From Military to Business Advocacy with Mara Boggs

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Mara Boggs, president and CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance. She explains how the Alliance supports local businesses through talent retention, economic development, and networking events. Before this role, she served in the Army as an engineer officer and later worked for Senator Joe Manchin. She highlights the Alliance’s incubator space, which helps small businesses grow, and the LIFT Center, a project aimed at revitalizing Charleston’s East End. Drawing from her experience as a jumpmaster in the 82nd Airborne, she emphasizes the importance of trust and adaptability in uncertain times. She encourages people to be trustworthy and build strong support networks. As we wrap up, she expresses her excitement about the future of the Kanawha Valley business community.