Danese, W.Va. (November 25, 2024) – 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.
“Our region is rich with some of the best timber-producing trees in the world,” said Jack Taggart. “There seemed to be a need for small-scale sawmills to provide local residents and businesses in the area with lumber products – and its readily available from resources right in their backyard. After finishing my time in the U.S. Army, I knew that Kathleen and I wanted to move to West Virginia to raise our family and be a contributing part of our local community.”
The New River Farms Sawmill opened July 19, 2024, offering customers many species of logs as boards and beams up to 25 feet in length to the customer’s specifications. The company can also mill individual logs at its Danese site.
Taggart said he first learned about the forestry industry through the Future Farmers of America (FFA) in middle and high school. “I immediately became highly interested in the role our forests play as the ultimate renewable resource,” he said. “As an avid woodsman and woodworker
with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, I knew that being able to produce high-quality local lumber for people is truly my dream job.”
More than 100 people attended the Fayette County sawmill’s Open House at Clifftop (near Babcock State Park) in mid-September. Mary Legg, Senior Business Advisor at the West Virginia Hive Network, praised the Taggarts for starting their new business. “New River Farms Sawmill fills a regional business need, offers quality products at a competitive price, and the Taggarts have done all the right things to build a foundation for successful operations,” said Legg.
Taggart said, “The WV Hive has been a great resource for learning about fellow businesses in the area, as well as learning about programs and opportunities available to us as a small business. We really look forward to growing alongside the Hive here in the New River Gorge area.”
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.
Leaders of the West Virginia Hive announced today the winning entrepreneurs who presented their business strategies last evening at the 2024 Pitch Southern West Virginia Business Idea Competition.
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