Take your business to the next level.
A comprehensive business innovation program designed to assist for-profit, not-for-profit and family-owned businesses to take them to the next level of success and sustainability.
January 17 – May 22, 2024
Registration for the 2024 Program now open.
Registration accepted through December 20, 2023.
Class size:
12 companies selected.
Cost for the course is $295.
For more information,
call Blue Ridge Community College at
(828) 694-1779.

Blue Ridge Community College and the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce have partnered once again to offer the Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator, a five-month, ten-course program.
Program Dates and Topics
January 17, 2024
Program Overview and Setting Acceleration Goals Based on Business Best Practices and KPI (Key Performance Indicators)
January 31, 2024
Management and Leadership
February 14, 2024
Competition and Competitive Advantage
February 28, 2023
Branding, Marketing and Sales
March 13, 2024
Business Logistics: Best ways to meet customer needs
March 27, 2024
Customer Service and Information Technology
April 10, 2024
Accounting and Finance
April 24, 2024
Human Resources, Legal and Insurance
May 8, 2024
Capital and Purchasing
May 22, 2024
Business Acceleration Plan Presentation and Graduation
Sessions run Wednesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. except 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on January 17.
Innovate. Accelerate. Achieve.

Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator is designed by entrepreneurs to help for-profit, family owned, and nonprofit businesses innovate and increase profitability. If you approach the business the same way as you did in the past, it will limit future profit growth.
Now is the time to innovate with cutting edge best practices in business management, leadership, planning, branding, marketing, sales, accounting, purchasing, raising capital, information technology, human resources, time management, new business development, operations and distribution. The Program will help you identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in each department of your company to track, monitor and accelerate the success of your business. Peter Drucker said, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
Kelly Noble,
Noble Pest Solutions
If you’re a small business owner and are looking to take your business to the next level then the Mission Acceleration class is perfect for you. The class and instructor, Gary Heisey, gives you just what you need to stay relevant and current in the ever changing world of business. After participating in the program I was able to better identify personal and professional goals and priorities.
Through the techniques taught, I was able to make significant moves towards these goals, step by step and week by week. Gary adapted the content and methodology from his proven prior experiences to create content relevant to any type of business. It was a pleasure to attend this program and I can recommend it to anyone who is looking to take their business to the next level.
Presented by:


Training topics listed are taught by subject matter experts. Also, learn proven business strategies from local successful entrepreneurs.
The Community Business Partners of the Mission Acceleration Program are:
Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center
Brevard Transylvania Chamber of Commerce
Community Foundation of Henderson County
Heart of Brevard
Historic Henderson Downtown
Henderson County Tourism Development Authority
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
SCORE
The Partnership of Henderson County
Vision of Henderson County
Vision Transylvania
For-Profit
Whether your business is a startup (1-3 years old), existing, or in a scale-up phase, Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator can help you innovate and take your business to the next level.
Family Owned
Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator is designed to not only grow your business and increase profitability now, but also help with a family business transition. The skills learned can help the next generation of a family business better prepare for a future business transition.
Nonprofits
According to By Soren Kaplan the author of The Invisible Advantage, “Nonprofits face a fundamental “business” challenge: they’re nonprofits. Most of the 1.5 million US nonprofits don’t support themselves through “competing” by creating and selling better products, services, or business models. They fund-raise, get donations, and find grants. The problem with the typical nonprofit business model is that it’s based on dependence – many nonprofits look for funding every year from unpredictable grants, donations, and even bake sales.
But if you’re truly a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, can you really innovate? The answer is yes, and in fact, business model innovation has arrived in the nonprofit sphere. In today’s world, running a nonprofit doesn’t mean eliminating profit from your thinking. Whatever you’re doing to serve the world, you can likely do more of it, in a more predictably sustainable way, by innovating your business model.” The sessions listed below give examples of how the Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator can help your non-profit.
A Blue Ridge Community College Continuing Education Program
Take the Mission Acceleration Program Self-Test to see if this program is right for you.
Class size:
12 companies selected.
Cost for the course is $295.
For more information,
call Blue Ridge Community College at
(828) 694-1779.

Meet Our Executive Director

Vision Henderson County is led by Executive Director Gary Heisey. Gary has lived in Western North Carolina for 26 years.
In addition to his role as the Vision Henderson County Executive Director, he is the Executive Director for the Blue Ridge Community College Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator Program, a comprehensive business innovation program designed to assist for profit, not-for-profit and family owned businesses to take them to the next level of success and sustainability.
View Executive Director Bio: Gary Heisey
Josh Goldbach,
Director, Bold Earth Adventures
Gary has put together a remarkable curriculum to help small business owners thrive. The Mission Acceleration Program puts together a diverse array of speakers who each contribute different things. The best part of this program is Gary’s mentorship. Gary brings a lot of business and coaching experience to the table. Gary’s willingness to invest in each participant and their business is what makes this program impactful.
Partners











Contáctenos
M.C. Gaylord
Continuing Education Program Specialist
m_gaylord@blueridge.edu
(828) 694-1779