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A company that converts glass into sand. A company that grows micro-greens hydroponically and harvests varieties of greens and lettuce. A company that engineers and constructs solar panel mounting systems. A company that produces poultry egg incubator trays. A company that grows gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. A company that is advancing drone technology.
These futuristic-themed startup enterprises are being launched by entrepreneurialminded individuals who are conducting research and developing their products at the Virginia Innovation Accelerator in the former Mundet-Hermetite factory building in Buena Vista.
Annette Patterson of The Advancement Foundation, the company behind VIA, said these fledgling businesses are proving the efficacy of VIA’s mission – “a build out [of] a one-of-akind innovation accelerator that [engages] entrepreneurs, industry, experts and higher eduction with the specific mind[set] of enhancing value-added products in the agriculture, technology, sustainable systems and autonomous unmanned systems.”
Since acquiring the former Hermetite building in late 2021, TAF has been working with community leaders, local and state economic development officials and other interested parties to get the accelerator up and running. The factory building had been vacant since 2015. TAF and a multitude of volunteers that included faculty and students from area colleges got to work on sprucing up the place.
Refurbishments included a new coat of paint, renovations to a conference room, installation of new flooring and lighting, general cleaning, “upcycling” of original office furniture and a facelift of the building’s exterior. The office area was remodeled with the introduction of a classroom for workshops.
An initial investment of $625,000 for the purchase of the facility was made possible with a grant/loan from the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Ten loft apartments are to be designed and built, with rent from leases of the apartments to be used to pay back this long-term loan.
Over the past two years, TAF has secured nearly $3 million in grants to carry out their plans for the accelerator. In addition to the funding from VHDA, TAF has been the recipient of the following grants – $550,000 from GO Virginia, $985,000 from the Industrial Revitalization Fund, $700,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission and $105,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture Perfectly positioned between the Maury River and downtown Buena Vista, across the railroad tracks from the Municipal Building, TAF is to play a prominent role in promoting tourism and outdoor recreation in the Rockbridge area. TAF has identified companies to provide services and products to accomplish this objective, including an outfitter to provide kayaks, tubes and canoes for use in the river, a brewery, café, and retail shop. The Buena Vista Visitor Center may relocate in the facility.
VIA is currently home to six new companies that are utilizing space in the facility, with five more companies receiving services with an expectation to begin manufacturing over the next six months. “Over the next year we hope to surpass [a] grant goal of 16 companies for a total of 20 high [potential growth] companies,” said Patterson. “In addition, with the funding secured for renovations to create space for the outfitter, brewery, café, retail co-selling space, commercial kitchen and improved [Americans with Disabilities Act] access, we anticipate an additional 10 companies benefiting from the spaces. All together, that will be 30 new companies in Buena Vista by 2024.”
VIA has led workshops and hosted meetings of the local chamber of commerce and Main Street Buena Vista, and held various events such as art shows, a farmers market, a makers market and the recent Agri-CULTURE Expo that showcased what the local startup companies are doing.
Anyone who would like more information about VIA or to share ideas for new products or technology should contact Innovation@ TheAdvancementFoudation. org or call (540) 572-4542.
As for how long it will take for VIA to fully realize its potential, Patterson said, “A project of this size and complexity requires multiple layers in order to launch and sustain such ambitious impacts. TAF has developed multiple phases and strategies that will lead to the fully executed project over five years.”
She added, “It is our intention to have VIA be a destination for innovators, families, college students and young professionals.”
