A Greenbrier County commercialization center is among three entities that will benefit from federal funding announced Friday to help support business incubation, economic revitalization efforts, and education programs in the state.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced funding awards from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Small Business Administration (SBA) for the Greenbrier Valley County Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC), the Wellsburg Urban Renewal Authority, and BridgeValley Community and Technical College.
An $819,000 SBA CDS award goes to the Greenbrier Valley County Economic Development Corporation in Maxwelton, for the Greenbrier EDC Commercialization Center, a 40,000-square-foot space to be used as an incubator space to help provide small businesses, specifically manufacturing companies, with a place to grow. With the organization and its partners’ expertise, on-site trainings and advising will be offered to complement the space in support of true incubation. GVEDC anticipates serving up to eight businesses within the first year with the goal of retaining existing and creating new jobs. The goal of this incubator is for each business to outgrow the space to continue opening incubator opportunities for new businesses in the area.
Other individual awards include:
• $750,000 SBA CDS award to the Wellsburg Urban Renewal Authority in Wellsburg, to incentivize small business enterprises to launch and grow new commercial and retail activities in revitalized downtown structures in Wellsburg.
• $167,000 SBA CDS award to BridgeValley Community and Technical College in South Charleston, for Stackable Business Credentials at BridgeValley CTC.