West Virginia Executive Fall 2020 | Page 6

Letter from the

Last year , West Virginia Executive ( WVE ) celebrated 20 years of phenomenal Young Guns , and like those in the past , this year ’ s class did not disappoint .
One of my favorite parts of my job is organizing and completing the annual Young Guns photoshoot . It is no small feat to be able to organize the schedules of all 10 award winners and our world-class photographer , Tracy Toler , with the availability and specifications of the host venue .
The sense of accomplishment we have once the last photo of the three-day photoshoot is taken is fabulous . This year ’ s photoshoot had an extra level of complication due to the coronavirus . As a small business owner , you get used to being flexible and solving problems on the fly , and a socially distant , threeday photoshoot was no different . With the help of this year ’ s venue , the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences , and our understanding Young Guns , we are very pleased with the outcome . While this year ’ s photoshoot included new challenges such as added safety precautions and masks behind the scenes , we had a great time getting to know this year ’ s honorees all the same .
Organizing such a lengthy photoshoot at a place like the Clay Center also gives us a little time to play . Melanie Boyd , our graphic designer , and I took advantage of a little of our free time by climbing the 70-foot-tall Ashton ’ s Climbing Sculpture . We also had fun exploring the My Town exhibit and spending time in the Maier Foundation Performance Hall . We had the chance to see constellations that can be viewed from all over the world in the Caperton Planetarium and Theater .
Despite the challenges , we had a great time producing the Fall 2020 issue of WVE , and we hope you enjoy reading and sharing it with others . •
Kensie Hamilton Fauber Publisher
SCAN HERE TO PURCHASE .
If you don ’ t already own a few reusable cloth masks — or even if you do — consider purchasing some unique designs from one of West Virginia ’ s many vendors like Hoot and Howl in Morgantown , WV .
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE