Tyson Compton: Cabell County, Huntington poised for growth, progress

I was drawn today to a clipping that has been hanging on my office wall at home for several years. It is from this very paper and was written by Ram Uppal, a retired political science professor and university dean. The second paragraph begins, "All of mankind's progress has occurred because an idea was imagined and visualized by someone... There is no limit beyond which a motivated, creative person can go."

As I write this, I'm just beginning my fourth week as head of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, or as I sometimes like to think of it, the Community & Visitors Bureau. If what Dr. Uppal says is true, and I believe it to be, our community is positioned for a level of progress that will redefine who we are and position us for a dramatic move into the double digit years of 2000.

In only three weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting just some of our citizens who are contributing to the imagination and visualization process for Huntington and Cabell County. And as they work with these ideas to integrate them into the fabric of our community, I see that none of them has set any limits.

As I first began discussions about this position, I met a board of directors that is very determined to lead our CVB in a direction of unity and active participation in economic development. Led by our board chairman, Audy Perry, they have gone out of their way to introduce me to the community and the community to me.

I met a staff full of enthusiasm and willingness to commit to a new direction. I met many of Huntington's City Council members and saw how they plan to work for positive growth on behalf of their constituents. I met Tom Bell, who will be a driving force behind economic expansion, and Mayor Wolfe, whose commanding presence and respect for his office have us anxious to see where his leadership will take us.

I met our County Commissioners, Mayor Turman of Barboursville and their council members. They gave me a fresh perspective of the entire county and let me know that they're ready for the 14,000 guests arriving in July for the Soccer Tournament.

In Charleston, I met with State Sens. Bob Plymale and Evan Jenkins and had the pleasure of speaking with many of our delegates, including Doug Reynolds, Kelli Sobonya, Carol Miller, Kevin Craig, Dale Stephens and Jim Morgan. All of these individuals impressed me, not just with their knowledge of the issues affecting our area, but their attention to the details involved in working on those issues.

I met members of the Create Huntington team, such as Byron and Lynn Clercx, Tom and Stacy McChesney, Phoebe Randolph, and many others who impressed me dramatically with their energy, commitment and ideas for moving us into a new creative realm of progress.

Through the Heritage Farm Leadership Forum, I met a most impressive group of individuals, including Art Weisberg, Ed Dawson, Amy Howat, Clarence Martin, Jan Fox, Sarah Denman, Brandy Roisman and Tony Szwilski, who are looking at innovative ways to address technology and tourism issues.

And at a Chat 'n Chew session I met Will, a young student at Marshall University who gave me insight from the college student viewpoint. But what impressed me was that this young man, and there are others like him, showed up not to complain but to participate because he felt this was a forum that was action based and not just a venue to simply float ideas. At this same session was MU Associate Professor Brian Hoey, a cultural anthropologist who offered a unique perspective on our area and its potential for growth.

These are just a few of the people I've met in three weeks. And I've had the distinct pleasure of speaking with many others, all of whom are committed to making this a great place to live and work. But there are many more. I begin my second month here anxious to meet the next round of folks leading us along this path of progress. And, this is just my list. You probably recognize most of these names, and you have names of your own to add. The point is to identify them, support them and join them as you can. A phenomenal wave of energy is in motion and it brings to you several options. You can step out of that wave and let it ride by without you, you can ride it out and just accept what is left in its wake, or together we can ride it up to swells of success such as we've never seen.

Tyson Compton is president of the Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau.