West Virginia

EDA made 14 awards totaling $1.8 million across the State of West Virginia in FY 2012. These included annual planning grants, a University Center, and two Jobs and Innovation Accelerators. By supporting bottom- up, regionally-owned economic development initiatives, EDA’s investments will create jobs and position West Virginia communities to maximize their economic assets and potential.

Investment Spotlight: EDA Award Broadens Existing University Partnership to Create Workforce Development Opportunities

Building upon their existing EDA University Center collaboration, Marshall University and Concord University again joined forces in 2012 as a winner of EDA’s Rural Jobs Accelerator Challenge. EDA invested $435,000 to assist the universities in establishing the Southern West Virginia Rural Jobs Accelerator Partnership. This partnership leverages regional resources to create workforce development opportunities -- including skills training, e-business opportunities, grant-writing and entrepreneurial workshops, and access to capital investment consulting -- to advanced manufacturing and tourism businesses across southern West Virginia. By building business knowledge and workforce skills across the region, the project will entice investors to the region, stimulate the creation of new companies, improve worker performance, enhance the region’s online presence, and serve as a model for similar communities across the country.

Within the first year, the Accelerator program has supported eight projects which have created 12 new jobs and saved 309 existing ones. These investments are encouraging the growth of advanced manufacturing and tourism in the state and support the aeronautics, energy and high technology industry clusters.