GREENBRIER COUNTY, W.Va. — More than 1,000 business, industry, education, financial and political leaders will wrap up the week at The Greenbrier Resort, host site for the 80th West Virginia Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Summit.
“This is the largest gathering of its kind in the history of the organization,” said Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
During the Summit, he said, they’ll be looking at “what’s best about our state and what we can be promoting and to take a look at what needs to be fixed in our state.”
Billed as “West Virginia’s Business Event of the Year,” the Summit opened on Wednesday morning and continues through Friday at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs.
On Thursday morning, Lou Holtz, who was born in Follansbee and grew up in East Liverpool, Oh., is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
“We try to have somebody with a strong West Virginia connection every year of this meeting,” Roberts said. “We think that he’s going to talk to us about how to get things done, how to work together, how to work as a team, how to work with energy and enthusiasm and intelligence.”
In 1986, Holtz became Notre Dame’s 27th head football coach after seasons at Minnesota, Arkansas, North Carolina and William & Mary. In Jan. 1989, Notre Dame claimed the National Championship with a 34-21 win over West Virginia University’s Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl.
Holtz finished his coaching career in 2004 at South Carolina with an overall 243-127-7 college record. From 2004-2015, Holtz served as a college football studio analyst on ESPN and, after that, joined SiriusXM.
In this election year, Holtz speaks after special presentations Thursday from Jim Justice, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Greenbrier Resort owner; 3rd District Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.); 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.); 1st District Congressman David McKinley (R-W.Va.); Senate President Bill Cole (Mercer, 06), Republican gubernatorial candidate; U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
On Friday, Rex Repass, president of Repass & Partners, will be on hand to detail the results of the latest MetroNews West Virginia Poll.
“We think it would be wonderful if people left here with a renewed enthusiasm for our state and the opportunities that we can have as a state to really be all that we can be and find jobs and opportunity for the people who very much want to stay here,” Roberts said of the Summit.