HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Blue Ridge Community College’s Small Business Center has received a statewide award for helping local businesses recover after Tropical Storm Helene.
The North Carolina Community College System’s Small Business Center Network named the Hendersonville-based center a 2025 “Business Success Story — Overcoming Challenges” Award recipient. The honor highlights innovation, collaboration and impact among the state’s 58 community college-based small business centers.
This year’s award recipients embody the very best of the Small Business Center Network, Anne Shaw, state director of the SBCN, said in a news release.
“Their dedication, creativity and commitment to serving North Carolina’s entrepreneurs strengthen our communities every single day,” Shaw said.
John Loyack, vice president of economic development for the system, added that the award winners “demonstrate how our community colleges drive entrepreneurship, support job creation and help businesses overcome challenges and thrive.”
Blue Ridge earned the award for its story “Replanting Hope: Botanical Treasures Rebuilds After Hurricane Helene,” which details how the center supported local nursery owner Robert Stine after the 2024 storm destroyed nearly $2 million worth of plants.
According to the NCCCS, SBC Director Ben Smith and guest counselors provided more than 15 hours of guidance on insurance claims, marketing and funding access. With that support, Botanical Treasures secured more than $34,000 in recovery grants and has since reopened.
The story was produced collaboratively by Blue Ridge’s Marketing and Communications Department and the Small Business Center. On-site interviews and photography were conducted by Benjamin Rickert, the college’s director of marketing and communications, along with Smith and Stine. Hendersonville’s Formation PR + Brand, Inc., also contributed to the publicity.
“This story is just one of many examples of how Blue Ridge Community College has leveraged every resource available to support local businesses, partners, students and neighbors in the aftermath of last year’s historic storm,” Rickert said in the release. “Ben Smith’s leadership has been instrumental in helping businesses pick up the pieces and find a new path forward.”
More information on the Small Business Center and its services is available here.
