By Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina has shown remarkable strength, determination, and collaboration. Communities across the region continue to work tirelessly to recover and rebuild, not only restoring what was lost but also laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future.
Golden LEAF has been proud to support these recovery efforts, partnering to help families access resources, replace property, and return home, which will help strengthen the regional economy. But recovery is only part of the story. The longer-term challenge and opportunity is ensuring that Western North Carolina’s economy is more diverse, adaptable, and inclusive than ever before.
I have been talking with leaders who are on the front lines of this work including Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, Christine Laucher with Mountain BizWorks, and Clark Duncan from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. Each has offered valuable insights into how communities, businesses, and institutions are navigating both recovery and renewal.
Mayor Smathers shared the deep sense of perseverance that continues to define Canton’s response. His community has faced immense challenges, but it also demonstrated how collaboration between state and local leaders, industry partners, and residents can accelerate recovery and inspire hope.
“Recovery is a word we’ve used since the beginning,” said Mayor Smathers. “In the first hours and minutes, recovery meant search and rescue. A year later, recovery means something different. I can point to projects across the region that are completed and to others that haven’t even begun and may not start for years.”
He added that recovery depends on resources.
“The help we’ve received from organizations, nonprofits, churches, and everyday citizens has been incredible,” said Mayor Smathers. “However, you can’t really have recovery without the resources to do it. We’ll look back one day and realize we didn’t do enough for small businesses after disasters. People want to stay in business; we just have to provide them with the opportunity to do so.”
Laucher highlighted the importance of supporting small businesses as engines of resilience. Through programs that provide access to capital, coaching, and entrepreneurial training, Mountain BizWorks is helping business owners rebuild.
She shared that Mountain BizWorks surveyed the area’s small businesses to gauge the progress and the challenges.
“Amazingly, 93% of survey respondents said their small businesses are now open,” said Laucher. “However, revenues for over half of these are still more than 20% below pre-Helene levels. If you look at impact in proportion to revenue, it will take the average business over six years-worth of profits to cover their Helene losses.”
She added that Mountain BizWorks, through funding partners, has provided access to resources for these businesses.
“With funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolina General Assembly, Appalachian Regional Commission, and Abundance Capital, Mountain BizWorks deployed $47 million in rapid relief loan funding over the past year,” added Laucher. “Those 800 loans helped save 6,500 jobs across Western North Carolina; however, we must continue to listen to our local businesses who are clearly sharing what they need in the months and years ahead. Identified needs include flexible and forgivable capital, affordable commercial space, strong business support networks, repaired infrastructure, and an amplified message that WNC is open for business.”
Duncan spoke to the broader regional picture, emphasizing the need for economic diversification and connectivity. He shared that a resilient Western North Carolina must be one where rural and urban areas grow together, with infrastructure, workforce, and innovation strategies that lift the entire region.
“The pre-storm economic health of the Asheville area has been a significant asset in the recovery process,” said Duncan. “We also have seen that regional collaboration is extremely important. We are working on strategies such as collaborative marketing with the message that Western North Carolina is open for business.”
At Golden LEAF, we know that strong local leadership and resilient communities turn investments into impact. We’re grateful for the insights shared by Mayor Zeb Smathers, Christine Laucher, and Clark Duncan, leaders dedicated to helping people and places recover and thrive after Hurricane Helene. Together, they embody the spirit of collaboration that will drive long-term economic growth, strengthen local businesses, support communities, and expand workforce opportunities. Western North Carolina is, indeed, stronger together.