Economic Sector Developers
As we started this journey to what we now describe as a health equity economy, we came to several realizations:
The Pocahontas Coalfield was originally the vision of a private citizen, Jedediah Hotchkiss, who lobbied for nearly 40 years in the 19th Century to make it happen. He relied on science and engineers at universities in the region to make the case for the potential of this coalfield. He had a higher mission of taking the two Virginias away from a plantation economy and toward spreading wealth by making this area more in line with the industrial north. He had a moral compass and it guided him.
Little science or research is done here now beyond mineral wealth and its implications.
Economic development departments in towns, counties, etc. are fixated on attracting in outside corporations or development rather than developing assets already here.
Regional economic development departments at universities are forced to fixate on economic research and development for which they can get large federal grants. They, too, skip assessing and piloting already present and competitive assets.
No matter how much data we presented and how many pilots we run, some folks would never be receptive to our work.
We are in this for the long haul. It takes years to build out economic sectors, and, significant funding.
We have a moral compass for this economy and we understand that people create the economy-- an economy is not just something that happens.
We know that if one kind of economy was built here by committed people at one time, then we also can build an economy.
The Pocahontas Coalfield was originally the vision of a private citizen, Jedediah Hotchkiss, who lobbied for nearly 40 years in the 19th Century to make it happen. He relied on science and engineers at universities in the region to make the case for the potential of this coalfield. He had a higher mission of taking the two Virginias away from a plantation economy and toward spreading wealth by making this area more in line with the industrial north. He had a moral compass and it guided him.
Little science or research is done here now beyond mineral wealth and its implications.
Economic development departments in towns, counties, etc. are fixated on attracting in outside corporations or development rather than developing assets already here.
Regional economic development departments at universities are forced to fixate on economic research and development for which they can get large federal grants. They, too, skip assessing and piloting already present and competitive assets.
No matter how much data we presented and how many pilots we run, some folks would never be receptive to our work.
We are in this for the long haul. It takes years to build out economic sectors, and, significant funding.
We have a moral compass for this economy and we understand that people create the economy-- an economy is not just something that happens.
We know that if one kind of economy was built here by committed people at one time, then we also can build an economy.
