Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority

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Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority

VCEDA works to diversify the economy in Southwest Virginia and to assist in the creation of jobs.

08/31/2026

Making art accessible to everyone is what Bronwyn Owen said she hopes her working art studio, Big Blue Art, in Bluefield, VA is continuing to accomplish, providing opportunities for all ages to experience the arts.

Big Blue Art is a recent recipient of a $10,000 Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Seed Capital Matching Grant. Seed capital grants are funded from regional funds received by VCEDA which are paid by the natural gas industry.

The business projects one full-time employee and two part-time employees within five years.

Read more: https://vceda.us/vceda-seed-capital-grant-approved-for-big-blue-art/

08/28/2026

A $1.6 million grant from Virginia Energy Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program to the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority will provide the remaining funding needed to complete the Corridor Q / Rt 460 / CFX Paving Project, according to Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority Executive Director Jonathan Belcher.

The funding announcement was made Friday by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

“The AMLER funding announced by the governor is the final piece of the puzzle for this section of the Coalfields Expressway project in Buchanan County,” Belcher said. “It will support design, construction and oversight to expand the Route 460 Connector Phase IIA within Corridor Q from two lanes with truck-climbing lanes to a four-lane highway near the Breaks Interstate Park.”

Read more: https://vceda.us/1-6-million-amler-grant-announced-for-cfx-project-in-buchanan-county/

08/27/2026

VCEDA was a sponsor and exhibited at the 12th annual Southwest Virginia Manufacturing Expo 2026 August 19 at the Higher Ed Center in Abingdon, VA. A record number of manufacturers attended the day-long Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing (SVAM) event that included exhibits from manufacturers and other organizations and breakout sessions on AI, new regulations governing manufacturing, ideas for optimizing warehouse operations, and a panel discussion on "Manufacturing in Southwest Virginia: Strong Today, Build for Tomorrow." Jessica Savage, chief strategic officer, West River Conveyors; and William (Bill) Regert, environmental health & safety director for VFP, Inc., joined representatives from Hitachi Energy and Hapco Pole Products on the manufacturing panel. Savage shared West River's experiences dealing with business interruptions, response and support from the community to get back up and running soon after a fire at their manufacturing facility and ongoing progress building a new manufacturing plant at Southern Gap in Buchanan County, expected to open in 2027. Regert talked of VFP's latest expansion at the Duffield facility in Scott County and praised the workforce of 500. Marketing Coordinator Susan Copeland represented VCEDA at the event.

08/25/2026

VCEDA was pleased to take part in a regional familiarization tour held earlier this month for members of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) team, including, Joe Topham, director, business investment; Pandy Brazeau, senior business manager; Molly Olson, director; Gabby Dean, business manager; Jake Phillips, business manager; Star Cranston, business manager; and Alex Taylor, senior business manager. Jessi Fritz, senior business manager, regional talent solutions and business outreach with VEDP, who is based in the region, was also in attendance. While in the region, the VEDP team toured the Bluestone Regional Business and Technology Park in Tazewell County; Simmons Equipment Company, the Russell Regional Business Technology Park and the Northrop Grumman building in Russell County; Paul's Fan Company and the Southern Gap Industrial Park in Buchanan County; Red Onion Industrial Park and Wildwood Recovery Center in Dickenson County; UVA-Wise and Lonesome Pine Regional Business and Technology Park in Wise County; Intersection Business and Industry Park, EarthLink and Wrap Technology in Norton; VFP in Scott County; and Constitutional Oaks Industrial Park in Lee County. While in Wise, a reception was held at the Inn at Wise which was attended by regional economic development leaders.

08/22/2026

VCEDA Business Development Specialists Diane Thomas and Charlotte Mullins represented VCEDA at the 7th annual Tourism Summit and Awards event held earlier this month. A number of Southwest Virginia venues received recognition for their work in the tourism economy in Southwest Virginia. The annual event is hosted by The Friends of Southwest Virginia.

08/20/2026

Cheeses, Grade A goat yogurt and Grade A pasteurized goat milk are the primary products produced by Redbud Creamery, LLC, a small Micro Goat Dairy, owned and operated by Beth Maxfield and her husband, Steve Maxfield, in Russell County, VA.

Redbud Creamery, LLC is a recent recipient of a $10,000 Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Seed Capital Matching Grant. Seed capital grants are funded from regional funds received by VCEDA which are paid by the natural gas industry.
The business projects four full-time employees and three part-time employees within five years.

Read more: https://vceda.us/redbud-creamery-llc-approved-for-vceda-seed-capital-grant/

08/19/2026

Oops ... we've had so much going on the past few weeks, we forgot to share this one! VCEDA Business Development Specialists Charlotte Mullins and Diane Thomas represented VCEDA at the Solar Workgroup meeting in late July at the Appalachian Arts Center in Cedar Bluff.

Guest speakers included Bobby "Fuzz" Johnson with HOMES, Inc., who discussed residential solar, providing some information about net-metered systems and the long term cost benefits; Austin Counts with Appalachian Voices, who provided information about how shared solar works and some of the shared solar programs currently available; and Kenny Eye with Solar United Neighbors, who provided an overview on plug-in solar, its history and how it works.

VCEDA is a member of the Solar Workgroup and serves on its steering committee.

08/18/2026

High-quality products featuring custom laser engraving, printing and embroidery on a wide range of items is what Zachary and Marah Culbertson offer through Southern Ridge Design LLC, their new Scott County, VA business. Personalized gifts, home décor, apparel, drinkware, signage and more are available.

Southern Ridge Design LLC is a recent recipient of a $10,000 Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Seed Capital Matching Grant. Seed capital grants are funded from regional funds received by VCEDA which are paid by the natural gas industry.

The business projects two full-time employees and one part-time employee within five years.

Read more: https://vceda.us/vceda-seed-capital-grant-approved-for-southern-ridge-design-llc/

08/15/2026

Join regional partners on Thursday, August 27, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, VA for a practical, one-day workshop -- Soil to Shelf: Turning Farm Assets into Food & Beverage Brands. The workshop is designed for farmers, agricultural producers and early-stage food and beverage entrepreneurs.

Hosted by the Virginia Economic Development Parntnership (VEDP), the workshop gets underway at 8:30 a.m. and will help attendees understand the path from farm assets and product ideas to licensed, market-ready food and beverage businesses. Sessions will cover production, business planning, licensing, food safety, grants, loans, workforce, processing, distribution, and retail readiness.

The day will include short presentations, local business examples, and an interactive resource marketplace where attendees may ask specific questions and connect directly with support organizations.

The program is geared toward farmers, producers, value-added agriculture businesses, food entrepreneurs, agribusinesses and regional partners.

To register and to view the schedule of events for the day, visit https://bit.ly/3SoiZZi.

08/12/2026

An up to a $196,667 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) will be used in part to assist in the operation of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Mountain Empire Community College (MECC), as well as for workforce development and training for entrepreneurs and small business owners in the VCEDA region.

Read more: https://vceda.us/vceda-grant-to-mecc-will-assist-sbdc-office/

Address

527 E. Main Street
Lebanon, VA
24266

Telephone

+18007359999

Website

http://www.vceda.us/

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