Charleston, WV. July 13, 2022 – Advantage Valley will present a webinar for entrepreneurs on Thursday, July 21st at 6 pm entitled How Your Businesses Can Benefit from Diversity Certification. The one-hour, free webinar will provide an overview of the FASTER WV Entrepreneurship Program, and of the WBE and MBE certification process to assist women, minority, and other disadvantaged business enterprises with expanding sales and finding new markets. A panel of experts will explain the reasons for and benefits of applying for diversity certification on Advantage Valley’s 19th webinar offered in its FASTER WV series.
Our FASTER WV (acronym stands for Fostering Advantages for Start Ups & Entrepreneurial Resurgence in WV) initiative is here to identify, encourage, and support businesses through a series of webinars and other resources. FASTER WV participants work one-on-one with a business coach, take optional entrepreneurship/business classes, and can access loan funds to start or grow a business in the region.
By the Numbers
Since its inception, the FASTER WV program has served over 376 clients with over 3,291 hours of coaching, 50 new businesses have been created, 77 businesses have been improved, $181,000 in loans have been made, and $575,960 has been leveraged in additional private investment.
FASTER WV partners include the WV Small Business Development Center, Unlimited Future, Inc., and The Wyoming County Economic Development Authority. Major funding for the FASTER WV program is provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, with additional support from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Unlimited Future, Inc., Truist, and the USDA.
To learn more about FASTER WV or about the upcoming webinar, please go to https://advantagevalley.com/entrepreneurship/ or call Marjorie Cooke at 304-541-9657.
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