By Peyton Ballard –

Richwood businesses welcomed staff members from the WV Hive Network, a small business incubator and accelerator headquartered in Beckley, W.Va, on July 14th as a part of the Hive’s ‘Community Days’ initiative. The Hive is the entrepreneurship program of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA), serving Nicholas and 11 other counties in southern West Virginia.

During the visit, the Hive staff visited many Richwood establishments to discuss their business advising services and support programming. Stops for the staff included Rosewood Coffee & Floral, Oakford Pool Hall, Bloomfield Richwood, Lucy Butterfly, Nifty Thrifty, Cornerstone Family Pharmacy and others. After their tour of the town, staff members participated in a market research study review as a part of the WV Community and Development Hub’s Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) project with dedicated Richwood citizens.

“Richwood has always had a fighting spirit, and we are happy to have had the opportunity for our team to be inspired with a little of that spirit during our visit to town. We are here to provide assistance, and we hope the businesses will reach out and take advantage of our services” added Moore.

The services the Hive offers to businesses are expansive. Their premier service is one-on-one business advising where experienced business advisors guide entrepreneurs through many of the complexities of owning and running a small business. This service — coupled with educational support programming, a partnership in the Communities of Healing recovery to work program, and the administration of Country Roads Angel Network, WV’s only accredited angel capital group — gives entrepreneurs a multitude of tools to enhance capacity to grow and expand. For more information on how to access the WV Hive services, please visit www.wvhive.com.