For a look at how communities in Appalachia are forging new economic paths forward, we turn to Molly Hemstreet, co-founder of Industrial Commons in North Carolina. Speaking with Brandon Dennison, founder of Coalfield Development in West Virginia, Molly shares what’s on the horizon for heritage industries, worker ownership, and the practice of “being big by being small together.”
Brandon Dennison: Molly, let’s start at the beginning – with your relationship to Appalachia and how you got interested in building a resilient economy. Tell us!
Molly Hemstreet: Well, I live in southern Appalachia, in the foothills of this beautiful state of North Carolina that is my home.