The High Technology Foundation’s
primary tool for growing this critical mass
is the I-79 Technology Park located in
Fairmont. Our efforts focus on acquiring
the resources necessary to make the park as
attractive as possible to targeted federal operations. We then offer land in the park for
free to strategic federal operations to entice
them to our community. Our efforts have
already proven successful with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Unfortunately, the dysfunction of continuing resolutions and sequestration in the federal
government has significantly impacted our recruitment and operational efforts. Moreover,
we have been unsuccessful in convincing
the West Virginia Legislature to participate
tangibly in support of the I-79 Technology
Park. These factors have required us to implement a significant reorganization of our
operations and reallocate resources away
from other areas to operations of the park.
Fortunately, there are pending opportunities for equipping the park with the necessary infrastructure. The first comes in the
form of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Fund established by the U.S. Congress for
2016. This provides $30 million to West
Virginia for reclaiming mined lands that
have a strong economic development potential. The I-79 Technology Park is the perfect
match for these funds. The second opportunity comes from a bill currently being considered in Congress called the RECLAIM Act.
If passed, it will distribute $200 million to
participating states annually for five years.
We are excited about these potential resources because they can complete the infrastructure of the I-79 Technology Park
and position West Virginia to be a leader
in the nation’s growing knowledge sector.
West Virginia
Regional
Technology Park
By Dr. Rusty Kruzelock
John Sibold
Many West Virginians look forward to
the day when numerous high technology
jobs come to West Virginia. In the wake
of challenging economic news and calls to
Congratulations, Bob!
We are proud of you!
Sam Minardi & Andrea Greene
Government & Public
Affairs Consulting
1516 Kanawha Blvd., East
Charleston, WV 25311
(304) 343-4045
www.mpawv.com
70
west virginia executive
diversify our state’s economy, this type of
announcement would be welcomed by all.
They will be surprised to find out those
jobs already exist in West Virginia. The
West Virginia Regional Technology Park,
located in South Charleston, is home to
more than 650 jobs in or closely related to
the technology sector. Roughly 70 percent
of the positions at the tech park are highpaying, private sector jobs with an average
salary of $80,000 per year.
The tech park, built on the site of the
former Union Carbide facilities, is now
home to several high-tech businesses like
the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research and
Innovation Center (MATRIC) and Dow
Chemical Company that are well positioned for the new economy. Although the
tech park’s success has meant a great deal
to our state and community, our mission
is not complete. We want to continue
creating high-paying jobs and contribute to the diversification of the economy.
Because more than 50 percent of our
annual economic growth since World War II
has been driven by science and technology
and it is estimated that advanced technologies will drive the global economic future,
the West Virginia Regional Technology Park