Together, we made it happen. Now the real work begins.

The Charleston Area Alliance today is proud and excited following Governor Manchin’s announcement that the State of West Virginia will accept Dow Chemical Company’s donation of property and buildings at the South Charleston Technology Park.

We look forward to working with the Governor, the Higher Education Policy Commission, the Chemical Alliance Zone, Advantage Valley and many others to create a recipe for success at the tech park. This project represents the opportunity of a generation.

We stand ready to work with our visionary partners to market the property and its assets, attract new companies and private investment to the site and help it become a research commercialization hub for the East Coast, as well as support MATRIC in its continued growth.

The Governor has asked for support from the private sector. The Alliance is speaking for its more than 600 business members and the business community as a whole when we pledge to continue investing time, expertise and resources to realize the potential of the tech park. 

We commend the Governor and West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Brian Noland for their commitment to the “new” tech park and their diligence in gathering and analyzing the information needed to make a final decision on such a complex project. Through their determined leadership, West Virginia has set its own course for the future. 

We recognize the donation is a major undertaking for the state. It requires a significant investment. The potential payoff, though, is well worthwhile – sustainable economic development that will spur entrepreneurship, attract private investment and create high-value jobs.  It’s about growth, something West Virginia desperately needs.

When the state accepted Dow’s donation, it saved 500 jobs. Today, many of our friends and neighbors will rest easier, knowing they can remain in the Kanawha Valley rather than look for work elsewhere. The Charleston-Metro region is still home to dozens of young minds, who are more confident in the state’s dedication to their future.

Just as important, the park’s facilities hold the promise of creating thousands of new jobs. We envision a globally-competitive innovation center where research is commercialized to meet global challenges and help West Virginia industry stay competitive in a changing world.

The Governor has affirmed his vision in such a center with a higher education component, a model that has been a blueprint for success in other parts of the country. Thanks to the Governor, Chancellor Noland, Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Paul Hill and others within the Governor’s staff, we can start making that vision a reality.

The citizens of the region and of the state were instrumental in moving this project forward. A grassroots effort brought this project to the forefront of the state’s public policy agenda. Thank you.

Now let’s work to create the future.