The Department of Land Resources at Glenville State College ( GSC ), in partnership with the West Virginia Division of Forestry , is offering forestry certifications as part of GSC ’ s forest technology program . Aside from earning an associate degree in forest technology or a bachelor ’ s degree in natural resource management with a major in forest technology , students in these programs are also earning certifications in wildland fire fighting , timber harvesting and herbicide application .
The specific certifications students can earn include the West Virginia Certified Logger Program , which includes instruction on best management practices for loggers , tree felling safety and personal safety equipment and firefighting certifications such as western wildland fire fighting certification , pack test or red card certification and certification in wildland observation and origin scene protection for first responders .
“ The land resources department is fortunate to have a West Virginia Division of Forestry presence right in our department office suite ,” says Dr . Rico Gazal , head of the land resources department . “ The partnerships between GSC and the West Virginia Division of Forestry have created significant impact in enhancing the field learning experience of our students through various forms of certifications , training , lectures and field demonstrations in forestry operations .”
Raze International Welcomes Kirby as Chief Operating Officer
Raze International , Inc ., a demolition , abatement , excavation and land development company that works across West Virginia , Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic states welcomes Patrick Kirby as its COO . Kirby comes to Raze International with almost 20 years of environmental project experience and 14 years as the director of the Brownfields Assistance Center at West Virginia University . Kirby has worked on projects that have attracted more than $ 100 million in federal brownfields grants , private foundation funding and private investments . In addition to his COO duties , Kirby will oversee strategic business development , environmental services and project development .
CFOAM Project Selected by U . S . Department of Energy for Negotiation on Financial Award
CFOAM ® LLC , a worldwide leader in next-generation carbon products , is pleased to announce it has been selected by the U . S . Department of Energy ’ s Office of Fossil Energy for negotiation on a financial award for a total project value of $ 2,421,802 .
The Office of Fossil Energy selected 14 projects to receive $ 8.7 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development under Funding Opportunity Announcement ( FOA ) DE-FOA-0002185 , Coal-Derived Materials for Building , Infrastructure and Other Applications , with the goal of fostering new uses for domestic coal resources . CFOAM was selected for the award under area of interest 4 with its proposal entitled “ Continuous Processing of Carbon Foam Products Made from Coal at Atmospheric Pressure .”
CFOAM plans to develop continuous processing of carbon foam products made from coal at atmospheric pressure , utilizing 90-100 coal by weight with at least 80 carbon by weight . The objective is to significantly reduce the cost to manufacture carbon foam through reductions in capital and labor costs and significantly reduce the manufacturing time from weeks to hours . CFOAM aims to create a basis for large-scale production platform for carbon foam that can be utilized on the order of hundreds of millions of tons of coal in an environmentally safe process . This project will target applications capable of utilizing carbon foam at large scale , transforming coal to carbon ore .
West Virginia Business & Industry Council Elects Clowser Chairman
The West Virginia Business & Industry Council recently announced Mike Clowser has been elected chairman of the organization . He succeeds Chris Hamilton , president of the West Virginia Coal Association , who has served in the position since 2012 .
“ I ’ m honored to be chosen by my business trade association and government relations peers to serve as chairman of the West Virginia Business & Industry Council ,” says Clowser . “ This organization has a long and successful history of helping improve our state ’ s business climate . I look forward to working with our members and policy leaders to build on that success as we work to grow West Virginia ’ s economy .”
Clowser , who serves as executive director of the Contractors Association of West Virginia , assumed the chairmanship on January 1 , 2021 . Bridget Lambert , president of the West Virginia Retailers Association , was elected first vice chairwoman of the organization .
Insurance Companies Merge to Form Blue Ridge Risk Partners
Dyer Insurance Group , headquartered in Bridgeport , WV ; Jim Lively Insurance , headquartered in Oak Hill , WV ; and Keller Stonebraker Insurance , headquartered in Hagerstown , MD , have strategically merged to form Blue Ridge Risk Partners , a top 75 insurance agency operation in the U . S .
With 19 offices in West Virginia , Maryland and Pennsylvania licensed to do business in 36 states , the decision to form Blue Ridge Risk Partners was made to enhance the value proposition for the agency ’ s clients by providing industry leading products and services through a proactive risk management approach to tailoring insurance programs .
“ Our agency has been in business for six generations . While we are humbled by that legacy , we also understand that insurance is a very competitive and ever-evolving industry ,” says Adam Dyer , chief insurance and acquisitions officer and West Virginia president of Blue Ridge Risk Partners . “ This partnership was formed out of the desire to be the best and to lead , innovate and continue to improve the way we serve our clients and the communities we do business in . Joining forces with other successful and regarded agencies that share similar legacies ,
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