Toward Prosperity: Entrepreneurship Transforming Appalachia's Economy Conference

The ARC Toward Prosperity: Entrepreneurship Transforming Appalachia's Economy conference was held November 6–7, 2013, in Charleston, West Virginia. Following are materials from and videos of the conference.

Conference Program
PDF: 331 KB

Conference Web Site
www.arc.gov/towardprosperity

Conference Videos
Complete video playlist

Welcome: Keith Burdette, Secretary, West Virginia Department of Commerce

Opening Remarks: ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl

Keynote Address: David Wilhelm, Founder and President, Woodland Venture Management, Gahanna, Ohio; Founder, Adena Ventures, Athens, Ohio

Lunch Address: Matt S. Erskine, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration

Panel Discussion: "Survive and Thrive": Moderator: Matt S. Erskine, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration. Panelists: Angie Cowger, Owner, Custard Stand Food Products, Webster Springs, West Virginia; Mike McKechnie, President, Mountain View Solar, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia; Perry Varnadoe, Director, Meigs County Economic Development Office, Pomeroy, Ohio.

Concurrent Session: "Cultivating Entrepreneurs in the Food and Farm Sector": Moderator: Savanna Lyons, Program Director, West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, Oak Hill, West Virginia. Panelists: Alexa Arnold, Organizer, Community Farm Alliance, Frankfort, Kentucky; Scott Park, Principal Planner, Greenville County Department of Planning and Code Compliance, Greenville, South Carolina; Leslie Schaller, Director of Programs, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, Athens, Ohio.

Concurrent Session Presentations
Presentations are posted with the permission of conference speakers. This list does not include all presentations given at the conference.

• Access to Capital
  Ray Daffner, Entrepreneurial Development Manager, Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, D.C.
  PDF: 1.5 MB
  
  Jennifer Giovannitti, Regional Community Development Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
  PDF: 237 KB
  
  Marten R. Jenkins Jr., President, Natural Capital Investment Fund, Shepherdstown, West Virginia
  PDF: 220 KB
  
  
• Real-World Ready
  Jason Hughes, Coordinator, Office of Career and Technical Instruction, West Virginia Department of Education, Charleston, West Virginia
  PDF: 4.18 MB
  
  Rhonda Tracy, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, West Virginia University–Parkersburg
  PDF: 115 KB


• Technical Assistance: Incubation and Acceleration
  John Morris, President and CEO, Tech2020, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  PDF: 1.64 MB


• Health-Sector Value Chains: Local Wealth Creation
  Brenda Grant, Chief Strategy Officer, Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, West Virginia
  PDF: 1.62 MB


• Make It in Appalachia
  Gerald Biser, Director, West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Morgantown, West Virginia
  PDF: 293 KB


• Cultivating Entrepreneurs in the Food and Farm Sector
  Alexa Arnold, Organizer, Community Farm Alliance, Frankfort, Kentucky
  Presentation PDF: 1.1 MB
  Notes PDF: 61 KB
  
  Scott Park, Principal Planner, Greenville County Department of Planning and Code Compliance, Greenville, South Carolina
  PDF: 755 KB
  
  Leslie Schaller, Director of Programs, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, Athens, Ohio
  PDF: 4.7 MB