Speed of Business - Natural High Life
Date Posted: 5/1/2008

Speed of Business – Natural High Life

Today’s entrepreneurs deserve to have it all – from the convenience of operating at the “speed of business” to experiencing a “natural high life” each day.

Tom Dempsey of Sylvan Sport selected Cedar Mountain for his headquarters situated within walking distance to the trailheads of DuPont State Forest and near the beautiful and rugged Pisgah National Forest which is about a 30-minute drive from the Asheville Regional Airport. 

Dempsey has worked closely for several years with the Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council at AdvantageWest including the recent successful launch of his latest outdoor recreational product – the GO Mobile Adventure Gear www.sylvansport.com. Entrepreneurs like Dempsey have found the technology in place to run their businesses in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge. 

As part of AdvantageWest’s commitment to entrepreneurs we recently announced completion of 177 miles of fiber network in the region thanks to a $1.45 million grant from the e-NC Authority and collaboration with ERC Broadband, electric co-ops and rural cable TV providers. Another successful project in the region is BalsamWest FiberNET, LLC which was founded in 2003 by Drake Enterprises and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian based on an Appalachian Access Initiative through Southwestern Community College. BalsamWest has successfully deployed 300 miles of underground fiber in a self-healing loop and operating at OC-192. 

Telecom broadband is a priority across the region through AdvantageWest’s new Certified Entrepreneurial Community Program^SM (CEC^SM ). Fourteen communities are currently pursuing certification through CEC^SM, the first such program in the country. The primary objective of CEC is to continually strengthen the business climate for entrepreneurs and existing companies.

If you’re interested in joining successful entrepreneurs like Tom Dempsey, or for more information on any of the programs of AdvantageWest, please contact Sr. Director, Programs Pam Lewis at plewis@awnc.org or 828-687-7234. If you wish to request assistance via our website, click here or go to the “I Want to Get Started!” button on the home page.

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