By Lorraine Bennett
Staff Writer
Starting a new business, growing a small business and networking with people who might be helpful with the business — these were the themes Thursday morning when more than 50 people gathered upstairs in the Beal Center for the Clay County Business Resource Summit.
Participants came from the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, Tri-County Community College, Mountain BizWorks, VisitSmokies.org, the Sequoyah Fund, the Clay County Communities Revitalization Association, the N.C. Community Foundation, Mountain West Partnership, Southwestern Commission and others.
Two of the morning’s most interesting revelations came from Josh Carpenter, director of the Mountain West Partnership, a division of the Southwestern Commission.
He revealed statistics showing how in median household income growth rate and average disposable income for household heads between the ages 24 and 34, Clay County outstripped Cherokee, Towns and Graham counties. Clay also led in median household income.
In median net worth, of the four counties, Towns led, with Clay second, followed by Graham and Cherokee.
Among the statistics he presented, based on figures from the Environmental Systems Research Institute were:
Median household income growth rate
(projection from 2025 through 2029)
• Clay - 3.96 percent.
• Graham - 2.29 percent.
• Cherokee - 2.22 percent.
• Towns - 2.01 percent.
Median net worth
• Towns - $266,712.
• Clay - $244,790.
• Graham - $216,556.
• Cherokee - $216,346.
Median household income
• Clay - $62,461.
• Towns - $57,239.
• Cherokee - $53,619.
• Graham - $51,959.
Average disposable income for household heads ages 24-34
• Clay - $62,034.
• Towns - $59,536.
• Graham - $56,176.
• Cherokee - $55,245.
Populations by county
• Cherokee - 29,809.
• Towns - 13,035.
• Clay - 11,701.
• Graham - 7,808.
Total businesses
• Cherokee - 1,277.
• Towns - 547.
• Clay - 499.
• Graham - 299.
Carpenter also noted the greatest percentage of young people in Clay County have the greatest educational attainment.
The source he used for his statistics, ESRI, collects data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Labor Department and the American Community Survey, he said.
Aaron Patton of Tri-County Community College told listeners how the college’s small business center offers training and certificate programs for small business owners.
Christine Laucher of Mountain Bizworks said her group provides loans for businesses just starting or growing, financial management and offers other resources for small businesses.
She said the WNC Strong Helene Business Recovery Fund, created to provide loans to small for-profit businesses suffering economic losses from the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene, has an approaching deadline of June 30 for applications.
Lake Silver, representing N.C. Congressman Chuck Edwards’ office, also touched on the effects of Helene, saying, “We’re working hard to get money into the hands of folks who need it. I want to say thank you to this county. You were not hit as hard, but you stepped up.”
He recalled the trucks he saw traveling eastward “to take care of your neighbors. That’s honestly why the folks to the east have survived.”
Silver said he would finally address “the elephant in the room, the Chatuge Dam issue.”
The worst scenario, he said, is if the dam needs to be replaced and TVA doesn’t replace it and disaster might result.
He said the congressman’s office is working in three areas:
• Have TVA expand the notice of intent for a robust public input.
• Have TVA publish a risk assessment regarding what is wrong with the dam.
• Have TVA complete a comprehensive economic impact analysis and look at mitigation maneuvers for lowering the water level.
“We’re expecting a response from the TVA within the next two weeks,” he said.
Doug Canup of CCCRA talked about work at the Herbert Street building and plans to turn it into a boutique hotel with two retail spaces downstairs and eight short-term rental units upstairs.
“We’re working to bring it back to life like the courthouse,” he said.
Part of the morning’s program included Clay County success stories. Rosario Ryan recounted a brief history of how she started her Lazy Llama business just off the Hayesville square and the help and support she received.
“You’ll remember 2021 was epidemic time but in May 2021 Lazy Llama was born,” she said. “We started with three local artists. Now we have work from 39 local artists in the shop at the moment. I use local artists but I also have products from people in Peru. The business has grown into something I could never have imagined.”
The Hayesville Bike Shop and Veteran Coffee and Café also were mentioned as success stories, although the coffee shop moved to Hiawassee two months ago. Recent road construction in Hayesville interfered with the business, the owner said.
Mayor Joe Slaton spoke briefly, thanking the participants who attended.
In welcoming the group, Clay County Chamber of Commerce Director Jim Rich said, “This is the first time we’ve done something like this. The overwhelming theme to me is if one of us succeeds, all of us succeed.”
A similar business summit was held recently in Cherokee County.