223 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine FINANCE AND INSURANCE Dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals living in Appalachia, William Robert “Bill” Weinberg has distinguished himself as an attorney, businessman and civic leader for over 50 years. He became president of Clean Gas, Inc., in 1997. Clean Gas is a natural gas exploration and management company that drills natural gas wells and manages smaller gas companies. In 2009, Mr. Weinberg and his family purchased the local community bank, the Bank of Hindman. Mr. Weinberg serves as president of the bank’s holding company, Community Exchange Bancshares. Mr. Weinberg was a state representative from 1978 to 1982 and was elected a delegate representing Kentucky to the Democratic National Conventions in 1976, 1988, 1996 and 2004. He was chairman of the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation and member of the Kentucky State Board of Education. He is chairman of the board of directors for the Hazard Community and Technical College. In 1997, Mr. Weinberg wrote the application for the Community Development Initiative (CDI), titled “Using Our Heritage to Build Tomorrow’s Community.” As a result, Hindman was selected as one of two “new towns” to receive preferential state monies, receiving nearly $12 million for downtown development. The Appalachian Artisan Center (AAC), an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, began in 1998 as part of the CDI. Mr. Weinberg is past chairman of the AAC and continues to serve on its board. In 2016, ArtPlace America announced a Creative Placemaking grant of $475,000 for the AAC to utilize artisans in assisting individuals in recovery from substance abuse. The AAC’s Culture of Recovery program has been nationally recognized in The NewYork Times, Forbes and CNN’s “Champions for Change.” The AAC has established a manufacturing company for making guitars, mandolins andmountain dulcimers, the Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company (TCSIC). TCSIC hires individuals who have completed their rehabilitation and trained in AAC’s Appalachian School of Luthiery. As The New York Times stated, “In rural Kentucky, where music is the lifeblood, an apprentice program run by luthiers offers a novel approach to tackling the hopelessness of opioid addiction.” WILLIAM ROBERT “BILL” WEINBERG PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY EXCHANGE BANCSHARES, INC. President, Clean Gas, Inc. Hindman, KY
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