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  1. Eastern Panhandle counties represent the most growth in West Virginia

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    MARTINSBURG – West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle gave a strong showing in newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, with Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties claiming the top three spots for growth in the state, out of only eight counties that grew in population.

    The data shows the percent change in population between every county in the United States between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023.

    According to the Census Bureau’s data, Berkeley County’s population grew 2.37%, while Jefferson’s grew 1.33% and Morgan’s grew 1.23%. Hampshire and Hardy counties, also a part of the Eastern Panhandle, grew 0.82% and 0.59% respectively, while the only other counties in West Virginia to see growth were Marion, Monongalia and Monroe.

     

    In total, Berkeley County’s population gained 3,061 people, while Jefferson gained 786 and Morgan gained 214.

    The population growth in Berkeley County is no surprise, considering its proximity to metropolitan areas like Washington D.C. Between 2010 and 2020, the county’s population grew by more than 21,000 people, an increase of 21%.

    Jefferson and Morgan counties growth rates have increased significantly from the previous years, almost doubling from 0.7% and 0.8 % from 2021 to 2022, to 1.33% and 1.23%.

    Between 2010 and 2020, Jefferson County’s population added 5,600 people, or about 4.6%, ranking it fourth in the state. At the same time, Morgan County’s population actually declined losing just over 300 people, about 2% of its population.

    Counties surrounding the Eastern Panhandle in states like Maryland and Pennsylvania saw similar rates of growth between 2022 and 2023.

    Nationwide, about 60% of counties experienced growth, an increase from the 52% that the Census Bureau released last year. Much of that growth took place in in the South, with 67% (950) of the counties growing between 2022 and 2023.

    Other areas, like the Northeast and Midwest, lost more in population than they gained.

    “Domestic migration patterns are changing, and the impact on counties is especially evident,” said Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch. “Areas which experienced high levels of domestic out-migration during the pandemic, such as in the Midwest and Northeast, are now seeing more counties with population growth. Meanwhile, county population growth is slowing down out west, such as in Arizona and Idaho.”

     

    Original Article by Tom Markland, The Journal

    Original Article Here

  2. Mountaintop Beverage Begins Production in Morgantown Industrial Park

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    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

    Original Article Here

  3. Martinsburg, WV – BLACK DIAMOND REALTY OPENS EASTERN PANHANDLE OFFICE

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    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.

  4. Inflation hits another 40-year high. What does that mean for shoppers and the next Fed rate hike?

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    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 an annual 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 fears and 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

    Original Article Here

  5. Korean Drug Maker Pledges to Build Plant in Morgantown

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    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

    Original Article Here

  6. Morgantown Seen As Economic Leader In North Central West Virginia Region

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    MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) — Despite COVID-19 and other challenges both locally and statewide, the Morgantown Area Partnership has been successful in moving projects along and executing their program work.

    “We’re excited about those results and as well as what 2022 can bring,” said Russ Rogerson, president and CEO of the partnership.

    Rogerson sees the success in Morgantown as proof that the partnership works. It was set up as a multi-purpose group doing the work of a traditional Chamber organization, as well as a developmental authority, neighborhood revitalization corporation and area economic partnership.

    “We saw where if someone wanted to come to the area, and if they had questions about their business and a type of property, they wouldn’t know where to go,” Sean Sikora, county commissioner, said. “We were successful in spite of ourselves. We were losing a lot of opportunities, so we sought to consolidate those organizations.”

    Many groups had similar ideas for success, but were not working together.

    “It was all centered around how do we create a greater cooperative working relationship across all the various entities, both political and private in the area, for the betterment of our communities,” he said. “We felt that we would be able to create better cooperation across those entities and therefore set a standard to help that cooperation throughout.” Rogerson noted a unique aspect of the partnership is that they have also added governmental and educational leaders.

    “It really broadened the representation on the community board,” Rogerson said. “That was the goal, to get more people involved and participating.”

    Rogerson said there are many things being done that have helped make the last year a bright one. In addition to new businesses coming to the area, the partnership restructured their organization, adding three new vice presidents, which Rogerson believes is a positive step in the right direction.

    Eric Carlson was named VP of economic development services.

    “Eric comes from former position of the equivalent of a city manager and in the college community of an Indiana Purdue, so he brings with a great deal of, you know, college town, university town, relationships and opportunities and challenges,” Rogerson said. “We’re very excited to have Eric on board.”

    Anna Carrier is the new VP of Chamber services.

    “Anna is local to Morgantown — born and raised, and a WVU grad,” Rogerson said. “She’s also a small business owner — The Cupcakerie — and previously worked at WVU Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, so she brings a lot to the table for us.”

    Longtime staffer Amy Loomis received a promotion.

    “I was fortunate to have her when I arrived, and Amy has been elevated to vice president of revitalization services,” Rogerson said. “She’s going to be hailing a lot of the efforts of the campus neighborhood revitalization.”

    Rogerson has seen increased attendance at Business After Hours events. Those were the first in-person events the partnership brought back, because they’re smaller and more manageable from a distancing perspective.

    “We actually had our largest Business After Hours, reaching 120 people in December, down at the Marriott Waterfront,” Rogerson said. “This year, we’re hoping they open up even more.”

    Rogerson is proud of the work from the many committees of the Morgantown Area Partnership.

    “All of our committees do a great job: government affairs, transportation, and of course WINGS — Women’s Innovative Networking Group,” Rogerson said. “They continue to meet and continue to keep track of the many areas they encompass in the transportation, government affairs, and others.”

    The new Workforce Development Committee was created to help many Morgantown residents who were put out of work in 2021.

    “We did that to address the large layoff announcements from Viatris and the Blacksburg coal mine — we thought it was important that we stepped into that arena and tried to add some value to those existing services,” Rogerson said. “We held a job fair with some 60 companies, representing over 2,000 jobs.”

    A portion of the Morgantown Area Partnership website has been turned into a networking site for recruiters, which Rogerson calls a tool that all Mon County companies can use to post their job openings for free.

    “It’s important that local people know how to access local jobs,” Rogerson said. “We’re very pleased with that, and hope people visit our website to see that.”

    “We have projects flowing through, and last year we had two new companies locate that will result in some $200 million in private investment and more than 200 jobs,” Rogerson said. “These two companies are located in the Morgantown industrial park.”

    The Morgantown Area Partnership purchased 9 1/2 acres of college housing along the Ridgewood Avenue corridor, with the express intent of starting a major redevelopment effort along the corridor to provide more connectivity to downtown Morgantown and also the university from area residents.

    The I-68 Commerce Park remains a project with positive future implications.

    “We continue to work with the city of Morgantown on the airport runway extension that’s going to result in the creation of the I-68 Commerce Park in 2023,” Rogerson said.

    The soils and rock needed for the runway extension are being taken from the nearby spot that will become the commerce park.

    “That area will be available to us in 2023, so you’re going to hear a lot more about I-68 Commerce Park then,” Rogerson said.

    The West Ridge area of Monongalia County saw two notable retail additions: Menards and Bass Pro Shop.

    “Bass Pro Shop is is one of those anchor stores that I think says quite a bit about the robustness of our community financially,” Rogerson said. “We are happy to have them and happy to have additional retailers coming in throughout the community.”

    People are getting more comfortable going out, and Rogerson knows Morgantown will be ready.

    “I think when we can get this calmed down long enough, I think the stores will see people coming through here,” Rogerson said. “We’ve got a number of stores opening up in the West Ridge area, and I do think people will get out.”

    Shopping online experienced a dramatic surge as the COVID-19 pandemic kept people home. Rogerson is curious to see the new future for retail, as the pandemic wanes.

    “I think some of those conveniences, just like having meetings on Zoom, or other ways, I think they’re here to stay,” Rogerson said. “It will be very interesting to see how long-term, we adjust and adapt to that.”

    Rogerson knows that some elements of shopping online cannot be beat, but hopes that a happy middle ground can be found.

    “The good news is people were forced into adding it, and it’s there in place, and they can only get better with it,” Rogerson said. “But I’m also hoping that we still have a healthy number of storefronts opening back up and and that we can provide both options.”

     

    Shopping, Morgantown (2021)

     

    Original Article by Chris Slater, March 26, 2022 on wvnews.com

    Original Article Here

  7. WVU-led research team lays foundation for natural gas storage ‘hub’; opportunity for economic growth in the region

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    It is no secret that the region around West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio has abundant natural gas resources, but can the three states uncover the keys to turning those resources into economic growth? West Virginia University-led research may have some of the answers.

    On August 29, WVU is releasing to the public a study that shows how the region can support storage facilities that are critical for attracting petrochemical and related industries to the area. Researchers will present the data at a technical workshop in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, hosted by the Eastern Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, PTTC, at WVU.

    Led by Doug Patchen, director of the WVU Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Consortium and the Eastern PTTC, researchers from the geological surveys in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio studied geologic formations that could offer suitable locations for developers to build underground facilities to store natural gas liquids from Marcellus and Utica wells.

    The team identified and mapped all potential options for subsurface storage of natural gas liquids along the Ohio River from southwestern Pennsylvania to eastern Kentucky, and the Kanawha River in West Virginia. The researchers focused on three options for subsurface storage.

    One option includes areas where the Salina F Salt is at least 100 feet thick and suitable for solution mining, a type of mining that uses a liquid such as water injected through a borehole to dissolve and extract salts and minerals.

    Another option includes areas where the Greenbrier Limestone is present 1,800 to 2,000 feet below the surface and is at least 40 feet thick. Converting existing sandstone reservoirs in depleted gas fields and inactive gas storage fields to natural gas liquids storage is the third option.

    Previously, the consortium had conducted studies of the Marcellus and Utica shale gas plays. Results from those studies have been used by both small producers such as Northeast Natural Energy and large multinationals such as Exxon and have helped fuel the region’s shale gas boom. This latest work was conducted as part of the Tri-State Shale Coalition, an innovative cross-border collaboration among Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and a critical key for unlocking the region’s economic opportunity, according to its members.

    The Coalition was created following a collaborative agreement signed in October 2015 by Governors’ offices in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Charter members include the Benedum Foundation, a charitable organization, and Team NEO, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and Vision Shared, all non-profit economic development organizations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

    A public-private partnership, the coalition brings together workforce development organizations, academic institutions such as WVU, and economic development groups to strategically advance the area as a “super-region” for petrochemical, plastics fabrication and advanced manufacturing jobs and investments.

    “Recognition of the enormous opportunity for economic development based upon shale gas, including downstream modern manufacturing, was the motivation for the Governors of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to agree to collaborate to maximize the opportunity,” said William Getty, Benedum Foundation president.

    The WVU Energy Institute secured $100,000 from the Benedum Foundation to support the study. That amount was matched by a total of $100,000 more from AEP, Antero, Blue Racer, Charleston Area Alliance, Chevron, Dominion, EQT, First Energy/Team NEO, Mountaineer NGL Storage LLC, Noble Energy, Southwestern Energy, XTO Energy and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association.

    Click here to view the article at WVUToday.