Toyota announces fifth W.Va. expansion

Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, Inc., announced a $120 million expansion of its engine and transmission plant to build 240,000 additional automatic transmissions per year and boost employment by 150 to about 1,150.

Beginning in 2007, TMMWV will build 240,000 additional automatic transmissions per year, bringing the plant's total automatic transmission capacity to 600,000 units. The fifth TMMWV expansion will increase total investment to more than $920 million.

"Toyota's West Virginia power train plant is an integral piece of Toyota's growing North American manufacturing operations," said Atsushi Niimi, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America. "Today's announcement is a testament to the skill and hard work of our West Virginia team members and the support of this community."

Diamond Electric announces 45 new jobs

Tatsuo Ikenaga, Diamond Electric president of North American Operations, announced plans for the company to add 100 new jobs at its Eleanor automotive ignition coil plant by 2007.

The Osaka, Japan-based company currently employs 120 regular team members in Eleanor and expects to see its employment grow to over 200 by this time next year. That would include regular and temporary employees. Diamond Electric employs about 1,250 worldwide.

Also, Quality Magazine named the Eleanor plant Quality Plant of the Year for 2005.

Variform expands, announces 50 new jobs

Gov. Joe Manchin and officials from Variform, Inc., announced the company’s expansion of its Berkeley County operations in the Berkeley Business Park, creating approximately 50 jobs.

The expansion in the former World Kitchen/Corning facility south of Martinsburg will provide additional warehouse space for Variform’s vinyl siding operation as well as a distribution center for Napco brand retail and wholesale siding and accessories.

The company, which employs about 250 people, has expanded its manufacturing facility four times to 155,000 square feet since arriving in Martinsburg in 1987.

Variform, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ply Gem Industries, Inc. Ply Gem is headquartered in Kearney, Mo., and manufactures and distributes vinyl siding, windows, patio doors, fencing, railing, decking and accessories marketed under the Variform, MW, Great Lakes, Napco, Kroy and CWD brands used in the residential new construction, do-it-yourself and professional renovation markets.

W.Va. export growth outpaces national rate

Gov. Joe Manchin announced West Virginia exports increased 37 percent from 2003 to 2004, outpacing the U.S. export growth rate of 13 percent during the same period.

Electrical machinery experienced the greatest increase, jumping from $23.4 million in exports in 2003 to $325.7 million in 2004, a 1,288 percent change. Vehicle parts came in at No. 2, increasing from $118.8 million in 2003 to $352.6 in 2004, a 197 percent improvement. Coal was third going from $260 million in 2003 to $406 million in 2004, a 56 percent increase.

Rounding out the top 10 were plastic, the state’s top export at $881.6 million; organic chemicals at $262.4 million; machinery at $214 million; hardwood products at $117 million; medical instruments at $98.7 million; aluminum at $97.5 million, and miscellaneous chemical products at $87.4 million.

West Virginia’s top three trading partners are Canada, Mexico and Japan.

TROY Group relocates to Wheeling center

TROY Group, Inc., announced plans to relocate its Nashville software development office to a new data center under development in Wheeling, W.Va., with a secondary facility in Santa Ana, Calif.

The new center will feature cutting-edge server technology, and connectivity and backup systems.

TROY Group, Inc., offers secure printing and management of checks and secure electronic payments as well as hardware and software solutions that enable enterprises to share intelligent devices, such as printers, either wirelessly or using traditional networks.

TROY distributes products to major corporations, banks, key government accounts and distributors worldwide. Visit TROY at www.troygroup.com.

Mill Branch Industries brings 100 new jobs

Gov. Joe Manchin and officials from the Van Metre Companies announced the establishment of Mill Branch Industries and the company’s plans to open a manufacturing facility in Capon Bridge that will initially employ as many as 100 people.

This newly formed West Virginia company will manufacture and distribute residential building components including windows, doors, hardware and roof and floor trusses. Future expansion plans include the addition of 200 to 300 employees.

Ergon announces renewed commitment to state

In a show of support for the economic climate changes that have occurred in West Virginia as a result of actions taken by the members of the Legislature and Gov. Joe Manchin, representatives of Ergon, Inc., announced the company’s plans to reinvest substantial money and resources into its Hancock County, W.Va., facility.

Headquartered in Jackson, Miss., Ergon, Inc., is the parent company of Ergon-West Virginia Inc., a refinery located in Newell.

“Over the next two years, Ergon will make significant investments to build state-of-the-art equipment for removing sulfur from diesel fuel. Commitments such as these require confidence that must be supported not only by future market conditions and product demand but by the business climate fostered by the state,” said Ergon, Inc., Chairman Leslie Lampton. “Recent legislation reforming Workers’ Compensation and civil justice reform initiatives serve to further reinforce Ergon’s confidence in West Virginia’s approach to businesses in the state.”

W.Va. MSA ranks high for knowledge workers

In its May 2005 issue, Expansion Management evaluated the nation's 362 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in terms of their knowledge-worker quotient, that is, "the human resources that knowledge-based companies most covet."

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. MSA has the fourth best-educated technical work force and is the 11th ranked metro for university R&D spending. Morgantown ranked 14th on a list of top metros for Ph.D.'s per capita.

"As more companies compete in the knowledge sector of the economy, competition for highly educated workers will become even more intense. Metros with a concentration of these workers will prosper, while those that don't, won't," the article concludes.

W.Va. MSAs earn spots on quality of life lists

In its March 2005 issue, Expansion Management used nine categories to compare 362 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and ranked them in order of quality of life.

The categories include low crime rates, affordable housing, quality public schools, reasonable standard of living, spouse employment opportunities, adult education levels, traffic and commuting, continuing education opportunities and commercial air access.

Morgantown and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. made the list of 5-Star Quality of Life Metros. The Winchester, Va.-W.Va. MSA made the list of 4-Star Quality of Life Metros.

On the list of metros with affordable housing, five of the top six positions included West Virginia metros: (1) Wheeling, W.Va.-Ohio; (2) Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va.-Ohio; (3) Parkersburg-Marietta, W.Va.-Ohio; (5) Huntington-Ashland, W.Va.-Ky.-Ohio; and (6) Morgantown, W.Va.

The standard of living list had Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. at No. 5.

Marshall University gets patent for light panel

Marshall University researchers recently received approval for a patent for lights that reduce light pollution, conserve energy, don’t attract insects and don’t create glare in foggy or smoky situations.

The U.S. Patent and Trade Office approved the patent for a flat, steel, light-emitting ceramic-based panel that has the potential to be used in homes, businesses, along highways and on river buoys.

The lights lack filaments, glass tubes, fragile components, or gas, which makes them durable and maintenance-free. Light is generated through a direct energy-to-light conversion process.

For more information, visit manufacturer Ecer Technologies’ Web site at www.ecer.area125.com.

AmberView unveiled at High-Tech Consortium

The West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation unveiled AmberView, a pilot biometrics program designed to aid in the recovery of missing children.

AmberView, a coordinated pilot program in West Virginia designed to work in collaboration with state and national Amber Alert programs, quickly disseminates three-dimensional (3-D) images of missing children through a web-based distribution system within minutes of a reported child abduction.

The system has the ability to mass broadcast a digital, 3-D facial image of a missing child to law enforcement officials, media organizations, the private sector and other sources.

For further information, visit www.amberview.org.

West Virginia among "Best Places to Lend"

The most recent list of “Nonprime Mortgage Report-Best Places to Lend” on newly originated nonprime mortgage equity includes West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, North Dakota, Alaska and Mississippi.

Most states are still less favorable for nonprime mortgage lenders than five years ago.

“Both borrowers and the underlying housing collateral in these areas are situated more favorably to withstand the consequences of an uncertain economy,” says Dr. Dennis Capozza, professor of finance at the University of Michigan Business School and a principal in University Financial Associates, which publishes the report each quarter.

W.Va. No. 7 on list of best states for fit kids

West Virginia was rated seventh in Child.com's list of 10 Best States for Fit Kids.

West Virginia is the only state in the country that requires students to take the President's Physical Fitness Test, a government-sponsored program that assesses a child's fitness level in five activities, including pull-ups, curl-ups and running. Students in all grade levels take part in the program. The state is only one of fewer than a dozen requiring school districts to evaluate students' fitness levels periodically.

West Virginia took candy, soft drinks, and gum out of schools in 2001. It is one of five states requiring that whole grains be served five or more times per week.

Child.com, the online counterpart to Child magazine, spent five months studying mandated school fitness and nutrition policies and examined a dozen-plus other factors relating to healthy lifestyles, including the availability of safe playgrounds, rates of participation in youth sports and the number of fast-food restaurants.

The rest of the list, in order includes (1) Connecticut, (2) New York, (3) Vermont, (4) Massachusetts, (5) Missouri, (6) Maine, (8) Wisconsin, (9) Arkansas and (10) Illinois.

West Virginia's biometrics industry featured

In "The Identity Business; Biometrics Cluster Sharpens West Virginia's Economic Image," the Spring 2005 issue of Region Focus highlights the history of the industry in the state, including the presence of a thriving industry cluster centered on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division and West Virginia University.

"Biometrics has become almost a household word around this region," writes Betty Joyce Nash.

Region Focus is a publication about the Fifth Federal Reserve District economy and the Federal Reserve System. The Fifth District consists of the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and most of West Virginia.

FMW wins $2.2 million U.S. Navy contract

FMW Composite Systems, Inc., has won a $2.2 million contract from the U.S. Navy to extend the company's program to produce a strong, lightweight material for joint strike fighter engines.

Development partners win Kellogg grant

The collaborative partnership of Advantage Valley, A Vision Shared, and the Center for Economic Options has received a $2 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Entrepreneurship Development Systems for Rural America: Promoting Vibrant Rural Economies through Expanded Entrepreneurship project.

The Foundation received more than 180 high quality, highly competitive proposals from 46 states with only six winners.

W.Va. ranks seventh for access to technology

Education Week has ranked West Virginia seventh in the nation for educational access to technology.

West Virginia ranked No. 4 in the nation for having a low number of students share classroom computers. The state also ranked fourth for connecting a high number of students to the Internet.

The education magazine’s 2005 Technology Counts report focuses on spending and finance among all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Education Week is a nonprofit publication based in Washington, D.C.

According to the report, the state ranked in the top 25 percent of schools where at least half the teachers teach with the Internet. Statewide, 78 percent of teachers use the Internet to teach, compared with the national average of 77 percent.

West Virginia is one of 22 states in the country to have virtual schools, and one of 42 that regularly collect data on technology in schools. The state is one of four to have a mechanism in place to replace or update technology.

Travelocity names top W.Va. locations

After considering more than 30,000 entries, Travelocity editors have released their 2005 picks for Little Secrets, Big Finds - the best hidden gems in each state.

In West Virginia, the editors chose Book-n-Bean House of Coffee, Fairmont; Oil & Gas Museum, Parkersburg; Palace of Gold, Moundsville; Cheat Mountain Overlook, Morgantown; Mario's Fishbowl, Morgantown; Sweet Shoppe, Lewisburg; Former West Virginia State Penitentiary, Moundsville; Mountain State Forest Festival, Elkins; New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville; and West Virginia Coal Festival, Madison.

Charles Pointe construction announced

Genesis Partners announced construction of the homes at Charles Pointe. Charles Pointe, near Bridgeport, will be a complete, self-contained community including single- and multi-family residences, retail outlets and restaurants in a main street setting, office complexes, conference center, hotels, schools and recreation and cultural facilities.

Located on approximately 2,000 acres along I-79 and 279 in Harrison County, Charles Pointe is already on its way with the construction of the $8.7 million, 120-room Wingate Inn. The planned City of Bridgeport Conference Center will be adjacent to the hotel.

Genesis Partners announced that S&A Homes will construct the homes at Charles Pointe.

Honda honors NGK's Sissonville sensor plant

Honda American Motors Operations has honored NGK Spark Plugs USA, Inc., with Honda's "Triple Award for Productivity, Quality and Delivery."

Two out of 600 Honda suppliers received the award, which recognizes NGK's Oxygen Sensor Division in Sissonville for outstanding work in 2004.

NGK's Sissonville plant, which makes oxygen sensors, has more than 200 employees. The plant is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.