Alumni Spotlights

At the age of 14, Francisco Moraza dreamed of some day owning his own restaurant. In his adolescent mind he knew he would serve traditional Mexican cuisine and he even had the perfect name – El Burro Loco or The Crazy Donkey. Moraza was full of ambition, had very little business knowledge to turn his dream into reality. In 2003, that changed when Moraza enrolled in Mountain BizWorks’ Foundations class and learned the basics of starting a business.

Foundations, Mountain BizWorks signature business planning course, guided Moraza though the process of estimating start-up costs; how to make cash flow projections and calculate unit prices; where to go for licensure and permits; what components go into a marketing plan; and where to look for financing.

Francisco Moraza, along with his wife, Emma opened The Crazy Donkey on April 5, 2006 in Brevard’s Chestnut Square shopping center. The couple, along with Emma’ sister, Evangeline, are proud to offer a menu of authentic Mexican food prepared with fresh ingredients that Francisco personally selects. The Crazy Donkey is open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mountain BizWorks' member Shane Corbin is literally going wild! After certifying in Foundations in April, he opened Hog Wild Bar-B-Q at 34 Highlands Road, next door to the former Lowe's in Franklin.


Hog Wild's pork and beef barbeque is slow cooked over hickory every day. Additional selections include smoked chicken, homemade hushpuppies, salads, homemade desserts, and a kids menu.

Hog Wild Bar-B-Q offers catering and takeout. Their hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For additional information, call 828-349-9150.

Licensed massage and body work therapist, Ydo Yumart is the owner and Director of Moonlight Spa and Retreat in Sylva, NC. Ydo opened the spa in March 2007.

The mission at Moonlight Spa and Retreat is teaching and educating the client about the integrated nature of a spa experience. The facility offers far infrared sauna; whirlpool; steam bath; wet room; park facilities at the river; meditation areas; and labyrinth.

Spa guests may select from an array of experiences. Indulge in an aromatherapy wrap designed to relieve stress and detoxify your body with exfoliation, heat and essential oils; or spoil yourself with a body scrub using sea salts followed by a Swedish massage with a soothing cream.

Ydo certified through Mountain BizWorks’ Foundations business planning course in 2006. Upon completing the program, Ydo said, "The training with Mountain BizWorks helped me to have a clear idea of everything involved in business; from a defined unit and its production cost, to all the steps and strategies I have to follow to guide my business to success."

Mountain BizWorks prides itself on making connections and promoting the power of networking. The licensed acupuncturists at Asheville Community Acupuncture are shining examples of the benefit. Jennifer Burnett certified in Foundations in 2005, Cat Finks in 2006, and Rachel Davis completed the course just last month. Three solid business plans have been joined to create a thriving business in West Asheville.
The mission of Asheville Community Acupuncture is to offer sliding scale fees as a service to the community because acupuncture treatment (and health care in general!) is too expensive for most people to afford. Asheville Community Acupuncture aims to change that. The clinic offers affordable prices in order to make acupuncture accessible to you and your family because acupuncture works best when it is done frequently and regularly.

Mountain BizWorks’ alumna Eliza Lynn has just finished recording her new CD! Eliza was voted Best Local Singer/Songwriter of 2006 by the Mountain Xpress! Her new CD features her rocking band mates and special guests from many of the super-talented professional musicians in our community - including members of: Firecracker Jazz Band, Stephanie's Id, the Barrel House Mamas, Lo-Fi Breakdown and others!

Thanks to funding from pre-order CD sales and sponsorship from our community, Eliza has been able to create her new work with minimal debt. To date, over $3,500 has been raised, enabeling Eliza to record at Echo Mountain Studio with Danny Kadar as a Co-Producer. This is half of the money needed to complete the project. Visit www.elizalynn.com if you would like to pre-order your copy of Eliza's new CD or consider becoming a business sponsor of this CD and have your business' logo included in her packaging. To become a business sponsor and have your business logo included on her packaging, please email eliza@elizalynn.com.

Since becoming Foundations certified, Eliza has used Mountain BizWorks’ Growth through Objectives (GO) program to enhance her business and received capital through our loan program.

"I have learned from Mountain BizWorks, especially through my GO program Coach, that creating a business is a richly creative endeavor that helps me to embrace my personal worth and recognize that my gifts and talents have a rightful spot in our community's marketplace." -Eliza Lynn

Casa dei Bambini: House of the Child is a bilingual village school with two communities – the toddler community is for ages 18-36 months and the preschool area is for 3-6 years. The center’s philosophy is that of a bilingual, family centered, and early childhood evidence-based practices approach. The school embraces hands-on experiential learning practices from many early childhood philosophies including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Waldorf (Steiner). The program includes a dual language immersion approach where half of the day is spent speaking Spanish and the other half speaking English. This facilitates the acquisition of a second language for both English and Spanish speaking children.

Since opening in September 2005, the school has grown to a staff of eight full-time employees with 60 students and a waiting list. The program runs year-round and the hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., with extended care until 5:30 p.m. For more information on Casa dei Bambini: House of the Child, visit their website www.houseofthechild.org or call 828-254-CASA.

Bead artist, Abbie Doyle has opened Hendersonville’s first all-things-bead-related retail store, My Garden of Beadin’ in 2006. The store, located at 433 North Church Street, offers an eclectic mix of beads, jewelry making materials, classes, pre-made wares, and an interactive customer worktable.

The hours of operation for My Garden of Beadin’ are Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Doyle offers classes every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday’s at 11:00 a.m.