Green Prosperity: Strengthening Small Business

EVI, Maryland Capital Enterprise (a small business lender), Wor-Wic Community College, Telamon Corporation, and the Maryland Small Business Development Center designed and organized a Green Business Expo and Community Education Fair that took place on October 23, 2010. This event was a venue to further market the green products and services available in the community from local businesses. This event was designed to be a highly efficient and impactful way to help potential green job creating businesses to reach their market and grow. In discussions and provision of technical assistance in the scope of this project, there is an obvious need to further educate community members and businesses on the Eastern Shore the value of green products and services in terms of individual health and cost-savings. The event profiled several of the green business entrepreneurs, as speakers and/or vendors, that EVI has been working with.  These included Vance Morris of Chesapeake Service Solutions and Chem Dry, Elaine Patterson and Kent Simon and Patriot Environmental, Janet Sydnor from a Coves End, a local sustainable farm and sustainable oyster and crab business.  

The event brought together over 40 participants, including the Mayor of Salisbury, to learn about sustainable living and about the businesses in their backyard that provide sustainable products and services for everyday living. 

Impacts from the event include:

• Cove's End connected with the Lower Eastern Shore Organics Network - LESSONS (an organization providing support and training to sustainable farmers and invited to speak by EVI).  This connection lays the groundwork for Janet and her husband to access new markets through LESSONS such as Salisbury University.
• Cove's End sold out of all the crabs that they brought to the event, which was several dozens, thus providing them an opportunity to link the new individual customers and promote their product. 
• Cove's End linked with a local eco-tour company, Adrenaline High Eco Tours, to be a site visit on one of their bike tours, enabling further income generation and promotion.
• Patriot Environmental was able to set-up site visits with several participants to do energy assessments and look at provision of their energy efficient products, including an elder care center. 
• LESSONS connected with an elder care center and received a donation of seven acres of land for new and beginner farmers that are members of LESSONS.  Access to land is a huge barrier to entry for new farmers, so this connection is exciting.  In addition, the elder care center has several retired farmers as residents and therefore having farming on the property is a further win-win. 

Please follow our work at www.eco-ventures.org