Preston County News
News Articles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEEconomic growth advances as PCEDA prepares key industrial site for new investmentBRUCETON MILLS, WV - The Preston County Economic Development Authority (PCEDA) has announced major progress in the redevelopment of the former Spirit Energy Services property. The 41-acre industrial parcel, located near Interstate 68, has long been regarded...
All West Virginia Small Business Development Center business coaches now cybersecurity certified
Dec 7 2025With cybersecurity threats to small businesses on the rise, the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC) announced that all 17 of the organization’s business coaches have completed the North Star Cybersecurity Certification Training Program, according to a press release.Reports have shown that approximately 43% of cyberattacks target small...
West Virginia among most affordable states to have one parent stay home; Virginia costs are higher
Dec 2 2025A new SmartAsset study released December 2nd finds West Virginia near the bottom of the national cost scale for keeping one parent at home to raise a child. The analysis estimates a West Virginia family needs about $68,099 in single-earner income to allow one parent to stay home, and $78,998...
Toyota, one of the largest car manufacturers in the U.S., is planning to invest more in the country to build more hybrid cars. The company recently announced a $912-million plan to expand five plants that produce hybrid cars, with West Virginia getting its lion's share. According to The Parkersburg News...
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey recently celebrated federal approval of the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program application, a milestone he called one of the largest economic development initiatives in state history.The approved plan includes $546 million to fund 142 deployment projects, connecting more than 73,000 unserved and...
Anyone planning to make a location decision in the coming years should be paying attention to Opportunity Zones, the federal capital gains tax incentive designed to drive productive investment into low-income areas across the country.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) made Opportunity Zones (OZs) a permanent feature of the...
At Preston High School, students learn how an animal goes from the farm to the dinner table, working every step in the process from growing the animal to slaughtering it to butchering it.12 News took an exclusive tour of the school’s facility to learn more about what these students do...
The Kingwood Public Library’s “Kingbots” and the Terra Alta Public Library’s “Terrabots,” both teams in the FIRST LEGO League Challenge, earned top marks out of 20 teams at the 19th annual Mountaineer Area Robotics FIRST Lego League Scrimmage in Morgantown.The FIRST LEGO League program introduces science, technology, engineering, and math...
The Preston County Board of Education recognized a wide variety of students, student organizations, and Preston County Schools’ faculty for recent academic and athletic accomplishments during its most recent meeting.— Preston High School golf team members Robbie Lowe and Carson Rouzee, along with Head Coach Ryan Cool, were recognized for...
When Tim Davis founded Bionic Tire Recycling, LLC, his vision was simple yet ambitious — to turn one of the world’s most persistent waste problems into a sustainable, job-creating opportunity. Today, that vision is being realized in Masontown, where Bionic Tire Recycling has become a model for industrial innovation, environmental...
The West Virginia Economic Development Council (WVEDC) appeared before the West Virginia Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Economic Development on Oct. 6 to emphasize the critical role that local economic development professionals play in strengthening communities across the state.The presentation, delivered by WVEDC Vice President Morganne Tenney, also outlined the...
A new partnership involving Spirit Energy Services, the Preston County Economic Development Authority (PCEDA), Clear Mountain Bank, and Steel Valley Wastewater LLC has announced a property transition intended to create jobs and industrial growth in West Virginia.The initiative will convert Spirit Energy’s Bruceton Mills property into a manufacturing development site...
The skilled trades are becoming increasingly multigenerational, challenging traditional learning and development opportunities for leaders across the industry. In the first quarter of 2024, Gen Z made up 18 percent of the U.S. workforce, but 18- to 25-year-olds made up nearly 25 percent of all 2024 new hires in skilled...
Why exactly is entrepreneurship important?
Sep 28 2025Taylor Overton was introduced to entrepreneurship by her parents’ small construction company.“Payment terms being extended sometimes meant no back-to-school clothes that year,” said Overton. She’s the entrepreneurship director for the Kansas Department of Commerce. “Those realities hit home.”Overton is cheery and boosterish, as most good economic developers are. I met...
JLL recently launched an Advanced Manufacturing group to meet the moment, and Area Development spoke with group leaders Greg Matter, Vice Chair Industrials, and Meaghan Elwell, Division President of Global Industrials, to get their real estate playbook for the new era. This conversation has been edited for space and style.Why...
The Preston County Economic Development Authority (PCEDA) welcomes Shelby Johnson as its new Assistant Director as of September 1st. A Preston County native, Johnson brings a strong track record in public sector project management and a deep-rooted passion for rural community development to her new role.“Improving the quality of life...
A multi-day conference running through Wednesday has given local officials the opportunity to highlight Harrison County’s diverse, vibrant economy.The West Virginia Economic Development Council’s 2025 Conference, held at the Bridgeport Conference Center and hosted by the Harrison County Economic Development Corporation, drew nearly 300 officials and business leaders to the...
The West Virginia Economic Development Council is hosting its annual fall conference in Bridgeport this week, giving officials a chance to network with each other and learn more about the opportunities and success stories from people and businesses in the area.Development officials from around the state arrived Monday for the...
A new plan released Monday by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) is designed to make West Virginia more competitive when it comes to science and technology grants — and create a skilled workforce that will attract high paying industries.“Our updated Vision 2030 Plan is not simply another...
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) honored schools, districts, educators, and partners across the state during the annual Career Technical Education (CTE) Awards Ceremony, celebrating the people and programs that shape the future of West Virginia’s workforce. Activities were held as part of the 2025 CTE Administrators' Conference at...
The Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure Consortium, led by a team at West Virginia University in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and over 60 regional partners, has been selected as a finalist today (Sept. 18) for a prestigious $160 million National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines...
During his first semester at West Virginia University, Sam Stalnaker felt bewildered and a little overwhelmed when he started working in Oleg Jefimenko Distinguished Professor Earl Scime’s physics and astronomy lab.Born and mostly raised in central California before completing high school in the green forests of Webster County, Stalnaker had...
A parent-friendly workplace checklist
Sep 11 2025Forget the ping-pong tables and kombucha on tap. The real workplace perks, if you are a working parent, aren’t glitzy. They are functional. And, in an era of record burnout and extreme scarcity of childcare, knowing how to identify a genuinely parent-friendly workplace could make or break your career—and your...
The fastest way to destroy value in a high-potential company isn’t a bad market, it’s scaling a business that isn’t ready to grow. And this article highlights one of the few ways you can identify and take action before you find out the hard way.Mid-market companies ($20M–$200M in revenue) often...