GREENBRIER COUNTY, W.Va. — “Grateful” was how the mayor of Lewisburg said she was feeling about her Greenbrier County city’s selection as one of three initial participants in a new West Virginia remote worker recruitment program.
“Lewisburg’s unique as a small town and we have so many outdoor activities around us that it makes us positioned well to invite remote workers here,” said Mayor Beverly White.
Chosen with Lewisburg for West Virginia University’s Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative were Morgantown and Shepherdstown.
Brad Smith, an Intuit executive and Kenova native, and his wife, Alys, gifted $25 million for it.
“I was impressed by them that they are willing to take a chance on West Virginia and the small towns that they’ve chosen to do this program,” said White.
Included is a focus on out-of-state workers with flexibility to work anywhere and interests in innovation and entrepreneurship along with the outdoors.
Going forward, the collaborative, in coordination with the state, will be bringing in experts for teams to support cities with both marketing to and working with incoming remote workers, new state transplants.
Initial participation was determined by a community’s current readiness to launch a remote worker program which was to include a competitive application process.
More information about remote work programs in West Virginia was available at wvremotework.com.
Eventually, the Smiths have said they would like the program to be available in all 55 counties.
“I think West Virginia’s very well-positioned for remote workers to come,” said Mayor White.
“I think during the pandemic more people saw West Virginia for the beauty that it has and I’m looking forward to seeing how this all plays out (in the future).”