|
Japanese automotive
supplier brings jobs
Gov. Bob Wise and officials from Nippon Thermostat of America Corp. announced the location of a 31,000-square-foot facility in the Putnam Industrial Park.
The company eventually will employ 50-60 people.
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller emphasized the importance of international relations to the success of West Virginia’s economy. “Years of work developing good relationships in Japan continue to pay off in West Virginia.”
With headquarters in Tokyo, the company has three manufacturing plants in Japan and supplies all Japanese car manufacturers including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi. In the U.S., Nippon Thermostat has begun supplying thermostats to GM for its most widely produced engine.
German adhesives company
locates first U.S. manufacturing site
Stockmeier Kunststoffe GmbH & Co. KG today announced the German company’s decision to purchase the Harrison County shell building in the Business and Technology Centre and to employ as many as 25 people at its first U.S. manufacturing site.
The company will set up a polyurethane system at the West Virginia facility to improve the service for its growing U.S. business.
Stockmeier Kunststoffe manufactures polyurethane products such as coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, castings and binders for such industries as electrical, filter and sports flooring. The company’s suppliers include Huntsman, Dow, BASF and Bayer, among others.
Architectural products
maker selects Wheeling
Representatives from AES Industries, Inc., announced the company’s plans to lease 30,000 square feet in the Wheeling Machine Roll Shop and employ as many as 30 people.
“I continue to be impressed with the talented labor pool and the industrial environment of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle,” said Jason Benton, president of AES Industries. “As I learn more about West Virginia – the quality of life here, the amenities, the low crime rate – I know that we have found a perfect match.”
AES Industries Inc., based in Tallassee, Ala., manufactures architectural products such as diffusers, dampers and curbs used in air movement and control systems for large commercial buildings. The company’s clients include Walmart, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Best Buy and Publix Supermarkets.
Aerospace company expands
to produce UAV components
Aurora Flight Sciences President John Langford announced that the company will increase the number of jobs at its Harrison County facility as it expands to produce unmanned aerial vehicle components for the U.S. military.
The total cost of the project is $2.3 million, which will result in the addition of as many as 120 jobs within three years. The company currently employs 110 people in its Harrison County facility.
Aurora Flight Sciences is a leading supplier of unmanned air vehicle designs, components, and flight services for government, industry, and academic clients. Aurora operates facilities in West Virginia, Virginia and California, specializes in the design and production of high-altitude UAVs, and is a major supplier of composite structures for the Global Hawk and related air vehicles.
Bombardier celebrates
West Virginia partnership
Gov. Bob Wise and Bombardier Aerospace General Manager Troy Jonas celebrated the partnership between West Virginia and Bombardier Services Corp. of Bombardier Aerospace, which employs 350 people at its aircraft maintenance and repair facility at the Harrison-Marion Regional Airport.
The output of the aerospace industry in West Virginia is slightly more than $376 million annually.
The state, through the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, bought the 145,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the airport earlier this year and leases it to Bombardier Services Corp. The arrangement provided the company with a stable lease rate and kept it as a long-term employer in Harrison County.
Business park enters
second-phase expansion
Gov. Bob Wise announced the second-phase expansion of the Eastpointe Business Park in Bridgeport. Citynet, which offers data, Internet, voice and enterprise-wide solutions to the business and residential community, is the likely anchor tenant for the park.
Venture capital program
helps software firm
Software company SecureMethods Inc. said it will use a new $3 million investment to expand its sales efforts as it sets up shop in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
SecureMethods sells software that helps authenticate computer users for online communication and encrypt the data they exchange.
The company is moving to West Virginia with the help of a Small Business Administration program that encourages venture capital investments in areas where such investment is scarce, such as the Appalachians.
Adena Ventures, an Ohio-based firm that led the round of funding, received matching government money. Another of Adena’s portfolio companies, software maker Butterfly.net, is also based in Martinsburg.
Digital mapping effort
leading the nation
West Virginia has selected BAE SYSTEMS to develop and implement a statewide digital mapping system that will assist public safety officials and emergency response personnel.
The project is one of the first in the country that integrates geospatial mapping and E911 at the statewide level and could serve as a blueprint for similar efforts nationwide.
The system will include aerial photography for the development of digital maps and a computerized geographic information system (GIS) that will be integrated with Enhanced 911 services, state and local government agencies, telephone companies, the U.S. Postal Service and public utility systems.
The system will also provide the West Virginia Statewide Addressing and Mapping Board with a high quality digital image of the entire state. The board was created to provide city-style addresses for the state’s rural areas.
The project will ensure that rural areas of the state are accorded access to the same level of prompt and accurate emergency service as urban areas.
Gov. Bob Wise said, “This high quality digital mapping system will ensure that our first responders, emergency management, and planning personnel have the most accurate information available to do their job. This system will save lives in our state – I’m proud that West Virginia is leading the nation in this effort.”
Per capita income growth
eighth best in nation
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, West Virginia’s per capita income (calculated by dividing total income from all residents by total population) was $23,688 in 2002, compared to $22,682 in 2001.
The 3.6 percent growth was eighth best in the U.S., and was nearly double the national growth rate of 1.7 percent.
The total personal income from all state residents grew 3.7 percent and was good enough to be ranked 21st of all the states and the District of Columbia.
The total income from all West Virginia residents grew faster than the median of all U.S. states.
New partners cooperate
for commercialization
The Institute for Scientific Research, Inc. (ISR) and the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) have formed a partnership and will identify, develop and market new technologies.
ISR is a research and development company based in Fairmont, West Virginia. NTTC is a technology commercialization organization on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia.
ISR will conduct research and advanced development into a variety of new technologies embraced by NTTC. In turn, NTTC will provide ISR with market research, opportunity analysis, and integrated marketing strategies for gaining entry into commercial markets that can benefit from such technologies.
State’s tax freedom day
is No. 6 in nation
At April 5, West Virginia is No. 6 nationwide in days worked to pay the total tax burden or State Tax Freedom Day, which varies from Alaska’s March 30 (best) to Connecticut’s May 9 (worst).
At June 20, West Virginia’s Cost of Government Day is third in the U.S. That’s the day when the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his/her share of spending and regulatory burdens imposed by all levels of government: federal, state and local. Cost of Government Days vary from Alaska’s June 12 (best) to Connecticut’s July 18 (worst).
West Virginia scientist
wins DuPont award
Rolando Pagilagan, a polymer scientist at DuPont’s Washington Works site in Parkersburg, West Virginia, is among four scientists named 2003 recipients of the Lavoisier Medal of Achievement.
As the highest honor of science excellence awarded by DuPont, the Lavoisier Medal of Achievement is named in honor of Antoine Lavoisier – recognized as the father of modern chemistry – who served as a mentor to DuPont founder E.I. du Pont more than 200 years ago.
Industrial electric service
rate fifth-lowest in U.S.
At 3.74 cents per kilowatt hour, West Virginia has the fifth-lowest rate for industrial electric service in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. The national average is 5.04 cents.
West Virginia students
win robotics contest
Bluefield State students won an international robotics competition with Vasilius, a robot that can make its own decisions about movement using obstacle-sensing lasers, color sensors and cameras — built by the students — that operate like human eyes, with depth perception.
The students competed against engineering schools such as Virginia Tech, Japan’s Hosei University and Canada’s Ecole de Technologie Superieure. The Air Force has given the students a $70,000 grant to develop the robot further.
Marshall University research
group receives patent
The Marshall University Research Corp. received a patent for using acetaminophen to treat iron overload. Dr. Ernest M. Walker, Jr., professor of pathology at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine is the inventor.
WVU School of Medicine
wins science grant
West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown is one of 19 biomedical research institutions receiving nearly $10 million in new grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to share some science with their communities.
The $538,307 grant will enable a focus on students and teachers in rural communities.
Nearly 300 medical schools, academic health centers, independent biomedical research institutions, and schools of dentistry, public health and veterinary medicine were invited to compete for the grants.
HHMI challenged them to propose innovative ways to advance public understanding of science in their communities through programs targeting K-12 students and teachers.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a medical research organization, fosters biomedical research and science education.
Company builds millionth
cold-drink vending machine
Royal Vendors in Kearneysville, West Virginia, recently reached a milestone when the company, established in 1987, built its one-millionth cold-drink vending machine.
“Our success is due to the extraordinary effort and dedication of our people,” said company President Larry LaBrier. “They should all be very proud of their achievement.”
The Greenbrier among
world's best hotels
Readers of Travel+Leisure magazine rated The Greenbrier third on its list, “The World’s Best Service: Hotels in the Continental U.S. and Canada.”
| 
