West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 31

in specialization and are thus increasingly
important to the economy of the region.
In addition to the primary clusters, these
emerging clusters are attractive areas for
targeted development efforts.
Workforce Challenges
Workforce and Educational
Assessment
Another important step in creating an
action plan for the region was a workforce
and educational assessment. Human
capital is a crucial element of any regional
economic growth plan because companies
looking to locate or grow in a region
require a skilled workforce to meet the
demands of their businesses. Overall,
the analysis predicted that the Potomac
Highlands region is likely to have an oversupply
of lower-skilled workers entering
the labor market each year and an undersupply
of workers with higher skills. The
region’s labor challenges over the next
five years are thus twofold: providing
enough jobs for lower-skilled workers
while at the same time attracting workers
with the necessary education to fill higherskilled
job openings.
The rural nature of the region is both a
blessing and curse. Limited infrastructure
such as broadband and cellular service
may make attracting new residents a
difficult task. However, workers may also
be drawn to the rural lifestyle and outdoor
recreation opportunities in the area.
Local Stakeholder Input
In order to understand the workforce,
institutional and cultural needs of the
Potomac Highlands region, the project
team at WVU conducted interviews with
business owners and other community
leaders throughout the last half of 2018
and the beginning of 2019. Workforce
issues were among the most prominent
concerns among employers in the Potomac
Highlands region. Many leaders agreed
that specific knowledge-based skills were
needed, particularly in the areas of machines,
technology and math. However,
most of the skills employers are looking for
are those that are considered soft skills—
communication, teamwork, reliability and
the ability to get along with other people.
Local stakeholders also identified a
wide range of infrastructure challenges,
and a lack of high-quality cellular phone
service and broadband internet were considered
significant barriers by nearly all
of those who responded to the survey.
Overall, the business owners, government
officials and other community leaders
interviewed expressed a great deal of
commitment and value to locating in the
Potomac Highlands region. Most value
the quality of life found in the area, particularly
its rural character and outdoor
recreation opportunities, although some
do view the area as too remote with few
amenities they desire in a place to live.
Making Recommendations
Based on the economic data, cluster
analysis, workforce and education information
and the local stakeholder interviews,
the project team recommended six strategic
actions to enhance economic prosperity
in the region:
• Embrace the Potomac Highlands
regional identity
• Assist in recruiting and training the
region’s workforce
• Improve digital communication of
economic development opportunities
• Collaborate regionally on federal
funding opportunities
• Develop land use policies that incentivize
housing and lodging growth
• Target primary and emerging clusters
for recruitment
The action plan also recommends focusing
economic development efforts on a
regional basis. By embracing the fivecounty
region as the Potomac Highlands
in economic development efforts, countylevel
decision making, state and federal
level resource requests and tourism-related
branding would provide a united front,
thus increasing the area’s visibility in business,
visitor and resident attraction efforts.
A regional focus would also enable the
region to be more competitive for federal
funding opportunities based on preferential
grant applications.
Putting the Plan in Motion
Now that the action plan for economic
prosperity in the Potomac Highlands
region has been completed, officials in the
area have begun taking the next steps to
implement the plan. According to Gene
McConnell, president of the Pendleton
County Commission, local officials met
in February to evaluate and prioritize the
recommendations. According to McConnell,
economic development officials have
begun to build on the Potomac Highlands
regional identity in order to expand broadband
availability in the area.
Many of the challenges facing the
Potomac Highlands region are not unique
to this area but, rather, are common across
West Virginia. This research can now serve
as a template for action plans in other
regions in the state that are faced with
similar economic challenges. Currently the
WVU Bureau of Business and Economic
Research (BBER) is adapting the methodology
in an action plan to help the
Wheeling metropolitan area better target
its economic development efforts. The
BBER also intends to take this research
statewide through collaboration with the
West Virginia Development Office. •
Editor’s Note: To read the full report,
visit https://business.wvu.edu/bber.
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