Creating Innovation Capacity in Traditional, Rural Places May 6, 2015 Jeff James

Innovation drives everything.

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” George Lois

The Logic 1.We live in a global innovation-based economy 2.The fuel of innovation is educated, skilled, creative talent 3.Creative talent is mobile and connected 4.Innovative, high quality places attract, develop and retain creative talent 5.To prosper in the Innovation Economy, we must build creative communities 6.Prosperity leads to improved health and quality of life 4

Glenville, Gilmer Count, West Virginia

Do Creativity and Innovation Matter? Happier People?Better Communities?

Source: The Atlantic, March % of college graduates go on to do creative work Creative Jobs in the Innovation Economy

Diversity and Inclusion Talent/Education TechnologyQuality of Place Building Creative Talent Requires Excellent Creative Magnets and Generators

Innovation and Creativity Hot Spots WVU/Morgantown WVHTCF/I-79 Elkins/D&E Buckhannon/Wesleyan Berkeley Springs Shepherdstown/ Shepherd U. Fayetteville/NRG Lewisburg Create Huntington/ Marshall Univ Princeton/ Mercer County Thomas/Davis Wheeling/West Lib Bethany College/ John Marshall H.S.

Potential New Hot Spots WVU/Morgantown WVHTCF/I-79 Elkins/D&E Buckhannon/Wesleyan Berkeley Springs Shepherdstown/ Shepherd U. Fayetteville/NRG Lewisburg Create Huntington/ Marshall Univ Princeton/ Mercer County Thomas/Davis Marlinton/Snowshoe Richwood Beckley Charleston/ UC/WV State Hatfield-McCoy Region Glenville Point Pleasant Hinton/Athens/ Concord Univ Spencer New Martinsville/ Sistersville Parkersburg Wheeling/West Lib Bethany College Moundsville

Potential New Hot Spots WVU/Morgantown WVHTCF/I-79 Elkins/D&E Buckhannon/Wesleyan Berkeley Springs Shepherdstown/ Shepherd U. Fayetteville/NRG Lewisburg Create Huntington/ Marshall Univ Princeton/ Mercer County Thomas/Davis Marlinton/Snowshoe Richwood Beckley Charleston/ UC/WV State Hatfield-McCoy Region Glenville Point Pleasant Hinton/Athens/ Concord Univ Spencer New Martinsville/ Sistersville Parkersburg Wheeling/West Lib Bethany College Moundsville Pittsburgh Wash DC/ Baltimore Roanoke/ Blacksburg

What Counts as “Innovation”?

What Makes a Person Creative? Sources: Creativity Research Journal 2013; Scott Barry Kaufman blog - Scientific American Temperament? Divergent Thinking?

What Makes a Person Creative? Sources: Creativity Research Journal 2013; Scott Barry Kaufman blog - Scientific American Inputs: Experiences Information Briskness Endurance Activity Outputs: Visions Questions Attempts Feedback Negative/Positive Reinforcement

To Make a Creative Person: Frequent, diverse inputs: experiences, information Exercises that develop briskness, endurance, activity Feedback on outputs that provides positive new inputs: encouragement, suggestions, “what if’s”, etc.

Helping or Hurting?

What is a Creative Community? A community that facilitates inputs, exercises and feedback that produce creative people and creative groups.

How to Build a Creative Community? Inputs (Experiences & Information) Exercises (Briskness, Endurance, Activity) Feedback (Analysis & Positive Reinforcement) Home (family)Kits (Parents, teachers)Showcase Areas Daycare & SchoolInternshipsAwards Playground & ParkIdea TeamsCeremonies & Certificates Shopping AreasContests/ChallengesReviews Fairs & Events Town Signs Mentors Houses of Worship Team UniformsBadges Libraries Town Planning Locker Meetings Business Plans Book bag Hangouts Storefront NewspaperProject Assignments Business card Web Sites & Apps

Systemic Creativity Educational Systems Cultural Institutions Academic & Research Systems

U.S.’s Most Creative Cities San Francisco Boston Nashville Austin New York Portland Los Angeles Seattle Detroit Oakland Forbes.com, 7/15/14 America’s Most Creative Cities

Urban Advantages? Role Models and Mentors Diversity of People, Ideas, Experiences Risk Tolerance (Inputs, Exercises, Feedback)

Innovation Loves Company

Can WV Do This? New Heroes PeopleLynk Patient relationship management solution launched in Charleston 2010 by WV native Moved to Fort Myers, FL, 2012 due to talent recruitment and investment obstacles in WV Sold to Greenway for millions March 2014 PracticeLink Physician job recruitment web site started in Hinton, WV, by WV native 50+ jobs created Contemporary American Theater Festival Nationally-recognized theater festival launched 1991 in Shepherdstown To date has produced 95+ plays by 69 American Authors, including 34 world premieres SustainU Successful Morgantown-based startup apparel manufacturer using recycled fabrics Founded by WV native Chris Yura MedExpress Leading quick-care healthcare chain HQ in Morgantown, WV Founded by Lewisburg, WV native Frank Alderman

About Create WV Mission – Build creative communities for the innovation economy growth to empower West Virginians at a local level to place themselves among the most innovative, dynamic, prosperous, creative communities in the world. Launched publicly June 2007 (createwv.org) Incubated from Vision Shared’s Creative Communities team (visionshared.com) Independent organization as of Spring 2011 Board members “Here a diverse community of West Virginians comes together to create a West Virginia that thrives on innovation, artistic vision, connectivity, diversity, entrepreneurship, technology and growth.” In short – a West Virginia for the New Economy. Jeff James, CEO, Mythology (President) CJ Rylands, CEO, CJ Maggie’s Restaurants Bob Coffield, Member, Flaherty, Sensabaugh and Bonnasso Carrie White, Director, West Liberty University Entrepreneurship Center Sarah Halstead, WV State University, DigiSo Nesha Sanghavi, CEO, University Girls Apparel

Progress to Date Seven statewide conferences – Over 2,100 trained 25+ community workshops Innovation economy/creative community activity in 10+ communities – Create Huntington, Create Buckhannon, Create Fayetteville, Princeton Renaissance, others Incubator pilot – Digiso program with WV State University Econ Dev Center

Conferences

WVSU EDC - DigiSo

Five-Year Plan To-Do’s CategoryInitiative/Program(s) EntrepreneurshipStartup Camps/Academies High-Growth Innovator Fund Entrepreneurship Community Hub (Digiso Centers) PlaceNew Appalachia Design Standard Certified Creative Communities EducationInnovation Camps (Teachers, Students, Parents) Innovation Academy H.S. (Online + Physical) Innovation Internship Program TechnologyCommunity Connectivity Pilots (Broadband innovation) DiversityNew Appalachia Cultural Program – Curriculum & Events

Come Visit Us!

Is it working?

North Central WV Tech Industry

Rural Innovation – Hatfield-McCoy Region, WV

Rural Innovation – Fayetteville, WV

Rural Innovation – Alderson, WV

Rural Innovation – Fayetteville, WV

Female Entrepreneurs

Rural Innovation Takeaways Map and build your Input-Exercise- Feedback engine Get young people involved 10x more Build creative communities in creative regions Jump start ideas and excitement with creative invasions Tap into ex-patriate networks Leverage academic and cultural institutions

Thank you! “Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” Jeff James twitter.com/createwv createwv.org