Support Local, Sustainable Enterprise!

The Center for Economic Options (CEO) is an independent non profit organization in West Virginia. CEO works with entrepreneurs and innovators who share a commitment to development that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

For nearly 25 years we have supported and encouraged local, sustainable business development. Our enterprise models have always connected busineses to markets and resources. We also work to make sure that people understand why local, sustainable businesses matter - to our communities, our economy, and our environment.

With awareness of the growing green economy and issues related to our environment in mind, CEO is now developing a new enterprise model - the Green Business Accelerator (GBA) - which will offer a wide array of information, connections, and resources on environmental sustainability to communities and businesses.

Good news! CEO has been awarded a start-up grant from the blue moon fund to help launch the GBA. Please stay tuned - we anticipate this happening by early fall 2009.

            CEO's Newsletter Special Issue - Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards

CEO Newsletter

Want to know more? Check out our successful history of small scale sustainable business development.

Working throughout the region:

CEO is a founding member of the Central Appalachian Network (CAN) which is a collaboration of seven non-profit organizations working toward environmentally, economically, and socially sound community sustainable development. CAN is moving forward to increase the impact and potential benefits for this regional work.

Special Initiative:

Growing a Local Food System from the Ground Up.

On April 14-15, 2009 CAN hosted a gathering of small-scale farmers, non profit intermediaries, funders, and consumers in Roanoke, West Virginia to discuss opportunities for developing local food systems in the region. CAN will soon publish a proceedings paper that captures the highlights, images and early outcomes of this ground-breaking event.

Two other publications - Building Sustainable Economies in a Shrinking World and Building Sustainable Economies in a Shrinking World Proceedings Paper - provide additional information about CAN.

Kudos include:

• Presidential Award for Excellence in Microenterprise
• FIELD MicroMentor Initiative by the Aspen Institute
• Home-based Business Champion of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration
• Celebrate Women Award in the category of Business by the West Virginia Women's Commission
• CEO's retail social purpose model - Showcase West Virginia - was a featured site in the National Geographic Map Guide to Appalachia.