photos by Mike Aeiker

The main water feature is taking shape, as seen in the photos above. 

Workers are forming and pouring the final sections of the seat wall over the next several days, and the remaining portion of the sidewalk area along Sentz Alley has been formed.

Join the Charleston Area Alliance and local business and community leaders in April for a 9-day, all-inclusive trip to experience the wonders of China.  The trip includes:

         Roundtrip international airfare from New York’s JFK Airport

         Domestic airfare from Beijing to Shanghai to Hangzhou

         4- and 5-star hotel accommodations

         3 full meals each day

         Deluxe bus transportation

         Fluent English-speaking tour guides

         Entrance fees into attractions including the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Yu Garden, Ming Tombs and many others

$2,299  per person (double occupancy) for Alliance members

$2,699 per person (double occupancy) for future Alliance members.  

Single occupancy rate is an additional $450. 

A non-refundable deposit of $300 per person is required to secure your registration. The remaining balance is due by December 15, 2009.

Call (304) 340-4253 to reserve your spot.

Help us celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of West Virginia’s premier publications – The State Journal. Business After Hours runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Appalachian Power Park. Enjoy food, beverages and networking opportunities. And salute the State Journal for 25 years of excellence in journalism.

Click here to register.

Registration for is $10 for Alliance members and $20 for future members. 

Prices increase to $15 and $25 at the door.To expedite your registration, you may pay online or contact Deb Coffman for more information.

We are unable to invoice for groups under 10 or issue refunds for cancellations received less than 48 hours prior to the event. Thank you.

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

The article below appeared in today’s Charleston Daily Mail.

This evening’s annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center, also known as MATRIC, will showcase the nine start-up companies it has launched since 2004.

MATRIC was established five years ago as a nonprofit research institute to harness the brainpower that Union Carbide Corp. brought to the Kanawha Valley over the decades.

The nine companies MATRIC has launched “are solving some of the most important environmental and technical issues facing our state and nation, such as selenium in run-off from surface mines to treatment of water from natural gas wells,” Keith Pauley, MATRIC’s president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.

This evening’s meeting will be in the Benedum Grand Lobby of the Clay Center.

There will be a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with presentations and awards at 6 p.m.

The start-ups launched by MATRIC are:

(more…)

KIDS COUNT has launched an annual, statewide award program called “Business on Board with Childcare!” to recognize businesses that support their employees’ childcare needs.

The Business on Board with Childcare! designation will signify a West Virginia employer’s adherence to key national and local criteria for a childcare-friendly workplace.

The Business on Board with Childcare! award criteria have been adapted from a list developed by the Families and Work Institute (www.familiesandwork.org) and KIDS COUNT’s own statewide efforts to get parents, childcare providers and community leaders involved in advocating for better childcare policies.

To be designated a Business on Board with Childcare! , West Virginia employers must comply with any combination of the following award criteria totaling at least 15 points:

• On-site childcare (25 points)
• Payment for childcare with vouchers or other subsidies that have directcosts to the company (20 points)
• Flexible spending accounts that help employees pay for childcare with pre-tax dollars (10 points)
• Reimbursement of childcare costs when employees work late (10 points)
• Reimbursement of child care costs when employees travel for business (10 points)
• Childcare for school-age children on vacation (10 points)
• Backup or emergency care for employees when their regular childcare arrangements fall apart (10 points)
• Sick care for the children of employees; or sick leave for employees with sick children; or employees allowed to bring sick children to work (10 points)
• Participation in their local KIDS COUNT Community or other similar efforts to advocate for better childcare. (5 points)
• Access to information to help locate childcare in the community (Child Care Resource and Referral information) (5 points)
• Financial support of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund, including sponsorship of the Business on Board with Childcare! awards (5 points)

Resources
To download the official Business on Board with Childcare! application form, click here.

To learn more about the positive results for businesses that provide a childcare-friendly workplace and how to effectively implement childcare-friendly policies, go to http://betterkidcare.psu.edu/Employer_Options.pdf and download “Employer Options for Child Care: Effective Strategies for Recruitment and Retention” by Penn State University.

For a quick list of key facts about childcare and business bottom line, click here.

And for additional resources about supporting employees’ childcare needs, check out our Links and Resources page.

For a list of frequently asked questions about the Business on Board with Childcare! awards, click here.

Sponsorship Opportunities
The program is funded in part by grants from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the Early Care and Education Division of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. To learn how your organization can become a sponsor, download our sponsorship brochure, e-mail KIDS COUNT at margiehale@wvkidscountfund.org or call 1-888-KIDSCOUNT.

A delegation from Charleston’s Sister City, Banska-Bystrica in Slovakia, today stopped by the Alliance offices during a whirlwind tour of the Kanawha Valley.

During an International Advisory Council meeting, the representatives offered an overview of their cities, while Alliance President Matt Ballard gave them a presentation on the Alliance and its mission.

The Banska-Bystrica city manager invited us to Slovakia, and hopefully we can someday take him up on it. The Alliance continues building relationships throughout the world, and this kind of goodwill can only benefit the region.

Bill Raney, Roger Nicholson, Steve Tulloh, Rick Slater, Ellen Cappallanti and Jay Goldman are some of the latest leaders to join the galaxy of stars to be featured at “Speed Networking with the Stars” on Nov. 9. 

Few spots remain.

Click here to register.

Tickets to this incredible event are only $50 for Alliance members/$75  for future members.   

Sponsorships, which include admission for four to the All Star Dinner, start at only $500. 

“Networking with the Stars” is the most exciting — and cost-effective — way to put your career, your business and your community on the fast track to success. For about 55 cents a minute, you can network with our region’s most influential business, political and community leaders in a fast-paced, entertaining forum, to be held at the Charleston Civic Center.   

Click here to register.

Sponsors to date are: 

• Title Sponsor:  Suddenlink Business; 
• Power Brokers:  Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Fifth Third Bank and Smith Company Motor Cars; 
• Insiders: Chapman Technical, Dixon Hughes, Simplex Grinnell and Steptoe & Johnson.  

For years, Colorado has been at the forefront of outdoor recreation and tourism. Now West Virginia is becoming the premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

West Virginia boasts top-notch outdoor sports — including golf, skiing and world famous whitewater rafting — first-class resorts and spas and beautiful state parks all rich with tradition and history. It’s all right here in West Virginia.

Join Generation Charleston from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at the West Virginia State Museum for a professional development seminar focusing on state-wide tourism.

West Virginia Commissioner of Tourism Betty Carver and guest speaker Jeff James will discuss statewide tourism as means of economic development. Guests will have the opportunity to take a self-guided tour through the newly-remodeled museum after the meeting.

Click here to RSVP or to get more information about the event.

Bluegrass Kitchen is presenting the ”Main Street Murder Mystery” Cocktail Party featuring local actors at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28. It happens at the Woman’s Club of Charleston, 1600 Virginia St. East.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

The event is part of HallowEast, and part of the proceeds benefit the work of East End Main Street.

The cost is $35, and that includes food and beverages. Click here to register.

Tickets also are available at Bluegrass Kitchen.

The premise involves vampire slayings, and you have to help find the killer.

Speaking of vampires, “True Blood” star and Charleston native Sam Trammell is coming home to help shine a spotlight on HallowEast and East End Main Street.

Tickets are still available for the Fan Gathering with Sam Trammell and “Inside the Main Street Studio,” which features Trammell. The Fan Gathering cost includes registration for the “Main Street Studio” event.

Call (304) 340-4253 for more information.