Legislature passes tax relief bill aimed to bring ethane 'cracker' plant to West Virginia

CHARLESTON -- On a 33-0 vote the West Virginia Senate has passed a bill designed to help attract an ethane steam cracker plant to West Virginia by lowering the amount of property taxes a developer would pay to build and operate such a plant.
The bill, House Bill 4086, passed the Senate today after earlier passing in the House of Delegates.
Following the bill's passage in the Senate, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued the following statement.
"To spur economic development, attracting an ethane steam cracker has been my number one goal and I am so pleased, with this vote, the Legislature has sent a clear signal that they are joining me in this effort.
"It is through bipartisan support, like this and that of last month's historic Horizontal Well Act Relating to Marcellus Shale, that we show potential investors West Virginia is ready and willing to take the development of our vast natural gas reserves to the next level in order to help address our country's energy needs and expand our manufacturing sector.
"This tax relief bill, I believe, showcases our State's commitment to being a great business partner today and long into the future," said Tomblin.
The governor proposed H.B. 4086 which reduces personal property taxes for a company that builds an ethane cracker in West Virginia that has a minimum of $2 billion in investment. Instead of taxing the property at 5 percent of it is original value for 10 years, the bill extends the salvage value tax treatment of 5 percent for 25 years.

Most West Virginia counties report rising unemployment rate

CHARLESTON -- West Virginia’s unemployment rate climbed six-tenths of a percentage point to 7.7 percent in December 2011, and nearly all counties in the state recorded rising unemployment rates as well, according to data released by WorkForce West Virginia. 

The number of counties recording an unemployment rate considered much worse than average when compared to the state rate rose slightly. This group included Roane (11.8), Webster (12.6), Grant (12.6), and Calhoun (12.7). 

The number of counties reporting an unemployment rate considered better than average when compared to the state rate declined in December. This group included Ohio (6.5), Putnam (6.4), Gilmer (6.3), and Jefferson (5.9). Once again, Monongalia (5.0) was the sole county recording an unemployment rate considered much better than average when compared to the state rate.

West Virginia unemployment rate rose to 7.7 percent in December

CHARLESTON -- West Virginia’s unemployment rate climbed six-tenths of a percentage point to 7.7  percent in December, WorkForce West Virginia has reported. 

The number of unemployed state residents rose 4,800 to 59,600. Total unemployment was down 13,400 over the year.
Total nonfarm payroll employment declined 3,600, where a loss of 4,100 in the goods-producing sector countered a gain of 500 in the service-providing sector.
Within the goods-producing sector, employment declines included 2,900 in construction, 800 in mining and logging, and 400 in manufacturing. Within the service-providing sector, employment growth included 500 in educational and health services, 300 in professional and business services, 300 in financial activities, and 200 in other services. Employment declines included 300 in government, 200 in trade, transportation, and utilities, 200 in information, and 100 in leisure and hospitality.
West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 7.9 percent in December, while the national rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point to 8.5 percent.

New exhibit to highlight the history of the chemical industry in the Kanawha Valley

CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will unveil a new exhibit, The Chemical Valley: West Virginia’s Gift to the World, on Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The public is invited to view the exhibit during an opening reception beginning at 2 p.m. that day. The exhibit will be on display through May 6.

The new exhibit will feature the many contributions and developments made by the manufacturing and chemical industries of West Virginia and particularly those companies located in the Kanawha Valley. Items on display will include a circa 1958 model of Union Carbide’s Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Unit as well as a firefighting system used in 1940 at DuPont Belle Works and an early salt pot. The main wall of the exhibit will be set up to resemble a laboratory complete with beakers and flasks.

In celebration of the International Year of Chemistry in West Virginia, visitors also will see a collection of tools, products, photographs and documents from the 20th century when the Kanawha Valley was considered the chemical center of the world. The International Year of Chemistry is a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind.

The reception will feature several guest speakers as well as provide opportunities for former and current workers to document on videotape their reflections on what it is like to work in the chemical industry. Recording sessions will be available on a first-come, first-served basis from noon to 5 p.m.

The reception is being sponsored and coordinated by the American Chemistry Council, the Chemical Alliance Zone, the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, TechConnectWV, Dow Chemical, MATRIC, West Virginia State University, Marshall University, the South Charleston Museum Foundation and other partners. 

NCO Group announces plan to add 90 additional jobs in Charleston

CHARLESTON - The NCO Group, Inc. ("NCO"), a leading provider of business processing services, will hire approximately 90 new associates in its Charleston contact center, the company announced today. The hiring will expand NCO's presence in Charleston and also includes over $350,000 of new investments in equipment and training.
Employment opportunities will include positions providing direct customer service support for one of NCO's leading utility clients. Additional roles will also be available for managers, trainers, and supervisors. Positions are full-time and include a complete employment benefit package. Using a range of communication channels such as phone, email and text messaging, associates will learn and apply skills in areas of customer care and support.
Commenting on the expansion, Jack Jones, Chief Operating Officer, NCO, said in a prepared statement, "This is an excellent opportunity to expand our services for one of our premier clients. The combination of this business expansion, our talented team in Charleston and our ongoing relationship with the state of West Virginia is very positive for all."
The company worked closely with the West Virginia Development Office and the Charleston Area Alliance to retain the investment in Charleston. Hiring is already underway. Interested candidates may apply at the company website www.ncogroup.com/careers or call 412-249-5300 for more information. The contact center is located at 408 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston, WV 25301.

Baker Hughes to build new $40 million center in Harrison County

BRIDGEPORT -- Baker Hughes, one of the world's largest oilfield service companies, has announced plans to build a new $40 million center in Harrison County. The new facility will be built on a 52-acre site Baker Hughes recently purchased outside Bridgeport, northeast of the intersection of I-79 and State Highway 131. The project will consolidate two existing facilities into one significantly larger center. The consolidation will preserve more than 200 existing West Virginia jobs and is expected to create an estimated 275 new jobs in the coming years as the center becomes fully operational. The new positions are expected to range from engineers and scientists to gas field workers.
Construction on the new center is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2012 and reach completion within one year.
"Our $40 million investment in the heart of the Marcellus reflects our confidence in the long-term viability of West Virginia's shale resources and Baker Hughes' long-standing commitment to a key region where we live and work," said Baker Hughes' President of U.S. Land Paul Butero in a prepared statement. "Our new center in Bridgeport will bring additional construction jobs and allow us to hire more local scientists, engineers and mechanics to staff our new labs, workshops and maintenance bays. We share in the enthusiasm about the cultivation of West Virginia's budding energy opportunities."
The new facility will include:
*A 38,600-square-foot, two-story office building. The office complex will contain more than 90 offices and workstations, 50 engineering stations and a 5,000 square foot testing laboratory.
*An 83,710-square-foot workshop with eight vehicle maintenance bays, vehicle maintenance storage, fishing workshop, customer completion workshop and warehouse functions.
* Five auxiliary buildings that will include warehouse space and a three-bay truck wash/fueling station.
The auxiliary buildings will support a fleet of up to 250 drilling operations vehicles. The drilling vehicles will service customer oil and gas wells throughout West Virginia.
Baker Hughes is a leading supplier of oilfield services, products, technology and systems to the worldwide oil and natural gas industry. For more information, visit http://www.bakerhughes.com/.

National Association of Entrepreneurship recognizes WVU professor

MORGANTOWN -- James Smith, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University, has been selected as an award recipient by the National Association of Entrepreneurship. 
The NAE 250 Awards are presented annually to leaders who excel in free enterprise.
A member of the faculty since 1976, Smith has been involved in technology transfer from academia into the commercial sector. To date, he has been granted more than 30 U.S. patents and helped 11 companies that now market commercial applications of technology developed at or through the University. Prior to joining the staff at WVU, Smith was a research engineer for the Department of Energy and a business owner.
The NAE is a Washington, DC-based association whose mission is to advance free enterprise. Chief among its goals is providing and expanding opportunities for America’s emerging mid-market companies to grow and succeed in a competitive global economy. NAE helps promote business excellence through peer connectivity, institutional partnerships, information and education.
The award will be presented at the NAE 250 Awards Showcase AND First Generation Summit, scheduled for January 11-12, at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, in Farmington, PA.

Protea Biosciences Group recognized by international research journal

MORGANTOWN – Protea Biosciences Group Inc., has been selected by The Scientist, an international research journal of the Life Sciences industry,  to receive its Top Ten Innovative Technologies award for the year 2011.

In the January 2012 issue, The Scientist selected Protea’s LAESI DP-1000, a new instrument developed by Protea that eliminates time-consuming sample preparation steps, and allows rapid molecular analysis of biological samples.

“On behalf of our employees, shareholders and customers, we thank The Scientist for its selection of LAESI DP-1000, which we believe is a game-changing life sciences instrument, that has the potential to dramatically accelerate and reduce the costs of biomedical discovery”, said Steve Turner, Protea’s CEO. He added, “Through Protea, West Virginia is creating world-class biotechnology and successfully competing in the global biosciences sector.”

LAESI technology was invented in the laboratory of Akos Vertes, PhD., George Washington University, and exclusively licensed to Protea. Using the LAESI DP-1000 instrument developed by Protea, large numbers of biomolecules can be rapidly identified and spatially mapped via imaging to cell structures, and tissues.

“What makes the LAESI DP-1000 unique is that it is a universal platform - one that can be used to analyze all types of biological samples, including tissue biopsies, live cells, blood, and other biofluids,” Turner said. “It allows the direct, molecular analysis of living cells.”

The Scientist is an International print and digital publication, dedicated to covering a wide range of topics central to the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, and other life-science fields.

Protea is a leader in the field of bioanalytics - the identification and analysis of proteins and other biomolecules that are produced by living cells, technology that is essential to pharmaceutical and medical research.

January 2012 Open for Business Report released

CHARLESTON – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has released the latest “Open for Business” report documenting the state’s economic progress. The January 2012 report highlights projects and related announcements from businesses both large and small that will assist with the creation of new jobs and the preservation of existing jobs.

ACCESS TO $13 MILLION CREDIT INITIATIVE TO FUEL WEST VIRGINIA SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has approved West Virginia’s application for State Small Business Credit Initiative funding. The approval will give West Virginia access to $13.1 million in federal dollars to fund new small business lending programs. Administered through the state’s new West Virginia Capital Access Program (WVCAP), the funding will enable small businesses to leverage new capital and credit to create private sector jobs. WVCAP is expected to go into effect during the first quarter of 2012.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE JOURNAL RANKS PROTEA AMONG TOP 10 INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIESI
Bioanalytics firm Protea Biosciences has been selected as a Top 10 Innovative Technologies. The honor is being bestowed by “The Scientist,” an international life sciences journal. Protea earned the award for its Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization (LAESI) technology, described as the world’s first technology that allows real-time molecular imaging, including the molecular analysis of live cells. LAESI was invented by researchers at George Washington University and exclusively licensed worldwide to Protea Biosciences. Protea has now completed the development of the world's first LAESI instrument systems, financed largely by a loan from West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust, the state’s venture capital fund. Morgantown-based Protea was launched as a spin-off from West Virginia University in 2001. The firm has 45 employees.

PRICHARD INTERMODAL FACILITY PROJECT RECEIVES $12 MILLION
The West Virginia Ports Authority has been awarded $12 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation to construct an intermodal terminal along Norfolk Southern’ s Heartland Corridor near Prichard. The Prichard Intermodal facility is being developed to serve as a cargo-transfer station along the Norfolk Southern rail line. Once completed, the facility will give industries in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky more modern and efficient freight container service and improved access to international rail lines.

WVU CAFEE COMPLETES FUEL ECONOMY RESEARCH ON MILITARY COMBAT VEHICLES
West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE) has completed research on the effects of nanoscale catalysts on the fuel economy of military combat and tactical ground vehicles. The results could mean huge financial savings for America’s defense and another significant step toward overall energy efficiency. The study was conducted for the U.S. Department of Defense and ManTech International, a Washington, D.C.-based defense contractor. The research hypothesized that nanoscale fuel-borne catalysts – such as platinum, cerium and other metallo-organic additives – could be combined with traditional engine fuel as catalysts to improve fuel efficiency. CAFEE, a part of WVU's Advanced Energy Institute, is a worldwide leader in the research and development of improved transportation and power system efficiency, while working toward a cleaner environment.

WVEDA APPROVES $726,360 FOR NEW, EXPANDING BUSINESSES
The West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA) approved a new loan during its December 2011 meeting:
• M-Rock, $359,610, for the expansion of an existing building and the acquisition and installation of equipment. The Monroe County business manufactures shaped and colored cement and stone veneer products. The expansion will allow M-Rock to manufacture its recently-introduced Mortarless Stone Innovations (MSI), a stone veneer product that installs with screws instead of mortar. M-Rock currently has 43 employees and expects to increase that number to as many as 95 after three years.
• Architectural Wood, $366,750 aggregate, for site and equipment acquisition related to start-up. Based in Ronceverte in Greenbrier County, the company was established in 2011. It manufactures and installs high-grade architectural woodwork, casework and custom furnishings.

SAUCY JACKSON COUNTY FIRM WINS FOUR PRESTIGIOUS SCOVIE AWARDS
Miss Mona’s Sauces and Spices scooped up four awards from the Scovie Awards. The annual competition recognizes the top fiery foods products from around the world. This year’s event included 792 products and 161 companies from 38 states and four countries. Miss Mona’s entries placed in the top three in their respective categories: Extra Hot Salsa, category Processed Salsa/XX Hot, first place; Caribbean BBQ, category Barbeque Sauce, second place; Liquid Lucifer, category Extreme Sauce, second place; and Tropical Salsa, category Processed Salsa/Fruit, third. Entering the Scovie Awards was the first time the Sandyville-based company had taken part in a food competition, said owner Ramona Price.

CHARLESTON EAST END IS GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARD SEMIFINALIST 
Charleston East End has been selected from a nationwide pool of applicants to be one of 10 semifinalists in the final round of competition in the 2012 Great American Main Street Awards® (GAMSA). The National Trust for Historic Preservation will present the final five winners at the Main Street Awards Ceremony during the National Main Streets Conference in Baltimore, Md., on April 2, 2012. The annual award recognizes the participating communities for their exceptional accomplishments in revitalizing the nation’s historic and traditional Main Street commercial districts by using the proven Main Street Four-Point Approach®.

WORKFORCE WEST VIRGINIA TAKES PART IN MARSHALL COUNTY OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY JOB FAIR
WorkForce West Virginia participated in a job fair at the Mollohan Training Center in Moundsville on Nov. 30. The event was sponsored by the West Virginia Independent Oil and Gas Association. Approximately 40 employers and training providers were onsite and an estimated 1,250 job seekers attended.  West Virginia employers can file job orders and search for qualified applicants 24/7 via the WorkForce West Virginia website at www.workforcewv.org.

Marshall University maintains accreditation for College of Business

HUNTINGTON — The College of Business at Marshall University has maintained its business accreditation as well as its accounting accreditation by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in both business and accounting.

Marshall University is one of two institutions in West Virginia to hold AACSB accreditation. As of December 2011, only 643 schools of business worldwide are AACSB accredited and only 176 institutions have AACSB’s additional accounting accreditation.

To maintain business accreditation, programs undergo an internal review every five years, at which they must demonstrate a continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

To maintain accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn or maintain AACSB Business Accreditation as well as meet an additional 15 standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.

To learn more about Marshall University’s College of Business and its Accounting Division, visit www.marshall.edu/lcob. To learn more about AACSB accreditation, visit www.aacsb.edu/accreditation.