The Recovery Leadership Alliance (RLA) is emerging as a vital business collective in Western North Carolina, focused on aiding business recovery post-Helene and also laying the groundwork for long-term policy reforms. RLA serves as a network for business owners in Henderson and Buncombe Counties navigating insurance claims, seeking financial relief, and advocating for legislative action. The alliance aims to not only rebuild what was lost but also create a more resilient system for businesses facing future disasters. 

For many business owners, RLA is filling a critical void. Maddison Lake, president of Lake Holdings, points out that before this effort, no organization existed to provide this level of coordinated support. “It’s for every business owner that’s in a volatile situation,” said Lake. “And frankly, it just hasn’t existed.” 

The alliance brings together business leaders across industries, offering resources, expertise, and a collective voice that can push for meaningful change.

One of RLA’s main initiatives is helping business owners fight insurance claim denials, a major obstacle in the recovery process. Ginger Frank, founder of Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn, was somewhat familiar with the insurance process because she made a major claim for her company’s roof in 2018. “I just learned that you just can’t take no for an answer,” she said. “You have to keep going back and fighting for what is right.” 

Lake’s company, Lake Holdings, held several policies and was denied across the board. “However, there’s still even hope for us,” said Lake. “It is a long, drawn-out process.”

RLA connects business owners with attorneys and other resources to keep the pressure on their insurance companies and also find alternative funding resources to bridge the gap. 

But Frank expresses concern that mid-sized businesses have been left behind in the recovery process, with funding programs designed for either very small companies or large corporations, leaving those in the middle without support. “Every grant program that’s come out, we don’t qualify,” she said. “Either we have too many employees or our sales are too high. These middle-sized businesses, I think, are totally getting left out.”

Lake believes that business owners must take an active role in lobbying for better recovery policies. “We are the loudest voices at the end of the day,” said Lake.

To that end, RLA is encouraging members to stay engaged with legislators, make phone calls, and push for policy changes that support small and mid-sized businesses.

“Knowing what we know now, there should be some long-term change,” said Frank. “When we feel like this is a little bit behind us, we need to show up somewhere and say, you know what? This is not okay. When a disaster happens that people could never have planned for, there has to be better systems in place for both individuals and businesses to navigate the recovery. Throwing people to the wolves is not okay, and that’s what happens.” 

RLA is helping business owners make strategic decisions for long-term stability, particularly as financial pressures continue to mount. Lake warns that the true economic impact of the storm may not be fully realized for another year or two.

“Next year is really going to be the test,” he said. “We’re only five months into this. Once we get to a year and two years, where businesses are like, well, we’re not quite recovered, we’re still struggling—that’s really where the roosters will come home.” 

The RLA is free to join. Find more information at RecoveryLeadershipAlliance.com.