The Tech Jobs Tour made a stop in Charleston Tuesday to help connect the booming technology sector with workers from all backgrounds. But the conversation inevitably shifted to how the Mountain State can adapt in the face of the declining coal economy.
"The hardest lift for us has been in economic development," said Kris Mallory of Reconnecting McDowell, an organization which focuses on educational improvement in McDowell County. "The reason for that is their identity is deep-seated in coal. What they see as potential has not really changed in a quarter of a century."
Tuesday afternoon at BridgeValley Community and Technical College, Tech Job Tour officials held forums focusing on the future of jobs in West Virginia and the rest of the country, along with mentoring sessions and a Charleston city tour.
The Tech Jobs Tour is aiming to stop in 50 cities total this year, helping local companies find the best area talent and explore ways to drive innovation in their communities.
In West Virginia, spurring innovation often means answering the million-dollar question of how the state can or should diversify its economy. First things first, the state needs widespread broadband access, according to Kara Swisher, cofounder of Recode. Swisher said companies will locate elsewhere if there isn't easy high-speed broadband access.
"You cannot have that," Swisher said of the state's broadband availability, which a Federal Communications Commission report ranked 48th in the country. "If you want to be a third-world country, go right ahead. You better push your politicians to pay for broadband infrastructure fast, because Virginia is doing it, and they'll just take all your jobs."
Patrick Farrell said the tech economy could help West Virginia by providing more opportunities for low-income communities.
"It should be, 'If you can do the job, you can have the job,' " Farrell said. "But because of a number of circumstances, people here haven't had the opportunity."
Mallory said there is a portion of Southern West Virginia's population cautious of changing economically, and asked for Tech Jobs Tour to continue making stops in and assisting West Virginia. He said there are a lack of certified technicians able to teach McDowell County students about coding, software development and other tech-focused fields, which would make it more difficult to compete in a tech-driven economy.
"What we would like to see is McDowell become the new Silicon Valley for West Virginia, because right now all of our tech comes from the Morgantown area and the Panhandles," Mallory said. "We would love for McDowell to not be known for coal, but to be known for tech."
Reach Max Garland at max.garland@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @MaxGarlandTypes on Twitter.