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West Virginia and biometrics
go hand-in-hand
More people know West Virginia is the perfect match for the biometrics industry, thanks to national media exposure and a push by the state for recognition.
A Wall Street Journal article in March headlined “West Virginia Seeks New Place on the Map” made the case that West Virginia’s location, scientific infrastructure and way of life will attract out-of-state biometrics entrepreneurs.
Business Xpansion Journal’s headline, “Biometrics Leading West Virginia,” touts the industry’s presence in the state, from West Virginia University’s Center for Identification Technology Research to the Department of Defense’s Biometrics Fusion Lab.
Representatives from the West Virginia Development Office attended several industry events this quarter, including The Biometric Consortium Conference in Crystal City, Virginia. The Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the GSA Federal Technology Service Center for Smart Card Solutions and the West Virginia Development Office sponsored the event.
At the Aviation Security Summit 2002 in February, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said: “Our home state is quickly establishing itself as a center for biometric research and development.”
The 75th session of the West Virginia Legislature saw several important tax incentive changes, among them the Strategic Research R&D Credit, which improves the state’s existing R&D credit and could help companies in the biometrics sector.
West Virginia program
receives $9 million from NSF
The West Virginia Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (WV EPSCoR) acquired the largest science and technology grant ever awarded to West Virginia by the National Science Foundation.
The $9 million NSF grant will provide support for research in biometrics and biomolecular sciences over the next three years at West Virginia and Marshall universities. It also will support math and science education efforts in K-12 schools.
Magazine honors West Virginia
for 2001 job creation total
West Virginia’s 2001 job creation total earned the state a No. 9 ranking on Site Selection magazine’s annual listing of jobs created per million residents.
Site Selection’s competition criteria for the 2001 top states “level the playing field between heavily populated, industrial states and states with fewer population centers but a healthy run of new or expanded facility projects to their credit,” according to a story by Mark Arend in the magazine’s March 2002 issue.
New facilities and expansions must fit one of three categories: at least $1 million in capital investment; 50 or more jobs; or the addition of 20,000 square feet of new floor area.
Manufacturer opens,
announces 200-300 jobs
EXCEL Homes announced the grand opening of a new 92,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Raleigh County and the creation of 200-300 jobs. The company is the largest residential off-site construction builder in the eastern United States and the nation’s fastest-growing.
West Virginia city ranks
high in business climate
Morgantown, West Virginia, is among the top five small eastern U.S. cities with excellent business climates, according to BizDemographics.
The publication analyzed the nation’s 496 micropolitan areas, including 46 in the East. Each was assessed in 18 economic and demographic categories. A micro-politan area includes a central city with 10,000 to 50,000 residents and its surrounding territory.
Event shapes state's role
in U.S. energy future
Environmentalists, businesspeople and the general public helped shape West Virginia’s role in the nation’s energy future during “Powered for the Future” at the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Morgantown site.
The event offered an exciting look at the status of West Virginia’s energy plan, an overview of selected energy technologies opportunities, an eco-park and the commercialization process.
The West Virginia Development Office, the U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, the Center for Energy Development and Environmental Assessment, Fairmont State Community and Technical College Regional Small Business Development Center and the U.S. Small Business Administration sponsored the day’s events.
Newspaper group comes
to West Virginia
West Virginia is now the eastern location for New West Newspapers, Inc., operations.
The company bought The Jackson Herald, The Jackson Star News, The Star Herald Weekender and Star Printing Co. New West Newspapers is principally owned by CEO Gary G. Gerlach and Michael Gartner. Gartner won a 1997 Pulitzer Prize while serving as managing editor and co-owner, with Gerlach, of the Ames Daily Tribune.
Gerlach praised West Virginia’s work force. “We are enthusiastic about the fact that those operations have a strong base of quality employees to help us improve the operations,” he said.
Toyota president named
honorary West Virginian
Gov. Bob Wise named Tomoya Toriumi, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia (TMMWV) an honorary West Virginian.
“Under his guidance, Toyota has committed to two engine plants and an automatic transmission plant, resulting in the employment of hundreds of citizens for decades to come allowing them to live and raise their families in West Virginia,” Wise said.
“Serving as president and CEO of Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia and living in this beautiful state have been the greatest experiences of my life,” Toriumi said. “The warm support I have received during the past five years has made me feel like a true Mountaineer.”
Toyota will build engines and transmissions for the popular Lexus RX 300 sport utility vehicle at its Buffalo, W.Va., plant marking the first time Lexus has produced engines outside of Japan.
Diamond Electric
announces expansion
Diamond Electric Manufacturing Corporation expanded its Eleanor, West Virginia, ignition coil manufacturing plant to accommodate new business contracts, including new business with Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia (TMMWV) in nearby Buffalo.
The expansion also will add jobs to the company’s 85-employee base. The company is headquartered in Dundee, Michigan, where it also has a manufacturing facility.
Jefferson County printer's
work at 2002 Games
The 2002 Winter Games featured the work of Dalb, Inc., a printing facility in Jefferson County. Visitors to Salt Lake City’s Olympic Village saw vending machine displays printed by the company.
Since its opening in 1982, Dalb has grown from a 2,500-square-foot rented space in Ranson to its current 100,000-square-foot complex with a staff of 123.
Alcoa honors
West Virginia company
West Virginia Cashin Recyclables of Nitro, West Virginia, received an Alcoa UBC Supplier Quality Award for shipments of outstanding quality used beverage containers (UBCs) in 2001.
The elimination of contaminants from UBC shipments has a direct impact on the quality and cost of recycled aluminum cans as well as the safety of employees involved in the recycling process.
BASF leads list in chemical
industry innovation
BASF has been named as the leader in innovation in its industry in the latest Fortune magazine listing of the world’s most admired companies. BASF has a manufacturing operation in Huntington, West Virginia.
Harrison County
manufacturer expands
Precision Coil, Inc., announced a $4.5 million expansion that will include the addition of 12,000 square feet at its Clarksburg facility. The company manufactures customized aluminum coils and flat products.
WVU students rank high
in respect for diversity
Students living in West Virginia University’s dormitories have some of the highest respect in the nation for cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity, according to a study by the Association of College and University Housing Officers International.
Snowshoe Mountain
named a great escape
The December/January 2002 issue of Travel Holiday magazine put Snowshoe Mountain and its Backcountry Hut on its list of 25 Best American Escapes Right Now. The issue also featured West Virginia Tourism Commissioner Alisa Bailey.
WVU political science
department ranked
A study published in PS: Politics and Political Science ranked West Virginia University’s Department of Political Science eighth in the nation among 20 institutions with the most published research per Ph.D. graduate. PS: Politics and Political Science is the journal of the American Political Science Association.
University of Charleston
recognized for quality
Great Colleges for the Real World, a guidebook recognizing colleges that successfully serve the needs of today’s consumer-oriented students, recognized the University of Charleston. The award, given to UC for the second year in a row, recognizes the quality of education that students receive.
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