The five entities selected in West Virginia were as follows:
• 4-C Economic Development Authority which serves Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers Counties. Goals: Unified Community Development; Enhancement of Entrepreneurial Support; and Strengthening Private Sector Partnerships.
• Hardwood Alliance Zone (HAZ), which serves Preston, Barbour, Tucker, Lewis, Upshur, Randolph, and Webster Counties. Goals: Develop Marketing Plan for HAZ; Create Contact Management System for Business Prospects; Organizational Maintenance; and Industry Training and Outreach.
• National Coal Heritage Area Authority, which serves Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Wyoming, and Paint Creek/Cabin Creek, Kanawha Counties. Goals: Creation of National Coal Heritage Area Discovery Center; Expand and cross-promote the Coal Heritage Trail; and Assist with the completion of Country Roads Scenic ByWay Interpretive Center.
• Doddridge & Ritchie County SET Team, which serves Doddridge and Ritchie Counties. Goals: Increase per capita income by increasing farm income and profitability; Attract and develop agricultural-related businesses; and Develop a sustainable revenue stream with value-added businesses.
• Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council, which serves Berkeley, Hampshire, Jefferson and Morgan Counties. Goals: Promote business growth for higher paying job potential; Identify target markets for job growth and development; and Comprehensive marketing plan for the area.
• 4-C Economic Development Authority which serves Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers Counties. Goals: Unified Community Development; Enhancement of Entrepreneurial Support; and Strengthening Private Sector Partnerships.
• Hardwood Alliance Zone (HAZ), which serves Preston, Barbour, Tucker, Lewis, Upshur, Randolph, and Webster Counties. Goals: Develop Marketing Plan for HAZ; Create Contact Management System for Business Prospects; Organizational Maintenance; and Industry Training and Outreach.
• National Coal Heritage Area Authority, which serves Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Wyoming, and Paint Creek/Cabin Creek, Kanawha Counties. Goals: Creation of National Coal Heritage Area Discovery Center; Expand and cross-promote the Coal Heritage Trail; and Assist with the completion of Country Roads Scenic ByWay Interpretive Center.
• Doddridge & Ritchie County SET Team, which serves Doddridge and Ritchie Counties. Goals: Increase per capita income by increasing farm income and profitability; Attract and develop agricultural-related businesses; and Develop a sustainable revenue stream with value-added businesses.
• Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council, which serves Berkeley, Hampshire, Jefferson and Morgan Counties. Goals: Promote business growth for higher paying job potential; Identify target markets for job growth and development; and Comprehensive marketing plan for the area.
The SET program eligibility requirements were: 1) Applicants must be Multi-county regions (two or more counties) in West Virginia (or in conjunction with counties in neighboring states) where the average rural population is 51% or more of the region’s total population based on Census data or other sufficient data or documentation OR 2) Applicants must be Multi-county regions (two or more counties) in West Virginia (or in conjunction with counties in neighboring states) where 75% of the region's land area is located in rural areas of that region based on Census data or other sufficient data or documentation.
The successful applicants will receive the following: 1) Valuable intensive strategic planning training for their regional team, including the newly developed “Stronger Economies Together” program, a program designed to help your regional team develop new approaches to strengthen and enhance regional economic development activities; 2) Database tools specifically designed to help the regional teams examine the critical drivers of their region and identify emerging growth sectors and regional competitive advantages; 3) Technical assistance and educational support from the Northeast Regional Rural Development Center, WV Rural Development staff, and West Virginia State University Extension staff; and 4) Other educational and information-sharing opportunities with other SET program participants around the country.
Further information on USDA Rural Development may be obtained by visiting USDA’s website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov .
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