Creating an Entrepreneurial EcoSystem in the Northern NeckPartnerships & Progress

An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that work together.

The Non-Living Things

• Geography – remote, coastal plain, rural, surrounded by water between the Potomac & Rappahannock Rivers

• History - home of the Lees of Virginia, and birthplace of George Washington, James Monroe and James Madison

• Transportation - 2-lane roads, occasional 4-lane sections, no interstates, no train, no passenger ferries, no airports

• Infrastructure – recent, uncertain cell phone and wireless internet coverage

• Existing industries – commercial fishing industry reduced, timber industry suffered from new home building decline, family farms pressured by development, service industries around tourism, retirement, and healthcare

The Living Things

• Program - Northern Neck region was selected for the Strengthening Economies Together program, already an Economic Development District

• Plan - Product of SET – Northern Neck Economic Development Plan identified priorities & action items which gave focus to future efforts

• Issues – Youth/Workforce age hemorrhage due to lack of jobs, low educational attainment for existing workforce, few opportunities

Forward-looking change necessary to address issues; current ecosystem inadequate –need for deeper, broader

collaboration to create new institutions & partnerships

The Community Working TogetherNavigating: Identifying strategic partnerships, and leveraging strengths, resources

- Building public & private sector partnerships- Including everyone. MACorp – had the space, the interest &

an engaged community together with NNPDC, with grant writing capability, so that the UMW SBDC could expand its training offering more broadly in the community…DHCD’s BCC Grant……………..Where community development meets economic development

The Emerging EcoSystemOne open incubator, and another one to be open in Summer, training sessions underway, including a Youth Entrepreneurship Camp. Conference facilities, co-working space, and teleworking. Professionals in law, accounting, banking included in training; wholistic approach with mentoring, plans for access to capital and connectivity to resources already present in community• A new business – a coffee shop will be opening on the first

floor of the incubator• All thanks to the momentum of the partners & a Building

Collaborative Communities Grant from DHCD…

Nurturing the Ecosystem

Needs to take root…- Ongoing training- Access to capital – BEE Grant and

partnership with UMW Center for Economic Development to capitalize & operate a NanoLoan fund

- Opening of successive incubators with same partners - replicate what works

Entrepreneurial EcoSystem - organic, so expect change with growth

Lisa HullEconomic Development & Tourism CoordinatorNorthern Neck Planning District CommissionP.O. Box 1707Warsaw, VA 22579lhull@nnpdc17.state.va.us