West Virginia - Wild and Wonderful

About West Virginia

West Virginia is noted for its mountains and diverse topography, its historically significant logging and coal mining industries, and its political and labor history. It is one of the most densely karstic areas in the world, making it a choice area for recreational caving and scientific research.

Business

West Virginia is full of opportunity for any business with a growing economy and a highly dedicated workforce. Whether you are running an existing business or thinking of starting a new business you can find all of the information you need throughout this business section.

Education

West Virginia is fortunate to have a tremendous education system with a high standard of excellence. Please use the information provided here to learn more about the wealth of educational opportunities in our great state.

Employment

West Virginia is home to one of the finest workforces in the country based on our hard work and commitment to quality. Whether you are looking for new job opportunities, enhancing your job skills or researching future employment trends you can find all of the information you need throughout this employment section.

Family

West Virginia offers the perfect balance of a rural and urban setting that suits a variety of lifestyles. This is a state where you can go whitewater rafting in the morning, go to an art exhibit in the afternoon and attend a concert in the evening. Whether you just moved to the Mountain State or your family has been here since it was founded, you are part of our community.

Health

Maintaining proper health is vital to ensuring the highest quality of life possible. West Virginia strives to provide one of the best health care systems in the country that is affordable and available to all residents of the state. This section contains numerous resources to assist you in accessing the health care services provided in the state.

Tourism

Exhilarate in the lasting beauty and natural wonder scattered throughout West Virginia. From unmatched outdoor recreation to world-class resorts, breathtaking scenery and a variety of cultural and historic attractions, West Virginia is an ideal spot to plan your next adventure. Discover for yourself what makes West Virginia wild and wonderful.

 Gov. Tomblin Honors State’s Export Businesses 

6/22/2011 

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin presented the Governor’s Commendation for International Market Entry to representatives of 49 West Virginia businesses. The award honors companies that have successfully exported to a new country in the past year.

Gov. Tomblin joined the West Virginia Export Council and the West Virginia Development Office on June 22 to commend the West Virginia companies.

 “West Virginia businesses are competing in today’s marketplace, whether it is around the corner or around the world,” said Gov. Tomblin. “Our businesses, big and small, are succeeding in expanding their sales horizons to new markets, creating and retaining jobs here at home.”

West Virginia’s exports in 2010 reached a record level of $6.4 billion. The state’s 2010 exports grew by 33 percent over the previous year, outperforming the U.S. export growth rate of 21 percent. West Virginia’s all-time-high performance exceeded its previous record of $5.6 billion, set in 2008.

This award is based on the tradition of displaying the first dollar a business earns. The Governor’s Commendation for International Market Entry frames currency from each new country to which the recipient business began exporting in 2010.

The 49 companies being honored this year matches the previous record set in 2009. Since its inception in 2002, the program has presented a total of 1,123 awards recognizing sales to 148 countries.

Commendations were handed out to:

Barbour County

  • Blackheart International, Philippi; Canada

Berkeley County

  • Brentwood Industries, Martinsburg; Bahrain; India; Kenya; Suriname

Cabell County

  • Guyan International, Barboursville; Tanzania; Uganda; Sudan; Poland
  • JABO Supply Corp., Huntington; Canada
  • Nippon Tungsten USA Inc., Barboursville, Canada
  • Richwood Industries, Huntington; Ghana, Zambia
  • Rubberlite Inc., Huntington; Denmark; United Kingdom
  • Star Technologies, LLC, Huntington; Japan
  • Steel of West Virginia, Huntington; Spain, Indonesia

Fayette County

  • Highland Machinery Corp., Oak Hill; China
  • The Robbins Company, Oak Hill; Turkey; Vietnam

Grant County

  • Allegheny Wood Products, Petersburg; Estonia; Finland; Sweden; Iceland

Greenbrier County

  • Appalachian Electronic Instruments, Ronceverte; Sri Lanka

Hampshire County

  • Howell Automotive, Romney; Qatar

Hancock County

  • The Homer Laughlin China Co., Newell; Costa Rica; Panama; Dominican Republic; China; India
  • United States Gypsum Company, Weirton; Belgium; Taiwan

Harrison County

  • MSES Consultants Inc. – Corrosion Products Division, Clarksburg; South Africa; Malaysia
  • Stockmeier Urethanes USA, Clarksburg; Ecuador

Jefferson County

  • Schonstedt Instrument Company Inc., Kearneysville;  Azerbaijan; Anguilla (UK); Algeria; Cameroon; Cayman Islands; Croatia; Laos; South Africa; Spain; Switzerland

Kanawha County

  • ConveyWeigh LLC, Dunbar; Mongolia; United Kingdom; Zimbabwe
  • Cyclops Industries Inc.,  South Charleston; Peru; Malaysia; Slovak Republic; Belgium; Switzerland
  • NGK Spark Plugs, Sissonville; Brazil; Mexico
  • Preiser Scientific Inc., Saint Albans; Australia; Armenia; Aruba; Belgium; Bahamas; Bhutan; Bulgaria; China; Czech Republic; Egypt; Finland; France; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Hong Kong; The Netherlands; Hungary; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Jamaica; Japan; Korea; Kuwait; Lithuania; Malaysia; Federated States of Micronesia; Morocco; Norway; Nigeria; Philippines; Qatar; Romania; Singapore; Switzerland; Spain; Sweden; Taiwan; Canada; Colombia; Costa Rica; Guatemala; Honduras; Mexico; Panama; Venezuela; Thailand; Tanzania; Trinidad; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Ukraine; Vietnam; Yemen; Zimbabwe; Zambia
  • Stagg Resource Consultants Inc., Cross Lanes; Colombia
  • Terraquip Construction Products Inc., Cross Lanes; India
  • Walhonde Tools Inc., South Charleston; Venezuela; Guatemala

Marion County

  • Backbone Security, Fairmont; Malaysia; Russia; United Kingdom
  • T&T Pump Company Inc. , Fairmont; India

Marshall County

  • Leveltek International, Benwood; Italy

Mason County

  • ICL-IP America Inc., Gallipolis Ferry; Egypt

Mercer County

  • Tabor Machine Co., Princeton; Colombia

Monongalia County

  • Protea Biosciences, Morgantown; Uruguay

Morgan County

  • Berkeley Springs Instruments, Berkeley Springs; The Netherlands; Canada
  • Caperton Furnitureworks, Berkeley Springs; Australia; Japan; Niger; Haiti; Papua New Guinea
  • Pritchard Amps, Berkeley Springs; United Kingdom
  • Washington Homeopathic Products; Berkeley Springs, Macau; Saint Lucia

Ohio County

  • Wheeling Corrugating, Wheeling; Haiti
  • Wheeling Truck Center, Wheeling; Afghanistan; Australia; Austria; Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Bolivia; Brazil; Canada; Chile; China; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Egypt; France; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Iceland; Indonesia; Iraq; Ireland; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kuwait; Malta; Mexico; The Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Oman; Peru; Poland; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Slovak Republic; South Africa; Korea; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Trinidad and Tobago; Turkey; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Venezuela

Putnam County

  • Clark International Logistics LLC, Poca; Brazil; Thailand; Korea; Taiwan; Kenya
  • Eagle Research Corp., Hurricane; China

Raleigh County

  • ChemBio Shelter Inc., Beaver; China
  • Cogar Manufacturing Inc., Beckley; Canada
  • Englo Inc., dba Engart Inc., Beckley; Canada
  • Quality Environmental Containers Inc., Beaver; Turkey; Trinidad

Wood County

  • Baron-Blakeslee SFC Inc., Williamstown; China; Canada; Brazil; Mexico; Israel
  • Batteries Direct, Parkersburg; Korea
  • Fenton Art Glass, Williamstown; Hong Kong
  • Gaskets Packings & Seals Enterprises, Parkersburg; Canada;  Mexico; Germany; The Netherlands; Spain
  • Rolling Ridge Woods LLC, Parkersburg; Hong Kong

Contact Information

Catherine Zacchi 
304-957-9340 
catherine.m.zacchi@wv.gov