Charleston Area Alliance Announces Newest Italian Investment in Charleston and West Virginia

DARIO CARDENIA BRINGS HIS SMALL BUSINESS
FROM ITALY TO CHARLESTON

CHARLESTON, W.VA (June 26, 2008) – Dario Cardenia has announced he is basing his Italian business, B&W Creative, in Charleston.

The company’s focus will be helping West Virginia businesses export to Italy. Cardenia specializes in designing brochures, illustrations and other promotional materials. He offers an understanding of the Italian marketplace and in his in his native language to local business who seek to export to Italy.

“Charleston offered lower operating costs and access to much of the East Coast,” Cardenia said. “Other Italian companies have had positive experiences here, so I feel downtown Charleston is the right location for my company, as well.”

Cardenia displayed samples of his cartoon-based art from 5 to 8 p.m. during the Downtown Art Walk this on June 27 as an introduction to the business community at the Purple Moon’s Over the Moon Gallery at 906 Quarrier Street.

“My training as an architect has given me a discerning eye for house perspectives, plans, sections and street scenes,” Cardenia said. “I had always had a passion for freehand drawing with pencil. … These works combine my love of architecture and street scenes with my impressions of Charleston.”

Cardenia and Matt Ballard, president and CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance, met in 2007 while Ballard was taking part in a trade mission to Italy.

“The great thing about this is that any West Virginia company that wants to import from or export to Italy now have a strong resource to assist them in marketing their products,” Ballard said. “This demonstrates how the Charleston Area Alliance not only is trying to attract traditional industry – but also smaller companies that can help diversify the local economy even more."

Cardenia originally is from Varese, Italy, and has a background in architecture. In 1979, he began work as a comic strip illustrator for the Edifumetto Company, an Italian publishing house. Two years later, he was art director for BTincino, an international electronics design firm based in Milan. In 2000, he did some design work for Versace.

Since 1985, he has been incorporating his drawings into computer technology. That work has evolved into melding cartoons with digital images.

Pictured above is Chuck Hamsher, Owner of the Purple Moon in Charleston, Dario Cardenia, Owner B&W Creative, and Matthew Ballard, President of the Charleston Area Alliance.