Coal consumption in the country has been declining since its peak in 2007 and this hurt the economy in Southern West Virginia. The Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern West Virginia is planning a virtual meeting on Thursday, April 29 to brainstorm future ideas to energize the workforce. The conversation began last fall at the Small Communities Big Solutions conference. This new event continues the dialogue, said Sara Payne Scarbro operations chair of the Scarbro says small West Virginia communities will be represented throughout the discussion. “Our speakers will convey examples of you know, a nursing entrepreneur in Southern West Virginia and how she started her own practice, and how rural main street development impacts directly the workforce pipeline,” Scarbro said. “So I think that you'll hear about small communities throughout the conference.”