ELLA BELLING has always been drawn to the visionary aspect of rail-trails—transforming industrial routes into greenways. She’s spent more than 20 years living that vision as part of the Mon River Trails Conservancy, first as a volunteer and then as its executive director since 2000. In that time, she’s developed a management plan for the trails and helped to expand the network. “Each time I bike or walk the rail-trails, I feel the beauty of adventure,” she says. “They give us places to play and recreate close to home and a place to encounter and learn about our natural world. These trails can be a direct route to an environmental ethic of stewardship and love for the natural world that is part of our community.” Day-to-day, Belling manages the 48-mile Mon River Trail system that she believes will be a legacy serving Morgantown for generations to come. She’s energized by movement toward trail connectivity for Morgantown, with similar projects in the works in Clarksburg, Fairmont, Parkersburg, and towns across southwest Pennsylvania.
ELLA BELLING
For DOMINICK CLAUDIO , life should be all or nothing, no matter what. That’s his attitude in business, in service, and in his enthusiasm for the future. “Somewhere along the way I focused on doing good, and I knew that I could do good and do well at the same time,” he says. Claudio, chairman and CEO of Claudio Corporation, drew upon his entrepreneurial experience as a youngster selling found items at the local flea market when he opened his first Star City business, Unique Consignment. His business empire has since grown tenfold. He’s responsible for blocks worth of real estate redevelopment— from Star City to High Street and the industrial park and from Morgantown to Clarksburg—as well as countless new ventures. He owes every bit of his success to community support, he says. He’s excited to be part of Morgantown’s future, too. “We have an unlimited potential for growth here,” he says. “It's one of few places in the state that can command a brighter, better future. We can become whatever we want to be.”
DOMINICK CLAUDIO
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