Hinton, W.Va. (March 2, 2023) – The West Virginia Coffee Talks and New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) Summers County Business Owners Meeting will both be held at the Hinton Technology Building on March 3.

Join the WV Hive, NRGRDA, and Summers County Convention and Visitors Bureau in networking and continued conversation about business support resources for entrepreneurs in Summers County.

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

• Coffee and conversation at the WV Hive Coffee Talks session. Coffee Talks are designed to provide networking opportunities for local entrepreneurs, business owners, and community leaders.
• Get to know successful local entrepreneur, Tom Conway, through an informal interview session with Judy Moore, WV Hive Executive Director and NRGRDA Deputy Director, as they discuss the entrepreneurship journey.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• Hear a presentation from Denise Southern from the Beckley Raleigh Chamber of Commerce about how to form and operate a Chamber of Commerce.
• Participate in an open community conversation around next steps to supporting small businesses in the Hinton and Summers County areas.
• Talk with NRGRDA, WV Hive, and Summers County CVB representatives about what they can do to support you.

The registration link to both free events is https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wv-hive-coffee-talks-nrgrda-summers-county-business-owners-meeting-tickets-546214671787

Jina Belcher, NRGRDA executive director, said “Outreach to community and business leaders is our mission and it starts with listening.” She also thanked Hinton city officials for their collaboration and support of these back-to-back events.

About New River Gorge Regional Development Authority: The New River Gorge Regional Development Authority’s (NRGRDA) mission is to initiate, facilitate and support the economic and community development efforts within the counties of Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers located in this region of southern West Virginia. NRGRDA stimulates the regional economy through business expansion and retention efforts, including an extensive portfolio of financial services; the management of sites for new companies locating to our region; and serving as a point of access for local service providers which offer a variety of technical assistance for business owners.

The West Virginia Hive is the entrepreneurship program of the NRGRDA and the administrator of the Country Roads Angel Network (CRAN). More can be found at https://nrgrda.org/