Workshops to Help Virginia’s Small Businesses Reach Customers...

Two workshops are being offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program this month to help small businesses use technology to reach potential customers. Roadside Advertising in a Digital Age will walk business owners through the process of registering their businesses on multiple national business databases used by GPS and smartphone applications, such as TomTom, Garmin, iPhone and Blackberry. Participants will also learn how to leverage free online tools to support their Internet marketing efforts. Tuesday January 18th.9 a.m. to noon $40. In Making Maps the Google Way, participants will explore the basics of Google Earth and Google Maps to learn how to make these tools work for their community or business, with a special focus on creating maps to share with others. Tuesday January 18th. 1 to 4 p.m.$40. Participants may attend both sessions, which will be held in the Alderman Electronic Classroom at the Alderman Library on the University of Virginia campus. To register, click here. For more information, contact John McGee at . About Kristin TraczKristin Tracz served MACED’s Research and Policy team from 2009-2012 working on clean energy policy, energy efficiency programs and the Appalachian Transition Initiative. She joined MACED after finishing her Master of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She now lives and works in Washington,...

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan Announces Microloan Funding to Boost Business Lending and Job Creation...

News Release from USDA LEXINGTON, Ky. – Oct. 28, 2010 – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that USDA has selected recipients in 36 states to receive funds to make loans to boost small business development, create jobs, and strengthen rural communities. The Deputy Secretary made the announcement in Lexington, Kentucky, with one of the recipients. The funding is being provided through the Rural Microentreprenuer Assistance Program (RMAP), which was authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). “This program provides direct support for small business formation and offers technical assistance and training to small rural businesses,” Merrigan said. “This initiative continues the effort of the Obama Administration to rebuild and revitalize rural communities. In many cases, an entrepreneur needs only a small amount of money, a microloan, to get started. This program creates opportunities for small businesses to prosper by giving them access to capital and it also helps to create new off-farm income opportunities that help to support owners of small and mid-sized farm operations. In Lexington, Community Ventures Corporation was selected to receive a $500,000 loan and a $105,000 grant to provide financial and technical assistance and training to rural microentrepreneurs. The organization serves rural businesses in 10 counties that have been designated as Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) communities, which are characterized by high unemployment rates, poverty and low per capita income. The Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation in London, Ky. was selected to receive a $500,000 loan and a $100,000 grant...

Local Wood Resources Get Second Life

Turning House Furniture and its sister company, Turning House Millworks, located in Bassett, VA, are attracting national attention, including a recent mention in the environmental blog TreeHugger. It is not only the quality of their distinctively vintage furniture pieces that is turning heads, but also the signature deconstruction process employed to source materials for such pieces. The company maximizes the materials salvaged from historic buildings that have been slated for deconstruction throughout the Appalachians. Indeed, the company claims: “In addition to the wood, we recycle 98 percent of the structure, including bricks, copper and steel, even the nails extracted from the wooden beams and boards. We also use recycled materials for packing and shipping.” By doing this, Turning House Millworks “secures vintage lumber from early turn-of-the-century buildings that are unable to be restored, but that hold precious and rare wood varieties.” The company is careful to ensure that their supply only comes from buildings that are unable to be restored, and does not deconstruct buildings that have historical significance. Many times, it is private owners or city managers who reach out to the company, seeking assistance in turning a blighted building into salvageable materials. Following the deconstruction process, the wood materials are put through a multi-step milling process to ensure that wood can meet necessary speculations for the next building project. The Millworks offers wood from so-called vintage species, including Southern Longleaf Pine, Black Gum, Wormy Chestnut, Birch, Beech, Hickory, and other species indicative of the region’s rich timber...