West Virginia Small Business Development and Preservation Services

As a partner with the West Virginia Development Office and Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, potential tourism businesses locating to the cities of New Martinsville, Philippi, Point Pleasant or Ripley will have access to a number of services.

The West Virginia Small Business Development Center, a division of the West Virginia Development Office, promotes economic development through a program of practical, interrelated services that provide assistance to existing small businesses and the emerging entrepreneur. The WVSBDC provides many free services that assist you, the entrepreneur, in your business venture. You will receive detailed information concerning the following available services from the WVSBDC:

access to Angel Capital through the ACE-Net system
consulting on business startup
consulting on financial matters & developing loan packages
consulting on management and personnel issues
going into business in West Virginia (publiction - on-line or hard copy)
ombudsman services - help with regulatory matters
sample business plan (on-line)
training - on-line or on-site
grants for SBIR/STTR proposal preparation
grants for Small Business Work Force development
women and minority-owned business database

The West Virginia Development Office also provides research and technical support including competitiveness studies, project support, regional and community planning assistance, target industry research, analysis and a variety of data that will lead to job creation and retention, and to community improvement.

Preservation Alliance of West Virginia provides assistance in the form of various educational opportunities, such as heritage tourism workshops, annual conferences and facade easements.

As a business locating in a Main Street community, your potential tourism business will have access to state technical assistance in the form of economic restructuring, organization, promotion and design issues.

The State Historic Preservation Office in the Division of Culture and History can provide information on State and Federal financial incentives including tax credits and grants for the rehabilitation of historic properties. Additional guidance may include information on other grant programs, creating a local landmark commission, and listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Division of Culture and History also distributes various publications on matters of West Virginia history and historic preservation.

West Virginia Small Business Development Center
Program Lead Center
Capitol Complex
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
Building 6, Room 652
Charleston, W.Va 25305-0311
Phone: 1-888-WVA-SBDC (toll-free 1-888-982-7232)
Web: http://www.sbdcwv.org/

Preservation Alliance of West Virginia
P.O. Box 3371
Charleston, W.Va 25333-3371
Phone: 1-304-345-6005
Fax: 1-304-345-6005
Web: http://www.pawv.org

Main Street West Virginia
Capitol Complex, Building 6-553
Charleston, West Virginia 25305
Phone: 1-800-982-3386
Fax: (304) 558-2246
Web: http://www.wvdo.org/community/mainstreet.html