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We’re being noticed thanks to efforts

Local economic development officials have been working hard in the last year to bring new attention to the Northern Panhandle as a potential location for future business growth.

It takes a great deal of work to work on and market these sites, and we thank them all for their efforts.

During the last several months, four sites in Hancock and Brooke counties have become a focus for the future of our area, and now continuing discussions with the state could bring even more attention to them.

The Business Development Corp. has been working to market these sites, including the former TS&T property and the Wheeling Corrugating plant to possible developers.

In recent days, officials with the West Virginia Development Office have toured these sites and have said they soon will appear on the state’s website, giving them even more visibility.

Companies usually don’t send scouts out to drive randomly around the country to locate potential development sites, after all. These days, web searches and conventions usually are the first steps in finding land for future projects, and the more of a presence a particular site has, the better a chance it has of getting noticed.

With four possible sites, including the properties of Newell Memorial Field and the old Jimmy Carey Stadium, being marketed, that means more potential for developers to take notice of our region.

One of the things that has been hurting our area for years has been a lack of developable and available land. Without that property, few groups have taken notice of our area. Now, however, it would not surprise us if we began noticing visits from a variety of organizations in the coming years.

As word gets out, more people will take notice and begin looking at our area, and that can only be a good thing with the prospect of new business and new jobs for our residents.

Again, we thank everyone involved in these projects for their hard work and taking us one step farther into a hopefully brighter future.

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