New PCEDA Assistant Director Ready to Help Preston County Grow
August 8, 2024
‘Helping others’ has a distinct meaning for different people. Many gravitate to healthcare or teaching careers, but Matt Porter has found that purpose as the new Assistant Director at the Preston County Economic Development Authority (PCEDA).
“In high school, I thought I could help people by going to law school to become a prosecuting attorney, but I fell in love with economic development during two college internships,” said Porter. “They illustrated the possibilities in improving a community’s economic well-being and quality of life.”
Basis in economic development
Porter grew up in Wheeling, WV, a city that had the most millionaires per capita for years up to the 1960s, with a metropolitan footprint of about 100,000 people. Today, that footprint is under 30,000, so significant economic development is emphasized for a downtown built for a much larger population.
Through Wheeling’s Community Federation for the Ohio Valley, Porter obtained multiple internships while in college, first with the Regional Economic Development Partnership (REDP) and then with the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, where he was introduced to economic development.
Porter gained his understanding of Preston County through his experience with the Morgantown Area Partnership as a graduate assistant at West Virginia University. He worked with PCEDA Executive Director Robbie Baylor on an application to become a BUILDWV area. BUILDWV is the WV Housing Development Incentive program established to assist West Virginia’s growing communities in attracting much-needed housing development projects. As he became more familiar with the region, the qualities of the people he met and worked with drew him to work in Preston County.
“We need to ensure there is the infrastructure capacity in these areas to build homes and businesses to handle that influx before it increases so current residents do not feel the pressure of growth five to ten years from now,” he said.
Focused on the future
Porter believes there is potential for growth for Preston County, specifically along the I-68 Corridor, as those from the East Coast seek quality living and favorable business conditions in the region. Communities like Hazelton and Bruceton Mills will likely be the early focus of migration from those large metropolitan areas, and Porter believes he can help prepare those areas for the influx.
“I want to help plan for the necessities required to accommodate growth and ensure the current community has better access to services, including upgrading infrastructure like broadband, electricity, sewer and water necessary for commercial and residential development,” he said. “We need to plan now to ensure there are funds to continue expanding infrastructure to handle that influx.”
“Part of that effort is collaborating with key stakeholders within and outside Preston County,” said Porter.
“I look forward to working with the PCEDA Board and team to continue to promote Preston County as a great place to live and to do business,” he said.