West Virginia Creative Community Convenes Statewide to Stress “New Economy” Issues and Opportunities

Members of West Virginia’s Creative Community—creators in biotech, high tech, performing arts, hospitality and intellectual property—met June 25, 2007, at the Clay Center’s Walker Theater to recognize founders and discuss issues regarding the state’s New Economy.

Speakers from throughout West Virginia representing online communications companies, entrepreneurial research and development, community technology innovations, biotech research, and performing arts presented in person or through video teleconferencing from Glenville, Hinton, Shepherdstown, and Wheeling.

The Creative Class team, a subcommittee of the West Virginia: A Vision Shared initiative, launched the first edition of its whitepaper, “Culture, Creativity and Innovation: West Virginia in the New Economy,” and a website.

“This marks a new era for West Virginia because of the unique opportunities before us,” said Jeff James, chair of the Creative Class team. “The point is to leverage the state’s strengths, to make us ready to enter the Conceptual Age. The question is going to be: what can we do that can’t be done faster and cheaper somewhere else?

“We are finding that those who have the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into novel invention,” James continued, “these are the people positioned for success in the Conceptual Age.”

Speakers included Larry Baker, vice-president of technology at Glenville State University; Dr. Lee Kraus, senior vice president, Information Research Corporation of Fairmont; Jeffrey Lusk, executive director of Hatfield-McCoy Trails, Lyburn; Dr. Elizabeth Murray, Marshall University professor and founder of Vandalia Research, Huntington; Dr. Keith Pauley, president and CEO of MATRIC, South Charleston; Jane Peters, Jefferson County Development Authority, Charles Town; George Rogers, president and managing partner of IQ Media, Fayetteville; Scooter Scudieri, performing artist, Berkeley Springs; Justin Siebert, president and CEO of Direct Online Marketing, Wheeling; and Spring Turner, executive director of the Chuck Mathena Center, Bluefield.


For more information or to download a copy of the white paper or the presentation, visit www.createwv.com.