Governor
Releases September "Open for Business" Report
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov.
Joe Manchin today released the latest "Open
for Business" report documenting the state's
economic progress. The September 2006 report
highlights projects and related announcements
that will assist with the creation of as many
as 700 new jobs and the preservation of a
significant number of existing jobs.
Belgian
company selects West Virginia for its first
U.S. operations
Belgium-based Industrial Projects Services
USA Corp. selected Charleston as its first
U.S. operations location, initially employing
10 engineers and architects and investing
$3 million within three years. IPS USA Corp.
provides assessment, consultation, design
and project management to the steel and aluminum,
chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, automotive,
paper and energy industries. The company selected
West Virginia because of its central location,
potential for collaboration with West Virginia
University’s engineering school and
quick response from the state Development
Office.
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Bayer
to invest $30 million in New Martinsville
plant
Bayer Material Sciences will invest $30 million
to $35 million to modernize its New Martinsville
polyether production facility in the next
several years to improve efficiency. The plant,
which makes one of the two liquids used to
make polyurethane, a product found in appliances,
automotive steering wheels and medical equipment,
will continue to operate as contractors complete
the major upgrades.
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State
awards $23.7 million contract extending four-lane
highway to Grant County
The four-lane Corridor H highway system is
officially making its way into mountainous
Grant County after the state awarded a $23.7
million contract extending it from Hardy County.
Construction on a 1.75-mile section of the
16-mile Forman to Moorefield part of the corridor
begins this month and should be complete by
August 2008. The highway will provide quick
and easy access to Interstate highways in
Virginia that connect to metropolitan Washington.
It is part of the Appalachian corridor system
made possible through the funding efforts
of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd.
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Indonesia
buys West Virginia products for tsunami warnings
Martinsburg’s Power Sonix Inc. (www.powersonix.com)
recently shipped six high-powered, speech-projection,
acoustic hailing devices to Indonesia for
use in making tsunami warnings from helicopters.
The systems, ranging from 300 to 5,000 watts,
are used in helicopters, vehicles, backpacks
and fixed installations for emergency response,
military operations, weather alerts, disaster
management, crowd control, search-and-rescue
operations, and airport bird dispersion. The
company also sold seven systems to Taiwan
for police boats. The two Asian contracts
totaled more than $135,000.
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State
working to lure more wood products manufacturers
Forest products helped build West Virginia’s
economy and they remain a staple in the state’s
industry today. The West Virginia Development
Office joined the Hardy and Hampshire county
development authorities and the state Division
of Forestry in late August to market the state’s
plentiful and renewable forest resources at
the 2006 International Woodworking Fair in
Atlanta. This major trade show provides an
opportunity to showcase West Virginia’s
abundant wood products to manufacturers and
businesses that use them. Similar marketing
campaigns have resulted in West Virginia manufacturing
facilities from companies such as Bruce Hardwood
Floors, Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser and
American Woodmark.
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Braxton
Technology Center opens for business
Braxton County Development Authority officials
joined Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito
in dedicating the brand-new 30,000-square-foot
Braxton Technology Center and welcoming Triune
Software, its first tenant. The $2.5-million
center, which is just off the Flatwoods exit
of I-79, was partially funded by a $1.135
million grant from the U.S. Department of
Commerce. Triune develops information management
applications for clients such as the U.S.
Air Force and will employ 10 to 12 people
at the Braxton facility.
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Small
Business Development Center helps 142 clients
in August
The West Virginia Small Business Development
Center (SDBC) offered 867 hours of counseling
and training to 142 clients in August, helping
to create or retain 90 jobs. To date this
fiscal year, the SBDC provided 11,160 hours
of counseling to 1,769 clients and created
or retained 986 jobs. At 13 events in August,
the SBDC trained 139 people; year-to-date,
the agency held 261 events and trained 3,299
people. Out of five loans totaling $875,941
approved in August, three were Small Business
Administration loans totaling $817,451. Out
of 148 loans totaling $25,385,159 approved
year-to-date, 72 were SBA loans totaling $12,659,893.
New customer satisfaction was 100 percent
in August and for the year.
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Charleston
postal facility will expand, hire more than
100
The U.S. Postal Service’s remote encoding
center in Charleston, which now employs 350,
is expanding by more than 100 employees in
the next six months. Employees at the center,
which handles mail from Washington, Baltimore
and Richmond, Va., manually process addresses
that automated machines can’t recognize.
In the coming months, they also will handle
mail from North Carolina and South Carolina.
The Postal Service selected Charleston because
it’s one of the top-performing remote
encoding centers in the United States, with
low costs and low staff turnover.
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State
Farm Insurance reaffirms commitment to West
Virginia
State Farm Insurance acquired new office space
in Kanawha County to handle a possible expansion,
and reaffirmed its commitment to West Virginia’s
resurging insurance market. In early August,
State Farm announced a 5 percent rate decrease
for homeowners’ insurance customers
in West Virginia, which follows a 10 percent
rate reduction in 2005 for the company’s
car insurance policyholders. Since the approval
of sweeping insurance reforms during the 2005
regular legislative session, West Virginians
have saved more than $70 million on consumer
insurance.
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State
officials visit intermodal facility
West Virginia Development Office and Public
Port Authority officials in August toured
the Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads, one
of the fastest-growing container ports on
the East Coast, and the Virginia Inland Port
intermodal facility in Front Royal. Both West
Virginia agencies are exploring the feasibility
of a similar facility.
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Tamarack
celebrates 10 years of promoting West Virginia’s
culture, tourism
Beckley’s popular Tamarack artisan center
celebrated its 10th anniversary as one of
the nation’s finest facilities showcasing
Appalachian culture, heritage, handcrafts,
fine art, cuisine and music. Tamarack draws
more than half a million visitors each year
and is a major contributor to the success
of cottage industries across the state. The
facility has generated nearly $61 million
in sales revenue, $3.2 million in sales tax
and benefited more than 2,500 artisans.
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New
Chief Logan Lodge, Hotel and Conference Center
opens
Visitors to West Virginia’s southern
coalfields and the Hatfield-McCoy Trails can
enjoy the just-opened Chief Logan Lodge, Hotel
and Conference Center in Logan County. The
new 75-room hotel is situated next to its
conference center and restaurant, which opened
four years ago and is less than a ten minute
drive from Chief Logan State Park. The hotel
features beautifully furnished rooms and suites,
plus wireless Internet throughout the facility,
indoor pool, hot tub, exercise room, and plenty
of meeting space. Each suite includes a balcony
or terrace, fireplace, and a microwave and
refrigerator. Park officials said its quality
and proximity to Charleston and coalfields
attractions will make it an appealing venue
for groups.
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Private
industry joins state college to train Wheeling
students for job market
Williams Lea, a business process outsourcing
company with offices in Wheeling, has partnered
with West Virginia Northern Community College
to develop academic courses that prepare students
for the evolving job market in the Wheeling
area. West Virginia Northern now offers the
Legal Office certificate program that trains
students in the skills required for them to
pursue local careers in legal services at
Williams Lea’s full-service facility
in Wheeling. The company and the college have
collaborated on courses in word processing,
business law, legal transcription and legal
document production. In addition to offering
courses for legal services careers, West Virginia
Northern will create training programs for
Williams Lea’s new hires while the company
will advise on internships and expand its
recruitment and partnership efforts with colleges
and universities throughout West Virginia.
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More
companies seeking state economic development
loans
More companies are turning to the state Economic
Development Authority’s low-interest
business loans in light of rising interest
rates, according to David Warner, the authority’s
executive director. In August, the EDA approved
a $1.9 million purchase-leaseback deal, approved
five loans totaling $6 million and preliminarily
approved nine other loans totaling $5.5 million.
EDA loans generally are provided at 4 percent
lower than the prime rate and used to fund
business projects that stimulate employee
growth and retention.
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Companies
request revisions to existing Infrastructure
and Jobs Development Council loans
The Fayette County Urban Renewal Authority
requested approval on a revision to a $599,000
loan approved in June 2004 for the acquisition
of a 1,000-acre site and development of 300
of those acres for the Wolf Creek Park mixed-use
business park in Fayette County. The project
requires additional funding of $1.6 million,
which is being provided through the West Virginia
Housing Development Authority. The changes
permit the lending agencies to share in revenue
and collateral.
The Webster County Economic Development Authority
has requested a revision to a $404,725 loan
approved in October 2005 to help purchase
a 20,600-square-foot building in the Webster
County Business Park in Cowen. Information
Manufacturing Corp, which leases the first
building in the park, has requested leasing
6,000 square feet of space in the facility
now under construction. This will allow for
additional space and growth of 15 to 20 new
jobs, so the Development Authority is requesting
an additional $250,000 to build out the 6,000
square feet.
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Economic
Development Authority approves $11.5 million
in loans
Carr Concrete Corp. will
receive a $250,000 loan to expand its dock
on the Ohio River in Waverly, Wood County.
Carr Concrete’s 100-acre site has
three production facilities totaling more
than 65,000 square feet of manufacturing
space. The company makes concrete burial
vaults, air conditioner pads, curb bumpers,
media barriers, bridge beams and culverts.
The company will increase employment from
83 to 90 in the next year.
Appalachian Forest Products Inc.
of Buckhannon received final approval for
a $1.575 million loan to build a sawmill
comprising four buildings and 27,000 square
feet in Buckhannon, Upshur County. The operation
will consist of a band mill with two debarkers,
two band head rigs, two board edgers, one
gang saw and a drop saw trimmer. The company,
which is expected to employ 28 people after
three years, sells Appalachian hardwood
logs and lumber and exports to several countries.
The Berkeley County Development
Authority received final approval
for a $2 million loan to acquire a new conveyor
system, racking, and other equipment that
will be leased to BlueSky Brands Inc. BlueSky
is a direct-to-consumer retailer that markets
gift items, apparel and household items
via its catalog. BSB will lease more than
400,000 square feet in the Shockey Commercial
Center in Martinsburg, Berkeley County,
for this project, which is expected to increase
employment from 400 to 800 after three years.
S.J. Morse Co. of Capon Bridge
received final approval on a $299,475 loan
to purchase new equipment and expand its
existing facility in Hampshire County. S.J.
Morse is a manufacturer of architectural
wood veneer-faced panels. The new project
includes financing a 4,800-square foot building
and the purchase and installation of specialized
machinery, which are expected to increase
employment at the company from 17 to 24
after three years.
Summit Point Automotive Research
Center (SPARC) in Jefferson County
received final approval for a $2.126 million
loan to develop a 277-acre training center
next to its existing raceway facility. SPARC
operates weekend racing events and conducts
specialty driver training, accident avoidance
training and anti-terrorist procedures on
weekdays. The company intends to create
a training and research campus that will
house security firms from the Washington
area that wish to relocate their training
operations at Summit Point, which is a short
drive from the capital. SPARC’s individual
employment is expected to increase from
33 to 55 after three years.
Coastal Lumber Company
received preliminary approval for a $1.9
million sale/leaseback of an existing Coastal
Lumber facility in Hazelton, Preston County.
The company will modernize, refurbish and
expand the facility and will purchase and
install manufacturing equipment, and employ
16 people.
Ohio Valley Industrial and Business
Development Corp. received preliminary
approval for an $800,000 loan to renovate
and build out the first floor of the Stone
Center at Market Plaza in Wheeling. OVIBDC
acquired the former Stone and Thomas building
in 2004 and is redeveloping it into back
office and shared services space. Officials
estimate the first tenant will create 60
to 70 new jobs.
Tabor Machine Co. in Bluefield
received preliminary approval for an $800,000
loan to buy property and a 76,000-square-foot
building in Princeton, Mercer County, to
relocate and expand its operations. Tabor
is a custom manufacturer of vibrating screen
systems that are used in the coal mining
industry to remove water or separate larger
materials from those of desired size. The
company anticipates an increase of 20 jobs
to a total of 71 within three years.
Beaver Coal Co. Ltd. of
Beckley received preliminary approval of
a $300,000 loan to build four luxury vacation
cabins near the Beaver exit of I-64 in Raleigh
County. Beaver Coal owns Woodland Amenities,
which was created in 2005 to provide luxury
cabin rentals to southern West Virginia
tourists. The project comprises two one-bedroom
cabins, one three-bedroom cabin and one
four-bedroom cabin/conference center and
will create four new jobs.
Bluefield Gear & Machine LLC
received preliminary approval for a $560,000
loan to purchase and install equipment for
an expansion at its Bluefield, Mercer County,
facility. The company, which makes gears
used in mining equipment, will use the loan
to buy five overhead cranes, a C&C turning
center and heat treating equipment. The
expansion is expected to increase employment
from 10 to 25 after three years.
Industrial Plating & Machine
Inc. of Princeton, Mercer County,
received preliminary approval for a $180,000
loan to purchase and install equipment in
the former EIMCO building in Bluefield.
The new project consists of one 20-ton and
two 10-ton overhead cranes and welding equipment
and it is expected to increase the company’s
employment from 15 to 40 after three years.
Harbor Steel of West Virginia Inc.
received preliminary approval for a $328,500
loan to purchase and install equipment as
part of an expansion at a shell building
in Prichard, Wayne County. The project consists
of a new high-definition plasma cutting
machine, shear and other equipment. Harbor
Steel will cut, shear and shape carbon and
stainless steel products at the facility,
which is expected to increase employment
from 10 to 40 after three years.
The Duane Zobrist Group LLC (Greenbrier
Valley Limousine & Executive Services)
of White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier
County, received a $300,000 loan to purchase
an office building and garage on Main Street
in White Sulphur Springs. DZG will restore
the historic character of the building facade,
which originally was a gas station and garage,
and remodel the interior as an office. The
company provides transportation by sedan,
van, limousine and executive coach between
the Greenbrier Resort, the airport and other
destinations, as well as provides non-emergency
medical transportation for the public.
Victory of West Virginia Inc.
of Fairmont received preliminary approval
for two loans totaling $2 million for the
purchase of all the fixed assets of Industrial
Resources Inc. and West Virginia Electric
Corp. in Fairmont, Marion County. This project
will transfer ownership of Victory of West
Virginia from its founder to the company’s
current president and will preserve 278
jobs in Fairmont. Victory designs, manufactures
and sells mineral processing and handling
systems and electronic control systems to
coal, stone and other industries
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