The Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center was bustling with enterprising West Virginians this Wednesday, as hundreds of business leaders, local officials, entrepreneurs, and professionals attended the Future Forward Business Summit and the Meet the Candidates Forum, hosted by the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce.
President and CEO of the BRCC, Michelle Rotellini, said the event helps facilitate the exchange of invaluable information for the Chamber’s over 500 member businesses:
“It’s a great opportunity to bring leaders and elected officials from across the state together to really inform our community about what’s happening in the way of economic development, tourism, and health care.”
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner said the summit is a worthwhile trip every year, and gave this year’s event full marks:
“Oh, it’s got to be A-plus again. And I’m basing that off of past year’s events, where I’ve been able to be here and participate. And there’s nothing like it anywhere in Southern West Virginia. To be able to come out and do it, it rivals the state business summit, that occurs in August each year at the Greenbrier.”
The summit was brimming with networking opportunities and inspiring speakers, and it also celebrated the accomplishments of local businesses. Rotellini was glad to share that this year’s event was able to welcome more than just businesses:
“This is part of our advocacy efforts for our businesses to bring these leaders together so that they have access to the information they want to hear about. Thanks to all of our wonderful sponsors, we were able to open this up to the full community so residents can also come and get the same information that our businesses are getting.”
If you couldn’t make it to the summit, you can find information about it, including recordings of the speaker sessions, at futureforward.com.
