Business Buzz: 2/14/20

February 14, 2020

Award

AdventHealth has received a 5 star quality rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service in their latest evaluation. Out of the 4500+ hospitals that the Center reviewed, AdventHealth is one of only 407 hospitals that received this rating. This award follows up their recent Award for Excellence in Patient Safety from Premier, Inc. late last year. Keep up the good work, AdventHealth!

Community

The 17th annual Montford Music and Arts Festival will be held from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, May 30th. The festival is the longest-running and only free festival in the greater Asheville area, and features family-friendly activities like face painting, artist displays, food trucks, sidewalk chalk, and more. Scheduling has been bumped to later in May than the festival is typically held so it does not interfere with LEAF…. no need to choose between the two.

Expansion

New Orleans integrated tech consulting company Mirliton Media is coming to Asheville with a brand new name. Founder Brian Jones has worked with global companies and startups ranging from the Snapple Group to the Department of Homeland Security, and plans to transition to Asheville under the new name BayouNorth. Learn more about BayouNorth‘s consulting, disaster planning, and recovery services on their website.

Funding

If you have an idea for a project that would improve accessibility, community, civic engagement, and public spaces, the AARP wants to hear from you. Each year, the AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to fund “quick-action” projects; last year, they distributed nearly $1.6 million in small grants to 150+ communities. The 2020 application period is open now until April 1st. Learn more and apply here.

Just For Fun

For all the music and technology nerds out there… the Bob Moog Foundation is raffling off a vintage Minimoog synthesizer signed by Herbie Hancock. The synth is valued at approximately $5,000, and the proceeds will benefit the Moogseum and Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, an educational outreach program for students to teach them about the science of sound. The raffle is currently open. Tickets start at $25, and will be available until the end of the raffle period on Tuesday, March 10th. Snag your raffle tickets here.

Opportunity

UNC Asheville is hiring an Assistant Director of Advancement Services. The position’s main areas of responsibility are fulfilling data requests from Advancement and across campus, creating solutions for ongoing data needs to enhance fundraising efforts, maintaining the database in support of fundraising data analytics, overseeing gift processing, and providing analysis to fundraisers. See the full job posting on their website.

Outreach

Want to get better at networking, but not sure how? Mega-Networking is a bi-annual event hosted here at the Chamber designed with introverts and new entrepreneurs as well as seasoned professionals in mind. The latest event is on March 12, and registration is now open. If you’re still not convinced, read what past attendees have to say on our blog.
The area Rotary Clubs are banding together to pack nutritious meals for families in need in Western North Carolina for the 11th annual Rotarians Against Hunger drive. You can help them pack meals on March 21st at the Reuter Family YMCA in Biltmore Park. The goal is to package 350,000 meals including black beans, brown rice and white rice that will be distributed by MANNA FoodBank. A portion of the funds raised will go toward distributing seeds internationally through Seed Programs International. Sign up for a shift online.

Retirement

Jimm Bunch, president and CEO of AdventHealth Hendersonville, will retire in March of this year, according to a recent press release. He has served in this role since 2006. Mr. Bunch will remain in Asheville with his family and continue to serve as a mentor for AdventHealth’s new Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance team. AdventHealth expects to name their next president in the coming weeks.