CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Director of West Virginia One Stop Business Center Jason Parsons said ever since the center opened one year ago, they have helped thousands of West Virginians in a groundbreaking way.
Thursday marks one year since the opening of the center under the Secretary of State’s Mac Warner’s office, which is used for helping an entrepreneur or business owner wanting to start a new business in West Virginia make one stop for proper registration.
“After one year we have done a lot of good and helped a lot of folks, but we are just getting started,” Parsons said on ‘580-LIVE’ on 580-WCHS in Charleston. “We are always thinking of how we can better serve the business community. It is an exciting day, we have a great celebration.”
The celebration planned is an open house of the center on Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to commemorate one year of being open and the over 12,300 businesses that have started in West Virginia in the past year with help of the center. Parsons welcomed the public to the open house where staff, community and political leaders will be in attendance.
“We’re going to take a moment and celebrate all the folks that made this happen,” he said. “We’re going to thank the legislature for their initiative in creating the legislation that led to the One Stop Business Center. Thank our staff and to take a moment and celebrate all we have been able to do to help the business community.”
Any citizen has the opportunity to start their own business much easier with this center. Parsons said individuals can turn what used to take weeks to do, such as filing with the Secretary of State’s office as a business entity, filing with the State Tax Department, Workforce West Virginia and the Division of Labor and do it all under one roof in sometimes as little as one hour.
“We get them on their way conducting business at the speed and the pace the world now requires,” Parsons said. “We want to move at the speed of business and help folks get started in the easiest, quickest way possible.”
Parsons said the center is groundbreaking in terms of the availability of everything in one place.
“We’re the first of its kind center in the country that allows folks to come in and take care of their business all in one stop, all under one roof,” he said. “The response from the public, business owners and the business community has been terrific.”
The One Stop Business Center also offers two special programs. Parsons said they have a young entrepreneurship program where all filing fees are waived for anyone under the age of 30 years old that wants to start a business. 145 West Virginians under the age of 30 registered to start a business last year, per Parsons.
The center also has a ‘Boots to Business’ program for veterans wanting to start a business, waiving all filing fees and annual report fees for the first four years following their registration.
Parsons thanked Secretary of State Mac Warner and his office, Governor Jim Justice and his administration and all legislators for making the One Stop Business Center possible.
The West Virginia One Stop Business Center is located at 1615 Washington Avenue in Charleston, just one block from the State Capitol. Two ‘Business Hubs’ are also open to help support the One Stop Business Center in Clarksburg and Martinsburg. Tours of the center in Charleston will be available at the open house celebration.