Pulaski County announces the launch of its new Small Business Development Program
County Acquires NRV Business Center and will be Operating a New Small Business Solutions Center to focus on Supporting Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship
Pulaski County has officially launched a small business development program that will focus on providing assistance and support to the County’s small businesses and local entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their business. The rollout of the program coincides with the acquirement of the NRV Business Center, a mixed-use business incubator in Fairlawn, VA. The County recently received ownership of the facility from the New River Valley Development Corporation and will now operate the facility and run its Small Business Solutions’ services from within the business center. The center will soon be officially renamed the ‘Pulaski County Innovation Center.’
“Small business development has been a priority of the EDA ever since we transitioned from an Industrial Development Authority in April of 2018, and broadened our focus to include small business and entrepreneurial support services, tourism and marketing, workforce development, community engagement, retail and commercial development, economic diversification and residential development,” stated Jon Wyatt, Chair of the EDA. “It is exciting to see the EDA’s business plan reaching its goals of supporting small businesses with professional services, having a new tourism department in place to market the County, and to be aggressively advancing many of the EDA’s other strategic targets during these challenging times.”
This endeavor is a partnership between the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors and the Economic Development Authority. This new program is a strategic objective identified within the County’s recently adopted Comprehensive Plan and will serve to help attain the County’s 40-by-30 goal of having 40,000 people call Pulaski County home by the year 2030.
“It is vitalizing to see the Board of Supervisors and the EDA concentrate additional resources on assisting our small business community navigate and respond to today’s unique challenges as well as seize upon equally unique opportunities,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “Pulaski County bodes tremendous entrepreneurial and small business growth potential, and providing support to this sector will help further stabilize and diversify our local economy and make Pulaski County a more resilient and attractive place to both live and invest. This is yet another major step toward making Pulaski County a next-level community.”
The County will be hiring a new Small Business Solutions Manager to manage the Innovation Center and run its Small Business Solutions Center. The Pulaski County EDA will be funding the entirety of the new position from rental income revenues generated from within the newly acquired Innovation Center. The new position will be responsible for managing the overall operations of the Innovation Center and working directly with its tenants on both their business and office needs. The position will also comprehensively assist small businesses and entrepreneurs with their individual and unique business needs and be a one-stop in connecting businesses with whatever assistance or resources they may need.
“Entrepreneurs and small businesses have helped to make Pulaski County the wonderful place it is today,” stated Michael Solomon, Economic Development Director. “I am pleased with the support from the Board of Supervisors and the EDA Board, their commitment will allow small businesses to succeed when they call Pulaski County home.”
For more information on the soon to be named ‘Pulaski County Innovation Center’, please visit http://nrvdc.org/nrvbc.html