West Virginia takes
action on economy

“Creating the Future: Action Plan for a Strong Economy” is West Virginia’s roadmap to a brighter economic future.

The action plan, in development by Atlanta-based Market Street Services, has been in the works since the October 1999 strategic planning retreat of the West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development. As part of the action plan, Market Street has undertaken an extensive demographic and economic analysis of the state.

With investment from businesses, labor organizations, trade associations, Marshall University, West Virginia University and such groups as the West Virginia Manufacturers Association and the West Virginia Roundtable, the firm will analyze the state’s economic development programs, legislative initiatives and policies. Ultimately, the plan will help shape new legislation designed to make West Virginia a national leader in economic development in the next five years.

Approximately 600 local economic developers and representatives from the state business community will participate in focus groups designed to gather input from the people who are most knowledgeable about the state’s economic development climate. The action plan will be completed this fall.

Japanese trade mission
marks 10-year anniversary

Gov. Cecil H. Underwood touted April’s trade mission to Japan as another milestone in the state’s ongoing and beneficial relationship with the country.

“Our initial investment in a trade office in Nagoya, Japan, 10 years ago has resulted in the addition of more than $1 billion to the state’s economy,” he said. “Today, more than 2,000 West Virginians work at 17 Japanese-based firms, providing the high-quality labor force so necessary to business success.”

Only one Japanese business had a West Virginia location before the Nagoya trade office’s 1990 opening. West Virginia exports to Japan hit a record $277 million in 1999, an increase of 51 percent over 1998 export figures.

The trade mission, made up of state and local economic development officials and business leaders, discovered 10 to 12 Japanese companies planning to establish manufacturing facilities in North America. The delegation also met with the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce, an organization with 20,000 member companies.

The trade mission served to mark the state’s 10-year anniversary in Japan. Trade mission participants included Mallie Combs, executive director, Hardy County Rural Economic Development Authority and member of the West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development; Gary Walton, executive director, Putnam County Development Authority Inc.; Scott Rotruck, director of economic development at West Virginia University and member of the West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development; Patrick Kelly, partner, Steptoe & Johnson; Bob Crawford, executive director, Berkeley County Economic Development Authority; Bill Goode, president, Business and Industrial Development Corp.; Jerry McDonald, president, Huntington Area Development Council; and Rory Perry, president, Bank One Logan. West Virginia Development Office participants included John Snider, executive director; Steve Spence, director of the International Division; and Hollie Hubbert, project manager, Asia Pacific.

Toyota dedicates
West Virginia plant

Company officials, Gov. Cecil H. Underwood, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller and representatives from the West Virginia Development Office gathered for a ceremony dedicating Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia’s Buffalo plant.

To date, the plant has produced 270,000 engines.

Toyota representatives included Teruyuki Minoura, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc.; Fujio Cho, president, Toyota Motor Corp.; Toshiaki Taguci, president, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.; and Yoshimi Inaba, president and CEO, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Also attending was Ambassador Takekazu Kawamura, consul general in New York.

The plant eventually will employ 800 people and represents a $900 million investment in the state by the company.

Governor honors
top exporters of 2000

Two individuals and three West Virginia companies received the 2000 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Exporting.

The awards, established in 1983 and presented by the governor and the West Virginia Export Council, honor companies and business professionals for their leadership and success in the state’s exporting efforts.

Individual recipients of the 2000 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Exporting are Jack Klim, president of D&E Industries Inc. in Huntington and vice chairman of the West Virginia Export Council, and Danny O’Donovan, senior vice president for corporate and international banking for One Valley Bank. The three companies who received the awards are Marble King Inc., Paden City; Phillips Machine Service Inc., Beckley; and Massey Coal Services, Charleston.

Aviation technology company
announces 150 jobs

Hughes Aero Structures Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based aviation company, now has a Clarksburg location and will hire 150 aviation technicians to work on aircraft in West Virginia, throughout the United States and around the world.

With an annual payroll of nearly $5 million, the company’s long-range goal is to build a hangar to service aircraft at the West Virginia location.

Gas-fueled power plant
to create jobs in Cabell County

Panda Energy International Inc. will build a 1,000-megwatt natural gas-fueled power plant in Culloden that will create 500 jobs during construction and 46 full-time jobs once it becomes operational.

The plant will provide energy to customers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. John Snider, executive director of the West Virginia Development Office, said the promise of deregulation in the electric utility industry is the catalyst for this investment.

Construction should begin in spring 2002 with the first phase operative in 2004. The Dallas-based company has plants in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and Brandywine, Md.

Lumber companies locate,
expand in West Virginia

Columbia Forest Products will invest $25 million in 2000 to expand its hardwood plywood capacity in the United States, including an upgrade at its Craigsville poplar veneer facility. The facility will expand by more than 46,000 square feet. Everett Hannah Lumber Co. will open two new sawmills, one that will turn materials for the mining industry and the other to produce grade lumber for the furniture and flooring industry.

Quebecor World to expand
operations, add jobs

Quebecor World, a Canada-based printing company, will expand operations at its Martinsburg facility, adding printing and binding equipment that will increase its book production capacity. Approximately 75 new jobs will be created.

“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our manufacturing operations. It speaks very highly of the corporation’s confidence in the employees,” said Kevin Kelley, regional vice president and division manager.

SimEx to build plant
in Pleasants County

SimEx, a subsidiary of window manufacturer Simonton Windows, is building an $18 million vinyl extrusion plant on 33 acres at the Pleasants County Industrial Center. SimEx initially will employ 30 people with the possibility of 100 employees at full production.

New underground mining
complex to employ 200

Pen Holding Co. announced plans for a new $100 million underground coal mining complex. The Fork Creek complex will employ as many as 200 people. The complex will produce about 4 million tons of low-sulfur coal annually.

West Virginia technology
efforts win recognition

The Center for Digital Government, in conjunction with the Progress and Freedom Foundation and Government Technology magazine, ranked West Virginia 11th in the nation in 1999 for its high-tech tax services.

The state moved from a rank of 50th in 1998. The center’s survey explores technology application in electronic commerce, taxation/revenue, social services, law enforcement and the courts, management/administration, and elementary, secondary and higher education.

The center applauded the state for modernizing its systems rather than replacing them in light of the year 2000 bug.

“This is the result of some good decision-making and good policy,” said Cathilea Robinett, executive director of the Center for Digital Government.

Council honors Main Street
program award winners

The West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development announced Main Street’s best community revitalization programs of 1999.

With a “Hats Off to Downtown” theme, the event highlighted the achievements of West Virginia’s 10 Main Street communities.

Main Street Achievement Awards were presented to Main Street Kingwood in the small town category and Main Street Morgantown in the large town category. Main Street Martinsburg was named the most improved program. Tracie Ford, Main Street Martinsburg’s executive director, was named Main Street program manager of the year.

In a 12-year partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street West Virginia promotes downtown revitalization through economic development and historic preservation.

Development Office participates
in manufacturing conference

Representatives from the West Virginia Development Office attended the Automotive News New American Manufacturing Conference in Birmingham, Ala. The Development Office hosted the conference’s opening reception.

PAZ, Development Office
at plastics trade show

The Polymer Alliance Zone’s marketing committee and representatives from the West Virginia Development Office participated in the 2000 NPE trade show June 19-23 in Chicago. NPE 2000: The World’s Plastics Showcase is the largest plastics industry show in the United States.

West Virginia's per capita
income rate rises

According to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, West Virginia’s per capita income rose by 3.5 percent last year. The growth rate exceeded the national rate of inflation, which stands at 2.2 percent.

PAZ training program
gets outstanding response

Hundreds of people responded to an information campaign designed to get the word out about the Polymer Alliance Zone Pre-Employment Training program.

This innovative, industry-driven program puts people on a progressive career path within the polymer industry.

Potential candidates varied widely in age and education level but each had a similar goal: to embark on a career, not just hold a job.

“The desire of our respondents really spoke well for the loyalty of the West Virginia work force,” said Julie Norman, training program manager with the West Virginia Development Office. “They want careers; they want to be able to retire from a company.”

Ninety-eight people passed preliminary testing and were interviewed by members of the PAZ-PET consortium. Twenty-five were chosen for the first training program beginning June 12.

For more information about the PAZ-PET program, contact Coordinator Michele Wilson at (304) 424-8355.

West Virginia businesses
nominated for national award

The West Virginia Development Office nominated three businesses for the Southern Growth Policies Board’s Governor’s Cup Awards.

DN American will be considered in the small business category (50 or fewer employees); Ultraprise Corp. was nominated in the 51-500 employee category; and Bell Atlantic-West Virginia was the nominee in the category for businesses with more than 500 employees.

Winners will be selected from nominees submitted by each of the organization’s 15 member states based on the following qualities: community involvement; economic impact; innovative use of technology; progressive human resources and work force development practices; and global competitiveness.

“We received a variety of good suggestions this year,” said David L. Lieving, manager of work force development in the West Virginia Development Office. “We will continue to solicit nominations from the field for this award in the future.”

The winner will be honored at the Southern Governor’s Association Annual Meeting in Arkansas on Sept. 24-26.

MAAC-ACT program
wins recognition

The Southern Growth Policies Board recognized the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex Aerospace Career Training (MAAC-ACT) program as an innovative work force development program at the board’s annual conference, “Trade & Technology: 21st Century Pillars of Progress” in Puerto Rico.

The MAAC-ACT is a pre-employment program that trains a ready, available pool of workers for companies in the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex at Benedum Airport.

Conference attendees included Anne Hart, MAAC-ACT coordinator; Pieter Blood, director, Fairmont State College Robert C. Byrd National Aerospace Education Center; Carol DuBray, human resources manager, Pratt & Whitney Engines Services, Inc.; and David Lieving, work force development manager, West Virginia Development Office.

Governor certifies Regional
Workforce Investment Boards

Gov. Cecil H. Underwood certified seven regional Workforce Investment Boards that will assist in planning, development and implementation of the Workforce Development Act.

The act, which serves as the foundation for a new local system to train job seekers, requires a “one-stop” delivery system at local career centers for people to access employment services, and referrals to job training, education and other services.

Regions and contact information include:

• Region 1: William Baker, Raleigh County commissioner, (304) 255-9146 or (304) 763-3178
• Region 2: Jean Dean, Huntington mayor, (304) 696-5540
• Region 3: Kent Carper, Kanawha County commissioner, (304) 357-0101
• Region 4: Jimmy Colombo, Parkersburg mayor, (304) 424-8420
• Region 5: John Sorrenti, Hancock County commissioner, (304) 748-7435
• Region 6: Frank Scafella, Morgantown mayor, (304) 296-3145 (home)
• Region 7: Earnest Sparks, Martinsburg mayor, (304) 264-2140