I was honored to be the invited speaker at this week’s Rotary Club of Wheeling meeting to discuss the Create WV initiative. Some fantastic people in Wheeling. [Quick aside: What is the equivalent of the Rotary Club for young people? Aren’t organizations like that a critical part of developing the next generation of leaders?]

Before speaking to a local group, I always like to wander around a city and get a feel for it. Wheeling is one West Virginia city that I had not been privileged to visit before.

What struck me as I wandered the relatively quiet streets at night was how compelling the historic architecture seemed, how the waterfront had so much appeal, and how the underlying foundation of the city seemed full of potential. Wheeling has many of the recommended assets to build a thriving New Economy: several colleges and universities (Bethany College, Wheeling Jesuit, West Liberty State, a high quality community college), a very cool Artisans Center, the Oglebay Institute museums and much more. I was frankly surprised about how much Wheeling had going for it.

But walking the streets on a Monday evening, you could not escape the reality that Wheeling’s better days had past by. The area has lost thousands of citizens over the past few decades, and it has not replaced its former industrial job base with information or creative-based industries (although there have been some promising developments in this area). Some of the most architecturally interesting buildings sit empty and in disrepair. There is even concern about the future of the venerable Capitol Music Hall, an amazing historic building if there ever was one.

createwv.typepad.com

Is Wheeling’s glory tied to the past? What is missing in Wheeling that would keep it from transitioning as a leader in the Conceptual Age?

For what it’s worth, my opinion is that the only thing missing from catapulting Wheeling into a thriving New Economy community is a well-organized, creative revolution lead by some young and/or innovative people willing to take some visionary risks. My prediction is that it’s going to happen, and Wheeling will begin to grow again in the near future.