Hospitality help is hard to find: Tourism businesses looking for seasonal help

fr hospitality1Melanee Lester has been sorting through a 4-inch-high stack of applications on her desk for the last couple of weeks, trying to get Mast General Store fully staffed for the long tourism season ahead.

How sincere is your smile? Stakes are high in the never-ending quest for seasonal tourism workers

coverIt happens like clockwork every year. As the calendar creeps toward May, the roads get crowded, lines at the grocery store get longer, and the wait for a table on Friday night mounts. Right on cue, tourist season arrives, seemingly overnight.

SEE ALSO:
• Hospitality help is hard to find
• Tourism’s future in the hands of frontline workers
• BRNHA tackles the $50,000 question of hospitality training
• Casino strategizes to keep good hires on board

How may we help you? Tourism’s future in the hands of frontline workers

fr hospitality2It’s a conundrum the best minds in tourism have been trying to crack for decades.

Canton preps for economic success

haywoodPiece by piece, Canton is setting the stage for future economic success through a number of new initiatives.

State of the Arts: WCU holds art summit for WNC creative leaders

coverIn an effort to bring together the artistic hearts and minds from around Western North Carolina, the “LEAD:Arts” summit was hosted last week by Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

“The arts and artists are essential elements for a healthy community,” said moderator George Brown, dean of WCU’s College of Fine and Performing Arts. “Art improves the quality of life. Artists make good neighbors. This conference will go beyond discussion of the role of arts in the community. Western Carolina University and Western North Carolina will come together through art to take action and foster a better tomorrow for the region.”

Canton sets up incentives for downtown businesses

haywoodEven though the money isn’t yet in place, the town of Canton is considering several options for economic development incentives for businesses willing to invest in the downtown corridor.

NOC considering Dillsboro location

fr NOCIf discussions between Nantahala Outdoor Center and Jackson County continue to move forward, the outdoor recreation giant could start work this year on an adventure park and outfitter store in the tiny town of Dillsboro. 

Haywood commissioners question whether scattergun economic development approach is working

fr economicA freewheeling discussion on how to create more jobs stumped Haywood County commissioners last week as they pondered what else the county could be doing that it’s not already.

Haywood candidates come up empty on fresh ideas for economic development

election timeCandidates for Haywood County commissioner all agreed economic development is one of the top issues facing the county during an election forum last week, but they offered few concrete ideas for how to go about it.

Business growth in 2015 gives Dillsboro hope for brighter future

fr dillsboroEver since the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad left Dillsboro in 2008, the little town has been just barely chugging along. But if the last year is any indication, things could be turning around for the tourist-centered village.

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