History

Create Huntington began in 2006 when Mayor David Felinton, Dr. Stephen Kopp and a group of citizens came together to discuss the best way to improve Huntington’s economic future. Five focus groups were selected to review economic trends and discuss a direction. The focus groups convened around the topics of Family Life, Technology, Culture and the Arts, Community Development and Tourism. The process was designed to learn what citizens care about, our strengths as a community, and how Huntington fits into the future of the global economy. Three basic themes emerged from these discussions:

• We need to focus on attracting people, as well as companies, to Huntington. In the future economy, there will be fewer companies employing workers and more “free agent” workers farming out their skills, talents and ideas to companies. Workers are able to work from anywhere in the world, thanks to technology advances in communication. They will choose to live in communities where they are inspired, have access to intellectual resources and their families are valued. Livability is key. Every worker that moves to a community stimulates economic development through their need for additional goods and services, and by attracting large companies to come and work with them and the teams they form.
• Connections between the City of Huntington and Marshall University are vital to the future. Because research and ideas are the currency of the future economy, Marshall University is key to success. For Marshall to be successful, the community must educate and support students and provide a livable atmosphere that attracts the world’s best thinkers and researchers. A community that is connected to the arts, respects diversity in thinking and culture and embraces new ideas is necessary to retain graduates and attract qualified faculty.
• Creativity is essential to a prosperous economy. If ideas are the future economy, then creativity must be an essential component of our future plans. The community must be visibly connected to the arts and celebrate the unique.

A community-wide forum was held in November 2006 to share the forum results with the community. At the same time, Huntington was learning that Warner Brothers would film portions of the “We Are Marshall” movie in Huntington. These factors, combined with the success of the Pullman Square Development, began to catalyze citizen engagement in new and exciting ways. But some of the work was duplicative and struggling without resources.

The Create Huntington team decided to pursue grant funding to develop a community plan that would point disparate activities in the right direction. In December of 2007 the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation awarded the City a grant of $50,000 to do the following:

• Develop a community wide vision and plan.
• Formalize a structure for Create Huntington.
• Develop a citizen engagement tool.

With the grant funds, Create Huntington has been able to explore the successes of other progressive communities and bring in experts to prepare for the visioning process.