EVERYONE HAS a turning point in life . For Curtis Wilkerson , a resident of Buckhannon , WV , it came two years ago when a doctor diagnosed him with a leaking mitral valve in his heart . He underwent surgery and was back at his desk as the owner of Orion Strategies within days . While the recovery time was short , the surgery impacted Wilkerson ’ s life forever .
“ Opportunities like this make the world stop ever so briefly to take account of one ’ s life ,” he says . “ I have a great wife , a great kid , a great career and great friends . I discovered that I love my life as much as I thought I did .”
Part of that love stems from Wilkerson ’ s career . The idea of owning his own firm was one he stumbled upon while interviewing a man for his senior thesis in college .
“ When I met this man at his home office , the walls were covered in political posters and memorabilia ,” Wilkerson remembers . “ I asked him what he did for a living , and he told me he was a political and public relations operative . It was 2 o ’ clock in the afternoon , and he was drinking a glass of whiskey . I went back to my dorm room and typed out a list of everything I thought I would need to start a firm one day .”
With that list in hand , Wilkerson created his firm , Orion Strategies , in 2007 and now manages offices in both Charleston and Buckhannon . The company is a strategic communications firm serving local , regional and national clients in various industries through public relations , government affairs , grassroots advocacy , research and polling and creative services . Wilkerson has led many high-profile projects that have gained national attention .
“ I am amazed that I get to do what I love every single day ,” he says . “ My motivation comes in not wanting to waste the opportunity I have been given while providing every opportunity I can for my 10-year-old daughter .”
Opportunities also come from within his community , where he is an active volunteer . A member of First United Methodist Church , Wilkerson serves as a Sunday school teacher and chair of the witness committee .
Over the course of one summer , he helped the Upshur Cooperative Parish House & Crosslines , Inc ., where he has served as chair of home repair
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central West Virginia . Wilkerson also works to collect food for Crosslines ’ food pantry and backto-school supply drives .
“ I prefer to invest my time giving back with basic needs of food and shelter ,” Wilkerson says of his service . “ The Upshur Parish House is a key place in central West Virginia that I am proud to have been a part of . I also believe in supporting the Parish House ’ s associated food pantry and participating in food drives . Kids will do better in school if they have full stomachs at home .
Kids will also do better in school if they have a house that isn ’ t falling apart . There are so many things we cannot fix that it is worth working on the things that we can .”
Wilkerson has also sponsored Create Buckhannon ’ s Festival Fridays concert series , helped with the proposed Upshur County Recreation Complex and served on the Buckhannon Bicentennial Celebration Committee and the Buckhannon downtown improvement committee . He is committed to the details of each organization as a silent , behindthe-scenes organizer , and no task is too mundane , whether it is flipping pancakes at the annual West
Virginia Strawberry Festival or co-leading the college Sunday school class with his wife , Kristi , for students of West Virginia
Wesleyan College .
A raw product of the
Mountain State , Wilkerson firmly believes West Virginians need to stay in the state .
“ West Virginia experiences what I have referred to as contemporary Appalachian colonialism ,” he says .“ Raw products leave the state , and finished products are sold back to its citizens . That raw product includes the people who are born here who leave . I want to see us take our state ’ s great resources and turn them into finished products with global markets .
And I know that choosing to live and work here is the only way to become part of that solution .” •
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services and summer work teams , organize more than 10,000 hours of labor repairing homes in |
JAMIE NULL |
TRACY TOLER |