Create West Virginia

Neat Exposure for West Virginia

The Create West Virginia conference and a story on Berkeley Springs were recently featured on the widely read blog written by Jack Scultz, leader of The Boomtown Institute.

Jack's comments about the conference are fantastic and inspire us to dream big dreams for 2008 and beyond:

In my almost 300 talks around the country I’ve yet to see a more enthusiastic and engaged group than what I saw in Roanoke. I hope that they keep the ideas and enthusiasm going. They have a wonderfully beautiful state that could and should become much more creative.

What Now?

The sense of excitement and hope was palpable during the Create WV Conference November 12-14 at the Stonewall Resort. The purpose of the conference was to educate, inspire, agitate and empower, and based on the feedback it seemed to have met its goal. The overall satisfaction score from the 230+ attendees was 4.5 out of 5.0, an amazing result. Thank you to all those who helped make it possible!

Attendees are now at home mulling over ideas, sharing insights, and hopefully spreading the belief that their community can develop into a true "creative community for the new economy." Jack Schultz and dozens of other speakers allowed little room for excuses after sharing what so many other small cities and towns have done to revitalize themselves across the country. If you haven't ready his 7 1/2 steps to make it happen, we encourage you to do so.

But the reality remains - this is hard! The natural tendency is to have a let down and a bit of doubt seep in after experiencing such a buzz of excitement. Now the real work begins. Which communities will step up by nurturing new leaders, creating a dedicated team, building a plan and prioritizing the first steps?

For those who didn't get to attend, a reminder the materials are located on the createwv.com web site under the Events link (NOTE: There have been some site errors recently; if it's not cooperating, try again in a day or two). Of particular interest should be the sample New Economy Growth Plan document, which provides a template for how you can build your own local plan.

We're also developing the next round of support for communities in building their plan. In addition to partnering with many quality organizations and their programs for everything from housing to sustainable development to broadband connectivity, we're evaluating what would be most valuable to local teams who are ready to move forward. We hope to announce this next wave of Create WV opportunities in January.

If you have ideas, feel free to post them here or email createwv@visionshared.com.

The Asheville Example

As you get closer to Asheville, NC, coming south on I-26 from Tennessee, the first thing that strikes you is the similarity in terrain to West Virginia. It feels like you are still driving on the West Virginia Turnpike or similar highway through our own hills.

But as you pull into town, stop by the visitor center and wander through downtown, you notice a difference. It begins to dawn on you that this is what Appalachian culture looks like when it is well-funded, well-preserved and a bit more open-minded.

As the official Asheville.com web site states:

Taking a short evening stroll through modern downtown Asheville, NC, it is impossible not to get a sense of the city's history. Soaring buildings in Neoclassical, Romanesque Revival, Art Deco, and many other styles attest to the depth and diversity of Asheville's past. These surroundings coupled of the city's extensive nightlife have granted Asheville the title "Paris of the Southeast."

Of course, Asheville has a different history than say, Charleston or Huntington. From early on it was a luxurious resort town. Soon after, it became the site of The Biltmore Estate, America's largest home built by George Vanderbilt. The author Thomas Wolfe grew up in Asheville, and the poet and writer Carl Sandburg spent his last 20 years on a farm outside of town (now a National Historic site). With a pedigree like that, it's no wonder there is a different feel than the rest of Appalachia.

Still, you can't help but wonder if West Virginia's community and state leaders couldn't learn from Asheville. Like many cities in the 1980's, there was a critical turning point where leaders had to decide which direction to take downtown. Asheville, like many cities with visions of renewal that builds upon its rich past, turned to artists and developers and began the work of appreciating and preserving what makes it special. It's a model all of us in West Virginia should seriously evaluate and consider embracing.

Creativity in Action

Jeanne Mozier captures the crowd and breaks down how to nurture an arts/cultural community.

The "Teaching Entrepreneurship" session figures out how to make a product out of trash...

Scott Doron Stirs the Create WV Crowd

Scott Doron, Director of the Southern Technology Council, describes West Virginia as a high performance race car ready to shoot off the starting line....but with the emergency break on.

The publisher of several insightful studies on the economic future of the South, the Southern Technology Council is a non-partisan public policty think tank based in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Presentations from the conference can be found on the createwv.com web site as they get posted over the next two days.

Scenes from Create WV Kick-Off

Over 200 people have descended on the Stonewall Resort to jump feet-first into planning for New Economy growth in West Virginia. Frankly, we're pretty surprised at the turnout...running out of attendee kits is a good problem to have compared to the opposite.

After an opening reception that featured the No Pants Players, the African guitarist Edirin Onoge, a preview of a new documentary film on Appalachian Bohemes by Topper Sherwood and an array of art in the ad hoc gallery, the mood was definitely bent towards the creative.

Probably the most encouraging sign was the optimism and excitement on this topic. Sure, it's going to be hard work to address the cultural issues inhibiting our embrace of the New Economy in West Virginia, but at least the folks here seem up to the task. More to come...

Palestinian Delegation meets with Vision Shared in Wheeling

Something fairly novel and very interesting happened yesterday.  The State Department arranged a 16-day tour for a group of five Palestinian journalists.  They got to see cities like Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Chicago, Gettysburg...and Wheeling, WV! 

At each city, the journalists met with a specific group (for example Visit Pittsburgh) to learn more about the goings on in that town from a grass roots level.  This "America Beyond the Headlines" tour selected Vision Shared to represent Wheeling.  President Julie Terry, RED's Don Rigby, and I sat down to discuss West Virginia and Wheeling.  Much of our discussion focused on economic development and what we can do to make our cities more attractive as creative communities. 

In addition to getting to tell our story, these gentlemen also learned about West Virginia, a place they had never heard of previously.  As Don mentioned, although we worry a lot about negative stereotypes, sometimes the bigger problem is that there aren't any impressions at all of WV held by other Americans or citizens of other countries.  Hopefully through these journalists and their organizations (Issa Mohammad Rabi Sharabati of Alhayat Aljadida and the Chicago Tribune; Yousef Husameddin Yousef Shayeb of Al-Ghad, Al-Akhbar, and Al-Ayyam; Fadi H. T. AbuSaada of the Palestine News Network; Zaki Zakariya Abu Elhalaweh of Al Quds; and Baseem M. J. Roomie of the Arabic Media Network) America's best kept secret will slowly start to leak out.

My only regret was not getting more time to ask them about Palestine and their backgrounds (although Julie thankfully reverted back into reporter mode for awhile).  As great as it was for us to spread our word, I always like learning other folks' stories.  Maybe on the next tour they'll have time to stop for a beer hot tea and we can get to know each other more personally.

Big thanks to Julie and Algis Silas over at the State Department for making this happen.

- Justin Seibert
Direct Online Marketing

South Charleston Shares Wireless Vision

South Charleston is the latest West Virginia community to embrace the economic development and quality of life potential of wireless broadband access. Mayor Frank Mullens shared the plans last week. The project is estimated to cost approximately $69,000 and will cover four business districts.

South Charleston joins a handful of other communities, such as the East End of Charleston and Wheeling, with some variation on public wi-fi access.

At the Governor's Conference on Tourism today at Glade Springs Resort, a great deal of discussion from tourism leaders centered on the need for widespread broadband and wi-fi access across the state, including rural areas and state parks. Elmer Coppoolse, CEO of EMCO Hospitality (the management group for Glade Springs), stated passionately in his welcome remarks: "West Virginia needs to get serious about broadband and wireless Internet access. Our guests and corporate meeting clients demand it. West Virginia needs to make a good impression in this area so they know they will always be connected while enjoying West Virginia's amazing scenery."

When will West Virginia step up with an aggressive statewide broadband plan similar to Kentucky's? Hopes are pinned to the Governor's partnership with Cisco Systems and Verizon's agreement to deliver a thorough study of broadband availability across the state.

Raising Our Expectations for Education

Where does West Virginia stand in the race to prepare students with 21st century skills? And what the heck are 21st century skills anyway?

We tackle these questions and more in the exciting and informative Education track at the Create WV conference Nov 12-14. We encourage you to forward this track agenda to any K12 or higher education leader you may know in your community and encourage them to attend.

Our track leaders are Kathy D'Antoni, Vice Chancellor Community & Technical College System of WV, and Norma Miller, Division of Technical and Adult Education Services. A full agenda listing can be found on the conference site (scroll down for details) , but here is a summary of topics:

• Lifelong Learning
• How to Partner With Colleges
• Teaching 21st Century Skills in WV
• Teaching Entrepreneurship
• Using E-Learning to Grow Educational Opportunities
• How to Change Arts Education
• Partnering with Students to Grow Your Community

Anyone who cares about building talent and growing opportunities in West Virginia will want to attend these sessions. Please join us!

Filling an Unfortunate Void

Now that the "National March Against Hate Crimes" has been pulled off peacefully in Charleston, what can we learn and where do we go from here?

A great deal of debate has centered on how the leadership role of Malik Shabazz, leader of Black Lawyers for Justice and organizer of the march, has developed in contrast to the role of the local Charleston Black Ministerial Association and the local NAACP. Both of the local leadership groups have come out in support of the prosecutors' decision not to press hate-crime charges against the "Logan Six" based on concerns that the specifics of the case do not fit existing hate-crime law.

Like any ambitious leader, Mr. Shabazz recognized a void and sought to fill it. Regardless of whether the specific situation with Megan Williams justifies hate-crime prosecution, he tapped into the frustration that exists within the African-American (and other minority) communities. This frustration exists nationally and in West Virginia, largely beyond the awareness of the majority white community. When horrific incidents like the one in Logan County occur, white folks share outrage, but only over the specific incident. Those not in the majority connect their outrage with the ongoing daily frustrations they experience at the hands of store clerks who keep an extra close eye on them, white folks who cross the street to avoid contact, or law enforcement who are perceived to treat them differently.

The question is, if we in West Virginia had a proactive, ongoing, positive initiative to address diversity, inclusion and tolerance issues, would Mr. Shabazz have had the open platform that he found here? Regardless of your feelings about him, shouldn't we in West Virginia have a more visible effort in place to not only address outrageous acts like those that allegedly occurred to Megan Williams, but to give voice to communities who don't seem to have a strong enough voice in our state or local communities?

One great example of filling this void is the Diversity Leadership Academy, an effort being organized in Charleston by Jeff Woods and Crystal Good of Jackson Kelly PLLC and the Charleston Area Alliance, among others.The Diversity Leadership Academy® was developed by the American Institute for Managing Diversity, a nationally recognized leader in diversity research and education, to foster quality decisions about diversity throughout society.

An event previewing this initiative is being held in Charleston on Tuesday, November 6, from 9:30am - 11:30am in the Jackson Kelly offices in Charleston. We encourage you to attend if you can make it.