By Andrea Lannom
Register-Herald Reporter
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One group says it wants to put the “mojo” back in Beckley by cultivating and engaging young talent in the area. Generation Beckley aims to attract and retain professionals ages 21 to 45 by providing access to business networking while also getting members active in the community.
On Friday, Generation West Virginia adopted Generation Beckley into its statewide network of regional young talent. Founded in 2007, Generation West Virginia is a statewide consortium of young talent.
GWV, which has a dozen chapters throughout the state, will be a resource for Generation Beckley by providing best practices, materials and programs, collaborating on research and providing advocacy.
Paul Daugherty, chair of GWV, said he is happy to welcome Generation Beckley to the network.
“It’s fantastic to see these young leaders in Beckley wanting to contribute to their community and take an active role,” he said. “This speaks well of the community.”
Daugherty said the group will make West Virginia a “star” for focus of young talent.
“We want to make the community more responsive to young talent,” he said. “We want West Virginia to be a place for work, play and young leadership.”
Sponsored by the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, Generation Beckley has had high interest, members say. Joe Guffy, information coordinator for Generation Beckley, said there have been five meetings since April to generate interest, and already, there are 50 people to whom the group will send applications.
“The interest right now is really high,” Guffy said. “The thing is, these young professionals are moving into the area and looking for a chance to network. With this, you can be a part of an organization where it’s a group of your peers. You can get leads for your business and also take charge of community projects.”
Jeremy Miller, chair of Generation Beckley, said the group has worked for a while to get within GWV’s network. Miller said the group aims to retain young talent and to bring back the “fun factor.”
“Those who are growing up in environments like Huntington or Morgantown are used to a certain way of living, and we’re looking to bring a sort of coolness aspect back to Beckley,” he said
The group is looking toward many projects, such as participating in Mac’s Toy Fund along with consideration for events like tailgating for high school football games.
“We’re trying to get with established events to lift them up,” he said. “There’s a certain fun factor to it and we’re looking at bringing that back.”
— E-mail: alannom@register-herald.com
