Sir Richard Branson and Jay Walder inside a section of track . good jobs , but , more importantly , it is another indication that West Virginia is on the cusp of being the country ’ s new tech hub . We ’ re located at the perfect intersection of access to Washington , D . C .; New England ; and the Midwest . We have the hardworking workforce . We have WVU and Marshall with a pipeline of West Virginia ’ s best and brightest . We have the business-friendly climate . We enjoy a low cost of living and beautiful outdoors . There ’ s a lot to love about investing in our state . I ’ m glad Virgin Hyperloop could see all those things , and I know other global businesses will take notice .”
Senator Joe Manchin also expressed his enthusiasm for Hyperloop , as he had previously reached out to Virgin ’ s CEO , Sir Richard Branson , to highlight the benefits of doing business in West Virginia .
“ Almost a year ago , I learned about Virgin Hyperloop ’ s search for the right state to locate its testing facility and wrote to Sir Richard Branson , urging him to pick the Mountain State for the site of Virgin Hyperloop ’ s proposed certification center ,” says Manchin . “ After a great deal of collaboration with West Virginia stakeholders , I am thrilled Branson and the entire Virgin team recognized the great potential of West Virginia for this project , which could transform our country ’ s transportation system . I am optimistic about the future of West Virginia as we continue to grow across the technology , manufacturing and innovation sectors . This investment from Virgin is the beginning of a long partnership , and I hope others take note — West Virginia is a great place to do business .” •
WWW . WVEXECUTIVE . COM FALL 2020 97