By Samantha Cart
American scholar Warren Bennis once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
True leaders are not only successful in growing their respective fields and achieving personal goals but in growing the successes of others. As West Virginia continues to forge a path toward prosperity, leaders across the state are making a discernable difference.
Each year, West Virginia Executive (WVE) selects 10 of these invaluable leaders to showcase the ways they are impacting their industries and their communities. Selecting the Young Guns class each year from hundreds of worthwhile nominees is no small feat, which is why WVE has established a strict set of criteria that candidates must meet.
Young Guns must live and work in West Virginia and be 43 years of age or younger at the time of selection. They are also required to be actively involved in community service activities, as service is an integral part of creating a better, stronger future for West Virginia. Leadership is influence, and the Young Guns Class of 2017 is using its collective influence to make the Mountain State a force to be reckoned with.
This year’s Young Guns photo shoot took place at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, one of West Virginia’s top tourist destinations and the sixth largest employer in the Ohio Valley. The home of many community and family celebrations, Oglebay and the neighboring Wheeling Park have a $13 million annual economic impact on local businesses, and the multitude of recreational opportunities found there provides significant, measurable health benefits to community members and visitors.
Oglebay Resort, the former summer estate of businessman Earl Oglebay, has been a hub of hospitality for more than 100 years. The 1,700-acre resort is home to picturesque natural beauty, the 258-room Wilson Lodge, a state-of-the-art meeting and conference center, casual and fine dining options, the West Spa and the $5.5 million, completely renovated 43-room West Family Wing.
A beacon of success for the community of Wheeling, Oglebay provided a beautiful backdrop to showcase this year’s class of Young Guns. The resort is also home to four golf courses, 10 Har-Tru tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a new aerial challenge course, West Virginia’s only AZA-accredited zoo, the Oglebay Mansion Museum, the Glass Museum, the 16-acre Bissonnette Gardens, the Schrader Environmental Education Center, an array of specialty shops and mountain biking and hiking trails.
If you know a leader who is changing their industry and community for the better, nominate them for next year’s class. Nominations for the Class of 2018 are due August 15, 2017, and can be submitted at www.wvexecutive.com/nominate-a-young-gun.
Meet the 2017 class of Young Guns.
