Appalachian Startup

Anthony and Nathan Greene are two of the most talented storytellers I've had the pleasure of getting to know over this past year, and are the co-founders of a Southern West Virginian film production company, The Folkway. They recently released their first full-length documentary project called Into the Well, a film about the first official year of the Rim to River ultramarathon. A 100 mile trail race taking place at America's newest National Park, the New River Gorge. Prepare yourself, I love filmmaking, and we talk a lot about it. Enjoy. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://appalachianstartup.com/.

Bryant Baker is part river guide, part ultramarathon enthusiast, and a full-time lover of all things Appalachia. What started as an idea as simple as “Hey, why doesn't West Virginia have a 100 mile race?” Eventually turned into the Rim to River, a 100 mile ultramarathon trail race through America's newest National Park, the New River Gorge. We spoke about the business fundamentals and determination that it takes to pull something like this off, and also get into how many folks actually are able to finish the race, which just wrapped up its second official year. Enjoy. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://appalachianstartup.com/.

Cassidy Bayes comes from a family of entrepreneurs and is now the owner of the Raw and Juicy Juice Bar and Southside Junction Taphouse in Fayetteville, West Virginia. While growing up, she learned the ins and outs of business by watching her Mom and Dad develop their own with the popular food and coffee stop; Cathedral Cafe. We spoke about where her inspiration came from to start her building her own dream and why she ultimately decided moving away just wasn't her cup of tea, or in this case, mug of beer. Enjoy. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://appalachianstartup.com/.

Michelle Rotellini is part owner of The Dish Cafe, a hearty, healthy, and organic restaurant located in Daniels, West Virginia. Her love for natural ingredient cooking at an early age eventually led to the decision of diving in on building a successful food business for Appalachians and tourists alike to consume. Hear her words on the ins and outs of the organic cooking business in rural America, and gain some helpful tips on how to start - even how to continue operations during a pandemic. Learn more about our podcast at AppalachianStartup.com.

Michael Williams is a climber at heart, custom camper van builder second. His company Bridge Bound Campers began as a side hustle; A way to pay the bills while having fun, allowing him the free time to be his own boss and hit the mountain sides on sunny days. It quickly grew to where his waiting list was a year long - and he could employ fellow Appalachians to dive in on his dream with him. We went through the process of transforming these vans into a wildlife lover’s resort, and also some of the technical side of how he’s approaching the business side of things away from the mountain. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

Angie Corwin is a movement specialist in Oak Hill, West Virginia who decided to dive in building her dream with Activated Body. What started as a concept of simply "How to help people move" quickly became a full-service studio opening their doors for the first time, during the current pandemic in 2020. Hear her words about the benefits of movement in our lives, and why she took the entrepreneurial leap here in West Virginia. Oh yeah, you'll also learn some basics on how to fix that crick in your neck from looking down at your phones. Learn more about the podcast at AppalachianStartup.com.

Water Stone Outdoors has been a staple for the climbing industry in West Virginia. Kenny Parker along with Maura and Gene Kistler combined their love for climbing with their outdoor industry knowledge to establish their storefront in Fayetteville, West Virginia during the 90's. Season after season, they have seen so much change during the last couple decades. This particular episode is interesting during the current pandemic. Stay at home orders and government shutdowns have actually led to 2020 being their most profitable since they began. Bittersweet information indeed. Listen to their words of the early days and why they decided to build their dream in Fayette County. Learn more about our podcast as AppalachianStartup.com.

Nancy Bruns is an innovative thinker and an implementer of an industry that was 200 years in the making for her family. She decided to shelf her chef knife and partner with her brother Lewis to start JQ Dickinson Salt-Works in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. She broke down the entire economic and passionate journey as well as the ins and outs of drilling into an ancient ocean located under the hills of Appalachia. Learn more about the show at AppalachianStartup.com.

Curren Sheldon is a role model of mine. His filmmaking skills are never ending and I’m proud to say that he’s one of the variables in my career that caused me to quit my day job. His experience during this pandemic has sparked a creative journey, along with Tijah Bumgarner, in developing a short film series entitled Quarantine Life, which is currently being featured on Funny or Die’s website. We talk about his journey of creating XENO Productions and all that it entails, as well as his experience as Director of Photography on the Academy-nominated, Emmy-winning documentary short Heroine. Learn more about the podcast at AppalachianStartup.com.

Weathered Ground Brewery is quickly becoming the go-to community spot to not only enjoy amazing locally crafted beer, but also the chance to hear West Virginia musicians and even have a hot pizza while you do it. Sam and Aryn Fonda setup shop in Cool Ridge, West Virginia with a love for brewing beer and a fondness for its culture. They speak about their early beginnings and how their barn in the hills soon became more than just a brewery, but a true definition of an Appalachian startup. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

Whenever we hear someone say “You can’t start a business in Southern West Virginia.” Will Daniels often comes to mind. He didn’t expect what once was a way to earn some extra dollars during his off-hours would turn into a business that would eventually provide 30 new jobs for local folks in under 10 years of operation. What was that business? Cutting grass. Learn the ins and outs of all things blue collar business with Will Daniels from XP Lawn Care. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

Elaine McMillion Sheldon is arguably the most successful filmmaker to come out of West Virginia. Her projects have taken her across the nation telling stories that directly impact a wide range of communities. She discusses her filmmaking process, and what it was like to create one of the most socially impactful pair of documentaries ever made. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

On the final week of Mercer Grassroots March we sat down with Matt Barnett, the owner of Sophisticated Hound Brewing Company. His journey has taken him from a Master's Degree in Business from WVU, to taking his hobby of homebrewing full-time by opening his own taproom on Mercer Street in Princeton. Keeping it local is important to him and we discuss the process of becoming a successful brewer in Appalachia. Grab a cold one, unless you’re driving of course, and hear his words describing his passion. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

This third week of Mercer Grassroots March involves two DIY entrepreneurial machines that took their love for Pinterest projects to the world of Appalachian business. We’re talking about Hammer and Stain. Lisa Christian and Holley Odle came across the opportunity to dive in on the Hammer and Stain franchise and haven’t looked back since. You come in and create a custom piece of art that you’ll not only love the process of making, but will appreciate for decades to come. We spoke about their journey and their love for the world of arts and crafts. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

On a special episode of Appalachian Startup, J.D. talks through his frustrations, expectations, plans, and perspective for his small business during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also some tips on how to approach a strategy for staying afloat these next few months. Find more episodes of the podcast at AppalachianStartup.com.

We’re kicking off the second week of Mercer Grassroots March with a captivating story of how one man’s beehive turned into a community’s one-stop shop for all things Bee keeping. Blue Ridge Bee Company is a special addition to the Mercer Grassroots District. Will and Emily Lambert turned an almost condemned building into a proud bee keeping, ice creaming, and t-shirt selling establishment. Even when a devastating fall occurred during the renovation process. Hear about their dream that came to life recently during this hour. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

On this first week of Mercer Grassroots March we’re going to hear from one of the original organizers of the Princeton Renaissance Project and the Mercer Street Grassroots District. Lori McKinney is Director of The RiffRaff Arts Collective. She decided with her husband Robert in the mid 2000’s that they wanted to build an artistic scene for folks to enjoy local music and the world of all things creative arts. Fast forward 15 years and they are collaborators with dozens of businesses and leaders in the entrepreneurship movement in West Virginia. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

On this episode of Mercer Grassroots March we set down with Tammy Dotson, owner of The Hatter’s Bookshop. Her childhood memories of her father reading to her sparked the love of literature. It wasn’t until she had an empty nest later in life that she decided to dive into the world of the book business. Upon establishing a storefront in the Mercer Street Grassroots District, she quickly discovered the energy her cozy shop brought to the movement. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

Dave Wertz is CEO and Lead Developer at Infinity Marketing Solutions located in Hurricane, West Virginia. After NASA visited his school in the early days, his passion for programming kicked in full steam, and his path eventually led him to Colorado. It was there that he decided climbing the corporate ladder wasn’t for him, and upon moving back to West Virginia, he took $500 and started Infinity Marketing Solutions in a back office with the purchase of a domain, business license, and two pizzas. We sat down for an honest conversation involving Marketing 101. Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

Love film? Here's an episode breaking down the success of the Charleston, West Virginia born production team, Filmanatix. Benjamin Mason and Caleb Akers walk through the early days of developing a passion for storytelling through the medium of video. Then, they eventually charged for it, and Filmanatix was born. Enjoy! Learn more at AppalachianStartup.com.

Byzantine is an Appalachian metal band that was formed in the early 2000's when Chris Ojeda decided he wanted to be that person headbanging on stage in front of a huge crowd. The past 20 years have had many highs and lows, and we discussed the groups progress going from playing with a drum machine, to gaining thousands of fans and touring across the world. Find out more by visiting AppalachianStartup.com.

Do you love coffee AND Appalachia? This is the episode for you. Michael Cline sits down with us to discuss how he operates a coffee shop in the southern coalfields. Hot Cup Coffee has quickly grown to be a favorite of many, and is proudly located in the town of Logan, West Virginia. Grab your latte and enjoy! Find out more by visiting AppalachianStartup.com.

Caleb Francis is steadily becoming a champion of Appalachian Adult Comedy. His influencer status has risen high enough to give him a steady income stream, and ultimately allowed him to quit his "day job". Listen to our discussion of that climb, and how he approaches each video that releases through his Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube channels. Find out more by visiting AppalachianStartup.com.

Matthew Helms is a sign-making master. His love for the craft has taken him from working at a sign shop in North Carolina, to eventually taking it over and branching out to southern West Virginia with his company SignARC. They specialize in all things printing, embroidering, sign making, graphic designing and more. They also do car wraps. Matt actually breaks down the process of wrapping a Lamborghini in this episode. His experience in Appalachia has been a positive one, and we sat down to discuss the ins and outs of sign making in the hills. Enjoy. Find out more by visiting AppalachianStartup.com.

Eddie Austin is the example of a true Appalachian spirit. "My kids get to see their grandparents. That means something to me." he said during our interview. We can relate. Listen to his journey through 20 years beginning as an apprentice, to now owning and operating Eddie Austin Woodworks; a custom furniture company out of Lincoln County, West Virginia. Find out more by visiting AppalchianStartup.com.

Coalfield Development Corporation's key since inception has been to rebuild the Appalachian economy from the ground up. Brandon Dennison grew up in these hills, and despite normal childhood thoughts of leaving, he decided to stay and build his dream of showing the world the creativity that Appalachians have by retraining the workforce. Learn more about the show at appalchianstartup.com.

In this episode we discuss storytelling in Appalachia with Ben Barry from Mountain Craft Productions. He takes us on his journey from Full Sail University until now as he continues building his dream in Fairmont, West Virginia. Learn more about them at appalchianstartup.com and don't forget to review your listening experience!

Morgan Morrison is a rock star. Both literally and figuratively, as she is co-owner of Rock City Cake Company. This is a sweet treat business that began in Logan, West Virginia. Their following is massive and their daily operations are in Charleston, West Virginia. They even bring in some of the biggest bands in the region to play on their brand new stage for the community.

After years in Colorado witnessing the business practices of the cannabis industry, Chris Yaeger decided he could do this in his Appalachian home. He came back to West Virginia and started Appalachian Cannabis Company, a business that specializes in providing cannabis products to customers while advocating for medical cannabis in the legislature.

Pat Strader did the traditional corporate America path of going to college, getting the job, and doing the commute. It wasn't until he lived in a tent next to the New River in West Virginia that he knew what he wanted to do. His next step would be building a path to Digital Relativity, a marketing agency that has now grown to over 20 team members.

In this episode we're on-site at the 2018 Social Enterprise Summit interviewing five folks who were voted Social Entrepreneur of the Year! Richwood Scientific Chuck Toussieng WV Farmers Cooperative J Morgan Leach Tuesday Morning Group Rev. Matthew J. Watts Fruits of Labor Tammy Jordan Lost Creek Farm Mike Costello

Kimberly Shingledecker and David Bailey decided that Fayetteville, West Virginia would be the perfect spot for something special. Pizza. Together, they decided to build Pies and Pints. That thought eventually turned into 15 pizzeria locations across the United States.

Amanda Reed started her photography business without really knowing it. She decided to take senior pictures of her brother, Corey. That turned into a life-changing career as she began to build a name for herself and her amazing photography with Amanda Reed Photography.

Greg Darby has been with Little General Stores since they only had eight locations. Now as the co-owner, they operate over 100 locations across Appalachia. Listen to his experience of knowing that to survive they needed to do more than just sell gas.

Joshua Ruby and E.J. Price with Bravo Live DJ and Lighting Extravaganza sit down with J.D. to talk about the early days of Josh running the business as a side gig, to building their small empire of eight highly skilled wedding and event DJ's. Getting married? Look no further to get the party started.

Our first episode takes us on a journey through building a hot dog paradise. Sonny and Sharie Knight joins J.D. to speak on their successes, trials, and more importantly the one pound beef wiener known as "The Homewrecker." Check out Hillbilly Hot Dogs in Lesage, West Virginia.

Welcome to Appalachian Startup. Stories of new ideas that eventually became thriving businesses in areas that most would consider a bad investment. Our first show releases on May 2nd at 6am with Hillbilly Hot Dogs. There will be a new episode every two weeks after that. Stay tuned for more stories of underdogs on the rise.