Food vendors are being sought for Fayetteville’s first food hall, an open-air food and entertainment venue being developed as Railyard FVL.
Partners are being sought to operate food stalls in the entertainment venue, according to a news release. Railyard’s developers hope to recruit eight to 12 small food and beverage businesses to operate stalls.
Railyard FVL will be designed using repurposed shipping containers. Food stall operators will serve a range of craft food, and it will include a 40-tap, self-pour beer garden, craft cocktail bar, and wine café, the release said.
Vendors will operate around a central courtyard with a stage for live performances and 15,000 square feet of common dining and lounging space.
Railyard’s entry point is 61% of the cost of starting a food truck business and 8% of the cost to open a brick-and-mortar establishment, the developers said in the news release.
Amenities included in the operator agreement include marketing, common seating, utilities, standard commercial kitchen equipment, a point-of-sale system, live entertainment programming, security, trash disposal service, venue cleaning services, and business development and mentorship, the release said.
Railyard FVL is owned and operated by Fayetteville native and active-duty Army soldier John F. Kistler III.
Follow Railyard FVL on Facebook @Railyard FVL, Instagram @railyardfvl, or Twitter @RailyardFVL.
Interested food-service operators should contact Kistler at jfkistler@railyardfvl.com or 910-759-9247.
Fayetteville Tech signs partnership with workforce development group
Fayetteville Technical Community College has joined with nine other community colleges, two universities, and six workforce development boards in a charter aimed to optimize their ability to address the needs of regional employers.
Representatives of each of the partners met Sept. 21 at Central Carolina Community College to sign the AdvanceNC charter, according to a news release. The workforce development cooperative is designed to develop a robust talent pipeline to support unprecedented economic growth in North Carolina, the release said.
Tiffany Watts, chief of staff and vice president for strategic initiatives at FTCC, attended the meeting on behalf of FTCC President Mark Sorrells.
Gov. Roy Cooper, N.C. Community College System President Jeff Cox, UNC System President Peter Hans and N.C Association of Workforce Development Boards President Rodney Carson spoke during the meeting.
“There is so much good going on here from VinFast to Toyota to Wolfspeed bringing great-paying jobs right here to the central part of our state,” Cooper said. “We are the No. 1 state in the country for business. That’s no accident. The credit belongs to the people of North Carolina. North Carolina has the best, most hard-working, dedicated, well-trained, diverse workforce in the world. When you invest in people, you invest in success, and education is the backbone of our economy and our workforce.”
The AdvanceNC partners recently applied for funding as well as the designation of central North Carolina as an Economic Development Administration “Tech Hub.” The proposed project — known as the Central Carolina Cleantech Hub (C3H) — aims to strengthen the region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and introduce clean-energy technologies, the news release said.
The AdvanceNC partners are:
Greater Fayetteville Chamber names special projects director
The Greater Fayetteville Chamber has named Angela Selitto as director of special projects.
A former chair of the Chamber Ambassadors, Selitto is familiar with chamber operations and brings her experience in client engagement and management to the job, according to a news release.
“We are thrilled to have Angela on board as director of special projects,” said Nat Robertson, CEO and president of the chamber. “Angela is an exceptional leader, and her expertise in project management and strategic planning will be invaluable to our organization.”
As director of special projects, Selitto will be responsible for overseeing major initiatives supporting the chamber’s vision of promoting economic growth in the region, the release said.
“There is a lot in store regarding this special project,” said Robertson. “We encourage the public to pay close attention to news to be announced on Oct. 19 during our Chairman’s Coffee Club event for more details.”
Robert Van Geons named to International Economic Development Council board
Robert M. Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corp., was recently selected to serve a two-year term on the board of the International Economic Development Council.
Van Geons was elected during the annual board meeting on Sept. 17 at IEDC’s annual conference in Dallas, according to a news release. He joins 25 economic developers from around the world on the board with a term that will begin on Jan. 1.
“Robert will embrace this opportunity to change the world for the better,” said Jonas Peterson, the 2023 chair of the board. “It is through our shared vision, unity and purpose that we can chart a course toward a brighter future for IEDC and our profession.”
Van Geons said he is grateful for the organization’s support.
“IEDC allows us to collaborate and engage with thought leaders from around the world, helping us deploy innovative ideas to better serve Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and our community partners,” he said in the news release.
