Thank you to our sponsors Park National Bank, Sierra Nevada and FASTSIGNS for making this event possible!
Check out the full album of photos from the event.
Our 2022 Winners:
Appalachian Mountain Community Health Center
Appalachian Mountain Community Health Center provides timely, comprehensive, quality health services to residents of Western North Carolina, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Thanks to strengthened leadership and community involvement, Appalachian Mountain Community Health Center added 14 new positions in 2021 and are hoping to add 15 positions throughout 2022. The center is currently in the process of establishing an Asheville Clinic, expanding in Sylva and creating both a mobile medical and a mobile dental van to expand its reach to a larger portion of the region. The Center is committed to continued growth in order to provide a resource for people to take care of their healthcare needs.
During the onslaught of the pandemic, Applied Solutions Group adapted quickly to take care of their client’s needs. Their excellent customer service paid off, too. The IT company saw a 118 percent increase in revenue from 2020 to 2021. Because of this, the company has been able to increase salaries and adjust costs for inflation. Applied Solutions offers many benefits to their team, but one important request was health insurance. The company previously offered it at 50% cost but was able to move to 100% employer-paid health coverage this year because of its phenomenal growth.
The Asheville Art Museum has proven itself to be a world-class arts destination. Over the course of the past two years, the museum has been able to grow staff and increase its community reach through educational and engaging programming. With more visitors since pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, as well as increased grant funding for exhibitions, the museum was able to increase its revenue by 19 percent from 2020 to 2021. The Asheville Art Museum has demonstrated its commitment to bringing new, exciting ideas to the forefront of our community as it continues to grow and flourish.
Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts
In January of 2007, Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts opened its doors to our community with the mission “to make the greatest positive difference for the greatest number of people.” Fifteen years later, Asheville Sun Soo has won numerous awards, gained notoriety, and has grown to be one of the largest martial arts schools in North America. The company also donates time and money annually to a variety of schools, businesses, and non-profits promoting core values through their traditional martial arts practice. Through innovation, business savvy, and determined commitment to its mission, Asheville Sun Soo not only made it through the pandemic, but they are now on its way to having the most successful year to date since opening.
Canopy is committed to transparency with a working philosophy that their customers should be able to grow their businesses without being burdened by avoidable challenges. The advertising technology company is experiencing positive year-over-year growth as they acquire new customers and expand relationships with existing partners. As the company gets settled into the Asheville region, they are committed to supporting Western North Carolina’s small to mid-sized businesses achieve their goals.
CooperRiis Healing Community has been in existence since 2003, helping to destigmatize mental health conditions and change the lives of people impacted by mental health illnesses. The non-profit’s goal is to see residents transition through its programming and into independent living, in the least restrictive manner possible. During the pandemic, CooperRiis added several positions and shifted its programming to better meet the needs to clients. This re-programming not only positively impacted the lives of many residents coming into its care, but also the lives of those that love and care for those residents. Across all three of their campus locations, CooperRiis continues to meet the needs of those they serve in new and creative ways.
Eaton has a long-standing reputation for stability, career growth opportunities and giving community engagement. The power management company provides nearly 1500 employment opportunities within our region and the company continues to grow and add jobs within the manufacturing industry in Asheville. Eaton has seen a sizable increase in workforce and revenue during the past two years, thanks to growth in markets combined with product innovation, superior quality and customer service. In 2021, Eaton invested $6M into a new site in Arden, creating more jobs in the area and stronger roots in our community.
Fosnight Center for Sexual Health
Fosnight Center for Sexual Health is meeting needs that have not previously been met in our region. Founded in 2019, the center’s mission is to restore the fullness and richness of life through accessible, whole-person, integrative treatment and education for sexual healing and wellness. In a world that focuses on fixing problems, Fosnight believes in taking a preventative-based approach to sexual health concerns. In the past two years, the center has seen rapid growth, allowing them to expand and add several positions with plans to create more in the coming year to keep up with demand.
In a region full of traditional craft breweries, Ginger’s Revenge offers a specialized approach to a unique product: alcoholic ginger beer. As one of only a handful of breweries in the US that concentrates on the production of alcoholic ginger beer, Ginger’s Revenge is tapping into a corner of the beverage market that’s clearly thirsty. After two full years of changing and adapting, they’ve grown their team to eighteen people, increased their annual revenue by 35 percent, distributed to new territories, and expanded their reach by shipping beer to several other states.
Hi-Wire Brewing has become a staple of the Asheville homegrown business community. Since its inception in 2013, the brewery has been growth-oriented, while remaining true to its spirit and its core values. Hi-Wire continues to see substantial growth, which can be attributed to the brewery’s quality, consistency, and perhaps most importantly, its evolving and adapting products and business plan. Over the past few years, Hi-Wire has focused on collaborative projects with local, regional, and national breweries, taking their beer to outside markets for distribution and opening taprooms all in an effort to grow the Hi-Wire family.
At Lakeview Putt and Play, customers are able to partake in a classic family activity in a truly innovative way. The mini-golf course was designed to complement the existing natural landscape and the integration of interactive indoor virtual reality booths and outdoor laser tag sets them apart from all other mini-golf courses in the region. As soon as Lakeview reopened following the initial shutdown, both customers and employees returned in troves, seeing a revenue increase of more than 55% from 2020 to 2021. As Lakeview continues to grow, they are focused on evolving and meeting the needs of the community.
Mosaix Group started in 2001 with a card table, a garage, and a really big idea. Over the years, Mosaix expanded its footprint, blossoming steadily into a full-scale global event management company with additional offices in Charlotte and Greenville. As an event management company, the pandemic presented some incredibly difficult challenges, but Mosaix innovated and stayed intact thanks to a great team. With an increase of events in the corporate world and a decrease in pandemic anxieties, Mosaix has bounced back with no plans to slow the pace of growth.
While they’ve been helping clients expand their businesses and earn millions of dollars in revenue, Nomadic has been growing too. From 2020 to 2021, the digital marketing and custom software company doubled its annual revenue aided by aggressive business development and lead generation strategy. With the addition of 11 full-time positions in the past two years, Nomadic has been able to expand its services and retain clients through excellent customer service. As the company continues to expand, they plan to give back and celebrate the Asheville community through volunteer efforts.
Through the determination and dedication of their extraordinary staff, volunteers, supporters and generous funders, Pisgah Legal Services has almost doubled in size to serve our region during one of the most difficult times in recent history. In the past two years, the nonprofit opened four new offices and added more than 50 jobs to assist people in need throughout Western North Carolina for services that range from stopping domestic violence to preventing homelessness, accessing basic income and life-saving health care. A large part of this growth is due to a multi-year grant from the Dogwood Health Trust to launch the WNC Economic Recovery Program, which helps people enroll in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans. Pisgah Legal Services is truly a regional nonprofit that exists to serve the entire region.
Rockcliff Oral and Facial Surgery & Dental Implant Center
For more than 40 years, Rockcliff Oral and Facial Surgery & Dental Implant Center has been a leading center for surgical care in Western North Carolina. In recent years, the center has seen outstanding growth with a significant increase in revenue and the addition of several new positions. With locations across the region, Rockcliff is able to provide better access to care. The center strives to provide the highest level of service, using the best scientific evidence and proven techniques and a kind and compassionate approach.
Sanesco has catapulted in growth over the past two years. The laboratory testing company nearly quadrupled revenue and transformed its workforce by hiring 30 new positions in 2020 and 2021. With plans to hire another 21 positions this year, the family-owned, minority-owned business isn’t slowing down anytime soon. As Sanesco continues to expand it testing services, they are focused on the ability to deliver top-notch laboratory service that puts Western North Carolina first.
Shoji Spa & Retreat has defied the odds of success several times over these past 17 years. During the pandemic, though, the business hired a talented and proven General Manager. With an eye for detail as much as the big picture, under the new management, Shoji has been able to optimize and elevate all aspects of the business. Pivoting to meet the customer needs during this pandemic, the spa broadened its staff and its treatment assortment to allow for safe, private, exceptional wellness experiences. With perseverance and nearly two decades of fine-tuning a unique, memorable, healthy experience has finally yielded a significant return on investment for the spa.
At Sona Pharmacy & Clinic, patients are more than medications. Because of its commitment to patient care, the pharmacy has seen sizable growth in revenue and workforce. The company was able to maintain all existing employees and continued to hire throughout the past two years, as well as staffing their second pharmacy location in South Asheville which is set to be completed in the Fall of this year. Keeping the patient at the center of every business decision has allowed the company to build a new and innovative pharmacy model that the Asheville community continues to embrace.
Even after 37 years in business, Tessier Associates’ vision for the future is as fresh as ever.. During the past few years, the company has seen phenomenal growth. With a 35% increase in revenue in 2021, one of the major challenges the company has faced is its quick growth. As Tessier has added clients and employees, they have had to adapt and embrace new policies, procedures, technology, and even workspaces. In the face of these good challenges, the growing company is always striving it make things better, for employees, clients and the community.
The Matt & Molly Team – Keller Williams Realty
The Matt & Molly Team of Keller Williams Realty is focused on taking the stress out of real estate transactions. After another fascinating year in real estate, the team has grown and developed analytical tools for agents to use that educate clients on the market landscape and what it takes to be successful, whether selling or purchasing. The Matt & Molly team is dedicated to our community and giving back through philanthropic efforts and local sponsorships. Along with team members volunteering and serving on local boards, the company regularly hosts charitable events to show their support to the community that has helped them shine.
UPM Raflatac prides itself on being a major and responsible manufacturer, providing both quality job opportunities and creating positive climate action through a commitment to sustainability. In the past year, UPM Raflactac added 27 new full-time positions locally with an average salary of $65,000, as well as plans to add a dozen more. The company is committed to the development of its employees, supporting a balanced work/home life and fostering an inclusive, diverse and safe workplace.
Warren Restoration is always on the lookout for new revenue streams to help grow its business and it’s working. After experiencing a loss in revenue in 2020, the business is bouncing back with even greater revenue than before the pandemic. The local and family-owned restoration business kept people employed even at the height of the pandemic by investing in training when sales were low and has added several positions in the past three years. Warren Restoration’s resiliency and investment in our community has resulted in much deserved continued growth.
Zoe Dental’s continued growth can be credited to the cohesive culture the company has fostered among its team and customers. During the past two years, Zoe Dental was able to add to their team with two full-time positions – HR manager and Sterilization Technician – as well as seeing significant growth in revenue. The company has continued to give back to the community, as well, with events like Smiles for Freedom, which offers free dental services to veterans. With a clear commitment to give back, Zoe Dental has cemented the company’s standing with the Asheville community and beyond.