Applying Project Management for Founders, Entrepreneurs, and Businesses

Four-Part Virtual Workshop Series  |  Wednesdays  |  12 PM – 1:30 PM

April 22, April 29, May 13, and May 20, 2026

Registration is OPEN for the Southern Virginia Regional Procurement Fair!

A strong understanding of the procurement process is crucial for businesses of all sizes and services! The Southern Virginia Regional Procurement Fair is designed to educate our valued businesses how to obtain contracts in working with large industries and government agencies. This event is the perfect opportunity to get your foot in the door and your business on the map in working with new and large companies.  

AGENDA ITEMS

• Learn how to become a credible vendor to large industries and government agencies.
• Gain insight on the Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business (SWaM) certification process.
• Learn how to gain access to capital.  
• Network with local vendors.

EVENT DETAILS

• DATE: Wednesday, April 10
• TIME: 2 Sessions, 8:30am-12:00pm OR 1:30-5:00pm (you only need to attend one session)
• WHERE:  Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, 150 Slayton Avenue, Danville, VA 

HOW TO REGISTER

Register Here: https://caesarssupplierdiversity.formstack.com/forms/southernvaprocurementfair?fbclid=IwAR1UyR46K8JkJ5rg7rR8DLjfaxR8Awkcygbo2Qx5d0ifqrkFfiWv3Q-iKAQ

Follow the City of Danville Office of Economic Development’s Facebook page to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/danvilleeconomicdevelopmentandtourism/

Questions? Reach out to Samantha Bagbey, Project Manager, at samantha.bagbey@discoverdanville.com or call 434.793.1753.

Introducing the RISE Collaborative Winter 2024 CO.STARTERS Business Bootcamp cohort!

Congratulations to the 30 entrepreneurs representing 28 businesses who completed the Winter 2024 RISE Business Bootcamp. The RISE Business Bootcamp kicked off in January and concluded on March 5, 2024.  The program included a virtual Meet & Greet session followed by eight, three-hour virtual training sessions and field work assignments each week.

Keep scrolling to learn more about these entrepreneurs and their business offerings.

Agriculture and Food

Health and Wellness

Professional Services

Retail

Transportation and Logistics

Entrepreneurs gather from around Southern Virginia to accelerate their businesses

Business Pitch Competitors

A total of 13 businesses pitched at the event, in the following order:

• RCFlyBy (Drone business based in Halifax, VA) https://www.rcflyby.com/ 
• The Appalachian Glamping Company (Startup concept for Patrick County, VA) 
• Sweetcakes by The Cheesecake Lady (Bakery and catering business in Martinsville, VA) https://www.facebook.com/thecheesecakeladyofva/ 
• Valhalla Organics (Farm and food product business in Halifax, VA) https://www.valhallaorganics.org/ 
• Frankie’s Spicy Farm (Salsa brand in Halifax County, VA) https://www.facebook.com/FrankieSpicyFarm/ 
• Premier Endeavors (Startup custom apparel business in Farmville, VA) 
• LEZEAL Enterprises (Wellness education business in Brunswick County, VA) 
• GW Custom Design (E-commerce custom apparel business based in Halifax County, VA) https://www.etsy.com/shop/GWCustomDesign 
• Toasted by Southern Plenty (Main Street business expansion in Halifax County, VA) https://southernplenty.com/ 
• Succor Solutions (Non-profit disaster relief consulting firm based in Nottoway County, Virginia) https://www.facebook.com/SuccorSolutions/ 
• Harris & Sons Septic, LLC (Septic service serving Halifax County, VA and surrounding areas in VA & NC https://southsideseptic.com/index.html 
• B&C Brewing Co. (Startup brewery to serve Amelia County, VA)
• Factory Street Brewing Co. (Existing brewery and event space in Halifax County, VA) https://factorystreetva.com/

Donate to the Female Founders Fund for Women-Owned Businesses

The Fund is currently at $2,100 as of March 29, 2023. Donations could be made by downloading and completing a sponsorship form or by emailing hello@sovarise.com. Pledges for 2023 are required to be made by Friday, March 31, 2023, at 12:00 noon.

Event Sponsors & Partners

The RISE Business Plan Competition is one of several programs organized by RISE Collaborative that provides access to capital through cash prizes, mentorship, and networking opportunities. The 2023 RISE Business Plan Competition Sponsors include Benchmark Community Bank, American National Bank & Trust, First Citizens Bank, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, Long & Foster Real Estate of South Boston, Va., Letterpress Communications, and the SOVA Innovation Hub. Information about sponsoring future RISE Collaborative events is online at sovarise.com/partners.

Carl Bassfield, owner of In-Depth Productions based in Blackstone, Va., provided photography for the event.  As a member of the first business bootcamp offered by RISE Collaborative, Bassfield has been an active participant and contributor to the RISE Collaborative since its launch in 2021. 

Rudy’s Girl Media based in Martinsville, Va. provided videography coverage. Natalie Hodge, owner of RGM and creator of the YouTube series Hometown Hustle, is an avid supporter of other entrepreneurs. Hodge and her team are gearing up for the Season 2 premier of Hometown Hustle on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 7 pm EST.

RISE Collaborative looks forward to hosting future events to support local entrepreneurs and businesses.  To find out more about events, resources, and how to get involved, join our email list or contact us at hello@sovarise.com. 

Motivation, bonding, and satisfaction were all words used by students in Mrs. Dana Knott’s classroom this semester. This spring students participated in the CO.STARTERS Generator program offered through RISE Collaborative. 

 

 

 

The program provided an opportunity for Amelia County High School students to grow their entrepreneurial mindsets and propose real startups in Amelia county. With the guidance and leadership of Mrs. Knott, and support from Jacob Dolence, faculty at Longwood University, the students participated in a 10-week journey that led to four teams pitching their inspiring ideas for prize funds.

In teams of 3 to 6 individuals, the students worked their way through the CO.STARTERS Canvas, which is a tool to turn ideas into business models (https://www.costarters.co/canvas). The students learned the entrepreneurship mindset by answering questions about who their potential customers might be, what problems they could solve, and how to generate revenue to sustain operations. They also delved into interpersonal “soft skills” such as leadership, building a team, talking to customers, and managing time. 

Differing from the traditional business or entrepreneurship curriculum, students were asked to go beyond the hypothetical. Outside of the classroom, teams conducted customer interviews with real potential customers. They learned how to ask questions and test their assumptions by collecting evidence. 

Looking towards the future

It was evident that these students care about the future of the place they live. Their ideas solved problems in their community around public parks, healthy and active lifestyles, mental health, and entertainment. They worked together to think creatively and proposed solutions such as a new community park, a training facility for athletes, a drive-in movie theater, and a mindfulness room at the high school. The students all drew prototypes, talked with stakeholders, and developed professional pitches. 

The program culminated in the student teams pitching for prize money to make their ideas a reality. The virtual pitch event was hosted on Zoom using two-way video. Other members of the RISE Collaborative team, Lauren Mathena (Mid-Atlantic Broadband) and Brandon Hennessey (Longwood SBDC) served as judges, asking the students pertinent questions and ultimately deciding on a winner.

The judges awarded $1,000 to the team that pitched a mindfulness room, as well as a $500 seed fund for Mrs. Knott’s classroom. When asked about the experience, students had positive feedback. One student said it was a “Great way of bonding, creating a group community project, and learning entrepreneurship.” 

Another student said, “This program gave us motivation and satisfaction since our ideas can actually be implemented”.

One thing is for certain when students come together to solve problems utilizing entrepreneurial mindsets: no challenge is too large.

Prize funding for the Spring 2022 Generator Student Idea Summit was generously sponsored by Benchmark Community Bank.

Bring Generator to Your School

The Generator program is free and available to all teachers in GO Virginia Region 3. The program facilitators are happy to work with individual teachers to best shape the program to their needs. To learn more check out sovarise.com/generator.