Economic Restructuring – Page 3 – Virginia Main Street

Virginia’s Appalachian Trail Communities

October 4, 2012

The Appalachian Trail Community™ designation program is a new program of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, designed to recognize communities that promote and protect the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). The program serves to assist communities with sustainable economic development through tourism and outdoor recreation while preserving and protecting the A.T. Completed in 1937, the 2,180-mile-long Appalachian National Scenic … More Virginia’s Appalachian Trail Communities

Virginia Enterprise Zone 2013 Designation Round

August 24, 2012

DHCD’s Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program has just finished facilitating three regional how-to-apply workshops to spread the word about the upcoming designation round. On October 1, 2012, the program will begin accepting applications to fill the positions of two zones that are due to expire at the end of this year. Much like VMS, the … More Virginia Enterprise Zone 2013 Designation Round

The Strategic Planning Process

July 30, 2012

Strategic Planning generally refers to the systematic process where an organization envisions its future direction by analyzing its current position and then developing a set of goals or objectives and an action plan to achieve them. Strategic Planning models vary greatly depending on the type of organization and the expected results of the planning process. … More The Strategic Planning Process

Entrepreneurs. Better with age?

May 3, 2012

Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the economy. They’re innovators, experimenters and risk takers, the driving force behind capitalism’s “perennial gale of creative destruction,” in economist Joseph Schumpeter’s evocative metaphor. So says Chris Farrell in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek. But Mr. Farrell goes on to remind us that entrepreneurs are not only young, brash, rule breakers. … More Entrepreneurs. Better with age?

New Year’s Resolution Poll

January 11, 2011

While the typical New Year’s resolution is abandoned somewhere around the long Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, there is a certain feeling of “anything’s possible” in the air during these first few weeks of January. Now really can be a good time to set some goals. Go ahead, think big. If you don’t stretch yourself to do … More New Year’s Resolution Poll

Be a Culpeper Local

October 13, 2010

Culpeper, Virginia just received some good press after it unleashed its new shop local campaign, Be a Culpeper Local. The campaign combines educating the nearly 50,000 Culpeper County residents on the value of buying locally with a website, beaculpeperlocal.com that directs visitors to local shopping and dining options, specials, and a way to track how much … More Be a Culpeper Local

Designing a Marketplace

October 7, 2010

Is your economic restructuring committee effective? Challenges like recruiting businesses and interpreting expensive and technical market studies discourage eager volunteers. There’s no immediate result after hours of meetings and planning. Pressure to see results from business owners, local government and the community compounds the frustration. It’s easy for this committee, in particular, to go inactive. Main Street organizations all over America … More Designing a Marketplace

Downtown leaders cover Main Street Essentials at Abingdon training

October 6, 2010

On Sep. 22 and 23, Advance Abingdon hosted 70 downtown revitalization professionals and volunteers from across Virginia for a training and knowledge share of best practices in the organization and promotion of downtown revitalization efforts. National Trust Main Street Center Senior Program Officer Kathy LaPlante, a nationally recognized expert on community based downtown revitalization, presented … More Downtown leaders cover Main Street Essentials at Abingdon training

Virginia tops business lists

August 18, 2010

Pollina Corporate Real Estate named Virginia the country’s “Top Pro-Business State” for the second year in a row. The study ranks states based on 31 factors including taxes, human resources, energy costs, infrastructure spending, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts. And it’s not the only organization touting the Old Dominion. Forbes Magazine has named Virginia “the best … More Virginia tops business lists

Staunton to host Virginia Microenterprise Network conference

August 6, 2010

On September 30 and October 1, the designated Virginia Main Street community of Staunton will host the annual Virginia Microenterprise Network conference. This year’s theme is Revitalizing Neighborhoods through Entrepreneurship. The program includes a look at entrepreneurship in the Queen City; the role of craft, green building, and farm-based strategies in revitalization; identifying and supporting emerging neighborhood entrepreneurs; and … More Staunton to host Virginia Microenterprise Network conference