Resilience on the River Progress in the Mid-Ohio Valley community
The Riverhawk Farm at WVU-P. Photo by James Dobbs.
A patient at Roane General Hospital’ s Prescription for your Health program. Photo by Roane General Hospital.
402 Avery and Amazon Ribbon Cutting. Photo by Wood County Development Authority.
I n northwest West Virginia, the Mid-Ohio Valley sits as a peaceful, yet prosperous, seven-county region with new projects advancing each day. Through hard work and collaboration, Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood counties are part of the force driving the Mountain State forward.
Economic Development
Lindsey Piersol, executive director of the Wood County Development Authority, mentions a myriad of projects happening in and around the Wood County area.
In Williamstown, a data center components manufacturer has purchased the Hino North facility to expand its operations. The company will acquire approximately 200,000 square feet of space. Piersol also mentions Community Bank of Parkersburg, which is on the verge of building a new Parkersburg headquarters, a $ 20 million project.
“ We just opened the first Amazon Last Mile facility in the state of West Virginia,” Piersol says.“ We also had a FritoLay Distribution facility quietly open in South Parkersburg last quarter.”
Written by Megan Bevins
Julie Posey, associate director of development and stewardship at the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation( PACF), says the foundation is working to continue their relationships with local funders and provide grants to area organizations to launch important projects. One example of this is a grant awarded to the Bright Beginnings Child Care Center housed at the new West Virginia University at Parkersburg( WVU-P) Innovation and Technology Center( ITC).
“ There is a lot of collaboration and a lot of good work that is being done over at the new WVU-P building, one being the new Bright Beginnings childcare facility,” Posey says.
At the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council( MOVRC), approximately $ 315 million in water and sewer projects are currently underway. Michael Fleak, executive director of the council, says revolving loan funds are bringing new small businesses to the area as well, boosting economic development.
“ If you look down Market Street in Parkersburg, many of those small businesses are a result of the loans that were made from the revolving loan fund program here at the regional council,” Fleak says.
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