City officials in Bluefield are hoping to transform the old freight station on Bluefield Avenue into a small-business incubator with a focus on moving ideas and innovations into the marketplace. It is a worthy idea that merits support on the local, state and federal level.
The 60,000 square foot facility served for many years as the former home of the Bluefield Area Transit. But it is now being marketed as a site for entrepreneurs with space available for manufacturing businesses ranging from welding to wood industries. Dubbed the Bluefield Commercialization Center, the project is a joint effort of the city and the Center for Applied Research and Technology, Inc.
One start-up business, Autonomous Radio Controlled Equipment, is already operational inside of the commercialization center, and is currently raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign for the development of additional radio-controlled lawnmowers, according to city Community and Economic Development Director Jim Spencer.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., toured the commercialization center last week, and took one of the radio-controlled lawnmowers for a ride. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is scheduled to tour the building today.
CART and the city is seeking federal funding to help develop the commercialization center, and Capito and Manchin are promising to help in the search for funding. During her tour of the commercialization center, Capito said her office will help with applications for funding and in the search for potential funding sources.
“We’ve got to create more jobs,” Capito told the Daily Telegraph. “With the downturn in the coal industry, we need to become creative and be entrepreneurs.”
We agree, and the incubator concept is a good idea for Bluefield. Small business growth is critical to the city’s future, and the commercialization center can serve as a starting point for such entrepreneurs and small businesses.
With time businesses inside of the incubator can grow and eventually relocate to permanent sites in the city. Spencer says two other bays at the old freight station are currently marked as space for other start-up tenants.
In the meantime, the city is seeking both state and federal funding support for the project. It has been ranked as one of the top priorities for funding by the Region 1 Planning and Development Council. With hope state and or federal funding can be found to help develop this worthwhile incubator concept.