Cabela's store officially opens in West Virginia

Cabela’s spokesman John Castillo said people were in line when he arrived at 4:30 a.m. on the day the new Cabela’s store opened in Ohio County’s Fort Henry Business and Industrial Centre. By 8 a.m., 300 people were in line and many waited in cars because of rainy weather.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are to be here this afternoon to celebrate the opening of our 10th store,” said Mike Callahan, Cabela’s senior vice president. “I think West Virginia is one of the best kept secrets in the country, but I think with the opening of this store, that’s all going to change.”

The day before, thousands were treated to a sneak peek inside the 175,000-square-foot facility. The event featured the unveiling of “Where Eagles Dare,” a 20-foot sculpture featuring a bear protecting its two cubs from a pair of aggressive eagles by Wyoming-based artist Vic Payne, who was present at the event. Afterward, Cabela’s executives, employees, local and state officials officially opened the store.

More than 4 million people are expected to visit the store each year.

Pete Dye West Virginia Classic is a hit

The Pete Dye West Virginia Classic at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W.Va., drew crowds and raves from Nationwide Tour officials, the players, and a long list of out-of-state guests and West Virginians attending the tournament the week of July 12-18.

“We want to be one of the standard setters for this tour,” said Tim McNeely, director of the event.

Months of planning and an $800,000 investment on the part of the state yielded a nearly immeasurable return on investment in positive feelings about West Virginia and 11 hours of coverage on the Golf Channel.

“This is the best child care I’ve seen on the tour,” one of the wives said. A player commented: “The number of people who came out is probably more than any tournament we’ve played this year. Everything was first class.”

D.A. Points took the trophy from the inaugural event along with a check for $108,000 with a five-point lead. Although he is in no hurry to move up, his win on the course plus one more could move him into the PGA next year. Nick Cassini came in second, winning $64,800. The total purse was $600,000, the second-largest purse in the Nationwide Tour’s 29 US-based events.

Pete Dye, Raven courses among U.S. top 100

Golfweek magazine selected the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport and the Raven Course at Snowshoe Mountain among the top 100 modern golf courses in the U.S. in 2004.

At No. 5 on the list, the Pete Dye Golf Club is the top private golf course in West Virginia; at No. 64, the Raven Course is the top resort course in the state.

Toyota facility sets production benchmark

For the third year in a row, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia set the standard for engine production, according to the Harbour Report, a major automotive study, recognizing the consistent high quality of West Virginia’s work force.

Toyota’s HPE (hours per engine) of 2.82 was more than one hour ahead of GM, which finished second in the engine productivity rankings.

The Harbour Report, first published in 1989, measures assembly, stamping and powertrain productivity performances – plant by plant, and company by company – for North American automotive manufacturers.

Toyota honors local suppliers

Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia presented four local companies special awards for their performance during the past year.

The company places high value on the contributions of its local suppliers – the companies that provide everything from spare parts to safety equipment to cleaning services. TMMWV has about 80 local suppliers and last year spent approximately $26 million with West Virginia suppliers.

This year’s supplier awards were based on scores in a series of purchasing and end-user evaluations.

Award-winning suppliers include Sterling Supply, Huntington; Office and Commercial Cleaning, Dunbar; Valley Electric, Teays Valley, and Securitas, Huntington.

Biometrics conference draws European firms

Eighteen representatives from European-based biometrics technology companies traveled to Morgantown in June to meet government users of biometrics technology, technology integrators and solution providers.

The conference provided firsthand knowledge about the U.S. market and created new relationships for European firms seeking to expand in the United States.

Mike Kirkpatrick of the FBI, Sam Cava of the Department of Defense, Edwin Rood of West Virginia University and Mike Yura of the National Biometric Security Project, based in West Virginia, made key presentations. International press and U.S. media covered the event.

Commitment to entrepreneurship recognized

West Virginia saw the second-largest gain among all the states by moving up 18 positions in the category of Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Assets on the Milken Institute’s State Technology and Science Index.

The institute identifies “capable entrepreneurs and the risk capital infrastructure to support them” as ingredients for long-term success in a knowledge-based economy.

“A state’s entrepreneurial capacity and risk capital infrastructure comprise the fuel that determines the success rate of converting research into commercially viable technology services and products,” according to the report.

Alternative fuel vehicle event staged

The West Virginia Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey event promoted hybrid electric vehicles as an option for West Virginians today and clean coal to hydrogen for tomorrow.

The Hybrid Electric Rally ran from Morgantown to Charleston to deliver the news about alternative transportation technologies to students and the public. An evening banquet celebrated West Virginia’s 10th anniversary as a member of the Clean Cities Coalition, a program sponsored by the Department of Energy that combines education, technical support and financial incentives to spread the significance of alternative fuel usage.

West Virginia University’s National Research Center for Coal & Energy and the West Virginia Development Office Clean State Program coordinated the West Virginia celebration.

The Department of Environmental Protection Office of Innovation, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the West Virginia Department of Education, Advantage Toyota – Barboursville, West Virginia Auto and Truck Dealership Association, the West Virginia Coal Association and WVU also supported the event.

State's export growth rate exceeds U.S.

West Virginia’s total exports exceeded $2.3 billion in 2003, achieving a growth rate of 6.38 percent in 2003, which surpassed the U.S. export growth rate of 4.4 percent.

ATK Tactical Systems wins contract, orders

ATK Tactical Systems Co. LLC, Rocket Center, W.Va., won a $5,233,586 contract for the procurement of rocket motors for the Navy and for the governments of Germany, Denmark and Kuwait. Work will be performed in Rocket Center and is expected to be completed in October 2005.

The Rocket Center facility also will produce composite wing parts and assemblies for Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of a $6 million contract from Vought Aircraft Industries Inc., USA, won by Alliant Techsystems (ATK), USA. Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial reconnaissance aircraft designed to provide military field commanders with high-resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas.

Work on tactical missiles for Raytheon Systems d/b/a/ Raytheon Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz.; precision guided mortar munitions systems development and demonstration for the U.S. Army; demonstration of the Navy’s ballistic trajectory extended range munition concept, and 30mm PGU-15 target practice ammunition for the U.S. Army Field Support Command will also take place at the Rocket Center facility.

ATK, headquartered in Edina, Minn., is a $2.3 billion advanced weapons and space systems company employing 13,200 people in 21 states. For more information, visit www.atk.com.

USA/Alliant Techsystems wins support projects

Alliant Techsystems ABL, Rocket Center, W.Va., won an estimated $13 million contract for projects in support of the Navy’s continuing restoration program at Allegany Ballistics Laboratory. Work will be performed in Rocket Center and is expected to be completed by October 2005.

Pratt & Whitney contributions honored

Pratt & Whitney (P&W) was inducted into the Blackbird Laurels Society in recognition of the company’s contributions as engine provider for the U.S. Air Force’s SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.

The induction took place during a ceremony hosted by the Flight Test Historical Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) Museum at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Pratt & Whitney military engines are built and supported in facilities in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

Morgantown among best small towns

Men’s Journal rates Morgantown No. 3 in a survey of the best small towns in the country and as one of the top 50 best places to live.

The June issue describes the city as full of “Morgantownies ... people who fall in love with the place and never leave, thus ensuring that the word never gets out.”

Jack Thompson, special projects manager for the Greater Morgantown Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he talked up Morgantown to the editor of Men’s Journal several months ago at a convention, and then got an e-mail from the editor saying Morgantown had made the cut.

Men’s Journal listed the city’s proximity to trout fishing and white-water rafting, Cheat Lake, the Monongahela River and WVU – a “sports powerhouse” – among the community’s assets. Morgantown also scored points for its dependable job market steeped in education, agriculture, adventure and medicine.

Vacation homes increase in West Virginia

West Virginia is the sixth fastest-growing destination for buyers of second homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The state made one of the biggest jumps in the nation’s total number of vacation homes in the past 10 years, the bureau reports.

Seasonal, recreational or vacation homes have increased by 71 percent to more than 38,000. Pocahontas County, home of Snowshoe Mountain, has the most vacation homes in the state at 3,000.

Retirement publication features Shepherdstown

In its May/June edition, Where to Retire featured Shepherdstown, West Virginia, as a top retirement town.

“Located on the Potomac River in the northern Shenandoah Valley, this small college town dates to the early 1700s. Historic buildings house shops and restaurants, and new home developments are sprouting in the outlying areas,” the publication reports.

Where to Retire has more than 600,000 readers each issue.

Bluefield State College robot wins in contest

Bluefield State College’s engineering technology program took first-place awards in design presentation and qualifications at the Intelligent Ground (Robotic) Vehicle Competition in Oakland, Mich. The team also finished fourth in the overall category.

BSC won first-place honors in 2003 for design and most intelligent robot at the international competition.

Vasilius, the 300-pound, 6-foot-tall robot, processes its environment using technologies that include stereoscopic vision, laser measurement systems, a differential global positioning system, digital compass, color sensors and proximity sensors.

Based upon the feedback it receives, Vasilius can track a moving object, navigate a course and move from one designated location to another while avoiding obstacles in its path.

The student team included Amy Snider, Jarrod Snider, Michael Hale, George Myers, Donald Walker and Jessica Brown.

Virginia Tech was the event’s overall winner, followed by the University of Alberta, Hosei (Japan) University and BSC. Thirty-four teams registered for the event and 17 qualified for the final round of competition.