More than 300 women gather in Asheville for recovery networking event

More than 300 women packed a conference room at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College on April 21 for a WomanUP networking event that organizers cast as part business gathering, part recovery lift for Asheville’s still-stressed economy.

The room drew women from across the business spectrum, from entry-level workers to company executives, but the focus was less on speeches than on connection. Organizers said the purpose was to create space for women who are building, restarting or stabilizing their work after months of disruption, and the energy in the room reflected how many people are still trying to rebuild revenue, confidence and professional ties after Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024.

That recovery backdrop made the event more than a routine mixer. A-B Tech reopened all buildings and returned to normal instruction modes in January 2025, and the college has continued to frame recovery as broader than construction or cleanup. Its Helene resources page says needs still include professional counseling, dehumidifiers and warm clothing, a reminder that the storm’s effects continue to reach far beyond damaged storefronts and washed-out roads.

For many in Asheville’s business community, the stakes remain stubbornly financial. Mountain BizWorks says its Asheville-Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund offers grants of up to $25,000 for small businesses in Asheville and Buncombe County affected by Helene. The first round of awards totaled $3.69 million for 276 small businesses, and 79% of those recipients were classified as underserved businesses, including women-owned businesses. That kind of support matters in a region where WLOS reported that one-third of small businesses in Western North Carolina were still operating without profit after the storm.

WomanUP itself is built around that kind of sustained support. The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce says the program is focused on women in business, mentorship and building a strong network, and Chamber materials say the events are held three times a year. The next workshop is listed for April 21, 2026, with a Celebration & Awards Ceremony scheduled for Nov. 19, 2026.

At A-B Tech, the event showed how recovery in Asheville is now being carried not only by grants and campus reopening, but also by the informal infrastructure of women making introductions, sharing contacts and offering each other a way to keep going. In a city still working through Helene’s economic aftermath, those relationships have become part of the recovery plan.