Cacapon Resort State Park
Phase I opened with five miles of trail. Ten additional miles were awarded and placed under contract, with another 20 miles prepared for bidding.
2025 Smith OEDC Impact Report
Working Draft
Smith OEDC 2025 Impact Report
Letter from Leadership
Advancement Through Collaboration
What a remarkable year 2025 has been for the WVU Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative. As I reflect on the past year, two words continually come to mind: advancement and collaboration. They are the themes that define our work and the partnerships that continue to shape a stronger future for West Virginia.
Our Talent Attraction and Retention team continued to build on the success of Ascend WV in exciting and meaningful ways. From expanding First Ascent through new partnerships, to seeing the Teachers Ascend program make a lasting impact in our schools and communities, to supporting entrepreneurs through WVU’s Vantage Ventures program, each initiative has strengthened our ability to attract and retain talent across the state.
The defining milestone of the year, however, was welcoming the greater Charleston region as Ascend WV’s sixth location through a partnership with the Charleston Area Alliance, the City of Charleston, Kanawha County, and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. This collaboration represents far more than a program expansion. It reflects a shared commitment to investing in people and place. The announcement brought together community leaders, elected officials, partners, and residents to celebrate a simple but powerful belief: when we invest in our communities and the people who call them home, West Virginia thrives.
Our Outdoor Economy, Community, and Infrastructure team also celebrated significant progress as several long-term projects moved from vision to reality. From supporting the completion of Phase I of the Cacapon State Park trail system and helping lay the foundation for Phase II, to advancing the White Sulphur Springs and Morgantown bike parks, developing trail systems on the Davis & Elkins College campus, and completing the Needleseye Trail and Fayetteville Town Park Trail projects, the team has worked tirelessly alongside partners across the state to bring more high-quality trails to communities across West Virginia. Even more exciting, several transformative projects are poised to move forward in the coming year, creating new opportunities for recreation, tourism, and economic growth.
Beyond building trails, our Trails Training and Education team traveled throughout West Virginia to equip volunteer trail groups, community organizations, and public land managers with the knowledge and skills needed to build and maintain sustainable trail systems. Through hands-on education and technical assistance, the team has forged strong partnerships that are laying the foundation for long-term stewardship of the outdoor assets that define our state.
Community development remained another cornerstone of our work. Over the past year, our team advanced eleven projects through the Thriving Communities Program, helping local partners move transformative ideas toward implementation. These initiatives span greenways, rail trails, natural-surface trail systems, and multimodal complete streets projects. Working alongside local leaders, residents, and public officials, the team has provided planning, technical assistance, and strategic guidance to help communities realize their vision for a healthier, more connected future for the places they call home.
Our Outdoor Business and Industry Alliance also made tremendous strides by strengthening relationships with outdoor businesses and the industry across West Virginia while preparing for the inaugural West Virginia Outdoor Economy Summit. Although this work is still in its early stages, the momentum is undeniable. We have established a strong foundation, and I am confident the coming year will bring even greater opportunities to support business and entrepreneurs, grow the outdoor industry, and strengthen the state’s outdoor economy.
These accomplishments represent only a snapshot of the incredible work taking place across West Virginia. As you read this report, I hope you will see not only the projects we have completed, but also the partnerships we have built, the communities we have strengthened, and the shared vision that continues to drive our work forward.
None of this would be possible without the dedication of our exceptional team, the commitment of our partners, the support of the State of West Virginia, and the leadership of West Virginia University. Together, we are demonstrating what can be achieved when people unite around a common purpose. It is an honor to be part of this work, and I look forward to building on this momentum as 2026 looks to be even more promising!
Danny Twilley, PhD
Assistant Vice President, Community and Economic Development
Impact Snapshot
Since 2020
Since 2020, the Collaborative has grown from a bold idea into a statewide platform for outdoor-driven community and economic development.
$80.6M+
In total funding initiated
$48.4M+
In funding secured
$11.8M
In match funding generated
79,500+
Ascend WV applications received
1,161
New West Virginians directly from Talent Attraction and Retention efforts
55
Counties reached through programs and partnerships
2025 Impact
Outdoor Economy, Community and Infrastructure
Across West Virginia, communities are strengthening their connection to the land and leveraging outdoor recreation as a collective asset for economic and social benefit.
In 2025, the community development team supported growth in 15 communities, with notable work across the Mon Forest Towns region and the New River Gorge. This work reflects a statewide approach: helping communities identify their outdoor assets, organize around shared priorities, and move projects from ideas toward implementation.
The collaboration between the community development team and infrastructure team played a significant role in advancing projects across the state, including the White Sulphur Springs Bike Park, Summersville Sports Complex, Elkins Area Shared Trails, and Cacapon State Park. Together, these projects weave a common thread through communities and regions, making West Virginia’s outdoor economy stronger as a whole.
Infrastructure Development and Projects
In 2025, the team continued helping partners move trail, recreation and community infrastructure projects from planning to implementation.
Fayetteville Town Park
The OEDC managed the award and construction of three new mountain bike skills trails.
West Run Woods
The team built or rebuilt more than two miles of trail, completed grant compliance work, trained a student trail crew and coordinated more than 1,800 volunteer hours.
Flegal Reservoir
The OEDC assisted the City of Morgantown with design and quality assurance for a new two-mile trail loop.
Davis & Elkins College
The team managed bidding and construction for two miles of new and rebuilt trail with support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
White Sulphur Springs Bike Park
The OEDC supported bidding and contract award for final design and construction management.
Content check: Confirm final project statuses, official project names and which three or four projects should receive the most prominent treatment.
Thriving Communities Program
The Thriving Communities Program is helping rural communities turn federal resources into actionable transportation and outdoor recreation projects.
Eleven projects spanning nearly one-third of the state’s footprint are being advanced to grow trail-based tourism and improve local and regional connectivity throughout West Virginia. The goal is to connect rural communities with federal resources that advance transportation projects, while helping translate those resources into action.
The OEDC and Mon Forest Towns are helping communities build capacity for future efforts. Community working groups have joined together to pool resources, attract high-quality firms, and move projects forward in a cost-effective way.
Support Provided
- On-the-ground technical support
- Strategic planning and community workshops
- Webinars and trainings
- Partnership development
- Shovel-ready project preparation
2025 Progress
Add: One concise 2025 outcome and the missing eleventh project.
Skills for Stewardship
Trail Training and Education
In 2025, the Trail Training and Education Resource Center fully mobilized its hands-on training program, equipping trail builders, volunteers and land managers with practical skills to care for West Virginia’s trail systems.
13
Trail training workshops delivered
357
Participants
1,684
Volunteer hours contributed
9
Learn and Serve sessions with Adventure WV
Expanded Training Opportunities
The Center offered sawyer training with the U.S. Forest Service, Assessment and Maintenance at the Big Bear Bike Bash, Intro to Rigging with The Nature Conservancy, and a Rock Armor workshop.
2025 Impact
Grants, Research and Capacity Building
Grants, research and capacity-building support help turn community priorities into fundable, actionable projects.
Strategic Funding
In 2025, the Smith OEDC pursued more than $10.4 million through six programmatic proposals while helping communities and partner organizations across West Virginia move their own projects toward funding readiness.
$10.4M
pursued through six proposals
$5.2M
awarded
$3.3M
pending at the time of reporting
$934K
in committed match
Ascend Heroes
$2.165 million for a new Ascend WV initiative designed for military veterans and their families.
Ascend WV Charleston Expansion
$3 million for a five-year partnership supporting the development, launch and operation of the program in the greater Charleston region.
Teachers Ascend V2
$2.549 million requested to scale the pilot connecting early-career teachers with mentors and community.
Campus to Career Internship Pipeline
$785,151 requested for a statewide effort connecting college students with in-demand employers.
Update before publication: Confirm every proposal status and add partner funding pursued and secured with OEDC assistance.
Outdoor Nonprofit Hub
The Outdoor Nonprofit Hub strengthens the organizations that make outdoor recreation possible in communities across West Virginia. In 2025, the OEDC delivered capacity-building services to 15 communities and had touchpoints with a dozen more.
15
communities received capacity-building services
12+
additional community touchpoints
3
organizations supported with direct technical-assistance dollars
Strategic Planning
Support for defining priorities, roles and next steps.
Volunteer Systems
Tools for recruitment, retention, training and coordination.
Funding Readiness
Support for finding opportunities and preparing stronger applications.
Organizational Capacity
Technical assistance to help outdoor nonprofits grow sustainably.
Decision: Link the CTA to the current Application for Assistance or the new general application.
Outdoor Business Development
Outdoor business development work is laying the foundation for a stronger statewide outdoor industry network.
In 2025, widespread networking helped build toward the inaugural West Virginia Outdoor Economy Summit and the development of a statewide alliance. The year was also focused on learning, data collection, and analysis that will support outdoor industry growth and create a stronger support network for expansion.
Statewide Networking
Building relationships among businesses, support organizations and community partners.
Outdoor Economy Summit
Laying the groundwork for a statewide convening focused on shared priorities.
Data and Analysis
Learning more about outdoor business needs and opportunities.
Statewide Alliance
Developing a network that can help outdoor businesses grow and collaborate.
Add if available: A 2025 engagement figure and final CTA destination.
2025 Impact
Talent Attraction & Retention
Through Ascend West Virginia, First Ascent, Teachers Ascend and the Vantage Ventures partnership, the team connects people to careers, communities and a future in West Virginia.
When Ascend West Virginia first launched in 2021, the team had a bold vision: to see 1,000 remote professionals move to West Virginia, bringing their families, spending power and talent with them. The program reached a milestone in 2025, with 618 Ascend members relocated or in the process of relocating, representing 1,161 people when household members are included. After carefully building the foundation across five communities in its first five years, Ascend WV hit its stride in 2025 and began scaling rapidly, including expansion to Charleston as its sixth community. With more than 95% of remote professionals who move to West Virginia through Ascend staying for the long haul, we anticipate that communities will continue to feel the impact long after the first 1,000 remote professionals arrive.
Although the initial goal of 1,000 remote professionals is driving us to scale rapidly, our “why,” addressing population loss, has inspired us to add new programs and expand existing ones. Every new program added to our portfolio, which now includes teachers, recent university graduates and entrepreneurs, is designed to attract and retain talented, mission-driven people who are committed to making their communities better.
Ascend West Virginia
In 2025, Ascend WV expanded to include Charleston and the surrounding region as its sixth featured community. With the expansion, the program can serve remote professionals looking for an urban home base with access to outdoor recreation, coworking and community connections.
11,482
Applications received in 2025
618
Members relocated or in process through 2025
1,161
Total individuals moved, including household members
116
Members who completed the program since 2020
Member Story
Scaling Success
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After relocating to West Virginia through Ascend WV, Cortina Caldwell connected with Vantage Ventures and joined its 13-week accelerator to grow Brand Evangelist.
Read Cortina Caldwell’s StoryFirst Ascent
First Ascent connects recent graduates to career opportunities, mentorship and community across the state.
69
First Ascent members in the program
12
recent graduates placed in jobs
75
networking, social and outdoor events
Verify: Confirm whether these numbers are 2025 activity, current participation or cumulative impact.
“I've really enjoyed being a part of the First Ascent program and the community that has come with it. Having grown up here, I would really like to stay and see my future grow.”Amna Haque, First Ascent member
Teachers Ascend
Teachers Ascend brings educators to West Virginia’s classrooms through mentorship, professional development and community.
11teachers participating, each paired with a local mentor.
Verify: Confirm the 2025 participant count.
Vantage Ventures Partnership
The partnership supports VV Boost founders with professional development, coworking access and community engagement.
16startup founders participated in a 13-week accelerator program.
Verify: Confirm the program name and 2025 timeframe.
About the Smith OEDC
Building a Stronger West Virginia
Purpose
Address population loss.
Vision
A West Virginia where communities are vibrant, connected and thriving.
Mission
Empower West Virginia’s communities and partners to advance the state’s economy and enhance quality of life through outdoor recreation.
Verify: Confirm approved vision language. Consider linking to the existing team page and using a condensed or expandable partner list.