Farming and winemaking runs in Lyndon Smtih’s blood. He grew up foraging for family meals and drinks at his Grandparents farm and it quickly evolved into a lifelong love of agriculture and fermentation. He founded a natural wine distribution company, Sour Grapes, in 2009 but left the wine business to start a small apple orchard and blueberry farm in Leicester, NC. He then joined his family running Cedar Grove Blueberry Farm in central North Carolina where Botanist and Barrel’s farmhouse Cidery & Winery was launched in 2017. Lyndon continues to learn about creative ways to use forgotten, foraged and ugly fruits to make beautiful adult beverages. In 2019 he launched NC’s first festival dedicated to wild and spontaneous food and beverages called “Funk Down on the Farm”. He is the President of the North Carolina Cider Association and is a certified cider professional through the ACA. Lyndon loves supporting local farms, using native fruits and pushing boundaries with wild and spontaneous yeasts. Lyndon is a founder and COO of Botanist and Barrel cider and winery, and is also the winemaker at DeFi Wines along with his wife, Amie Fields. Find him on Instragram @botanistandbarrel and @spontaneousfarmer.

After 25 years in the early childhood education field, Leslie Blaylock '92 needed a new challenge. She researched family friendly business options and chose mini golf because of its wide appeal to all generations. When Blaylock found the lakefront property halfway between Buncombe and Henderson County, she knew it was the perfect place. Lakeview Putt & Play opened June 1, 2018 offering mini golf and virtual reality and expanded to Outdoor Laser Tag, birthday parties and agreements with The Hop to sell their ice cream (both dairy and vegan options). They employ 10 people and are open year-round.

During the COVID-19 lockdown and after Helene,  they developed strategies to re-open safely to the public. They have remained vigilant about maintaining a safe environment for our staff and customers throughout. Blaylock believes in investing in good marketing strategies and networking. She is an active member in the Explore Asheville Attractions Group as well as the Fletcher Area Business Association (FABA).

The Hop Ice Cream has been an Asheville institution since 1978, with imaginative and locally-influenced flavors. Greg Garrison and wife Ashley became the fifth owners of the business in 2008 after having worked as scoopers since 2003. The menu at all 4 retail locations features locally-crafted dairy and vegan ice cream served in classic milkshakes, sundaes, desserts, and made-from-scratch waffle cones. The Hop’s flagship flavors (Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean, and Chocolate) are offered alongside a variety of staples and rotating flavors — often featuring local ingredients and collaborations with Asheville businesses. On Saturday, September 27th, for the 1 year anniversary of Helene, Ashley and I will be offering Free Kiddie Scoops AKA Community Scoops all day at all locations of The Hop Ice Cream. We can't really think of any other way to mark the occasion.

Nathan Ramsey coowns Ramsey Dairy Farms with his brother Bart. He is the Director of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board with Land of Sky Regional Council serving Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties.  Prior to this role he was a Business Services Representative for the North Carolina Department of Commerce.  Nathan served in the NC General Assembly representing House District 115 from 2013 to 2014 and as Chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners from 2000 to 2008.  Nathan grew up in Fairview in Buncombe County; he is a graduate of AC Reynolds High School, UNC Asheville and the University of Tennessee College of Law.  He is a member of the NC State Bar.  Nathan is married to Robin and they live on the family dairy farm.

Dr. Leah Mathews, Chair and Professor, Departments of Economics and Business, believes in the power of economic literacy to change lives and minds. Her work in the classroom has been recognized with several awards including the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Economic Association. As an applied environmental economist, Dr. Mathews' research focuses on estimating the value of those things you can't buy on grocery store shelves like water quality, scenic quality, cultural heritage, and social interactions. This work has led to over $1 million in research grants that have engaged over 40 UNC Asheville students. As an interdisciplinary, systems-thinking teacher-scholar, Dr. Mathews is perennially engaged with students and colleagues from multiple disciplines in order to enrich her intellectual life, improve her understanding of the world, and gain new perspective.