Princeton
A visionary for art and county-wide change.
Change comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a mural, bringing color and light to those who view it. Other times, it’s a business that provides new opportunities and hopeful growth. Or maybe it’s something as seemingly simple as finding ways to include others. Our 2024 Possibilitarians are all about growth and helping their communities—and our state—reach their full potential through a variety of methods and means. Because they see them—the possibilities. And those possibilities are endless, just like their ideas, drive, and passion.
A man of many talents and a lover of the open road, Mercer County native Greg Puckett says he believes that things are impossible only for a moment. “Something that seems impossible may not be so if the environment changes,” he says. “And the environment is always changing. When people say ‘no,’ it fuels me to keep pushing through until solutions become possible.”
Puckett wears many hats: executive director of Community Connections—a prevention organization working to establish a legacy of environmental change strategies throughout the county and beyond—executive director of the Princeton Renaissance Project, Mercer County commissioner, swim coach, artist, and still more. No matter which hat he’s wearing, his dedication to enhancing the quality of life in Mercer County is always central to his mission.
The foundation for his sense of duty to others comes from seeds planted in a post-military family with deep Mercer County roots. His mother was a school teacher and principal and played a significant role in shaping his philanthropic worldview. He grew up helping her with creative projects for her classrooms and learning about expressing himself through artistic mediums. Puckett’s father instilled the value of hard work and perseverance and the lesson that we all have a responsibility to make the world a better place. “My mom gave me the cultural and education pieces,” he says, “and my dad gave me the work ethic and shared his belief that you have to fight to get things done regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way.”
Puckett lives his parents’ examples daily and can lay claim to a string of notable accomplishments, including work as a key player in the revitalization of downtown Princeton. He found initial momentum after successfully raising more than $10,000 for the renovation of the Renaissance Theatre in 2013, and he never looked back. Despite skepticism at every turn, he and a group of like-minded volunteers have persevered and transformed the small southern West Virginia town into a place that’s widely considered one of the most vibrant downtowns in the region. It is now full of shops and cafes with live music and colorful murals, some of which Puckett painted himself.
His work with the Mercer County Commission is also a source of pride. Puckett has led major projects in the county, including pushing for the passing of a dilapidated structures ordinance that has, to date, removed 175 condemned buildings and paved the way for more community transformation. His relentless work ethic and commitment to collaboration earn him tremendous respect in county government and beyond. “I love being a county commissioner,” Puckett says. “County government is where you meet the people where they’re at the most. We don’t think through a partisan lens, even though we have to run by party. We have to figure out how to fix roads and bridges and do so in holistic terms, not political ones. That kind of collaborative problem solving is what I really like to do.”
Puckett’s work on prevention through Community Connections is a long game, he says. “We’re working on policies to put in place now, and we know those impacts might not be seen for decades still,” he explains. “But the environmental stuff, the paint on the walls, those are instant transformations that give the entire community hope for a bright future ahead.”
Puckett often finds inspiration on the open road. He always seeks inspiration from the diverse communities he visits, and those experiences fuel his passion for public service and community development. He believes in learning about what other places are doing and bringing ideas home to continue fostering positive change. “I tell people all the time that I love to drive because the middle of a journey is sometimes the most important part. It’s where you get to learn. If you don’t go out and learn about other places, how can you ever say that what you’ve got is good enough?”
The work in Mercer County is far from done, Puckett says, adding that he expects to continue pouring himself into his community for the rest of his life. “We leave a mark and do the best we can and hope that someone likes what we’ve done. We’ve got a lot of work left to do, and it helps that I only see impossibilities as opportunities for transformation,” he says. “And color, well, I think the world is a better place in color, so I’ll keep adding it wherever I can.”
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