Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Ranked in America’s Top 10 Workplaces

AUSTIN, TEXAS (May 16, 2012) - Keller Williams Realty, Inc. announced today it has been recognized as one of America’s Top 10 Workplaces, according to the first annual National Top Workplaces list compiled by Workplace Dynamics.

“Our culture is our strongest asset and the reason that so many people want to be with us," Mary Tennant, COO of Keller Williams Realty shares. “Imagine what it would be like to work in a culture every day with people that you feel love, kindness, caring and humor with. Imagine working in an environment where there is a passion for every single person to succeed at the highest level."

“If this award proves anything, it’s that we only succeed when our associates do," added Mark Willis, CEO. “We are proud to be in business with the best who are lifting us up each day and proud to be fulfilling our mission of building careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living."

The list of National Top Workplaces is based solely on employee feedback surveyed from 805 companies of more than 1,000 employees, which included over half a million survey responses. According to survey results, Keller Williams’ ranking was based on its overall culture and high levels of organizational health including training, benefits, compensation, and work-life balance. “Put simply, the most successful companies appear to be the ones that employees believe in," said Doug Claffey, CEO at WorkplaceDynamics.

For more information and the full list of the Workplace Dynamics Nation’s Top Workplaces, please visit http://topworkplaces.com/stories/americas-top10-workplaces.php

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Oskar Blues building major brewery in Brevard

BREVARD — Oskar Blues brewery, the maker of Dale’s Pale Ale, will build a major expansion operation in Brevard, the company has announced.

Oskar Blues has signed a contract on a 30,000 square foot brewery space and a 6,000 square foot restaurant music room in Brevard. Oskar Blues plans to have the operation running by this December.

It’s the latest national brewery to make an expansion into Western North Carolina, following Sierra Nevada, which is building near the Asheville Regional Airport in Henderson County, and New Belgium, which is building in Asheville’s River Arts District.

Oskar Blues has built a national following for its beers which are sold on draft and in cans. The company has long had ties to Western North Carolina through the Mountain Song Festival held in Brevard.

The company sells more than 35 percent of its beer east of the Mississippi River, “making this a great opportunity to look into a local location in that area,” the company said.

Visit CITIZEN-TIMES.com for more on this story.


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This Month in Real Estate - Brevard and National

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April 2012  Market Update

Now three months into 2012, both the housing market and the overall economy are improving at modest rates. These improvements have inspired confidence in consumers, demonstrated by a 9.2% increase in pending home sales in February from the year prior.

Both home prices and sales are expected to increase in 2012.  Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR, stated, “Falling visible and shadow inventory [bank-held properties], combined with a dearth of new-home and apartment construction during the past three years, assure that rents will continue to rise, with likely home price increases in 2012.”

As rents continue to rise, buying becomes a more and more attractive option as home affordability, or the percent of income it takes to pay the mortgage, continues to be among the most favorable in history. Trulia’s Winter 2012 Buy vs. Rent Index, which measures the relative cost of renting compared to asking prices of homes found that in 98% major metropolitan areas sampled, it was more affordable to buy than to rent.

Home Sales

In Millions

Home sales dipped 0.9% in February to 4.59 million units, yet are 8.8% higher from a year ago. A strengthening economy is improving consumer confidence with an increasing amount of people in the market. Additionally, as the market shows signs of improvement, more people are feeling the urgency to buy while prices and interest rates are still at some of the most affordable levels in history.

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Home Price

In Thousands

After slipping a bit at the beginning of the year, median home prices rose to $156,600, up 0.3% from a year ago. NAR President Moe Veissi said, “People realize that home ownership is an investment in their future. Given an apparent overcorrection [dropping prices as an overreaction to market conditions] in most areas, over the long term home prices have nowhere to go but up.”

Inventory- Month's Supply

In Months

Housing inventory rose 4.3% in February to 2.43 million homes, representing a 6.4-month supply, up from 6.0 in January. There are several factors driving this increase in the inventory of homes. First, banks have settled major lawsuits regarding fraudulent foreclosure practices with state governments, which has enabled them to start moving many foreclosures off their balance sheets and into the market.  Pending sales are up, and home building is starting to show signs of life again after three years of low new-housing construction.

Source: National Association of Realtors

Interest Rates

30-year fixed mortgages continued to improve home affordability by dropping to 3.89% in February, the lowest on record since 1971. Indications are that these rates may have begun to find a bottom as well, as they have shown rising levels in Freddie Mac’s weekly index, adding to the urgency to buy a home now while these rates continue at record lows.

  

This Month's Video

Topics For Home Owners, Buyers & Sellers

Home buying is often exciting, but packing up and moving is almost always stressful. Below are a few tips to help make the move a smooth one.

• Special Boxes for Special Items. Dish barrels help protect dishware, and long flat boxes help protect artwork. Wardrobe boxes, which have a metal bar to hang clothes on, can simplify and speed up packing your closet. 
• Paper, the Secret Weapon. Packing paper, or unprinted newsprint, can be used several different ways. Use it to protect fragile items or crunch it up to use as padding. Remember, ink on regular newspaper can rub off and stain. Use Bubble Wrap for extra- delicate items.
• Tape It Securely. Masking and duct tape don’t stick to cardboard as well as brown packing tape.
• Tape It Quickly. Tape guns help you assemble boxes faster.
• Mark It Clearly. Clearly label boxes. Marking the sides instead of the top is best as the tops are covered when boxes are stacked. 
• Protect the Big Items. Protect furniture with pads and put mattresses in plastic bags to prevent damage during the trip.
• Lighten the Load. The help of a dolly or handcart can save your back and speed up the moving process.

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Brevard Brewery Opening!

Kyle Williams is the owner of Brevard Brewing Company, which will open Monday.

Buy PhotoMIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS By Gary Glancy Times-News Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Brevard Brewing Co.

Where: 63 E. Main St., in downtown Brevard
Hours: 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 2 p.m. to midnight (or later) Friday and Saturday
Beers: American IPA, American red ale, American premium lager, Munich dunkel and Bohemian pilsner
Prices: $3.50 per 16-ounce glass (64-ounce take-home growlers coming soon)

On the Web: www.brevard-brewing.com or www.facebook.com/BrevardBrewing

Amid much fanfare and anticipation, Brevard Brewing Co. is set to tap into the community's thirst for craft beer when it opens its downtown doors Monday afternoon.

Owner and brewer Kyle Williams is putting off the final touches on his new establishment — more artwork, additional seating, live music — so he can open as soon as possible and start pouring the beer.

"People are excited — they've been waiting for months, and they want me to open as much as I want to open," said Williams, who added that Brevard Mayor Jimmy Harris called him Monday offering support. "Everybody from bar and restaurant owners, they can't wait to get a keg for their place, and the local people want to come here to drink. Everybody is excited."

With nearly 600 "likes" already on Facebook, BBC's arrival as the county's first brewery comes at a time when craft beer is abuzz in Western North Carolina. Hendersonville's first brewery, Southern Appalachian — which was required by a previous law to open as a private club last year — has more than 5,000 members as it approaches its first anniversary celebration next weekend.

Asheville, meanwhile, has been voted "Beer City USA" three years running in an online poll, and two of the three largest microbreweries in the country — Sierra Nevada and New Belgium — have chosen WNC for their respective East coast expansions.

"For an area that's surrounded by craft beer, and the fact that you have two major companies coming here, it's nice that Brevard can now be a part of that," said Madrid Zimmerman, executive director of Heart of Brevard, which focuses on downtown economic development.

Zimmerman said her nonprofit sees BBC as a "magnet" to attract other like-minded businesses that distinguish a community with their locally made products. For a place like Brevard that relies heavily on outdoors-related tourism, the brewery will give visitors an added reason to come downtown.

"Being able to have our own craft beer here, especially in the downtown, is a good signal to send to those people that do come to enjoy our outdoors, because many of them don't make it to the downtown," she said. "They get to the Pisgah Forest intersection and they see the Walmart, they see the Pizza Hut, they see a few signs that say ‘Pisgah Forest Ranger Station/Cradle of Forestry' and they go in that direction, and they actually see some ‘city limits' signs for Brevard and they go, ‘Oh, this is it?' So for us, anything that can help us connect the outdoor recreation to the downtown is really important, and this is one way to do it."

The brewery is at 63 E. Main St., between Kiwi Gelato and Brevard Delicatessen, in the space formerly occupied by Jason's Main Street Grill and then Docks restaurant.

Williams, a former brewer at Pisgah Brewing Co. in Black Mountain, said he envisions a laid-back atmosphere at the tasting room — "someplace you can come after work and unwind."

There will be five beers on draft — an American IPA, American red ale, American premium lager, Munich dunkel and BBC's flagship, Bohemian pilsner, a lower-alcohol brew that reflects Williams' passion for European-style lagers.

"It's my favorite beer," he said. "It's a good session lager — it's light enough to drink all day long but it's got a ton of flavor in it, so it's a very well-rounded beer in that respect."

Williams said the pilsner strikes a balance between the two extremes that American brewers continue to trend toward: Lighter, watered-down, adjunct-filled products from the brewing giants, and super-hopped, high-alcohol ales from the microbreweries, "where if you have one of them it knocks you on your butt, and then you're done."

"I'm trying to get something good and drinkable and tasty, but also nice and light," he said, "and the best way to do that is to make German-style lagers."

Reach Glancy at 828-694-7860 or gary.glancy@blueridgenow.com.

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White Squirrel Volunteers Needed

They need your help with volunteering:

When?

White Squirrel Festival ~ May 26-27, 2012 (Memorial Day Weekend)

Where? (listed in order of need)

1. Beer Garden (only Saturday)

2. Heart of Brevard Information Booth (both days)

3. Squirrel Box Derby (parking attendants, registration, etc. - both days)

4. Backstage help (both days)

They also need help on Friday with set-up (putting up No-Parking signs and vendor spots).

You do get a free White Squirrel Festival T-Shirt!

Email me back with whatever area you would like to help email heartofbrvd@comporium.net

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Hunger Games and Brevard

"The Hunger Games" movie opens on March 23 and Brevard is getting excited! A lot of the scenes in the “games” were shot here in DuPont State Recreational Forest. Tammy Hopkins, Film Liaison and TCArts Council Director for Brevard and Transylvania County said, “My phone has been ringing off the hook with folks wanting to go see the film locations. So Leigh Trapp with the marketing trapp and myself have put together Hunger Games Fan Tours which will feature the filming locations used by 'The Hunger Games' movie in DuPont State Recreational Forest.”

Leigh Trapp, who has produced and guided a variety of fan-based experiences based on franchises such as "Harry Potter" and the "Twilight" series says, “Fan tours for movies and books have become increasingly popular — as readers and viewers alike want the opportunity to experience the world their characters live in first hand — and share in their adventures. These tours give them a great way to see some of the movie locations — and share in the experience of participating in "Hunger Games"-themed adventures with other like-minded fans.”

“We just launched our website www.hungergamesfantours.com,” said Hopkins. “On the website you will see that we will offer day trips as well as weekend adventure trips. On the weekend trips we will be teaming with Earthshine Mountain Lodge to offer an immersive, hands on experience with survival skills classes after the participants have been out to see the film locations. Leigh and I have worked closely with David Brown and Bruce MacDonald at Dupont to study the locations and design a guided tour that will be fun and safe around waterfalls.”

"Hunger Games" Day Trips: Explore DuPont State Recreational Forest with your sponsor to discover the locations used in the movie. Master fundamental survival skills like orienteering, camo-face painting, and shelter building needed to excel in the Hunger Games. Lunch will be provided in Hunger Games style. Shuttle service, DuPont State Recreational Forest permit and guides provided. Pre-registration required. Cost is $79 per person. Hunger Games Day Trips will be offered on the following dates: May 26 & 27, July 14 & 15, and August 11 & 12.

"Hunger Games" Fan Tours Adventure Weekend: Start your "Hunger Games" Fan Tours’ Adventure Weekend on Friday by gathering at Earthshine Mountain Lodge (http://www.earthshinelodge.com/) for an incredible evening. You’ll be part of the lottery and get separated into your own district. You’ll then join other Tributes for a welcoming banquet — "Hunger Games" style.

Saturday you’ll tour film locations in DuPont State Recreational Forest that were used in the movie. You’ll then reconvene at Earthshine Mountain Lodge for lunch. The afternoon will be filled with survival classes that you’ll need to participate in the "Hunger Games" Simulation: archery, sling shot training, fire building, orienteering, shelter building, and camo-face painting. In the evening you’ll have another "Hunger Games" dinner sponsored by the Capital, and you’ll night zip-line and see what it’s like to be in the treetops at night like Katniss and Rue. On Sunday, you’ll convene for your "Hunger Games" Simulation. See if you and your district have what it takes to win the "Hunger Games." Our "Hunger Games" Simulation will be timed trials of the skills you’ve learned over the weekend.

Your "Hunger Games" Weekend includes: three days and two nights stay at Earthshine Mountain Lodge, six "Hunger Games" meals, "Hunger Games" snacks, guides, all "Hunger Games" skill training, Night Zip Lining and your "Hunger Games" Simulation. Shuttle service to and from the Asheville Regional Airport is included. Cost: $389 per person. Note: There is a $2 ticketing process fee from Ticketleap, our ticket service. "Hunger Games" Fan Tours Adventure Weekend trips will be offered on April 27-29; June 8-10; June 22-24; July 27-29; August 24-26; and Sept. 21-23.

About the creators of Hunger Games Fan Tours:
Leigh Trapp has worked and contributed to a variety of fan-based experiences over the past several years. She is also an award winning festival and event producer in the US. Her fan tour work includes work on Harry Potter Adventures in the United Kingdom and in the US, Twilight fan experiences in the US, and a variety of other experiential events. She consults for a variety of US festivals and events across the US and runs a marketing company that focuses on tourism and tourism related events. She has served as an advocate and marketer for Transylvania County tourism for over a decade.

Tammy Hopkins, executive director of the TC Arts Council, serves as film liaison for Brevard NC and Transylvania County. She’s an actor, producer, and casting agent who also specializes in securing film locations and permits for the area. She served as a ranger at the Cradle of Forestry Historic Site for a number of years and led guided walks and survival study programs for the Orange County Outdoor Science School in the San Bernardino Mountains in CA. Tammy has also served as an advocate, publicist and marketer of the arts and outdoor recreation for over a decade in Transylvania County.

More about Earthshine Mountain Lodge: Earthshine Mountain Lodge has been a premier destination for 21 years. Situated on 82 acres bordering Pisgah National Forest with about a third of that as open pasture and the rest is deciduous forest. Earthshine is home to the First Zip Line Canopy Tour of any kind built in the US. www.EarthshineLodge.com

To learn more and to register for tours go to www.hungergamesfantours.com. To learn more about filming in the Brevard, NC area go to www.FilmBrevardNC.com.
By Rebecca Sulock on 03/14/2012 03:31 PM

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Jus' Running needs Volunteers

Just from Jus' Running:

We can't have great races, without great volunteers...and we need you to help for DuPont 12k FOREST BENEFIT (Sat 3/24th). If you can, please call us at 828.252.7867 or email Jane or Norm at jusrun@jusrunning.com THANK YOU SO MUCH!
The DuPont 12k is March, 24th and start time is 10am. It is the first race of the Brooks/Jus Running Trail Triplicity Series (more details coming later on this) Runners can sign up by picking up a race form at Jus' Running (523 Merrimon Ave., Asheville) or going online

The DuPont12k Trail Race is sponsored by Jus Running and benefits Dupont State Forest. The race covers 7.4 miles and begins and ends at Guion Farm on Sky Valley Road in Hendersonville, NC. Short-sleeve wicking shirts for first 250 runners. Awards = 1st 3 overall males and females; 1st masters overall male and female; 1st 3 each age group (14 & under, 15-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75 & over).

Thanks to sponsors Doc Cheys (bringing noodles again this year!), Dr. Dostrow, and Asheville Pain and Wellness Center.

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