Mind Your Business - A Podcast Series produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

David Jackson
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

A weekly podcast produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.

  1. 16h ago

    High Country Businesses Working Together to Create Seasonal Experiences

    Fall color is about a month away from its peak here in the High Country, but the seasonal shift toward autum economic behavior is already underway. The impact on visitor counts, the type of interactions people enjoy during their stay, and how events are communicated business to business all impact the visitor experience. The current date on the calendar matters greatly when it comes to how businesses schedule staff, how they throttle their operational expectations, and ultimately the impact the see on their bottom line for an entire year. On this week's Mind Your Business, we examine the hospitality and event industries, and how they work together to curate exceptional visitor experiences in the High Country. Danielle Neibauer owns The Inn at Crestwood and also leads the management team that operates The Horton Hotel in Downtown Boone. She'll detail the seasonal impacts on the hospitality industry, and even explain a few things locals may not know about the hotels they drive past each day. We'll also hear from Suzanne Livesay, Executive Director of the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country. A major factor in the success of an event is related to when the event is scheduled, as much as the make-up of the act itself. Suzanne discusses how she seeks specific events, what she tends to avoid, and how the collaborative approach of experience planning benefits everyone. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon (Friday this week) at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

  2. Sep 4

    Who's Going To Do Something About This Traffic? You Can!

    This just in...sometimes it's hard to move around in Watauga County due to traffic congestion! The Watauga County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) is the steering document that looks at transportation needs for a 25-30 year snapshot, and that document is currently going through a planned revision.  On this week's Mind Your Business, we explain the CTP process, how an important survey is gathering public input that informs this work, and how your experiences can be added to future considerations. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon (Friday this week) at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

  3. Aug 27

    State of App State Athletics with Doug Gillin

    The game of football means a great deal to the High Country and its economy. For decades, championship success on the field has fueled business growth and activity throughout the surrounding High Country region. How the business of college athletics moves forward has a direct impact on the economic performance of a key time of year for our community. On this week's Mind Your Business, we bring you our annual conversation with App State Director of Athletics Doug Gillin. Heading into his 12th season in the AD's chair, we'll talk about the current trends in the business of college football and athletics in general, and how the evolving landscape of college sports will impact gamedays. We'll also discuss how App State athletics is brining entertainment other than sports to the High Country and -- perhaps refreshingly --  we'll hear about possible connection points for student-athletes in the community as they look to make a positive impact on the area during their time in Boone. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show Support the show

  4. Aug 20

    The Student Economy, a Great July, and a Howard Street Update

    Students are back at they are EVERYWHERE! The economic impact of the ringing of the school bell certainly drives business, but it also includes a boost to the local workforce, as students settle into their new routines and begin to look for money to spend. On this week's Mind Your Business, we hear from some voices that see the direct benefit of the student economy, from meals served to jobs filled. Aram and Megan Kevorkian own SouthEnd Brewing Company on King Street, and will discuss the differences in their high-traffic patterns and hiring needs, and how students influence both of those trends. As App State students returned to class, they found a pothole-less Howard Street as they walked to campus. Lane Moody, Director of the Downtown Boone Development Association has the latest on the ongoing revitalization project.  We'll discuss what comes next in terms of deliverables and how the town is studying the new pedestrian impacts of this connection between Downtown Boone and the campus community.   Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

  5. Aug 13

    Introducing the Spirit of Boone Community Award Honorees for 2026

    The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce hosts Spirit of Boone, its 77th annual membership gathering, September 24th in the Grandview Ballroom at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The full slate of honorees was announced on WATA's Mark in the Morning show on August 11th, marking the beginning of the storytelling about the accomplishments of this year's class.  On this week's Mind Your Business, we unveil this year's list of honorees, and talk about what made them a choice for this year's spotlight. We also reconnect with Ashley Galleher, the 2025 Kathy Crutchfield Citizen of the Year award recipient, and we'll hear how ZRC Skate has been impacted over the last year by more through community awareness of this unique business. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

  6. Aug 6

    A preview of Encore with Watauga Leadership Institute's Dr. Jim Street

    Registration opened this week for the 3rd installment of the Encore program, the latest offering from the Watauga Leadership Institute.  On this week's Mind Your Business, we visit with Dr. Jim Street, Curriculum Coordinator for the Watauga Leadership Institute and Founder of Ridgeline Leadership. He'll preview this year's Encore program, and we'll talk about the value of team and individual skill development, and how that applies to work, life, and helps define ones sense of community. Encore is a cohort-style course offers attendees the opportunity to expand their leadership knowledge, mindset, and skills. Each two-hour session will examine a specialty topic that builds off the core elements of the Watauga Leadership Institute curriculum, while encouraging the self-renewal of your guiding leadership principles. We'll also provide updates on two important and highly visible traffic projects currently underway in the Town of Boone. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

  7. Jul 30

    Exploring the Benefits and Structure of Employee Ownership

    It doesn't take long to think about someone in your life that has stayed in the working world for longer than they may have liked. The retirement dream and target has changed a lot over the years, and that exit from the daily grind becomes more complicated when retiring from a business you own, and that entity has a less than certain future. How do you step away while still providing employment opportunities for your team? How do you get the full value for decades of hard work? On this week's Mind Your Business, we unlock Employee Ownership, not only as an exit strategy for business owners, but also as an employee incentive for small businesses that dream of seeing their company and its culture survive for generations. Illa Burbank, Executive Director of the North Carolina Employee Ownership Center (NCEOC) is our guest this week, and she'll help provide a definition to employee ownership as we explore the different tools within this strategy. We'll also talk about how entrepreneurs can use this ownership system at the start of their business journey, giving them more options for their eventual exit. The NCEOC is hosting the North Carolina Business Continuity & Employee Ownership conference in Raleigh on Wednesday, September 16th, where business owners can learn more about these strategies, and how employee ownership can be positioned as a unique employee retention incentive. Following up on last week's episode, we'll give you the details about a major grant announcement that will have an impact on Western North Carolina's long-term economic recovery from Hurricane Helene. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

  8. Jul 24

    Unveiling WNC's post-Helene Strategy for Long Term Economic Recovery

    It's been almost 21-months since Hurricane Helene's impact was felt across Western North Carolina. While the region has largely recovered from some of the notable physical aspects of the story, the economic recovery will be going on for quite some time. Last week, Governor Stein's Advisory Committee for Western North Carolina recovery met in Boone, where the draft version of the region's Long-Term Economic Recovery plan was discussed. While the full version has not yet been released, valuable feedback came from this discussion that will inform the full report, set to be released later this fall. On this week's Mind Your Business, we visit with Sharon Decker, Governor Stein's Senior Advisor for WNCs Long-Term Recovery. She and the GROW NC team have been hard at work, collecting data and experiences from across the region, with the goal of leaving Western North Carolina in a stronger position than what existed pre-Helene. We'll discuss how this plan will be communicated and how existing assets can prepare the region for economic growth in popular sectors. To advance this work, it's been made abundantly clear from lawmakers at the State and Federal level that additional funding will be required. Earlier this week, Senator Ted Budd testified before US Senate colleagues, and we'll hear exactly what he shared as he works to keep the voice of Western North Carolina alive in Congress. Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. Catch the show each Thursday afternoon (except this week) at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone. Support the show

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A weekly podcast produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.

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