Charleston • Parkersburg • Ripley
“ The way to dig out from the holes we find ourselves in as West Virginians is to stop whining and complaining , doggedly pursue solutions to problems and focus on the mission at hand , which is to unlock the full potential of this state ,” says Dennison . “ There is no white knight coming to save us . We can ’ t just hope for or beg a 1,000-job employer to pick us . We must do this work ourselves , from the bottom up . We are proof of what can be done , even in some of the most difficult parts of our state and , frankly , our country .”
Despite the weekly calls from public officials seeking to bring Coalfield Development Corporation ’ s model to their communities , Dennison is confident the company can maintain its fundamental approach to economic development : one person , one empty building , one reclaimed mine and one business at a time .
“ What excites me more than doing that is us building the capacity of local organizations to replicate our model themselves ,” he says . “ I don ’ t want Coalfield to ever become a big , bureaucratic blob . This is not about empire building . This is about collaboratively rebuilding the Appalachian economy from the ground up and doing so in a way that lasts well past my life . An enterprise that ’ s created and owned and cultivated by local people who love their place and are deeply committed to it will be far more effective and sustainable than one huge organization planting its flag all over a region .”
In the future , Dennison hopes to expand Coalfield Development Corporation ’ s social enterprises to transportation , logistics , auto mechanics and technology .
“ West Virginia is one of the most interesting and beautiful places on earth . I really mean that . I ’ ve had the privilege of traveling to Europe , Nepal , Botswana and 47 U . S . states , and I can honestly say I ’ ve never found another place more interesting than West Virginia ,” says Dennison . “ These other places were all inspiring and fascinating and enriching , but they never surpassed West Virginia . We don ’ t want to just suburbanize and become like so many other boring places . There ’ s a quirkiness and a realness here that we need to keep .” •
Booth Goodwin , Former U . S . Attorney | Tom Goodwin , Founding Partner | Carrie Goodwin Fenwick , Co-Managing Partner
When you need a lawyer , you need
For more than 45 years , Goodwin & Goodwin , LLP has served West Virginia , and for most of that time , we ’ ve had about 20 lawyers . That ’ s why we ’ re often known as the smallest big firm in the state . Because of our size , we ’ re small enough to give you the personal service you deserve but big enough to handle the legal problems you have .
The partners at Goodwin & Goodwin are pleased to announce that Carrie Goodwin Fenwick has been named co-managing partner and Booth Goodwin has rejoined the firm after his tenure as the U . S . Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia .
Call us at 304-346-7000 or visit goodwingoodwin . com .
Responsible Attorney : Booth Goodwin , 300 Summers Street , 15th Floor , Charleston , WV 25301
Charleston • Parkersburg • Ripley
WWW . WVEXECUTIVE . COM SUMMER 2017 79