2023 SOAR Summit set to put the spotlight on Whitley County Oct. 2-4

SOAR Executive Director Colby Hall

Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR) has released details of its 2023 SOAR Summit agenda. The Summit, scheduled for Oct. 2-4, will include activities in both Corbin and Williamsburg, with the bulk of the programming taking place inside the Corbin Arena.

This year’s SOAR Summit, presented by Appalachian Wireless and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), will feature several high-profile guest speakers, including:

• Governor Andy Beshear

• Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY 5th District)

• Dr. Ryan Quarles, Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky

• Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

• JP Blevins (Entrepreneur/Investor)

• Nate Morris, Chairman and CEO of Morris Industries and Founder of Rubicon Technologies, Inc.

• TJ Rayhill, Founder of Bluegrass Crickets

University of the Cumberlands sponsoring ‘TenTalk’ presentations

The agenda for this year’s SOAR Summit features some new programming, including a series of “TenTalk” presentations, which are being sponsored by the University of the Cumberlands. The concept behind TenTalk has been described as “two slides, ten minutes, and a person sharing their passion in a casual and conversational setting.”

SOAR Executive Director Colby Hall, who recently served as special guest speaker at a regular meeting of the Corbin Rotary Club, said of the new TenTalk programming, “These will be rapid-fire, ten-minute sessions where people have applied to talk about a range of issues, from broadband, to workforce development, to economic development, to mental health, to tourism.”

“This will be an opportunity for people to get up and explain why these things matter in Eastern Kentucky,” Hall added.

Pre-Summit activities taking place in Williamsburg

While the 2023 SOAR Summit is being advertised for Oct. 3-4, pre-summit activities will actually get underway on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 2, with a special workshop inside the Williamsburg Tourism and Convention Center. The workshop, which is being presented by the Kentucky League of Cities, is scheduled to run from 2-5 p.m. and will focus on community and regional disaster preparedness. Afterward, an opening reception will be held at the nearby Mint Gaming Hall – Cumberland.

Both the pre-summit workshop and opening reception are additional ticketed events, costing $25. Seating is limited.

Students being offered free admission to Summit thanks to Forcht Group

During his recent speech to the Corbin Rotary Club, Hall stressed the importance of getting students involved in this year’s SOAR Summit. Luckily for them, admission to the event will be completely free of charge thanks to a sponsorship by the Forcht Group of Kentucky.

“This offer is for any high school or college student,” Hall explained. “The Forcht Group has presented us with a sponsorship to cover the cost of student registrations, so we are hoping to see a large group of them take advantage of the opportunity.”

Hall mentioned that between 300-400 students attended last year’s Summit in Pikeville, and he would like to see at least that many, if not more, show up for programming at the Corbin Arena in October.

Any students registering for the 2023 SOAR Summit online at www.soar-ky.org should use the promo code STUDENT. Hall instructed anyone planning to bring larger groups of students to the Summit to contact him directly at colby.hall@soar-ky.org.

Hall also mentioned a special speed pitch competition specifically for students, saying, “If a high school or a college student is interested in pitching a business idea, we are going to give them an opportunity to do that. They can get up on stage, pitch for a couple of minutes, and then we are going to award some cash prizes.”

“There will be no strings attached with the prize money,” Hall added. “We just want to help students make their ideas a reality.”

Students interested in learning more about the speed pitch competition should visit SOAR online for additional details.

More about SOAR, how to attend Summit

Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. is a regional, non-partisan, non-profit organization that champions local projects, programs, and advocacy for the 54 ARC-mandated counties in Eastern Kentucky. Its primary mandate is to fill the economic gaps left by the decline of the coal industry. Its task is to rally communities to aid in achieving this goal for the good of all.

Those interested in attending the 2023 SOAR Summit can pre-register now at www.soar-ky.org. By using the promo code INVITE applicants can receive a discount on the cost of admission to the upcoming two-day event on Oct. 3-4.