LINDSAY, JJN MULTIMEDIA:
Welcome to CouncilCast, a podcast from Coalfield Development, where we highlight moments from our monthly gathering, Coalfield Council Day. It's a time for reflection, team building, and celebrating the personal and professional developments of our Crew Members.

This is Season Two Episode Two, highlighting our Council Day event on Friday, February 24, 2023.

This Council Day, the Coalfield Development crew traveled to Charleston for a daylong assembly at the State Capitol, just as we did last winter. Over the course of the event, we met with state legislators, toured the Capitol building and the Culture Center, received recognition from our state Senate, and hosted meaningful discussions about our goals for the year.

CEO Brandon Dennison started with a brief welcome message.

BRANDON DENNISON
Welcome to Coalfield Council day. It's a unique one. We thought this would be a good chance to lean into our citizenship theme, to learn a little bit about our state government and to hopefully feel empowered as citizens to understand our system and how it works, or doesn't work sometimes, and how to become more a part of it.

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Communications Director Ashley Stinnett kicked off the first event by introducing several state representatives, including: Delegate Evan Worrell of Cabell County, Senator Mark Maynard of Wayne County, and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Each speaker took a few moments to talk with our crew and answer questions, starting with Delegate Worrell.

EVAN WORRELL
When I look at things from a workforce development standpoint, we're looking at every type of avenue to get people in the workforce quicker career ready made level jobs, you know, we can raise families on you can you know, live in West Virginia and raise and raise a good family on a good paying job. So I'm really excited about the opportunities that have been developed with the Coalfield community, and I just look forward to the good things [ahead], and I wanted you all to know that I'm here for you all.

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Senator Mark Maynard said Wayne County was very fortunate to be part of Coalfield’s revitalization efforts like the Fort Gay project. Since September 2021, the Revitalize team has worked to restore the old Fort Gay High School into a space for community activities and town offices, as well as apartments on the second floor.

MARK MAYNARD
In the legislature, we all come from different walks of life, and we all bring a little bit of a different outlook on things. And I'm proud to represent my district, you know, I call myself a hard worker. I don't care to get my hands dirty. I love what you all do by rethinking how we can repurpose. I'm all about being conservative with what we've got. And you know, many people would take that, that high school and mow it down and build a $25 million facility. But you know, to me, that's a waste of resources. And what you're all doing in the whole district, I really appreciate.

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Delegate Mark Ross of Wayne County, who is serving his first term in office, said he hopes projects like the Fort Gay revitalization project inspire more growth and development in the future.

MARK ROSS
I have a strong connection with for gay. I owned a farm there for a long, long time. My son is actually the assistant principal there Fort Gay Schools. Just want you to know that I support the issues that we're all facing West Virginians are facing with economic development stuff. And I think there's a real opportunity in Wayne County, to some of the things that's going on that we can move to the front.

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Next, the crew heard from Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who spoke about West Virginia’s significance throughout our nation’s history.

PATRICK MORRISEY
I couldn't think of a better place to be than Friday morning to talk about economic development in Appalachia. And one of the first things I think about, and one of the premises that I focus on when we talk about economic development, is that coal communities have served as the backbone of our state for many, many generations. And there's so much that West Virginia has done to contribute to the development of our state. And also, it's really fueled the growth of our nation. I'm really grateful for what you're doing, because we know that economic development and attacking poverty in our state is so central to our future. We need more of that here in West Virginia.

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Following our guests, Brandon concluded the morning’s conversation with a nod to our 2023 work theme, LISTENING, an acronym that stands for Leaning Into Sustainable Transformations Energizing New Innovation and New Growth. Though our personal values and alignments may differ from others we encountered throughout the day, we all have the ability to listen to others without judgment.

BRANDON DENNISON
We're always going to encourage you to take everything you hear from either side with a grain of salt to research all the different angles of the issue. But it's a privilege to get to hear directly from elected officials in their own words, what they're working on, and what they think and what their opinions are. The purpose is not to indoctrinate you or have you agree or disagree is to give you exposure and a chance to hear it. And then we have to become good citizens. And we have to process that. And we have to consider that we have to compare that to other points of view. And we have to make decisions as citizens and that's a heavy responsibility.

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Following our morning meetings, our crew participated in a guided tour of the Capitol building, where Grace Welch, Capitol Tour Guide, led us through the rotunda, to the Governor’s Office, and to the House and Senate chambers. Near the Governor’s Office, we learned about each Capitol building that came before the current. Grace shared the story about one of the Capitol buildings located on Capitol Street and its fiery demise.

GRACE WELCH
So here we are back in Charleston back on Capitol Street. This building was an entire city block and had 80 rooms. It was the largest building in Charleston and certainly the largest capital that we had had. Unfortunately, they had so much room, they decided to store 350,000 rounds of ammunition, powder, dynamite, and two truckloads of guns in the confines of the building that they had confiscated from the coal mining wars, the Blair Mountain insurrection as a matter of fact. So, that worked out fine until January 3, 1921 When the electrical fire broke out after it hit that section, the building blew up and it burned for three days, burned absolutely to the ground.

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Grace said the next Capitol building, which was built with materials similar to particle board, also burned down. These experiences, she said, convinced the state to rebuild with quality materials that could withstand the test of time.

GRACE WELCH
Three years later, they decided to have it something that would genuinely last. They hired Cass Gilbert from Zanesville, Ohio with offices in New York to start construction of this building in 1924. Three years into the construction of this building, the temporary capital burned down on March 2 1927. In a half an hour, to no one's surprise, making us marble-happy and fire-shy. Here we are today.

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Max Nibert, a WRAPS trainee, said although he’d spent time in the Capitol, this was his first time touring the building.

MAX NIBERT
I've been here, but I've never done the tour. And it was really cool to actually get like all the specifications on you know, how much marble is here, how much gold is here? How much everything weighs and how old it is, is like, this is a building where history is made. So I think history is a really important part of it.

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When he was in middle school, Max said he had worked as a page in the House of Delegates. He said he remembered delivering coffee and certain documents at the request of legislators during the session.

MAX NIBERT
I was on the delegates when I did the page thing. I had never been in the Senate chambers. And they're so small and so intimate just because there are so few senators compared to delegates like in our bicameral system, but yeah, it was really small but it was also very intimate and it just seemed like there would be very clear communication there. And it was super nice.

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After our tour concluded, we made our way to the Senate galleries to observe the session. During introductions, Senator Mark Maynard, of Wayne, honored Coalfield and our crew from the Senate floor.

MARK MAYNARD
I would like to thank Coalfield Development for being here today. They do a great job in my district, revitalizing areas and revitalizing the workforce. So if you see your cool field development guys in the hallway, please, please talk to them. Please join me in making them feel welcome.

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After breaking for lunch, we reconvened to host our monthly Council Hour, where we discussed the day’s events, shared updates, and celebrated each other’s personal and professional victories. Kelli welcomed two new employees Melissa Wall, Programming Coordinator, and Opal Collinsworth, Payroll and Benefits Coordinator, and gave them staff hats. Several other crew members had celebratory news, too. One crew member graduated drug court. Another, Amanda Whitlock, is applying for her graduation at MountWest.

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We also celebrated WRAPS graduates Eric and Christian. Both will stay on as crew members. Kelli Crabtree, Chief Human Development Officer, invited their colleagues to say a few words about each graduate’s growth and development.

Casey McCann, Chief Real Estate Officer, said it was amazing to see Eric’s demeanor change over the last six months.

CASEY MCCANN
I've just seen just a spark in your, in your face and your expressions of how just the opportunities that you know are there that you're latching onto, you're just clutching onto those and just hanging on to that. And especially when in discussion just about the school and the opportunity, just everything that's on your horizon, going back in just the first week of starting the Fort Gay is that, you know, I could just tell just your presence is just so much more in a better place.

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Kelli read a message to Eric from Josiah Hannah, Personal Development Coordinator, since Josiah was unable to attend the event.

KELLI CRABTREE
Eric's courage and humility are the things that come to mind the most when Josiah thinks about this past six months. You have faced scenarios that would easily turn someone's stomach and cause them to become bitter and defeated. This was not what you did, Eric, you clearly showed grace and how you chose to face these challenges.

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Kelli Crabtree read a message from Jacob Hannah, Chief Conservation Officer, who commended Christian’s progress over the last six months.

KELLI CRABTREE
Jacob wanted me to convey that he is very proud of how well you've progressed during your time as a trainee, your kind demeanor, unwavering work ethic, and positive personality has been such a welcome addition to the crew. Jacob is excited to see you take the next step as a crew member and shine as you said, an example of what leadership can look like.

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Since joining Coalfield, Christian said he’s learned lots of new skills, including how to change a track on a mini excavator. Though he tends to be on the shy side, Christian said it was very meaningful to hear so many of his colleagues share kind words about his journey during the graduation ceremony.

CHRISTIAN SEABOLT
It feels so awesome. It was scary going up there. Like I'm not, I'm not good around people. But when people started talking about me, I teared up.

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Christian said he was thrilled to be graduating and continuing his Coalfield career. He said he has many aspirations for this new chapter.

CHRISTIAN SEABOLT
I'm gonna be a crew member and then probably work my way up to a green hat or something bigger. And I'm also going to school for auto technology working on engines and brake pads and stuff like that.

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Kelli also announced that Ethan Chandler, another WRAPS trainee, will be graduating next month. Like Christian and Eric, Ethan has chosen to stay on as a Coalfield crew member. Though it’s only been five months since he joined Coalfield, Ethan said organization has already made a significant impact in his life and reshaped his expectations for the future.

ETHAN CHANDLER
Just to be more established than I am now, to be a little bit more stable. Going long term, you know, I don't know, I just, I think it is, brought me to a place in my life that I can actually foresee a future whereas before, it was different. It's pretty exciting. I could start college and start on my degree that will further go into what I go for after I leave Coalfield.

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Ethan said he’s never encountered a work atmosphere quite like Coalfield’s, and that’s one reason he’s decided to continue on as a crew member.

ETHAN CHANDLER
I don't think you're gonna find a job that is so hands-on. There’s a lot of perks to working here. It's just like a family oriented environment. Whenever they actually interviewed me, he's like, so you can take a little time to, you know, go over in your head if you want to accept or you're stepping down on like I said, it's kind of a no brainer.

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Brandon then read the WRAPS graduation message to conclude the ceremony.

BRANDON DENNISON
Today we honor you, we honor your gumption, your grit, and your grace. During your time as a WRAPS trainee, you've worked hard on projects that improve your community. You have thought deeply about how to care for yourself, but you also know that our deepest joy comes from serving others. When we better care for ourselves, we could better care for others. This is what the Coalfield Development vision actually looks like when it's made more than just a vision: Appalachian places and people unlocking their full potential power and purpose. Congratulations on becoming a WRAPS graduate. In addition to the success of this graduation, we look forward to celebrating many many more to come. Great job.

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Following the graduation ceremony, we hosted Council Hour. During the group discussion, reflected on the day’s events and the importance of being an engaged citizen. Dreama Buck, Professional and Academic Development Coordinator, said it was important to hear a variety of perspectives.

DREAMA BUCK
I think it's also important to listen to people who have different life experiences and viewpoints than we do. Because finding out what someone who is in a different position may think or feel hurt or have experience will definitely influence our beliefs and our opinions and what we want to fight for.

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Before we ventured to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History Museum, Brandon said he hoped that being part of the Coalfield crew made civic engagement more accessible.

BRANDON DENNISON
I hope by being a part of Coalfield, you feel like that's an opportunity to become a more engaged citizen. So, again, voting should be the bare minimum, you know, running for office would be a big commitment, but anybody can do it. There's a bunch of in between organizations you can join issues you can become educated about involved on, but also at Coalfield, we are trying to make it possible for more citizenship to happen, to be educated about the issues to understand what's happening in our local economy.

And what you heard about at the graduation, they're not telling you what to think, not telling you where to work, or how to work, but really hoping that you'll figure that out for yourself and that sense of agency, and empowerment. So this place is intimidating. There are a bunch of confusing rules, but you came here today, you were recognized, you interacted with elected officials. Your opinion does matter. It matters a lot, and the fact that you work in such innovative fields doing such amazing work that inspires the community, it is noticed, and that does affect the conversation. And that helps us be better citizens.

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Following our tour of the museum, Melissa Wall, Programming Coordinator and one of Coalfield’s most recent staff additions, reflected on her experience.

MELISSA WALL
I'm thankful that we have this opportunity here to, you know, just kind of enrich the culture of especially our Appalachian culture. And so it's a wonderful, wonderful place. And I'm glad that our state has something like this to kind of highlight what's so great about West Virginia.

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February’s Council Day was Melissa’s first. She said she’d long been inspired by Coalfield, especially for their revitalization of her alma mater, Fort Gay High School.

MELISSA WALL
Two full weeks today. I love it. I do. I had been following them in the news and things like that through their press releases for probably the last five years or so, and one of their projects that's very dear to my heart is the revitalization of Fort Gay High School because I'm a Fort Gay High School graduate. So that's what really kind of piqued my curiosity the most when I saw what they could do to a small town like my hometown. And so I'm honored and privileged to be part of Coalfield Development now.

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Melissa said she’s thrilled to be part of such an impactful organization, and she’s looking forward to all of the exciting opportunities ahead.

MELISSA WALL
I just really want to promote the vision of Coalfield that, you know, we are rebuilding Appalachia from the ground up. I like seeing my home state and especially the part of the state that I'm from, you know, the Appalachian coalfields. I'm glad to see them getting the attention and the opportunities that Coalfield can bring.

LINDSAY, JJN MULTIMEDIA:
Thanks for listening to CouncilCast, a monthly podcast from Coalfield  Development. This series is hosted and produced by JJN Multimedia. Subscribe to CouncilCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to leave us a review. To support or learn more about our work creating resilient Appalachian communities and helping people unlock their full potential, power, and purpose, find us on social media or visit www dot coalfield hyphen development dot O R G. Thanks for joining us today. We’ll see you next month.