The sense of excitement and hope was palpable during the Create WV Conference November 12-14 at the Stonewall Resort. The purpose of the conference was to educate, inspire, agitate and empower, and based on the feedback it seemed to have met its goal. The overall satisfaction score from the 230+ attendees was 4.5 out of 5.0, an amazing result. Thank you to all those who helped make it possible!

Attendees are now at home mulling over ideas, sharing insights, and hopefully spreading the belief that their community can develop into a true “creative community for the new economy.” Jack Schultz and dozens of other speakers allowed little room for excuses after sharing what so many other small cities and towns have done to revitalize themselves across the country. If you haven’t ready his 7 1/2 steps to make it happen, we encourage you to do so.

But the reality remains – this is hard! The natural tendency is to have a let down and a bit of doubt seep in after experiencing such a buzz of excitement. Now the real work begins. Which communities will step up by nurturing new leaders, creating a dedicated team, building a plan and prioritizing the first steps?

For those who didn’t get to attend, a reminder the materials are located on the createwv.com web site under the Events link (NOTE: There have been some site errors recently; if it’s not cooperating, try again in a day or two). Of particular interest should be the sample New Economy Growth Plan document, which provides a template for how you can build your own local plan.

We’re also developing the next round of support for communities in building their plan. In addition to partnering with many quality organizations and their programs for everything from housing to sustainable development to broadband connectivity, we’re evaluating what would be most valuable to local teams who are ready to move forward. We hope to announce this next wave of Create WV opportunities in January.

If you have ideas, feel free to post them here or email [email protected].