FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Leadership with the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority and its entrepreneurial program – the West Virginia Hive – are currently seeking input from members of the community by the year’s end on multiple aspects of a new Fayette County Food Business Incubation Hub.
NRGRDA Deputy Director and WV Hive Executive Director, Judy Moore noted a persistent gap in concentrated business development support for food businesses as identified by WV Hive partners. This includes access to commercial kitchen space, and Moore states that no shared-use licensed commercial kitchens are operational within the 13-county area serviced by the WV Hive.
The WV Hive seeks to hear from existing and aspiring entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry to gauge potential interest in a shared-use Fayette County-based commercial kitchen facility. Those interested may participated in the Demand Survey prior to December 31, 2024, at the Food Incubation Hub Survey website.
Survey responses will assist the WV Hive in assessing potential demand for the shared-use facility which will inform development and build out of the space. Questions included as part of the assessment pertain to necessity of equipment, space, and business-related support services.
Responses submitted as part of the assessment will be view only be members of the project team and will be aggregated and anonymized prior to any public use or presentation to ensure that no individual participants may be identified.
The WV Hive is also requesting suggestions for potential Food Incubation Business Hub sites from leaders of local municipalities, main street, and downtown organizations, property owners, real estate developers, and others throughout the region. The Location Survey can be found at the Location Survey website.
According to Moore, the WV Hive Food Business Incubation Hub is a signature project of the Rural Partners Network Southern West Virginia Community Network, which includes government and non-profit leaders from a dozen counties across southern West Virginia.
