Sky High Awards honor 28 businesses for their successes
Businesses are an important part of what makes this such a vibrant community. Asheville area businesses not only work hard to have a successful business. They also give of their time, resources and talents to make this such a unique place. The Asheville Chamber presents the Sky High Growth Awards in tribute to the success of these businesses and to their contribution to our local economy.
These 28 companies collectively represent more than 3,500 jobs.
2018 Sky High Growth Award Winners
Aeroflow Healthcare
Founded in Asheville in 2001 as a provider of durable medical equipment, Aeroflow Healthcare ensures quality care for patients from the first breath of life to the last. Aeroflow employs a qualified staff of more than 200 with experience in healthcare, caregiving and meeting needs for home medical equipment and services. The company’s innovative business approaches and care for patients has proven successful. Aeroflow Healthcare has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the country for the past three years in a row.
Anthroware
Anthroware has grown beyond custom software and websites to become synonymous with Digital Product Development, building products people need and love to use. Over the past year, Anthroware has taken an extremely intentional approach in choosing which companies they work with and they’ve gotten smarter about communicating their unique product offering. Anthroware productized its enterprise-level large offerings into entry-level options. This opened the door for a wider range of customers and created a new pipeline of repeat business.
Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group
Atlantic Bay came into the Asheville market in 2014 with only two employees. Since then, they have grown to 10 employees. They have sponsored or volunteered at many local events and have raised more than $13,000 over the last two years for Homeward Bound through their Pints for a Purpose event. Their gross lending volume in the Asheville market has grown from $8.1M in 2014 to $56M last year.
Avadim Technologies, Inc.
Avadim Technologies reaches for new ways to improve health and enhance quality of life. The word avadim means “to serve.” That sense of service extends to their shareholders, hospitals, patients, employees and community. Avadim’s innovative products and therapies are making a difference in a wide range of areas—from infection and wound care to muscle cramps and more. Avadim was ranked by INC 5000 as the second fastest growing company in North Carolina, and they are well on their way to being one of our area’s largest employers.
Blue Ridge Public Radio
Blue Ridge Public Radio provides our community with radio stations that respect audiences and their intelligence with two full broadcast channels of high-quality public radio. In 2017, BPR launched the region’s only full-time, all-news radio station – BPR News. It has reached its largest audience ever and is in a dead-heat for the #1 radio station in the region – a significant achievement for an NPR station. Most importantly, BPR provides independent journalism and culture and arts coverage for Buncombe County’s growing population that is increasingly embracing the station as a critical community resource and connector
Brumit Restaurant Group
Brumit Restaurant Group operates Arby’s restaurants in North and South Carolina. Joe Brumit started as a franchisee in 1988 with 13 locations in Western North Carolina. Today, with a very talented team of people, they operate 50 Arby’s restaurants across North and South Carolina. Over the past three years they have seen double-digit growth in revenue AND in their workforce.
Capstone Health Alliance
Capstone Health Alliance is motivated to save healthcare entities money through group purchasing, collaboration and innovation. Capstone attributes their growth to a company culture that empowers team members to deliver results and recognize areas for improvement. They take time to celebrate successes which helps each team member feel valued and appreciated as employees which ultimately enables them to put strong focus on member needs.
Celine and Company Catering “On Broadway”
Celine and Company has been a leader in serving some of Asheville’s finest catering cuisine for more than 20 years. Since purchasing the business in 2015, Chef Kim Lloyd has focused on delivering warm hospitality, enthusiastic service and unique fresh cuisine. She has also worked hard to build meaningful community partnerships and offer her staff the opportunity for professional and personal growth. The company places an emphasis on competing fairly in the market, being community and environmentally aware.
Dynamite Roasting Co.
Dynamite Roasting Company has been providing 100% certified organic and fair trade coffee since day one. Behind that commitment to great coffee is an even stronger commitment to their customers, their growers and the environment. As Dynamite Roasting enters its 10th year in business, their growth is moving them toward building a new production facility and continuing their service to WNC-area restaurants, hospitality and craft products industries.
Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals is a leading staffing provider helping job seekers find work with a wide variety of local businesses. Locally owned, they are passionate about putting people to work in our community. In addition to the growth of their own staff and revenue, Express Employment has made a significant impact on the local economy through job placements. In 2017, they provided people to tackle more than 1,000 assignments and 369 people were hired for permanent positions with WNC employers.
The Farm
For owners Myron and Beverly Gottfried, creating their event venue known as The Farm has been a labor of love, adding facilities and services to provide memorable experiences for their customers. The Farm recently added a full catering kitchen and is now a premiere full-service event destination. They have been voted in the top two percent of wedding venues in the country for the last three years running. They are developing ways to diversify their revenue stream and round out their calendar, actively pursuing corporate business.
Farm to Fender
Farm to Fender started in 2013 with $5000, a staff of one and a used, hot pink food truck. Now, five years later, the company started by Chef Jeremiah Jackson employs 13 people and operates two trucks, a café, a commissary kitchen with rentable commercial kitchen space and a catering. Behind that growth is a strong mission to strengthen community and the local economy by supporting other local businesses and farmers.
Greenstone Media
Greenstone Media is a full service digital agency dedicated to crafting technical solutions that work and creating web design that makes a statement. Founder Nathan Silsbee, CEO Chase Highley and the rest of the Greenstone team are dedicated to achieving excellent results for their clients. That focus enables them to produce consistent, replicable results and a powerful ROI for their clients. Helping clients increase their bottom line has in turn increased Greenstone’s bottom line.
Hickory Nut Gap Meats
Fourth generation farmer Jamie Ager and his wife Amy have been raising beef cattle, pigs, poultry, and apples at Hickory Nut Gap since 2000. Their business has seen significant growth in their workforce over the past three years due in part to their creative marketing of different products into different markets and partnering with local groceries as well as distributors to sell pasture raised meats into local and regional markets.
Kudzu Brands
The idea for Kudzu Brands was planted in 2010 at the dining room table of entrepreneurial couple Murphy and Kenny Capps. With a lot of hard work and the tenacity of its namesake, Kudzu Brands has grown into two floors of a historic building in downtown Black Mountain, and a second office in downtown Asheville. Provinding marketing and branding expertise, Kudzu Brands has supported the growth of hundreds of businesses from Asheville, North Carolina to Chatham, Maine.
McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
McMillan Pazdan Smith is a regional, studio-based architecture, planning, and interior design firm. In 2015, their Asheville office was a one-man operation in a dusty closet. Today, they have grown to a vibrant and energetic team of nine in a newly renovated space in the heart of downtown. The firm is particularly proud of the diversity of their experience, their commitment to technology, and cross-studio engagement, believing that as they continue to re-invest energy in these areas, they will continue to see sustainable growth.
Mind Your Business
Mind Your Business is a leading provider of pre-employment, drug and background screening. Founder and CEO Karen Caruso’s vision to seek government solicitations has successfully paid off with the company being awarded many large government contracts. Their revenue has tripled over the last year and they have hired additional staff to offer support services to both private and federal sector. In addition, Karen has a passion for finding and creating jobs for those groups in our society who are pushed into low wage jobs because of life’s circumstances.
Mosaix Group
In 2017, Mosaix Group expanded both its staff and client base, positioning Asheville as a top-tier destination for corporate meetings and events while also managing large-scale events throughout North America and booking a record-breaking month in the company’s history. Over the past year, Mosaix Group won several prestigious awards including the Association of Destination Management Executives International’s Team Building Award and the 2017 WomanUp Best in Business Award for Managing Director Melissa Murray.
Parsec Financial Wealth Management
Bart Boyer founded Parsec Financial Management in 1980. Since its founding, the firm has grown dramatically, adding offices in Tryon and Winston-Salem over the last two years. They are committed to providing a convenient service with a high level of expertise and are constantly looking for innovative ways to enhance the services they offer. Because they believe that the communities they serve directly impact their growth, Parsec is committed to donating a percentage of their revenues each year.
Pisgah Pest Control
Pisgah Pest Control is a local favorite for pest control, prevention, and wildlife removal. Because of their knowledgeable techniques, they are a go-to when you need to take care of unexpected mountain visitors. Pisgah Pest Control staff are always working towards higher levels of certification and continued education to provide great service. Over the past year, Pisgah Pest Control expanded into Biltmore and Hendersonville, with an entirely female staff in Biltmore.
PLI
PLI traces its beginnings to an Arden basement 30 years ago. Now, PLI is THE leader in gift card and room key card manufacturing not just here in Buncombe County but in the world! An employee-owned company, PLI has been ranked in the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing privately held companies on several occasions and has been recognized with a Sky High Award more than 15 times. With visionary leadership, a strong focus on key values and an empowered workforce, they are able to support our local economy with increased jobs and revenue.
Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn
The story of Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn began with a mom whose love for homemade popcorn was too big not to share. After countless hours of research and many batches of not-so-great popcorn, owner Ginger Frank figured out what works. From that humble start, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn has steadily expanded, adding employees and offerings. Poppy tirelessly works to create and perfect their flavors, from classic olive oil & rosemary to sweet favorites like dark chocolate pretzel.
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
Premier Sotheby’s is the fastest growing luxury real estate brokerage firm in our area, providing exceptional service and market knowledge to buyers and sellers of single-family homes and condominiums throughout Florida and in the Carolinas. Their brand is known world-wide, and since they opened offices here in Asheville, they’ve seen significant revenue growth and are looking to nearly double their sales associates in the coming year.
Printville
Printville, an “Asheville-native” business, has experienced steady growth since its inception in 2009. With five locations in Western North Carolina, they currently employ 17 people and have plans for further expanding employees and retail stores in the future. They attribute their growth to being attentive and available to customers, unique with product offering and smart with pricing models.
Reich, LLC
What started off as a small family business producing bicycle parts in Germany has evolved into a leading manufacturer of turned parts such as transmission components and components for fuel injection systems. Reich opened facilities in Asheville in 2011. The company has been fortunate to capitalize on favorable market conditions and to employ its ability to adapt and respond to customers’ needs. As their employee footprint in Buncombe County continues to grow, Reich has partnered with the A-B Tech and others to train and develop their workforce.
Security Camera Warehouse
Security Camera Warehouse is a relatively young company that has seen significant growth, driven by the ingenuity and persistence of the owners and the team they’ve employed. They provide professional quality surveillance equipment that is easy to install yourself. Most companies in the industry view their service teams as an area to cut costs: outsourcing labor and paying low wages. Security Camera Warehouse believes the opposite – that great, memorable service brings people back and gets them to spread the word.
SimplyHome
SimplyHome’s founders, Drue and Allen Ray, began providing support for individuals with disabilities and senior adults in 1989. Through long-term relationships with providers and advocates at the forefront of disability rights as well as ongoing innovation, SimplyHome has become a national leader in the enabling technology industry. SimplyHome deliberately takes a person-centered to create the best opportunity for success. And they say, the most important outcome of their work is not selling technology, but rather each person’s increased opportunity for independence, dignity, and a self-determined life.
Sona Pharmacy + Clinic
After years of listening to patient needs, pharmacists Todd Tamplin and Dean Clayton put together a team of experts to build a new model – and Sona Pharmacy + Clinic was born — a locally-owned community pharmacy and clinic where you can find doctors, nurses, and pharmacists working together on your behalf. 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.
Congratulations to our 2018 Sky High Award Winners!