economic development Archives - SOVA RISE Collaborative

First Look: Bottom Line, a New Film on the Real Decisions Behind Building a Business

Lauren Mathena — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:41:10 +0000

Watch the Bottom Line film trailer, offering a first look at a short narrative film exploring leadership, business growth, and the decisions behind building a business.

The Bottom Line film trailer is now available, offering a first look at a short narrative film exploring leadership, business growth, and the real decisions behind building a business.

Produced by Rudy’s Girl Media in partnership with RISE, the film brings attention to something many entrepreneurs experience but rarely pause to name.

Entrepreneurs across Southern Virginia are building businesses, creating jobs, and navigating challenges that go far beyond profit margins.

But behind every decision is something less visible. The tension between performance and people.

Bottom Line was created to tell that story—and to start a broader conversation about what it really means to lead and grow a business.

More than a Film

Bottom Line is part of a broader storytelling effort to strengthen the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem across Southern Virginia.

In addition to the film itself, this work includes film screenings and community conversations designed to create space for reflection, discussion, and connection among entrepreneurs, business leaders, and community stakeholders.

The film also anchors Season 3 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE, a podcast featuring conversations with entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders across the region.

Together, these efforts highlight shared experiences, practical insights, and new ways of thinking about business growth and sustainability.

Learn More and Watch the Trailer

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Bethann West James and Hope Harris-Gayles on Creating Inclusive Entrepreneurial Support Networks

Liz Smith — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 04:41:50 +0000

Bethann West James and Hope Harris-Gayles on Creating Inclusive Entrepreneurial Support Networks

By working together and bringing entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders together with an interest in supporting Black and Brown-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, we can build stronger regional economies. This week, episode 9 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about creating inclusive entrepreneurial support networks!

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guests Bethann West James and Hope Harris-Gayles are sharing the importance of building a better ecosystem through diversity and how the Grapevine Network pours into their efforts of supporting these marginalized entrepreneurs.

Bethann West James

Bethann West James is the President and CEO of GemStone Professional Services Consultants, LLC, a private consulting firm. GemStone provides organizational development services to businesses of various sizes with specialty services for nonprofit organizations; Grant Writing, Management of Charitable Gifts, Business Development, Executive Coaching, Organizational Advocacy, Event Planning, Media, Advertising & Public Relations Tools, Search Planning or Coordination, Interim Staffing and Nonprofit Board and Leadership Training.

Bethann has a passion for problem solving and the identification of innovative solutions. Bethann has been assisting nonprofits in the Triangle area for over a decade. Bethann has over 25 years of nonprofit management experience throughout New Jersey, DC, Virginia, and North Carolina primarily focused on issues of youth and poverty; education, shelter, hunger and social justice.

Hope Harris-Gayles

Hope Harris-Gayles serves as the Director of Communications & Outreach for the Southern VA Higher Education Center and brings over 15 years of marketing and communications experience.

Key Takeaways

How RISE Collaborative has evolved and grown over time.
What is Grapevine in relation to RISE Collaborative and what it stands to accomplish.
What the summit confirmed as to the kind of support entrepreneurs are looking for.
Hope and Bethann’s vision for growth for the Grapevine Network.
Actionable tips to hold a productive meeting.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about RISE Collaborative at https://sovarise.com/

CONNECT WITH BETHANN:

CONNECT WITH HOPE:

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Dan River Region Black Chamber of Commerce

Southern Virginia Higher Education Center

The Grapevine Entrepreneur Network

Longwood Small Business Development Center

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

RISE

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Brandon Hennessey on Leveraging Data to Support Entrepreneurs

Liz Smith — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:00:06 +0000

Brandon Hennessey on Leveraging Data to Support Entrepreneurs

It is important not just to look at data for what it is but to craft a narrative with the data and allow it to lead us toward innovation and growth. This week, season 2 episode 10 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about leveraging data to support entrepreneurs!

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Brandon Hennessey are sharing how we can take data and craft a story from the information it is giving us to grow as an ecosystem. We also discuss the intersection of the small business development center model with ecosystem building at a regional level in a rural landscape.

Brandon Hennessey

SBDC Director of Innovation, Research and Entrepreneurship Brandon Hennessey sees every new business as a work in progress. It’s not just a figure of speech for Hennessey — he started his career as an art teacher.

Hennessey, who has a degree in visual art, painting and drawing with a concentration in education, later received a Master of Business Administration degree from Longwood University.

Key Takeaways

The ways in which the Longwood Small Business Development Center serves a large geographic region.
How the idea for the SEED Innovation Hub has evolved over time to become what it is today.
Brandon’s background as a technical artist and educator and how this weaves into his role as an ecosystem builder.
The impact that the rise in AI will have on small business owners.
How we can use data points and KPIs to determine growth in our region.

Learn more about RISE Collaborative at https://sovarise.com/

CONNECT WITH BRANDON HENNESSEY:

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Longwood Small Business Development Center

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Mark Cuban

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Todd Waldo on Human-Centered Solutions and Technology to Help Entrepreneurs Scale

Liz Smith — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:32:22 +0000

Todd Waldo on Human-Centered Solutions and Technology to Help Entrepreneurs Scale

Throughout the pandemic and subsequent years, we saw a shift in the way businesses approached diversity and equity but it is clear that if we want to continue improving our ecosystems, we still have a long way to go before we can close that divide. This week, episode 8 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about human-centered solutions and technology to help entrepreneurs scale.

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Todd Waldo are sharing why entrepreneurship may not be the answer to all of our problems and the responsibility existing businesses have to use their platform to move past performative practices and prioritize meaningful actions towards equity and inclusivity. There is power in using human-centered solutions and technology when scaling a business.

Todd B. Waldo

Todd B. Waldo’s twenty-four years of engineering experience has helped executives and their teams develop enterprise-wide strategies and systems. Across healthcare, nonprofit and higher education sectors in multiple markets, his work has impacted the organization and the community around it.

As Founder and Principal Consultant for Hugh Helen LLC, he leads a team of passionate problem solvers developing solutions for client success and social good. As a strategic partner, Hugh Helen comes alongside executives and their teams for the deep, transformational work that moves organizations toward their vision and outcomes, building consensus. The result is a strategic system grounded in empathy and affirmed with data. Practice areas include economic development, executive leadership, operations and technology.

All of this carries over in his service and advocacy in the Richmond community with his work for various organizations. With a passion for social justice, Todd serves on the Board of Directors for Better Housing Coalition, The Richmond Forum, Robinson Theater Community Arts Center and Board Chair for Afrikana Institute. He also serves on the VCU School of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.

Key Takeaways

How Todd’s engineering background impacted his ability to improve operations and efficiency within the organizations he works with in his current role.
The four main areas Hugh Helen focuses on when working with their clients.
The cultural shifts and attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion that have come out of the pandemic and where we go from here.
Using technology to intentionally close the diversity gap while being cautious not to create new barriers along the way.
Finding a balance of tools and effective strategy in your business.

Learn more about RISE Collaborative at https://sovarise.com/

CONNECT WITH TODD WALDO:

Hugh Helen

Website

Instagram

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone by James Baldwin

The Jackson Ward Collective Foundation

NC State University: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Robert Russa Morton Museum

[Article] The Closing of Prince Edward County’s Schools

Discover Durham: Black Stories of Durham’s Past & Present

Smithsonian: Remembering Tulsa

Venture Richmond: Jackson Ward

The JXN Project, also known as JXN, is a reparative preservation non-profit organization that is dedicated to driving restorative truth telling and redemptive storytelling by capturing the pivotal role of Richmond, Virginia, in particular Jackson Ward: https://thejxnproject.org/

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Anand Macherla on How to Build a Resilient Startup Ecosystem

Liz Smith — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 13:00:58 +0000

Anand Macherla on How to Build a Resilient Startup Ecosystem

To create an ecosystem that is thriving, it’s important that ecosystem builders work together with the local community. Everyone impacted should have a voice and be made aware of the shifts happening in their rural community. This week, episode 7 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about how to build a resilient startup ecosystem!

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Anand Macherla are sharing the importance of finding other value sources in these ecosystems. They also discuss the underpinning value of ecosystem building.

Anand Macherla

Anand Macherla is a 2018 Venture For America Fellow and works as a at

Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Anand previously founded, and exited from, a startup working with artisans to share the cultural significance of their art and jewelry. He is the founder of the Refugee Youth Film Festival, a nonprofit teaching immigrant and refugee students cinematography and videography to help them craft their own narrative and showcase their perspectives on a city-wide platform.

Anand has a degree in Economics and International Management from the University of New Mexico. He seeks to have a career developing novel approaches to addressing global priorities, using entrepreneurship, data science and visualizations, and complexity science. In his free time, Anand enjoys pretending to be a chef by melting cheese on top of otherwise normal dishes.

Key Takeaways

How growing up in New Mexico shaped his perspective on startups and ecosystems.
Skillsets we should be passing on to younger generations to drive change.
Setting the model for equitable ecosystems.
The intersection of state policy, environmental protection, and opportunities for entrepreneurs.

CONNECT WITH ANAND MACHERLA:

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Michael Scales on a Lifetime of Ecosystem Building

Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

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Beth Zimmer on Reducing the Barriers to Entry for Rural Startups

Liz Smith — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 16:02:13 +0000

Beth Zimmer on Reducing the Barriers to Entry for Rural Startups

Serendipity in ecosystem building is a huge underlying and immeasurable resource. It’s important to have communities the support of amazing things coming together in a harmonious way. This episode of the Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about reducing the barriers to entry for rural startups.

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Beth Zimmer are sharing Beth’s experience in working to solve the problem of an underdeveloped ecosystem lacking in startups and the beauty that comes when we all work together towards a common goal.

Beth Zimmer

The Ecosystem Building Leadership Project is an initiative to collaboratively design, create, and validate a formal entity or shared infrastructure whose purpose is to provide leadership for the advancement of the entrepreneurship ecosystem building field of practice. Past ESHIP Summits and other inputs have made clear the need for more coordinated and centralized efforts to build field-wide infrastructure that will help accelerate wider understanding and adoption of ecosystem building as a practice in economic, community, workforce and entrepreneurship development in the United States.

Key Takeaways

The role of serendipity in ecosystem building.
What is an ecosystem builder, in Beth’s own words.
How Right to Start helps reduce the barrier to entry so that entrepreneurs can start and feel supported along the way.
Creating a platform with high engagement by setting the intentions of it being a space that belongs to all of it’s creators AND users.
The immense value of social capital in ecosystem building.
Advice and guidance for early ecosystem builders.

Ecosystem building is a no brainer but we have to remember that we can go farther together than we can alone.

CONNECT WITH BETH ZIMMER:

eblp.zimmer@gmail.com

EBLP Trade Wing

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Startup Communities by Brad Feld

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

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Eric Weissmann on The Value of Variety in Ecosystem Building

Liz Smith — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 15:00:36 +0000

Eric Weissmann on the Value of Variety in Ecosystem Building

When you look at ecosystems in nature, like the rainforest, for example, it’s not all tall trees but a variety of different species that come together to create a bigger landscape. The same goes for our regional ecosystems. It takes every one of every size to come together and win as a whole. In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, is about the value of variety in ecosystem building

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Eric Weissmann, Executive Director of NEXT, are sharing the importance of having variety and diversity in all areas of an ecosystem and how we can adopt this community mindset to put our efforts together and make our ecosystem successful for the benefit of all participants.

Eric Weissmann

Key Takeaways

Using a campaign mentality to break your goals down into milestones, so you’re focusing your energy in the right places and avoiding getting stuck in activity vs. productivity.
How ecosystem building is like chili- everyone uses different recipes and ingredients, but we still get to the same outcome at the end of the day.
How Eric’s work as a bridge spanner is focused on educating people that when they work together, everyone wins.
Highlighting the smaller companies that, as a whole, contribute quite significantly to the GDP of the country and have an impact on ecosystem development.
The importance of diversity (in all areas) as we enter into this new age of lifestyle expectations.
The game of business attraction to a region shifting to talent attraction.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

CONNECT WITH ERIC WEISSMANN:

Next SC

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal

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Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski on The Impact of Internet Access in Rural America

Liz Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 20:06:32 +0000

Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski on the Impact of Internet Access in Rural America

Those of us who have easy access to the internet often take for granted the benefits we reap from it. By providing equitable access to the internet across our rural communities, we are opening doors for these individuals to start a business, finish their degrees, participate in programs, and reap the benefits as well. This week, season 2, episode 4 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, is about the impact of internet access!

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski are sharing the importance of providing equitable access to the internet and how both data and personal stories weave together to drive decisions.

Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski

Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski leads administration for Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest broadband adoption program. Trinity received her bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and earned a master’s degree in Social Work and Master of Science in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining the Internet Essentials team Trinity held position is government affairs at Comcast, data, strategy, and accountability at the School District of Philadelphia, and policy research with The Pew Charitable Trusts. Her work in communications, research, and policy has impacted the lives of students, foster youth, and low-income families nationally.

Trinity is a board member of Concilio de Organizaciones Hispanas in Philadelphia and is the Chair of the Tech Advisory Board for Older Adults Technology Services, an affiliate of AARP. She is an alumnus of Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project Fellowship and is a recipient of the Council for Opportunity In Education’s National TRIO Achiever award.

Key Takeaways

What programs Comcast is working on to make a difference in rural communities.
How Trinity’s background in policy and advocacy has shaped how she is active in her career today.
The importance of inclusion and iteration in policy creation.
Where Trinity and her team are being recognized for their heart-centered work.
Using digital navigators to connect one another and provide equitable resources.

Providing equitable resources goes far beyond setting up the internet in a community but going one step further to educate and fill the gaps on how to utilize these resources to their benefit.

CONNECT WITH COMCAST AND TRINITY THORPE-LUBNEUSKI:

Apply for the Comcast Rise Program

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

National Digital Inclusion Alliance

Boston Consultant Group Study

The Investment and Infrastructure Jobs Act

Poor Economics

Good Economics for Hard Times

Furiously Happy

Talking to Strangers

The Pew Charitable Trusts

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Tara St. Clair on Fostering Collaboration and Connection while Ecosystem Building

Liz Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 16:28:12 +0000

Tara St. Clair on Fostering Collaboration and Connection while Ecosystem Building

For anything to come together in a short amount of time AND without funding, it takes a community of people believing in the same mission and working together to create a network of resources to act as a strong foundation. This week, episode season 2, episode 3 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about fostering collaboration and connection!

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Tara St. Clair are sharing how far we can go when we come together as a network of one and the true value in integrating ecosystem building into our school systems to build the next generation of leaders.

Tara St. Clair

Her expertise lies in developing strategies to implement new programs and expand existing programs. St. Clair has a strong commitment to building innovative initiatives that create synergistic relationships between the academic world and the community. St. Clair has developed and implemented a number of initiatives across the state. She is also an adjunct instructor for the WVU Chambers College of Marketing Department.

A Parkersburg native, St. Clair has a passion for collaboration. She co-founded the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Network in 2019 and currently serves as the Co-Chair for the ecosystem and Bridging Innovation Week.

Key Takeaways

How Tara and her colleague’s work fills the need to match resource providers with entrepreneurs looking for support in growing their business.
The Bridging Innovation Summit’s impact as the jumping off point to continue fostering collaboration and connection in West Virginia and beyond.
The responsibility of future generations to build upon the natural grit and hardworking nature of West Virginians.
Where Tara hopes to see her efforts and the ecosystem as a whole expand into in the coming years.
Tracking the correlation of integrating entrepreneurship into education at a young age with the likelihood that these students will go on to become better entrepreneurs and employees.

CONNECT WITH TARA ST. CLAIR:

tara.stclair@mail.wvu.edu

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Grit by Angela Duckworth

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Bill Woodrum, Community and Economic Development

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Anika Horn on Putting People First in Ecosystem Building

Liz Smith — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 13:00:24 +0000

Anika Horn on Putting People First in Ecosystem Building

We often fall into this trap of only looking at the professional facet of a person rather than the people themselves. When you take the time to understand the person, what it is they want, and how you can support them, that is where the most aligned efforts stem from to keep things moving forward. This week, season 2 episode 1 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about putting people first in ecosystem building.

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Anika Horn are sharing the impact that can be made when you focus on the people and let everything else follow and how as ecosystem builders, we can deploy business as a force for good.

Anika Horn:

Anchored in her belief that a rising tide lifts all boats, she is helping champions and advocates of (social) entrepreneurship take a systems approach to supporting purpose-driven founders in their communities.

Previously, Anika co-founded Unreasonable Lab VA (Virginia’s first mini-accelerator for social entrepreneurs), Co.Starters VA (a startup program for idea-stage founders) and Rebelle Con (a conference for entrepreneurial women). She also mentored founders at the pre-accelerator at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lighthouse Labs (a nonprofit accelerator for high-growth companies). As B Keeper for local IT consultancy Impact Makers Anika helped build and grow the community of Certified B Corps and Benefit Corporations through networking, speaking engagements and presentations, events, online communication and thought leadership.

Prior to her work in North America, Anika earned a Bachelor of European Studies and Masters of Sustainability Sciences in Germany, France and Australia where she spent a decade working in journalism, non-profits, government and the private sector.

Key Takeaways

How travel has influenced Anika’s experience and priorities as it applies to her work in ecosystem building.
The struggle to find the right metrics for measuring success in ecosystem building.
Characteristics of a skilled ecosystem builder and tangible strategies you can implement to build social capital in your ecosystem.
Finding the balance between listening and storytelling.
Communitiy spaces and connector’s roles in creating serendipity.

CONNECT WITH ANIKA HORN:

Social Venturers

Ecosystems for Change Podcast

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

What Works by Tara McMullin

Little Grill Collective in Harrisonburg, VA

SCCF: Shenendoah Community Capital Fund serving GO Virginia Region 8

Startup Champions Network for ecosystem builder professionals

Kaufman Foundation Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Playbook Draft 3

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