Ky. native brings high-tech greenhouse jobs to coal country - Entrepreneur Generations

Webb

Solar-power pro Jonathan Webb plans to bring about 600 jobs to coal country with a series of high-tech mountaintop greenhouses in which workers will grow produce to sell all over the U.S., Salena Zito reports for New York Post.

Webb, 33, left his hometown of Lexington, Ky., to work in New York City in 2010, and was hired in 2014 by the Army Office of Energy Initiatives to help President Obama achieve his goal of increased renewable energy, but never forgot the people back home. After President Trump's election, Webb said he wasn't surprised that Trump's message had resonated in Appalachia, an area reeling from unemployment, the opioid epidemic and general disillusionment, Zito reports. 

Shortly afterward, he founded AppHarvest, and has raised $60 million in capital from such investors as Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance and AOL co-founder Steve Case. He said he's tried to convince the executives at some of the nation's largest environmental organization to invest in coal country. "I have told them . . . they have a poor strategy in some cases," Webb told Zito. "Instead of campaigning against coal for green-collar jobs in coal country, they need to facilitate investment into the region to build projects." Criticizing the coal industry is cheap and easy, he said, but jobs are the best way to get Appalachians to support environmental initiatives.

Webb expects to break ground in the next few weeks on the first greenhouses in Pikeville, Ky.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2HGWrcA Ky. native brings high-tech greenhouse jobs to coal country - Entrepreneur Generations

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