Each year, the Alliance for Economic Development of Southern West Virginia, the West Virginia Community Development Hub, Generation WV and Coalfield Development team up to shine a spotlight on southern West Virginia, by hosting the Small Communities, Big Solutions Conference. This event showcases all the successes and highlights what is working across the southern part of the state. Each year a mix of community leaders, educators, businesses and public officials come together to network, share ideas and learn what is working well in our state. With a sold-out crowd each year and overwhelmingly positive feedback from our attendees.
This year, we are pleased to hold the 8th annual conference July 8th in Huntington, WV at the West Edge Factory.
REGISTRATION IS LIVE:
Small Communities, BIG Solutions Tickets
CURRENT AGENDA:
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Registration & Networking Breakfast
Check in, grab some breakfast, and catch up with one another before the day starts.
8:30 – 9:00AM
Opening Remarks & Welcome
Welcome from conference hosts, an overview of the day’s goals, and setting the vision for small communities driving big solutions.
9:00 – 10:00 AM
State & Federal Updates for Communities
Updates from state and federal partners on funding opportunities, legislative priorities, and programs impacting rural and small communities.
10:00 – 10:15 AM
Power up with a coffee break!
10:15 – 11:15AM
Power Station #1
Sessions include:
- Creative Placemaking That Revives Communities
- The Power of Growth in Rural Businesses
- Business succession’s importance in rural areas and looking at opportunities for entrepreneurs to build on business infrastructure that’s already in place.
- The Workforce Behind the Workforce: Childcare in West Virginia
- The childcare crisis in West Virginia: what this looks like, how this affects families in the workforce, and how we can move forward.
11:15 – 12:15PM
Networking Lunch & Sponsor Recognition
Lunch provided with sponsor highlights and recognition of community successes.
12:15 – 1:15 PM
Power Station #2
Sessions include:
- Info session from West Virginia Grant Resource Centers
- Community-Led Revitalization That Works in Appalachia
- Discussions on Brownfields, projects in WV that are working, and how we are moving forward with ideas.
- Rebuild and Rise: Recovery in WV
1:15 – 2:00 PM
AI for Small Communities and Data Center Hubs in Appalachia
-What AI looks like for Appalachians, how this affects small communities, and how we can use it responsibly.
2:00 – 2:15 PM
Break
2:15 – 3:15 PM
Higher Education in West Virginia
Career Services teams discuss career education at institutions and the challenges/opportunities they see with students, moderated by Brian LeDuc.
3:15 – 3:45 PM
Student Focused Session by Brian LeDuc
Brian LeDuc will focus on bringing conversation to students and employers about challenges they are facing, what AI looks like from the student’s perspective, and a better understanding from a student’ point of view.
3:45 – 4:45 PM
Celebration of Success
POWER of Performance awardees will get a chance to discuss their successes, projects, etc.
4:45 – 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks & Next Steps
Key takeaways, resources moving forward, and a call to action for continued collaboration beyond the conference.
About our Conference Partners
Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern West Virginia
The Alliance is a joint venture among West Virginia’s 10 southern colleges and universities to better connect the educational resources and workforce training offered in Southern West Virginia. The goals of the alliance are to promote the region, eliminate redundancies, share best practices, improve the quality of life for area residents, create jobs, keep West Virginia’s talent pool in the state and revitalize southern communities. The alliance partner institutions include Bluefield State College, BridgeValley Community & Technical College, Concord University, Marshall University, Mountwest Community & Technical College, New River Community and Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, West Virginia State University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology. The alliance is focused on a 21-county area, including Boone, Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Putnam, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Webster and Wyoming counties, and represents more than 30,000 students.
West Virginia Community Development Hub
The West Virginia Community Development Hub mobilizes residents from all over the state to spark transformational change and progress in their communities. Hallmarks of the organization’s work are to spur on fresh momentum where little exists; to unite the forces of groups that have not considered – or even resisted – collaboration in the past; and to champion new, and sometimes unexpected, leaders. Over the past year, the hub has worked directly with 27 counties across the state and 1 in 5 West Virginians have been reached by hub-related projects over the past year. More information about the hub’s work and impacts over the past year is available at http://wvhub.org/what-were-doing/the-hub-our-work-and-its-impact .
Coalfield Development
In 2009 volunteers started to address concerns about housing in Wayne, West Virginia. It was quickly realized that traditional charity was not nearly enough to address the deep, generational challenges faced. After intense community engagement, they pioneered a relationship-based, holistic approach to on-the-job training. Unemployed and underemployed people were hired to construct green affordable housing. Today, they have grown into a family of social enterprises working throughout the region as a leader in the building of a new economy in the wake of the coal industry’s rapid decline. They have created more than 100 on-the-job training positions, more than 500 professional certification opportunities, redeveloped more than 150,000 square feet of dilapidated property and successfully launched five new businesses in real estate development, construction, woodworking, agriculture, and artisan trades – industries based on local assets and having real viability in the Appalachian region. Coalfield Development operates as a family of five social enterprises. A social enterprise is a business that combines the compassion of the nonprofit sector with the efficiency of the for-profit sector.
Generation WV
Generation West Virginia equips young West Virginians with key skills and career opportunities, ensuring their ability to thrive in the Mountain State. By connecting young adults with resources, opportunities, and each other through their workforce development initiatives, GWV is committed to building a stronger, more prosperous West Virginia for generations to come. Generation West Virginia’s work includes NewForce, a job training program; the Career Connector, a job placement and talent recruitment program; the GWV Fellowship, a professional development program for young adults; and a broadband program that helps communities across West Virginia get connected to high-speed internet.
For more information about the conference, please contact Paige Reger (reger17@marshall.edu) or visit our LinkedIn page or Facebook Page: