SOARing in the UKV

Participants in the Summit on Area Revitalization (SOAR) developed an action plan after three days of discussion. Seven objectives were agreed upon by the core team, and “goal champions” have been named to lead each area.

• Jim Higgins will lead the team focusing on improvement of aesthetics of the communities throughout the region.
• Identification and development of venues for leisure, entertainment and recreational activities will be led by Greg Ingram and Ed Gray.
• Will Thornton will head the transportation infrastructure initiative.
• Development of future community leaders to serve our communities was identified as a priority; Joe Jones, Jo Harris, Jack Nuckols, and Todd Morris will work on this objective.
• Mike Herron, Matt Wender, and Deane Keener, along with Anne Cavalier, Mike Aeiker, and Judy Radford, representatives of the economic development agencies, will lead the two initiatives relating to job creation and entrepreneurship.
• Communication of the plan and its progress will be coordinated by Kathleen DuBois.

Each team will report monthly to the UKV Chamber on progress being made; and quarterly team meetings will be held in September, December, March and June to update the community on work accomplished.

Individuals participating in SOAR included representatives from the Upper Kanawha Valley Chamber of Commerce, the West Virginia Development Office, Region 1 Workforce West Virginia, Fayette County Commission, Kanawha County Commission, Upper Kanawha Valley Economic Development Corporation, 4-C Economic Development Authority, Charleston Area Alliance, the Enterprise Community, Advantage Valley, Inc., Montgomery General Hospital, City National Bank, WVU Tech, the CTC at WVU Tech, and local business owners.

If you are interested in any of these topics and would like to volunteer to serve on a team, please contact Nancy Giacomo at 442-3149 or by e-mail at Nancy.Giacomo@mail.wvu.edu. She will be able to connect you with the team leaders.