Last week’s Mon-Forest Towns Executive Committee meeting soon turned to more than talk about trails and tourism.
On everyone’s mind was the news of a recent shutdown of a major lumber operation that will have a negative impact on each of the Mon-Forest Towns and the state at large.
According to MetroNews, Allegheny Wood Products, located in Petersburg, a 50-year-old West Virginia-based internationally known hardwood producer, ceased operations on February 24, eliminating about 600 jobs at multiple locations. The shutdown will affect another few hundred contractors and employees.
Marlinton lost Northwest Hardwoods last year. It makes one wonder: Is the forest industry in West Virginia going in the same direction as the Coal Industry? These sobering facts centered MFT’s conversation on “what we already knew.” Tourism is only one component of building a sustainable economy.
Another component would be to attract a tenant at the Edray Industrial Park Building. Last week, I attended a virtual meeting with the West Virginia Department of Economic Development (WVDED). The meeting was in concert with InSite Consulting and its client, The Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC). Each is committed to developing and advancing the business prosperity and economic welfare of West Virginia. The two-hour session focused on what we can do to develop and advance the business opportunity for the Edray Industrial Park Building. Each agrees, it is not likely anything happens without active players at the local level.
The YesWV Ready Team realizes local communities play the most critical and important role in economic development and site selection. The YesWV Ready Sites Program continues to streng-then the partnership between everyone at the state, region and local level working together to produce sites and communities that are ready for a client’s investment and jobs. WVDED’s investment in statewide product development initiatives focuses on assisting communities with providing top-notch sites for their corporate clients.
In closing, if there is a bright side to having 600 laid-off workers and a few hundred contractors, it may be each will be able to find employment at the many other businesses that are needing workers.
Sam