Climate exchange.

• Position: NC TREND: Western Region

Leaders of The Collider want to make sure that Asheville is known globally for more than great beer. Part business, part co-working space and part event venue, the nonprofit center that opened in March is the passion of Mack Pearsall, a retired lawyer and civic activist who envisioned a place where businesses and scientists could collaborate to develop products and services to solve environmental problems related to climate change. Pearsall, 79, spent most of his career overseeing his family's farms, hotels and auto dealerships in Rocky Mount before moving to Asheville. He saw an opportunity in the mountain town, home of the national archives of climate science for 65 years. About 400 scientists and technologists work at the National Centers for Environmental Information, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, located near The Collider in downtown Asheville.

Based on the top floor of the four-story Wells Fargo building overlooking Pritchard Park, The Collider has 6,000 square feet of renovated space, including co-working desks, private offices, a lounge and conference rooms. A 2,500-square-foot technology theater seats as many as 190 people. Memberships start at $150 a month, which includes up to 10 visits. About a dozen companies and organizations had joined as of mid-April.

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