• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

Seven Innovative Companies in Appalachia

New technologies and processes are cropping up in the mountainous region, long seen only as a center of poverty

by Elizabeth MacBride
August 19, 2020
in Ecosystem
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Nathan Smith works for Troublesome Creek Stringed Instruments, which is uses local hardwoods in its instruments.

The public perception of Appalachia has been shaped lately by J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, which pissed some people off mightily because it portrayed the culture as something you need to escape from. And then there was The Glass Castle, which as more about poverty in general than Appalachia, but still.

There are a lot of people who love Appalachia, the wry defiance of its people. And the adaptability of the place. Innovation isn’t only contained in technology. Appalachia produces innovations in all kinds of areas, from social programs to the arts to agriculture and the environment.

Here are some that I came across on a fast tour of Central Appalachia in early May.

Chattanooga is home to – the city says — the country’s third-largest accelerator and some of the Western Hemisphere’s fastest Internet speeds. One of the city’s standout startups is FreightWaves, which offers real-time analytics about the freight industry, and which industry publications peg as nearing a $1 billion valuation. Here’s a list of startups at the Incubator.

Reporting on Corbin, Ky., I came across two companies that sounded interesting. One was a mother-daughter team that owns a lavender farm, Woodstock Lavendar Co., and that has invented a de-budding machine. Another was Class Guard LLC, which was founded by a school administrator as a way to retrofit existing classroom doors to make them bulletproof.

On the Virginia side of Appalachia, I came across a company called Micronic Technologies, in Bristol. It’s received research grants from the USDA and the US Office of Naval Research, among others. It makes a new water filtration technology. Among its board members is the chancellor of nearby University of Virginia-Wise.

In Hindman, Ky., Troublesome Creek Stringed Instruments is making high-end guitars. The market for them is about $2,000. But the company exists to give recovering addicts a second chance: We met three employees doing the painstaking work of piecing together the instruments, shaving and polishing the wood. The small manufacturer was funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

In part because of the lower cost of living – and great scenery — Appalachia is also home to outsourced and remote workforces. Two companies focused on training developers on Salesforce technologies include Oktana, a custom software development agency founded in Uruguay. It chose to open its first US development office in downtown Charleston, W.Va. Central App is building a team of remote workers across Appalachia.



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Elizabeth MacBride

Elizabeth MacBride

Related Posts

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

by Elizabeth Macbride
January 27, 2023
0

GET Champions: Tech Leadership in Miami Forward-thinking Miami tech industry leaders are invited to apply for GET Champions Miami. The program will...

A $350 Billion U.S. Chip Manufacturing Boom

A $350 Billion U.S. Chip Manufacturing Boom

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 6, 2023
0

The $350 billion chip manufacturing boom in the U.S. As I journalist, I’ve learned to ask myself: What are the...

Real Estate Entrepreneur Offers an Alternative to the American Dream of Homeownership

Real Estate Entrepreneur Offers an Alternative to the American Dream of Homeownership

by Lori Ioannou
December 8, 2022
0

Mark Wolf of AHV Communities is a pioneer in the build-for-rent real estate sector. Unlike many entrepreneurs who’ve made their...

A New Manufacturing Boom Could Come To Pittsburgh, But It’s Not Steel

A New Manufacturing Boom Could Come To Pittsburgh, But It’s Not Steel

by Elizabeth Macbride
November 4, 2022
0

Mill 19 within Hazelwood Green. Photo: courtesy of RIDC Times of E’s series: Deep Dives into Secondary Cities was sponsored...

photo of a mural of eyes

The New Capitals of American Business

by Elizabeth Macbride
March 30, 2022
0

A mural in the Wynwood district, a rising tech and arts neighborhood, in Miami It was a hot day in...

Man in black standing in a technology classroom

In a System Without Much STEM Support for the Most Vulnerable, it’s Up to a Teacher Willing to go a Step Beyond

by Skyler Rossi
March 2, 2022
0

Mark Godinez This is one of a series of stories about Times of E’s reporting trip to Miami, Fla. Read...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

January 27, 2023
Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

January 26, 2023
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

January 25, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
woman in a hat smiling against a yellow background

Radha Agrawal: A Master of Social Entrepreneurship Shares Insights for Building Communities

1 year ago
Rare In Every Way, A CleanTech Company Emerges From Southwest Virginia’s Coal Country

Rare In Every Way, A CleanTech Company Emerges From Southwest Virginia’s Coal Country

2 years ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?