PIKEVILLE — Jeffery Justice has been named a Business and Innovation Champion of SOAR Innovation. He will serve Harlan, Pike and Letcher counties and will work out of an office at Bit Source, a Pikeville-based Google-certified agency.

SOAR Innovation is a new partnership between Shaping Our Appalachian Region Inc. (SOAR) and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s KY Innovation office. SOAR Innovation will assist existing small businesses and entrepreneurs whose business or idea has the capability to expand existing markets or create new markets by leveraging technology.

“Before Jeffery joined our team, he was doing the work as a champion for Appalachia Kentucky,” said Ryan Jones, director of SOAR Innovation. “He is passionate about the region and believes that the people of the region have ingenuity and desire to create their own future.”

Justice comes to SOAR from First Commonwealth Bank, where he worked as a financial analyst. Prior to that, he was employed by Citizens Bank of Kentucky as a financial advisor.

“I am the son of a coal miner, and I am a first-generation college graduate, who was fortunate enough to find a future in Appalachia,” Justice said. “My goal is to prove that there is a future in Appalachia, and to bridge the gap between the high tech, digital world, and our talented, hardworking people in the mountains. SOAR Innovation is here to make sure that entrepreneurs and small businesses have all available resources at their disposal to grow. With nearly 200 partners, we can, and will, find a solution that works for our clients.”

Justice will work throughout his service area to identify and build relationships with existing small businesses that have the desire and capacity to scale-up utilizing technology through methods of e-commerce, export, etc.

For more information about SOAR Innovation, visit its website at https://www.thereisafuture.org/innovation/ or connect on social media via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Justice can be reached at 859- 779-8282 or jeffery@soar-ky.org