Meet our founder, Jared Arnett.

Jared Arnett: Building the Future of Rural, Together

I’m Jared Arnett — a pastor, entrepreneur, and rural optimist who believes something simple and powerful: there is a future in rural America, especially when we harness technology to unlock it.

Nearly 20 years ago, I made a personal decision that still drives everything I do — I wanted to make a difference right here in my Appalachian hometown. I’ve never had a job that existed before I took it, and that’s because I believe in order to accomplish outcomes that have never been realized, you have to do things that have never been done.

From launching new businesses to helping start community-driven movements, my focus has always been the same: empowering rural people to create their own future. That’s what led me to serve as the founding Executive Director of Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), a bipartisan initiative formed by a Governor and a Congressman to help Eastern Kentucky transition beyond coal. We created a regional blueprint with input from thousands of everyday people. It wasn’t just talk — together, we helped bring in thousands of remote jobs, launched a $300 million statewide broadband project, and supported innovations like BitSource, a startup where former coal miners became software developers.

Today, I continue that mission in new ways — helping communities build strong local economies through broadband access, entrepreneurship, faith-based initiatives, and leadership development. I serve as Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Pikeville, where I mentor students and help grow a startup ecosystem in our region. I also co-own Mountain Music Exchange, a guitar store in Pikeville with a national reach and local heart.

Through my work as a pastor at New Beginnings Fellowship Church and co-founder, with my wife Bethany, of FaithLife Ministries, I’m helping equip leaders to serve outside the walls of the church — in business, nonprofits, and their communities.

If you’re a rural leader, know this: you are not alone, and your community is not stuck. The tools to build a better future are already within reach — especially if we get connected. My goal is to walk alongside you, share what I’ve learned, and help you lead boldly right where you are.

Let’s build the future of rural — together.

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Jared is married to his wife, Bethany. They met at college in Pikeville, KY and now live less than a 10 minute walk from where they first met. They have two amazing children: Rozzie and Harker.

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Quick facts about Jared’s experiences.

Speaking.

  • 500+ Speaking Engagements

  • Largest keynote audience 1,300

  • Breakout Speaker or Panelist at

    • Harvard’s Conference on Poverty & Equality with the topic “Big Ideas in Solving Local Poverty” (Cambridge, MA)

    • Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Conference (Louisville, KY)

    • National Association of Community Colleges (Chicago, IL)

    • Multiple Appalachian Regional Commission Conferences (Somerset, KY; Tupelo, MS; Washington DC)

    • Amazon Web Services Conference (Washington DC)

  • Keynotes including:

    • EntreEd Consortium of Entrepreneurship Education (Charleston, WV)

    • Kentucky League of Cities (Covington, KY)

    • University of Pikeville Convocation (Over 500 faculty, staff, and students) More..

    • Appalachian Association of Community Colleges (Hazard, KY)

    • East Kentucky Leadership Conference (Morehead, KY)

    • 5 Annual SOAR Summits (Average attendance of over 1,200)

    • Appalachian Education and Workforce (AEW) Network Conference

Rural Future Creating.

As the Founding Executive Director of Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR):

  • Built and Maintained Consensus across 54 counties, the Governor’s office, and Congressman’s office around the Blueprint for the Future of Appalachia

  • After waking up in the middle of the night and securing the URL, www.thereisafuture.org, helped his team launch a PR campaign for Appalachia KY that reached 2 million+ annually

  • As a champion for Remote Work efforts, specifically with Teleworks USA, FlexJobs.com, and Digital Careers Now, Jared was part of a team that created more than 3,000 jobs in rural Appalachia KY.

Start-ups.

  • Scaled a start-up political initiative, (SOAR) into a national model of collective impact backbone organization with a $1 million+ budget, reserves, and a talented team of 12 in 6 years.

  • Invested a keyboard as his start-up capital in 2012 to Co-Found Mountain Music Exchange, LLC with some friends, that now ships guitars to all 50 states, has a 5,000 square foot show-room, and 7 employees. Based in the heart of central Appalachia.

  • Founder of the StartUp Appalachia regional Pitch Competitions

  • Founding Pastor of New Beginnings Fellowship Church, a non-denominational Christian church in downtown Pikeville, KY. Starting in the choir room at the University of Pikeville with about 25, now in located on Main Street with a Sunday congregation of nearly 200.

  • Co-Founder of FaithLife Ministries and FaithLIfe Market a non-profit Coffee Shop and Thrisft Store in Downtown Pikeville, KY.rence.