Women In Business 2014

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December 10-16, 2014 Vol. 16 Iss. 28

Haywood’s tax collector gets bond, starts work Page 17 Tribal council takes heat for pay raises Page 22

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014 The disappearing glass ceiling Women-run entities rise in importance, numbers

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER isa Leatherman wasn’t trying to prove a point when she joined Nantahala Power and Light in 1987, the company’s third-ever female meter reader. She wasn’t trying to make a statement by moving up through the ranks as a powerhouse operator, engineer, vegetation management worker, relicensing agent or, as of January 2013, district manager for Duke Energy.

“I didn’t accept the job wanting to blaze some trail because I was a woman,” she said. “It was a job to do.

I’ve generally always approached any job like that. I try

L

ing the company develop its own in-house mapping system of power lines and taps to help it pinpoint problems — has proven invaluable.

“I got to really understand our power system in the Nantahala area,” she said.

But then, she moved to Charlotte for her first job with Duke Power, as a hydro operator. Those six years were pivotal in a different sort of way.

“You had all kinds of professionals that were there and you had all kinds of female professionals,” Leatherman said. “We [Duke Power] had our first female president during that time.”

A table of breakfast eaters share a laugh at Joey’s Pancake House. Helping customers create memories like this is what keeps owner Brenda O’Keefe going. Donated photo

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to do it my absolute best.”

Evidently, that’s been a winning strategy, because the district manger job title comes with a lot of responsibility. The six-county jurisdiction covers all of North Carolina west of Haywood County, and the job description involves working with everyone from government officials to dissatisfied customers to grant applicants.

It’s a big job, but a conversation with Leatherman about the day-to-day involves a lot of sentences begun with the words “I can,” a confidence that comes from the varied portfolio of experiences she’s built over of the last 27 years. Working off a biology degree, Leatherman’s experience in varied facets of Nantahala Power and Light’s operations — her accomplishments include help-

While at the beginning of her career there was nary a woman to be found in the utilities business — Leatherman oversaw an all male staff in her days as powerhouse operator — things were changing. It’s still a male-dominated business, but women are present, too.

Of Duke’s 14 district managers in North Carolina, five are now women. Before, that number was zero.

MAIN STREET AND BEYOND Across industries, recent decades have seen a shift toward more and more women taking leadership in the business world, whether as entrepreneurs, business executives or leaders of boards and nonprofits.

“As I look through the membership list, I see more women in those positions, which 10 to 15 years ago were historically held by men,” said Julie Spiro, executive director of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

Of the chamber’s more than 400 member businesses, 46 percent are either owned or managed by women, Spiro said. Those industries range from Main Street shops to Jackson Paper, one of the county’s largest employers, which has a female president and COO. It’s a different landscape from when Spiro, a Jackson County native, was growing up, or even from when she took the executive director job 15 years ago. Though she doesn’t have any hard numbers, her best guesstimate is that the number of female-owned or managed businesses in Jackson County is up about 20 percent from a decade ago.

Linda Harbuck, executive director of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, says she’s seen a similar trend.

The chamber doesn’t keep numbers on female versus male-owned businesses, but Harbuck reeled off a laundry list of businesses owned or managed by women, along Main Street and through town, selling everything from furniture to donuts to yarn to shaves.

“I’ve noticed that there’s more and more women who are the executive directors or presidents of chambers of commerce,” said CeCe Hipps, executive director of the Haywood Chamber. “When I first started, there were very few women in those roles and even more so when it comes to economic development and government relationships. Those were typically areas that were male-oriented.”

Today, six of the seven chambers of commerce in The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage area have female executive directors.

A NATIONWIDE TREND These aren’t trends that are limited to Western North Carolina. Between 1997 and 2014, the number of women-owned firms in the U.S. increased by 68 percent, one-and-a-half times the national average of 47 percent for all businesses, according to the 2014 State of WomenOwned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN. Over the entire 17-year period, an average of 591 women-owned businesses started each day.

Women-owned firms — a statistic that includes only businesses with 51 percent or more female ownership — account for 30 percent of all enterprises.

And North Carolina is at the head of that pack.

According to the report, the state ranks ninth in the number of women-owned businesses, with 267,800 at the beginning of 2014, and it ranks third in overall growth since 1997. The state has seen a 91.4 percent increase in the number of women-

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BURSTING ON THE TROUT SCENE But that’s not to say women in leadership don’t still encounter raised eyebrows. Sally Eason, 15 years into her role as CEO of Sunburst Trout Farms, has encountered more than a few of those in her time in management.

“Nobody comes in and says, ‘Wow, you’re the CEO!’ but you can always tell,” Eason said. “They look at me and go, ‘Who’s in charge?’ I say, ‘Well, I guess I am.’”

She doesn’t get offended, though.

“I think it’s fun.”

Around since 1948, Sunburst is a family business, run by Eason and her husband Steve after Eason’s father handed it off.

Sally and Steve took on the business just years before a wave of financial hardships Sally Eason. Holly Kays photo almost ended in disaster for the trout farm. There was a pair of hurricanes in 2004, and in 2006 arsonists burned the farm to the ground, though not before stealing $100,000 worth of caviar. Then there were several years of bad disease caused by drought and hot weather, one year bad enough to kill all the fish. And earlier this year, Steve passed away, throwing Eason into total management of the farm overnight.

Sunburst could have gone under, but it didn’t. In

fact, it’s thriving. Eason and Charles Hudson, the company’s research and development chef, are now working on a consultancy branch of Sunburst, advising on aquaponic systems, business planning, grant writing, value-added product development and food safety protocols for selling seafood. They’re scoping out the possibility of building an aquaponic farm, and Eason’s daughter, Anna, is busy running Sunburst Market, which sells trout and other local food products, in downtown Waynesville. And in the midst of all that, Eason’s also a part owner with her siblings of Lonesome Valley, a gated community in Cashiers featuring a topnotch restaurant, forests dotted with mountain homes and popularity as a wedding destination.

Creativity accounts for a lot of that success. When weather-induced financial woes loomed, Sunburst turned to grant writing.

“He [Hudson] wrote a grant that saved Sunburst in 2011-12, gave us the funding that we needed to get back on track,” Eason said.

Then, after the money came through, the pair realized that “we had spent so much time away from the farm working on saving the farm that the farm could run by itself,” Eason said. Eason’s children had taken on enough leadership that Eason and Hudson could start expanding the business in other directions.

There’s a lot of coordination and collaboration that goes on between the various members of the Eason family to keep its portfolio of businesses going. It’s part of Eason’s job to facilitate that cooperation, and she sees her gender as an asset, more than anything, in making that work.

“I think women tend to manage from their heart a little bit more and men manage from their head. That’s probably true in lots of aspects,” Eason said. “I think you get more work out of people when you do it the way I do it.”

SERVING MORE THAN PANCAKES Maybe there’s some truth to that, but Brenda O’Keefe, owner of Joey’s Pancake House in Maggie Valley, has found that sometimes being a woman in management means that you have to tap into your assertive side more often than you might like. In her nearly 50 years on the job, her experience has been that sometimes women have to one-up what’s considered average in order to be taken seriously.

“You have to be better. You can’t be average,” O’Keefe said. “You have to be superior. Or that’s the way I’ve seen it.”

O’Keefe can recount instances when salesmen asked to talk to her husband before she bought a car, or times when her speech has had to be on the verge of combative to get the point across.

“It’s been an issue for me over the years,” she said.

“Sometimes men would rather flirt with you than respect you.”

The men she speaks of, though, are those who handle the restaurant’s food orders or deliver the kitchen equipment, not the ones who work inside, or the one who started the whole thing.

“I worked hand in hand with my husband, and my husband had absolute ultimate respect for women,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe first arrived in Maggie Valley with her husband Joey, who has since passed away, when the pair took a summer off from their working lives in Florida

S EE CEILING, PAGE 7

Jeanette Evans, owner of Mad Batter Food and Film, Sylva What came first: your culinary talent or entrepreneurial spirit?

“Culinary. That’s what still keeps me in the game. The love of cooking. But the cooking is maybe half of it. The other half is management and finances and hiring contractors, how to fix something when it breaks down, how to staff.”

When your immensely popular café in Cullowhee burned down, you faced the classic conundrum: stay in your safe zone or take a risk by reaching for something bigger.

What convinced you to take the leap and break into the Sylva restaurant scene?

“Knowing that I wouldn’t be going it alone. We were sitting around in my living room with a core group of staff, and it was them talking about the energy that had been put into it all those years and saying they didJeanette Evans n’t want it to die. But I think it is more than we have all expected. We were the go-to place in Cullowhee. We have to reestablish ourselves and build the local clientele and earn the trust of the community.”

What is your secret weapon?

“There is a whole crew of people working really hard to make the business successful, and I am just the leader in a sense. They are contributing their energy and effort and love and passion, too. You need good people that are interchangeable and flexible.”

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

owned firms since then. However, the state ranks 17th in overall economic clout of women-owned firms, as growth in firm revenues ranks only 41st, with 48.6 percent growth.

The outlook will likely continue to be good for North Carolina women, said Andrea Harris, senior fellow in the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development.

“I would suspect that when the next census of women-owned businesses is released in the summer of next year, 2015, that we’re going to see — particularly in North Carolina, even around the country — significant growth in the number of women-owned firms,” she said.

Some of that has to do with businesses that were started to add extra income during the recession expanding after experiencing success, some has to do with women being encouraged enough by the success of others to start their own venture, and some is still on the horizon as the aging baby boomer generation creates more opportunities for female businesswomen, particularly in North Carolina, where growth of retirement communities is one of the highest in the nation.

In short, it’s increasingly common to be a woman at the helm of the business.

Bernadette Peters, owner of City Lights Café and Perk and Pasty, both in downtown Sylva What did you want to be when you grew up?

“It was never a business owner. I wanted to be a tennis instructor. Then you realize you can’t do that your whole life without being in a lot of pain.”

Was your path as a business owner intentional, accidental or both?

“It was almost by default I started my first business. I worked in Bernadette Peters business on a corporate level for quite some time in Atlanta. Then I found myself laid off and I started a small business marketing agency.

As you start getting older you start to think about what the future holds for you. We had a cabin up here and started thinking about what we could do to put us in this area.

I had helped some friends with their marketing when they were opening a coffee shop and I noticed the smile they put on people’s faces and how you could make one latte and make someone really happy. In the marketing business, you had to work really hard on one contract to make somebody happy.”

What has been the biggest learning curve for you as a woman in the business world?

“In Atlanta, there is a good old boys club that does business together, so basically, I had to learn how to be a good old boy to hang with them. But you don’t have that issue here. It is more progressive.”

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

Real Estate Broker Carolyn Lauter Cathey Bolton, an artist and owner of Art on Depot in Waynesville, opened her gallery six years ago. She has been a potter for over 20 years and enjoys creating her pottery where customers can watch and learn about the process.

Cathey's plans for the future include expanding her wholesale and retail sales. Refining her own pottery lines as well as consulting and designing lines to be sold in larger scales.

As for other women starting out in business, Cathey advises them to “never stop learning, pay attention to your customer, set goals and be accountable.”

Finally, Cathey said it is important to love what you do: “Be passionate, work hard and everything will fall in place.”

Carolyn Lauter BROKER/ABR

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has been in the real estate business in Western North Carolina since 1992.

She started out working at a vacation rental agency and worked her way over to real estate at Realty World Heritage Realty. Carolyn loves to work with people and says that the favorite part of her job is building relationships and seeing folks find their dream home.

When asked what advice she would give to women just starting out in business, Carolyn said, “Never give up. Self employment requires hard work and long hours but it’s all worth it in the end.”

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A community is enriched when a native child grows up and returns to contribute to its success. We are fortunate to have two such women - attorneys Aggie Guy and Kim Carpenter Lay. Aggie is a native of Haywood County and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Florida Coastal School of Law and holds an LL.M. with a concentration in estate planning from the University of Alabama.

Aggie serves as the public administrator for Jackson County as well as the county Area Agency on Aging attorney. Her practice is focused on advising clients in estate planning, elder law and real estate.

Kim is a native of Swain County and a graduate of WCU and North Carolina Central University School of Law. Kim serves on the school board and is the Swain County attorney. She has helped thousands of individuals and businesses with civil litigation, workers’ compensation and social security disability claims.

Kim and Aggie also immensely enjoy their roles as moms and are grateful to be raising their children in this beautiful area while being women in business.

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559 West Main Street, Sylva | 828-339-1010 | Little Savannah Road, Cullowhee NC 28779

CEILING CONTINUED FROM, PAGE 5

Maleah Pusz gets some work done during a quiet moment at the wine shop.

Holly Kays photo

O’Keefe said. “Like a lot of people in Florida, I was kind of obnoxious. But learned so much right away from the young women I met who went to work for us.”

That first group of women, hired in the late 1960s, now includes some of O’Keefe’s closest friends. Children who came to Joey’s for the first time on vacation with their grandparents return as adults, bringing their own kids to make their own memories.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Is this really a restaurant I’m running?’” O’Keefe reflected. “It just seems like so much more.”

OVER A GLASS OF GOOD WINE That’s what Maleah Pusz, who’s edging close to the one-year mark of business ownership, is hoping to build at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. And it’s why, as much of a non sequitur as it might seem that someone with a master’s degree in teaching might decide to buy a wine shop, she feels that it’s the perfect fit.

“Sharing a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, a meal, a dinner — these things are very spiritual, and creating the experience for people to come and talk to each other and have the kinds of conversations that end up changing a worldview and [showing] what it feels like to be someone else, that’s all teaching can ever be,” she said while prepping for a wine and chocolate tasting at the shop.

She and her mother, Denise Pusz, started a side business in chocolate-making about four years ago. At the

be true of any new business owner, male or female.

Though Pusz defines the wine business as a male-dominated one, she believes she’s benefited from being under Dune’s wing for so long, from having suppliers see her as someone who comes with Dune’s endorsement. She’s also seen some trouble from people who look askance on her age — Pusz is 27 — and question whether she’s really the one in charge.

MOMENTUM FORWARD But at the end of the day, the most important thing is to get the job done and leave gender language out of it.

Success in business demands both stereotypically male and stereotypically female traits.

“If you want to make generalizations, that [creating community] tends to be women’s work,” Pusz said, “but Tony [Gaddis] and I did all the demolition for our renovation by ourselves, 50-50.”

At the end of the day, the mark of a successful businesswoman is the ability to roll up the sleeves and get the job done, whether the obstacle be trout-killing drought, a complicated power outage, revenues and expenses that just aren’t panning out — or gender discrimination.

“Coming up with $200,000 to pay bills was challenging and would be challenging for anybody,” Eason said of Sunburst’s particular dilemma. “It wouldn’t matter whether you were a woman or a man or a monkey.”

Because when it comes down to it, a woman in business is just a person in business, and businesspeople must be smart, firm and creative. When asked why it’s important to have women represented in the business world, all the women interviewed for this story had echoes of the same response — because, why not?

As O’Keefe put it, “If a woman can do the job, give her the job. I’m not for displacing men from jobs in any way, but if a woman can do the job, give her the chance.”

There are still obstacles to that.

The pay gap, for one. According to U.S. Census statistics compiled by the American Association of University Women, the average woman in the United States makes 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. North Carolina is better than the average, ranking 10th out of 51 with 83 percent earnings for women. In U.S. House District 10, the numbers are even a little better, with 84 percent earnings for women.

But it’s still less, and Harris pointed out that it can also be harder for female entrepreneurs to come by the capital to get started.

“I think access to market opportunities still becomes a challenge because we have oftentimes this mindset that ice that’s sold by men is colder than ice that’s sold by women,” she said.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

to look at buying a hotel further north. They stopped in Maggie Valley on the way and noticed a restaurant for lease just down the road from Ghostown, which was then drawing 10,000 visitors a day. And, as O’Keefe knew quite well, when people go on vacation, they eat breakfast out.

“We said, ‘You don’t have to be a rocket scientist,” O’Keefe said. “Breakfast, pancakes, and we’re going to make a lot of money.”

After that summer, Joey decided he was tired of being a hotel executive and tired of working year-round. The couple came back to Maggie, bought the restaurant and operated it as six-month-per-year venture.

“I was a model, I thought I was someone special,”

time, Maleah Pusz had no idea that the wine shop was in her future, but now, as she gets ready to offer her guests her mother’s chocolates paired with wine, it makes perfect sense. Other ties have also surfaced as important, with Pusz’ relationship with businesses such as The Strand Theater and Sunburst Trout resulting in Strand popcorn served with champagne, Sunburst caviar paired with wine.

Tony Gaddis, who Pusz met while working at Panacea Coffee Company after finishing her master’s, was another one of those important relationships. As the two got to talking, it became clear that they had the same passion for wine and for community. When a rumor began circulating that Bosu’s owner Bob Dune was thinking about retiring — and when the rumor proved true — it didn’t take long for Gaddis and Pusz to throw their hat in as business partners.

They split ownership, 50-50, taking over in February. But not before spending a full year volunteering at the shop, getting to know the customers, the selection, the ins and outs of wine and what makes Bosu’s, Bosu’s. Pusz had eight different paying gigs that year, working at Panacea, The Strand, as a bookkeeper and for a winery in Argentina, for starters.

“I basically did whatever I could do to learn as much as I could so that once I got behind the counter, when I shake your hand, I know what to do,” she said.

It’s been a hard road, and there are still a lot of late nights, a lot of weeks when it seems like there are just not enough hours in the day to get it all done. But while it’s harder than she expected, Pusz says it’s also more fun. And like O’Keefe, who’s firm in her belief that she runs more than just a restaurant, Pusz knows she and Gaddis run more than just a retail store.

“The first month that I was here by myself, someone came in and said, ‘I need wine to take to someone because it’s the last wine he will ever have.’ So we cried.

We cried and then we picked out wine,” she recalled.

“Then he came back and said, ‘That was really good.’”

That kind of relationship played out from the other side when Pusz lost her father just before the business

Of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s more than 400 member businesses, 46 percent are either owned or managed by women. Those industries range from Main Street shops to Jackson Paper, one of the county’s largest employers, which has a female president and COO. sale went through.

“Part of what I have learned about business is that it isn’t that you put on your stiff upper lip and you get through it,” she said. “It’s that I have the best job in the world because my customers are my friends.”

Those are all challenges and revelations that would

Still, the momentum is moving forward, if for no other reason than the encouragement that the girls who will grow up to lead the business world of the future derive from seeing the success of females around them.

“There’s no reason why anyone can’t be what they want to be in this day and time,” Leatherman said, “male or female.”

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

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asquale’s MediterraneanItalian Restaurant has been in business since 2001.

Dynamic Duo is a residential cleaning service operating since 2013.The company is bonded and insured.

“We love the freedom to create our own schedule,” said Tanya.

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Dynamic Duo has grown its business by providing the highest quality of housecleaning and a very reliable service. This past spring the company was able to hire its first employee and looks forward to growing its client base and adding more employees over the coming years.

Deb Hermida and her husband Jose have been in the restaurant business for years and it was always a dream of Jose’s to have his own place. While Jose takes the lead in the kitchen cooking up scrumptious meals, Deb takes pleasure in running the dinning room.

Over the years she has enjoyed getting to know her regulars. She speaks of families coming in over the years and watching children grow up with a fondness that shows how much passion she has for her job.

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BY J EREMY MORRISON STAFF WRITER he first time Merrily Teasley saw the Balsam Mountain Inn was somewhat dreamlike. It was during a full moon hike that would reroute her life.

“There was no illumination except for the moon,” Teasley recalled. “It just looked like magic. It was gorgeous.”

That was in December 1989. She returned in the summer to see the inn again.

“I couldn’t find it to save my soul,” Teasley said.

After asking around for the whereabouts of a “funky, old inn,” Teasley found it. The structure — once a relaxing respite for the well-heeled and on the National Historic Register — was “a disaster.” Windows were covered in plywood, vandals had broken in and the sagging décor looked as if “someone in the ‘50s had gone haywire or something.”

“It was just hard to describe how bad it was,” Teasley said.

Visiting that day, she had a feeling about the inn. She knew she wanted to see it returned to its former splendor.

“It was just gross,” Teasley remembered. “But the bones of the building were just beautiful. The building itself, if you could just kind of squint your eyes and not see all the bad stuff, was just beautiful.”

This was not exactly foreign territory to Teasley. At the time, she was operating an old inn in Tennessee that she had purchased and restored in the late 1970s.

In fact, the Balsam Mountain Inn would come to be the ninth property Teasley restored, and the second one on the historic register.

“I’m a real fan of old architecture,” Teasley said.

After selling her Tennessee inn the first day it went on the market, Teasley plowed into her North Carolina venture. But she found her new path to be somewhat of a tough row to hoe.

Although she was bringing a substantial sum to the table from the sale of her Tennessee property, Teasley found it difficult to secure a loan to purchase and restore the Balsam inn. She was turned down by 16 banks.

“That’s woman-specific, too,” Teasley said. “At least three of them required that my husband co-sign the loan, and I didn’t have one.”

The businesswoman found such attitudes offensive.

“They wouldn’t have asked any man to have his wife cosign the loan,” Teasley said.

She recalled one especially irksome encounter with a local loan officer who asked her straight away if her husband would be cosigning.

“He said that the very first question out of his mouth.

He said, ‘you needn’t sit down.’ His golf clubs were by the door,” she said. “It made me furious, I have to say. And I let it be known. He didn’t have a job two weeks later, and

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

Moonlit magic in Balsam Merrily Teasley brought the Balsam Mountain Inn back to life in the early 1990s. Today, Teasely still shares with her guests the magic she first experienced when stumbling upon the moonlit inn while hiking. Jeremy Morrison photo

“The bones of the building were just beautiful. The building itself, if you could just kind of squint your eyes and not see all the bad stuff, was just beautiful.”

— Merrily Teasley

I hope I was the cause, because he was so insulting.”

Eventually, Teasley secured some loans — from banks, from family, from the Southwest Commission — and got to work on the monumental task of restoring the Balsam Mountain Inn. But securing a loan would not be her only encounter with gender-based hurdles during the project.

Turns out, some people don’t fancy a woman work-

ing a heavy-duty restoration job.

“People didn’t take me seriously right off the bat. If they talked to me for more than five minutes they knew I knew what I was talking about,” Teasley said. “People assumed ignorance or stupidity or whatever, I think moreso than if I had been a man. It was just a basic assumption that women could not do that kind of work.”

Soon enough, Teasley assembled a crew of workers who realized her gender was not an issue. She worked alongside them until the inn sparkled with new life.

But still, Teasley found that being a woman would stir up issues even among her enlightened crew. Not bigdeal issues, but issues all the same.

“I was a lot younger then, and prettier,” Teasley laughed, explaining that she did have to deflect advances better left off the worksite landscape. “They thought that maybe I was available. That was a little rough, and probably wouldn’t have happened to a man.”

The gender-based hurdles that Teasley faced were not found in some backwards society long ago. They were here, in the modern era, in the early 1990s.

Such hurdles didn’t make much sense to Teasley.

“It never crossed my mind that I couldn’t do anything I wanted,” she said, surmising that such attitudes probably held stronger in this region than some other places. “I think being in the South made a difference, and being in a rural area.”

These days, Teasley suspects, a woman might have an easier go at such a journey.

“I’m fairly certain it would be easier,” she said. “I think the climate is better for women to do pretty much anything they want.”

After restoring the Balsam Mountain Inn, Teasley sold the property in 2004. A few years ago, she bought it back. The inn is, by any account, a success. Travelers and guests soak up the old-world ambiance on moonlit nights, and newspapers and magazines relay the tale of a magical place nestled in the hills.

When Teasley first began restoring properties, and when she jumped into the old inn in Tennessee, her parents thought she was “crazy.” Now, the innkeeper smiles as she recalls her father’s comments on his daughter’s work.

“He said, ‘I’ve got four children,” Teasley recalled, “and I never knew it was the girl who was going to get written up in the Wall Street Journal.”

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athy Sheppard, president of Sheppard Insurance has worked in the insurance industry since 1982 after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill. She bought the agency in 1992. “Every account presents unique challenges, some more than others. I enjoy the analysis and creativity that goes into putting together the appropriate insurance protection for my clients. I also am blessed to have the most wonderful customers who have been with us a long time,� Sheppard said.

Sara Sheppard Pacifici, vice president of Sheppard Insurance, began working for the agency in 2009. Speaking on what drew her to the business Sara said: “I have always had a passion for helping people and that is just what this business does. We help people make the right decisions for their families or their business, and if something happens, we help them through very difficult times in their lives. It is a very rewarding career.�

Kathy says women who own businesses can do everything men can do. “Don’t even think about your gender in deciding on your career,� she said. “We women can accomplish anything. Also don’t be afraid to take on the risk and challenge of owning your own business.�

“Don’t be afraid to take on the risk and challenge of owning your own business.�

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6792 CAROLINA BLVD., CLYDE • (828) 627-2826 4 WALL ST., DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE • (828) 226-2715

www.sheppardinsurancegroup.com

Champion Credit Union was founded in Haywood County in 1932,*)('&*('%*$#%'*"! "" * # * ( "* "#'% * "( * *) ! ** "#* * " #%* '"# *) !" * '( "*' * * *(! #' '*# " Left to Right:0 +. !*!0 - %*#0 %.-0 %'+.$#0 .- ,+0 ,%*#0 !.! -+0(%,+#0 +,")0 - #0 " !)0 .!'*% -

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ChampionCU.com Find us on Facebook. Federally Insured by NCUA

Cassidy Morgan Lance has been in the tattoo business for eight years.

Working with her husband revealed a need and interest in permanent makeup in the area and the change fell directly in line with her cosmetology career. Many of her makeup clients suffer from failing eye site, allergies or alopecia and Cassidy loves the instant change it offers them.

She says her favorite part of the job is “making that difference, giving something to someone that they have never had before, something that makes them feel normal.� Cassidy Morgan Lance is also a hairdresser at Blue Moon Salon.

292 N. Haywood St. • Waynesville (828) 452-2133 ForbiddenColorTattoo.com

Mary Coker, Cataloochee Guest Ranch, Maggie Valley

Shelli Allen, Happy Daze Donuts, Franklin “I always wanted to open a donut shop, my whole life,” Shelli Allen said when asked where the idea for Happy Daze Donuts came from. “It’s just one of those things, because I love donuts.”

When the recession hit, Allen was working for a real estate attorney but soon got laid off as the real estate market crashed. She and her husband James — Shelli Allen who also lost his job — went back to school and then began making donuts for the Franklin Farmers Market. In 2013, they opened their shop with just $35 in the till.

Allen said having the shop is “really fun,” but hard work. She and James get there at 2:30 or 3 a.m. and stay till 5:30 or 6 p.m. But it’s worth it, and she’s learned a lot.

“I just started with donuts, but they [the customers] are like, ‘Do you make birthday cakes or bread, or can you make me a pie?’”

Allen said. “I’ve learned that it’s just good to be able to diversify and grow.”

Michelle Briggs, Innkeeper, has been in the Bed and Breakfast business for four years as the owner of The Herren House in Waynesville.

Prior to buying the Herren House, she spent years operating a B&B in Hendersonville. Known for her inviting personality, scrumptious food and entertaining Murder Mystery events, Michelle has decided to begin a new venture at Twin Maple Farms just up the road from the Herren House. Twin Maple Farms is destined to become the go-to destination for visitors and locals alike under Michelle’s care.

“I’m looking forward to a new start and taking things to the next level by adding local weddings and events at this beautiful location,” she said of the new venture.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

Smoky Mountain News: The ranch has always had strong female leadership in its workforce and also within your family. What does it mean to you to have all of these women as the face of the business?

Mary Coker: It’s definitely matriarchal.

We’re all hard workers. We love these mountains and this area. We want to bring this hospitality and share it with everybody, and we just happen to have a lot of strong women Mary Coker heeding the call here.

Not just the people who run the ranch, but also all those who work here. It takes a strong woman to work up here. We love them all because they’re our mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends.

We all work together really well.

SMN: Western North Carolina has a growing female-run business sector. What are you thoughts on that? Have you come across any challenges yourself?

MC: I’m proud that all of these women are coming up and stepping forward, and really shining as business owners and managers. The tide is turning. There were times when maybe someone wouldn’t take you seriously, but it all depends on if you take your-

self seriously. As long as you feel good about yourself and your product, we’ll all be here right with you — stick by your guns and stick with it. Be strong and keep with your passion.

Twin Maples Farmhouse 63 N. Hill Street, Waynesville • 828.452.7837

WEDDINGS • REUNIONS • CORPORATE MEETINGS & RECEPTIONS

Smoky Mountain Eye Care has been open since 1985, and Dr. Laura McDaniel was excited to join the practice in October of this year.

“As long as I can remember, I have wanted to do something in the medical field,” said Dr. McDaniel. “It wasn’t until I started shadowing Dr. Aldridge in my hometown of Burnsville that my eyes were opened to the broad scope of practicing optometry. I witnessed him prescribing medications to treat eye infections and glaucoma, referring patients out for cataract surgery and LASIK, and co-managing their post op care — all in a day’s work!”

Dr. McDaniel loves living in Haywood County — it is one reason she loves her job.

“I love getting to know the people in this wonderful, close-knit community that reminds me of my hometown, I truly enjoy forming lasting relationships with my patients and helping them have a better quality of life,” she said.

As for the challenges women face in the work place, Dr. McDaniel said most of the time women just have to work harder to meet their goals.

“Being new to the field, I would say my biggest challenge is gaining trust with the community. This is something every new physician faces; however, being a woman it is even harder. In the entire business world, not just medicine, woman struggle to be taken seriously.”

From Hwy. 19/23 take Exit 104 towards Lake Junaluska; continue 1/2 mile to Haywood Medical Park on the left. NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

828.456.3211

www.smokymtneye.com

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

Tapping into the future Nicole Dexter of Innovation Brewing

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER t’s nearing lunchtime in downtown Sylva. The noonday traffic passes by a small building that houses Innovation Brewing. Inside, Nicole Dexter is checking equipment, hauling bags of hops and malt, all the while ready to take on another day amid her dream.

“Things have been going really great,” the 28-yearold said. “Our numbers are much better than we projected or anticipated.”

Co-owner/brewer at Innovation, Dexter and her fiancé, Chip Owen, recently celebrated their first year in business. What started as a passion that evolved into an idea and rolled onward into a reality, the couple’s craft beer endeavor is growing fast. On any given night the taproom is filled with locals and the curious alike, all gathering in what is rapidly becoming a social centerpiece of the community.

“I didn’t realize we were going to make such an impact on this town when we came here,” she said. “I think in the beginning I was looking at things through a narrower lens and thinking about ourselves within the business. We always wanted to contribute to the community, but it has been amazing seeing how welcomed and embraced we’ve become in Sylva.”

I

BITTEN BY THE BUG Originally from Pennsylvania, Dexter was raised in Florida. Early on, she didn’t know much about craft beer, let alone having an interest in the industry. But, that all changed when she took a job as a teenager at a brewery in Pennsylvania. She began to learn about the art of brewing, an ancient knowledge that slowly planted a seed in her head, one which would blossom in due time.

“It was then I realized what craft beer was — a craft,” she said. “I began visiting breweries around the country and knew that this was an industry I wanted to be part of.”

Dexter then found work at Asheville Brewing. After four years there, she and Owen decided to take the leap and launch their own entity in Western North Carolina.

“Going into my jobs at the breweries, I never thought I’d own my own brewery, but it just developed,” she said.

“We felt we should go for it. Craft beer is what I’m knowledgeable about, passionate about, and I just love the whole community in the industry.”

With Innovation on the map, and a reputation for great, quality beer flowing through Southern Appalachia, Dexter feels justified in her career pursuits. She is doing what she loves and is always looking ahead, always improving herself and the products put forth.

“I like that I’m not limited in my growth,” she said. “Where as hard as I work and as big as this company is going to grow, I’m not just working on an individual scale, not trying to get a promotion. I’m trying to grow this company as a whole, and the harder I work, the better the company will be. I put in endless hours and that’s because I want to.”

THE FAMILY THAT BREWS TOGETHER And yet, with all of the continued camaraderie that exists in the craft beer industry, one thing is very noticeable — there aren’t many women involved. Dexter doesn’t see that as a “boy’s club” mentality. She simply notes that is just how it is right now, with more and more females finding their way into the microbrew workforce.

“People ask me about that a lot, but I don’t really think of the brewing industry as male dominated even though it definitely is. It’s just like I have a lot of brothers,” she smiled. “None of the men in this industry make it feel like a male-dominated industry. This is a select group of people passionate about this who are going for it. I never feel out of place when I’m at meetings or when

“I like that I’m not limited in my growth ... I’m not just working on an individual scale, not trying to get a promotion. I’m trying to grow this company as a whole, and the harder I work, the better the company will be.”

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— Nicole Dexter

we’re doing events — I’ve never felt anything but welcomed by the industry.”

Though Dexter has always felt completely accepted by her community and industry, there is one small thing that continually has her shaking her head.

“I bartend here a lot and sometimes people will assume I’m just the bartender, they’ll come in and say, ‘Hey, can I talk to the guy that brews here?,’” she laughed. “And I’ll say, ‘Sure, what do you need?’ They instantly have this look on their face of ‘whoops.’ I find it humorous, but it’s just one of those things that people don’t realize that it’s not just a guy in charge — it’s fun to take people by surprise with that.”

Dexter points to the strong presence of female-run businesses in Sylva. Establishments like City Lights Café, Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro or Mad Batter Food & Film are all mainstay spots for people, events and a strong sense of community. Dexter also noted the importance of the “Women in Business” luncheons that are put on by nearby Southwestern Community College.

“It’s nice to be approached by different organizations that are women-run, that acknowledge your accomplishments, and there is that sense of pride for me being one of the few women in this industry,” she said. “This town has the strongest community feel out of any town I’ve ever lived in. I’m not sure if it’s partly because of all the female-run businesses, but we have this sense of community support. There’s a strength in this town and I feel so happy to be part of it — the magic of Sylva.”

Challenges and Advice from the Women at State Farm

Patricia Miller has owned

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

and operated Affairs of the Heart on Main Street in downtown Waynesville since March of 1996.

Her motivation to open the retail store was simple: she wanted a local place to sell the crafts she and her mom made together. When she made the decision to open her own store, her mom was at her side to offer moral support.

Today Patricia and her sister Roseann work side by side in the store. They pride themselves on having good products at good prices. They love meeting the customers and providing great service.

Hope Surrett of State Farm Insurance in Waynesville has been in the insurance industry for 17 years. She recognized the struggle women face being taken seriously and treated equally in the work place but encourages other women to “allow those challenges to be a motivation to never lose sight of your goals.”

Kim King has been in the insurance business for 27 years.

She says women have to prove themselves in the work place, but she also believes “when you love your career anything is possible.”

Affairs of the Heart

Linda Hurley has worked in the insurance business for 43 years.

When asked what advice she would give other women in business, Linda said “try to find something you are interested in and would enjoy and look forward to each day.”

————————————————————————————— 120 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC • 828.452.0526

270-06

Kim’s Pharmacy was established in February 2008

by Kim Ferguson, a graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy.

After completing her degree in 1990, Kim returned to her hometown to serve her community as a pharmacist. She is a lifelong resident of Waynesville and has deep roots in the community. Kim is also actively involved with Altrusa of Waynesville, DSS Christmas and Foster Child Program, and Relay for life.

Kim’s Pharmacy is proud to have been selected favorite pharmacy by the readers of The Mountaineer 6 years running and is grateful to the residents of Haywood County for patronizing an independent pharmacy in this age of big box chain stores. Kim’s Pharmacy is honored to have been selected 2013 Business of the Year by the Haywood Chamber of Commerce.

As the only compounding pharmacy west of Asheville, the pharmacy’s patients range from newborns to geriatrics and everything in between. It does a lot of compounding for vets in the area, and the animal patients range from cats, to dogs, to horses and squirrel.

“We take care of the whole family,” said Kim. 366 RUSS AVE. (BiLo Shopping Center) | WAYNESVILLE

828.452.0911

Find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/kimscompounds

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

Choppy seas? Not a chance “Follow your passion. Your enthusiasm and excitement and dedication to that passion will help you to be successful.”

— Nyda Bittmann-Neville’s words of advice to other women in business.

It’s always smooth sailing for Nyda Bittmann-Neville

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER Nyda Bittmann-Neville is a powerhouse of business savvy.

Grace and poise define her. Professional becomes her. Composed and collected — always.

The owner of TNB Consulting Group, a marketing, branding and communications consulting firm, Bittmann-Neville helps businesses and businesspeople create, shape and leverage their own image. So naturally, she’s a master of her own.

“Everyone has a image. It is that graphic representation of a person, place or thing,” Bittmann-Neville said.

“We have the ability to control how we are going to manage that presentation. I cannot manage how you are going to react to it, but I can manage how I am going to present myself to the world.”

From Florida originally, but now based in Waynesville, Bittmann-Neville is an accomplished businesswoman, positioning herself as an expert strategist in the field of marketing and branding. She coaches clients from all sectors and backgrounds, from major international firms to new start-ups, plus sidelines as a professional speaker who’s paid to give talks to big audiences.

Bittmann-Neville has been a champion of women in business. She believes women entering the business world in America today are no longer encumbered by biases and barriers that held back generations of women before them.

“The lines are becoming more and more blurred,” she said.

“Because women have been persistent in seeking their passion and their desire to be in business, we continue to lessen any obstacles or barriers. Women certainly are eager, enthusiastic and risk takers in opening up businesses. And women are moving into major leader-

ship roles in the business world — our community is definitely a reflection of that. ” The biggest hurdle for women in business is confidence.

“If you lack confidence, that comes out in the way you communicate,” Bittmann-Neville said. “Women face unique challenges when they lack confidence. But when women feel confident in their knowledge, and the way they position themselves, and the way they communicate that becomes less of an issue.”

And, of course, Bittmann-Neville’s an expert at helping women develop confidence by honing their own brand and image — a tailored version of the consulting work she does for major institutions.

“It has to be a total package. How do you feel about yourself? How have you created your brand?” she said.

She preaches the “three C’s” of communication — clear, concise and compelling — which she believes are paramount in the business world. It’s second nature for Bittmann-Neville, who always seems to know the right thing to say, how to say it and when to say it.

“But it is a trainable trait,” she said.

Public speaking also comes naturally to BittmannNeville, a gift she discovered in high school when invited to give a talk before an audience of 2,000.

“Mom said, ‘Go out there and be yourself and have fun,’” she recalled.

It’s advice she still follows today before taking the stage at speaking engagements.

When Bittmann-Neville moved to Waynesville from Florida four years ago, one of her first stops was the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, where she promptly plugged into business networking channels.

“I became part of the community quite quickly. That is one of the beautiful things about Waynesville and Haywood County. If you want to get involved, you can. It is very open-armed,” Bittmann-Neville said.

The Haywood County business community embraced Bittmann-Neville as quickly as she embraced it. Her expertise has been tapped for several high-level

initiatives of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, including a major rebranding campaign and launch of a new economic development commission.

She was also integral in the development of the chamber’s Women in Business program, which brings women in business together for quarterly motivational talks and professional luncheons. It was being launched just as Bittmann-Neville moved here, and the timing was serendipitous. She championed the program, serving as its chair for three years.

“The mission for Women in Business under the chamber is we want to continue to cultivate the younger generations so they can continue to move into leadership roles within our community,” Bittmann-Neville said. “We have a lot of avenues that women can participate in to gain leadership skills, communication skills, presentation skills, that can help them to position themselves.”

As a spinoff of Women in Business, a mentor program was created called Partners in Leadership — pairing younger businesswomen with experienced ones. A dozen women have gone through the nine-month mentor program to date.

“We’ve had a number of those young women move into leadership roles in their companies,” BittmannNeville said.

Bittmann-Neville has lent her talents to numerous organizations in the community. Beyond her service on the chamber board of directors, she serves on the boards of the Haywood Community College Foundation, the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre and the Fund for Haywood County.

Despite her hefty plate of civic engagement, she keeps a robust schedule consulting for clients and on the national speaking circuit, making travel a constant.

Meanwhile, her husband, a banker, commutes to the Winston-Salem area during the workweek.

They didn’t intend to leave Florida until they retired.

But the second home they’d built here beckoned.

“We had the opportunity to leave Florida sooner than we expected. We looked at each other and said ‘yes,’” Bittmann-Neville said, gesturing at the longrange mountain views out the windows of her home office as justification.

Before starting TNB Consulting Group, BittmannNeville was working as a senior marketing strategist for Barnett Bank.

“Going into business for yourself is always a leap of faith,” Bittmann-Neville said. “I love what I do and I am excited about it every day.”

Amber Slagle, Village Florist and Gifts, Bryson City Amber Slagle enjoys her work. She works with flowers, and also atmosphere and mood.

“Making it look good,” Slagle said.

“Making everybody happy.”

Slagle has worked with floral arrangements for quite while — “Me and my mom have done weddings since I was 16” — and spent the past few years working as a florist at Ingles supermarket. In June, she decided to take a leap and purchased Village Florist and Gifts in Bryson City.

Running her own business, working with her mom, is an adventure. Maybe more so because she’s a woman.

“Oh, Lord, yeah,” Slagle laughed.

Even the small stuff — like dealing with the electric company — can be difficult as woman.

“Just because your female, when you get on the phone with somebody they think they’re gonna screw you,” Slagle said. “They think you’re a woman, you don’t know what you’re doing, they’re going to pull one over on you.”

And then there’s the routines that traditionally fall to women — taking care of the kids, cooking meals. Throw those in the mix with running a newly launched business and things get really interesting.

“The woman is supposed to do the cooking, take care of the house,” Slagle said. “I’m here a lot of days until 7 or 8 o’clock at night.”

But the business owner also sees some advantages to being a woman in business.

For starters, she tends to handle the more stressful moments with a bit more grace than her husband.

“I have an easier time staying calm,” Slagle laughed.

Monica Brown, Fryemont Inn, Bryson City Monica Brown didn’t set out to run a historic inn.

“It was really not our plan,” Brown said.

After meeting her husband while at college, Brown ventured to Bryson City to spend some time with the in-laws, Sue and George Brown, who had purchased the Fryemont Inn shortly before their son went away to school.

“To just kind of help out,” Brown recalled.

Martha Holbrook, Rosebud Cottage and Mossy Rock, Franklin Martha Holbrook opened Rosebud Cottage in Franklin in 2007, just as the economy teetered on the edge of collapse. But despite challenging economic times, Holbrook was able not only to upgrade her location from her original shop on Highlands Road — now Rosebud Cottage is a Main Street business — but to open a second business, Mossy Rock, in April Martha Holbrook 2013.

“They always say if you own your own business, you work 100 hours a week, and you do,” Holbrook said when asked the secret to her success. “Hard work.”

Holbrook is far from being the only female business owner in Franklin, and she sees that as a good thing.

“I think women have a sense of being a little more sensitive to people’s needs,” she said. “Not that men aren’t sensitive, but I think that women have a sense of a little broader view of customer’s needs.”

Miss Judy on Target, 1938

When women take over the reins: Three generations of the Alexander family at Cataloochee Ranch.

“Women run this place,” says Mary Coker, the current manager of Maggie Valley’s venerable Cataloochee Ranch.

And she should know. When Mary’s grandparents, Tom and Judy Alexander, opened the first Cataloochee Ranch in 1933, it was her grandmother, affectionately known to both family and guests as “Miss Judy,” who took on the responsibility of creating the Ranch’s now-legendary tradition of hospitality.

By the time of Tom Alexander’s death in 1972, the second generation of Alexander women and their husbands had assumed the day-to-day management of the Ranch. Today, under Mary’s third-generation management, her mother Judy “Juju” Coker still greets guests every day at breakfast, her aunt Alice Aumen is there to greet them at dinnertime, and both help out with

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

Amber Slagle runs Village Florist and Gifts with her mom, Rebecca Stephenson.

“It was really busy, business was booming in the 90s.”

But the young couple ended up liking the area and decided to stick around.

“It just kind of took hold,” Brown said.

“We fell in love with the area and the people.”

Brown and her husband now run the Fryemont. Over the years, she has also chaired the Swain County Tourism Development Authority and currently chairs Smoky Mountain Host, which promotes tourism in Western North Carolina.

Brown doesn’t spend too much time thinking about how being a woman plays into any of these roles. She’s come of age post women-lib, and thankfully always considered her horizons pretty much open.

“Our world now is more concerned about a person’s merit,” Brown said. “I’ve found that for the most part, if you’re confident in your decision making it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman.”

In some ways, she said, it might be more advantageous to be a woman.

Monica Brown Society tends to want to see you succeed. There’s not as much competiveness in interactions, like she has seen amongst men.

“You can always get someone to carry something for you,” Brown joked.

But Brown said she understands women do still face an uphill struggle in today’s world — “I’m sure there are some challenges in the corporate structure” — and offered some advice for young women heading into business.

“Learn as much about every aspect of the business as you can,” Brown said. “Learn the business from the ground up, know what everyone else does around you.”

other duties on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, Mary’s sister Judy B. Sutton manages the barn and pitches in wherever else she’s needed.

Although her duties had been taken over by her daughters (and ultimately by her granddaughters), Miss Judy continued

Ranch general manager Mary Coker with sister, Judy B. Sutton, manager of the Ranch barn.

to be a gracious hostess at the Ranch until her death in 1997.

And, for the women of her family, she left some enduring footsteps to follow.

Cataloochee Ranch 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC (828)926-1401 www.CataloocheeRanch.com

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2014

While my practice is not a woman-owned business, it is certainly run by women. I am fortunate to work with six ladies who continue to astonish me with their ability to balance their professional and home lives.

Each has a unique personality and skill set, but as a group they bring the compassionate, nurturing nature we admire in women.

Our staff includes: Mary Story — Our dental hygienist for 10 years, Mary is a favorite of our patients for her gentle technique and her conversational personality.

Kelli Ray — For 17 years, Kelli has been the glue that holds the practice together. Her professional knowledge of all things dental is only exceeded by her caring nature.

Sonya Scott — The first sound you hear when phoning our office will likely be Sonya’s cheery voice welcoming you to our practice.

She provides a sunny disposition as the face of our front office.

Claudia Painter — Having gained experience after years in

Family Dentistry Since 1994

specialty offices, Claudia brings a thoroughness to her dental hygiene duties.

Katie Arrington — Having spent many years working in a pediatric office, Katie has the people skills to relate to all ages.

Lisa Gillespie — My beautiful wife of 26 years, now that the nest is empty she has taken on the responsibilities as business manager.

MICHAEL D. GILLESPIE, DDS 611 S. Haywood St. • Waynesville • 828.456.9007

Bottom Row L to R: Jennifer, Angela, Carey, Loretta, Beth, Betty Joe, Top Row: Barbara, Patsy, Irma, Shelli, Karen, Brenda, Jackie, Chris, Jennifer Brenda O'Keefe grew up in a restaurant family and has owned Joey’s Pancake House for 49 years. She and her husband initially opened the Pancake House as a summer place but found themselves so charmed by the community that they never left. Brenda said all the women at the restaurant have been integral to its success. “Ambition is valued at Joey’s, and the high-achivers who have worked here over the years are a huge part of our success,” Brenda said.

Over the years Brenda has seen a lot of change in how the business community treats women. She said that 20 years ago “women were not invited or wanted.” “Women have to be superior at everything to be taken seriously,” said Brenda.

When asked what advice she would give to women just starting out in their career she said: “Prepare, get as much education as you can. Shadow someone in your field as early as you can, in college or high school. Go to work in your field before you jump in to figure out if it is what you really want.”

Brenda has a passionate love for the restaurant business. “At its heart the restaurant business is easy: good food at a good price served well. Consistency is key, and in 49 years we have never changed any of our ingredients.”

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Maggie Valley | (828) 926-0212 | Reservations Accepted