West Virginia Executive Summer 2019 | Page 78

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION (304) 327-7184 Mountains of Opportunity 619 Bland Street Bluefield, WV 24701 (304) 487-1502 1522 North Walker Street Princeton, WV 24740 @coctwovirginias www.coctwovirginias.com (304) 431-8521 1500 West Main Street Princeton, WV 24740 @MercerCoEda www.mercereda.com In the News • IPM Hiring 100 New Employees • Mercer County Leads WV New Business Growth • Intuit Locating in Bluefield with 200-500 Employees and New Prosperity Hub Find these stories and more at www.mercereda.com/news. Photo by Visit Mercer County. Community leaders and elected officials in Mercer County are making changes to be more region- ally focused in their efforts to im- prove the Southern West Virginia business climate. Changes began when Mercer County’s two cham- bers of commerce, which stood separate for more than 100 years, came together in 2019 to form the Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias—an important first step in building a regional partnership. “It was a common belief that if the chambers that aim to enhance business and commerce—a goal everyone can support—could merge together and reduce duplicative services, then others may follow that lead,” says Chamber President and CEO Joshua Cline. Elected leaders are also making a stronger investment in the Mercer County Economic Development Authority (EDA) through new lead- ership and an increase in funding, allowing it to be a greater advocate for the region. The EDA showcases Mercer County’s excellent location for business along the I-77 corri- dor with its proximity to I-64 and I-81, and it provides personalized attention to businesses’ needs. “Mercer County offers many opportunities and benefits to com- panies looking for a good location with developed infrastructure,” says Mercer County EDA Exec- utive Director John O’Neal. “At the same time, meeting our exist- ing businesses’ needs to help them grow and expand is an important way to supercharge our business climate in the short term.” Both leaders cite the importance of creating a team mentality, which they put into practice with weekly communication on the vision for the area between their organizations, county and local governments; the convention and visitor’s bureau; and other key players in the community. “We believe that by working as one collective business community, we can see greater gains in the eco- nomic development, tourism and political realms,” says Cline. “The comradery and united vision are helping shift the community’s per- spective toward thinking the local business climate is getting better and our future holds great potential.”