By Kelsey Clough
Unprecedented is a word that gets thrown around a lot in 2020. With the surge in remote work and more companies moving their operations online, the number of people across Appalachia turning to online job opportunities truly is unparalleled. But, as the world is scrambling to adjust to the new, virtual workplace, one West Virginia tech company is continuing business as usual.
CentralApp, which was founded in 2016, has been placing people from the Appalachian region in remote tech jobs for years. A staffing network that connects companies across the U.S. with local tech talent, it is headquartered in Huntington, WV. As more companies move to a completely remote or hybrid model, new economic opportunities are opening for people in rural areas.
“Talent is equally distributed,” says Todd Cope, CentralApp’s CEO. “Unfortunately, historically, economic opportunity has not been. We’re working to solve that.”
A year ago, Zach Edgell was unemployed after he was forced to quit his job as an electrician’s assistant for medical reasons. With no other job opportunities available for the Little Birch, WV, native, he decided to enroll in one of CentralApp’s free tech training programs.
“I’d always been interested in computers and coding, so when I saw the CentralApp program, it seemed like just the thing to get me back on my feet,” he says.
Within six months, Edgell had earned several in-demand industry certifications and picked up steady contract-based projects, including work with internationally known people and organizations such as NBC Universal, Vudu and pop superstar Iggy Azalea.
“I really like the work,” says Edgell. “I get to do a lot of problem solving, and I’m constantly learning. I’m working on learning new types of code so I can keep moving up.”
The group that stands to gain the most from this new paradigm might be Appalachian women. Although women have historically been underrepresented in technology, that is not the case for CentralApp. Nationally, about 20% of tech jobs are held by women. At CentralApp, more than 50% of the company’s workforce is female. Some women, like Beth Fanning Taylor, are drawn to CentralApp’s flexible work options.
“I quit my old job when we started our family,” says Taylor. “We were living in Beckley. I couldn’t find childcare or a job with the work schedule I needed to allow me to care for my daughter the way I wanted to. Then I found CentralApp. I’m able to work from home for as many hours a week as I want, which allows me to balance my family and my career.”
Others, like Skye Reymond, see it as an opportunity to build highly fulfilling careers while remaining in— and giving back to—the small-town communities they love. Reymond, a data scientist, is part of a team tasked with analyzing the national ARCOS database as part of the National Opiate Litigation.
“Stories told with data can be powerful,” says Reymond. “This is the place I grew up in and love. Being able to put my skills to use in a way that helps my community is a special opportunity. Historically we have been the underdogs, but watching the community come together to fight the opioid crisis makes me believe we can win.”
About the Author
Kelsey Clough is the project manager and content specialist at Vodden Labs and Studio, a human-centered design and marketing firm based in West Virginia. She is a proud West Virginia native and holds a degree in communications from West Liberty University.
