On October 22nd, the Judy Moore and Vickie Webb attended the Small Communitites, BIG Solutions Conference in South Charleston, West Virginia, hosted by the Alliance for Economic Development of Southern West Virginia, the West Virginia Community Development Hub, and Coalfield Development. The conference allowed attendees to share best practices, success stories, and explore new opportunities for entrepreneurship development in southern West Virginia. Topics from workforce development to community revitalization, and education to manufacturing were covered by state, federal, community, education, and industry leaders.
In addition to education and workshop sessions, the conference hosts awarded a number of recognitions to special projects they felt have had exceptional impact in southern West Virginia. The New River Gorge Regional Development Authority’s HIVE initiative was one of those awarded the Power of Progress award. Executive Director, Judy Moore, was in attendance to accept the award and noted “This recognition is so energizing and a confirmation of how far this program has come in just a few years. We are so grateful to all those individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations who have worked with us to make everything we do possible.”
Judy, and her growing team of entrepreneurship advocates and advisors, left the conference with an extended network of partners, new tools to assist southern West Virginia’s entrepreneurs, and a deep appreciation for all those working to advance southern West Virginia’s future.