“I will create and chair the West Virginia Jobs Swat Team. It is not enough to respond when a shutdown notice is issued – by then, it is usually too late. State development officials must be monitoring and anticipating these situations well in advance. Our Jobs Swat Team will include the director of the Development Office, the secretary of tax and revenue, the commissioners of employment and environmental protection – and others. We will also call on local and regional leaders – and regional development groups like Advantage Valley – to protect the jobs we have, and attract new, high quality jobs all over West Virginia.”

The SWAT team does exactly what the governor promised: Under his direction, this team of public and private leaders monitors developments in the state’s economy and works to prevent job loss and encourage job growth.