Pictured below are the Board and staff of Pocahontas Woods.

WHAT IS POCAHONTAS WOODS?

Pocahontas Woods is an organization dedicated to developing high-end furniture capability in Pocahontas County WV and surrounding communities through operating a training program for young people and adults and helping budding entrepreneurs with business planning, finances, marketing, and quality control. We are a non-profit corporation with representation from industry, local government, and woodworkers on our Board. Our program has involved very basic skill and work habit training for youth and somewhat more advanced training for adults. We started our training on a pilot, extra curricular basis during the school year and have also conducted Summer classes for students and adults, including a short-term apprenticeship program matching skilled woodworkers with talented and motivated young people. We are also offering a broader range of daytime, evening and weekend classes. This Fall we are introducing an Associate in Applied Science in Fine Woodworking program in partnership with New River Community and Technical College. The area from which we plan to draw students includes Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Pendleton, Randolph and Webster Counties in WV as well as Bath and Highland Counties in VA.

Over the last 24 months we acquired, renovated and equipped a 3,300 square foot woodshop in Marlinton, WV. Our new facility enables us to expand training opportunities substantially and we will soon be starting a "business incubator" program which will make our industrial level equipment available to area woodworkers.

Our next steps include:

• Researching the high-end furniture market and work to develop a structure through which wood craftsmen can obtain necessary financing as well as assistance with branding, marketing and quality control. The preliminary aspects of this work have begun as well, and we have received a grant from the USDA Forest Service to research and develop marketing opportunities.

• Developing a variety of course formats, ranging from one day through week-long to six month apprenticeships, that will accommodate beginning and intermediate woodworkers across a broad range of interests, including people from other areas who are interested in travel study vacations. For recreational opportunities in our area, check out www.pocahontascountywv.com

Our mid term (five year) goal is:

• To establish a for-profit counterpart of Pocahontas Woods to function as a business incubator/support service provider/broker for financing/materials purchasing agent/marketing arm for the emerging high end furniture business in our area.

Our long run goal is to see a flourishing high end furniture industry in the Allegheny Highlands, with enterprises ranging from one man shops through ten-employee firms to businesses employing 50 or more, and a support system comprised of a quality workforce development component as well as the institutional infrastructure necessary to sustain the continued growth of this sector of the local economy. As this new local industry develops, more and more of the training of new workers can be taken on by individual businesses on an apprenticeship basis.

We believe that aggressive growth and development in this specialized aspect of secondary forest products manufacturing will have a strong spill over effect in encouraging other business development in the forest products sector. We hope to be a "leading edge" element, and anticipate that other elements will develop that will emulate and, we hope, exceed our positive impact on the local economy.

Pocahontas Woods has received financial support from the Pocahontas County Commission, USDA Forest Service, USDA Rural Development, Pocahontas Development Authority, and private individuals.

For more information, please contact: Gibbs Kinderman, Pocahontas Woods, 503 3rd Avenue, Marlinton WV 24954
304-799-6004, info@pocahontaswoods.org