Quite a lot, as it turns out, including a resolute commitment to rebuild Rural America, which they’ll explore together as the lunchtime keynote panel at this year’s Roadshow.
Tony Pipa grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania coal country. Life led him a long way from Elysburg, including many years serving our nation overseas through the U.S. Department of State. These days, Tony’s work is much closer to home and focused on re-imagining how public policy could and should be working for rural communities right here in America.
A fifth-generation farmer from Alabama, Kyle Bridgeforth knows a thing or two about how public policy can help – or hurt – rural development. An owner of Bridgeforth Farms, a Black-owned and operated farm since 1877, Kyle is a leading voice from a rising generation of young farmers and agribusiness visionaries.
So where does the investment banker come in? Opportunity Zones 2.0 – which are now moving forward – will focus on 10,000 rural communities. Al Puchala is the CEO of CapZone, the largest Opportunity Zone investment platform in the nation, and he’s an expert at delivering positive local outcomes with financial tools that scale.
This is going to be a fascinating conversation that will give you plenty of get-it-done insights into how to use the brand-new rural Opportunity Zones in your work. You don’t want to miss this one, y’all.