MORGANTOWN – “At its core, entrepreneurship is about courage,” West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner said Tuesday, addressing the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Annual Conference at the Morgantown Marriott.
“It’s about people who see opportunity where others see obstacles. It’s about taking risks, solving problems and building something that didn’t exist before,” he continued. “West Virginians understand that spirit better than most. Our history is defined by resilience, ingenuity and a willingness to do hard things the right way.”
For too long, however, would-be entrepreneurs brought inspiration and resolve, and government largely responded with red tape and delays.
Warner said he believes those days are coming to an end, at least at the state level, with the governor’s signature on Senate Bill 878 creating the West Virginia Office of Entrepreneurship.
It’s the eighth such state office in the country, but unique in one critical aspect, according to Warner.
“West Virginia is now home to the first office of entrepreneurship in the nation that operates under the direct leadership and responsibility of a statewide elected office holder. That distinction matters. It means entrepreneurial support from the West Virginia government isn’t an afterthought. It isn’t buried in bureaucracy. It isn’t scattered across agencies,” he said. “The West Virginia Office of Entrepreneurship is elevated, visible and accountable at the highest levels of state government.”
Housed within the WV Secretary of State’s Office effective July 1, Warner said the mission is not complicated – “identify barriers that slow progress, and coordinate solutions among public agencies as well as private entrepreneurial support organizations without duplicating services already provided.”
Tuesday’s conference represented part of day two of the fifth annual Bridging Innovation Week, touted as a catalyst for economic growth and creative collaboration across the state.
Wednesday marks Competition Day, with some of the state’s most promising startups and small businesses ready to make their pitch for funding and support at the Met Theatre.
The weeklong event is hosted by the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and was organized locally in collaboration with the Morgantown Area Partnership, the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau, and WVU.
The Partnership President and CEO Russ Rogerson said hosting the event in Morgantown was a “no-brainer,” pointing to Mylan Pharmaceuticals as an example of a business that started in a garage and grew to a global brand in the University City before moving on.
“Not every one of you are going to be that big, but that’s okay, because starting your own business, coming up with new technology, new ideas, and ways to introduce these into the business world, growing jobs and investment, really makes your communities better,” Rogerson said. “To see this spread across the state and thrive in every nook and cranny of West Virginia is really what it’s all about. If we can grow our own, then we’re much more sustainable and our future looks bright.”
