Tourism Startups Can Get Business Training, Cash Awards

For Immediate Release

The Plains, OH – Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs have a chance to get valuable training and possible cash awards during the Trail Town Business Challenge, a series of five workshops led by ACEnet and Rural Action with the support of Ohio’s Winding Road.

The workshops begin in November, giving participants an opportunity to create and complete business plans for their tourism-focused endeavor. Anyone who completes all five workshops will be eligible to present to a review panel in January, and cash award winners will be announced in February.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and the primary owner or operator of a new or expanding business that opens before Dec. 31, 2022. While all ideas are welcome, businesses focusing on recreation tourism will be given priority for the cash awards and in-kind incentives such as help with marketing, accounting, accessing capital, and business coaching.

The new Baileys Trail System in Athens County, improvements to the Buckeye Trail in Perry County, and the Moonville Rail Trail in Vinton County have brought national attention to Southeast Ohio as a destination for trail enthusiasts. Tens of thousands of recreation travelers already visit the area each year. The Trail Town Business Challenge is designed to help local residents benefit from the business opportunities that are emerging around this rapidly growing opportunity.

“Outdoor recreation participation hit a record level during 2020,” says Dan Vorisek, Rural Action Resilient Communities Director. “The outdoor recreation options in our region are being discovered, and visitors are looking for things to do when they are here that local businesses can provide.”

Participation in the Trail Town Business Challenge begins with an application and commitment to participate in a five-session training course. For learn more and apply, please go to ruralaction.org/challenge.

Rural Action is a regional community development organization with a 32-county footprint working with members and community leaders on a range of quality of life, environmental, and economic projects across rural Appalachian Ohio. Its mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. Learn more about Rural Action at www.ruralaction.org

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CONTACT
Dan Vorisek
Director, Resilient Communities
dan@ruralaction.org
740-677-4047