THE BUSINESS BUFF

Judy Moore

Deputy Director, New River Gorge Regional Development Authority and Executive Director, West Virginia Hive

SUPERPOWERS: Problem-solving and breaking down obstacles

When she was growing up, Judy Moore knew she wanted to do something that would make a difference. She toyed with the medical field, working as a candy striper during high school. Then she thought about being a teacher, but that didn’t feel quite right either. After high school, she ended up taking a job as an international sales coordinator for Bright of America, and a whole new path opened up.

Through a series of promotions, new positions, and twists and turns through sales, communications, and marketing roles that had increasing levels of responsibility, Moore landed in her current leadership roles with the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority and West Virginia Hive, a nonprofit that connects entrepreneurs in the state with the resources they need to be successful.

“All of the experience that I had, I had no idea when it was all happening that it was really just giving me the knowledge and foundation that I needed to fit in the capacity that I’m in now,” she says. “I truly love being able to help small businesses in the communities to grow. And what grows our community is all of these smaller businesses getting established, reopening storefronts that we’ve unfortunately seen closed down because of various economic impacts.”

WV Hive offers business advising, co-working space, training opportunities, and more to individuals and small businesses that could use a boost. Through this endeavor, Moore is tying her experiences climbing the ladder in the business realm to the desire to help people that she’s had since childhood. “It’s great to really think you’ve contributed in some way to making some sort of connection or offering a word of advice to a business that has truly helped them move their business forward,” she says. “Our whole team is like that. We say that it’s a ‘love work.’ You have to really have that passion in order to be as impactful as the Hive is.”

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.