In 2021, mid-pandemic, Ric Pratte and fellow remote worker Ben Newton were hanging out at a brewery when they decided to launch a MeetUp Group: the Asheville Digital Nomads.

Two years later,  the social networking group of remote/hybrid workers, solopreneurs and actual nomads has more than 1,700 members and it's growing. Particularly since LinkedIn recently named Asheville as the #2 city for remote workers (and also the 7th fastest-growing tech hub in June of 2022!).

In our final episode of season 3, Jeff & Ric talk about the group's rapid growth, misconceptions about remote work and the various events they put on.

Learn more about the AVL Digital Nomads.

Check out the Investomercials.

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on June 27, 2023. 

This week we have a fascinating conversation with Ashley Haywood, the Founder of Embrew Tea, where we find out why you can re-steep their tea bags!

Jeff talks with Ashley about her journey from a tea lover to a tea entrepreneur. She talks about the challenges she faced in starting her company and the lessons she learned along the way. Ashley shares her vision for the future of Embrew Tea and her hopes to reach other entrepreneurs.

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on May 9, 2023. 

Are Jeff and Katie Button destined to be best friends? Find out in this week's episode of Talking 'Ship where the two put their "friendship" to the test. 

Jeff talks with Katie about how she's gained success and notoriety - From starting Cúrate in the early 2010s to landing TV gigs on the Magnolia Network, ventures that didn’t work out (RIP Button & Co. Bagels) and her newest ventures La Bodega and Cúrate at Home.

The two also discuss Katie’s involvement in Venture Asheville’s Elevate Program - our mentorship-based incubator which recently helped startups surpass $50M capital raised and $100M in revenue - read about it here.

Another edition of Seed, Shop or Shutter + Katie’s favorite Asheville eats - from Neng Jr.’s to Little Chango.

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on April 28, 2023. 

On this chaotic episode, we talk with the lovely Blake Jennelle - one of the first hires at DuckDuckGo, the search engine that emphasizes protecting privacy. As Jeff notes, Blake "could've done whatever," but he decided to move to Asheville and is now mentoring and serving as CTO at 645 Ventures.

Additionally, we discuss Duck vs. Goose, Chai vs. Matcha and spice things up with a tech-focused edition of Seed, Shop or Shutter (like, Shut Her Down)  - another of Jeff's puns. Have you seen the title of this podcast?

Check out our April Fool's Coworking video.

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on March 22, 2023. 

Is Legally Addictive Foods ACTUALLY addictive? According to Jeff’s 15-month-old daughter who ate the entire pack during this episode, it sure is. 

This week we talk with Legally Addictive’s Founder Laura Shafferman & Partner Seth Eisman about their delicious product, their move from Brooklyn, NY to Weaverville, NC and what’s next for the snack company.

Episodes mentioned in this episode: 

• S1E3 with French Broad Chocolate's Founder Jael Skaffington
• S1E5 with Everyday Oil & Moonlight Makers
• S2E4 with Poppy Popcorn's Ginger Frank

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on March 17, 2023.

It's not every day you get to talk to the man who helped create one of your favorite childhood toys AND pioneered the telehealth industry.

In this episode, Jeff talks to Gary Wald - the former executive and business development entrepreneur who has worked with companies like Hasbro, NBC and TeleDoc. Ever heard of the Transformers? Well, you have Gary Wald to thank!

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on March 22, 2023.

Remote work is on the rise & in-migration to Asheville is up, which means Coworking businesses are flourishing. But what does it take to create a connected, high-quality coworking business?

Jeff talks with Sean Comeaux & Erika Gifford this week - the power couple running Hatchworks Coworking. They cover the organization’s recent upgrades, their place in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and, of course, how to throw a great party.

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on March 14, 2023.

With pizzas as big as PIE.ZAA’s (28 inches), you’d think Owner Tyler Kotch would be compensating for something. But, based on our conversation with him, we’re not sure what!

In this episode, Jeff and Tyler talk about his venture into large pizzas, his background in sales in the healthcare industry and the future of PIE.ZAA.

Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTrust at htb.com.

Talking 'Ship is hosted by Jeffrey Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville, a program of the Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

This episode was recorded on March 7, 2023.