The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $1.6 million POWER grant to a group of state organizations that includes the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) to expand markets for state manufacturers.
Led by Advantage Valley, an economic development organization serving the Charleston-Huntington metro region, the Expanding Markets initiative will provide a broad array of technical services not only to address everyday operational needs related to workforce, financing and facility improvements, but to help companies identify new market opportunities and customers. MAMC will lead efforts to strengthen supply chain and business-to-business connections by organizing a series of events designed to connect large manufacturers with small businesses.
MAMC and Advantage Valley have sponsored free supply chain expos in recent years that have resulted in small businesses securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in new contracts with large West Virginia manufacturers. Their Sept. 26 Industrial Supply Chain Expo already has generated more than $490,000 in new contracts for West Virginia small businesses.
“We’ll continue organizing these business-to-business events to provide the opportunity for more small businesses to win contracts with large state companies while affording the primes opportunities to source goods and services locally,” said MAMC Director Derek Scarbro. “These win-win opportunities are made possible through the generous support of ARC, a longtime supporter of our expanding markets initiatives.”
ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) initiative directs federal resources to economic diversification projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining and related industries.
