SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Developing West Virginia
One Project at a Time
(304) 624-4108
600 White Oaks Blvd.
Bridgeport, WV 26330
Fast Facts:
The Thrasher Group
• Offices in Bridgeport,
Charleston, Beckley
and Burton
• 700 employees
• Seven main divisions:
Site/Civil Engineering,
Transportation,
Environmental, Utilities
Engineering, Survey and
Mapping, Construction
Services and Architecture
The Boy Scouts of America hosted
50,000 scouts from 160 countries
around the world in July right here
in West Virginia. The grounds of
the Summit Bechtel Reserve feature
bunkhouses and lodges, leadership
centers, retail and dining spaces,
outdoor adventure areas and a host
of other components. The Thrasher
Group has been fortunate enough
to have a hand in its development.
The Thrasher Group’s relation-
ship with the Boy Scouts started
when the organization wanted to
build a new welcome center in Glen
Jean and thought a West Virginia
firm should do the work. Thrasher
was selected to provide a design
for the building, and from there the
partnership evolved into a large-
scale, cross-disciplinary effort.
“This is truly a state-of-the-art
facility, and West Virginia is the
perfect place to house it,” says
Thrasher CEO Chad Riley. “The
natural beauty, outdoor recreational
opportunities and accessibility made
Glen Jean a great place to bring the
Boy Scouts. Thrasher is proud to
have had a part in its development.”
While a large portion of this proj-
ect has focused on architectural
design, the work hasn’t stopped
there. Thrasher has had a hand in
everything from master planning
and site development to materials
testing and roadway design. In fact,
all of Thrasher’s main service areas
have contributed to the project.
The architecture, civil/site, trans-
portation, utility, survey, environ-
mental and construction services
divisions have all played a role in
the development of the Summit
Bechtel Reserve.
“Our relationship with the Boy
Scouts has allowed us to do what
Thrasher does best—create new
opportunities in West Virginia,”
says Riley. “When Woody Thrasher
started this company 36 years ago,
that’s what he founded the business
on, and that’s still what we strive
to do on every project today.”
A project of this magnitude
wouldn’t have been possible for
The Thrasher Group when Woody
and his father started the company