PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) – Shaping Our Appalachian Region, also known as SOAR, announced the launch of Soar Innovation.
This project is powered by the Cabinet for Economic Development’s Kentucky Innovation.
The program provides services to entrepreneurs, startups, and existing small businesses.
Jarred Arnett with SOAR says this announcement is taking steps toward, what could be, huge economic growth.
“Driving innovation in communities across Appalachia,” said Arnett. “This gives us just a team of people who wake up every day and think about projects,” he continued.
Arnett says working with Kentucky Innovation is a game changer.
“To help and support the work that’s already happening but just adding another layer of support and resources to drive and be a champion and lead this initiative at a local level,” explained Arnett.
Jason Rainey with the Cabinet for Economic Development says he is excited to see the result of this partnership.
“It’s a most exciting award for the state. This is the first announcement in this new effort and new resources that we are putting into this,” said Rainey.
Working to give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn and develop their ideas.
“It gives folks somebody who is a competent person to meet with to talk about their business innovative ideas,” Rainey pointed out.
Every day, technology advances in the world of work.
“As we have seen our economy changing across our state, we’re also changing with that in this entrepreneurial space,” explained Rainey.
Officials hope this change will benefit the local and state economy.
“We’re not only looking at how do we connect folks here but how do we leverage the resources that might be in Bowling Green, Louisville, Northern Kentucky, that type of thing,” Rainey explained.
The new offices will be located in Ashland, Cumberland, Hazard, London, Morehead, Pikeville, Paintsville, and Richmond.
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Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) and the Cabinet for Economic Development’s KY Innovation made a special announcement 10 a.m.Tuesday at BitSource in Pikeville.
You can watch the announcement below.