Governor
Releases June "Open for Business" Report
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The
June 2007 report highlights projects and related
announcements that will help create new jobs
and preserve existing jobs in the Mountain
State.
State unemployment
rate drops to record low for April
West Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped
to 4.6 percent in April, the lowest April
rate on record, WORKFORCE West Virginia reported.
Jefferson County, with a jobless rate of 3.4
percent, and Monongalia County, with an unemployment
rate of 2.8 percent, were considered "much
better than average." The total number
of unemployed state residents fell 2,700 to
37,000. Total unemployment was down 1,600
over the year. Total nonfarm payroll employment
added 5,700 jobs, with gains of 3,100 in the
goods-producing sector and 2,600 in the service-providing
sector.
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New stamping
company invests in modern technology, creates
jobs
Gov. Joe Manchin announced that a new automotive
stamping company is gearing up to produce
as many as 550 manufacturing jobs at South
Charleston’s stamping plant, which was
idled last year when Union Stamping and Assembly
closed. The governor was joined by Charleston
Stamping & Manufacturing Inc. president
and CEO John T. Wise, Park Corp. Chairman
Ray Park and elected officials from Kanawha
County in making the announcement. Located
in the 80-acre industrial park owned by Park
Corp., the refurbished plant is expected to
be ready for production by early 2008.
Charleston Stamping will invest more than
$35 million to refurbish the plant with new
automation equipment, Wise said. Automation
will enable the plant to double its yield,
achieving a performance level demanded in
today’s competitive global markets.
The modernization is expected to allow the
company to create 79 jobs in its first year,
140 jobs in its second year, and as many as
550 jobs in its fourth or fifth year.
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Huntington
contact center exceeds hiring expectations
PRC, one of the nation's leading providers
of outsourced customer management, is ahead
of its projections for the number of employees
at its Huntington, Cabell County, contact
center, said Melanie Pastore, manager of talent
acquisition for PRC. When the company announced
last December it would start hiring for its
Huntington center in January, it predicted
it would reach as many as 700 by June. As
of May 31, the company employed 662 in Huntington
and Pastore said it would hire an additional
225 in June, bringing its total to nearly
900.
PRC manages customer relationships for some
of the world's most brand-focused companies
through its global network of centers. The
company employs over 14,000 worldwide and
its Huntington employees handle inbound customer
calls. Company officials in December said
PRC has a tremendous reputation for supporting
its customers with the best team possible,
and that's why they chose Huntington. They
said West Virginia is known for the quality
of its workforce and their unwavering loyalty.
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Lockheed Martin
opens Biometrics Center in Marion County
Lockheed Martin opened the Biometric Experimentation
and Advanced Concepts (BEACON) center in White
Hall, Marion County. The 6,000-square-foot
facility will allow the corporation, its customers,
academics and other industry partners to showcase
their biometrics work and collaborate on the
technology. The center houses six high-tech
computer pods and an auditorium.
Lockheed Martin has several centers around
the country. The company chose West Virginia
because of its close relationship with the
FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services
Division in Clarksburg, proximity to West
Virginia University and WVU’s Center
for Identification Technology Research (CITeR).
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Marshall
University scientists start new firm with
biotech technology
Two scientists with Huntington’s Marshall
University have created a breakthrough technology
and the new biotech company Progenesis Technologies
LLC to license it. Professors Richard Niles
and Honwei Yu invented a way to use bacteria
to create alginate, an acid normally harvested
from seaweed. Alginate is used in commercial
products such as cosmetics, beer and over-the-counter
drugs.
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High technology
industries pour $5.2 billion into state
High technology industries in north-central
West Virginia contribute $5.2 billion to the
state’s economy, according to a recent
economic impact study. Anderson Economic Group
of Michigan conducted the study. West Virginia’s
technology industry is "diverse, well-rooted
and a significant source of employment and
income." More than half of the jobs are
in the state’s "High Technology
Corridor" along Interstate 79, including
Harrison, Marion and Monongalia counties.
The study was commissioned by the West Virginia
High Technology Consortium Foundation, a collaborative
partner with the West Virginia Small Business
Development Center.
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Graduates receive
first certificates in West Virginia’s
new skill credentials initiative
Now West Virginia job seekers can document
their skills with nationally recognized WorkKeys
Career Readiness Certificates. The certificates
are part of a new WORKFORCE West Virginia
initiative to help match jobs with qualified
job seekers and to assure prospective employers
that the state has a ready work force, said
Ron Radcliff, executive director of WORKFORCE
West Virginia.
The WorkKeys program assesses abilities in
applied math, locating information and reading
for information. Individuals who are assessed
at certain levels qualify for a gold or silver
certificate.
WORKFORCE West Virginia is issuing the state’s
first certificates to qualified graduates
of West Virginia’s career and technical
education schools and community colleges.
The graduates were assessed as part of the
school curriculum. WorkKeys assessments are
also given at WORKFORCE West Virginia Career
Centers.
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Morgantown company
chosen for World’s Best Technology Showcase
EyeMarker Systems Inc. was chosen to present
its Ocular Scanning Instrument (OSI) at the
World’s Best Technologies Showcase in
Arlington, Texas, recently. The OSI non-invasively
detects internal injuries, systemic diseases
and exposure to toxins. EyeMarker was one
of only 100 firms invited to participate in
the annual event showcasing undiscovered technologies
from around the globe. Morgantown-based EyeMarker
employs six people and plans to add two new
jobs within six months.
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Five West Virginia
companies on Mexico trade mission
Five West Virginia companies will
embark on a trade mission to Monterrey, Mexico,
June 24 -27. Monterrey, a city of approximately
3.8 million people, was named by Fortune magazine
as the best city in Latin America in which
to do business. Mexican imports from the U.S
totaled $130 billion in 2006. West Virginia’s
exports to Mexico have more than tripled in
the past five years.
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Raleigh County
Airport Industrial Park opens west side
The new 300-acre Raleigh County Airport Industrial
Park west side is now officially open. U.S.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee on Aviation, got the FAA’s
share of the land released to the Raleigh
County Commission in 2002. The 214-acre east
side of the industrial park hosts about 30
businesses that employ more than 900 people.
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Global Contact
Services hiring 60 in Huntington
Global Contact Services is hiring
60 new full-time positions at its Huntington
contact center. The openings for teleservices
representatives and insurance agents are the
result of a new program between GCS and two
insurance marketing agencies working for a
large bank. The identity of the insurance
companies and bank cannot be released due
to confidentiality agreements, according to
recruiting coordinator Carrie Lawrence. The
60 people hired at the Huntington branch will
sell accidental death insurance plans. The
Huntington branch currently employs 180 full-time
associates.
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Small Business
Development Center clients celebrate openings,
expansions
S&S Custom 4x4 celebrated its
grand opening in St. Albans. The company welds
and installs custom-made accessories on 4x4
trucks.
Rt. 60 Music Company announced plans to expand.
The five-year-old company is building a new
10,000-square-foot warehouse, showroom and
music classroom in Barboursville. Rt. 60 Music
sells musical instruments and provides music
lessons.
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Two West Virginia teachers
among national Math and Science Teaching winners
Two West Virginia teachers count among the
winners of the Presidential Awards for Excellence
in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The Presidential
Awards are among the nation’s highest
honor for teaching math or science in kindergarten
through 12th grade. The recently announced
2006 winners include Cathy Walker, mathematics,
John Adams Middle School, Charleston; and
MaryLu Hutchins, science, Steenrod Elementary
School, Wheeling.
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Cass Railroad State Park cited among
"most scenic" by Frommer’s
Travel
The May issue of Arthur Frommer’s Budget
Travel magazine has cited Cass Scenic Railroad
State Park in Pocahontas County as among America’s
most scenic train rides. Cass Scenic Railroad
State Park is home to the world’s largest
roster of authentic, geared steam locomotives.
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Charleston
among Kiplinger’s "Best Cities
for Every Stage of Life"
A low cost of living and a growing creative
class were factors in Charleston becoming
one of the "Best Cities for Every Stage
of Life" in the June issue of Kiplinger’s
Personal Finance magazine. In the empty nesters
(married with no children or single, ages
45-64) category, Charleston ranked along with
San Francisco; Seattle; Madison, Wis.; and
Boulder, Colo. The rankings are based on data
from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics and the Council for Community
and Economic Research, as well as research
from Richard Florida, a Carnegie Mellon professor
and author of "The Rise of the Creative
Class."
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Expansion
Management cites West Virginia, Morgantown,
as top spots
In its May/June 2007 issue, Expansion Management
magazine rates Morgantown as a five-star quality
of life area. Five-star is the magazine’s
top rating. In the same issue, Expansion Management
names West Virginia among the top 10 states
for business attraction and recruitment.
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DEP loan
aids Summersville water system upgrade
The Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) Clean Water State Revolving Fund is
providing financial assistance to Summersville
in Nicholas County to expand its wastewater
treatment system. DEP is lending the city
$2 million for the project. An additional
$8.6 million is coming from the state Infrastructure
and Jobs Development Council. Summersville
plans to replace aging equipment for the system
that services about 1,540 customers in Nicholas
County. It is expected to be finished in early
2009.
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WVEDA
approves funds for three firms
The West Virginia Economic Development Authority
approved three loans during its May meeting.
- New company JetLink USA received approval
on a $1,215,000 loan. The funds will finance
a 23,600-square-foot aircraft hanger on
a 12.5-acre site at the Eastern West Virginia
Regional Airport, Martinsburg, Berkeley
County. The expansion is expected to add
47 jobs in three years.
- Downard Hydraulics was approved for $800,000
to expand its manufacturing facility in
Princeton Industrial Park in Mercer County.
The company, which now employs 80 people,
is expected to expand to 113 within three
years.
- Enviro Tech received approval on $749,000
to purchase equipment and a 42,000-square
foot-building on more than six acres in
Williamstown, Wood County. The loan is expected
to retain 44 jobs currently at risk and
expand to 150 employees within three years.
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