The Shadow
WASHINGTON (VR) – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded $1,943,222 in federal funding for the construction of an innovation hub in Farmville, Virginia. The funding will support the Longwood University Real Estate Foundation’s efforts to construct a facility that will serve as a business development and community training center with coworking spaces, business consulting, and educational training rooms.
“This innovation hub will be a game-changer for businesses still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the senators said. “This funding will help the Farmville area build a community space that will allow local businesses to work and expand while promoting economic development throughout the region.”
“On behalf of the Commonwealth Regional Council, I am excited that the Longwood SEED Innovation Hub has received the last piece in the puzzle for needed funding to bring this project to life,” Melody Foster, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Regional Council, said. “I am thrilled we were able to assist Longwood in obtaining this funding for a facility that will be a great asset for the greater Farmville community.”
“SEED Innovation Hub is the culmination of months of collaboration and regional strategy development between Longwood University’s Office of Community and Economic Development, Longwood Small Business Development Center and our partners at GO Virginia Region 3, SOVA Innovation Hub and Hampden-Sydney College,” Sheri McGuire, Longwood University Associate VP for Community and Economic Development, said. “SEED will be a creative intersection of partners, entrepreneurs, ideas, and supportive programming for all ages, cultivating regional innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities for years to come. We are excited and appreciate the investment US EDA, alongside VA TRRC and Go Virginia, are making to bring this vision to life.”
The funding was awarded through the Economic Development Administration as part of the American Rescue Plan designed to aid economic development efforts in communities still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
