Waynesboro Recieves $25,000 Grant to Help Businesses

The city of Waynesboro will use a $25,000 state grant to both help startup or existing entrepreneurs, and to digitize a city guide that offers tips on starting a business.
Waynesboro last week learned from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe that the city had received a $25,000 Building Entrepreneurial  Economies award. The announcement by the governor included a total of $226,000  in the BEE grants to 12 projects across the commonwealth.

McAuliffe said in announcing the awards that “creating a place for entrepreneurs to start and grow a business is a major component of creating a new Virginia economy.” The governor said the funds will aid “key projects that are building and expanding strong entrepreneurial ecosystems all across the commonwealth.”
Jenny Carter, Waynesboro’s assistant director of economic development and tourism, said the money the city is obtaining will be used for two purposes.

Carter said a portion of the money will be used to create a website based on the city’s guide known as “An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting a Business in Waynesboro, Virginia.” The guide is currently in printed format, but Carter said digitizing will make the guide more accessible.
Secondly, the city plans a late summer competition for nurturing startup businesses. Carter said the businesses will appear before a panel of judges and present a business plan. The top two winners will receive funding and other assistance from the city.

While the announcement of the awards came from McAuliffe, Carter said the funding comes from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.