George Manahan
CEO
The Manahan Group
SAMANTHA CART
Photo by Chris Gosses Photography.
GEORGE MANAHAN , CEO of The Manahan Group, grew up in
Morristown, NJ, and came to West Virginia in 1979 to attend
Bethany College. While he never thought he would stay in West
Virginia, like so many, he fell in love with the state’s natural
beauty and incredible people.
Manahan’s first professional job was reporting for WQBE
as an on-air news anchor, and after working under mentors
such as Hoppy Kercheval, Bob Brunner and Beth Vorhees, he
built a reputation for excellence that landed him the role of
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press secretary for Governor Gaston Caperton in 1990. The
experience gave him the confidence to form The Manahan
Group, an issue-oriented public relations, advertising and dig-
ital marketing agency with offices in Charleston and Elkins.
“The Manahan Group started in my garage apartment on
the East End of Charleston, and now it’s celebrating its 26th
year in business,” he says. “We work on campaigns that are
meaningful to the community. Our company statement—do
good work, make money, have fun and give back—inspires