BLUEFIELD, WV (WOAY) – Jim Spencer, the Executive Director of the Economic Development Authority for the City of Bluefield plans to start a regional food truck incubator program in the area.
Recently, he applied for a POWER grant of $400,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to try and get the program started. If funded, it will create the program in 11 counties throughout the Coalfields region.
Those who choose to take part in the program will get help obtaining their culinary food certification, building a business plan, and taking a driving course for a truck.
A growing industry, Spencer said that now the average food truck in the U.S brings in between $250,000 and $500,000 a year.
“There are a lot of fairs and festivals. I’ll give you an example, the Holiday of Lights, the city had over 60,000 visitors to the event, it would have been neat to have a food truck vendor there. Or when you have Bridge Day over in the New River Gorge area or different fairs and festivals in our region,” says Spencer.
The authority plans to help about 12 entrepreneurs per year through the program. If you’re interested in finding out more about it and how you can get involved, you can visit the economic authority on their website.