Comments Off on New WVU Medicine Rehab Center Being Built at University Town Center
WVU Medicine announced on Wednesday that construction has begun on a new Outpatient Rehabilitation Center in Granville.
It will be located near the WVU Medicine University Town Centre clinic and will offer aquatic therapy, manual and exercise-based therapies, soft tissue and joint mobilization, post-surgical care, stroke care, functional capacity evaluations and lymphedema care, according to a press release.
“We’re excited to be able to offer comprehensive rehabilitation consisting of three disciplines that all work together for the betterment of our clients,” said Jordan Feathers, who has been named the director of the new center.
“Adding this state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility in Morgantown will fill a void in our continuum of care and further enhance the world-class care we provide,” said Darin Rogers, chief ambulatory officer for WVU Medicine.
Plans for the new center were first announced last August, and the estimated completion date is in the second quarter of 2024.
For more information on the WVU Medicine outpatient facility at University Town Centre, visit WVUMedicine.org/UTC.
Comments Off on Mountaintop Beverage Begins Production in Morgantown Industrial Park
Got milk? Mountaintop Beverage does.
Got a 330,000 square-foot state-of-the-art automated aseptic bottling facility capable of processing staggering amounts of raw dairy into an array of products with up to a one-year shelf life?
Mountaintop has that too.
And it’s just getting started.
On Friday, the first trucks carrying shelf-stable milk from the Mountaintop Beverage facility rolled away from the Morgantown Industrial Park to locations across the country.
Not bad when you consider the site where the massive factory stands was literally a mountaintop in August of 2021.
Since then, 1.7 million cubic yards of dirt was relocated, 50,000 tons of concrete was set in place and a dizzying tangle of stainless-steel piping — eight miles worth — was pieced together to form the plant’s circulatory system.
“This is quite a place,” Mountaintop Beverage CEO Jeffrey Sokal said.
And it’s got quite a mission.
“The goal we have is to help rebuild the farming infrastructure and to rebuild dairy. Dairy production in the state of West Virginia is down roughly by half over the last 10 years,” Sokal said. “The state has very strong FFA and 4-H programs. So, for folks who want to farm, this factory is going to be here for decades.”
That’s why recruiting Sokal and his team from western New York to West Virginia became a priority for Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt and West Virginia Dairy Association Deputy Commissioner Joe Hatton.
Sokal credits both men primarily for bringing Mountaintop Beverage to the Mountain State and notes hundreds of individuals, from the governor’s office to the county commission, have gone the extra mile to help make it happen.
“We’ve felt welcome right from the start and made to feel like this project is important to the state and the community. So many people have gone out of their way to push this project,” he said.
“And we want to be here. There are industrial parks with shovel-ready sites all over Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, but we wanted to be here because of what this facility can do for this state, the community, the ag community and the dairy industry. We went to a lot of trouble to clear this site. So, anybody who questions why we came here, we came here to make a difference.”
Today, about one-third of the 330,000 square-foot factory built as Phase I of the overall project is in production. It currently has a workforce of 150 people. Sokal anticipates the entire facility will be operational by year’s end, with more than 200 employees producing shelf-stable milk, coffee products, protein shakes and plant-based beverages.
A big emphasis for the company will be school milk.
The last year saw the closure of several large production facilities, creating shortages of school milk all over the country, and particularly in the southeast.
Sokal explained the school milk production capacity coming online at Mountaintop Beverage is the largest in the United States by a factor of three.
And that will represent just one of the facility’s three production lines.
Currently, the plant is receiving its milk from Somerset County, Pa.
Even in its limited startup capacity, the plant already has a demand nearly twice what West Virginia farms can provide.
Further, there’s already a dairy processor in the state, United Dairy.
“If I’m taking all the milk from local farms, then I’m taking milk away from their business. If I’m bidding the schools, which are typically supplied by United, then I’m taking business and jobs away from Wheeling, Charleston and Uniontown, where they operate. That doesn’t do the area any good. We’re just shuffling deck chairs,” he said.
“What we want to do is rebuild. Initially, we’re getting our milk from Somerset Valley and over time as we rebuild the dairy infrastructure and help build up dairy farming in and around the state, then we can do that cooperatively with them.”
And while Sokal and his team are figuratively building the state’s dairy industry, they’ll be physically building more production capacity.
Sokal anticipates construction on an additional 170,000 square feet of production space, or Phase II, could begin as early as this summer and come online in 2025. After that, Phase III.
“We designed a 750,000 square-foot factory. We just haven’t built it all yet,” he said.
Playing a critical role in those expansion plans is the question of interstate access, meaning the construction of the new Harmony Grove interchange connecting I-79 to the industrial park.
Glenn Adrian, co-owner of the Morgantown Industrial Park as part of Enrout Properties, said he’s hopeful the new interchange will be under construction in 2024 and open in 2025.
Sokal admitted the pace at which this process is moving has been a frustration.
“Bottom line is we wouldn’t have come if we didn’t get that commitment from the state. We’re here. We feel like we’ve held up our end. So it’s certainly taken a little longer than we would have hoped, but I think they’re making material progress now,” he said. “For us, you can’t really overstate how important that is.”
Original Article by Ben Conley on The Dominion Post.com
Comments Off on Martinsburg, WV – BLACK DIAMOND REALTY OPENS EASTERN PANHANDLE OFFICE
When: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Where: 1209 N. Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV
About: Black Diamond Realty is pleased to announce the opening and ribbon cutting for its Eastern Panhandle office at 1209 N Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV. Our team’s expertise serves all real estate sectors across West Virginia and Southwestern PA. The Eastern Panhandle office is spearheaded by David Lorenze (Principal), Kim Licciardi (Sr. Associate), Mark J. Nesselroad (Broker), and Andrea Icenhower (Graphic Designer/Office Manager). The firm is actively recruiting new commercial associates to join the Eastern Panhandle expansion.
Since purchasing the property in September 2022, this office has been transformed for Black Diamond’s use, while the adjacent building was successfully leased by our brokerage and is under renovation for a martial arts studio. You are invited to join the ribbon cutting, visit our office, enjoy light refreshments, and talk with some of our real estate experts.
Andrea Icenhower states, “We are excited to open our doors, welcome guests, and contribute to the community and economic growth of the Eastern Panhandle.”
For more information, call 304-901-7788 or visit www.blackdiamondrealty.net.
Comments Off on Inflation hits another 40-year high. What does that mean for shoppers and the next Fed rate hike?
Inflation jumped again in June on a persistent climb in gas, food and rent costs, notching another 40-year high and likely solidifying the Federal Reserve’s plans for another big rate hike this month.
Prices increased 9.1% from a year earlier, up from anannual rate of 8.6% the prior month and the largest gain since November 1981, the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index showed Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had estimated inflation would rise to 8.8%.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 1.3%, the largest such leap since 2005, compared with a 1% rise in May.
“Ouch,” Ian Shepherdson, chief economist of Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a research note of the latest surge in prices.
Amid signs that inflation is poised to gradually ease, he, along with other economists, noted June likely marked its peak, though a similar pronouncement in the spring proved premature.
Stock market reaction
The report bolsters the Federal Reserve’s plans to raise its key interest rate by a hefty three-quarters of a percentage point for a second straight month as part of an aggressive campaign to curtail inflation.
The development disappointed already dour investors. After the latest figures were released, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank by more than 300 points. The S&P 500 fell by 37 points, roughly 1%. And yields on 10-year notes popped. In midmorning trading, they hovered at 3.03%.
What is causing inflation?
June’s surge again was led by gasoline prices, which increased 11.2% from the prior month and 59.9% annually. The good news is unleaded regular averaged $4.65 Tuesday, down from $5 a month ago.
Grocery prices rose by 1% from May and 12.2% over the past 12 months. Both gas and food costs have been elevated largely because Russia’s war in Ukraine has disrupted global supplies of oil, wheat, corn and other commodities.
In June, cereal prices rose 2.5% from the prior month and 14.2% from a year ago. Bread was up 1.6% monthly and 10.8% annually. Chicken costs increased by 1.5% from May and 17.3% yearly.
There were some encouraging signs. Bacon prices fell 1.9%, its second straight large monthly decline. And beef and veal prices decreased 2.3%.
Will food prices go down?
Commodity prices have tumbled recently amid recession fearsand ebbing consumer demand. That already has pushed down gas prices and set the stage for more moderate food price increases within months, says Wells Fargo economist Sam Bullard.
Barclays economist Pooja Sriram, however, believes higher fertilizer costs for farmers could keep grocery prices fairly high throughout the year. Russia is the leading exporter of fertilizer and the Ukraine war has driven up the cost of that commodity as well as its chief ingredient, natural gas.
Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy items, increased 0.7% in June following a 0.6% rise the prior month, That nudged down the annual rise to 5.9% from 6% in May, teh third straight monthly decline.
What is rent inflation?
Rent climbed 0.8% monthly and 5.8% over the past year as people who hunkered down with family members during the pandemic moved into their own apartments.
There were some positive developments for summer travelers. Despite surging demand, airline fares fell 1.8% while hotel rates declined 2.8% but they’re still up 34.1% and 10% from a year earlier, respectively.
There are hints that inflation will likely soften in the months ahead. Besides falling commodity prices, supply chain troubles are abating, wage increases may be moderating and retailers’ bloated inventories are triggering big discounts for shoppers.
Also, consumer purchases have started shifting from goods to services, such as dining out and traveling, now that the pandemic is broadly easing.
“This will be the last big increase,” Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics says.
Does the report raise recession risks?
Yes, at least to some extent. Higher inflation leads consumers to rein in spending, which makes up about 70% of economic activity, and could mean bigger Fed rate hikes, which would hurt borrowing. Bank of America says the report is consistent with its call for a recession in the second half of the year.
Is this close to the worst inflation since World War II?
Not really. In March 1947, inflation hit a dizzying 19.7%. The spike was rooted in effects from the end of the war — the elimination of price controls, supply shortages and pent-up demand, according to a White House blog.
Original Article by Paul Davidson on usatoday.com, June 13, 2022
Comments Off on Korean Drug Maker Pledges to Build Plant in Morgantown
MORGANTOWN W.V. – South Korean drug manufacturer UNDBIO has signed a Memorandum of Understanding pledging to manufacture insulin in West Virginia. The letter indicates there are plans to locate the facility at the West Virginia University Research Park in Morgantown.
Mitch Carmichael, the Secretary of State for Economic Development of West Virginia and Yong Soo Jun, Chairman of UNDBIO, Inc. signed an MOU on May 17, 2022, with the state agreeing to provide fiscal, tax, and other incentives to promote the company’s production of insulin.
“I am happy to establish our relationship with the State of West Virginia to manufacture affordable insulin and insulin analogues for the diabetic population around the globe,” said UNDBIO’s Chairman Jun. in a press release. “We would welcome other partners and investors into our global insulin project,” he said.
The announcement comes with the hope that UNDBIO’s plans will come to fruition, resulting in 1,200 new manufacturing jobs in Monongalia County. UNDBIO plans to begin construction on the manufacturing plant during the second half of 2022, complete the plant in 2023 and manufacture clinical drugs for human clinical trials in 2024.
Company officials met with U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelly Moore Capito who both have expressed support for the project.
“UNDBIO has showcased their commitment to bringing long-term, good-paying jobs to West Virginia and as UNDBIO, WVU and state officials continue discussions, my staff and I are prepared to support these efforts to bring manufacturing opportunities to the Mountain State,” said Manchin.
“The news of this agreement between UNDBIO and the State of West Virginia is a positive step forward in UNDBIO’s quest to manufacture insulin right here in West Virginia. While there is still more work to do to finalize this new facility, I stand ready to help to make sure this becomes a reality. I congratulate UNDBIO on this advancement and look forward to supporting them in their investment that could lead to creating more than 1,000 jobs in West Virginia.”
Original Article by Dave Wilson on wvmetronews.com, June 8, 2022
Comments Off on State’s Four Legislative Leaders Join Coalition to Bring Hydrogen Hub to West Virginia
MORGANTOWN — West Virginia’s four legislative leaders joined the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition on Thursday, adding their voices to those working to bring a hub to West Virginia.
The U.S. Department of Energy aims to establish four regional hydrogen hubs using Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act money, and one of them will be in Appalachia, the nation’s largest natural gas-producing region. The West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition submitted its official response to DOE’s first step in the process to select winning hydrogen hubs on March 21.
President Craig Blair (legislator photos submitted)
On Thursday, Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito and Rep. David McKinley jointly announced that Senate President Craig Blair, Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and Minority Leader Doug Skaff joined the coalition.
Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said, “We are thrilled to have the West Virginia legislative leadership join us in our efforts. With our abundant energy sources and strong partnerships, our state is uniquely situated to compete to develop a hydrogen hub. Our proposal showcases how West Virginia can continue to lead the country — and the world — in advancing energy technologies and bring good-paying jobs to the state.”
Capito said, “West Virginia’s leaders — Democrat and Republican — are united around the potential we know is ready to be unleashed right here in our state when it comes to investing in and developing a hydrogen hub.”
She told The Dominion Post on Thursday that DOE will likely have news on the selection process this summer. A presentation from Manchin’s office says hub selection is due in May 2023.
Capito told The Dominion Post, “The best way to handle what we see in terms of the climate and the climate changing is to innovate and research. … A hydrogen hub would be one of those innovative avenues to a cleaner, greener and more powerful future.”
Speaker Roger Hanshaw
McKinley said in the announcement, “The Infrastructure Bill has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to modernize infrastructure that will support a regional hydrogen hub. Which means West Virginia, one of the country’s largest coal, gas and oil producers, can lead an all-of-the-above energy strategy that leverages the state’s existing resources while developing next generation technologies that support good jobs and energy security for the U.S. into the future.”
The other two members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation, Republicans Alex Mooney and Carol Miller, voted against the infrastructure bill and did not participate in the announcement.
The four legislative leaders also issued comments.
Hanshaw said, “We are creating a new economy here in West Virginia, and we stand ready to do what we can to be sure the state is attractive to this project, as well as many others.”
Leader Doug Skaff
Skaff said, “West Virginia has a long history of powering this country and bringing a hydrogen hub to the Mountain State will allow our hard-working families to be a part of powering our great nation far into the future.”
Blair commented, “As we look to expand our strategy and portfolio into the next generation, I look forward to us being leaders in energy technology.”
And Baldwin said, “For the sake of our future, we need to be a more diverse and cleaner energy state. Expanding the hydrogen market here would allow us to create jobs, produce energy for our own citizens to use, and build a more-sustainable economy.”
Blue hydrogen is produced by steam methane reforming, which requires burning natural gas to reform methane into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, from which they capture and sequester the CO2. A possible alternate, cleaner way to produce blue hydrogen is microwaves; it can produce hydrogen faster with less energy.
Grey and brown hydrogen also use steam to produce the gas, but don’t sequester it. Green hydrogen produces the gas from water.
A hub, according to the presentation by Manchin’s office, is a network of clean hydrogen producers, potential consumer and connective infrastructure. At least one hub will produce hydrogen from fossil fuels, one from renewables and one from nuclear energy (pink hydrogen).
At least one hub will demonstrate clean hydrogen use for electric generation, one for industrial applications, one for residential and commercial heating and one for transportation.
The infrastructure act included $9.5 billion for hydrogen, including $8 billion for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs that will jump-start the production, transport, and use of clean hydrogen across the U.S. economy; $1 billion for a Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program to reduce costs of hydrogen produced from clean electricity; and $500 million for Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling initiatives to support equipment manufacturing and strong domestic supply chains.
On Feb. 15, Manchin, Capito, McKinley and Gov. Jim Justice announced the launch of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition. On Feb. 25, they convened the initial organizing meeting. GO-WV, the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia, is also a member.
Original Article by David Beard on dominionpost.com, April 28, 2022
Comments Off on Business Facilities Magazine names West Virginia among top 10 business climates in U.S.
When thinking about U.S. states most well-suited for business, particularly in the fields of new and emerging technologies, most likely turn to states like California and Texas — and the Mountain State is probably not high on that list.
But for Business Facilities Magazine, West Virginia ranked No. 10 on its Best Business Climate list, released as part of its 17th annual rankings (Texas was No. 3, while California did not make the top 10).
“For years, I’ve been saying that West Virginia is the best kept secret on the East Coast, but the word keeps getting out and the world is taking notice of how our state is one of the best places to live and work,” Gov. Jim Justice said of the ranking. “Not only have we improved our state’s economy and business climate, we’ve jumped to the head of the pack. I want to thank all the folks at our Commerce, Economic Development and Tourism departments for all the hard work they’ve done to make our state shine.”
The state was one of two — the other being Arizona, ranked No. 9 — identified by the magazine as “rising stars” that saw “breakthrough results” for the 2021 ranking.
“We are excited to receive this recognition, and it just goes to show that all of our hard work in making West Virginia the best place to do business is paying off,” said West Virginia Department of Commerce Secretary Ed Gaunch.
Echoing the governor, West Virginia Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael said the recognition not only showcases the progress already made but will also help drive additional growth.
“By diversifying our economy, we’ve laid a foundation that can support economic growth for years to come,” Carmichael said. “Site consultants are a key component of driving economic activity, and this recognition is going to expose even more companies to the great opportunities here in West Virginia.”
The magazine also ranked Charleston at No. 3 for best business climate among metro areas with a population of less than 200,000.
The facility will be built on an 800-acre stretch of land located in Grant and Tucker counties.
Hyperloop is a method of transportation that would move people and goods in pods through a vacuum tube at speeds exceeding 600 mph, which would enable travel from Pittsburgh to Chicago in 41 minutes or New York City to Washington, D.C. in just 30 minutes.
Virgin Hyperloop CEO Jay Walder noted in October that the Hyperloop Certification Center’s role will be a critical step in taking the already proven technology and demonstrating to regulators and certifiers that it works and is safe for passengers.
“West Virginia is well-positioned to provide a fully-integrated solution that advances the nationwide opportunity for hyperloop,” Walder said at the time. “The engineering and scientific talent, combined with the skilled workforce and collaborative spirit we know is critical to this project, is all right here.”
That collaborative spirit was showcased in the myriad of people who were part of the announcement in October, representing various organizations who had a hand in helping to secure the facility.
In addition to local and state government officials and agencies, as well as the state’s federal representatives, West Virginia and Marshall universities were involved in the process.
WVU President Dr. E. Gordon Gee made collaboration the focal point of his part of the pitch to Hyperloop officials.
“With only 1.8 million people, we have to collaborate — with public education, state government, business and industry,” Gee said in a news release in November. “None of us can go it alone, but together we can make a mighty force, a mighty wind, if you will.”
And with a collaborative effort will come shared benefits, with an October projection from the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research predicting the new certification facility would have an economic impact of about $48 million annually.
Biometrics
Also mentioned by Business Facilities Magazine was the work in biometrics being done in North Central West Virginia.
The epicenter of these efforts is the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg. Staffed 24/7 and having more than 3,000 total employees, the work done at CJIS supports a variety of functions, from getting information to local police to combatting terrorism around the world.
CJIS processes an average of more than 10 million transactions for the National Crime Information Center every day, and has subdivisions dedicated to background checks for firearms, sharing of data and information between law enforcement agencies and processing tips on potential threats.
While the discussion of biometrics is generally thought of as involving fingerprints — CJIS does have more than 77 million criminal fingerprints on file used in its operations — the Biometric Technology Center also works with the Department of Defense on the storage and access of eye iris scans and palm prints.
Comments Off on BDR News in Regards to Medical Marijuana in the State Of WV
The State of West Virginia recently accepted applications for medical marijuana grow and processing facilities and 100 retail dispensaries. As a result, Black Diamond Realty had the opportunity to tenant represent and find locations for approved medical marijuana companies throughout the state of WV. The locations ranged from Princeton to Wheeling, from Martinsburg to Huntington, and all places in between!
BDR helped to broker 3 out of 10 growing/processing facilities and 22 of the 100 total dispensary locations. West Virginia now has Medical Marijuana dispensaries throughout 16 cities. We were able to broker approximately one quarter of the real estate deals for Medical Marijuana facilities in WV!
Call us today at 304.413.4350 to talk to our team of experienced associates dedicated to help find your new location to start/relocate your business anywhere in the state and beyond!
