Tuesday, December 17, 2024 | |
Glass Hollow is Now Open!
Anna Shapiro and Minh Martin, founders of Glass Hollow, share a passion for quality craftsmanship. With their diverse product offering, artisan spaces, and over 20 years of experience, they hope to inspire passion and continual learning for the next generation.
Visitors to Glass Hollow can watch and participate in the magic of glassblowing and peruse a gallery filled with world-class art and craft from national and regional artists.
“We have had very positive experiences at SBDC getting practical advice on financing and marketing. SBDC helped connect us to the people and banks that funded our construction project. If you have a question, SBDC has an answer. We often talk ourselves out of amazing ideas because we think we are "not ready." There is no perfect time. Just start now. One day at a time, one task at a time until you get there.”
Glass Hollow is located at 9080 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Afton VA 22920 and is open Thursday–Sunday, 11-5 pm
Find out more at glasshollow.com
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Edgewood Apiaries Places Second in VA FAIRS Bull Pen Challenge
Five agricultural innovators in Virginia competed for $30,000 in the third annual VA FAIRS Bull Pen Challenge this December. The finalists presented innovative ideas focused on agricultural labor, sustainability, food safety, rural health, and supply chain resilience. Edgewood Apiaries and Farm in Fluvanna County, a producer of premium, nectar-specific Virginia honey and hive-based products like soaps, lotions and candles came in second in the challenge! Owner Amanda Sweeney says the company plans to expand its production by purchasing honey from a network of small-scale Virginia honey producers and promoting transparency by labeling the honey in a way that drives consumers to videos of the beekeepers.
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Don't miss your chance to be a part of the transformative experience in the CIC 16-week Entrepreneur Workshop!
Beginning in February, in Charlottesville, Orange-Culpeper or Southern Virginia, this workshop will equip you with the basic principles and skills needed to run a business successfully. Explore crucial topics such as cash flow, breakeven, marketing, customer discovery, time management, and more!
Apply by January 3, 2025 for the Spring 2025 sessions.
Find out more and apply here.
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BOI requirement paused by federal court
A Texas federal court has temporarily blocked the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its regulations, which require U.S. businesses, primarily small ones, to report beneficial ownership and leadership data to the Treasury Department (FinCen). This injunction, issued just weeks before the January 1, 2025 compliance deadline, suggests the CTA may be unconstitutional. While litigation continues, businesses should prepare their filings but refrain from submitting them.
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New Marketing Assistance Now Available for Specialty Crop Producers
The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program provides financial assistance to specialty crop producers to help them expand domestic markets or develop new markets for their crops.
MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops grown in the US:
- Fruits (fresh, dried);
- Vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed);
- Tree nuts;
- Nursery crops, Christmas trees, and floriculture;
- Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices; and
- Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass, and grass seed.
For more information and to apply
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Plantings for the Piedmont Grant
Plantings for the Piedmont programs works with local landowners to plant native trees in riparian and upland zones at no cost to the landowner.
Qualifying participants in Plantings for the Piedmont programs will receive:
- FREE technical and financial assistance, project design, labor and materials to develop a planting project on their property;
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Assistance finding and enrolling in cost-share programs, such as programs available through your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), or the new Riparian Forests for Landowners program through the Virginia Department of Forestry;
- Assistance with up-front costs and financing; funding support for projects that do not qualify for cost-share;
- Financial support for participants to maintain the new landscape for the first three years of its establishment;
- And more.
For more information and to apply
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SBA–Working Capital Program
SBA recently launched a new financing pilot that is particularly suited for supporting manufacturing growth. Working capital loans, in contrast to term loans, is money available to meet short term financial obligations such as purchasing inventory, paying short-term debt, and day-to-day operating expenses.
The Working Capital Program (WCP) Pilot is part of the SBA’s suite of guaranteed 7(a) loan programs and will support revolving lines of credit up to $5 million.The new WCP combines domestic and export financing under a single program.
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All programs of the Virginia SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. | |
Webinars from the Virginia SBDC Network | |
HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY | |
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Maker Prep Course
Deadline to apply: January 17
The course includes SFA membership, a badge to the Winter and Summer 2025 Fancy Food Shows, and an engaging online course with live coaching. Please note that attending the program in person is not required as the show sessions are recorded so the whole program can be completed remotely, if you choose! The deadline to apply is January 17th.
Learn more and apply.
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Central Virginia SBDC
Your Partners in Business:
Supporting Small Business - from Startups to International Expansion
Serving the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Culpeper, Fluvanna,
Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Rappahannock.
Meet With Us
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