Gloucester County Economic Development
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Economic Development Department Updates
- New Business Licenses
- Business Directory
- Lunch & Learn: Amazon Tips
- Call for Exhibitors and Sponsors
- Middle Peninsula FAM tour with VEDP
- Small Business Incentive Program
Business News and Awards
- Baybound Bar & Grill opens in upper Gloucester
- Honestly Yoga comes to Gloucester Courthouse
- Chesapeake Marine Training Institute in Hayes to hold Mariner Job Fair
- Home Care Associates partners with Riverside Health System
- Business Facilities Gloucester Feature
Resources
- Appointments with Jim Carroll, Business Consultant
- Scaling for Growth
- Job Opportunities
- Featured Available Property
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Business Owner's New Year Checklist
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The Office of Economic Development has suggestions to help your business succeed in 2020. From goals and networking to being prepared for an emergency, check out these suggestions.
- Put important dates on your calendar. One important date is March 1, 2020, which is when business license renewals are due to the Commissioner of the Revenue.
- Reflect on your business successes and make a goal list for 2020. Make an exhaustive list of what you would like to accomplish and then break it down to accomplish a few things each month.
- Educate yourself on something you want to learn more about. Check out our webpage here for ideas on upcoming workshops and seminars and conferences.
- Engage in local networking opportunities. If you are a Home-Based Business, the upcoming regional Home-Based Business Conference on March 20, 2020 is a good place to start. Additionally, the Gloucester Home Based Bushiness network meets monthly at Bay Transit and is a great resource for networking and training opportunities.
- Make a plan for emergencies such as hurricanes, storms and power outages. Signing up for CodeRED. CodeRED is a free emergency notification service that sends critical communications and emergency information through phone calls, text messages, emails, social media and the CodeRED Mobile Alert app.
- Think locally and look for local partners for a new idea or event you may have.
- Connect with the Office of Economic Development on Facebook and sign up for our monthly newsletter.
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Vote for Virginia Living's Best of 2020!
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Virginia Living Magazine's Best of Virginia 2020 issue explores the best in dining, shopping, and doing in the Commonwealth. Head over to
VirginiaLiving.com/Vote2020
right now to vote in their Best of Virginia 2020 Readers’ Survey! The survey runs from January 6 through January 31.
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November/December New Business Licenses
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Commercial
BAY ELECTRIC MOTOR LLC
RONIN DEFENSE
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Home-Based
AMTECH LLC
BROWN'S ALL NATURAL CREATIONS LLC CHRISTIAN DIVA ENTERPRISES LLC
INSIDER AGENCY
DIAMONDS TRANSPORTATION LLC
DIVINE HERBAL ROOTS LLC
DUDLEY, JAMES R
GOLIATH'S CRAFT JEWELRY INC
144 HOME SOLUTIONS
H C WALLACE CONSTRUCTION LLC
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS NETWORK LLC INTENTIONAL WELLNESS ENERGETICS LLC LINEBERRY TREE AND LAWN
MEMORY MAKERS UNLIMITED LLC
PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIAL LLC
WHITE'S CLEANING SERVICE
GETTIN WIRED
SHARK TECH STUDIOS LLC
TOMS AUTO SERVICE
WALKER FLEET SERVICE
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The Department of Economic Development is in the process of revamping our Gloucester Business Directory. Please review the directory to confirm that your business is included and the listing is accurate. Something missing? Contact
Elizabeth with any additions, updates, or suggestions!
We welcome you to use it as a community resource! Whether you are looking for the perfect gift, a delicious meal, a lawyer, or a fitness class, you will find it here.
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January 23
February 20
January 29
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Business Consulting Appointments
Business Consulting Appointments
Home-Based Business Lunch & Learn | Planning topics for upcoming meetings
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January Business After Hours Hosted by Gloucester Montessori School
Thursday, January 16, 2020
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Gloucester Montessori School
8381 George Washington Memorial Hwy
The Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce and Gloucester Montessori School invite you to kick off the new decade right, and join us for our first monthly networking Business After Hours event of 2020 this month on Thursday. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead, and we cannot wait to discuss it all with you, including next month's Annual Business and Community Awards Reception!
Take advantage of these monthly networking opportunities to connect with business peers in the community of Gloucester County and grow your business with us!
We welcome potential members who want to learn more about the Chamber and the growing business community in Gloucester County. Please invite them to attend with you! If you'd like to donate a door prize for our drawing, please let us know by
Wednesday
.
Business After Hours is FREE for members and only $10 for guests.
We look forward to seeing you Thursday!
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Home-Based Business Lunch & Learn
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Call for Exhibitors & Sponsors
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Friday, March 20, 2020
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Peninsula Workforce Development Center
The 5th Annual
Home-Based Business Conference features a resource fair with over 20 exhibitors, as well as conference sessions and specialty breakout talks focused on topics relevant to all stages and types of home-based businesses.
Exhibitor space is available! This is an opportunity to share your professional services with Home-Based Business owners.
Sponsorship packages are also available. Depending on level, sponsors can their logo, name, and link on marketing materials, conference website event program, social media posts, and sponsor banner. Sponsors also receive tickets to the conference.
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December Home-Based Lunch & Learn
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Speaker Catesby Jones, president of Peace Frogs, conducts a round table discussion on selling online
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Catesby Jones, president of Peace Frogs, Inc., headquartered in Gloucester, provided some tips to a group of business owners and interested citizens about selling online during a Home Based Business Lunch and Learn event Dec. 18. The meeting, which was hosted by Gloucester’s Economic Development department, was held in the Bay Transit facility’s meeting room off Fiddlers Green Road in Gloucester.
Throughout the round table discussion, Jones emphasized that everything dealing with the web, especially when selling and marketing, is fluid – or ever changing. He said he has had his company selling its products on Amazon.com for the past several years. “It’s hard to get to that number one spot on Amazon,” Jones said. “Selling something new and unique makes it much easier.”
Jones provided other tips such as buying rewards from Amazon and utilizing the company’s Fulfillment by Amazon program, which allows one’s products to reach the millions of Amazon Prime users worldwide. Jones also suggested that business owners should try to keep their products in the $13 to $50 range if they want them to sell quickly on the site.
According to Jones, showcasing one’s quality products using quality photography are key elements in getting items to sell quickly. He also suggested labeling products that are for sale according to how someone would search for the specific product online.
Jones said he started the company, which sells custom-branded t-shirts and more worldwide, as a college student in the 1980s. He took out a one-quarter page advertisement in Rolling Stone Magazine, set up a toll-free phone number, and watched as sales took off.
The next Business Lunch and Learn is scheduled for Jan. 15 when there will be a roundtable discussion about what topics participants would like to listen to throughout the new year.
For more information about the Home Based Business Lunch and Learn series, call 804.693.1415.
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Middle Peninsula FAM Tour with VEDP
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"Each locality in the Middle Peninsula has a unique community brand, but the region as a whole represents a stronghold in agriculture and the water-based economy and is a bridge between the two industries and the rest of the state."
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Jennife
r Morgan of GO Virginia shared her experiences in an article
, describing the tour as "an experiential visit and an excellent opportunity for VEDP, GO Virginia, and local partners to connect and learn about opportunities each could leverage to grow the region." She wrote how the MPA "was able to foster awareness of the region and create connections so that all partners may be better able to tell the story of the vibrant and growing Middle Peninsula."
Read Full Article
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Tidewater Saw Mill and Oyster Shucking in the Bay courtesy of Jennifer Morgan
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Small Business Incentives
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The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority and Economic Development Department are dedicated to promoting and improving the economic health and quality of life in Gloucester. These incentive programs are here to support, promote and encourage small businesses by providing assistance with interior and exterior improvements, advertising and website design work.
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Application process begins for 2020 round of small business grants
The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority, and Economic Development staff are inviting independent businesses in Gloucester to apply for the Fiscal Year 2020 Small Business Incentive Program.
Read Full Article
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Property Improvement: Assistance with renovations and build-out. Projects covered in this incentive include new floors, ceiling tiles, windows, doors, painting and other interior improvements.
Facade Improvement: This program is designed to provide assistance to property or business owners for exterior façade improvements, new signage or landscaping.
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Baybound Bar & Grill Opens
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Please welcome
Baybound Bar & Grill
!
Baybound offers seafood and American fare, including raw or fried oysters, crab cakes, and fried green tomatoes. With hot food and cold beer, they are open for lunch and dinner. Visit upper Gloucester's newest restaurant today!
14761 George Washingon Memorial Highway | (804) 758-7034
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Images courtesy of Baybound Bar & Grill
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Honestly Yoga comes to Courthouse
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Please welcome Honestly Yoga to Gloucester Courthouse! The new studio opened on Friday, November 1st. Honestly Yoga offers classes in Hatha Yoga and Yin/Restorative Yoga. Students can pay by the class, purchase a class bundle, or purchase an unlimited pass. Private lessons are also available.
Owner Angie Gress McKinstar obtained her 200 hour yoga teacher certification from the Loudon Valley Yoga Academy and Yoga Alliance. When suffering following an accident, McKinstar found that "being on my mat created a sense of calm in my
mind that enabled me to go about my day in p
eace." She has been teaching all levels of students at her Gwynn's Island studio and excited to now offer classes in Gloucester.
"
Yoga changed my life ten years ago, and I hope to guide others through their practice so that they, too, can experience the joy it has brought me. Words cannot describe what yoga has done for me, but if you join me on the mat, maybe you, too, can find inner peace in your mind, body and soul like I have found. I welcome you."
Honestly Yoga
6618 Main St
Gloucester, VA 23061
(703) 380-7629
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Home Care Associates Partners with Riverside
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Gloucester-headquartered
Home Care Associates, LLC
has recently partnered with
Riverside
Health System in its ChooseHome program, which brings clients individualized support they need to remain living in their own home safely and comfortable as long as possible. Owners Latosha Veney and Ebony Nickens opened the business in 2018, drawing on Veney's healthcare experience and Nickens' background in human resources. Nickens told Quinton Shepherd of the
Gazette-Journal
how clients appreciate that they are locally owned and the intake process is done personally. "We know each and every client like the back of our hands."
Home Care Associates | 6814 Teagle Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061 | (804) 210-1333
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In the Spotlight: Mid-Atlantic ProTel
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Mid-Atlantic ProTel, an AT&T Authorized Retailer, opened in Gloucester in April 2019. The entertainment and telecommunications company offers mobile phones, tablets, and DirecTV services. For all of your entertainment and wireless needs, Mid-Atlantic ProTel is here for you with competitive pricing and great promotions for all. Small business customers will find they offer many solutions that can help with the varying aspects of running a business.
Mid-Atlantic ProTel offers services to first responders, ensuring they have priority access of the network in times of emergencies. This helps avoid any lapse in communication and helps with their safety. The store also offers competitive discounts to military customers to thank them for their service. Mid-Atlantic ProTel is a veteran-owned and operated business established in 1996 in Martinsburg, WV that has since expanded to cover Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.The Gloucester store is located in the Fox Centre Plaza, next to Your Pie.
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Business Facilities Gloucester Feature
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"Agribusiness is one of the county’s top targeted markets for new business recruitment."
The September/October issue of
Business Facilities Magazine features Gloucester County in "Harvesting Growth in Stormy Weather." The article gives an overview of Gloucester's growing agribusiness market, profiling businesses including Whitley's Peanut Factory, Zoll Vineyards, That Damn Mary, and Gloucester Brewery.
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Meet for free with business consultant
Jim Carroll!
Do you have questions about how to write your business plan? Or, need advice for your next step in marketing? Maybe you're interested in pursing SWaM certification or government contracts!
Executive Director of the
Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center
Jim Carroll will return on
Thursday, January 23 and Thursday, February 20
for private consulting appointments. The meetings are held at the Gloucester Library on Main Street.
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Would you like to go from Entrepreneur to CEO? To increase your revenue and create jobs?
The
Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) in partnership with
Interise.org is now accepting online applications for New Virginia: Scaling4Growth. This "Streetwise MBA" is a six-month program designed for business owners to learn how to scale their business by assessing their business model and becoming more efficient in areas of human resource, finance, social media, procurement, and bank speak. This program combines practical business education, a supportive business network, and access to capital and contracting.
The classes run December 2019
–June 2020 and meet every other Thursday in Hampton. Attendance is mandatory and participants must reserve every Thursday during the 6-month period for class or group work. Average time spent on homework is approximat
ely 3
–5 hours per week.
Small business owners must meet the minimum requirements to participate:
- Must be a Virginia-based business
- Been in business at least three years
- $250,000–$10,000,000 in annual revenues
- One other full-time employee besides the owner
- Certified as a SWaM (Small, Woman-Owned, or Minority-Owned) by the SBSD
- Willingness to attend class for 6 months, complete mandatory assignments, and complete program surveys as requested.
The video above presents testimonials from graduates of the program. If you have questions, please email
[email protected].
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Job & Training Opportunities
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Local Businesses Hiring:
- Alistair J. Ramsay Land Surveying Services is seeking a Senior Civil Designer/Land Surveyor to prepare all aspects of commercial and residential site development plans. Candidates should have a minimum of seven years related prior work experience, an associates degree in surveying/civil engineering, LSIT, or equivalent certification, and proficiency in civil design and drainage software. Good written and oral communication skills are required for this position. Salary: $45,000-$55,000 plus bonuses and benefits. Read more...
- Larry's Plumbing Company is looking for a new plumber. Requirements: 3-5 years plumbing experience in both Service and New Construction/Remodel; valid driver's license; background check; drug test. Pay based on experience. To schedule an interview, contact (804) 413-9020.
- Cleaning Cents, LLC has full and part-time positions available. Requirements: Must have valid driver's license, reliable transportation, smartphone, ability to lift 25 pounds. The ideal candidate is motivated to provide 5-star service every day, has good time management skills, and thrives in detail-oriented settings. To apply or request more information, email [email protected].
P
lease let us know
if you are a small business owner in need of employees. We will include your "help wanted" ad in our next addition of Business Monthly e-News.
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- Parks Superintendent
- Senior Utility Maintenance Technician
- Real Estate Appraiser I
- Real Estate Technician
- Park Aide
- Specialty Instructor
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Featured Available Property
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Former Union Bank
1553 George Washington Memorial Highway | Gloucester Point, VA
This beautiful and well-maintained brick building has high visibility on Route 17 and has the bonus of being located in an
Opportunity Zone
.
Property Details:
- 5,294 sq ft two-story building
- 2,962 sq ft per floor
- 1.2+ acres
- 25 parking spaces
- Monument signage
- Built in 2004
- Zoned B-1
For more information, contact Dawn F. Griggs of Thalhimer Commercial Real Estate by email
[email protected]
or telephone (757) 873-1210.
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Gloucester County and Economic Development staff have been fantastic to work with over the last years looking for a solution to expanding our manufacturing facility. The team went above and beyond to find a solution. The residents and the county have always been extremely supportive of Whitley’s Peanuts over the years and we are very grateful for this.
—Todd Smith, President, Whitley's Peanut Factory
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If you have a new and innovative business or business concept and would like to be considered for one of our newsletters, please send pictures and a brief write-up
here. We'd also love to share your testimonial of why Gloucester is the perfect place for your business!
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Board of Supervisors | Economic Development Authority | Economic Development Department
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Economic Development Department | 6747 Main Street | 804.693.1415 | [email protected]
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