FAYETTEVILLE W.Va. (WVDN) – Leaders of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) and West Virginia Hive were joined yesterday morning by Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development West Virginia State Director Ryan Thorn to showcase the many benefits of small business development throughout southern West Virginia.
The day started with Manchin and Thorn announcing a $750,000 federal grant to the WV Hive that will locate a new Food Incubation Hub in Fayette County. Following the grant announcement, Thorn and Judy Moore, deputy director of NRGRDA and executive director of the WV Hive, moderated a small business roundtable discussion with regional stakeholders at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building. Visiting Chilean rural business and community development leaders were in attendance for the grant announcement and roundtable discussion. They later joined Moore and Thorn on visits to Water Stone Outdoors in Fayetteville (Holly Fussell, owner) and Pinheads in Oak Hill (Alison Ibarra, owner) where the business owners provided tours and in-depth information on their successful businesses, both of which serve as anchors of their communities.
Moore said the hub location has yet to be determined, but it will be in Fayette County. “In southern West Virginia, there is a lack of concentrated business development support for food businesses, including access to commercial kitchen space,” said Moore. “There are very few commercial kitchens in West Virginia, and none known within the 13-county service area of the WV Hive. The WV Hive’s Food Incubation Hub will include a commercial kitchen with space for 10 to 12 businesses, small wares, and catering supplies. In addition to the kitchen, the food hub will include full WV Hive business support services, with one-on-one business advising and technical assistance support, including access to specialized food management training from the WV Hive and the Food Finance Institute.”
“Supporting the growth of food and agriculture-based businesses not only spurs economic diversification across Appalachia, but also provides affordable and nutritious food for our people,” said ARC’s Manchin. “ARC is proud to be a piece of the puzzle in helping the Fayette County food hub come to fruition. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with USDA’s Rural Partners Network and the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority to further uplift the future economic growth of southern West Virginia.”
Thorn said the $750,000 in federal funding for the Food Incubation Hub comes from the Rural Community Advancement Program (RCAP), a joint program between the Appalachian Regional Commission and USDA Rural Development. “We appreciate our partnership and the continued collaboration with the ARC and WV Hive. This investment is a testament of Rural Development’s commitment to spur new economic opportunities in rural communities by supporting the diversification of services offered to entrepreneurs and small businesses by WV Hive in not just Fayette County but across their service footprint,” added Thorn.
Moore said the WV Hive Food Incubation Hub is a signature project of the Rural Partners Network (RPN) Southern West Virginia Community Network. The network includes government and non-profit leaders from 12 southern West Virginia counties. The Southern West Virginia Community Network was selected in November 2022 as one of 22 rural regions nationwide to take part in the Rural Partners Network initiative. RPN is an all-of-government program that partners with rural communities to help them access resources and funding to create local jobs, build infrastructure, and support long-term economic stability.
The roundtable brought together WV Hive small business clients, partners, and resource partners, who engaged in an informative discussion that offered deep insights into the successes and challenges of small business development in southern West Virginia.
