State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

A Public-Private Effort to Build New Tech Careers in Kentucky's Coal Country

Route Fifty: As a management team member at a Kmart store in Paintsville, Kentucky, Sean Crowl said he was known as someone who had a knack for technology. “At the store they called me ‘the computer guy’ even though I didn’t really have any training,” Crowl, 29, said by phone in late December. “I’ve always been interested in computers and technology, but never really had the chance to go very far into it.” “I’m kind of sitting on an English degree, associates,” he added, “that doesn’t get you far in life.” Last April, Sears Holdings, Kmart’s parent company, announced it would close 78 stores, including the Kmart in Paintsville. Located about 160 miles east of Louisville, the city has roughly 4,000 residents.

Read article