Asheville Economic Development Specialist Brenda Mills honored during Stand Against Racism Program

Brenda Mills says her parents instilled in her a sense of community spirit and support. Whether it came to visiting the sick to feeding the poor, especially during holidays, she worked by their side in Waxhaw, N.C., as a girl, sometimes even taking down letters for elderly people.   A City of Asheville employee since 2005, Mills [...]

Asheville’s Minority Business Program works toward inclusion in the City’s business

The City of Asheville recently hosted a Minority Business Program outreach meeting with project pre-planners Beverly Grant and Barnhill to include regional minority-owned businesses specifically relating to bidding opportunities for the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project (RADTIP).     Inclusion and providing opportunities for economic participation in the City’s programs are the heart of the City of [...]

City of Asheville 2018 initiatives: What to look for in the new year

  With a new year comes new programs, facility improvements and projects to improve our community. Here’s a look ahead at Asheville City government initiatives in 2018. We couldn’t get the list down to 10 items so here are a dozen to look for in the coming year.       New, more diverse City Council   Asheville City Council 2018: Standing, left to right, are Keith Young, [...]

City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission meeting, Dec. 5, 2022

The Community Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism. The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City, County, and other participating community groups for [...]

City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission meeting: August 15, 2022

The Community Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism. The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City, County, and other participating community groups for [...]

City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission meeting: July 18, 2022

  The Community Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism. The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City, County, and other participating community [...]

City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission meeting: June 27, 2022

  The Community Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism. The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City, County, and other participating community [...]

City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission meeting: June 6, 2022

  The Community Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism. The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City, County, and other participating community [...]

City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission meets August 15, 2022

The next meeting of the Community Reparations Commission will take place 6:00 p.m. Monday, August 15, 2022 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Banquet Hall at 87 Haywood Street.  The Commission meeting agenda is posted at this link. The Community Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward [...]

City of Asheville Awarded $4.2 Million From the Federal Transit Administration for New Buses

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced the City of Asheville has been awarded $4.2 million from the Low-and No-Emission Program to invest in purchasing new transit buses for the Asheville Rides Transit (ART) fleet. The $4.2 million will allow the City of Asheville to purchase six hybrid replacement buses and three replacement [...]

City of Asheville hosts business training

This April, the City of Asheville Business Inclusion Office will conduct three free training sessions to help local businesses learn how to work on local government contracts. These training sessions will be facilitated by the A-B Tech Small Business Center and take place from April 13-15.    Training 1: Is Doing Business with Government Right for My [...]

City of Asheville receives 2020 Center for Accountability leadership award

The City of Asheville is pleased to announce that we are the recipient of the Center for Accountability and Performance (CAP) Organizational Leadership Award. This award, presented to an organization, recognizes outstanding applications of a systems approach to performance measurement that resulted in a culture change, sustained improvements and demonstrated positive effects on government performance and accountability.

City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy supports high school students with career development opportunities

Since 2007, the City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (CAYLA) has provided internship placement opportunities for area high school students in local government, businesses and nonprofits. Each summer, 38 are selected from more than 80 applicants from city and county high schools. In addition to workforce training at their selected job sites, the students also [...]

City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office launches AVL Pathways to Grow training program

  The City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office is excited to announce a new training program for local small businesses, AVL Pathways to Grow. The training program is geared towards helping women and small business owners of color to grow and scale up their businesses.   AVL Pathways to Grow is a collaboration between the City’s Business Inclusion [...]

Minority businesses can connect with large construction projects at Economic Summit Asheville

  You might say Asheville is in a construction boom. One look at our skyline alone shows towering cranes with workers bustling below, building, bringing the city to new heights. In response to this climate of large-level projects, the WNC Diversity Engagement Coalition — of which the City of Asheville is a member — will host Economic [...]

New training program designed to help small, diverse businesses learn how to work with NCDOT

  Interested in working with the N.C. Department of Transportation, but don’t know how to get started? The City of Asheville, the NCDOT Office of Civil Rights, and the Small Business Transportation Resource Center are collaborating on a three-hour program. It will show small, diverse businesses how to navigate local projects and “think outside of the [...]

Rosanna Mulcahy joins City of Asheville as Minority Business Program Manager

  Rosanna Mulcahy enjoys working with the business community. She has just stepped into a new role as Minority Business Program Manager with the City of Asheville.   “The new job will allow me to make a difference, which is what I enjoy most about working with the business community,” Mulcahy said.   Her main focus will be ensuring that [...]

Who’s up this week on What’s Up AVL! – City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy Coordinator Alex Mitchiner

What’s Up AVL! The City of Asheville’s bi-monthly radio show gives the community the chance to take a deep dive with City of Asheville staff and departments. Learn about different departments and what projects are taking place in your community. This week, the City of Asheville host Sam Parada sat down with City of Asheville [...]