Matthew G. Ballard

I am pleased to share two important milestones with you today.

First, the Alliance would like to congratulate the NCO Group Inc. on its selection of the old Verizon building in downtown Charleston as the location for a project that will bring 165 jobs to our region. We are proud welcome NCO, which will be located adjacent to Gateway Greenspace and just blocks from the Alliance headquarters, to the neighborhood. The Alliance was honored to work with our colleagues at the West Virginia Development Office on the project and can only make these types of successes a reality with the support of the City of Charleston, Kanawha County Commission and our 600 business members and their 40,000 employees.

Second, I look forward to attending the Annual Meeting of MATRIC tonight at the Clay Center in Charleston. MATRIC is an organization that was conceived within the walls of the Charleston Area Alliance, nurtured in our small business incubator and received its initial seed funding and working capital loan from the Alliance. That the Alliance took these extraordinary steps is a testament to the value we place on our community’s intellectual capital. In the past, this intellectual capital was housed in the R&D and commercialization departments of some of the largest chemical companies in the world. Today it is housed in MATRIC.

How has MATRIC impacted the region? It has kept or attracted approximately 70 employees in and around the Charleston metro area. It has helped to develop several start up businesses with a goal on creating intellectual capital that can be commercialized. In simple terms, MATRIC is using innovation to create jobs and many of the applications being developed can have a direct impact on the future of the chemical and energy industries in West Virginia.

We want to congratulate MATRIC’s board and staff for their leadership and foresight.

Keep your eye on MATRIC. While challenges lie ahead for all of us in these uncertain times, MATRIC may very well be on its way to permanently being one of the major stakeholders in shaping the future of our region. We are proud to count them as a valued partner in our mission to build a more vibrant community and prosperous economy.

Until next time,

Matthew G. Ballard,
President / CEO