The West Virginia Chamber’s annual Business Summit at the Greenbrier rarely disappoints. The state’s leading business and political figures gather, and there’s usually something brewing – be it a major development project, sector buzz, or new deals struck in the hallways.
The atmosphere is typically one of optimism. Entrepreneurs and executives are wired to see opportunity where others see challenge. But this year’s Summit, despite record attendance, a slate of strong presenters, and a well-crafted Chamber legislative agenda for the next session, fell a bit short. And not for lack of ideas – many smart, innovative voices were present, and we spoke with several of them on Talkline. The disappointment stems from a more sobering reality: West Virginia isn’t just losing the so-called “backyard brawl” of economic development – we’re not even on the field.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, speaking Thursday on Talkline, didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Well, I’m going to say, and this is a criticism: I read what went on in the Legislature in the last session. I didn’t see much talk about jobs, job creation, setting the table for these tax cuts that are coming that we passed in the summer.
“It would be nice to be able to pair that with incentives from the state. And I just think the focus hasn’t been where it needs to be.
“We’ve got to sell it. And it has to be consistent. It has to be everybody.”
She’s right. We’re not selling West Virginia, and it’s costing us. You can’t score if you never take a shot.
Later that morning, Governor Patrick Morrisey took the stage, laying out what he called a “new approach.”
“Rather than just throwing money at individual companies in an ad hoc manner, we’re working on the fundamentals,” he said. “We’re not just hoping to produce results. We have to enhance West Virginia’s investment climate by lowering the regulatory and the capital barriers to enter our state.”
The words sounded fine, but the room told another story. Shaking heads and murmurs signaled doubt. And for good reason: targeting companies, offering incentives, and aggressively recruiting projects are the fundamentals. That’s how the economic development game is played. States that hunt for deals are the ones that win. Waiting for the phone to ring isn’t a strategy – it’s surrender. Going on the offensive is what landed Nucor, Timet and other key projects. Were these investments landed in an “ad hoc manner?” If so, fine. Whatever yields results.
The governor asked for patience, noting he’s been in office only seven months. But patience wears thin when neighboring states are racking up wins. Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Virginia have posted major projects in recent months while West Virginia sits idle. Virginia leveraged incentives to land the deal. The business community knows West Virginia isn’t in the game, and judging from their reaction on Thursday, they aren’t convinced this “new approach” will put points on the board.
Neither am I.