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

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

David Jackson

30 episodes

2 weeks ago

In what is quickly becoming the season of saying, "for the last time in 2025," we bring you the final episode of Mind Your Business for the calendar year! On this week's episode, we take a closer look at the RISE Caldwell Watauga program, and how its connecting local employers with apprenticeships designed to enhance work-based learning for high school students interested in careers in the trades, manufacturing, health care, and hospitality sectors. Executive Director Tara Brossa will explain...

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In what is quickly becoming the season of saying, "for the last time in 2025," we bring you the final episode of Mind Your Business for the calendar year! On this week's episode, we take a closer look at the RISE Caldwell Watauga program, and how its connecting local employers with apprenticeships designed to enhance work-based learning for high school students interested in careers in the trades, manufacturing, health care, and hospitality sectors. Executive Director Tara Brossa will explain...

Show more...

Episodes (20/30)

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

Wrapping Up 2025 with RISE Caldwell Watauga Details and News of a New Grant Program for Helene Impacted Businesses

In what is quickly becoming the season of saying, "for the last time in 2025," we bring you the final episode of Mind Your Business for the calendar year! On this week's episode, we take a closer look at the RISE Caldwell Watauga program, and how its connecting local employers with apprenticeships designed to enhance work-based learning for high school students interested in careers in the trades, manufacturing, health care, and hospitality sectors. Executive Director Tara Brossa will explain...

2 weeks ago

45 minutes

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

Solving Your Office IT Needs Locally

This week's High Country weather brought its fair share of schedule disruptions, placing a premium on remote connectivity for the majority of us, from small business owners to local school students. As a small business, how do you stay up-to-date on the technology needs within your workplace, and how are those processes and programs accessed on a day when Old Man Winter decides we aren't going anywhere! On this amazingly topical episode of Mind Your Business, we visit with Nate Solberg a...

3 weeks ago

45 minutes

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

Closing the Books: Year-End Financial Insights for High Country Businesses

As we kick off the final month of the year, this edition of Mind Your Business serves up a fresh slate of insights and stories from across the High Country. We sit down with Jonathan Allen of Allen Wealth Management to break down the financial to-dos local businesses and individuals should check off before the calendar turns, and we look at some of the driving economic forces of the past year along with those poised to shape 2026 in our region. We’ll also spotlight our next trio o...

1 month ago

34 minutes

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

Bonus Episode: 2025 Evergreen Voices WWIL Gala

A holiday week is the PERFECT time to drop a bonus episode of Mind Your Business, just in case you need a podcast to get you through a long drive or out of an impossible conversation! We take you inside the Inn at Crestwood for the 2025 Watauga Women in Leadership Evergreen Voices Gala. This year's conversation centers on work ethic and hustle, the drive that pushes us to do hard things, stay committed through challenges, and find purpose in the process. Our featured guests:&n...

1 month ago

1 hour 7 minutes

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

Giving Thanks for Job Creation, Impactful Leaders, and Creative Small Businesses

This Thanksgiving edition of Mind Your Business features a buffet of stories from across the High Country. We'll learn more about the recent expansion announcement made by GE Aerospace for its Ashe County campus, and what this economic development win means for the Northwest region. We'll also recap the Evergreen Voices Gala that inspired our Watauga Women in Leadership attendees last week, and we'll hear about a trio of family-owned local businesses who have our next Holiday Shop Local...

1 month ago

41 minutes

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

The Business of Running: Inside the Mountaineer 10 Miler

Every race has a story, and the Mountaineer 10 Miler is no exception. On this week's Mind Your Business, we connect with Charlie Mercer and Ryan Anderson of Capstone Event Group, the visionaries behind this new event. They share how the race got its start, the lessons they’ve learned from successful events in other communities, and what that experience could mean for Boone. From inspiring participation to creating economic opportunities, Charlie and Ryan discuss how local organizations ...

1 month ago

46 minutes

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

Perk Power: Building and Using a Better Benefits Package

Great perks can spark productivity, boost morale, and change workplace culture — but only if people know how to use them. On this week's Mind Your Business, we dive into what smart employers are offering now and how employees can make the most of every benefit available. We'll visit with Lisa Finaldi of Family Forward NC, who'll discuss popular benefits beyond just health insurance. Speaking of health insurance, we'll also hear from Susan Richards from Blue Cross Blue Shield...

1 month ago

39 minutes

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

Carolina HealthWorks explained and Lessons for Success in Leadership

Among the many things business leaders must consider these days is the rising cost of health insurance, and how extending these benefits can impact the bottom line. On this week's Mind Your Business, we examine Carolina HealthWorks, a new program offered in partnership between the North Carolina Chamber and its Federation members and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. We'll speak with representatives of the NC Chamber about how this program was designed to save on health insurance cost...

2 months ago

39 minutes

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

Mind Your Business Bonus Content - Passing the Torch - A Dialogue on Leadership Transition

On Monday, November 3, 2025, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and its Watauga Leadership Institute presented Passing the Torch: A Dialogue on Leadership Transitions. This program was made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of App State's Walker College of Business and Mast General Store. Our featured guests included: Dr. Leslie Alexander, Superintendent, Watauga County Schools Dr. Heather Norris, Chancellor, Appalachian State University David Ray, Executive Director, Blue ...

2 months ago

52 minutes

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

October Business Performance & the Latest on Howard Street Construction

As businesses watch the calendar turn to November, many across the High Country are taking stock of October performance metrics. They are also trying to catch-up on everything else that's been going on during one of the busiest times of the year. On this week's Mind Your Business, we visit with Eric Brinker of The Speckled Trout to get insight on October traffic for one of the area's multi-faceted brands. As guests and locals have traversed Downtown Boone this month, they have...

2 months ago

42 minutes

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

Coming Full Circle to Preserve Howard Knob

Organizations strive to stay true to their mission. The Watauga Land Trust was formed in 1995, established by Appalachian State University students concerned with protecting Howard Knob, a mountain adjacent to the Town of Boone. The new organization raised local awareness about the unprecedented pace of development not just around Boone, but across North Carolina’s northwestern mountains. These concerns galvanized the local community and in 1997 the Watauga Land Trust changed its name t...

2 months ago

35 minutes

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

Maximizing Healthcare Coverage in the High Country

Conversations around the cost of healthcare and related insurance coverage brings a variety of emotions these days. While the Federal Government continues to use the renewal of tax credits related to the Affordable Care Act as a chief negotiating tool in budget conversations, High Country residents are among the millions of Americans gearing up for open enrollment and could see premiums skyrocket depending on how things land in Washington. No matter how this ends, it has become more apparent ...

2 months ago

37 minutes

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

Fall Festival Season & the Dollars & Cents Behind the Leaves on the Trees

The landscape around the High Country is getting more beautiful by the day! The annual changing of the leaves provides the perfect backdrop for one of the most important times on our region's economic calendar. As we move through fall festival season, this week's Mind Your Business is focused on the Super Bowl Weekend of fall events, October 18-19 -- featuring Valle Country Fair, the Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk, and App State Homecoming. We will talk with festival organizers...

2 months ago

42 minutes

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

Blue Ridge Parkway News & Boone Town Council Forum

The Federal government shutdown has people asking about the status of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We have answers about access to this popular piece of the High Country's fall experience. Speaking of government, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce recently hosted its annual Watauga County Meet the Candidates forum at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Boone, centered around the Boone Town Council & Mayoral race. We bring you the full archive of the forum, featuring Town Council candidates Todd C...

3 months ago

2 hours 3 minutes

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

Talking Helene: One Year Later with Six WNC Chambers of Commerce

As we approach the one-year milestone of Hurricane Helene's impact on Western North Carolina, we bring you a special episode of Mind Your Business. This week we connect with six Chambers of Commerce from across the region to answer some of the most popular questions of the day. We get perspective on how things stand in each community today, what are challenges, the silver linings, how does funding play into continued recovery, and plenty more. Our chamber guests include: Kitty Hone...

3 months ago

54 minutes

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

Spirit of Boone Community Award Recipients: Where Are They Now?

The Spirit of Boone serves as the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce annual membership gathering and provides an opportunity to celebrate a group of annual award recipients for their impact on the High Country community. While this week’s Mind Your Business was recorded just hours before this year’s event, we took the opportunity to build a “pregame show” around some past honorees, to see how the path of leadership has directed some of community’s most influential businesses. Tim Herdklotz, Co-Ow...

3 months ago

42 minutes

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

How to Avoid Traffic in the High Country

Since 1981, AppalCART has been moving people around Boone and Watauga County. As we move into one our highest periods of annual traffic volume, how does public transportation play a role in getting people to and from their destinations? On this week's Mind Your Business, we'll talk with Craig Hughes, Executive Director of AppalCART, about the system's history and performance, how decisions are made about route destinations and expansions, and what the future of public transportation looks lik...

3 months ago

38 minutes

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

High Country Business Disaster Grant Program Reopens

On September 5th, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation reopens its High Country Business Disaster Grant Program, which has been in place since September 2024 to support businesses in Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties impacted by Hurricane Helene. On this week's Mind Your Business, we will explain the criteria for the fourth funding round of this program, which will be centered around revenue loss for hurricane-impacted businesses. We will also meet Ethan Dodson, Director o...

4 months ago

42 minutes

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

The Tax Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill

When Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill in July 2025, the Federal legislation brought significant changes for business and individual taxpayers. On this week's Mind Your Business, we continue our examination of the bill and it's impact on tax law for business and individual filers, highlighting key changes that will resonate with High Country businesses and their employees. We are joined by Ralph Polk, CPA and Senior Manager with DMJPS, PLLC, who will break down the legislat...

4 months ago

37 minutes

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

The Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill on Health Care in the High Country

Since President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July, those that have funding tied to the legislation have been pouring through the 1,100-page document to understand the impacts. On this week's episode of Mind Your Business, we visit with Nathan Nipper and Rob Hudspeth (UNC Health Appalachian), Jennifer Greene (AppHealthCare), and Alice Salthouse (High Country Community Healthcare) as they discuss the impacts of the bill on local healthcare and Medicaid services....

4 months ago

45 minutes