Over 30 people from across Eastern Kentucky met at the Hindman Settlement School on February 28th for a Co-Learning Workshop focused on reaping the benefits of business opportunities in outdoor recreation and the experience economy. The workshop was organized by the Energizing Entrepreneurial Communities (E2C) Initiative. Participants represented numerous counties across the eastern Kentucky region including Carter, Clay, Floyd, Jackson, Johnson, Leslie, Letcher and Perry Counties.
The day-long workshop interspersed presentations on different business aspects of outdoor recreation with breakout discussions where participants could think about how to apply what they had learned to their own communities.
Dr. James Maples of Eastern Kentucky University shared about the power of economic impact reports in changing people’s minds about how much people spend on outdoor experiences and informing communities on the values and desires of its visitors. Maples coauthored a 2016 economic impact study of climbers in Kentucky’s Red River George. The report illuminated that the Gorge attracts an estimated 7,500 unique climbers each year who annually contribute $3.6 million to the regional economy. Furthermore, the study contradicted prevalent local stereotypes of climbers as unemployed and uneducated, instead showing that the typical climber who visits the area is highly educated and prefers locally owned businesses.
Abby Huggins of Hindman Settlement School shared about a new website, East Kentucky Food & Dance Trail, that maps significant food and dance venues in eastern Kentucky. The website is a concept modeled off of the successful Crooked Road in Southwest Virginia and the Mountain Dance Trail in West Virginia. Huggins highlighted the dual purpose of East Kentucky Food & Dance Trails– to both share local culture with visitors and to preserve and share these assets for the region’s own residents.
Using data to inform decision making, social media use, lodging and hospitality, and supporting entrepreneurs were other topics covered by representatives of MACED, Kentucky Highlands, We Make Things Happen, and the Entrepreneurship for the Public Good. Participants, including Max Hammond of Olive Hill, Kentucky, appreciated the resources gathered through the day. Hammond stressed the importance implementing some of the new strategies collected at the workshop, calling for a “bias for action.”
E2 Communities is a collaborative project between the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky and the Brushy Fork Institute at Berea College, and is funded by an Appalachian Regional POWER grant. E2 Communities is a framework developed by the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in North Carolina and is also being used in Southeastern Ohio and West Virginia.
