Made in the High Country

S1E11: Unapologetically Thriving | With Sparta Candle Co.'s CEO, Jennifer Swenk

In the small town of Sparta, North Carolina, Jennifer Swank, the founder of Sparta Candle Company, defied all odds to create a thriving global business. Born and raised in Sparta, Jennifer was told that success meant leaving her hometown. And that's exactly what she did after graduating high school. However, the city life didn't suit her, and she longed for the familiarity and connection of a small town. Determined to make a living in Sparta, Jennifer took on various jobs but struggled to make ends meet. Driven by the need to support herself, Jennifer became an entrepreneur. She started her own marketing company and ventured into real estate, all while making candles on the side. Little did she know that this small side hustle would turn into something much bigger. Sparta Candle Company blossomed into a thriving empire, on track to earn over 1.5 million dollars annually and reaching customers worldwide. What sets Sparta Candle Company apart is not only the quality of their products but also their impact on the town. Jennifer is committed to paying living wages to her employees, making her company one of the top-paying employers in Sparta. Additionally, she established the town's first LGBTQ+ support charity, despite facing pushback. The company's success and contributions have brought new life and opportunities to the small community. Sparta Candle Company is not just a candle and soap company. It's a symbol of resilience, community impact, and honoring loved ones. Jennifer's dedication to her mother's memory, commitment to her hometown, and the pursuit of excellence have propelled her small-town business to remarkable heights. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

S1E10: A Global Solution to Solve Bee Health w/ HiveTracks CEO Max Rünzel

Join the HiveTracks Crowd Equity Campaign [https://wefunder.com/hivetracks?utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wefunder_campaign&utm_id=wfp.5&utm_term=WeFunder+Page+wfp.5&utm_content=Wefunder+invest+beekeeping+tech+wfp.5] Today on our show, learn the story of how one man, who was born in Germany, has traveled to over 45 countries, and speaks 6 languages, wound up living in, of all places, Boone, NC, and dedicated himself to helping solve one of the largest threats our world is facing today…biodiversity decline.   Max Rünzel, is the CEO and co-founder of Hivetracks, a SaaS Company that’s Creating a planet-positive impact –– one healthy bee at a time.  Over the past decade, Hivetracks has grown into a full-blown Venture Startup, raising over $1MM in investment capital and securing Government Funding worth over half a million dollars. Its software has globally significant potential around topics of colony collapse, food security, climate change, and biodiversity decline. Using bees at biosensors, Hivetracks is unlocking an urgently needed source of environmental intelligence and data that’s natural, scalable, and available. Today, we take a look at the positive impacts Hivetracks is having on ecosystems and farmers around the world, ranging from Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, to right here in the High Country, as well as peek behind the scenes at Hivetracks' entrepreneurial journey from start to present. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

S1E9: Why NC IDEA Gives Free Money to Entrepreneurs w/ CEO Thom Ruhe

Join our newsletter: www.startuphc.com [http://www.startuphc.com] Today we are preaching the gospel of entrepreneurship with President and CEO of NC IDEA, Thom Ruhe. If you’ve ever battled with the question “is entrepreneurship really THAT important?” stay tuned to hear the mind-blowing facts that will have you proselytizing the world of entrepreneurism right along with us. Thom Ruhe grew up in Northeast Ohio, but came to North Carolina when he was offered the position of second CEO of NC IDEA, who's mission is to foster entrepreneurism for the entire state. He has been working fiercely ever since to make North Carolina the best state in the nation for people of all backgrounds to start and grow companies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

S1E8: Peace of Mind with Booneshine's Tim Herdklotz

After spending twenty years in the electronics payment industry, Tim Herdklotz decided to leave it all and start making beer. Tim is now President and Co-Owner of Booneshine Brewing Company, the wildly popular microbrewery, tasting room, and restaurant located in East Boone.  Along with his co-owner Carson Coatney, Tim saw a microbrewery trend happening across the country and decided to jump on that movement to fill a gap within the High Country’s gastronomical ecosystem. In 2015 they served their very first beer, starting out with just two employees. Now, Booneshine has over 70 employees on the payroll, and a scalable, thriving microbrewery business that never stops giving back to its community. ---------- Music Attribution: Kick It by Mr Smith [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/mr-smith/contact] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

S1E7: Building a Company That Lasts with Pete Catoe of ECRS

Stay connected at www.startuphc.com [http://www.startuphc.com] Prior to the 1980s, most Point of Sale interactions consisted of cash or check exchanges at clunky checkout machines that were limited to a single store’s accounting information. But with the invention of the microprocessor, slowly, cash registers evolved into much more complex machines that allowed Point of Sale transactions to become quicker, more accurate, more connected, and more helpful for companies trying to track their financials. One of the people who saw the potential of this was Pete Catoe. And in 1989 he decided to start a company that specialized in POS transactions utilizing electronic cash registers. He called this business ECRS, or Electronic Cash Register Services. And today, it’s known as one of the most sustainable employers of the High Country. Tune in to hear the story of how ECRS came to be built and the important lessons Pete Catoe learned along the way. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].