Economic Development

Entering 2020, Governor Jim Justice reported today that December 2019 revenue collections were $6.9 million above estimates, which was 1.2 percent above prior year receipts. December also marks the end of the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2020, which cumulatively is 1.4 percent below the record-breaking prior year receipts. After a disappointing two months that … Read more

Twenty years ago today, David Sibray pushed a button on a computer and changed the way West Virginia was marketed. He established something entirely new—the West Virginia Explorer, an online guide to the Mountain State, one of the chief guides to West Virginia travel. “I wake up every morning knowing that I have the ideal … Read more

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced today that the state has reached an agreement with Maryland to continue the Maryland Area Regional Commuter Train service to the Eastern Panhandle. Justice made the announcement while visiting the Martinsburg Railway Station—the westernmost terminal of the MARC Train system—and joined other state and local government leaders who helped … Read more

West Virginia has sold $600 million in general obligation road bonds and generated more than $746.5 million in proceeds to be used for highway, bridge, and secondary road construction projects, Governor Jim Justice announced. “This program is truly bringing prosperity to West Virginia in many ways and today’s sale of these bonds is going to … Read more

The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has unveiled a new loan program to provide capital, technical assistance, and development expertise to property owners who are renovating historic buildings in West Virginia. The Historic Preservation Microloan will help property owners save endangered historic properties and develop commercial properties to create or retain jobs, housing, or heritage-related … Read more

Approaching completion, the new U.S. Route 48 expressway is dramatically changing tourism in the Tucker County highlands. Now a drive of fewer than three hours from Washington, D.C., the region—long known as an outdoor-recreation paradise—is welcoming an influx of new travelers, and more are on their way, according to the marketing director for the Tucker … Read more

The result of a collaboration among Safari Helicopters, Carbon Fiber Composites,  and the Robert C. Byrd Institute at Marshall University, a new helicopter is now commercially available and has made its first sales. Brian Alley, owner of Carbon Fiber Composites, in Ona, near Barboursville, West Virginia, says its unique composite construction is rare and expedites … Read more

Governor Jim Justice announced today that West Virginia’s tourism industry grew for the second consecutive year in 2018. The two-year growth trend reverses years of decline and outpaces national growth by 58 percent, he said. The finding comes from yearly economic impact research released just on the heels of the industry’s annual Governor’s Conference on … Read more

An innovative new ice cream parlor, “I Scream Sundae,” is attracting dessert fanatics to Ripley, where the rural small-town atmosphere was parlor-ready. Banking on the lyrics of the zany 1927 song Ice Cream (“I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!”), the business is building a menu based on screamingly funny puns and … Read more

Rich in lore and history, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, has been chosen as the recipient of a branding project by West Virginia University designed to promote tourism and economic development. Home of the Mothman legend and a turning-point battle with the Shawnee, it’s also a community on the rise, says Rita Colistra, associate professor at … Read more