Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Business climate in Boone shows signs of improvement six months after Helene

A new report from the Watauga Economic Development Commission finds that business is improving six months after Helene. But many are still seeking financial security as the summer tourist season approaches.

The commission has been reporting results from anonymous business surveys every month since the storm hit in late September.

President and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce David Jackson says the figures show business leaders are starting to feel better about the post-Hurricane mountain economy.

Half are reporting they’re meeting revenue expectations  — that’s actually an improvement — and 62% say they expect conditions to improve.

But Jackson says many are now facing concerns over the national economy. He says market uncertainty and the global trade wars could have an impact on the vital summer tourist season.

“When you look at the Helene-related financial instability, coupled with further uncertainty in the economy overall, this is not the greatest time to have one arm tied behind your back,” he says.

He says the area will need a strong summer to help heal from the storm’s damage to the region. 

Jackson says a busy ski season shows the mountains are ready to handle big crowds again.

Paul Garber is a Winston-Salem native and an award-winning reporter who began his journalism career with an internship at The High Point Enterprise in 1993. He has previously worked at The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The News and Record of Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Journal, where he was the newspaper's first full-time multimedia reporter. He won the statewide Media and the Law award in 2000 and has also been recognized for his business, investigative and multimedia reporting. Paul earned a BA from Wake Forest University and has a Master's of Liberal Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master's of Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Lewisville.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate