Business visits and relocation scouting

Visit before you choose your place.

Reach Ampersand Island by ferry, private boat, or helicopter, then use the visit to answer practical questions: where customers will find you, how freight or foot traffic moves, who you can hire, and which incentive path fits. Use the trip to sharpen your plan before applying in NavGrant.

Plan Your VisitCompare Incentives
Illustrated Ampersand Island business visit route with harbor, districts, and planning markers

Make the trip useful before you book it.

Ampersand Island is small enough to read in a day and varied enough that place matters. Mermaid Bay feels different from Captain's Cove. Mariner's Bluff solves a different business problem than Anchor's Rest. Your arrival mode matters too: ferry for scheduled visits, private boat for waterfront operators, helicopter when timing or executive travel requires it. A focused visit helps you test the assumptions that will show up later in a lease, hiring plan, project budget, and grant narrative.

Start with the district and industry pages, then ask the Authority which stops and local contacts match your project.

Ask About a Visit
Illustrated Ampersand Island visit route map with district stops, ferry, boat, helicopter, and lighthouse

Plan a focused island visit

Step 1
Start with fit
Read the district, industry, and incentive pages before you ask for meetings. You will get better answers when your project shape is clear.
Step 2
Walk likely districts
Compare customer flow, service access, freight movement, nearby employers, and the businesses already operating around your target site.
Step 3
Meet the Authority
Bring your location needs, rough budget, timeline, hiring assumptions, and the questions that could change your decision.
Step 4
Leave with a grant path
Choose the closest program fit, gather the required details, and continue the formal application in NavGrant.

District visit guide

Where to spend your scouting time

Use each stop to answer a different business question. The point is not sightseeing. It is proof that your plan fits the island.

Illustrated Mermaid Bay district on Ampersand Island

Mermaid Bay

Test visitor demand, hospitality fit, and local service traffic.

  • Visitor foot traffic
  • Hospitality partners
  • Retail and service adjacency
View Districts
Illustrated Captain's Cove district on Ampersand Island

Captain's Cove

Check docks, freight movement, suppliers, and operations access.

  • Port and dock access
  • Logistics partners
  • Waterfront workforce needs
View Districts
Illustrated Mariner's Bluff district on Ampersand Island

Mariner's Bluff

Look for talent, research links, workspace fit, and tech activity.

  • Talent and workspace fit
  • Research partnerships
  • Innovation network
View Districts
Illustrated Anchor's Rest district on Ampersand Island

Anchor's Rest

Review clean infrastructure, energy sites, and long-term resilience.

  • Clean infrastructure
  • Energy and storage sites
  • Sustainable operating model
View Districts

Grant readiness

What a visit gives your application

01

Location proof

You can explain why your chosen district supports customers, operations, and community impact.

02

Workforce context

You can name the roles you need, where hiring pressure may show up, and what training support would help.

03

Cost clarity

You can turn broad relocation intent into a better budget for lease costs, buildout, equipment, and launch timing.

04

Program fit

You can decide whether Ahoy, Entrepreneurs!, Navigator Expansion, or Anchors Aweigh is the right path before starting NavGrant.

Business visit questions

No. A visit is not required. It helps when your application depends on district fit, site costs, hiring plans, freight access, or local partners. Apply in NavGrant when you have enough detail to support the project.

Walk the district you expect to choose, compare nearby businesses, note access for customers or freight, review workforce assumptions, and bring questions to the Island Economic Development Authority before you open the grant application.

Start with the district that matches your business model: Mermaid Bay for visitor-facing companies, Captain's Cove for maritime and logistics, Mariner's Bluff for technology, or Anchor's Rest for clean infrastructure and alternative energy.

Business visitors can reach the island by ferry, private boat, or helicopter. Choose the route that matches your schedule, cargo needs, and the district you plan to scout first.

Use the contact page for questions before you apply. The Authority can help you focus the visit around program fit, district questions, and the information your NavGrant application will need.

Bring the trip back to NavGrant.

Once you know your district, industry fit, project cost, timeline, and hiring plan, continue the formal grant workflow in NavGrant. For questions before you apply, contact the Authority.

Open NavGrant GrantsContact the Authority