The Small Business and Technology Development Center offers counseling and educational services to help small businesses increase sales, create jobs, and access capital. As Helene affected so many of the small businesses in Western North Carolina in one way or another, the SBTDC pivoted its role toward helping connect small business owners to available recovery resources and has been identified as a key partner for business recovery in the NC government’s disaster recovery framework.

According to SBTDC’s Regional Center Director Elena Gupta, the largest need following the storm was for financial assistance. Businesses needed help navigating loan options available from the US Small Business Administration versus local bridge loans from Community Development Financial Institutions like Mountain BizWorks.

“Business owners have a lot of questions and want to compare and contrast these two different things,” Gupta said. “We help them figure out the best way to go about the disaster loans and bridge loans that are currently available, and in some cases, we can assist our clients to reconstruct financial statements out of tax returns if the business lost their financial statements due to flooding.”

As SBA loans can take months to materialize, bridge loans can be very useful because they have achievable terms and conditions like offering 1% interest for the first year, and can often be realized within a couple of weeks. This can help businesses sustain themselves by paying salaries, utilities, and rental fees while the SBA loans kick in slightly later.

Heidi Swann – the owner of Asheville Emporium, a gift and souvenir shop in downtown Asheville who faced significant challenges in her business journey – is just one individual who received this type of support with the help of SBTDC. After opening a second location on Biltmore Avenue in the summer of 2024, Hurricane Helene disrupted her operations, forcing her to close the original store on Wall street.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Swann took proactive steps to stabilize her business. She applied for the Mountain BizWorks WNC Strong: Business Recovery bridge loan, which was approved and provided essential funds to address immediate needs of the business.

Since Swann first reached out to SBTDC for assistance, SBTDC business counselors have worked closely with her to navigate these challenging times. They provided support by helping her consolidate operations, refine her disaster recovery plan, manage staffing effectively, and explore opportunities for additional funding. These efforts aim to ensure the long-term success and stability of her business.

The SBTDC also helps businesses find and apply for grants, though many of the grants available are for smaller dollar amounts than what the business needs to sustain themselves through a long recovery period. Gupta said grant application is a balancing act — determining the time it takes to complete the application, compile documents, and wait for approval, and considering the chances of one application being approved. The SBTDC helps best align businesses with the grants they are most likely to receive. Gupta and her team are also focused on obtaining information on new grants as they become available.

In addition to supporting financial resource acquisition, the SBTDC provides several types of general business support. Consultations include topics like labor resources, human resources questions, and unemployment systems. Technical support is also provided, and following the storm, many of these topics have included how to adopt new digital tools if a physical business location was damaged or destroyed. Determining the overall state of business is another focus, as many can no longer continue to operate as they did before.

“We saw a very similar situation during COVID, too,” Gupta said. “In the general business support area, we focus on recovery with most businesses. Interestingly enough, some industries like those with narrow niches and clients, do see growth during these types of events. For instance, tree removal services have a huge line waiting for them, so they need things like trainable services.”

According to Gupta, the hospitality industry was the hardest hit in various locations across the region. Many short term rentals were directly damaged, and bookings at others were impacted by the lack of tourism during the busy fall season. Restaurants and breweries experienced impacts similar to lodging facilities which were further exacerbated by the availability of clean water. Counties in the far west region of WNC experienced less physical damage, but were also impacted by the reduced number of tourists.

“People depend on October and leaf season, and it’s coming up on the slow time of the year,” Gupta said. “A lot of tourists are canceling their winter plans, and I’m afraid during the Christmas season, there will be very, very reduced amounts of tourists in comparison to the previous year.”

While a FEMA statistic shows about 40% of businesses will close because of a disaster, Gupta remains hopeful for the local startup ecosystem. Following the financial crisis in 2008 and the pandemic in 2020, many new business startups began to appear. Already, she has seen one of her counselors working with a client on a new business plan following the complete destruction of a former business in Marshall.

Moving into 2025, Gupta believes every business owner should have disaster preparedness and resilience at the top of mind. Considering risk assessments, response strategies, and implementing resilient infrastructure will be important for every business. Investing in independent internet service providers, generators, and recovery plans can help businesses continue to operate when conditions are not otherwise suitable, and those who are able to “jump on the train of digital tools” can also benefit from implementing new strategies. Additionally, cross-training employees on various tasks can support the business if certain positions are not able to be filled, or staff for those positions is unable to physically make it to work.

Continuing community engagement will remain helpful for businesses as well. While many shifted to providing humanitarian efforts immediately following the storm, Gupta said this kind of involvement is essentially indirect marketing effort that can pay off later.

“It’s not all about the business; it’s about the community,” Gupta said. “Everybody will know these businesses’ names, and that’s good to boost promotional efforts. Once the company is stable, it also supports the economic growth of the region, so in the end, community engagement is a win-win for everybody.”

Disasters can create overwhelming challenges for business owners. The SBTDC helps businesses recover, rebuild, and emerge stronger by providing guidance on navigating ways to overcome these challenges. Here’s how they can assist:

1. Assessing the Financial Impact: Helping businesses determine the full extent of financial damage caused by a disaster to create a clear understanding of where the business stands.

2. Reconstructing Financial Statements: If records are lost or updated figures are needed, the SBTDC can assist in reconstructing the financial picture of your business.

3. Developing Forward-Looking Plans: Rebuilding isn’t just about recovering what was lost; it’s about setting up businesses for long-term success. The SBTDC can work with business owners  to create plans that align with future goals.

4. Evaluating Options with Creditors, Vendors, and Suppliers: Guidance on managing relationships with key stakeholders during difficult times, helping negotiate terms and explore workable solutions can help businesses move forward.

5. Preparing Disaster Loan Applications: Whether applying for support through Mountain BizWorks, the Small Business Administration, or other funding sources, the SBTDC helps navigate the application process and strengthen the business’s case.

6. Providing Up-to-Date Information on Disaster Loans and Grants: The types of support available can change rapidly, and the SBTDC team ensures businesses have the most current details on the options available.