Hinton, W.Va. (Dec. 15, 2022) – The West Virginia Hive has selected Botany Tropicals, co-owned by Jordan Casey and Steven Jones, as its 2022 Small Business Startup of the Year.
“Innovation, response to adversity, and measurable accomplishments are key criteria businesses must meet to earn this recognition,” said Judy Moore, executive director of the WV Hive and deputy director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority. “Jordan and Steven have met and exceeded all expectations in these objectives.”
The owners of Botany Tropicals came to the WV Hive after deciding to turn their hobby of cultivating houseplants into a business and realizing they had no idea how to succeed. The WV Hive helped Casey and Jones develop a business plan and financial projections, hire their first employee, and learn how to operate a business. Botany Tropicals has also applied and been approved for WV Hive technical assistance to create a logo, promotional video, and website.
Botany Tropicals at 321 3rd Avenue in Hinton offers a fun, unique plant shop with personal, one-of-a-kind, interactive experiences. Customers dive “hand-first” into the dirt to build terrariums, attend plant parties, and find the best houseplant for their home. The newest addition to their offerings is an innovative service called Plant 911. This service will launch early in 2023 and will feature a complete rescue package to help revive and restore a sick plant. The first step of this process is a houseplant consultation, including recommendations of products to ensure a plant is brighter, happier, and healthier than ever. A lighting assessment will also be done to assist with plant selection and placement. The Plant 911 service won the STEM award in the Pitch Southern WV small business competition held at WVU Tech in September 2022. Botany Tropicals was one of six businesses that “pitched” to judges, and it also won the third place prize in the overall competition.
The WV Hive is the entrepreneurship program of the NRGRDA and the administrator of the Country Roads Angel Network. Its 13-county service area includes Raleigh, Fayette, Summers, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Monroe, Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, Logan, and Mingo counties. More information about the WV Hive can be found at https://wvhive.com/.
Jack and Kathleen Taggart, owners of New River Farms Sawmill in Danese, made their home in West Virginia after Jack’s service in the United States Army to settle and start the business of their dreams.
Leaders of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) and its entrepreneurial program – the West Virginia Hive – are seeking the community’s input by the end of the year on several aspects of a new Food Business Incubation Hub in Fayette County.
Leading local non-profit organizations — Forward Southern West Virginia and New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) — are donating $10,000 each to help propel an education and training campaign, Project GRACE (Gathered Response to Address Child Exploitation), being coordinated by Just for Kids Child Advocacy Center serving Fayette and Raleigh counties.
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