The Areté Structures team is excited to support The Piedmont Legacy Trails’ 2021 Summit. The 2021 Annual Piedmont Legacy Trails Summit occurs virtually every Friday in March (March 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th). It’s been a great two weeks, and it keeps getting better!
Thank you, Mary Joan Pugh and Sam Varner, of Randolph County, for sharing your experiences with us last week! And a special thank you to the out-of-state speaker Mark Fenton, National Public Health, Planning, and Transportation Consultant, for your presentation.
So far, we’ve seen two great out-of-state speakers and we will hear from another one this week!
- Pete Eshelman, Leader of Roanoke Outside (presented on March 5)
- Mark Fenton – Nationally Renowned Public Health, Planning, and Transportation Consultant (presented on March 12)
- David Kahley, CEO of The Progress Fund (which manages a successful Trail Town Program in Pennsylvania) (presenting on March 19)
The March 19th topic will be “Harnessing the Trail Market for Economic Development.” Continue reading to learn more about this week’s session.
March 19 – Trail Market and Economic Development
On Friday, March 19, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. (EST), the session “Harnessing the Trail Market for Economic Development” will include strategies and experiences on developing the trail market for tourism in North Carolina.
David Kahley, President, The Progress Fund and Trail Town Program®
David will share how and why his organization developed the Trail Town brand while providing content on how North Carolina can benefit from what they learned.
David will touch on these key points:
- What elements create a successful trail town
- Obstacles rural communities face in developing their trail town brand
- Successes they achieved
- Challenges they overcame
Leslie Schlender, CEcD, Economic Development Director for the Town of Elkin
Leslie with the Town of Elkin will explain how they economically developed strategies around trail infrastructure while sharing their experiences during the process.
Heidi Walters, Director of Partner & Industry Relations for Visit North Carolina
Heidi will present North Carolina’s newest Outdoor campaign in partnership with Leave No Trace. This is a public information campaign that will help to preserve the natural beauty of this state.
Who are the Piedmont Legacy Trails?
The Piedmont Legacy Trails mission is to promote the trails as a travel destination while creating a voice for the North Carolina region.
Want More Information?
Visit the Piedmont Legacy Trails website to view the Summit’s detailed schedule and register for the meetings.
The Areté Structures team is ready to help you with your next bridge project. Contact the Areté team here.
