A Trip Back to Coal Country (S5E06)

A lavender farm is now growing on the site of a former coal mine. Come hear how Appalachian Botanical is transforming lives and a former coal site in Boone County, WV. And we visit with our friend Gayle Manchin of the Appalachian Regional Commission.

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Transcription

David Martin: This is the good government show.

Marina Sawyer: I think we helped support other businesses that influenced the economics of the area.

Ronnie Stevens: As many bad things have happened, there are loads of good people here, lots of hard workers and as far as a second chance facility, I think this is awesome for our county.

Justin Barker: I try to encourage anybody that’s, you know, having a problem with drugs or anything to come, you know. They think that they can’t get a job because of drugs. And I’m like, look, you know, maybe you need to come check this place out because they’ll help you.

Brett Kuhn: You’ve got plants growing on top of rock. And it’s it’s it’s amazing. It’s amazing to see.

Gayle Manchin: Thank you for you keeping your eye on the Appalachian region and coming to visit and now and coming back to talk with us. I’m.

David Martin: Welcome to the Good government show. I’m your host, Dave Martin. On this episode, we’re going back to my new favorite state. Yep, West Virginia, back in the second season of The Good Government Show. I reported on this story that really showed how government can change people’s lives. And in the area that needs it most. I’m talking about Appalachia, especially in what was coal country.

There’s still coal there, but it’s not anywhere near the industry. It was. I mean, three trips to West Virginia since I started the Good Government Show, and I’ve met many of the local leaders. I continue to be impressed by their commitment to their state, their cities and their counties. And I think West Virginia is heading in the right direction.

But there’s work to be done, especially in rural Appalachia. So come with me to foster, West Virginia. And that’s in Boone County. And this is southern West Virginia, and it’s the heart of what was in many ways and still is coal country. And I got a chance to revisit the folks at Appalachian Botanical. This is a company that’s created a new industry in coal country.

So here’s what happened. The Raven Crest Mine was a mountaintop removal site. Eventually, they dug most of the coal and over time the mining area was greatly reduced. Once a mining site is no longer mine, the law says you must either replace the mountain or make it better. That’s when Appalachian Botanical stepped in. They converted the mining area to a lavender farm.

Yep, a lavender farm. So far, they have planted close to 40 acres of lavender fields on top of what was once a coal mine. In 2022, the Raven Crest won an award for the land reclamation project with Appalachian Botanical. So they’re doing a pretty good job. And we have photos at the Good Government show.com. Check them out. And you can take a look at the Appalachian Botanical Farm and some of the folks there.

Anyway, Appalachian Botanical have brought new jobs to the area. They say they’re a second chance company. And what this means is they give jobs to people who, for various reasons, like being in prison or having a drug addiction, they couldn’t get jobs. Many of their employees have held on to their jobs. So that’s another success story there. They have expanded their product line that now includes lavender creams, oils, and other products like tea and lavender, honey and lavender vinaigrette.

As Appalachian Botanical grew, they added a partner and teamed up with something called Coalfields Development Corporation. This is a 15 year old West Virginia company that was also working on former coal lands and putting people to work. Now they handle the farms and fields, and Appalachian Botanical turns a lavender into products. So when we come back, we’ll talk with folks at Appalachian Botanical.

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So let’s meet the people in West Virginia.

Marina Sawyer: My name is Marina Sawyer. I’m the chief technical officer for Appalachian Botanical Company. We are in Foster, West Virginia, at the manufacturing plant. We have grown. We’ve done really well. They’re not going to lie to you. There have been ups and downs. We started out when we. When you and I met, we had like, ten products.

That was all. We’ve we’ve grown now to about 25 products. And as I was telling you today, we have nine more than I’m formulating one.

David Martin: Product in particular. Well, I’m going to let Marina explain it.

Marina Sawyer: We’re developing men’s products for what I like to call this southern beard or a man’s second beard. And my face is turning red, even though people can’t see that, though. But, it’s something I never thought about creating. And now I’m getting about five products for that area of the body. Yes. And so it’s totally unusual. And I get the giggles a lot.

David Martin: What has the impact of the growth of Appalachian botanical meant to West Virginia, meant to Boone and to Madison?

Marina Sawyer: To Boone and Madison area. It’s created a lot of money for the area in general, not only for our employees, but I spend money down here like crazy as well. We try to buy from the local, owners of other businesses here.

David Martin: Let me give you a brief background on Boone County and the county seat of the town of Madison. So this is the heart of coal country. And at its height, they received nearly $6 million from the coal mining companies. It’s called a coal severance. And it’s a tax that goes to the local governments budget. It paid for schools, the government, police and many other services.

A coal miner, actually is in front of the county courthouse. You can see him right there. It’s a huge statue of a coal miner. But now the county only collects around $300,000 a year, and that’s a huge drop off from 6 million. And as with many parts of what was coal country, new businesses and new thinking are vital to the area’s success.

Marina Sawyer: In the area itself is where we’re making our ripple right now. I think we helped support other businesses that influenced the economics of the area. They’ve been able to stay open down during times that, you know, Covid and things like that, but because we helped support them. So I think that was a plus. The other thing I think is a really big plus is now that we’re growing recognition.

David Martin: Appalachian Botanical has been able to grow and continue largely with the help of government grants. Grants are a challenge to find, but they have found success securing large grants and smaller grants for specific projects. Here’s Marina.

Marina Sawyer: One of them was called the Value Added Producers Grant. Since we grow lavender. What the grant was based on was helping us go from just farming it to getting it out into the market. So that helped us with marketing campaigns, advertising, using software, some equipment, those kinds of things which which we were in need of.

David Martin: And they’ve acquired more land up at the mine and are planting more lavender. Okay. So why lavender if you didn’t listen to the first episode? Well, you got to go back and listen and then come back. I’ll wait. It’s the first episode of season two. The title is Lavender Farms of the coalfields. And that explains why. Lavender.

Okay, so go listen. All right. You’re back. Good. So, as you now know, lavender grows really well in rough and rocky soil. So the site of a former mine makes for good lavender farms. Now they have to turn lavender into products, and they do it at their facility right there on the Daniel Boone Parkway. Originally, this was a local jail.

Then it got converted to a mining parts distribution company. But as the coal companies closed, so did the parts company, and the building sat empty for over ten years. Appalachian Botanical came in and took over, and there was a lot of renovations to do, and I got to walk around the entire space with Marina. It’s now a very large working facility.

Marina Sawyer: This is our production room. This is where we fill all our containers, bottles, jars, those kinds of things with our products that we make down at the far end. We have the daytime chillers with the heaters and stirrers. Then we have a liquid filling station. So over here there’s three of those. And then over there we have three thick or cream filling stations.

David Martin: And well there is a chemical room a walk in cooler. That’s where you keep all the chemicals, cool assembly areas and parking areas and a lot more. And when I was there, a lot of activity. Some 20 people are actively working there on any given day and more when lavender is harvested. Now in 2024, Appalachian Botanical is five years old and they’ve changed lives.

Some of the people we met in our first visit are still there, but some have moved on. Getting people to know how to work and keep a steady job and move on is really one of the goals for Appalachian Botanical. One guy, a man who was a mechanic, was able to go back to one of the remaining coal companies, where he earns more now, and he’s working as a diesel mechanic.

But let’s meet some of the folks that work there.

Veronica Stevens: My name is Veronica Stevens. I am the payroll clerk for Appalachian Botanical.

David Martin: She spent 20 years working for different mining companies, mostly doing office work. You weren’t digging coal?

Veronica Stevens: No, I wasn’t digging gold. My husband digs coal.

David Martin: He does. Does he still?

Veronica Stevens: Yes he does.

David Martin: She said with the good pay the coal companies offer, there are challenges.

Veronica Stevens: It was, fast paced. Certainly, but it was very unpredictable. You never.

You never know when you were going.

To have a job and when you weren’t have been laid off probably 15 times.

David Martin: Coal can be a boom and bust business. So when the coal market slows down, workers are laid off, then rehired when they restart operations. She said her husband has changed jobs three times recently and this is fairly typical for coal workers. She said people hear about the company and want to know more. She says Appalachian botanical is really becoming part of the community.

Veronica Stevens: Well, it seems like there’s always something bad going on here with with the drug epidemic the way it is. And but as many.

Bad things have happened.

There are loads of good people here, lots of hard workers. And as far as a second chance facility, I think this is awesome for our county. It’s not something that most companies are willing to do. So I’m very thankful for that.

David Martin: Here’s one guy I met while he never dug coal. Some in his family did and still do. The day we talked, he had all the money saved out to buy a car. It’s a used car, but he was excited to go pick it up.

Justin Barker: My name is Justin Barker. I’ve done everything from run equipment here to, to harvesting plants and, I live in Ashford. As close to the farm. Ashford is a little community in Boone County. It’s, well known for the lavender farm type community. A lot of people working together and helping each other, and, it’s, it’s a great place.

David Martin: So you mentioned this a little bit when we were talking before we turn the mics on, you had a little bit of a rough background. Yeah, yeah. Jail. Prison?

Justin Barker: Yeah, prison. I’ve been through. I’ve been through a whole lot, man. And, this company has, helped me tremendously, since, you know, getting out of prison. That was my first and only job since I’ve gotten out of prison. They’ve helped me, and and so many different ways. How.

David Martin: Long were you in prison for?

Justin Barker: Three years.

David Martin: That’s considerable. That’s not nothing. Yeah. Yeah. That’s hard.

Justin Barker: Yeah. They do not turn their backs on me one time. I I’m not perfect, you know? Luckily, I had not had no bad slips, but, you know, any time that, you know, I felt like I needed a little extra help counseling or something. I can mention it to them, and, there, they helped me right away with that.

David Martin: So what does this place mean to you?

Justin Barker: It’s my livelihood. You know, it’s, it’s my home. It’s, you know what puts food on the table for me and my family?

David Martin: Unfortunately, Justin wasn’t able to sustain his success. He slipped again a few months after I talked to Justin. He left Appalachian Botanical. Well, I couldn’t keep it together and keep the job. What he said is still true. And his story is, like many of the stories of the people who work there. And when he was there, he did try to be a good influence on others.

Justin Barker: I try to encourage anybody that’s, you know, having a problem with drugs or anything to come. You know, they, they think that they can’t get a job because of drugs. And I’m like, look, you know, maybe you need to come check this place out because they’ll help you get right. And then, you know, you know, get you get you to.

David Martin: Work and you’ve helped other guys with that.

Justin Barker: Absolutely. I’ve steered people. I’ve brought people to work here.

David Martin: Yet many have stayed and continue to work. Overall, some 200 people have worked for Appalachian Botanical. About 75 of them have continued to work there, or they’ve gone on to other jobs. Some went to work for mining companies, where the money is much better, and some have gotten jobs with the state or other good paying jobs with full benefits.

A lot of people had an opportunity they might not have had from any place other than Appalachian botanical. Here’s a guy that’s been in the company almost since the beginning, and he’s still there.

Scott Hiat: My name is Scott Hiat. I do construction here. I live at, mixed in West Virginia, here in Boone County.

David Martin: Does does Appalachian botanical have any kind of impact on the community? Do you think it makes a difference here?

Scott Hiat: Yeah, I think it makes a difference here. It gives a lot of people opportunity here. It’s not just it’s a job opportunity. It really is. It’s a job opportunity for several people that can get out and get a job. You know, it’s like a second time place.

David Martin: As the company expands. Scott says he stays busy with renovations all around the facility. What are you building now? What are you working on?

Scott Hiat: Getting ready to build a new two room back in the back laying block. Just got done with the bathroom in the back. Put in the garage door. Getting ready to build a bath and, well, another two room back here. And then after that, I have no idea. Whatever. I’m where I don’t want.

David Martin: Coming up, I talk with local government leaders.

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I stopped by the Boone County Courthouse. You know, the one with a minor statue out front. Check it on the website. You’ll see it. It’s a big minor. I met up with Brett Kuhn. He was then the president of the Boone County Commission. He thinks small businesses like Appalachian Botanical are the future of both his county and of West Virginia.

Brett Kuhn: When you see a business like this moving to an area and go to a strip mine site, that how can you get anything to grow on that? And it’s it’s like, you know, you’ve got you’ve got plants growing on top of rock. It’s it’s amazing. It’s amazing to see and but but just to see these businesses willing to take a chance, willing to come in to Boone County and, and willing to put folks to work.

It’s it’s always it’s always a pass if, you know, they’re making an economic impact. Shopping. Shopping local, right. They’re making an impact with the folks they’re putting to work. So I absolutely there’s there’s no question in my mind that it’s a positive thing for Boone County and I and I know it’s going to continue to be a positive for Boone County.

David Martin: He said the county supports the company and has done whatever they can to help them grow. He says the county in the state is looking forward. They have a new highway. They’re doing better with their budgeting and they’re increasing the ATV trails. And this is this is huge in West Virginia, like the Hatfield and McCoy trails. All right, listen, I won’t veer off into the Hatfield McCoy feud.

I won’t do that. But America’s most famous feud is really a tourism draw for West Virginia. And there’s even a new museum in devil and his homestead in Scranton. Yeah, I stopped it anyway. Small businesses like Appalachian Botanical and more tourism are all going to help West Virginia move forward. And this is in a state where coal is not the be all and end all at once was, in fact, America’s newest national park is the new River Gorge.

The park follows the river that was once a main artery for coal exportation and for the logging industry, and I took a little hike there. One estimate I came across said the park has an economic impact of more than $90 million, and it supports over 1000 new jobs. And in 2022, the park had 1.5 million visitors. And last year, me?

Check it out. It’s worth it to get a handle on how Appalachian Botanical fit into the wider efforts to change both West Virginia and rural Appalachia, I went directly to the source the Appalachian Regional Commission. This federal government commission works to bring economic opportunities and jobs to the 13 state Appalachian region. Some recent projects have helped secured funding for things like outdoor tourism projects, local health and hospitals projects, walking trails, ATV trails, better airline access, and overall job growth.

I got to talk to the commissioners co-chair once again. I am happy, as always to have with me the federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission and one of the best friends of the Good Government Show podcast. Gayle Manchin, Gayle, great to talk to you. Welcome back.

Gayle Manchin: Well good morning. It’s great to be back.

David Martin: Good. It’s good to have you. So I wanted to talk a little bit about Appalachian, botanical. Is this the kind of place that is really needed in West Virginia?

Gayle Manchin: Oh, absolutely. And, Jocelyn Shepherd is really one of the early founders and discovers, just what can be done in this fabulous leftover soil, the abandoned mines, the land there, and the town that lavender loves. It’s a great soil for growing lavender. And so, as I said, she’s one of the early pioneers in lavender farming. In West Virginia.

But then with her vision and her commitment and sort of passion for this, she has certainly taken it to another level.

David Martin: It seems like a real public private partnership. Is that fair?

Gayle Manchin: Oh, absolutely. It is definitely that. And, and you think about the financial input, but then you think about the human capital that’s involved in how she has certainly included the community and what she’s doing. And then, has started this whole effort toward giving people a second chance, people that had a problem with addiction or, have been in some type of criminal activity.

They’ve been incarcerated, and they have a very difficult time getting back into the mainstream of lives. And she certainly has put forth that effort with people. And certainly at the Appalachian Regional Commission, we understand the importance of it’s not just about rehabilitating people, but it’s giving them that second chance, giving them the training, getting them into a good job and offering them a support system which, you know, hopefully prevents them from going back to the world that they came from.

David Martin: I went to a place called Burnside Hardware, which is the local hardware store in Boone County, and he said, oh, they’re in here all the time. They’re buying rakes, they’re buying shovels, they’re buying tools, they’re buying, you know, all kinds of stuff. So they must have a real effect on the entire region.

Gayle Manchin: Well, that’s that’s the whole can like, you know, it is while it is introducing a new industry, the irony is that Boone County is one of the highest impact is on the coal industry. How much coal that’s been brought out of Boone County, and now they’re diversifying that and doing that. They’re including the whole community and helping to build and as I said, give people opportunities, bringing diversifying into a whole new economy.

David Martin: Thanks very much for this. It’s great to get your insights into a region that you’re keeping a very close eye on. So thanks for that. And, we look forward to talking with you again, about all things West Virginia. So thank.

Gayle Manchin: You. Well, David, thank you. And thank you for you keeping your eye on the Appalachian region and coming to visit and, and coming back to talk with us. Would love to chat with you any time.

David Martin: Well, I could certainly chat with Gayle Mansion any time. Just a delight to talk to. And she continues to work on behalf of her state and this region. That’s undergoing major changes. It’s always good to talk to her. So let’s go back one more time and hear from Marina Sawyer at Appalachian Botanical. It seems kind of, I guess appropriate, but also, you know, unusual that you have created a lavender farm on an abandoned mind, and your your main facility is an abandoned, mining parts store.

Marina Sawyer: Yes.

David Martin: Have you thought about that?

Marina Sawyer: Yes. It’s very unusual, that both pieces go together. However, we’re talking about coal country. And a lot of these places have something to do with coal at one point or another.

David Martin: And an Appalachian botanical, it’s all come together. And more important, it’s growing. People are getting jobs, and for many of them, it’s a lifeline to a new way of life. The company is also diversifying. Most of all, rural Appalachian West Virginia is seeing a way to move past coal with dedicated people like Marina Sawyer and her crew and Jocelyn Shepherd, the founder of Appalachian Botanical Local Government, and our friend Gayle Manchin and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Government and private groups are making a difference in a place that needs it most. I’m ready for my next trip to West Virginia.

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That’s our update on Appalachian botanical. It’s stories like this that show the good that government can do and is doing every single day. Just ask the folks that are right now up at a former coal mine and are planting and harvesting lavender. Now check out our website and meet some of the people Appalachian Botanical and check the place out.

And also take a look at their website too. That’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share this with your friends and our viewers right here where you’re listening, and check out our website good Government show.com for all those extras I talked about. Join us again for another episode right here. I’m Dave Martin and this is the Good Government show.

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**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.