On May 20, 2025, PROGRESS Appalachia convened a powerful gathering of visionaries, project leaders, and stakeholders for a hands-on Regional Planning Summit designed to do more than just talk. Held in the heart of Southeast Ohio, this full-day, action-focused event brought together some of the region’s most innovative minds to spark collaboration, identify next steps, and unlock investment-ready development opportunities across Central Appalachia.

Summit Goals: Turning Vision into Action

The summit was rooted in one core mission: to catalyze high-impact, place-based solutions through collaborative partnerships. Designed as a working session—not a lecture—participants engaged directly with project leads, mapped actionable next steps, and tackled real-world challenges around rural revitalization, housing innovation, infrastructure development, and economic opportunity.

Summit Highlights & Agenda Overview

Opening Presentations kicked off the day with a high-energy orientation and project intros that set the tone for what came next—real work and real connection. From there, the agenda moved into breakout discussion sessions where attendees explored actionable strategies in focused groups. Topics included:

• Business Investment & Ecosystem Strategy: Led by Jen Seifert, Principal of PROGRESS Appalachia, and Tim Nichols, Director of Stategic Partnerships at ADL Ventures, this session outlined a coordinated 7-state investment strategy to drive regional innovation and resilience.

• Rural Airport Redevelopment: Facilitator Brian King, Co-Founder & CEO of Sky Port Alliance, inspired attendees with the reimagination of rural airports as thriving economic hubs.

• 3DCP Housing, Infrastructure & Workforce: Eric Wooldridge, PE, RA, MsEng, Director of KCTCS Additive Manufacturing Center, showcased transformative use of 3D printing to address housing shortages and workforce gaps.

• Innovative Building Solutions for Housing & Agriculture: Ryan Cox, Founder & CEO of HATPonics, explored the synergy between regenerative construction and food systems.

• Scaling the Development Process: Stephen Davis, CEO of Eden Haven Development, dove into the mechanics of scaling visionary projects from blueprint to build-ready.

During the afternoon sessions, participants could choose between a site visit or extended breakout discussions, allowing for even deeper collaboration and hands-on exploration.

Key Outcomes & Regional Impact

Throughout the day, one theme echoed loud and clear: Appalachia is ready for action.

Whether it was designing next-gen housing models, activating underutilized infrastructure, or aligning cross-sector capital for inclusive growth—every conversation focused on how to move from concept to implementation. The summit not only generated new ideas, but also laid the groundwork for tangible partnerships, site assessments, and pilot initiatives now set to unfold in the months ahead.

What’s Next?

As a mission-driven organization rooted in this region, PROGRESS Appalachia is committed to advancing the outcomes from this summit with continued support, coordination, and collaboration. The work doesn’t stop here—this was just the launchpad.

If you’re an investor, developer, nonprofit, or government agency ready to build something real with us, we invite you to connect, contribute, and co-create a future where innovation meets impact across every corner of Appalachia.

This blog post is original content produced by the team at PROGRESS Appalachia and reflects the outcomes and insights from our May 2025 Regional Planning Summit.