Governor Releases April "Open for Business"
Report
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov.
Joe Manchin today released the latest in a
series of regular "Open for Business"
reports, documenting the state's economic
progress. The April 2006 report reflects positive
progress in the state's economic development
efforts during the past month, with projects
and related announcements that will assist
with the creation of as many as 600 new jobs
and the preservation of a significant number
of existing jobs.
Catalfer SRL, an Italian-based company,
announced the location of its new North American
subsidiary, New Finishing Line LLC.
Catalfer SRL manufacturers a diverse line
of chemicals, tools and abrasives for the
automotive, wood and marine industries. New
Finishing Line LLC will locate in the Charleston
Area Alliance incubator and begin warehousing
and distribution of Catalfer's products throughout
the North American market. The company plans
to begin looking for a permanent site in West
Virginia soon to manufacture and prepare final
assembly operations - its first North American
manufacturing site - creating as many as 40
new jobs by 2008.
Quik Corp., the state's first Australian-based
investor, donated a new retractable spray
unit to the West Virginia Division of Highways
(DOH). DOH officials will use the
equipment, valued at $10,500, in routine maintenance
to control weed growth along the state roadways.
Quik Corp., which manufactures remote control
retractable hose reel systems for invasive
and aquatic weed control, mosquito control,
horticultural chemical spraying in glasshouses
and fire fighting, announced the relocation
of its headquarters from California to the
Kanawha Valley in September.
West Virginia Development Office
representatives participated in INTERPHEX
in New York, an annual conference and trade
show for pharmaceutical industry professionals.
Prominent companies from the U.S., Asia and
Europe participated. NTERPHEX is comprised
of four major segments: facilities, outsourcing
and contract services, information technology
and manufacturing/processing.
Representatives from the West Virginia
Development Office and the West Virginia European
Office met companies in the chemical, automotive,
plastics, aerospace and the gas-coal conversion
industries during a trade mission
to Manchester, England, and Rotterdam, The
Netherlands. The trip generated prospects
for Gov. Manchin's trip to Europe in April.
American Public University celebrated
its grand opening, moving into the former
magistrate court building in Charles Town
early in February after a $1.3 million renovation.
APU is an Internet-based university that moved
its headquarters to Charles Town in 2003.
CDI Corp. announced the expansion
of its CDI-IT Solutions group to the Dondale
Furniture building in Cross Lanes.
The move includes the planned addition of
50-plus technology jobs during the first year
of operation and an expected investment of
nearly $ 0.5 million in new equipment. Headquartered
in Philadelphia, CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI) is a
leading provider of engineering and information
technology outsourcing solutions and professional
staffing.
West Virginia's unemployment rate
of 5.3 percent in February is the lowest February
unemployment rate on record and the
second month in a row to post a new low, according
to WORKFORCE West Virginia. Since February
2005, total nonfarm payroll employment has
risen 10,100, with gains of 7,800 in the service-providing
sector and 2,300 in the goods-producing sector.
Datacaster, a startup company that
will offer electronic imaging and document
management services, intends to purchase the
assets of Docutex, a small company
in Kearneysville, and relocate to Martinsburg.
This acquisition would result in the retention
of nine existing jobs.
The Jefferson County Development
Authority will develop Phase II of the Burr
Industrial/Business Park in Charles Town.
In 1979, the JCDA acquired about 155 acres
to begin development of the Bardane Industrial
Park. After all of the lots were sold in the
mid-1980s, the JCDA purchased 300 additional,
adjacent acres to create the Burr Industrial/Business
Park. Phase I of the Burr Park houses 58 companies
and employs approximately 2,200 people. Phase
II will consist of infrastructure improvements
to 133 developable acres of the remaining
160 acres including interior road construction,
the installation of water distribution and
sewage collection lines and the extension
of other utilities. Current employment is
240; after three years it will be 750.
Gov. Manchin, Northern Panhandle
lawmakers and community and business leaders
established the Mittal Steel-Weirton Task
Force, a working group charged with
development of a plan to address continuing
issues at Mittal Steel's Weirton operations.
The task force will identify ways the state
of West Virginia, the Weirton community and
Mittal Steel-USA can work together to stimulate
general economic development and job growth
in the Weirton area.
In a visit to Charleston, representatives
from the Consular Division of the Taipei Economic
and Cultural Representative Office met with
the West Virginia Development Office,
legislators and other government officials.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative
Office in the United States (TECRO) is the
Republic of China's principal representative
office in the United States. As such, TECRO
in the United States maintains and develops
bilateral relations between Taiwan and the
United States. The Consular Division serves
ROC nationals and Chinese-American communities
in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware
and the District of Columbia. The division
also promotes relations with local governments
in the aforementioned states and the District
of Columbia.
In February, representatives from
the economic division of Consulate General
of Japan's office in New York met with the
Charleston Area Alliance, Putnam County Development
Authority and the West Virginia Development
Office and toured several Japanese
companies in West Virginia. Since 1872, the
Consulate General of Japan in New York has
promoted mutual understanding between the
people of Japan and the United States. The
Consulate General of Japan in New York exclusively
serves the following areas: Connecticut (Fairfield
County only), Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Puerto
Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The economic
division primarily researches economic issues
involving the areas within the consulate's
jurisdiction and coordinates and supports
efforts to strengthen economic cooperation
between Japan and the U.S. in the public and
private sectors.
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