy from the stock remaining on the shelves of the Triangle Town Center Toys ‘R’ Us. The store, along with the company’s remaining 552 stores in the United States, was winding down operations and scheduled to close the next day. In September the toy retailer, which will continue operations in other countries, had filed for bankruptcy in the United States. Then, in January, it announced the closure of 182 stores, and in March the decision was made to close all American stores. Rather than opening its doors one final day, employees of the Raleigh store spent the day boxing toys to be shipped to needy children. The destination of the toys and the identity of their purchaser are not being made public. The purchase was so mysterious that accounts vary: Some say the donor came into the Raleigh store, and since it did not have $1 million in inventory, additional stores had to be tapped to complete the order; another story has the good Samaritan visiting several stores; and a third says they must have been working with the store’s liquidator.

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Following a year-long, multi-agency investigation, the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agency raided three casinos in Robeson County. The casinos, they say, were illegally run because their operator, the Tuscarora Nation, is not a legally-recognized tribe. The Tuscarora are federally-recognized in New York, but not in North Carolina. They thus lack authority to set up a casino, per the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Following the incident, members of the New

York tribe have been quick to deny affiliation with the group. The raid arrested 26 on charges of illegal gambling, manufacture of a controlled substance, and money laundering. Some apprehended had already served time on unrelated charges. Vehicles, drugs, money, weapons, and 200 gambling machines were confiscated. Neighbors had tipped law enforcement off with suspicions arising from 24-7 gambling operations protected by an unlicensed police force that was armed with assault rifles and driving pickups with flashing blue lights. The gambling operation took in thousands of dollars a week.

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The Davey Resource Group, a subsidiary of the Davey Tree Expert Company, has acquired Land Management Group (LMG). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. LMG, in business almost thirty years, was a small group of technical experts specializing in the ecology of coastal areas and associated regulations. With their knowledge of coastal wetlands and marine biology, they add to the geographical range of Davey’s practice. Reciprocally, in a world of increasingly complex business and environmental regulation, the services LMG offers will be enhanced with expert administrative support from Davey. Headquartered in Kent, Ohio, Davey provides tree services, ground maintenance, and environmental consulting for residential and commercial and public and private customers. Services include tree preservation, endangered species reporting, holistic grounds maintenance, full-service urban forestry, and navigation for permitting processes. With 900 employees, it is one of the nation’s largest employee-owned companies.

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UNC Health Care is the first organization in the state to integrate the Epic Electronic Health Record with the North Carolina Substance Reporting System. The connectivity was made possible thanks to Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway platform for sharing patient prescription information. The collaboration gives practitioners the answers they need near-instantaneously instead of after three minutes of backand-forth. The collaboration, billed as another piece in the puzzle of getting the opioid epidemic under control, cuts through “technical red tape.” It quickly tells physicians what drugs have been prescribed to a patient, the physicians who have been consulted, and the pharmacies that have been used; and the records extend across state boundaries. In its first two weeks, the system was used by over 540 physicians to access over 2,950 patient reports. The collaboration is the latest innovation in UNC Health Care’s award-winning history of using information technology to push advances in wellness.

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Off (the) Road Dining & Drinking Follow the path less traveled to the best wine lists in Asheville.

HAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A dining experience? When the night out is special, our focus tends to be on the food. There’s always that new restaurant you want to check out to see how they prepare salmon.

john kerr

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

Or you want to go back to your favorite place because they make a dish just the way you like it. Chefs are the celebrities in Asheville. For the right meal, we willingly compete with the tourists for a table at the acclaimed restaurants in town. But I see a far smaller crowd lining up for the sommelier. The wine list plays second fiddle. I understand this. The food is the star of the show. But as exquisite as the food may be, the right wine brings the meal to a whole new level. A proper pairing of food and wine creates a synergy to all the flavors on the table. Our most celebrated restaurants have built great wine lists. But in their shadow, Asheville’s newest generation of sommeliers is quietly assembling lists that make their restaurants’ meals sing. This month, I recognize three of our local restaurants that have invested the time to provide you a great wine experience that complements your meal.

| September 2018

Few people realize the care it takes to build a great wine list. So, let’s begin with the criteria that those in the biz consider when assessing a restaurant’s wines. The difference between a good and a great wine list is focus. First and foremost, the sommelier must consider the chef’s approach to the food. The wines may be remarkable, but if they don’t work with the food then what’s the point? Layered within focus is breadth and versatility. Breadth doesn’t mean you’re handed a tome when you ask for the wine list. Whether the list is 10 or 1,000 wines, they need to cover a range of styles. There should also be a range of price points that are commensurate with the price of the meal. Glass pours and low-end wines should not be throwaway brands. And most of the wines should be versatile enough to pair with more than one dish. The sommelier must balance familiarity with adventure. Most of us want to see something new to

J try. But if all the wines are unknown then your wine selection seems more like a midterm exam. Several wines should be familiar to the customer whether by grape or wine region, so that the customer can decide how adventurous to be that night. With this in mind, here is my list. The restaurants are not listed in any particular order.

Jargon – West Asheville But for one brief detour into carpentry, 42-year-old Maty Hollingsworth has worked in restaurants since he was 15. After one minute into our conversation, his devotion to the beverage scene was clear. Above all else, Maty’s goal is to build trust with his customers. When coming to Jargon, he wants customers to say, “I may not know what I’m having tonight, but I know it’s going to be good.” To achieve this, he ensures all is done right whether or not it can be seen by the customer. And perceived value at every price point is important to Maty: “You shouldn’t leave a restaurant saying that the food was great but the wine was expensive.” Tucked into the bar is a glass-door wine refrigerator. It fits into Jargon’s slightly whimsical décor, but its real purpose is to ensure that both the whites and reds are stored at the optimum 44 and 56 degrees. The wine list is a well-honed 50-bottle offering that covers the gamut of flavors and textures. Maty explains this rich array, saying, “Our concept is continental social cuisine, allowing our chefs to source ideas from around the globe. So, our wine list must be ready to pair with anything our chef creates.” The wine list fits on two pages so that the customer doesn’t have to invest a lot of time selecting the right wine. You’ll see familiar regions like Napa and Rioja on the list. But most of the wines and regions are not well known, allowing Maty to offer distinctive wines at great value. Many of the names are not familiar, but for those who follow wines, these are some of the most revered out there. The rosé is from Bandol, considered one of the best expressions of this genre. And Damilano Barolo has been served at Napa’s French Laundry. Maty offers glass pours at several price points to give customers flexibility throughout the meal. Half pours are available so that you can start with a white for your salad and then a red with your smoked bison striploin. Maty’s favorite pairing is the 2006 Chateau d’Eprie Chenin Blanc with their dish of scallops, pork belly, farro and melon gazpacho. “The wine doesn’t need a lot of acid because the gazpacho brings that to the pairing. The lean fruit and flintiness of the wine stands up to the richness of the dish.”

Vivian – River Arts District To fund her English lit degree, Shannon McGaughey worked under the sommelier’s wing at The Bristol in Chicago. Through coaching and blind tasting, she learned her chops and fell in love with the profession. At graduation, Shannon had to make

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a decision. She chose wine and restaurant management and small European wineries in obscure appellations. “The vintners never looked back. are usually just the husband and wife who operate the winery Wine was not her only love. Josiah McGaughey was a cook as their family has for hundreds of years. Preserving the at one of Chicago’s finest restaurants. Not only did the two fall environment is as important as the wine. For them, creating a in love, they found that they worked well great wine is more art than business.” together. When they decided to start their You can order a domestic Cabernet if own venture, they chose the culinary scene you desire. But Shannon is there to guide in Asheville. The burgeoning popularity of you towards a new wine adventure if you “IF YOU HAVE their Salt & Smoke food truck at Burial are willing to explore. Instead, she might GREAT FOOD BUT Beer soon led to the opening of Vivian. suggest the rich, smooth Aglianico from A TERRIBLE WINE Vivian is modern with clean lines but Italy, or the dark and brooding Bandol from LIST AND POOR exudes an inviting, casual warmth. “This France. And more likely than not, Shannon is not a white linen restaurant,” notes will share the story behind the wine to SERVICE, THEN Shannon. “We want you to feel like you’re enhance the experience. YOU DON’ T NEED joining a dinner party with friends.” Shannon has carefully curated a selection GREAT FOOD.” The décor is juxtaposed by cuisine that of about 80 wines to fit onto one page. leans old school. Shannon hunts down “Limiting the list to one page helps impose traditional European cook books and discipline,” she quips. Shannon enforces a Josiah melds the recipes into revitalized dishes that appeal “no ego” attitude to ensure that her staff conveys the customers’ to today’s diners. honest reactions to the wines. “Since space is limited, a new To match the cuisine, the list’s focus is old world wines. These wine has to fit better than the one we’re removing.” are wines that can be enjoyed on their own. But unlike many Shannon’s commitment to value is clear. The wine list offers domestic wines they are well built to accompany fine dining. an array of bottles and glass pours that covers the full range of Shannon provides quality and value through an emphasis on styles and price points: “We’ve priced the list so that customers

| September 2018

can enjoy an apéritif as well as a bottle of wine.” But for some iconic regions like Champagne and Pomerol, much of the list is in the $30 to $60 range. Shannon’s favorite pairing is the Apremont Tradition Jacquére and the soufflé omelette with fresh herbs and crab newburg. “The Jacquére is crisp enough to cut through the creaminess of the newburg sauce, but shows just enough softness to pair with rich texture of the dish.”

Aux Bar – Downtown Asheville Steve Goff’s younger years were a quest for adventure. The pursuit included traversing California by occasionally hopping freight trains. But he soon found enough adventure in just one place—the restaurant. Hospitality became the only profession he’s ever pursued. Steve wanted to learn it all and completed A-B Tech’s full fouryear program that covers every aspect of restaurant management. He honed his craft working at several local favorites, including Zambra and King James. He ultimately partnered with Mike Moore to manage the Blind Pig Supper club, a collaboration of local chefs to create pop-up events that benefit charities. Aux Bar is the auxiliary brick-and-mortar manifestation of Blind Pig. The décor is hip industrial and the food is edgy American cuisine inspired by seasonal offerings. The large plates are CAPSept18

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there for those who want a more traditional approach. But their specialty is the snacks and small plates that change frequently. Steve says he watches over every aspect of the bar, explaining, “If you have great food but a terrible wine list and poor service, then you don’t need great food.” He’s looking to create “a great experience to eat and drink—something they’ve never had before.” The wine list is a compact offering of 15 bottles and 20 glass pours. Steve can keep the list brief because he changes the wine list as frequently as he changes the menu. Cabernet and Chardonnay are on the roster for those looking for the familiar. But regulars know they can expect something new and a bit esoteric on their next visit. Steve is in the process of revamping the wine list. He’s looking to phase out bottles and focus exclusively on glass pours. “I’d like to create the feel of a French bistro where you’re blown away by the well-priced house wine.” Steve’s favorite pairing dish is the braised pork cheek served with heirloom grits, fresh greens, and pickles. For the perfect pairing, he can’t decide between the Fableist Cabernet or the Skaramuce Plavac Mali. “Fableist’s lush texture perfectly complements the richness of the dish,” he says, “but the Skaramuce cuts through the fat and cleans your palate for the next bite.” Perhaps you should visit Aux Bar to decide for yourself.

COMFY AND CHIC

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| September 2018

Paradise FOUND written by emily gl aser

photos by anthony harden

With an expansion into a huge second location nearing completion and their fifth anniversary coming up, family-owned Asheville business Urban Orchard Cider Co. clearly has reason to celebrate. IT’S PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO LIKEN URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO.’S new location to their first—in fact, one might even say it’s like comparing apples to oranges. The cidery’s inaugural taproom and production facilities are perched on Haywood’s two corners where the road’s slope descends from West Asheville into the River Arts District. Today, it sits in the heart of a gastronomic hub, steps from Westside favorites like Old World Levain and Taco Billy and a stone’s throw from tourist mecca New Belgium. But when they poured their first crystalline glass of cider in 2013, their neighbors were vacant storefronts, not bustling eateries. On a Friday night—or any night, for that matter—the aluminum barstools fill with locals and regulars sidling up to the wooden bar for a glass of their favorite cider, served with a side of familiar banter from the bartenders. And just below them, in the basement of the taproom, lies Urban Orchard’s current production facilities, nearly 2,000 square feet filled with vats and bins, juice and yeast, with narrow channels for navigating and duck-your-head height ceilings. Urban Orchard’s second location, set to open in late October, is the Ashevillian antithesis. The cidery swooped in to claim the last large chunk of real estate in a vastly expanding South Slope where acreage is conspicuously finite. The former home of Eagle Nest Outfitters (the cidery leases the space from the

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 85

FAMILY BUSINESS (L-R) Zachar y Miller, Ada Uzsak,Brody Miller, Josie Mielke, Lori Miller, and Thom Miller

outdoor gearsmen), the new 19,000-sq.-ft. facility holds four 2,400-gallon fermentation tanks, a hulking, elephantine refrigerator, and a 4,000-sq.-ft. tasting room with one of the longest bars in Asheville. The massive expansion of their facilities will allow the cidery to quadruple their production in the future, and the taproom, outfitted with thoughtful, handcrafted details, will hold a series of spaces for quick drinks and long events. Sandwiched between the rebelliously cool Burial Beer Co. and old-time-draw Green Man Brewery, the nearly blocklong building—decked in a bubbly blue mural by celebrated local artists Ian Wilkinson and Ishmael—will surely attract gaggles of beer aficionados carving their own beer trail through the South Slope. Alike, they are not. But as a business that has intentionally and consistently bucked the system with panache, perhaps it’s no surprise, after all, that their second location is such a striking departure from their first. And, with addresses on two of Asheville’s most notable thoroughfares, Haywood and Buxton, the two spots are testament not just to the cidery’s growth, but a study in Asheville’s multifarious craft culture.

Awake, Arise or Be Forever Fall’n Asheville is no employment hub, but in 2011, a sluggish economy and dregs of the recession made for a downright 86

| September 2018

barren job market. That was the Asheville that Urban Orchard’s future president/operations director/co-owner Josie Mielke found when she returned to her hometown that August. After an exhausting stint with Alabama-based Pilot Catastrophe working 7-to-7, seven days a week in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Mielke had retired her intentions of studying law, and of ever working in a traditional office or firm again. That resolution led her through a variety of relevant odd jobs over the years—one in a dental office, a period establishing Quickbooks for companies, a position with then-husband Shiloh Mielke’s company, First Aid Auto —and, eventually, back to Asheville, where pickings were decidedly slim. “I think I probably put out 50 job applications for starting pay at ten bucks an hour to a lot of different places, and there were just so many applicants that it was essentially impossible,” she remembers with an emphatic head shake, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Mielke, who radiates youth and laughs with quick, honest chuckles, hardly looks old enough to have barreled through such a recession, but even if it’s not evident in her bearing, it shaped her approach to business. Even her parents, whose construction company, the RB Miller Corporation, had been a fixture in the community for nearly 30 years (1988-2016), continued to experience the negative impact of the recession.

But invention is, as they say, the fruit of necessity, and Asheville’s stagnant job market does seem to spur its own brand of entrepreneurship and unique, pertinent endeavors—entrepreneurs like Mielke and endeavors like Urban Orchard Cider Co. Mielke, who’s been gluten-free for over 10 years, turned from beer to cider, swapping barley for apples, long ago. But it was Shiloh’s idea to capitalize on the evolving craft culture in Asheville. “He kind of is the innovator,” she reflects. “He grew up in Hendersonville where [Henderson] county produces 80-85% of the state’s apples. And I think he saw the craft beer movement at the time and picked up on the fact that cider might be one of the next things. We had been home brewing some cider for a little while before that, but once we thought that it was a viable business opportunity, we went to England and studied at the Cider and Perry Academy and learned the production science and sanitation and all of that aspect.” Opening the cidery was—and running the cidery continues to be—a family affair. Six members of the family, including Josie and Shiloh, her parents Thom and Lori Miller, and her brothers Brody and Zach, pooled their resources to open Urban Orchard Cider Co. Mielke turned to SCORE, a national nonprofit resource for entrepreneurs, to help craft their business plan; then to her family, who merged their savings; then to the banks, who loaned them the remaining capital to launch Urban Orchard. In September of 2012, they purchased a long, low building on the quiet corner of Haywood, formerly home to the Communications Workers of America Union, and, using Thom’s contracting expertise, refitted it into a taproom and cidery. Josie and Shiloh attended the Cider Academy in October of that year and returned to begin experimenting with combinations of fresh-pressed apple juice and yeast that would eventually lead them to their three flagships: Sweet English, Ginger Campaign, and Dry Ridge. Despite the scope of the project, Mielke argues that the outset required a relatively low monetary investment. “We did have to buy, obviously, equipment, but other than that, the financial investment I would say was not quite as large as you would imagine,” she says. The family kept expenses low by using their in-house, or rather in-family, resources: Thom completed all of the construction work, Josie played the role of lead cider maker, and the business began to take shape. From the beginning, Urban Orchard’s approach was untraditional. Whereas big-box cideries and even most of their craft peers begin with distribution and packaging, then open a taproom following initial success, the Urban Orchard family reversed the American cider narrative and opened their taproom on October 30, 2013, introducing the public to their new brews in their own pint glasses.

GREG HILL, Production Director/Cider Maker

Through Eden Took Their Solitary Way Urban Orchard’s decision to depart from the course of their peers is far from an anomaly; in fact, dismantling tradition seems to be definitive of the cidery. From their ingredients, to their flavors, to their process, to their alcohol by volume (ABV), Urban Orchard tends to do things differently and, notably, exceptionally. September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 87

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Take, for example, the ingredients in their ciders. In the United States, ciders only need 51% juice to warrant the name, leading many of those big box producers—which sales/ marketing/creative director Jeff Anderson refers to as “Alchopop”—to sweeten their ciders with corn syrup. “Instead of using high fructose corn syrup, we use fresh-pressed juice to sweeten with,” explains Anderson, who was the company’s first hire outside the family. “[Other cideries are] using fructose to then get the ABV super high, so then they can cut it with water to get that 6% [ABV] and make it go further, and then at that point it may not smell or taste like apples, so they use apple essence.” Instead, Urban Orchard uses apples, and only apples, to sweeten their cider. The result? Ciders like Sweet English, which contains 98 to 99% juice. Other ciders tout two apples per glass; Urban Orchard claims 8 – 10. It’s an expensive approach, and their other ingredients, like fresh produce and herbs for infusions and a variety of yeast strains, including some from White Labs’ production facility in Asheville, also drive up the cost of production. The produce is locally sourced when possible (which is the majority of the time, thanks to relationships the cidery has cultivated with local farmers), and when not, the best products are chosen from the best distributors. Time is money, and Urban Orchard spends a lot more of that on their ciders, too. Whereas most of their peers take apples from tree to keg in just 2.5 to 3.5 weeks, the cidery finishes their cider on a similar timeline, and then ages it for eight months to a year. It’s in those months that Urban Orchard accomplishes a process called self-racking, during which natural impurities— like pectin, or small pieces of apples—drift to the bottom of the container. When the cider has finished aging, they simply siphon from the top, eliminating the filtering step altogether but still providing a crystal-clear product. And then there are the flavors, over 100 of them, from the nose-tickling Sidra Del Diablo with habanero and vanilla, to spring’s herbaceous April Skies with pineapple and lavender, to the yule-themed Kalikimaka, a bold cranberry cider. “There were all these flavor combinations that go great with apples that had never been done,” says Anderson. “So, we had the opportunity to completely change the way cider was made, not just in Asheville, but nationwide.” He leans back in his chair and raises his arms in a gesture meant to encompass the vastness of their potential. That opportunity is a reality in the production rooms of the cidery. Mielke works with Anderson, who has a background as a chef, and production director Greg Hill, the cidery’s second hire, to devise new, unique flavors. Regular collaborations with local businesses lead them to even more palate exploration and innovation, like the upcoming BeeBiscus, a partnership with the Asheville Bee Charmer (profiled in the May 2015 issue of this magazine) with dried hibiscus flowers and orange blossom honey. The impressive variety of flavors, which rotate based on the season and are divided into eight series—flagships, berry, lager,

JEFF ANDERSON, behind the bar at the West Asheville location.

fruit and herb, dry hopped, specialty, chili, and apples and yeast—are untraditional. “Where I studied in the UK, we had a whole conversation about flavored ciders, and [my teacher’s] opinion was that they would never be popular and that Americans were crazy,” Mielke says with a shrug and a smile. Maybe she is crazy, but the result is a legion of ardent drinkers who eagerly await their seasonal favorites, and more than a few copycats from cideries around the country. It’s all of these elements that make Urban Orchard’s ciders special to drink and, simultaneously, pricey to make. Add to their costly methods the hefty excise tax charged on ciders, which is considerably more than beer—federal rates changed with the PATH act in 2017 to $0.162–$3.30

Yet the cider makers have been dedicated to their superlative interpretation of the craft since the beginning. “We knew it was a gamble because we’re making it in an expensive way, but at the same time, we feel like it’s going to be worth it, especially in Asheville, where people recognize that and they’re okay to pay for something that’s a better quality,” Anderson says.

Long Is the Way and Hard It was a gamble that clearly paid off, but not without its challenges. When Urban Orchard opened in 2013, the craft beer movement was still fairly novel. And the craft cider movement? Nonexistent. So, the business had to carve a name not just for itself, but for all of cider, a beverage steeped in misconceptions. (To this day, a sizable percentage of the public probably still thinks that cider is simply hangover-inducing apple juice that’s been spiked.) Behind the scenes, the family had to learn the insand-outs of both a manufacturing and retail business. Mielke was able to apply some of her experience from previous positions (all those Quickbooks accounts came in handy), and her parents had owned a business, but a cidery and taproom are a far cry from a construction business. They brought in a consulting firm, Blue Wing Business Strategies, to help iron out the internal kinks. “They have been key for us to organize our finances and to learn certain things about the industry,” Mielke explains and offers an example. “We’re seasonal producers, which

“We knew it was a gamble because we’re making it in an expensive way, but at the same time, we feel like it’s going to be worth it, especially in Asheville.” per gallon depending on the ingredients, carbonation levels, and how many gallons you produce per year; North Carolina State Excise for cider sits at about $1.02/gallon— and a luxury tax, for the carbonation, and producing this cider costs a pretty penny, indeed.

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 89

MIELKE with parents and co-owners Thom and Lori

means all of our money goes out towards inventory from September until April. And then from May until August, we’re not necessarily purchasing inventory because we’ve already fermented it all, it’s cellaring, but we’re sitting on stuff for eight months to a year a lot of the time before we even sell it. And that’s a huge monetary investment. So just learning the tricks of the trade—like having a rotating line of credit where you buy your inventory and pay it off as you sell it—that the consulting firm taught us about manufacturing, has been instrumental in us being able to afford to scale.” With Blue Wing Business Strategies’ assistance and, Mielke is quick to point out, a very strict annual budget, the backstage gears of Urban Orchard run smoothly. On the ground, their first obstacle was to convince imbibers that it was bad cider that causes the headaches, hangovers, and hard flavor, not just cider. They pitched their tent at events, festivals, and fundraisers, offering a taste of something new. Local folks began to frequent the new taproom. Quarterly fundraisers raised funds for their community, as well as awareness of their brand. Meanwhile, the cider industry began to escalate, first by steps, then leaps. Today, cider controls .4% of the alcoholic beverage category, which may not seem like much, but compared to 15 years ago, when it was just .06%, it’s grown astronomically. Here in Western North Carolina, perhaps no better testament to the increased awareness of, and appreciation for, cider is the annual CiderFest NC (www. ciderfestnc.com). Now in its sixth year, the 2018 event will take place on October 13 at the Salvage Station in Asheville and will feature more than a dozen cider and mead makers demonstrating their wares. Anderson notes that when Urban Orchard appears as a vendor at beer-related events, they have to essentially convince people that cider is good, but that “the cider event specifically draws a crowd of folks that are already interested in learning more about cider or are already enthusiasts, so we’re able to have more one-on-one time with our customers and talk about what separates us from other ciders instead of educating them on cider in general. We go to it every year, always sells out—it’s a good way for us to gauge the interest in the cider interest because of its growth.” 90

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This Darkness Light How the Cider is Made “The joke of this industry is that a normal day is 10% mad scientist and 90% janitor,” Production Manager Greg Hill says, of the life of a cider maker. “There is a great deal of cleaning and sanitizing, some blending and a little bit of making sure the yeast are happy and healthy. The yeast are the ones that are actually making the alcohol; my team and I just make sure that their home (the cider) is suitable for their survival; they are the true workhorses and heroes of our product.”

1. Apples are Sourced

2. Apples are Pressed

Urban Orchard sources all their apples from Apple Wedge Packers & Cider in Hendersonville (which also sources from other local orchards in the area, home to about 150 orchards). By sourcing from our region, they’re limited to dessert and eating apples, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Stayman Winesap, and Gala. “We’re always looking for that balance of kind of tart and sweet, because tartness retains flavors through fermentation, and the sweetness becomes sugar for alcohol production,” Josie Mielke says.

Urban Orchard chooses to have their apples pressed at Apple Wedge (a fifth-generation family-owned business, and the largest packer/ distributor in Western Nor th Carolina) for a variety of reasons: They’ve been producing non-alcoholic cider for a long time, so they understand the blends and resulting flavors; it’s a massive undertaking, and one that requires a lot of space; and its byproduct is a lot of fruit pulp, which can draw pests in the city.

3. Juice is Transported to the Cidery

4. Test the Juice

Urban Orchard tries to coordinate the pick-up of the juice to avoid refrigeration.

5. Ferment the Juice Next, they add the juice to fermentation tanks— the new cidery will have four 2,400 gallon tanks, in addition to their current, smaller fermenters, which total 3,100 gallons—and add yeast. This is the only truly necessary step to making cider but, as Jeff Anderson points out, “We baby the stuff.” They constantly check the temperature, which they can adjust with a glycol chiller and by adding nutrients to make sure the yeast is thriving.

Urban Orchard checks the juice for natural yeast and sugar levels, which leads them to their decision regarding which yeast to use.

6. Age the Cider The cider is transferred to stackable, 750-gallon winemaking vessels. Now the process of racking occurs, and the pectin and impurities separate naturally to the bottom of the container. Other cideries cold rack, or speed up the racking process using refrigeration, but Urban Orchard allows it to happen naturally, or self-rack.

September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 91

All the while, Urban Orchard’s growth has echoed, or perhaps even led, the industry’s. “I would like to say we’re leading the industry in America,” Anderson argues with casual confidence. “We’re just not afraid to take chances.” That is, admittedly, a hubristic claim, but one that’s been validated by the local community, the nation, and the industry. Locally, they’ve dominated Mountain Xpress’ Best of WNC Cider category for years. Food & Wine named the cidery the best place to drink cider in America in 2017, and USA Today, Lonely Planet, Travel Channel, and Bon Appétit have all offered nods and accolades. But according to Anderson, the most gratifying recognition came from within the industry: The United States Association of Cider Makers named Urban Orchard Best Cider Establishment in Southeast 2017. The proof is also in the numbers. Since 2013, Urban Orchard has increased production from less than 10,000 gallons to between 30,000 and 36,000 annually. With the emigration of the cidery to the new Buxton location, Mielke estimates that number will double to 60,000 to 75,000 in the 2018-2019 season. When they opened, the cidery employed less than 10 people; on the eve of their expansion, they have a staff of 28 (full-time and part-time) and expect to add another six to 10 this year. 92

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It’s a trajectory of growth that’s been methodical and, Mielke argues, intentional. “Growth-wise, I would say that it’s been my motto from the very beginning to not grow too fast because that’s how you get into trouble,” she says. “If you over-promise and under-produce, you’re going to lose customers. And so holding ourselves back has been a huge challenge.” Urban Orchard achieved the growth they wanted at a sustainable pace with precision, and the leap they’re preparing to take is one that’s well-planned and long-awaited.

For So I Created Them Free and Free They Must Remain Even as Urban Orchard prepares for drastic change, they haven’t changed much at all. The internal structure of the company remains much the same as when it was established: Mielke works as operations director, president, and co-owner; her father, Thom, claims the title of vice president, as well as sales and co-owner, and her mother, Lori, continues to be CFO, with responsibilities as treasurer, secretary, co-owner, and in finance; brothers Zach and Brody Miller, both co-owners, lend a hand when they visit Asheville, as does Josie’s ex-husband, Shiloh Mielke, who also remains a co-owner.

MUR AL ON THE side of the new Bux ton Ave Location. Painted by Ian Wilkinson and Ishmael.

2,400 GALLON fermentation tanks, in the new space.

THE WEST ASHEVILLE location offers a relaxing outdoor space for lounging. And drinking cider.

Employee retention is a constant theme for Urban Orchard, and much of their team has remained with the cidery since its earliest days—quite the feat in an itinerant town like Asheville. There’s Hill and Anderson, the first hires, as well as Mielke’s cousin, Katy Luquire, who’s managed the taproom since it opened, and a host of long-term bartenders. “I’ve got a huge, close-knit family here, and it’s really nice having all these people that you know you can rely on,” Mielke says with a grin; as if on cue, bartender Jocelin Rosas, who’s been with the cidery for four-and-a-half years, peeks around the corner to ask if we’d like coffee. “We’ve got all these people that are like really invested in our company that aren’t even necessarily owners, and they want to see it grow.” That kind of employee loyalty necessitates employer loyalty, too, a responsibility Mielke certainly feels. She and the other owners have long prioritized their employees; like so many small business owners, she conveys the weight of her position: “You’ve got to keep the company going because you’re responsible for more than yourself.” They’ve also prioritized the growth of the business over their own salaries, another common sentiment for entrepreneurs. “We’re at a point now where we’re able to take a salary for actual work that we’re doing, not the investors, but the people that are on the ground level,” she says.“But that’s definitely a challenge because you September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 93

just feel so invested in the company that if you need money, it’s hard to take money out of it. But at the same time, you can’t keep your business if you can’t leave.” Except for growth, the employees and roles remain much unchanged at Urban Orchard, as does their loyal base of regular customers. “We have like a local base that’s been established that’s definitely responsible for keeping us in business,” Mielke attests. “That’s one thing that I think is so cool about this taproom: It’s small and we have had people who have been here for so long so that if you are a regular customer, everyone knows your name. We banter back and forth, it’s such a friendly environment, and I’m really proud of it what we’ve created in that regard.” Urban Orchard’s investment in the community extends beyond their own customers. Mielke hails the business as a platform to help the Asheville community, which they do through quarterly fundraisers. The cidery also partners frequently with other breweries, most recently Highland

Brewing, who incorporated Anderson’s apple molasses into an Apple Molasses Brown Beer. These collaborations are strengthened by Anderson’s position on the Asheville Brewer’s Alliance Board. “We have a very strong relationship with breweries—I would

It’s intentionality and the pursuit of craft, accented by precision and moderation, that’s always defined Urban Orchard. The result is a dedicated and passionate community of makers and imbibers. be willing to say the best out of all cideries,” he says. “We feel like we’ve learned a lot from the brewing industry. Everyone is super helpful brewery to brewery, because they understand, you know, ‘Great, you got more attention than I did? No big deal. People are going to come see you, and while they’re here they’re going to come see me.’ You know, rising tides. And we promote that within our

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industry, especially locally, and really that’s what we are trying to achieve.” With their new location on the South Slope, Asheville’s beeriest ‘hood, that sense of community and collaboration will only heighten, especially as Urban Orchard uses the expansion as a launching pad for new endeavors, new collaborations, and new potential. A concert series, for example, will turn the loading dock into an occasional stage next year; that stage will be the focal point of the cidery’s big fifth anniversary celebration at the end of October. Bottling and a larger range of distribution is also in their future, likely within the next year, though Mielke is quick to point out national domination of the industry never was, and never will be, their intention. “Retail is actually better for us. Why are we going to bring on more equipment and package it and send it out to places where people don’t even know who we are, when we can sell it here locally?” she says. “We like that kind of small, boutique feel, and I feel like when you’re making a really good product, sometimes when you get to that massive size it’s hard to retain.” Urban Orchard Cider Co. is, in many ways, a harbinger of contradictions. They embrace and cultivate their divergence from other American cideries, but hold fast to their own traditions. They’ve grown exponentially, but with fettered and

intentional strides. Even their two locations are antithetical, one an expansive tourist destination, the other a local watering hole. But perhaps it’s not a series of contradictions, but a propogation of balance. It’s intentionality and the pursuit of craft, accented by precision and moderation, that’s always defined Urban Orchard. The result is a dedicated and passionate community of makers and imbibers. Production manager Hill said it best; when asked “Why cider?” his answer was magnanimous: “I think a better question to ask is, ‘Why the alcohol production industry?’ Because anyone that gets into the craft alcoholic beverage industry does it due to their immense passion to create a product that complete strangers will use to celebrate love, life, milestones—their highs, but also their defeats, their lows, and the loss of love and life. These strangers will never meet us, never know who we are and have no idea of the blood, sweat, and tears that we shed and the hardships we endure to give them a glass to raise in triumph, to drown out their fears with, or to help them deal with loss. We’re not here to make a ton of money; we’re here because we are deeply passionate about helping people celebrate life, love, and loss.”

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3. Rick Moeser, Executive Director of Christie's International Real Estate 4. Melinda Vetro of Old Europe with employees

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events

september

EVENTS

To celebrate the FEI World Equestrian Games, the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra will perform music of the horse, drawing from classics including Lawrence of Arabia and The William Tell Overture.

1 Million Cups 4th Anniversary

9-11AM Asheville Social Hall 81 Broadway St, Asheville, NC The weekly entrepreneurial group celebrates four years of successful networking. There will be snacks, coffee, and cocktails along with a live raffle. See our Insight profile of 1MC elsewhere in this issue; we are also a co-sponsor.

>1millioncups.com/asheville september 8

Rhythm and Reins

7:30PM Blue Ridge Community College, Concert Hall 49 East Campus Dr Flat Rock, NC

> 252-367-8789 > ashevillefilmfestival.com

>Tickets: Adult $40, Youth (0-39) $25, Student $10

september 5

Ron Cooper has collected transformative, challenging, and entertaining films for viewers inside and outside of the biz.

september 10

Pan Harmonia: Baroque and Beyond

> 828-697-5884 > hendersonvillesymphony.org

7:15PM

september 8

The Haen Gallery 52 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC

10AM-5PM

Three scholars of olden music will interpret Bach, Telemann, and the Princess of Prussia on flute, viola da gamba, and harpsichord. Hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres at 6:45.

Art in the Park Downtown: Park Ave, Blowing Rock, NC Over 90 juried artisans, mostly from our region, share a mix of media and genre in the plein air for this free event.

> 828-295-7851 > blowingrock.com september 8

Asheville Film Festival 2018 9AM-9PM

AB Tech 340 Victoria Rd, Asheville, NC

>Tickets: Door $25, Advance $20 > 828-254-7123 > panharmonia.org september 11-23

2018 FEI World Equestrian Games

Tryon International Equestrian Center 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC

limited memberships now available. visit biltmore.com/bscc or call 828-257-5959 for membership information.

Visit the Secret Corners of Provence mention this ad and receive a free round of sporting clays when you join ($30 value).

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Tryon lobbied hard to win this year’s world-class competitions. Held every four years in a different city, the events include jumping, vaulting, dressage, endurance, and more. For the duration, the community will be rife with horse events, including the inaugural World Equine Expo, featuring authors, film and art festival, and “exhibitioners.”

> 828-863-1471 > tryon2018.com

september 14 -16

september 15

Beekeeping Boot Camp

Veterans Healing Farm 19 Mashie Lane, Hendersonville, NC It’s a 3-day “intensive boot camp and crash course” for aspiring beekeepers, and veterans receive free training in this therapeutic, environment-enriching hobby. A collaboration with Doc’s Healing Hives; funding from Newman’s Own Foundation.

> veteranshealingfarm.com

september 13

ASAP’s Local Food Experience

10th Annual Eliada Corn Maze 2 Compton Dr, Asheville, NC

Meet farmers, chefs, and artisans; sample small plates and bites highlighting seasonal Appalachian Grown™ farm products from Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Rayburn Farm, Dark Cove Farm, The Culinary Gardener, Eliada Farm, and other local farms; and enjoy a cool one. Proceeds benefit ASAP.

It’s the 10th anniversary of Eliada Homes’ beloved corn maze, and for the first time it will be non-GMO corn that was planted. They have also applied for ABC permits in hopes of selling beer and cider. Eliada continues to serve our community’s children and this is their major fundraising event each year.

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11AM-4PM Grovewood Village 111 Grovewood Rd, Asheville, NC Meet makers who work in a variety of media, and browse original works of art ranging from jewelry to pottery to sculpture.

> 828-253-7651 > grovewood.com september 15

september 15 - october 28

6-8:30PM New Belgium Brewing 21 Craven Street, Asheville, NC

Open Studio Art Tour

Fast, friendly service

10th Annual Flock to the Rock 11-3PM Chimney Rock State Park 431 Main St, Chimney Rock, NC

Naturalists will teach about the birds all around, on hikes, at workshops, and through live demonstrations. Activities are included with the price of admission.

> Admission: Adult $15, Youth (5-15) $7 > 828-625-9611 > chimneyrockpark.com

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September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 99

events

Classic Wicker

september 15

ASO Masterworks Series: Liszt

Thomas Wolfe Auditorium 87 Haywood St., Asheville, NC

Traditional outdoor wicker furniture, originally designed using the diamond back pattern with a braided frame, and generous proportions for total comfort. Classic features a high back and wide arms accentuated by our ball foot in UV resistant woven N-dura™ resin and aluminum frame. Regent

Season Opener for the Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s “Masterworks” series will include works from Wagner and Shostakovich, plus International Tchaikovsky Competition medalist George Li in a performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1; Darko Butorac conducts.

> 828-258-3387 > ashevillesymphony.org

september 18 -20

Dahlia Daze Week

10-11AM Bullington Gardens 95 Upper Red Oak Trl, Hendersonville, NC

Hybridizer Brian Killingsworth will guide free tours through a garden of 600 dahlias of different shapes, colors, and sizes, some of which are his own cultivars. Advance registration required.

> 828-698-6104 > bullingtongardens.org september 19

september 15

The 5th Annual Blowing Rock Music Fest Club Aluminum

Featuring a contemporary woven design, Regent combines generous proportions and delicate curves. This collection is constructed using our patented N-dura™ Resin, intricately twisted across the back and arms of the frame creating a unique pattern. As distinguished as the name implies, Regent was designed with slightly broader arms for comfortable lounge seating. Easily paired with multiple existing collections, relax in a collection as transitional as it is timeless. Regent

8:30AM-8:30PM The Blowing Rock 432 The Rock Rd, Blowing Rock, NC Popular local groups will keep the live music blowing about the rock.

> Admission: Adult $45, Child (0-12) $10 > 828-295-4812 > theblowingrock.com

september 16

Mountain Medicine Festival 3-5:30PM Wedge at Foundation 5 Foundy St, Asheville, NC

109 BROADWAY

BLACK MOUNTAIN

(828) 669-5000 Mon. - Sat. 9am - 5:30pm TysonFurniture.com 100

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The free concert, hosted by Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville to benefit local environmental nonprofits, will feature Jay Brown and members of the Resonant Rogues. Nonprofits will have booths, and The Clean Plate food truck will be on-site as well.

> 828-575-9600 > integrativeasheville.org

Outdoor Industry Business Pitch Competition

5:30PM Highland Brewing Company 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Suite 200, Asheville NC

Innovators with established outdoor companies will pitch ideas for growing their businesses for monetary prizes. A panel of experts, plus a representative from the audience, will serve as judges.

> 828-299-3370 > sbtdc.org/outdoorbizpitch/ september 21-22

Carolina in the Fall

Downtown 100 East Main St, Wilkesboro, NC The Kruger Brothers host the fourth annual salute to folk music with artists from around the world.

>Tickets: 1 Day $30, 2 Days $55, VIP $130, Child FREE > 336-990-0747 > carolinainthefall.org

september 21- 23

2018 Asheville Running

Experience

The Salvage Station 468 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC Events include the Superhero 5k, Supervillain 10k, Chasing Trail 8k, and Urban Odyssey scavenger hunt.

> 828-400-5868 > ashevillerunningexperience.com

– october 28 Animal Attraction september 22

10AM-5PM Grovewood Village 111 Grovewood Rd, Asheville, NC

Thirteen invited artists display their interpretation of all things animal. The reception is September 22 from 2-5PM.

> 828-253-7651 > grovewood.com

At Ardenwoods, retirement living exceeds your expectations by securing your future with financial protection, access to long-term care, endless activities and the opportunity to live happier and healthier, for longer. Visit our warm and welcoming community and you’ll see your bright future here.

2400 Appalachian Blvd. Arden, NC 28704 828-684-7330 ArdenwoodsRetire.com

september 22

Art on the Mountain

9AM-3PM Ashe Arts Center: 303 School Ave, West Jefferson, NC

Arts, crafts, gifts, and demonstrations abound at this free event.

> 336-846-2787 > ashecountyarts.org september 22-23

Carolina Guitar Show

10AM-5PM (Sat), 10AM-4PM (Sun) WNC Agricultural Center, Davis Event Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd, Fletcher, NC Thousands of guitars, old and new, related instruments, and more in the way of gear.

> Admission: Saturday $10, Sunday

$8, Accompanied Child (0-12) FREE > 828-298-2197 > bee3vintage.com

Custom pools and spas. We create unique backyard environments 1200-C Hendersonville Rd. Asheville, NC • 828-277-8041 • waterworkswnc.com Swim Spas by American Whirlpool.

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events

september 23

Give to the Music Wine & Jazz Fest

1-6PM Asheville Outlets 800 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC

Booths and demonstrations will abound at this first annual event, featuring a wide variety of wines and tastes from local restaurants. Music by the Pam Jones Trio, Shabudika, and the Anne Coombs Jazz Quartet.

>Tickets: $25 (adv), $30 (day of) > 828-279-6396 > shopashevilleoutlets.com september 25

BRCC Concert Series: Kevin Ayesh, pianist

7:30PM Thomas Auditorium (in Sink Bldg.) Blue Ridge Community College, 180 W Campus Dr, Flat Rock, NC An all-Beethoven program, featuring the famous Pathetique and PastoraleÂ sonatas. Reception follows; cake provided by Chef Dan Knapp of Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community.

>Tickets:Â $10 (reg.), $5 (students) > 828-694-1742 > blueridge.edu september 25

A Musical Potpourri:

Dulcimers, Ukuleles, & Vocals 2PM Harvest House 247 Boone Heights Dr, Boone, NC

Like pineapple grits, Lois Hornbostel and Ehukai Teves, both acclaimed in their own rights, come together for a night of Appalachian dulcimer and Hawaiian uke.

> Donation: Suggested > mountainhomemusic.com 102

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– october 13 The Glass Menagerie september 27

7:30PM (Wed, Thu), 2PM (Thu, Sat, Sun), 8PM (Fri, Sat) Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage 2661 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock, NC Tennessee Williams explores the profound sadness in everyday family dysfunction.

>Tickets: Senior $49, Adult (18-59)

$52, Youth $17, Student (<26 w/ID) $32 > 828-693-0731 > flatrockplayhouse.org

september 28

Amanda Shires

8PM Orange Peel 101 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC While the singer-songwriter, ace fiddler, and American Association 2017 “Emerging Artist” honoree is also in husband Jason Isbell’s band (they headline the area’s biggest show this fall, on Sept. 21 at Memorial Stadium), her solo shows are also full-on Americana/rock celebrations not to miss.

>Tickets: $25 (seated), $18 (standing) > 828-398-1837 > theorangepeel.net

september 28

“Degenerate Composers”

8PM Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville 1 Edwin Place, Asheville, NC The Aspen String Trio celebrates the music of Hans Krása, Hans Gál, and Gideon Klein; all of whom suffered as Jews under the Third Reich.

> Admission: Adult $40, Youth (0-24) FREE > 828-575-7427 > ashevillechambermusic.org

september 28 -30

Asheville Quilt Show

9AM-5PM (Fri, Sat), 10AM-4:30PM (Sun) WNC Agricultural Center, Davis Event Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd, Fletcher, NC The Asheville Quilt Guild brings you gobs and oodles of quilts and quilt stuff just in time to keep warm for the winter. This year’s theme is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”

> Admission: $7 > 828-650-9708 > ashevillequiltguild.org september 28 -30

september 28

Main Stage Series: Masters of Soul

8PM Tryon Fine Arts Center, Veh Stage 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon, NC Re-enactors bring back the brilliant soul of Motown in voice, dance, and costume.

>Tickets: Premium $40, Standard $35 > 828-859-8322 > tryonarts.org

The Carolina Ramble & Reunion

Brayshaw Farm 158 Frances McQueen Rd, Vilas, NC Food, music, and games for the whole family. Bands being lined up for the fifth annual include Possum Jenkins, Wurlitzer Prize, and Tellico.

>Tickets: $10-$27 > 828-773-3619 > carolinaramble.com September 2018 | capitalatplay.com 103

We Stand Behind Our Work. Period.

events

september 29 -30

National Alpaca Farm Days

10AM-4PM (Sat) & 12-4PM (Sun) Apple Hill Farm: 400 Apple Hill Rd, Banner Elk, NC Celebrate the day with tours leaving every hour on the hour. Get up close and personal with the cute little buddies and get the jump on what the fashionistas will be wearing this season in alpaca.

>Tickets: Adult $12, Child (4-10) $7, Infant FREE > 828-963-1662 > applehillfarmnc.com september 29

Add Beauty, Property Value & Protection with Retaining Walls from Greenscapes (828) 713-0100

ncgreenscapes.com

Creatures of the Night & Bonfire Delight

5:30-9:30PM Grandfather Mountain: 2050 Blowing Rock Hwy, Linville, NC Nocturnal animals are opening their doors for a beautiful habitats tour. Some may even give live demonstrations. Advance registration ($40) required.

> 800-468-7325 > grandfather.com september 29

Annual Cross-Country Schooling Day 8AM-3PM FENCE: 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC

The Tryon Riding and Hunt Club offers horse training for the whole horse.

> Entry Fee $35 > 513-314-1146 > tryonridingandhuntclub.org

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 at least six weeks in advance.

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