Growing up in Beaver, WV, Nick Underwood dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
“West Virginia is nothing short of beautiful, and growing up so close to so many parks really fostered a sense of adventure in me at a young age,” he says. “My parents helped with that too. They were always pushing me to do well in school, explore new things and ask questions.”
In a 1947 piece for the Morehouse College student newspaper, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that the true goal of education is intelligence plus character. In this issue, which focuses on the Mountain State’s education industry, it is fitting that West Virginia Executive (WVE) is honoring a group of state leaders who never stop learning.
Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in economic growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015 startups that were less than a year old created 3 million jobs. The National Small Business Associations’ 2016 Year-End Economic Report showed that small business owners were anticipating economic expansion in 2017 to increase significantly, the highest indicator reported since 2008.
“West Virginia is a very small state, and we have every problem in America, but we are small enough to be able to—if we stack our hands and have courage and have the will—solve our problems. We have to start right here and right now.”
West Virginia’s colleges and universities are not only critical for improving the state’s educational attainment and training the state’s workforce, but they are also economic drivers in their communities and the state as a whole.
The new secretary of the West Virginia Department of Commerce is no stranger to promoting economic development. A thriving entrepreneur, engineer and business owner, Woody Thrasher has proven himself to be a successful businessman and is now tasked with putting those skills to work managing the state’s commerce department, bringing new businesses to West Virginia and helping diversify the state’s economy.