The Spirit of Boone in Action: Where Are They Now?

On September 12, 2024, the Spirit of Boone: 75th Annual Membership Gathering brought our community together to recognize the vision, leadership, and dedication of our 2024 Community Award winners. Looking back, we celebrate the achievements of previous honorees, whose work laid the groundwork for ongoing impact in the High Country.

None of us could have known that just two weeks after last year’s gathering, these leaders would be called upon to guide the region through one of its greatest challenges during Hurricane Helene recovery.

In the months that followed, their passion for service and commitment to our region didn’t just continue — it grew. Previous award recipients applied the same creativity, collaboration, and heart that earned them recognition to help our community adapt, rebuild, and look ahead.

Now, as we prepare to announce the 2025 Community Award winners, we take a moment to reflect on where these past honorees are today and how they’ve carried the spirit of service forward into a new chapter for Boone and the High Country.

2024 Kathy Crutchfield Citizen of the Year

Tina Houston

Tina has continued to make an impact in the High Country this past year. She opened Pearl's Kitchen + Tiny Market in Valle Crucis, bringing a new local dining option to the community, and partnered with Lowe’s to support regional recovery efforts. On November 26, Lowe’s distributed 3,000 family-style Thanksgiving meals prepared by Reid’s Cafe & Catering Co. in Banner Elk, part of regional initiative that fed more than 12,000 people across Asheville, Banner Elk, Boone, Marion, and Weaverville. Tina’s efforts show how local businesses can drive both economic revival and meaningful community support.

2024 everGREEN Award For Sustainability

RiverGirl Fishing Company

RiverGirl Fishing Company has been at the center of recovery efforts in the High Country, and has reached every corner of Western North Carolina. Owners Kelly McCoy and Renata Dos Santos organized debris cleanup, distributed firewood, generators, and food, and coordinated volunteers to support neighbors in need. The business represented the High Country at Governor Stein’s announcement of a $30 million small-business grant program and later joined First Lady Anna Stein for #WNCOpenForBusiness Week, leading a New River canoe tour alongside other outfitters to encourage tourism.

2024 Baker/Jones Woman of the Year

Talia Freeman

Talia has been instrumental in Beech Mountain's recovery and growth as a year-round tourism economic driver for the region during a time of recovery. The 2024-2025 ski season was incredibly successful, bringing over 200,000 visitors and employing more than 400 seasonal workers. Building on this momentum, she played a pivotal role in the 2025 Beech Mountain Summer Concert Series, which featured sold-out headliners like Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Lake Street Dive, and Charley Crockett. This year's series was the most successful to date, drawing large crowds and significantly boosting the local economy.

2024 Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development

Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute

When Valle Crucis School students were displaced due to the flooding of their building, CCC&TI quickly opened its Watauga Campus to host 120 middle schoolers, while the Valle Crucis Conference Center welcomed the younger grades, bringing much-needed stability during a time of uncertainty. Building on that partnership, CCC&TI’s Foundation has now guaranteed scholarships covering up to five semesters of tuition for all current Valle Crucis middle school students — offering them a thoughtful bridge from disruption to opportunity.

2024 Elizabeth Young Award for Community Leadership

Lindsey Sullivan

Lindsay continues to advance workplace wellness across the High Country through her leadership with AppHealthCare and the STABLE Workplaces initiative. STABLE — standing for Staff Training and Business Leadership for Evolving Workplaces — serves as a one-stop hub for local employers to access tailored staff training and resources, including bystander training, naloxone awareness, and support for creating Recovery Friendly Workplaces. Through AppHealthCare’s innovative outreach, including its new mobile health unit that brings services directly to businesses and underserved areas, Lindsay is helping ensure that vital health resources are accessible to every corner of the community.

2024 Wade Brown Award for Community Involvement

Come Back Shack

A locally founded favorite, Come Back Shack continues to give back through regular fundraising nights that support area nonprofits and local partners. After Hurricane Helene, they quickly mobilized to provide meals for community members in need. This past year, they expanded their footprint with a new downtown Boone location, offering another spot for locals and visitors to enjoy while staying true to their tradition of community care.

2023 Elizabeth Young Award for Community Leadership
Lisa Cooper

Lisa Cooper and Mast General Store have expanded the Mountain Strong Helene recovery initiative into a powerful force across Western North Carolina. Through apparel and sticker sales, the campaign has raised more than $160,000, with donations supporting clean water and resilient forests through MountainTrue, small business recovery via the Boone and Asheville Chambers, housing equity through BeLoved Asheville, arts and creative economy in the River Arts District, teaching resources at Valle Crucis School, and Main Street revitalization in Spruce Pine. Under Lisa’s leadership, Mast has shown how a community-rooted business can leverage its history and reach to strengthen the entire region.

2023 everGREEN Award For Sustainability

AppalCART

AppalCART continues to lead in eco-friendly regional transit. This year, they unveiled North Carolina’s first public double-decker bus — an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 that sits 13.5 feet tall and carries over 100 passengers — effectively doing the work of two buses while cutting fuel use by about 25%. Fully grant-funded, the bus launched on the high-demand Pop 105 route, offering efficient service from Appalachian State to downtown Boone. Carrying more than 1.7 million riders annually, AppalCART remains a backbone of transportation in the High Country, showing how bold, sustainable transit solutions can sustain a community.

2023 Dan Meyer Community Partnership Award

Broadband Expansion with Blue Ridge Energy, SkyLine/SkyBest,

and Watauga County

When Hurricane Helene hit, the fiber network built by Blue Ridge Energy, SkyLine/SkyBest, and Watauga County became a critical lifeline, keeping residents, businesses, and emergency responders connected during recovery efforts. What started as a proactive investment in unserved communities turned into essential infrastructure for crisis communication and coordination. Today, the partners continue working together to expand access across Watauga, strengthening both day-to-day connectivity and the region’s ability to weather future challenges.

Spirit of Boone: 76th Annual Membership Gathering

We are pleased to invite you to Spirit of Boone, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Gathering, on Thursday, September 18 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm in the Grandview Ballroom at Appalachian State’s North End Zone Facility.

Spirit of Boone is a tribute to the strong and resilient spirit that has defined our community over the years, a spirit that shows up in full force when it is needed most. As we near one year since Hurricane Helene, this year’s celebration carries an added layer of meaning, honoring the ways our community continues to rise, rebuild, and move forward, together.

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