| Charleston, W.Va. – During the most recent legislative session, the Office of Secretary of State Kris Warner debuted “Just Three Questions!”, a new video interview series focusing on West Virginia business leaders and entrepreneurs. Interview topics spotlight programs and resources for entrepreneurs as well as economic drivers for growing West Virginia communities. “This series of interviews is an opportunity to highlight entrepreneurs and support for small business development throughout West Virginia,” said WV Secretary of State Kris Warner. “The interviews will be short and full of information designed to introduce resources to help grow entrepreneurship here in the Mountain State.” The series debuted with the first interview featuring Silicon Valley pioneer and Marshall University President Brad Smith. President Smith is a native West Virginian and graduate of Marshall University. He is best known for his leadership as CEO and chairman of Intuit, Inc. from 2008 to 2019, and executive chairman until 2022. President Smith discussed how Marshall is supporting innovation through its entrepreneurship curriculum, which is a core tenet of its strategic plan, “Marshall for All, Marshall Forever.” Aligned with the statewide initiative, “West Virginia Forward”, the plan identifies key industries—including entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, health care, and energy—as high-growth areas in which the state currently leads the nation. He also shared details on the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship(the iCenter), which trains both students and local business owners in design thinking and startup skills. The iCenter is a cornerstone of the university’s broader plan to develop an Innovation District in Huntington, modeled after successful programs at Purdue and Ohio State Universities. “When you look at the heritage of this mountain state, we are actually descendants of mountaineers who chose to blaze trails instead of follow paths—and that’s what entrepreneurs are made of,” said President Smith. Following the success of the series during the legislative session, “Just Three Questions!” will continue as a regular feature to showcase the people, programs, and ideas driving business growth across the state. The debut episode and other interviews recorded during the session, as well as future episodes of “Just Three Questions!” can be found on the WVSOS YouTube channel.  From Left to Right: Marshall University President Brad Smith and WV Secretary of State Kris Warner |
| “Just Three Questions!” with WV Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs is an interview program hosted by WV Secretary of State Kris Warner to promote services and resources available to entrepreneurs as well as economic drivers in the state of West Virginia. Warner is a former small business owner and entrepreneur that developed enterprise centers in Monongalia, Preston and Barbour counties. Prior to being elected Secretary of State in 2024, Warner served as WV State Director of the USDA Rural Development and Executive Director of the WV Economic Development Authority. Disclaimer: The WV Secretary of State’s Office does not endorse, suggest, or promote services, activities, or offerings by non-governmental organizations or individuals. |
