In today’s economic development environment, a variety of local, state and federal resources are available to support small businesses and entrepreneurs. However, the wide variety and geographical dispersion of agencies, programs and organizations providing services can prove confusing for even the savviest individuals and institutions. As a response, many states and regions, and municipalities have launched websites to serve as resource and information “one-stops,” “hubs” or “portals” to help make sense of the landscape. This publication provides a case-study example based on the experiences of one such web-based resource, SourceLink Virginia, an online portal project that was started in 2014 to support and connect small businesses and economic developers across the Commonwealth. During its 5-year existence, SourceLink Virginia emerged as a value-added resource and as an example of one way to leverage internet sites to facilitate the start, growth and management of small businesses. The lessons-learned from that initiative may enhance the chances of success for those agencies and organizations considering the development of such resource websites.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Virginia, with an economic impact of about $52 billion, and it provides over 357,000 jobs to Virginia’s residents (VDACS 2013). In addition, those value-added industries that depend on the farm products employ an additional 76,000 individuals, which generates another $34.6 billion in value-added revenue (VDACS 2013a). Despite the impact that the agriculture industry has on Virginia’s economy, there are several issues of concern.

This fact sheet is a product of the 2014 Spring Kohl Centre Experience. To find out more about this project team and related information, please go to the Kohl Centre at Virginia Tech’s website: www.kohlcentre.aaec.vt.edu.

This fact sheet is a product of the 2014 Fall Kohl Centre Experience. To find out more about this project team and related information, please go to the Kohl Centre at Virginia Tech’s website: www.kohlcentre.aaec.vt.edu.

Did you know that farmers who sell unprocessed foods to retail outlets typically receive just 11.6 cents of each dollar the consumer spends on food? The remaining amount is allocated to industry groups such as food processors, packaging and transportation, retail trade, food services, energy, finance and insurance, and legal services.

The purpose of this white paper is to convey findings of a large Hard Cider Sensory Project conducted from 2020-2022, with realistic applications for how best to communicate the sensory quality of cider. Recommendations made in this white paper are based on the most current research in the field initiated by researchers at Virginia Tech and Cornell University. These sensory-focused research projects were funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support growth of the hard cider industry particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States.