Innovative Plan for Economic Renewal at Work in the Ohio Valley

August 30,2006, East Liverpool, Ohio- Something good is happening in the economically distressed community of East Liverpool ,Ohio. Like many towns in the Ohio Valley, East Liverpool has recently come upon tough times since the closing of many of the area potteries, steel mills, and factories.

But thanks to some “out of the box” thinking by social entrepreneur, Craig Newbold, new hope is beginning to spring up in the river town of 13,000 people.

“Frankly, I’m proud it’s in East Liverpool,” said Mayor Jim Swoger. “ It is giving new opportunity to our young people and they are our future.”

Newbold, an East Liverpool native, returned to his hometown after having built an Inc.100 software company in Seattle, which at one point was ranked by Fast 500 magazine as the 103rd fastest growing technology company in the US.

With a desire to see area revitalization , Newbold launched what he calls “The American Spirit Initiative” in 2004 in the form of a non-profit technology school and a for- profit software development company.

The school, New Life Academy, is designed to offer underprivileged individuals with the aptitude the opportunity to receive premier training in programs customized to provide apprenticeship level skills in cutting edge technology such as Microsoft.NET and Open Source Java.

Although this would be great in itself, what makes the program in East Liverpool so different from others is that, knowing that many times a person can receive the training and still not find employment, Newbold put in place a critical piece of the puzzle for local economic renewal. He created an IT development company called, Soaring Eagle Incorporated, to come alongside the school to bridge the gap between training and employment.

Upon completion of their training, students are given the opportunity of immediate employment in the company which, by the way has a Department of Labor certified apprenticeship program. To date 100% of the graduates of New Life Academy have been hired in the I.T. development field.

Soaring Eagle Inc. has a story of its own and is quickly gaining the reputation as a company that delivers products and solutions that exceed its clients’ expectations in the highly competitive field of technology.

The impact this innovative model could have on rural communities, especially here in the Ohio Valley is enormous and has already drawn the attention of the Governors of the states of Ohio and West Virginia. Pennsylvania lawmakers, who are also considering the initiative for their state, call it the “missing link” in economic development.

Newbold and his team envision the model in East Liverpool being duplicated in other communities as well. He is currently investigating other locations and is willing to meet with leaders to discuss the possibilities of ASI coming to their area.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the American Spirit Initiative, New Life Academy, or Soaring Eagle Inc. please contact Tim Ginter, Director of Development at 330-385-5051 or tim.ginter@amspirit.us.