Create West Virginia

This year's West Virginia Day conversation topic from Jason Keeling and his A Better West Virginia blog is "Networking for a Better West Virginia."

Networking is defined as "the cultivation of productive relationships." Communities seeking to renew themselves to thrive in the new economy must embrace networking as a core skill.

Think of it this way: How do we turn West Virginia's history of brain drain into an asset? There are literally thousands of bright West Virginians scattered around the country who have a deep love for their home state, but have also acquired new skills and experiences in big cities, new countries and industries not found in West Virginia.

We'd like to call on those creative West Virginians - our creative expatriates as we call them - to connect with Create WV and their local communities. Local teams such as Create Buckhannon, Create Mercer and Create Fayetteville would love to connect with natives who have insight, guidance and resources to invest in their creative community initiatives.

We're looking for creative West Virginia expatriates with knowledge, ideas and resources in areas such as:

• Technology - Tech entrepreneurs, senior executives at successful tech firms, research leaders.
• Education and Talent - Thought leaders and practitioners in how to build and run more innovative, succesful schools and build partnerships between schools and communities.
• Diversity - People who have successfully helped rural and small town communities embrace the value of diversity and made successful inroads in building equality and inclusiveness.
• Quality of Place - Experts who understand the various elements of "place" - historic preservation, "things to do", community networks, outdoor amenities and other assets that make a place a wonderfully attractive place to live.
• Entrepreneurship - Successful entrepreneurs or those who have successfully built an entrepreneurial culture that has lead to a thriving new economy.

One idea is to hold a huge "creative West Virginia" reunion at the Create WV Conference in Wheeling October 17-19. How fun would it be to invite native talent back to build relationships with members of their community who are attending as well?

Do you know a creative expatriate? Someone who has acquired some amazing high-tech skills, or has access to resources that could benefit West Virginia? A talented artist who would love to share their work to inspire our state? Please drop us a line at info@createwv.com and we'll reach out to them. We'd like to cultivate those productive relationships so the "West Virginia Nation" is operating together for a better West Virginia, despite geographic boundaries.