February 24, 2025

Building Charter Communities in Appalachia - 12 Month Update | #63

49 minutes

Last year, Josh Abbotoy, managing partner of New Founding and CEO of RidgeRunner, joined our podcast to discuss the vision for RidgeRunner, a portfolio company building charter communities in Appalachia.

Many hit pieces later, 40 households involved, and thousands of acres of land purchased, he joins us again with the 12-month update on the project:

Timestamps:

(0:58) What is the Highland Rim Project?

(3:12) Remote work, the big sort, and the growth of rural areas

(7:08) Progress in the last 13 months

(13:03) Preserving regional aesthetics and character while developing

(16:19) The appeal of distinct, non-homogenized small-town America

(21:28) Navigating hit pieces from the legacy media

(24:58) Surprising demand and diverse buyer profiles for the project

(30:45) Landed Gentry: self-governance through rural land ownership

(37:26) The Highland Rim Sporting Club

(39:36) Attracting companies and manufacturers to the region

(43:20) Freedom Cities & Trump tailwinds

Buy Land or Join the Waitlist: https://ridgerunnerusa.com/

Highland Rim Sporting Club: https://www.highlandrimsc.com/

Josh Abbotoy is the CEO of RidgeRunner. He is also a Managing Partner at New Founding. A seasoned private equity lawyer by background, Josh is the grateful beneficiary of Christian education, having been homeschooled, then earning his B.A. (History) from Union University and an M.A. (Medieval and Byzantine Studies) from the Catholic University of America before earning his J.D. at Harvard Law School. His writing has appeared in American Reformer, the American Mind and the Federalist, among other places. Josh lives with wife and three children in the Dallas, Texas area.

Learn more about Josh Abbotoy's work:

https://americanreformer.org/about/

https://www.newfounding.com/about

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