‘What is being done to attract businesses to the Parkersburg and Wood County area?’

—Karen Smith, Parkersburg

POSTED: July 31, 2008

Keith Burdette, head of the Wood County Economic Development Authority, said recruiting new business is a matter of hard work and luck. It's also a matter of selling the area's assets and going after those businesses best suited to the area.

Patience also helps.

"Companies usually don't make quick decisions about where they locate," Burdette said. "We focus on several areas. First, we work on attracting companies where the area has an established record of success."

Burdette said the area workforce and it's location in relation to other business sectors in the country are two hot selling points.

"Wood Countians have a strong work ethic that isn't found everywhere," he said. "In a global economy, the fact we are located within overnight delivery of two-thirds of the U.S. population is an important advantage and that Wood County specifically has a transportation network that can take advantage of that location."

Burdette points to the Polymer Alliance Zone and the arrival of Hino, which have opened doors to the automotive industry.

"Wood County has the state's largest concentration of polymer/plastics companies. We work with the Polymer Alliance Zone and participate in trade shows where polymer companies frequently meet. We network with existing local companies to identify opportunities," he said.

"Hino has helped us open the door on automotive related companies," Burdette said. "We partner with the state to reach out to companies which might be looking at expansion. Because the domestic automotive industry has not been growing, we are looking overseas. The recent trip to Japan was to tell companies there about our area and the advantages of locating here. We market sites which might be attractive to companies seeking to locate."

Burdette said promoting and assisting in corporate expansion is also a tool to attract business. He cited Coldwater Creek, Mountain State Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Bureau of Public Debt, Polymer Alliance Services and Suddenlink as companies that have made decisions to expand operations.

"We make sure that if they need assistance to expand here, we are ready to help," Burdette said. "The competition for new jobs is intense. We have to be creative and we need to sell those strengths that could set us apart from other places.

"We work every day to get that word out, but we can all be ambassadors and salesmen for Wood County."

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