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More economic development announcements expected at WV Business Summit

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. –– More than 1,000 leaders in business, health, education and politics will be in Greenbrier County this week to discuss investment opportunities in the Mountain State.

Steve Roberts

The 86th Annual Meeting and Business Summit, hosted by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, runs Wednesday through Friday at The Greenbrier.

President Steve Roberts told MetroNews a number of economic development announcements will be made during the three-day event. This comes after moves by Nucor Steel in Mason County and GreenPower Motor in Kanawha County. GreenPower opened their new facility in South Charleston on Tuesday.

“We’ll be hearing from other companies that are going to announce that they are coming to West Virginia. We don’t have a number yet, but we think it could go into the thousands of new jobs during the Chamber of Commerce meeting,” Roberts said Tuesday.

The event begins with the West Virginia Chamber’s annual Board of Directors meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Governor Jim Justice will provide opening remarks at the start of the summit after lunch at 12:15 p.m.

The first session at 12:30 p.m. will focus on new healthcare solutions in the state with remarks from WVU Medicine President and CEO Albert Wright and Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Interim Dean Dr. Bobby Miller.

Roberts said a good job can solve a lot of problems tied to the opioid epidemic.

“In the areas in West Virginia where we have the highest levels of employment and the highest incomes, we have the lowest amount of drug use and the lowest amount of healthcare problems,” he said.

A special economic development announcement will be made at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Presentations from other notable leaders on Thursday will come from U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), WVU President Gordon Gee, Marshall President Brad Smith, CAMC Health System President and CEO David Ramsey, among others.

State Senate President Craig Blair and House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw will take part in a presentation Friday about modernizing West Virginia’s tax structure.

Higher education leaders will follow after that. State Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker will moderate a discussion that includes West Virginia State University President Ericke Cage, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine President Dr. James Nemitz, University of Charleston President Martin Roth and Glenville State University President Mark Manchin.

The summit closes Friday morning with remarks about state government from state Auditor J.B. McCuskey, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, state Agricultural Commissioner Kent Leonhardt and Secretary of State Mac Warner.

Roberts said the state has learned over the last several years that making West Virginia more business friendly is key to attracting more companies to build here. He said the goal of the summit is to keep that momentum going.

“We said all along, if we just fix a few things, employers will flock to West Virginia and bring good paying jobs. These good paying jobs will allow West Virginia families to grow, prosper and thrive and we’re seeing that happen,” he said.

To view the full agenda for the 2022 West Virginia Business Summit, CLICK HERE.





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