Photo by Tracy Toler.
CONTINUED
ON THE WEB
Planning
for
Prosperity
A Q&A with
Woody Thrasher
80
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
SAMANTHA CART
The new secretary of the West Virginia
Department of Commerce is no stranger
to promoting economic development.
A thriving entrepreneur, engineer and
business owner, Woody Thrasher has
proven himself to be a successful busi-
nessman and is now tasked with putting
those skills to work managing the state’s
commerce department, bringing new busi-
nesses to West Virginia and helping diver-
sify the state’s economy.
For this Q&A, Thrasher took time
to share with West Virginia Executive
magazine his background in business and
development and his passion for the state
of West Virginia. Here he discusses ini-
tiatives that are underway to attract new
business and the role the West Virginia
Department of Commerce will play in bal-
ancing the state budget in years to come.