WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), members of the Appropriations Committee, today announced the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority is the recipient of a $708,300 grant to support the expansion of the HIVE entrepreneur and business assistance program in Beckley. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).
“I visited the HIVE this past August with Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Co-Chair Tim Thomas and was encouraged by the resources the HIVE provides southern West Virginia,” Senator Capito said. “This incubator space allows entrepreneurs and small business owners the chance to hone their business plan and accelerate their visions to reality. This grant will help support economic growth and diversity—and give aspiring entrepreneurs a better chance at achieving the American Dream. EDA investments in West Virginia are making a difference, and I’m proud to continue working so that projects like the HIVE receive the funding it deserves.”
“I am proud that the EDA is investing in Southern West Virginia through the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority’s HIVE initiative," Senator Manchin said. "This funding will allow HIVE to continue to their business advisory and technical assistance services to small businesses and entrepreneurs, potentially creating and retaining nearly 350 jobs while also establishing a co-work and maker space for the HIVE. I look forward to seeing the economic opportunity this funding provides to our state. West Virginians are some of the hardest workers and when you invest in West Virginia, we return it tenfold.”
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