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West Virginia Hive Hosting August 6 Coffee Talks Session in Lewisburg
The West Virginia Hive is teaming up with Ascend WV Greenbrier Valley to host its next Coffee Talks networking session.
Fayetteville, W.Va. (Oct. 15, 2022) – A new Mister Bee potato chip bag design celebrating the New River Gorge Region was unveiled before a crowd of attendees at today’s Bridge Day, reflecting a collaboration between the snack company, New River Gorge Regional Development Authority’s business and entrepreneurship support program, the WV Hive.
Leaders from these three sponsoring Bridge Day partners joined officials from the Bridge Day Committee and New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau at 10 a.m. to reveal the new chip bag design at the Mister Bee/WV Hive tent.
Mary Anne Ketelsen, president of Mister Bee, said the new chip bags will be available soon in local retail outlets throughout southern West Virginia and the Mountain State. “We loved all of the positive energy and enthusiasm for Bridge Day,” said Ketelsen. She said 876 one-ounce bags of Mister Bee chips (representing the height of the bridge in feet above the scenic New River) were handed out free.
Jina Belcher, executive director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA), and Judy Moore, deputy director of NRGRDA and executive director of the West Virginia Hive, created the idea of the partnership with Mister Bee and the new chip bag.
Belcher said, “Judy and I were made aware of Mister Bee’s interest in growing their market reach in our region, so, to help achieve their goal. we proposed a new chip bag that would celebrate the state’s only potato chip company as well as the new national park and emergence of the New River Gorge region.”
In addition to the new partnership announcement, WV Hive Business clients who participated in the recent Southern West Virginia Business Idea Pitch Competition were also celebrated at the WV Hive tent. The entrepreneurs participating included:
Adena Joy – Hills to Hills Shuttles & Tours of Fayette County
Ruschelle Khanna – Mountain Mama Stitchery of Raleigh County
Jordan Casey – Botany Tropicals of Summers County
Leah Chester – Rock Root River Tours of Fayette County
Marcus Thomas – Fat Bottom Coolers LLC of Raleigh County
“The work of NRGRDA and WV Hive show how the entrepreneurial ecosystem we have built in southern West Virginia can add value to long-standing businesses as well as new start-ups and early-stage businesses seeking to grow or pivot,” said Moore.
The West Virginia Hive is teaming up with Ascend WV Greenbrier Valley to host its next Coffee Talks networking session.
The West Virginia Hive is conducting a community conversation on inclusive capital access from 1-2:30 p.m. June 25, at The Loft, 1123 Mercer Street in Princeton, W.Va. The event is free to those who register.
The West Virginia Hive Network is hosting its 2nd Annual Network and Resource Fair, set for Thursday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Historic Black Knight Conference Center, 2400 South Kanawha Street, Beckley, W.Va.
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