Preston County News

“Begin with the end in mind.” That is one of my favorite habits from the best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In all my business endeavors, I try to identify the end goal and work back. Things become much clearer when I go throug...Continue Reading

Gov. Justice announced on Thursday that he has petitioned for five counties to be Governor-designated HUBZones, including Preston County. The other four counties in the petition are Boone, Clay, Hampshire and Monroe counties. The Historically Underutilized Business Zone, or HUBZone, program gives participating small businesses access to exclusive federal contracting opportunities an...Continue Reading

Who can forget those early, confusing, and scary days of the COVID-19 pandemic? Overnight, our world changed. In the midst of this unknown world with very real fears, everything screeched to a halt. The COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call in many ways. When the factories, flights, people and systems tha...Continue Reading

Small businesses are the heart and soul of many local economies throughout the United States, and West Virginia is no exception. Providing jobs and keeping local businesses alive are  important reasons to support small businesses in your community year round. In the last 25 years, small businesses have created over 6...Continue Reading

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –The new National Broadband Map was released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on November 18, 2022. The West Virginia Office of Broadband and the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council ask that all West Virginians review their location data and broadband availability data on the new map t...Continue Reading

James Bailey was appointed recently as the new Commerce Secretary for the state of West Virginia. He comes into the cabinet level position with extensive legal and leadership experience in the executive and legislative branches of state government. Government Reporter Randy Yohe spoke with Bailey on the challenges of managing ...Continue Reading

The Best Economic Development Websites for 2023 do an incredible job of telling a story through a dynamic combination of written content, images, and design. Golden Shovel Agency has selected the top EDC websites based on research, industry trends, and our experience as an international economic development communications agency.  Read her...Continue Reading

Preston County is a wonderful place to live. From Coopers Rock State Forest to the Buckwheat Festival, this county represents the best rural living has to offer. It is a destination for tourists and our scenic beauty and vistas serve to attract residents to this beautiful section of the Appalachia...Continue Reading

It’s never too early to begin planning for spectacular time spent in Almost Heaven this winter! To make it easier on you, we’ve created a bucket list with all the must sees and dos for adventurers of all kinds to take part in this season. Click here to view the ful...Continue Reading

It’s never too early to begin planning for spectacular time spent in Almost Heaven this winter! To make it easier on you, we’ve created a bucket list with all the must sees and dos for adventurers of all kinds to take part in this season. Click here to view the ful...Continue Reading

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore-Capito are urging state residents to check the accuracy of draft FCC broadband coverage maps used to determine total funding for each state to enhance coverage. All 50 states will receive at least $100 million but the final sum will be based o...Continue Reading

HARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A study conducted by Study Finds found that West Virginia is the most underrated state, beating out Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The study says 37% of people that responded to the study say they would like to visit West Virginia. Rhode Island and Massachusetts are behind Wes...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Scientist Chavonda Jacobs-Young today announced a nearly $24 million investment across 45 organizations and institutions that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers. “Investing in the professional development of our nation’s newest farmers and ranchers will help our food an...Continue Reading

How do you maintain a culture? You don't. Every organization has a culture, whether that culture is deemed as good and productive or bad and counterproductive. Culture requires intention: an objective to continually refine based on data and staff feedback. However, no matter the size, every organization must establish core values fro...Continue Reading

Apprenticeships go back to medieval times. Think of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. Why was Benjamin Franklin such a great writer, publisher and thinker? He began as a print shop apprentice at age 10. More than half of all European high school students are in active apprenticeships. Rea...Continue Reading

Preston County, WV, is known for its amazing outdoor recreation opportunities and its vibrant entertainment scene! Preston County is located in northern West Virginia, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian range. Preston County is home to Cheat Lake and several rivers, alongside the gorgeous landscape. People who enjoy hiking...Continue Reading

There’s no better place to build and grow a business in the Eastern United States than West Virginia. I’m going to tell you something about West Virginia that really hasn’t been talked about enough: West Virginia is winning—and we’re only getting started. We have expanded our efforts to bring additional investment...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Department is investing $981 million to help create new and better market opportunities and expand essential services for rural people, businesses and entrepreneurs in 47 states, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Read here fo...Continue Reading

Residents of Preston County, WV, enjoy many amenities at a lower cost of living, with a higher quality of life! The median home price in Preston County is $117,800. Compared to the national average of $291,700, that is quite a savings! West Virginia has the eighth lowest property tax rat...Continue Reading

New research from the Site Selectors Guild unveils the relevancy of select economic development practices and insights on what’s next for the industry in the year ahead. Relationship-building marketing tactics and product development tactics, such as those designed to strengthen and grow the workforce, were identified as very relevant a...Continue Reading

Perhaps surprisingly, much of West Virginia enjoys about 85 percent as much sunlight as Miami, Florida, which means it's ideally suited to solar energy use, says the founder and CEO of West Virginia-based Solar Holler. Read here for the full article. Continue Reading

Employers across the U.S. have been facing extreme workforce challenges. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total non-farm employment continued to grow, adding 261,000 jobs in October. This ongoing imbalance between labor demand and supply means that there are 10.7 million jobs still available, but only 5.7 million peopl...Continue Reading

After my first week of being hired at a manufacturing company, I saw an opportunity for efficiency if workers simply altered the process in which they were fulfilling orders. I made my suggestions to the owner of the business, after which he shook his head and replied, “Thanks, but we’v...Continue Reading

The House of Delegates will begin its 2023 general session with 88 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Economic development and education are two issues that loom large as legislators prepare for the 2023 general session. Leaders in the House of Delegates from both parties have different views on the varied issues tha...Continue Reading