Charleston West Virginia Offers So Much

THANKS to Sue Nelson, the Charleston area's secret is out. Her "My Hometown" report in Family Circle Magazine told the nation of what life is like here in West Virginia.

"We love it here. That's why I wanted to do it," Nelson told the Daily Mail's Monica Orosz.
What is not to love? The city has a strong combination of amenities and convenience. It's a beautiful and pleasant place to live.

Photographer Steve Payne provided pictures of the Nelson family at the foot of the Carriage Trail, as well as Regatta fireworks, the ballpark and the gold dome of the Capitol.
Charleston has a lot going for it.

A survey of 300 communities by the Council for Community and Economic Research found that Charleston has the lowest cost of living. Groceries are 13 percent below the national average.

Thanks to coal, West Virginia has the lowest price-per-kilowatt hour for electricity among the 50 states.

The low cost of living is a selling point for the city, said Jeri Adkins, a senior vice president at the Charleston Area Alliance.

Study says cost of living in Charleston area a bargain

With the price of everything seemingly going up, you might think Charleston is an expensive place to live.

Not so, according to a quarterly survey that compares cost-of-living differences among urban areas.

About 300 communities - including Charleston and Morgantown - participate in the ACCRA Cost of Living Index, which is produced by the Council for Community and Economic Research. The council was created in 1961 to promote excellence in community and economic research.
Jeri Adkins, a senior vice president at the Charleston Area Alliance, surveys products and services for the Charleston component of the index while Amy Higginbotham, an economist at West Virginia University's Bureau of Business & Economic Research, surveys products and services for the Morgantown component.

Adkins, Higginbotham and their counterparts regularly record a variety of grocery, clothing, housing and other prices. The items are carefully chosen to reflect the different categories of consumer expenditures. Weights assigned to relative costs are based on federal government survey data on expenditure patterns for mid-management households. All items are priced in each place at a specified time and according to standardized specifications.

The index average for all participating places equals 100. Each participant's index is read as a percentage of the average for all places.

The index shows that living in Charleston is a bargain.

Adkins said, "When we were putting together a marketing brochure about eight years ago, we highlighted our composite index, which has always been around 90 to 92 percent. It varies a point or two depending on how gas prices have been and when there are sales on the items we are pricing. But our utility costs are consistently on the lower range of the national average, which keeps us in the low 90 percentile. It's a very important economic development tool for us, having such low utility costs."

Charleston Area Alliance President Matt Ballard said, "A lower cost of living - everything from housing to clothing to food - is something that the Alliance touts to prospective businesses who are looking to our area for an expansion or relocation."

Ballard said buying power correlates to the cost of living. "Low cost of living in an area means that you have a proportionally higher buying power in that area," he said.

West Virginia State Community and Technical College offers business classes

West Virginia State Community and Technical College will offer a "Customer Service 101" workshop Wednesday and, starting Friday, Six Sigma training.

The customer service workshop will explain simple yet effective ways to make and keep customers; feature face-to-face communication skills; explore polite and responsive ways to defuse angry situations; and examine the art of follow up to keep customers coming back.

Registration fee for the customer service workshop is $30. The event will be from 9 a.m. to Noon in Room 112 of the Cole Complex on the college's Institute campus.

The Six Sigma training will use a blended online and classroom delivery format. A. Joseph Kusimo, a maser black belt certified Six Sigma instructor, is the instructor for the classroom portion of the program.

A Six Sigma Green Belt program begins Friday and continues through May 9. The $899 fee includes on-line instruction and four classroom days. Members of the Charleston Area Alliance receive a 5 percent discount.

There will be a Black Belt program from Sept. 19 to Nov. 14. Participants must have successfully completed the Green Belt program.

For more information or to register call 766-5113.

Community Development Institute Training

The Community Development East is scheduled for April 28-May 2 at Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa just outside of Morgantown. The five-day event will feature thought provoking topics relevant to the daily work of leaders and groups in both the public and private sector. The national-level training is endorsed by the Community Development Council and can lead to a person becoming certified as a "Professional Community and Economic Developer."

If you or someone in your county is looking for a training in the community and economic development arena, this is that training. Topics covered include the principles of community development and strategic planning in Year 1, asset mapping and partnership building in Year 2, and land use planning and community development corporations in Year 3.

Financial assistance is available for individuals in ARC-Defined Distressed and selected At-Risk Counties (They are Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mingo, Nicholas, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, and Wyoming).

For more information, please feel free to contact Susie Salisbury at ssalisbury@charlestonareaalliance.org or visit the following website: http://www.ext.wvu.edu/cdi-east/

CEO ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON

Wednesday April 2, 2008
12:00 noon
Charleston Area Alliance, 1116 Smith Street

Ethical Practice is Good Business

Learn the practice of ethics and business regarding

healthcare providers and health insurers, product recalls, and business and the courts

Relation of law and ethics

“Firms of Endearment”: how doing good can pay off
Harley-Davidson
Southwest Airlines
Costco

Imbedding “core values” in business

Your business as a “firm of endearment”


Join the Charleston Area Alliance and our panel of presenters to learn about ethics and business.

James Thomasson, Ph.D., Professor of Applied Ethics and Sims Chair in Ethics, University of Charleston

Jay Dewhurst, Assistant Professor of Finance and Business Administration, University of Charleston


The CEO Roundtable Luncheon is limited to 30 participants. Pre-registration is required. Please contact Leanne Stowers at LStowers@CharlestonAreaAlliance.org or 304-340-4253, to reserve your seat today.

The event is $10.00 for Charleston Alliance members and their employees; there will be a $20.00 charge for non-members.

CHARLESTION AREA ALLIANCE

ANNOUNCES 2008 ‘EXPECT THE BEST’ AWARD WINNERS

The awards, which recognize businesses and organizations that promote quality of life at home, work and in the community, will be presented at the Alliance’s Annual Celebration, to be held on Tuesday, May 6, at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences.

This year’s winners are:

Large organization: The law firm of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, PLLC. Founded 20 years ago by three local attorneys, Pullin, Fowler will soon have more than 50 lawyers in three offices that represent major corporations as national coordinating and trial counsel across the country. The firm, whose main offices are housed in a Quarrier Street building that it renovated in a historically accurate manner, provides exceptional services and benefits to its employees, including access to an on-site “Bright Beginnings” day care center, lunch time fitness classes in a fully equipped fitness center and 100 percent tuition reimbursement. Since the firm’s inception in 1989, the overall attrition rate for all employees is 4 percent.

Small organization: Blue Smoke Salsa, Inc. Blue Smoke Salsa was founded 15 years ago in Ansted by Robin Hildebrand, a working mother who left the traditional workforce to make a living and be at home with her children. Fifteen years later, her line of all-natural gourmet salsas is sold across the country. In 1995, she revitalized the main street of her home town by opening a commercial kitchen and retail shop featuring West Virginia products. The store has been named a “top spot to visit in West Virginia” by both Rand McNally and National Geographic Traveler. Hildebrand is an engaging spokesperson for the Mountain State, and soon will be profiled in “Southern Living” magazine and on the Food Network. Blue Smoke instills a sense of ownership and pride in its workers, and its “newest” employee has been with the company for six years.

Non-profit: Appalachian Association of Professional Musicians, American Federation of Musicians, Local 136, AFL-CIO. AAPM works to improve and protect the working environment for its 300 members and 5,000 non-members and helps keep the sound of music alive in southern West Virginia. By identifying and creating live performance opportunities, such as the Woody Hawley Concert services, AAPM helps keep talented musicians living and working in our region, and promotes community, economic and workforce development. AAPM has recently partnered with the Kanawha Players at its facility on East Washington Street; this partnership has helped revitalize that neighborhood and will provide quality, live music at theatrical productions. Members also participate in community education initiatives such as “Musicians in the Schools,” an instrument donation program and a “Music Biz 101” career education program.

“Simply the Best” Award of Distinction: University of Charleston. This year the “Expect the Best” program will present a special honor to UC for its “above and beyond” contributions to the community. After facing near extinction in the mid-1980s, UC has undergone a renaissance and become a bright spot in the landscape of the city, the Kanawha Valley and the state of West Virginia. Full-time enrollment, at 1,316, is the highest since 1971, and UC’s curriculum, “Learning Your Way,” was profiled as a model for outcomes-based education in “The New York Times Magazine.” Its first doctoral program, the UC School of Pharmacy, opened its doors to students in 2006, and more than 950 applicants vied for a slot in the class of 80 that will enter school this August. An on-campus fitness center was added, and plans are underway for a new graduate school of business, to be located in the former Boll furniture building in downtown Charleston.

Local Non-Profit Seeks Development Director

A local non-profit has an immediate opening for a full-time Development Director. The candidate should have three to five years of experience in fundraising/grant writing, marketing/PR. This position requires a Bachelor's Degree in business, PR/marketing, communication or related study.

Please submit cover letter and resume to:

Development Director
1021 Quarrier Street, Suite 414
Charleston, WV 25301.

Deadline: 3/21/08

CHARLESTON AREA ALLIANCE PRESENTS FIRST

‘WE LOVE OUR COMMUNITY' AWARDS

The awards program, which is intended to become an annual event, celebrates the magic of our people, places and culture and salutes outstanding efforts by organizations and citizens to create a more vibrant community.

"Achieving our mission of building a more vibrant community and more prosperous economy takes hard work, inspiration – and a little magic,” said Alliance President/CEO Matt Ballard.

"We are pleased to honor these remarkable citizens and institutions in creating a brighter destiny for our region," he added.

The 2008 “We ♥ Our Community” Awards winners are:

Outstanding Preservation Award: Capitol Market
Kanawha Heritage Award: West Virginia Power Baseball
Best Development Award: Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, PLLC
Community Celebration Award: FestivALL
“Arts to the Max” Award – organization: West Virginia Symphony Orchestra
“Arts to the Max” Award – individual: Dr. David Wohl
Sustainable Development Award: Lisa Fischer Casto and Lloyd Miller/EcoDwell
James R. Thomas Outstanding Volunteer Award: Jim Snyder
“Do the Charleston” Award: Mayor Danny Jones

Winners were selected by the Alliance's Community Affairs Team.

For more information, contact Susie Salisbury, 304/340-4253; ssalisbury@CharlestonAreaAlliance.org.

Leadership West Virginia Names Class of 2008

Leadership West Virginia (http://www.leadershipwv.org/) is a statewide education and leadership development program affiliated with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The eight-month program identifies emerging leaders throughout West Virginia and enhances their knowledge of not only the challenges facing the state, but also unique attributes and diversity. Recognizing that the cultivation of new leadership is of utmost importance to West Virginia’s future prosperity and progress, Leadership West Virginia works to develop and motivate a cross-section of leaders who will use their talents and abilities to inspire others and to foster a new spirit of energy, enthusiasm and vitality throughout the state.

The Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advancing Manufacturing Technologies (RCBI) and Chesapeake Energy Corporation are co-sponsors and Title Partners for the 2008 Leadership West Virginia session year. The commitment from RCBI and Chesapeake over the next year will help provide Leadership West Virginia with the financial support needed to provide a top-notch program.

“Leadership West Virginia plays an important role in educating new leaders from across our state and in helping to forge a better West Virginia,” said RCBI Director and CEO Charlotte Weber. “The Robert C. Byrd Institute is pleased to be providing a leadership role in the program’s ongoing success and in helping as a major sponsor for the program in 2008.”

“Chesapeake Energy is excited about increasing its investment in Leadership West Virginia because we see tremendous potential for it to produce valuable leadership resources for our state,” said Scott Rotruck, Vice President for Chesapeake Energy’s eastern division. “Educating new leaders about our state’s issues and challenges and inspiring them to work toward solutions and new opportunities are critical for our state’s future.”

Each year, participants are selected from a list of top-quality applicants from around the state. Individuals are selected into the program because they demonstrate leadership skills and -- experiences in civic activities, public affairs and in their professional careers. “As in past years, class members have widely varied interests and occupations, but all share the single, essential criterion to participate in the program – each has an abiding interest in West Virginia and its future,” explained Pam Farris, Executive Director of Leadership West Virginia.

Throughout the year members of the class will travel to eight communities in West Virginia to receive broad-based education on critical topics and, at the same time, have opportunities to hone their leadership skills. The locations and topics for the upcoming training program for the Class of 2008 include: Huntington- RCBI & Chesapeake Manufacturing and Energy Session, Morgantown - The WV Roundtable Leadership Conference, Parkersburg – AEP Economic Development Session, Fayetteville – Chesapeake Tourism Session, Wheeling - Steptoe & Johnson Justice System Forum, Morgantown - West Virginia Hospital Association Health Care Session, White Sulphur Springs - Mythology Education and the Arts, and Charleston - Jackson Kelly Government/Commencement Session.

“Leadership West Virginia provides graduates with the skills and the knowledge in making sound, informed decisions,” added Farris. Many of the participants serve as private citizen volunteers, and many seek and serve in public office. Among the many benefits that come with being a graduate of the program is the network of alumni throughout the state. Leadership West Virginia congratulates the individuals who were selected to this year’s class and wish them the best of luck.

The 2008 Class of Leadership West Virginia includes:

Brian Allman, Allman Insurance Services Inc.(South Charleston)
Andrew Arbogast, Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC (Charleston)
Scott Atkins, West Virginia Mutual Insurance Company (Charleston)
Sarah Bailey, WV Secretary of State's Office (Charleston)
Tom Bennett, WV House of Delegates (Charleston)
Rodney Blackstone, City of Charleston (Charleston)
Jacque Bland, The State Journal (Charleston)
Stephanie Bock, West Virginia University Hospitals (Morgantown)
Sharon Boyce, WesMar HR Consulting, LLC (Bridgeport)
Alan Bragg, AEP-Appalachian Power (Charleston)
Mark Browning, Shuman McCuskey & Slicer, PLLC (Charleston)
Jason Butcher, WV Office of the Insurance Commissioner (Charleston)
Thomas Conaty, WV Chamber of Commerce (Huntington)
David Cooper, Canaan Valley Resort (Davis)
Liza Cordeiro, WV Department of Education (Charleston)
James Crouse, Wells Fargo Insurance Services (Huntington)
Sherri Davis, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield (Parkersburg)
Edward DeCosta, Catalyst Associates LLC (Morgantown)
George Farris, CAMC (Charleston)
Emily Fisher, WV Northern Community College (Wheeling)
Willie Gillard, Triana Energy (Charleston)
Gov Graney, Petroleum Products Inc. (Nitro)
Jessica Greathouse, West Virginia American Water (Charleston)
Mark Haddix, Farm Credit of the Virginias, ACA (Elkins)
Rodney Holbert, Burgess & Niple, Inc. (Charleston)
Joan Keith, North Central WV Airport (Bridgeport)
Terri Kittle, Freedom Bank, Inc. (Bellington)
Denise Klug, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP (Wheeling)
Diane Lilly, City National Bank (Cross Lanes)
Sheliah Lowe, Cecil I. Walker Machinery Co. (Charleston)
Breck Martin, Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love LLP (Parkersburg)
LuAnn Moore, West Virginia University (Morgantown)
J. D. Morgan, Snowshoe Mountain, Inc. (Snowshoe)
Samuel Payne, Huntington National Bank (Charleston)
Patricia Proctor, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (Huntington)
Christopher Robertson, Jackson Kelly PLLC (Martinsburg)
Susie Salisbury, Charleston Area Alliance (Charleston)
Debra Scudiere, Kay Casto & Chaney PLLC (Morgantown)
Matthew Sheppard, Chesapeake Energy (Charleston)
Kelly Stadelman, Stadelman Publishing LLC (Parsons)
Susan Stalnaker-Ware, Calhoun Banks, Inc. (Grantsville)
Stephen Stockton, Robinson & McElwee, PLLC (Charleston)
Jeff Tabor, Century Aluminum of WV (Ravenswood)
Juliet Terry, Vision Shared, Inc. (Charleston)
Ronald Thacker, Northern WV Rural Health Education Center (Glenville)
Jared Tucker, Terradon Communications (Poca)
Kathleen Ward, Marriott (Charleston)
Andrew Weber, CAMC Women & Children's Hospital (Charleston)
Matthew Whitler, Martin & Seibert, L.C. (Martinsburg)

To date, more than 700 individuals have participated and have been graduated as part of the Leadership West Virginia program.

New chief of state group says architects add value
Organization's leader says profession applies research and thought to building construction
by George Hohmann
Daily Mail Business Editor
The new president of the West Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects hopes the chapter's community involvement will help illustrate how an architect can add value to projects.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding that architects are creative types and don't understand the practical aspects of construction, which is not true at all," said Thomas Worlledge of McKinley & Associates' Charleston office. "The work we do is central to the value of the project being built and upfront planning is critical. We're synthesizers of diverse information.
"Any good contractor can put a building up," he said. "But the value of that building is what's going to happen to it in 15, 20 years. We add long-term value to a building."
Worlledge became president of the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects in January. About 105 architects belong to the chapter. Worlledge figures that's more than 95 percent of the architects in West Virginia - the highest percentage in the nation.
Chapter members celebrated the national organization's 150th anniversary and the state chapter's 85th anniversary last year by linking with community organizations. The chapter sponsored the first "Canstruction Competition," which asked area architectural and engineering firms to design and build structures using canned food items. The structures were built in the lobby of the Clay Center. The cans of food used in the structures were donated afterward to the Covenant House's food pantry.
A second annual "Canstruction Competition" was held in January.
During the last year, the architects' organization also has participated in planning events with the Charleston Area Alliance's community development unit headed by Susie Salisbury; helped Fairmont design a more inviting gateway to that city; and worked with Huntington to draw more Marshall University students into the downtown.
"As an organization, we try to tell the community, 'We can add value to your building,' " Worlledge said. "Schools are an example." He said one of his focuses as chapter president is to make schools safer, more productive learning environments.
"We do a lot of work on environmental psychology - for example, how daylight can improve the ability of students to learn," he said. "It's not just about placing windows. It's controlling that light. That's what we do - research those things, apply thought and technology into a building."
The new president of the West Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects hopes the chapter's community involvement will help illustrate how an architect can add value to projects.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding that architects are creative types and don't understand the practical aspects of construction, which is not true at all," said Thomas Worlledge of McKinley & Associates' Charleston office. "The work we do is central to the value of the project being built and upfront planning is critical. We're synthesizers of diverse information.
"Any good contractor can put a building up," he said. "But the value of that building is what's going to happen to it in 15, 20 years. We add long-term value to a building."
Worlledge became president of the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects in January. About 105 architects belong to the chapter. Worlledge figures that's more than 95 percent of the architects in West Virginia - the highest percentage in the nation.
Chapter members celebrated the national organization's 150th anniversary and the state chapter's 85th anniversary last year by linking with community organizations. The chapter sponsored the first "Canstruction Competition," which asked area architectural and engineering firms to design and build structures using canned food items. The structures were built in the lobby of the Clay Center. The cans of food used in the structures were donated afterward to the Covenant House's food pantry.
A second annual "Canstruction Competition" was held in January.
During the last year, the architects' organization also has participated in planning events with the Charleston Area Alliance's community development unit headed by Susie Salisbury; helped Fairmont design a more inviting gateway to that city; and worked with Huntington to draw more Marshall University students into the downtown.
"As an organization, we try to tell the community, 'We can add value to your building,' " Worlledge said. "Schools are an example." He said one of his focuses as chapter president is to make schools safer, more productive learning environments.
"We do a lot of work on environmental psychology - for example, how daylight can improve the ability of students to learn," he said. "It's not just about placing windows. It's controlling that light. That's what we do - research those things, apply thought and technology into a building."
Some architectural firms focus on schools while others specialize in hospitals and some major in historic restoration. "Being in West Virginia, we're not all specialists," Worlledge said. "We can't be. The economy isn't such that we can focus on just one building type. Most of us in West Virginia have to be generalists." Worlledge's firm does everything from house additions to $50 million schools.
West Virginia doesn't have a school of architecture. The state does have reciprocity agreements with universities in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. The agreements allow West Virginia students to attend those schools at the in-state tuition rate.
"I would like to see West Virginia have a school of architecture," Worlledge said. "There have been some rumblings about that. It's a difficult proposition. To get accredited you have to have a library of specialized books, studio space - which is usually a very large building with a lot of desks. It's a five-year program. It's a large commitment by a school to get it done."
Fairmont State University has an excellent architectural-engineering-technology program, he said. "That's about as close to a school of architecture we have in the state. They groom people to go on and get their master's." Students can attend four years at Fairmont and then two to three years out-of-state to become a licensed architect.
Worlledge said the hot topic in the architect community today is green design and sustainability. Worlledge, 47, said he was the first architect in West Virginia to become accredited by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. A total of 17 architects in the state have now achieved the accreditation.
Worlledge has been with McKinley & Associates since 1999. He works in an office at 1116 Smith St., the building owned by the Charleston Area Alliance. Worlledge has helped the alliance plan the building's fourth floor and has helped plan the redesign of the building's exterior.
McKinley & Associates is headquartered in Wheeling. The firm also has an office in Washington, Pa.
Worlledge succeeds Chris Campbell of Bastian & Harris as president of the West Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Roberta Guffey is executive director of the chapter, which has an office at 223 Hale St.

Marshall University to Host Spring Job Fest

If you know of employers who would like to get in front of 500+ Marshall students/graduates at one time, we are having a Spring Jobs Fest on March 12th from 10:30-3:00. This is a great opportunity for companies to build an applicant pool for immediate or future use. It is not too late to register. Just go to www.marshall.edu/career-services and sign up! Please feel free to share this information. We currently have about 65 employers attending and more signing up all the time.