‘NC is open for business’: SBA Admin Loeffler touts small business loans at Rosman visit
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‘NC is open for business’: SBA Admin Loeffler touts small business loans at Rosman visit
Small Business Administration leader Kelly Loeffler visited Pisgah National Forest June 19. Small Business Administration gave out more than $380 million in loans to thousands of small businesses and homeowners affected by Tropical Storm Helene. The costliest storm in North Carolina history, Helene hit the region in late September, causing nearly $60 billion in damages and killed more than 100 people across the state.Headwaters Outfitters has been in business since 1992 and at its current location since 1994. It offers guided rafting, canoeing and fishing excursions down the French Broad River from its location at the river’s source, or headwaters. It rents inflatable tubes, waders and other equipment, much of which was lost in the storm, and is only now beginning to see its business rebound, nearly nine months after the storm.“If we couldn’t have (taken) care of our staff … it would have been just devastating,” one business owner said.
Small Business Administration loans kept some businesses afloat post-Helene, one business owner told the Times-News.
ROSMAN – Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administrator, came to Transylvania County June 19 for the reopening ceremony of a river boating and tubing business damaged in Tropical Storm Helene.
In remarks at the ribbon cutting for Headwaters Outfitters near Pisgah National Forest, Loeffler said that the Small Business Administration gave out more than $380 million in loans to thousands of small businesses and homeowners affected by Tropical Storm Helene in late September. The costliest storm in North Carolina history, Helene hit the region in late September, causing nearly $60 billion in damages and killed more than 100 people across the state.
The SBA assistance program has helped the region “come back strong,” Loeffler said.
Previously appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate from 2020 to 2021 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Loeffler was confirmed to lead the Small Business Administration in February, according to reporting from USA TODAY.
“The SBA loan was kind of instrumental,” Jessica Whitmire, who runs Headwaters Outfitters along with her mother Debi Whitmire, told the Times-News at the ceremony.
Headwaters Outfitters sits, fittingly, steps from the fork where two smaller rivers meet to form the headwaters of the French Broad River. The water is clear and wadeable at the bottom of the grassy slope where inflatable yellow vinyl inner tubes sit heaped in big stacks.
People could be seen not far off, lazing down the river in those same tubes, despite the looming clouds and rain showers.
On one of the pylons of a highway bridge, within sight of where people gathered to hear Loeffler speak, is marked with foot increments of flood height that were surely all underwater last fall when torrential rain flooded the leafy valley.
After applying for and receiving a federal disaster relief loan in the fall, the Whitmires used it to buy equipment that they used to make repairs to the property and to keep their staff hired on through the winter to do much of the renovation work, including replacing the floors.
“If we couldn’t have (taken) care of our staff … it would have been just devastating,” both for the staff and for the business, Debi Whitmire said. “We wouldn’t be here today without small business loans.”
SBA employees they worked with “wanted to help us,” Jessica said. “They wanted to try to get us the money quickly. They knew we needed it.”
The community also rallied to provide mutual aid to one another, including from a close college friend of Jessica’s whose family owns a dumpster business and delivered one to Headwaters so they could start collecting debris as soon as the floodwaters receded, she said.
Longtime outdoor outfitting anchor
Headwaters Outfitters has been in business since 1992 and at its current location since 1994. It offers guided rafting, canoeing and fishing excursions down the French Broad River from its location at the river’s source, or headwaters. It rents inflatable tubes, waders and other equipment, much of which was lost in the storm.
“Not only did we take a direct hit and had property loss, we also have seen just our numbers (of customers) being down, which adds another layer of recovery,” she said.
Headwaters is only now beginning to see its business rebound, nearly nine months after the storm.
It is one of many outdoor outfitters across the mountains whose lifeblood are the rivers, like the French Broad, which swelled to record flood levels during Helene. Many are seeing a steep downturn in business so far this year, or have not been able to open at all.
“We’re celebrating the recovery of this amazing community to get back on their feet just in time for the summer season,” Loeffler told the Times-News after her remarks.
“Nature is at its best right now. We want to make sure people know Western North Carolina is open for business,” she said. “We’re encouraging people to get back into tourism and this is the place to do it.”
George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at GFRussell@gannett.com.
‘NC is open for business’: SBA Admin Loeffler touts small business loans at Rosman visit
Small Business Administration leader Kelly Loeffler visited Pisgah National Forest June 19. Small Business Administration gave out more than $380 million in loans to thousands of small businesses and homeowners affected by Tropical Storm Helene. The costliest storm in North Carolina history, Helene hit the region in late September, causing nearly $60 billion in damages and killed more than 100 people across the state.Headwaters Outfitters has been in business since 1992 and at its current location since 1994. It offers guided rafting, canoeing and fishing excursions down the French Broad River from its location at the river’s source, or headwaters. It rents inflatable tubes, waders and other equipment, much of which was lost in the storm, and is only now beginning to see its business rebound, nearly nine months after the storm.“If we couldn’t have (taken) care of our staff … it would have been just devastating,” one business owner said.
Small Business Administration loans kept some businesses afloat post-Helene, one business owner told the Times-News.
ROSMAN – Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administrator, came to Transylvania County June 19 for the reopening ceremony of a river boating and tubing business damaged in Tropical Storm Helene.
In remarks at the ribbon cutting for Headwaters Outfitters near Pisgah National Forest, Loeffler said that the Small Business Administration gave out more than $380 million in loans to thousands of small businesses and homeowners affected by Tropical Storm Helene in late September. The costliest storm in North Carolina history, Helene hit the region in late September, causing nearly $60 billion in damages and killed more than 100 people across the state.
The SBA assistance program has helped the region “come back strong,” Loeffler said.
Previously appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate from 2020 to 2021 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Loeffler was confirmed to lead the Small Business Administration in February, according to reporting from USA TODAY.
“The SBA loan was kind of instrumental,” Jessica Whitmire, who runs Headwaters Outfitters along with her mother Debi Whitmire, told the Times-News at the ceremony.
Headwaters Outfitters sits, fittingly, steps from the fork where two smaller rivers meet to form the headwaters of the French Broad River. The water is clear and wadeable at the bottom of the grassy slope where inflatable yellow vinyl inner tubes sit heaped in big stacks.
People could be seen not far off, lazing down the river in those same tubes, despite the looming clouds and rain showers.
On one of the pylons of a highway bridge, within sight of where people gathered to hear Loeffler speak, is marked with foot increments of flood height that were surely all underwater last fall when torrential rain flooded the leafy valley.
After applying for and receiving a federal disaster relief loan in the fall, the Whitmires used it to buy equipment that they used to make repairs to the property and to keep their staff hired on through the winter to do much of the renovation work, including replacing the floors.
“If we couldn’t have (taken) care of our staff … it would have been just devastating,” both for the staff and for the business, Debi Whitmire said. “We wouldn’t be here today without small business loans.”
SBA employees they worked with “wanted to help us,” Jessica said. “They wanted to try to get us the money quickly. They knew we needed it.”
The community also rallied to provide mutual aid to one another, including from a close college friend of Jessica’s whose family owns a dumpster business and delivered one to Headwaters so they could start collecting debris as soon as the floodwaters receded, she said.
Longtime outdoor outfitting anchor
Headwaters Outfitters has been in business since 1992 and at its current location since 1994. It offers guided rafting, canoeing and fishing excursions down the French Broad River from its location at the river’s source, or headwaters. It rents inflatable tubes, waders and other equipment, much of which was lost in the storm.
“Not only did we take a direct hit and had property loss, we also have seen just our numbers (of customers) being down, which adds another layer of recovery,” she said.
Headwaters is only now beginning to see its business rebound, nearly nine months after the storm.
It is one of many outdoor outfitters across the mountains whose lifeblood are the rivers, like the French Broad, which swelled to record flood levels during Helene. Many are seeing a steep downturn in business so far this year, or have not been able to open at all.
“We’re celebrating the recovery of this amazing community to get back on their feet just in time for the summer season,” Loeffler told the Times-News after her remarks.
“Nature is at its best right now. We want to make sure people know Western North Carolina is open for business,” she said. “We’re encouraging people to get back into tourism and this is the place to do it.”
George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at GFRussell@gannett.com.