Asset-Based Development

Ohio

ACEnet: Empowering Local Food Entrepreneurs 

For more than 25 years, ARC has partnered with the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) to support entrepreneurs and strengthen economic sectors in 32 counties across Appalachian Ohio. Local food provides a clear path to opportunity, and resilience, in many of those communities. To help them fully harness that potential, ACEnet helps markets…
Investment in Action
New York, West Virginia

Allegany Preston

Trail Systems: Guiding Communities to Opportunities

Every Appalachian state has ample trail opportunities, from the Tanglefoot Trail in Mississippi, to South Carolina’s Swamp Rabbit Trail and the Great Allegheny Passage in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Trails are incredible gateways for attracting outside visitors and increasing quality of life for community members. ARC partners have long worked to establish trail systems that…
Investment in Action
Ohio

Athens

ACEnet: Building Ohio’s Hardwood Sector

Since 1985, the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), based in Athens County Ohio, has held steadfast to its mission of growing the regional economy in 32 Appalachian Ohio counties by supporting entrepreneurs and local sector growth. With ARC support ARCnet operates the Food Venture Center in Athens, and Business…
Investment in Action
West Virginia

Appalachia’s Hardwoods Branch Out

ARC investments in West Virginia’s hardwoods manufacturing sector allow for entrepreneurs to receive the support they need in producing/marketing hardwoods goods, and for the development of a hardwoods industry strategic plan.  In 2018 and 2019, ARC helped support entrepreneurs in the production and marketing of value-added hardwoods manufactured goods, the…
Investment in Action
Georgia

Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Helps Small Businesses in Georgia During COVID-19

TJ Kaikobad and his wife, Danielle, of Cyra’s Simple Goodness Restaurant in Dalton, Georgia, recently received ACE’s Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award.Photo courtesy of Erik Voss With ARC support, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) in Cleveland, Georgia, is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing access to capital and business…
Investment in Action
West Virginia

Summers

Sprouting Farms: Growing West Virginia’s Local Food Economy

First conceptualized in 2014, Sprouting Farms‘ mission is to help farmers realize economic opportunities in the New and Greenbrier River Valleys by accessing land and capital, building assets, and developing successful business plans. In 2016, with support via ARC’s POWER Initiative to diversify the Region’s coal-impacted communities, the…
Investment in Action