Jefferson County Development Authority

10/14/2026

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Nearly 175 business and community leaders gathered Tuesday at the Rumsey Event Center for the inaugural Handshakes at the Harvest, a new event designed to bring area businesses

10/14/2026

JCDA was delighted to be a partner on this wonderful inaugural networking event!

10/07/2026

The Blue Ridge Community & Technical College - Bruin Cafe Food Truck will be here at 393 N Lawrence Street (JC Government Complex) from 11am - 1pm. There will be several lunch (purchase) options available for you to choose from.

The JC Office of Economic Development, with wonderful support from the JC Commissioners, is hosting this event and opportunity.

From Chef John at Blue Ridge CTC:

“With our students back, we would like to begin scheduling visits from the Bruin Café Food Truck to your location. I think this would be a great way for us to begin establishing a regular Blue Ridge presence at the site while also providing our students with additional hands-on experience in food service, customer service, and community engagement.”

“We can start with a few scheduled food truck visits, evaluate participation and demand, and build from there.”

“My goal is to develop a model that is sustainable for both Blue Ridge and Jefferson County while also creating meaningful workforce training opportunities for our students.”

Your support for the students and the Blue Ridge CTC Culinary program is much appreciated!

Come hungry. See you there!

09/28/2026

Thank you to the Stubblefield Institute for an invitation to participate in the first WV Emerging Conference!
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Thank you for being part of the inaugural WV Emerging Conference at Shepherd University!
Over the course of an incredible weekend, you and your colleagues representing a wide range of professions, experiences, and perspectives from across West Virginia came together to tackle one of our state's most significant challenges: early childhood education. Together, you listened, learned, questioned, collaborated, and ultimately developed a set of policy recommendations that reflects the collective wisdom of a remarkable group of West Virginians (and a few honorary West Virginians).

09/27/2026

What a weekend! The Stubblefield Institute gives a big thank you to all who joined us for our first West Virginia Emerging conference! And we look forward to sharing more about this exciting new program over the coming weeks.

09/24/2026

At the 2026 WV Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Jefferson County took home two 🏆 🏆 Almost Heaven Achievement Awards, recognizing both the stories being shared about our destination and the continued growth happening right here.

The Jefferson County CVB received the Earned Media Excellence Award, recognizing the destination’s coverage across television, radio, print, feature stories and social media.

And River Riders took home the Mountain State Tourism Development Award for its continued investment in creating new reasons to visit, no matter the season. Their year-round additions, including a waterpark, Snow Riders, and the Harpers Ferry Light Show, have expanded the visitor experience and brought even more opportunities for recreation and tourism to Jefferson County.

We’re proud to help tell the stories of the businesses, attractions and experiences that continue to grow our destination. Congratulations to River Riders and everyone who helps make Jefferson County a place worth talking about, visiting and coming back to. 💙

09/24/2026

Tuesday, October 13
📍Rumsey Event Center
Shepherdstown
This inaugural event brings together business, community and agricultural leaders from across the Eastern Panhandle for an afternoon of networking, connection and celebration.
Featuring:
• A Business Expo
• A Tribute to our orchardists & agricultural leaders
• Inspiring Message from National Speaker

🍎 We’re excited to announce Jim Bair, President & CEO of the U.S. Apple Association (USApples), as the Featured Speaker for our brand-new 🤝 Handshakes at the Harvest business networking event!

A longtime agricultural advocate and association executive, Jim represents the U.S. apple industry before Congress, the Administration, the media and other key stakeholders, advocating for policies that support the growth and competitiveness of America’s apple industry. With more than 35 years of experience leading food and agriculture organizations, Jim has also served as a White House political appointee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is recognized as an expert spokesman and advocate for agriculture. And his connection to agriculture runs deep. Jim was raised on a northwest Iowa grain and livestock farm that has been in his family since 1909.

🍎🤝 ABOUT HANDSHAKES AT THE HARVEST
📆Tuesday, October 13📍Rumsey Event Center | Shepherdstown
This inaugural event brings together business, community and agricultural leaders from across the Eastern Panhandle for an afternoon of networking, connection and celebration. Featuring: • A Business Expo • A Tribute to our orchardists & agricultural leaders • Inspiring Message from National Speaker

SPACE IS LIMITED 🎟️ BUSINESS EXPO SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE!
Individual event tickets are also still available — but HURRY! GET YOURS TODAY at https://www.msahf.com/handshakes-at-the-harvest/

We’re proud to bring this event to life in partnership with the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson County WV Chamber of Commerce, Berkeley County Development Authority and the Jefferson County Development Authority.

A special thank-you to our Core Sponsor Valley Health, and our Orchard Elite Sponsors, TWG Insurance and Potomac Bank, along with the businesses already supporting this inaugural event.

09/17/2026