Real West Virginian of the Week: Kelli Steele helps tell Putnam County’s story

By Hannah Yost, RealWV

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. — For Kelli Steele, tourism is about more than bringing visitors to a place. It is about helping a community see the value, beauty, and opportunity that already exists at home.

Steele, executive director of Putnam County Tourism, was born and raised in Logan County. After graduating from Chapmanville High School, she attended Marshall University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2001 and returning later to complete a master’s degree in 2009.

She lived in Cabell County until 2019, when she moved to Putnam County. Still, no matter where she has lived, West Virginia has always been home.

“I’ve been a West Virginian my entire life and raised my kids here,” Steele said.

Before joining Putnam County Tourism, Steele had a background in marketing, with much of her experience in the health care and beauty industries. When she first stepped into tourism work, the initial appeal was the opportunity to make a local impact.

Once she began, she found herself drawn to the industry in a deeper way.

“I fell in love with travel and tourism,” Steele said. “The people are incredibly hospitable and helpful, and travel gives people the chance to make lifelong memories and experience new landscapes and cultures.”

For Steele, tourism offers a way to strengthen communities from the inside out. It brings visitors into local businesses, introduces people to new places, and helps residents feel pride in where they live.

“By working in tourism, we can foster a sense of pride in where we’re from while having a positive economic impact on the community,” she said.

When Steele began her role about 10 years ago, she brought 15 years of marketing experience with her. At first, she thought tourism would be an easy transition. She quickly realized there was more to learn.

While marketing principles can apply across industries, Steele said place-based marketing is different from marketing a product or service. Instead of promoting one item, she was helping tell the story of a place, its people, its businesses, and the experiences visitors could have there.

“So I became a student of the industry and learned as quickly as I could,” she said.

Today, Steele’s role as executive director is anything but routine.

“No two days are the same, which I love,” she said.

Some days are focused on organizational tasks, such as budgeting or preparing for a board meeting. Much of her time is spent on marketing, whether designing an advertisement, updating the Putnam County Tourism website, working with a content coordinator on strategy, or planning a photo shoot.

Putnam County Tourism also supports tourism-related businesses and events across the county, providing industry information and visitor services.

“This is not a boring role,” Steele said.

When promoting Putnam County, Steele wants people to understand that the area offers a surprising mix of outdoor recreation and family-friendly attractions within 30 minutes of downtown Huntington and Charleston, the state’s two largest cities.

“That’s a sweet spot unique to our area,” she said.

Putnam County, she said, may be a relatively small area, but it offers a wide range of amenities. Visitors can find local restaurants, unique retail shopping, comfortable lodging, hotels, short-term rentals, hiking and biking trails, river access, and family-friendly activities.

That combination, Steele said, is what makes Putnam County stand out.

“It is a bit unique to have great outdoor recreation and family attractions in the midst of a more populated area,” she said.

The visitor experience is shaped not only by attractions, but by people.

Steele said Putnam County Tourism frequently hears from out-of-state visitors that their favorite thing about the area is the people. West Virginians are known for offering a warm welcome, and Steele said that hospitality is reflected in Putnam County’s businesses, restaurants, events, and visitor-facing organizations.

That welcome, combined with sports facilities, outdoor recreation and family attractions, creates a small-town experience that leaves an impression.

Over the years, Steele has helped promote events and community programs across the county, from the Putnam County Fair to programming through Putnam County Parks and the Putnam County Libraries.

But one of the projects she has been most excited to share is the story of Meeks Mountain Trails.

The trail system, she said, was built by more than 600 volunteers who contributed more than 35,000 hours to create more than 36 miles of trails through a public-private partnership.

“It’s a testament to the community here,” Steele said. “I don’t know of any other trail system that’s been created this way.”

The result has been more than a trail system. Steele said Meeks Mountain has led to community buy-in, improved health, and changes in the business landscape around the trailhead.

“It’s been really exciting to watch, and to help tell that story,” she said.

Since Steele began with Putnam County Tourism in 2016, the county’s tourism landscape has changed significantly. At that time, the organization’s focus was largely on families with young children and smaller community events.

Since then, Valley Park has undergone renovations that include ball fields and a convention center. Another local park with ball fields has opened, and outdoor recreation assets such as Meeks Mountain Trails have continued to grow.

Those changes have opened Putnam County to new audiences, including youth travel sports and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Steele said Putnam County Tourism also has strong partnerships with convention and visitors bureaus to the east and west, working together to market the region, especially in relation to sports.

Looking ahead, Steele expects continued growth in sports travel across the region. She also sees opportunity as more businesses and amenities develop around outdoor recreation, attracting more visitors interested in those experiences.

But tourism’s impact is not only measured in visitors. It can also change how residents see their own home.

Steele said it is common for locals, no matter where they live, to feel like “there’s nothing to do here.” When she first began her role, she heard that often. Now, she rarely does.

Local destination marketing organizations, she said, can help foster a stronger sense of place. When residents interact with visitors and hear positive feedback about their communities, it can strengthen local pride.

For Steele, Putnam County began to feel like home even before she lived there.

Her work allowed her to become part of the community through events, local businesses, and interactions with the people who call Putnam County home.

“Going to events, visiting local businesses, and interacting with the folks who call Putnam County home helped me feel at home here even before it was my home,” Steele said.

That sense of belonging grew through community involvement. Steele is involved with organizations including the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, the PACE Foundation, her church, and others.

Those groups have connected her with business leaders and residents who share a desire to build stronger communities.

“I think those types of community-based organizations are key to fostering a sense of belonging and ownership,” she said.

The people, businesses, and communities of Putnam County have also shaped the way Steele sees her work. She understands that reaching visitors from outside the county has a direct impact on local businesses.

“The more people visiting, the more opportunity we have to strengthen the economy right here at home,” Steele said. “I do not take that lightly.”

For families, Steele said Putnam County offers a small-town feel with easy access to West Virginia’s two largest cities. It provides warmth and connection while still being close to the benefits of more densely populated areas.

She also points to Putnam County’s public schools as one of the reasons people choose to stay, return, or build a life there.

Both of Steele’s children graduated from Winfield High School, and she said she is deeply grateful for the quality of education they received, the enrichment opportunities they had through extracurricular activities, and the post-graduation opportunities made possible by their school experiences.

“That quality education is very attractive to people raising a family,” she said.

For those outside the area, Steele wishes more people understood how much variety Putnam County offers.

“At first it might seem like a sleepy bedroom community, but that is simply inaccurate,” she said. “This is a thriving community and I only see continued growth and opportunity ahead.”

Steele also believes young West Virginians do not have to leave the state to build meaningful careers.

Her advice to those interested in marketing, tourism, hospitality, or community leadership is to meet people in the areas where they want to work. Many of the opportunities in her own career, she said, have come through relationships.

By showing that she cared about the work, wanted to positively impact the community, and believed in shared success, Steele said opportunities opened after she earned the trust of colleagues.

“You don’t have to leave West Virginia to build a career,” Steele said.

She also encourages young people to remember the reason behind their work and to make principled decisions from there.

Steele said she is proud to work in an industry that has helped change the way people talk about West Virginia.

Growing up, when she traveled and told people she was from West Virginia, the responses were often misunderstandings, stereotypes, or jokes. Now, she said, people are more likely to talk about the state’s beauty. If they have not visited, they often say they want to.

“Knowing that I work in an industry and alongside good people who have spent decades changing that narrative is something I’m so thankful for,” Steele said.

When she thinks about the future of Putnam County, Steele finds hope in the people around her — friends and colleagues across the county working tirelessly to make the area better.

That kind of teamwork is at the heart of what she hopes people take away from her story.

“Working together toward a common goal alongside a diverse group of people is a worthwhile endeavor,” Steele said.

For Steele, that work is happening in Putnam County every day — through tourism, local businesses, recreation, schools, events, and the people who continue choosing to build something meaningful in West Virginia.

Through her role with Putnam County Tourism, Steele is not only inviting visitors to experience the county. She is helping residents see their home with fresh eyes, take pride in where they live, and believe in what their community can become.