For more than a decade, the former Oldham Elementary School sat vacant in East Providence, Rhode Island. Closed in 2012 due to declining enrollment, budget pressures, and mounting deferred maintenance […]
In almost every planning process, there’s a moment when the room goes quiet. It usually happens when a map, diagram, or floorplan goes up on the screen. Suddenly, the conversation […]
Newark Alliance is a civic leadership organization dedicated to ongoing economic revitalization across the city of Newark. It is working to develop a collaborative food network to support the development […]
In a previous blog post, we reviewed the purpose and power of a food business feasibility study. In this follow-up, we will explore what to expect once you embark on […]
A feasibility study is an analytical tool used during the development of a new project to evaluate how it would operate under a set of assumptions. It explores an idea’s […]
The field of economic development utilizes programs, policies, and commercial activities to improve a community’s economic well-being and quality of life. The field of food system planning can bring together […]
CLiCK, Inc. (Commercially Licensed Cooperative Kitchen) is a 501c3 non-profit in Windham, Connecticut, with a mission to Grow, Cook, Share. The organization recognizes the historical and institutional injustices of the […]
The Central Shenandoah Valley, population 368,000, is a large geographic area spanning 4,264 square miles in western Virginia. The region includes seven counties—Augusta, Bath, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, and Shenandoah—and […]
One year ago today we launched the NVA Toolsite. We built it with the hope that it would help teams embarking on food system enterprise projects better understand the local […]
New Venture Advisors launched the MarketSizer® and HubSizer® Toolsite earlier this year to enable anyone to conduct preliminary assessments of various types of food system infrastructure. The results allow users […]
In 2021, the Whatcom County Food System Committee conducted a community food assessment that pointed to key opportunities to build a more robust and resilient regional food system. New Venture Advisors partnered with Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee to draft a Whatcom County Food System Plan that builds upon these findings. This Plan focuses on five key goals for building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system, and was informed by an inclusive community engagement process. The Food System Plan will provide the county with a policy roadmap that will strengthen the local food system for years to come. (2023)
The Whatcom Community Foundation invests in activities and organizations that improve the ability of people to help themselves, increase connections among people, and take cooperative approaches to community issues. WCF is exploring the development of a local food campus on a waterfront property that would become a multi-tenant site, anchored by a collaborative production kitchen benefitting food access, school system, and community organizations. The goal is strengthening Whatcom County’s local food system by promoting health equity, forging tangible strategic connections between food production organizations, and helping farmers connect with institutional markets. The facility will also feature an incubation kitchen, demonstration kitchen, event and classroom space, collaborative office and conference facilities, and housing. New Venture Advisors developed the business case for this ambitious project and continues to support its development through engagement and operational development. (2023)