A West Virginian by birth, Todd Cope moved away in search of greater entrepreneurial opportunities. And as a West Virginian at heart, he moved back to create them for others.
Founded by West Virginians, CentralApp has a singular vision: To connect companies with certified, affordable tech workers in Appalachia.
Five years ago, Cope hopped into his Tesla and drove cross country to persuade tech companies, startups and investors to believe in his dream of Appalachian tech and remote connectivity.
“Talented people are everywhere,” said Cope. “[But] opportunities are not equally distributed.”
CentralApp hopes to change things in the Big Tech landscape and encourage Silicon Valley to invest its positions in the resourceful people of Appalachia, namely West Virginia. With 50 new candidates currently under the CentralApp umbrella, growth within the company and West Virginia’s economy are continuing to reach unprecedented heights.
“I hope to create a tech ecosystem to facilitate cross-pollination in the economy of West Virginia,” said Cope.
Qualified workers result in higher wages, higher wages result in higher retention rates, and higher rates result in higher interest levels throughout West Virginia’s economic experience.
Cope is at the forefront of crossing the divide between rural lifestyle and urban vocation, blending the two in a seamless partnership. With outsourcing interest increasing as a result of CentralApp’s work, the long-term challenge of the company is supply rather than demand, as well as the Appalachian reality of poverty, with ⅓ of West Virginians left without access to major broadband networks.
“I want to change the narrative that West Virginians go to nowhere schools in a nowhere state,” exclaimed Cope. “We have what it takes.”
If you’d like to keep up with Todd Cope at CentralApp, you can visit www.centralapp.us.
Listen to the full podcast here: https://positivelywv.com/podcast/episode-194-todd-cope-centralapp/
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- PIECE OF ADVICE: “You can do it,” advised Cope.