city should always be growing. If an
area is not growing, it is falling behind.”
Rigby believes partnership is the
most important tool Wheeling
has. RED partners with numerous
organizations to create significant
opportunities for the city to
exceed expectations. This includes
everything from identifying sites for
potential development to helping
with infrastructure improvements to
creating business incentives.
“Our team works hard to ensure
we have a strong understanding of
the tools available and that their
implementation to help our clients
and the city is successful,” he says.
“For any given project, we may be
able to use tax increment financing,
historic rehabilitation tax credits,
new market tax credits, opportunity
zones and other incentives. We have
also developed real estate and office
space through projects like the Stone
Center, so we have a location ready
for companies to grow.”
Many of the city’s most recent
successes would not have been
possible without the collaboration
of these organizations.
“You have to work together on all
projects in a smaller town,” says
Olivia Litman, marketing director of
Visit Wheeling, WV. “The competition
should be within yourselves to be
a better organization to assist and
support each other. I think we are
a model of how good partnerships
and strong relationships can really
strengthen economic development.”
Vice Mayor Chad Thalman hopes to
hone the city’s foremost organizations
to take the downtown to the next level.
“The City of Wheeling is always
looking for growth and development
opportunities,” he says. “Our goal is
ambitious. We want to restore the
downtown’s status as a destination.
The question for downtown Wheeling
is no longer if but when this is going
to happen. We must fill the missing
pieces needed for downtown to be a
place where people can live, work and
play. The private sector has already
taken note of the development
opportunities available, and many
of our historic properties are under
new ownership. In the years ahead, I
fully expect downtown Wheeling to
continue reinventing itself.”
Wheeling is a city that surprises you.
The birthplace of West Virginia and
a former leader in the steel, coal and
glass industries, it is now leading the
state in innovative ways to create a
quality of life that makes people love
where they live.
Better Together
RED, City of Wheeling, Wheeling
Area Chamber of Commerce,
Wheeling Heritage and Visit
Wheeling, WV have worked
together on numerous projects
to move the city forward.
• Renovation of the Wheeling
Stamping Building into Orrick’s
Global Operations Center
• Placement of The Health Plan’s
corporate headquarters
• Purchase and renovation
of The Capitol Theatre and
WesBanco Arena
• Securing the Mountain East
Conference to compete at the
WesBanco Arena
• Rehabilitation of the
Boury Lofts into residential
apartments
• Expansion of the footprint
of the West Virginia
Independence Hall site
• Support of entrepreneurs
and change-makers through
programs like Show of Hands
and CO.STARTERS
• Creation of the Wheeling-Ohio
County Workgroup