From CED President Monica Doss:
I'm writing from Asheville, NC, at the 4th BREC Carolina Connect Conference in the company of about 300 entrepreneurs, investors, students and local business leaders.
BREC (Blue Ridge Entrepreneurcial Council) and BRAIN (Blue Ridge Angel Investor Network) were created by Advantage West, the economic development regional partnership that serves 20+/- western North Carolina counties, and is supported also by the Appalachian Regional Comission.
The main and breakout sessions have been enthusiastic and packed, and lots of laughter and applause everywhere.
BREC founders are clearly happy with what Executive Director Jim Roberts has built. I talked to David Reeves, who championed the idea five years ago, and to Gordon Myers, chairman of Advantage West who also sits on NC Transportation Board.
They pointed to several startups that have emerged from BREC, including Immaculate Baking Company who made a presentation this morning. You guessed it, they bake and distribute healthier breads, cakes and other goodies and are now distributed on a national scale through Whole Foods and traditional groceries. After closing Asheville's first ever venture round last spring, with support from BRAIN angels, they entered a new market focusing on baked goods for kids with less sugar, sodium, and fat. Its grown to be 41% of their production and they are out in front of any competition in what has to be a growing market given the concerns about food quality and obesity in kids.
Just to show how clusters aren't purely the domain of high tech regions, one of the entrepreneurs in my session on taking an idea to the go/no go was one of a pair of twin sisters who had started a company to provide customized food and meals for cancer patients that meet their nutritional needs and biological challenges. Their meals are designed to enhance quality of life and they are currently trying to expand into the hospital setting...
Check back soon for more from the Connect conference.