US Senators Manchin and Capito Invite Global Business Leaders to Attend SelectUSA Investment Summit and Discover Why West Virginia is the Right Choice for Global Companies
June 7, 2019This post is part of SelectUSA’s EDO Spotlight series, highlighting the work of EDOs around the country recruiting foreign direct investment, how that work supports jobs and economic growth across the United States, and how SelectUSA partners with EDOs to support economic development.This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy.
Sara B. Dearing is the Executive Director of Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation
West Virginia is the premier location for global companies to expand and relocate. Companies that come to West Virginia are met with a thriving business climate, a dedicated and technically-trained workforce, low cost of doing business, an abundant and inexpensive supply of energy – and unending support from our local, state and federal leaders. 
West Virginia’s U.S. senators not only play a hands-on role when it comes to attracting investment, they are dedicated to ensuring that companies that do invest in West Virginia, succeed. This unwavering commitment to helping global companies find a home in the Mountain State is why Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito have teamed up to invite global executives to attend the SelectUSA Investment Summit and to join them at the West Virginia Booth (#714) for the State and Local Night Reception on June 11. Additionally, our senators invite business leaders to attend the West Virginia Spinoff Event, June 13-14, in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Here’s just a few reasons for global executives to choose West Virginia:
- West Virginia is home to 136 global companies (including Toyota, Gestamp, Covestro, Novartis, TransCanada, Sogefi, Safran, and more) representing 30 countries from around the world with a diverse manufacturing base of industries including aerospace, automotive, chemical and polymers, energy, defense, and information technology, to name a few.
- West Virginia has the strategic advantage of being in a region with the most cost-effective and abundant natural gas in the industrialized world. This region is right in the middle of half the U.S. market, and close to over two-thirds of U.S. polyethylene consumption.
- West Virginia (located in Shale Crescent USA) is the most profitable place to locate petrochemical and other manufacturing plants. In fact, Yahoo Finance, the US Department of Energy, oilprice.com and others are calling this region “a second U.S. Petrochemical Hub”.
- According to the American Chemistry Council, the Appalachian Region is uniquely positioned over the next decade to become a major petrochemical hub with the potential to attract $36 billion in new chemical and plastics industry investment.
It’s not just the aesthetic beauty of the state and its abundant natural resources that make West Virginia a great place to do business. Deep down, it’s the people that make West Virginia a world-class location, and a state dedicated to providing the resources to elevate your company to the next level. Please come and meet our team, including Senators Manchin and Capito, at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, then join us in Wheeling for our spinoff event, and let’s get down to business.
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