ABOUT THE GAP PARTNERSHIP
The Gap Partnership was first incorporated in 1983 as The Gap Corporation with a mission to bring together the collective efforts of business leaders to support the continued economic development of the Town of Big Stone Gap and special projects. In 2006, a new community group, Bridging the Gap, emerged with the main goals being to revitalize the downtown community and to attract the filming of Adriana Trigiani’s film, Big Stone Gap, to the town because of the economic impact the film could have on future tourism. Citizens and businesses came together with a renewed energy, and the film location was chosen as the historical little town at the center of the book by the same title. By 2007, an agreement had been reached between the directors of The Gap Corporation and Bridging the Gap to merge into a new entity, The Gap Partnership. The hope was to bring the energy that activated citizens involved in Bridging the Gap had and merge it into the long-standing business community support The Gap Corporation was known for. The new business and community association would also continue with The Gap Corporation’s non-profit association and projects. New board members and committee chairs participated in training at The Brushy Fork Institute, and a younger and new generation of community leaders were identified and nurtured. One of the first major focuses of The Gap Partnership came with the discussions of school consolidation and their position that community schools were still valued over one central county location. The Gap Partnership solidified relationships with the neighboring Town of Appalachia to ensure that a community school remained, and Union High School evolved as a result. Today, The Gap Partnership is committed to fostering the growth and success of the businesses in Big Stone Gap by bringing together local leaders and involved community members to share ideas, collaborate, and develop strategies for the betterment of our community. We believe that by working together, we can create a thriving business environment and community that will benefit all of our residents, visitors, and the Town of Big Stone Gap. Our values are focused on efforts to promote local businesses and foster involvement through membership for any business or individual. Members are promoted through co-op advertising, being linked from the websites of The Gap Partnership and the Town of Big Stone Gap, and being featured promoted business when visitors ask about local businesses in the area. We support the Big Stone Gap Visitor Center and all endeavors of tourism and economic development for the Town of Big Stone Gap. The Gap Partnership strives to have a good working relationship with the Big Stone Gap Town Council and assigns a board member to be a liaison at the council meetings each month. The Gap Partnership is working very hard to be a vital part of the continued growth of our community, and we invite all interested businesses and community members to join our organization.
