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Industry recruiters announce officers, new board members

Hendersonville Business

Hendersonville Moose Cafe closes

Moose Café,a popular brand for country breakfast and Southern cooking, has found what many restaurants before it have learned: A corner spot in the sprawling Wal-Mart shopping center is a tough location. Obsured by the Wal-Mart gas station, the space in the southeastern corner now has an empty parking lot and the need, again, for a new tenant. Originally built in 2002 as a Lizard’s Thicket family style restaurant, the building has housed a seafood restaurant, Greek restaurant and several other eateries. The Moose Cafe opened in 2014. Owned by JCC Rental Properties LLC of Homestead, Fla., the 1.75-acre parcel and 6,300-square-foot building are assessed on the tax roll at $1.4 million. "I found out that it closed," said Bill Walker, owner of the Moose Cafe at the WNC Farmers Market in Asheville, which is not connected to the Hendersonville location. "It was individually owned by a guy who owned a hotel over there and had a franchise agreement with the Moose Cafe in Greensboro. Usually when a restaurant closes it's not doing very well." He said he had not heard much from diners about the closing. "I don't think they had that many customers to make comments," he said. "It doesn't surprise me because we had heard it wasn't that busy." A commenter on TripAdvisor.com reported that the Southern food restaurant closed for good on July 20. "On Thursday, July 20, 2017 my wife & I drove to this cafe since their telephone answering process left us 'wondering' about our need to make a reservation for a group breakfast for Friday, July 21. We found a handwritten sign posted on the front door 'Closing at 1:00 p.m.' "We drove back to the cafe on Friday July 21 and asked of two folks at the rear service entrance about the status of the cafe. We were told it had closed, permanently, '... yesterday.' There is still a hand-written sign on the door, except now it says "Closed at 1 p.m." Outside, signs of the restaurant had already vanished. Removing the Moose Cafe sign revealed the name of the last occupant before Moose: the Mad Greek Eatery. The Moose cafe phone was unable to take messages. The mailbox was full.     Read Story »

Mills River Business

Mills River brewery creates this year's Oktoberfest seasonal

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will introduce this year's special Oktoberfest beer — created at Sierra Nevada's Mills River plant — during its two big Oktoberfest in September. For the past three years, Sierra Nevada has partnered with a different German craft brewery to create an authentic fest beer fit for celebrating the world’s largest beer festival right here at home. This year, Brauhaus Miltenberger, one of Germany’s most highly regarded craft brewers, was tapped for the collaboration. “Cornelius and his team from Brauhaus Miltenberger embody the spirit and tradition of Oktoberfest,” says Brian Grossman, second-generation brewer for Sierra Nevada and manager of the Mills River plant. “It was great to host them at our brewery in Mills River for the creation of this year’s fest beer. They brought literally centuries of family brewing experience to the mix and helped us create the ultimate festival beer.” “We tried to re-create a classic Oktoberfest beer in the true German tradition,” says Cornelius Faust, fourth-generation brewmaster for Brauhaus Miltenberger. “We used traditional techniques to create layers of rich malt notes that remain light and crisp to the taste. That’s the secret of an authentic fest beer—complex malt flavor in a lager that remains easy to drink while you are celebrating the Oktoberfest season.” Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is a deep golden lager weighing in at 6.1% ABV with an authentic, rich, and layered malt flavor balanced by traditional German-grown hops. New for 2017 is Oktoberfest in 12-ounce cans, in addition to 12-ounce bottles and draught offerings. Named one of America’s best Oktoberfest festivals, the event is a big celebration of German culture and tradition, with live music, dancing, costumes, contests and, of course, beer. Mills River welcomes guests Saturday, Sept. 30.     Read Story »

Henderson County Business

Zoning board narrowly upholds event barn permit

Residents wearing stickers that read "Revoke!" fell silent and supporters of event barn owners Bill and Tamra Crane clapped and cheered after the Henderson County Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 3-2 to uphold a permit for the facility, which has sparked a bitter neighborhood dispute and triggered a broader discussion of commercial uses in residential zones.   Read Story »

Mills River Business

Pardee to open urgent care clinic in Mills River

Pardee UNC Health Care plans to open a 2,500-square-foot urgent care center in the Ingles Shopping Center in Mills River by February, the hospital announced Thursday. The urgent care center on N.C. 280 at North Mills River Road would be Pardee's third in Henderson County. It also operates clinics off of Four Seasons Boulevard and at the Mission Pardee Health Campus in Fletcher. “We are excited to see the population and industry growth in the Mills River and Etowah areas of Henderson County,” Johnna Reed, chief administrative officer at Pardee, said in a news release. “As demonstrated with previous market growth, we see an increased demand for urgent care centers. Urgent care continues to play an integral role in the continuum of care and we want to make sure residents have the care they need, when and where they need it.” The decision would appear to suspend, for now, any plans to develop a 20-acre parcel aross the road that Pardee bought in 2015. “We continue to evaluate the best use for the property across the street,” Reed said. “Our board and our administration want to ensure that the health care services offered are in alignment with the long-range needs of the area.” According to the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine, urgent care facilities fill the gap in health care that exists between the primary care provider and the emergency room. There are approximately 8,000 centers in the United States and another 1,200 retail clinics operating in mainstream drugstores. The difference in the two is that urgent care centers, like the one set to open in Mills River, provide a broader scope of services than a retail clinic. Wounds, injuries, fractures, asthma attacks and mild concussions can be treated, in addition to the sore throats, common cold and allergic reactions treated in retail clinics. In addition, Pardee’s urgent care center will have X-ray and lab facilities, with board-certified providers providing medical services. Pardee’s urgent care centers also offer sports physicals and pre-employment physicals and testing. “Since our urgent care centers are part of the larger Pardee UNC Health Care system, our physicians and medical staff can make the appropriate referrals if a patient presents with something more complicated,” said Reed. “In addition, patients usually find that the average cost of a visit to an urgent care center is significantly less than to an emergency department, with much less time spent waiting for care. While urgent care centers are not meant to replace the primary care physician, we do see them as transforming how patients access care, particularly after hours when their doctor may not be available.”   The opportunity for an urgent care center in the Ingles shopping center accommodated the immediate timing and needs of the community, she added.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Business

Ask Matt ... about right on red, training center cost

Q. What’s in all those yellow crates on the vacant lot at Busy Bend on Kanuga Road? Sea-Doo jet skis. There are about two dozen stacked on the vacant lot across from Dal-Kawa Cycle Center, the motorcycle and motor sports dealership at 312 Kanuga Road. For the record, “jet ski” is actually a Kawasaki brand name for personal water craft, just like Sea-Doo.I spoke to Corey Noble, Dal-Kawa’s general manager. The dealership has been in business in Hendersonville for 47 years. They carry Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycles plus Kymco, which makes ATVs (4-wheel all-terrain vehicles). Noble shared some big changes in the motor sports business. Last spring Hunter Volvo in Asheville closed its Patton Avenue business and at the same time acquired Dal-Kawa. After the merger, Hunter moved the Bombardier brand of power sports equipment and the Sea-Doo “jet skis” to Hendersonville, which is now the new market hub for a large region that reaches as far as Knoxville and Charlotte.The new Sea-Doo is not your father’s power watercraft. Noble said models range in price from $7,000 to $30,000. OK, but what do you get for the high end model? “Speed and power,” replied Noble. “It’s a monster with 300 hp and it can pull a water skier.” Noble expects to sell out of the Sea-Doo inventory just as they did last year. See you on the water. Q. What happened to House Bill 48? Last March I did a piece on HB 48, a bill that would have extended the “cooling off” period for state legislators where, if passed, they must wait 12 months (rather than six) after their terms end before they can become a registered lobbyist. Well, as predicted by Rep. Chuck McGrady, the bill’s sponsor, the measure died in committee. Q. What would be the increase to the county tax rate to pay for the construction of the sheriff’s proposed training facility? Technically none, according to Henderson County officials and the Board of Commissioners. The county doesn’t pay cash for major capital projects. When it’s time to start the project, which has not been approved in a final form yet, the county will borrow the money and pay it back over time. Although the law enforcement training center is budgeted in the long-range capital plan at $20 million, Sheriff Charlie McDonald is working now on cutting the cost. One might argue that taxpayers could receive a tax cut if the project was not in the county budget. Interestingly, the debt service for the law enforcement training center, $1,282,000 a year, is almost exactly the amount that 1 cent on the tax rate generates — $1,283,332. The current county tax rate is 56½ cents per $100 valuation. The county’s financial forecast shows that total debt reaches $192 million in 2019 while debt service peaks at $21.9 million in 2020. The outstanding debt goes back as far as the county jail (2001) and includes newer projects such as the Health Sciences Center, the Innovative High School, Edneyville Elementary School, Hendersonville High School and the emergency services headquarters. Q. Before I get a ticket, when driving from Asheville exiting I-26 onto U.S. 64 going toward Hendersonville, can I make a right turn on red at the stop light? There is no sign that says you can’t. Better not. This is not a true “T” type intersection; in fact, it’s more of a “Y.” Four Seasons Boulevard has multiple lanes and according to the Hendersonville police, driver visibility is poor. A right turn on red is an unsafe movement and you could be cited. That intersection is similar to the northbound turn from Spartanburg Highway to South Main Street, where there is a “no turn on red” sign. * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Henderson County Business

WHHS teacher chosen for statewide program

West Henderson High School health sciences teacher Jodi Rector has been selected as one of 50 middle and high school teachers across the state to participate in the Teachers@Work program, a joint initiative between the North Carolina Business Committee for Education and the state Department of Public Instruction that helps teachers connect the classroom curriculum with the skill sets needed by local businesses. Each of the state’s eight education regions will be represented by at least two teachers in this year’s initiative.“Teachers@Work is about helping our state’s educators make relevant connections between the workplace and their classroom,” NCBCE Executive Director Caroline Sullivan said in a news release. “This, in turn, will help to create a highly skilled, competitive workforce that will strengthen economic development across North Carolina.”Participating teachers spend one week during their summer monitoring a local company in or close to their community. Teachers will be paired with employees of the company and will be exposed to different aspects of the business. . Rector will spend a week on-site at Mission Health and then create a lesson plan that showcases both hard and soft skills needed by future employees that are specific to Mission Health and the local health care industry.   Read Story »

Henderson County Business

Event barn sparks neighborhood war

Bill Crane is working long hours alongside his two older sons to get an event barn ready for an October wedding.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Business

Construction value up 44%

Housing starts and renovations continued to show an upward trend this calendar year and for the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the Henderson County Inspections Department reported.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Business

Townsend joins Lightning as reporter

Natasha Townsend, a 2015 graduate of Hendersonville High School and rising junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has joined the Hendersonville Lightning as a summer correspondent.   Read Story »

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