Helping remote professionals thrive by fostering connection, facilitating collaboration, and generating local community impact.
We see a thriving remote workforce significantly contributing to the vitality of the region. That’s not a tagline. It’s what we’re actually building.
In 2020 Ric Pratte and his wife Chris did what a lot of people were quietly doing – they left a city, chose a better life, and landed in Asheville. Ric was a long-time remote professional, so the work part was already figured out. The community part was another story.
Looking to meet people and give back, Ric joined Venture Asheville’s Elevate mentoring program. He kept hearing the same thing from people considering a move to the area: “You have to bring your own job.” To Ric, that meant one thing – remote work. And if remote work was already here in significant numbers, where was the community to support it?
In 2021 Ric floated the idea at an early in-person Venture Asheville gathering. The response was immediate and overwhelming. AVL Digital Nomads launched in June 2021 with its first social event.
What stood out from day one: 100% attendance. An equal gender split. A remarkably diverse cross-section of careers. Conversations with real depth. And most importantly – people who showed up not just to receive but to build.
The rocketship ride had begun.
Word spread fast. More events. More people wanting to help. More nomads joining every week. Early on Sarah Andrews, Keri Renee, and Cory Gillen stepped up to help organize events and shape what ADN was becoming.
By the end of year one ADN had 600 nomads and was averaging two social events a month with consistently high attendance.
November 2022 brought the inaugural Friendsgiving – a full participation potluck that became an instant tradition. A massive poster board of “Asks & Offers” at that event was so popular it sparked the creation of the ADN Slack workspace, now home to 1,000+ active members.
2022 closed with ADN being awarded Ecosystem Support Organization of the Year by Venture Asheville at the annual Venture 15 Awards.
Three years later: nearly 5,000 nomads, 155 events in 2025, and a community that has become one of the most compelling economic development stories in western North Carolina.
ADN has always been built from the ground up. Every event, every Slack channel, every new initiative has come from organizers and nomads who raised their hand and said “I have an idea.”
In 2024 ADN formalized a leadership team to help shape strategy and support a growing squad of event organizers. The playbook is documented. The support is real. And the barrier to getting involved is intentionally low.
Want to run an event? Raise your hand. That’s genuinely how it works.
The people who keep the rocketship pointed in the right direction.
Thirty humans with good ideas and the energy to make them happen.
Alan Fuhs ● Andi Graham ● Angela Smith ● Atharva Dnyanmote ● Brock Busby ● Cera Schrems ● David Lippeatt ● Deonna Hodges ●· DJ Fish ● Grace Cook ● Jaime Lang ● Jay Mixter ● Jeanine Rousso ● Jenna Thorn ● Jeremy Bergan ● Joelle Godwin ● Kala Fawbush ● Kelly Christopher ● Laura Miller ● Meredith Hendrix ● Michael Doherty ● Mitchell Metz ● Nathan Phillips ● Rayana Tayler Starre ● Reid Manchester ● Sara Martin ● Siobhan Robinson ● Steve Petusky ● Travis Provin
The process to be an event organizer? Super easy, simply raise your hand with an idea to ‘help remote professionals thrive’. The leadership team has a documented event playbook ready for you and will help you get your first event launched.
