Community Partnerships
in Economic Development
“Wheeling is a city that surprises you.”
According to Jake Dougherty, executive
director of Wheeling Heritage, for a
city of only 27,000 people, Wheeling
offers visitors and residents alike
iconic landmarks, exciting resorts and
parks, destination retail and nightlife,
a unique restaurant scene and vibrant
small businesses.
“It’s a city rich in history that is
looking optimistically toward the
future,” he says.
Known as the Friendly City, Wheeling
is a diverse and welcoming place
perfectly situated for success. Located
on the I-70 corridor between Columbus,
Ohio, and Pittsburgh, PA, Wheeling
has overcome the decline of its once-
dominant steel and coal industries
over the past decade and emerged
forever changed. While there have been
obvious updates to the city’s physical
environment—including new buildings,
renovations and more businesses—
the most important change has been
the mindset of its residents.
“We have incredible pride here in
Wheeling,” says Erikka Storch, president
of the Wheeling Area Chamber of
Commerce. “The people are very
friendly, and most have never met a
stranger. It has been fun to witness
the growth and change. It is important
for our community to thrive to keep our
residents here. Formerly an industrial
community, we are experiencing a
great growth opportunity for our
residents.”
This transformation is the result of a
unified mission shared by the city’s
leading organizations—including
the chamber, city government, the
Regional Economic Development
Partnership (RED), Visit Wheeling, WV
and Wheeling Heritage—to celebrate
the city’s past while building a strong
economic future.
From July 1, 2014, to the first quarter
of 2019, 457 new business license
accounts were established in the City
of Wheeling’s finance department,
including brick and mortar office spaces
as well as home-based businesses.
With a variety of successful support
businesses, large companies like The
Health Plan, Williams Lea Tag and
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP have
established locations in Wheeling,
creating new jobs and a significant
economic impact on the city.
“Wheeling is a place of growth and
opportunity—a place that significant
employers in medicine, finance and
insurance call home and where an
international law firm maintains its
global operations center,” says Don
Rigby, executive director of RED. “A