2023
Jason Pizatella
CEO , Contractors Association of West Virginia
Photo by Chris Gosses .
ARIANNA WHITEHAIR
EVEN AS A CHILD , Jason Pizatella knew he wanted to make a difference .
“ I was pretty sure I was going to go to law school early in life , perhaps as early as middle school ,” says Pizatella , CEO for the Contractors Association of West Virginia ( CAWV ). “ I knew then , however , that I probably wouldn ’ t spend an entire career as a lawyer in the traditional sense . I wanted to help people solve problems that often involved the government .”
Growing up in Fairmont , WV , Pizatella recalls a childhood spent outdoors enjoying the abundant beauty of the Mountain State .
“ In the days before wireless phones , iPads and social media , if it wasn ’ t dark outside , we were outdoors doing something ,” he says .
After receiving his bachelorʼs degree from West Virginia University ( WVU ) in political science in 2004 , he attended WVU College of Law , where he graduated in 2007 .
“ I really enjoyed law school . In fact , I often said during my first few years of private practice that I wished I could go back to school ,” he says . “ Law school simply teaches you new ways to think about things — new ways to analyze and solve problems .”
After graduating from law school , Pizatella began his career as an associate at Spilman Thomas & Battle , PLLC .
“ As a young lawyer , I always tried to learn as much as I could about my clients ’ business so that , even as their lawyer , I could be somewhat of an extension of my clients ’ management team ,” he says . “ Clients tend to trust their lawyers more when they know they also understand the business .”
In his current position with the CAWV , Pizatella is able to help drive policy change and represent those building new roads , bridges , airports , schools , hospitals and more across the state .
“ I ’ m only the sixth person to lead the association since its founding in 1923 , and we are celebrating our centennial this year ,” he says . “ The association represents 475 businesses and approximately 20,000 employees in the building , highway and utility contracting industries . We have the privilege of working with the next generation of the construction industry whose job it is to first maintain the infrastructure that we have and second , to expand it . Every single day I feel like we get to honor those who build a better West Virginia and all their employees .
He cites one of his favorite parts of the job being his ability to directly improve the quality of life for every West Virginian .
“ When you have a small hand in an industry that helps get someone something that the rest of us take for granted , like a public sewer system , clean water , a new school or high-speed internet , it definitely has an impact and is what keeps us all going ,” he says . “ It ’ s an exciting time to be a contractor with all the recent investments in infrastructure funding , including the state of West Virginia ’ s Roads to Prosperity program and Congress ’ s passage of the
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE