News Releases

LEBANON, VA – JULY 22, 2021 -- An up to $500,000 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Education and Telehealth Access Fund was closed Thursday with the Appalachian Council for Innovation (ACI) to be used toward the development of...

LEBANON, VA – JULY 20, 2021 -- An up to $500,000 loan to be used to increase the Russell County Industrial Development Authority’s portfolio of available buildings was closed recently by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA). The funds will be...

TAZEWELL, VA – JULY 16, 2021 -- An up to $170,000 grant to the Tazewell County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to be used to finance a medical screening convenience kit manufacturing feasibility study and the build-out of a medical incubator site in Tazewell...

PENNINGTON GAP, VA – JULY 9, 2021 -- With extensive experience in the food service industry, having been a server, cook, manager and district manager for a chain restaurant, Charly Butcher, of Pennington Gap, decided it was time to open her own business and in the...

CLINTWOOD, VA -- JUNE 30, 2021 -- Amber Owens, of Clintwood, always dreamed of opening her own restaurant, even while she has spent her time as a teacher in the public school system. The opening of Country-fied Café in Dickenson County is the realization of that dream...

HURLEY, VA -- JUNE 21, 2021 -- Avid hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen will find a one-stop shop at Blankenship’s Hunting Supply, Taxidermy & Deer Processing LLC in the Hurley area of Buchanan County. The new business, owned by Karen Blankenship, was a recent...

LEBANON, VA – JUNE 17, 2021 -- Loans and grants to assist in new projects and expansions of existing business in six far Southwest Virginia counties were approved by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) during a meeting of the board Thursday...

NICKELSVILLE, VA – JUNE 16, 2021 -- The lack of a convenience store with a deli and fuel are in part what spurred Hunter Lambert, of Gate City, to open Moccasin Junction Inc., a full-service convenience store with a fuel island at the junction of State Routes 71 and...

CLINTWOOD, VA – JUNE 14, 2021 -- As Kevin O’Quinn, of Clintwood, looked down the road to retiring after a long career with the department of corrections, he was faced with trying to decide what to do to supplement his retirement income. The decision was easy when he...

LEBANON, VA – JUNE 11, 2021 -- With the increased focus on the outdoors and tourism opportunities in Southwest Virginia, Wyatt Carter, of Lebanon, decided the time was right to open a new business. Turning his focus to electric bikes, or “e-bikes,” Carter opened...

CLINTWOOD, VA – JUNE 3, 2021 -- An up to $1.175 million loan to the Dickenson County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to be used to finance the purchase of the former Mountain Forest Products chip mill site was closed recently by the Virginia Coalfield Economic...

CASTLEWOOD, VA – JUNE 2, 2021 -- If it’s metal, Copper Creek Metal Works LLC in Russell County can make  it. Jonathan and Allison Byerley, of Castlewood, opened their new metal cutting and fabrication business,  Copper Creek Metal Works LLC, offering custom designs...

WARDELL, VA – MAY 27, 2021 --  An up to $100,000 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) to the Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) Educational Foundation to be used for emerging workforce development and training was announced...

HONAKER, VA – MAY 26, 2021 -- Community involvement has always been important to Jessica Whitt, of Honaker, who opened her own business, Whitt Insurance Agency, LLC in Honaker in July 2020. Whitt Insurance Agency, LLC is a recent recipient of a $9,000 Virginia...

SOUTHERN GAP – MAY 25, 2021 -- Members of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway (CFX) Authority Board gave CFX Authority Executive Director Jonathan Belcher the approval Monday to work with state legislators to craft special legislation to help advance the roadway. The...

~ Raw material processing and handling company to refurbish and upgrade manufacturing facility ~   (VCEDA Editor’s Note: VCEDA congratulates SunCoke on its expansion and the diversification of its operations in Buchanan County, Virginia. SunCoke is truly one of...

LEBANON, VA – MAY 17, 2021 -- Children with developmental delays,  congenital disorders, neurological disorders, cognitive disorders, autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, prematurity, sensory processing disorders and many other diagnoses seen in children, will soon have a...

NICKELSVILLE, VA – MAY 14, 2021 -- Garland and Sheila Nash, of Nickelsville, were looking for a way to make their dairy farm more economical when they did the research and then decided to expand their farm, turning it into a Micro-Dairy Processing plant, which they...