Throughout 2025, Western North Carolina continued the long journey of recovery from Hurricane Helene. The region’s small businesses met the moment with durability, creativity, and grit, and Mountain BizWorks was right there alongside them.
From deploying millions in recovery capital to launching long-term programs, 2025 was a year of deepened commitment to WNC entrepreneurs.
Now, let’s look back together and celebrate the enduring Power of Local.
Read Our 2025 Year in Review2025 by the Numbers
The numbers tell one part of the 2025 story: financing provided, jobs grown, and businesses stabilizing and dreaming bigger. Behind every number is a real person deeply invested in their local community.
In 2025, Mountain BizWorks assisted 2,431 entrepreneurs across the 26 westernmost counties of North Carolina, providing $35,271,907 in financing across 523 loans. Those efforts helped start or sustain 1,220 businesses and support 8,003 jobs across the region. On the learning side, 2,049 clients participated in courses and programs, 503 received one-on-one coaching, and Mountain BizWorks delivered 27,254 total technical assistance hours.
In a year defined by recovery, that work and the people behind it mattered more than ever.
Recovering Forward: Mountain BizWorks’ Continued Helene Response
When Hurricane Helene hit, Mountain BizWorks moved quickly to get resources into the hands of small businesses that needed them most. Through 2025, that commitment only deepened.
Industry-specific cohorts, including the Crafting Resilience Cohort and the Waypoint Resilience Cohort, brought entrepreneurs together to learn from experts, share what was working, and find the confidence to move forward. Recovery loans, grants, and new resiliency programs reached hundreds of businesses across the region.
The launch of Recover Forward in December 2025 ensures that support continues well into the future, with scholarships and coaching access available to Helene-impacted businesses across WNC.
Meet the Local Dreamers
Some of our region’s biggest dreamers are featured in the 2025 Year in Review. Their stories showcase the many ways people can make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality across Western North Carolina.
- Hunter and Charlie Munday | Carolina Leg Co. | Hudson, Caldwell County
- Kanlaya “Gun” Supachana | Dalaya Thai | Sylva, Jackson County
- Christian and Erica Ramazzini | Little Guatemala | Morganton, Burke County
- Laura Wood | Laura Wood Studios | Asheville, Buncombe County
- David Zoll | Acoustic Corner | Black Mountain, Buncombe County
The 2025 Year in Review is full of stories like these and more. They are proof that the Power of Local is alive and well across Western North Carolina, and that story belongs to all of us.
