Photo by Steven Allen Adams Pictured at Tuesday’s Ascend Heroes announcement at the 130th Air Wing base in Charleston are, from left, West Virginia National Guard Maj. Gen. Jim Seward, Gov. Patrick Morrisey, Marshall University President Brad Smith, Alys Smith, WVU President Michael Benson, Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative Assistant Vice President Danny Twilley, and Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby.

CHARLESTON – The Ascend West Virginia program is expanding once again, this time to recruit military veterans to the Mountain State.

State officials and leaders with Marshall and West Virginia University announced Ascend Heroes, a program through Ascend West Virginia which works to recruit remote workers to the state through incentives. The announcement took place at the 130th Air Wing base in Charleston.

“People are coming here, people are putting down roots, and people are building their lives in the Mountain State,” said Gov. Patrick Morrisey. “So today, we’re very proud to announce that we’re going to build on that success of the Ascend program by launching Ascend Heroes.”

The Ascend Heroes program is a relocation initiative designed to attract military veterans and active service members to live in West Virginia. Eligible applicants must be at least 18 years old, hold U.S. citizenship or a green card, and reside outside of the state. 

Participants are required to have remote employment or a job secured within West Virginia, though those seeking employment may receive conditional acceptance and job assistance. Selected recipients who move to designated areas within six months receive a $12,000 financial incentive and must agree to a two-year residency contract. 

Those selected can move to six select regions: Charleston, the New River Gorge, the Greenbrier Valley, Morgantown, the Eastern Panhandle and Greater Elkins.

“I know I spent a lot of (time) talking about the fact that West Virginia has to grow population,” Morrisey said. “We have to increase workforce. These are the No. 1 challenges that we have. This program is designed to address those very issues.”

Maj. Gen. James Seward, the adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said approximately 250,000 people leave active-duty military service each year. The Ascend Heroes program would create an incentive for some of these individuals to work, live and raise a family in West Virginia, and also be able to join the West Virginia National Guard, he said.

“Of that 250,000, I know there’s a percentage that when they cross the border from Virginia, or they cross the border from Maryland or Pennsylvania, or Ohio or Kentucky, they’re going to do what I did,” Seward said. “They’re going to turn on John Denver, and they’re going to say, ‘this is almost heaven.’ And then, once we get them here, of course, the National Guard will be there to say, ‘you’ve served, you’re trained. We would love to have you join our force.'”

The Ascend West Virginia program was created in 2021 as a partnership between the Department of Tourism, West Virginia University and the Wing 2 Wing Foundation co-founded by Marshall University President Brad Smith and his wife Alys Smith.

“This is not a group that you see together regularly, but it’s a group that I’m really proud to say that I’m a part of and collaborating with,” said Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby. “I think this is a really, really innovative announcement and something I’m personally very excited about.” 

According to Brad Smith, Ascend has generated 87,800 applications from 108 countries and 48 U.S. states. To date, 668 “ascenders” have moved to the state, totaling 1,412 new residents when including family members.

The estimated economic impact of the Ascend program exceeds $500 million, with ascenders bringing in an average annual income of $109,000. More than 40% of participants have purchased homes. The program boasts a 96% retention rate, higher than the 80% benchmark set by similar programs in other states.

“They’re starting businesses, they’re shopping in our small businesses, and they’re making us stronger each and every day,” Smith said. “The goal of Ascend Heroes will be to attract 145 military veterans and their families to the State of West Virginia. … This has been a vision we’ve had for almost a half a dozen years, but a vision without execution is merely a hallucination.” 

Since Ascend’s founding, the program has expanded. It now works to recruit educators to the state to address teacher shortages, entrepreneurs and graduating college and university students.

“This program has been successful because it is built by community, on purpose, and on the outdoors: something that West Virginia has in abundance,” said WVU President Michael Benson. “The same programming will certainly be applied to Ascend Heroes. … Ascend (West Virginia) is a program that continues to evolve and to serve critical needs in our state.”