It’s fascinating to think of the many industry leaders who hail from West Virginia and have risen to the ranks of CEO. John Chambers of Cisco Systems is the reigning example, leading one of the most influential companies of the Internet Age. Of course, we hope over time more of those folks are able to start or lead their companies here in West Virginia, but we remain proud of the talent this state has produced and shared with the world.

One of the most recent tech-industry CEO’s to arise from West Virginia is Brad Smith, the new leader of Intuit (maker of the best-selling Quicken financial software). Smith is a Kenova, WV, native and will be the featured keynote speaker at the Charleston Area Alliance’s Annual Celebration.

Tickets remain, so we hope whether you are a Kanawha Valley resident or just an interested West Virginian who would like to learn about the future of technology, financial services and managing talented workforces, you will attend. Register today on the Alliance web site.

During the Q&A time, we’d love to hear Brad share how he thinks West Virginia could produce more home-grown entrepreneurs. And we can’t help but think about the possibilities of harnessing the talent, expertise and financial resources of our famous native CEO’s who have conquered the world to help spark real entrepreneurial activity in West Virginia.