Virginia Tidewater Aquaculture & Maritime Innovation Incubator Program

The Greater Reedville Association (GRA) has embarked on a multi-part approach to renovate Festival Halle, a former school building and now a community center, located in Reedville, VA. The first element is converting a portion of the space into a commercial kitchen to help local waterman bring their products directly into the marketplace and expand into markets outside the region and state. The second element is implementing an incubator program to support small businesses through specialized resources, skill development, financial tools, and market expansion. The first phase of the incubator program will focus on training components to include:

1.            Food safety

2.            Marketing and branding

3.            Human resources and human capital management

4.            Small business operations, accounting, and financial management

• Statewide Project Theme:  Startup Ecosystem
• Region 6 Priority Industry Cluster: Aquaculture/Seafood/Commercial Fishing/Marine Industries, Agriculture/Controlled Environment Agriculture
• GO Virginia Request: $280,000
• Match: $140,400
• Source of Match: Northumberland County, Lancaster County, Greater Reedville Association, and Omega Protein
• Project Type: Implementation