DRIVE awarded $189K grant, plans to develop multi-state small business ecosystem

DRIVE awarded $189K grant, plans to develop multi-state small business ecosystem

DANVILLE — DRIVE plans to use a $189,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to develop SPARK, a multi-state, multi-county small business ecosystem and incubation network.

DRIVE, an economic development council of governments serving Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties, said the project will include North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The planning grant was available through Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies “which drives large-scale economic transformation through multi-state collaboration,” DRIVE said.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded $33.5 million to 12 collaborative, multi-state projects, according to the council of governments.

“This multi-state incubator network is an idea we’ve been nurturing for more than a year,” DRIVE Executive Director Jennifer Wakeman said. “We’re excited that ARC is supporting the vision we’ve developed with our partners, and we can’t wait to get to work.”

DRIVE has partnered with the Bucknell University Small Business Development Center and Building Bridges 2 Careers in Ohio to bring SPARK to life.

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