Happy New Year, guys! 

Whew, I'm sure glad that's over. 2020 was a year when we lost some of our favorite businesses (we're paying homage to ten of our favorites in this week's newsletter exclusive), spent a lot less time together, and, for some of us, lost jobs, support systems, or loved ones. 💔 But it wasn't all bad; we also got outside, looked inward, and pursued a heck of a lot of personal growth. 

My hope is that 2021 will be the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, and there's already some inklings that this will be the case. While my heart ached at the loss of the Mothlight, a place that defined the last years of my twenties with guitar plucks and beer cans, I'm so excited to see what Different Wrld brings to that hallowed space. It's just one example of the promise the year ahead brings. 

Till next week,

• Feed Our City 🥙  Asheville Strong announced they will host weekly free meal pop-ups in Jan. and Feb. (possibly into March as funding and logistics allow). As part of their Feed Our City program, the pop-up events will host one restaurant partner per month, who will cook hundreds of meals every Sat. for distribution downtown at the Asheville Masonic Temple. January’s meal pop-up features Lebanese street food restaurant Gypsy Queen Cuisine (read about that biz in our 2018 article on food trucks turned brick-and-mortar businesses). Donate here to support the program.
• Big Time Giving Back 💰  In late December, Dogwood Health Trust released their 2020 Annual Report, the first for the organization. The report highlights more than $47 million in grants and community investments made in 2020, as well as Dogwood’s regional response to COVID-19, targeted Census campaign, and successful grants secured for  the region via the Leverage Fund. Check out the report here. 
• Support for Biz Support 🤝 Mountain BizWorks has received an Open for Business grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation, which will enable the org to further its programs to help local businesses survive and rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the support will expand Mountain BizWorks’ Catalyst Program to assist entrepreneurs that might lack access to bank lending opportunities. Two Catalyst participants have already received funding from the grant: Sole82 and Safe Plus More.

JOBS

• Mountain Laurel Digital is looking for a Digital Marketing Specialist.  
• Ecobot 📲 is looking for an iOS Developer. 
• CASE Consultants International is looking for a Scientific Data Specialist. 👨🏻‍🔬

• RealTech Webmasters is looking for a Junior Web Developer. 🤓

• Thrive Asheville 🏠 is looking for an Outreach Coordinator.
• United Way of Asheville & Buncombe Co. is looking for a Vice President of Community Engagement.
• Asheville Humane Society is looking for a Behavior Department Assistant. 🐕
• Wicked Weed 🍻 is looking for a Packaging Supervisor.
• UNCA is looking for a Windows Systems Analyst. 💻

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Registration is now open for ASAP's 18th Annual Business of Farming Conference, which will be held virtually this year, Feb. 25–27. 🚜 The conference offers beginning and established farmers financial, legal, management, and marketing tools to improve their biz. 
• Walnut Cove Realty and Beverly-Hanks are joining together, pairing Beverly-Hanks' operational support and global marketing reach with Walnut Cove's combined 80 years of experience representing sellers and buyers in Walnut Cove. 🏡 Learn more.
• In 2020, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy conserved more than 2,600 acres to protect clean water sources, wildlife habitat, farmland, and places for outdoor recreation. 🌲 Learn more.
• Bluestone Construction won the 2020 One-of-a-Kind Custom Home Best in American Living Award  from the National Association of Home Builders. 🏆 Other honors in 2020 included a Master Design Award from Qualified Remodeler and three STARS Awards from the NC Home Builders Assoc.

🎓  Continuing Ed | Mars Hill University’s Adult & Graduate Studies program will host two open houses on Thu. Jan. 14 at 12 and 7 p.m. 

👋🏽  Back to Networking | Today at 4 p.m., the Asheville Chamber hosts its first Business After Hours event of 2021. 

🎨 Man and Machine | Bender Gallery is hosting “Man and Machine”, a solo exhibition featuring new and pivotal works by European painter, Marco Reichert, which will run through March 30. 

🏺 Art World | Tonight at 7 p.m., travel virtually via Art Travels with Asheville Art Museum: The Columbus Museum, which will include a discussion of What’s Going Around: Lou Stovall and the Community Poster, 1967–1976. 

🥬 Get Kraut-ative | The second annual Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center winter workshop series begins Jan. 11 with “Fermentation Made Easy” by Ishka Shir at 6:30 p.m.