“We are really excited about being a part of the local community and serving the residents of Charleston,” said Matt Bischof, the field representative opening the office.  “It’s our goal to provide the best possible service to the community by offering longer hours and Saturday service. A lot of people connect with GEICO through our television commercials and advertising.  We also want them to identify us by the great personal customer experience we offer.”

Matt Bischof and his staff can be reached at (304) 344-0555, mbischof@geico.com or online at www.geico.com/local/mbischof.

The GEICO team is involved in numerous community activities including the Charleston Area Alliance, the Chambers of Commerce for Beckley, Huntington and Putnam Counties and the BNI-Power Chapter. Bischof also is actively involved in fundraising efforts for several local schools and is a participant in The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“We are pleased that Matt will be working with our customers in West Virginia,” said Robin Burdick, GEICO vice president. “GEICO has a lot to offer in terms of community outreach and support as well as our professional services.”

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. The company is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for 10 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 16 million vehicles.

In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and mobile homes.  Coverage for life, boats, homes and apartments is available through the GEICO Insurance Agency.  Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.

More and more downtown businesses are joining the effort to revitalize and reawaken downtown. ArtWalk brings people downtown, and once they see what it has to offer, they keep coming back.

Before the May 19 ArtWalk, Charleston Catholic High School students will be creating sidewalk art in front of ArtWalk venues for viewing this evening.

ArtWalk is the epitome of why more and more people are going downtown – to be part of a rich culture. Charleston offers food, ideas, expressions, shops and customs not found anywhere else, and we identify with the charm.

Visit www.CharlestonArtWalk.com for more information. ArtWalk runs from 5 to 8 p.m.

ArtWalk Locations

Art Emporium
Stray Dog Antiques
Gallery Eleven
Annex Gallery Taylor Books      
Good News Mountaineer Garage
Chet Lowther Studio
The Purple Moon
Modern by Design
Romano & Associates Law Gallery
Visions Day Spa
Studio 1031
White Oak Photography & 
    KD Lett Photographic Productions

 
Art Walk Highlights

White Oak Photography
& K.D. Lett Photographic Productions

New work by K.D. Lett & Michelle Krompecher will be shown in the front gallery and the permanent exhibit will be on display in the back gallery. 
 

Art Emporium 

Art Emporium presents Traci Higginbotham’s “Visual Navigations,” original acrylic paintings on canvas. The exhibit runs through June 11. An artist reception is scheduled during ArtWalk.  
 

Modern by Design

Modern by Design will feature works from California artist Leo Possillico and Charleston artist Joe Bolyard.

Leo Possillico, a native of Long Island, New York, has been a successful, award-winning artist for more than 30 years. His work is known and praised nationally and internationally and is widely recognizable through his signature brush stroke characters. He works in series.

The “Gallery” series, from which the pieces showing at Modern by Design have been chosen, expresses the various art works that one can be exposed to while in the gallery, or museum and is both humorous and serious.

Joe Bolyard is a West Virginia artist who moved back to Charleston in 1998. Joe works in acrylics, mixed media, ink and also produces pieces with metals, such as pewter, brass and aluminum. Joe’s work varies from small gallery pieces to large commission pieces for peoples’ homes and offices. Joe’s work usually explores depths of colour and texture, with styles ranging from the abstract to ethereal and even spiritual.

Taylor Books

The Annex Gallery will present “Modus Operandi: New works on paper by Natalie Gibbs Burdette and Kristen Zammiello.” This show features dry point etchings, graphite drawings, linoleum block prints by two talented young women from the Marshall Graduate program.

Purple Moon

The Purple Moon is pleased to present new works by Sharon Lyn Stackpole in a show opening during ArtWalk.Born in 1969, Sharon is a native West Virginian who studied painting and art history at Fairmont State and West Virginia University. After art school, she worked for some time as a newspaper reporter and columnist in West Virginia, and still maintains a daily blog. She is a strong supporter of arts in education and lobbies for the restoration of art instruction at the primary grade levels in West Virginia.

Romano and Associates

Miranda Fields, a West Virginia-based artist who specializes in photography, will be the featured artist at Romano and Associates. She is teaching Beginning Photography at Marshall University, where she graduated with her Masters in Art in 2010. She has displayed images from her series Six in numerous local galleries, as well as the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art and, most recently, was chosen as one of ten international students to exhibit in the third annual Breaking Boundaries exhibition in Pingyao, China.

Gallery Eleven

Cross Lanes artist Gloria Jean Pennnington will be the featured artist for the May ArtWalk at Gallery Eleven, 1033 Quarrier Street, Charleston. Her eclectic style will be evident in this show which features an new genre of paintings and collages of fish, corral, sponges and anything “Under the Sea”. Also included are some fish made of clay, Pennington’s love of the ocean was renewed following a snorkeling trip to the Virgin Islands and several of the new works reflect a Caribbean theme.

Good News Mountaineer Garage

Good News is pleased to present “Works by Kate Long.”Kate Long likes to paint pictures that tell stories with titles such as “Giant squashes barricade Capitol. Legislators flee,” and “Outraged sunflower.” In her photographs, she finds ways to frame ordinary details of life – a butterfly’s tail, an ice puddle – in an extraordinary way.

“I try to take pictures that make me – and other people – see ordinary things in new ways’,” she says. Long, a Charleston resident, writes for The Charleston Gazette and produces for public radio. This is her first public showing of her paintings and photos.

The Alzheimer’s Association, West Virginia Chapter will host its 11th annual Thanks for the Memories Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, May 20 at the Charleston Town Center Marriott (for ticket information, see below). Proceeds from the luncheon support free programs offered by the chapter for families facing Alzheimer’s disease here in West Virginia, plus six counties in eastern Ohio. At the luncheon, the Rockefeller Award for outstanding service to the cause of Alzheimer’s disease will be presented to Gaylene Miller and Terri Tilley. The award is named in honor of its first recipient, Senator John D. Rockefeller.

Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal brain disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Slowly, painstakingly, inevitably it steals a person’s memories, judgment and independence. It robs spouses of companions and children of parents and grandparents. Currently, there is no way to prevent, cure or even slow the progression of this disease. All 5.4 million Americans (including more than 48,000 West Virginians) with Alzheimer’s disease will die with the disease or from it. These numbers will increase dramatically as Baby Boomers age. In addition to the emotional loss, a substantial financial toll is paid by families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer’s Association, West Virginia Chapter provides information, support, and services funded by events such as the luncheon and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Over the past 12 months, the chapter has conducted 100 free community workshops, answered 2,378 Helpline calls, and distributed 22,374 pieces of educational materials, among other services. It is the only voluntary health organization in West Virginia solely dedicated to providing education and support service to individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, to their families and caregivers. All efforts are dedicated to achieving the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.

Tickets to the Thanks for the Memories Luncheon are $75 and can be purchased by calling 1.800.272.3900 or by visiting www.alz.org/wv.

Marcellus shale has the potential to be the second largest natural gas reserve in the world. In addition to its size, the Marcellus shale is also distinguished by its especially high concentration of ethane. Through a process known as “cracking,” ethane can be converted into ethlyene, the most produced organic compound in the world. Development of a cracker could create hundreds of jobs and bring several billion dollars in capital investment to the state.

The formation is named after an outcrop of the shale near Marcellus, N.Y., and lies beneath eight states. The most easily accessible and gas-heavy portions of the shale are located mostly in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. While developers have known about Marcellus since the 1940s, changes in economics and technology have made the rock a viable source of natural gas.

That “gas” is really several types of gas that result from drilling, including natural gas, ethane, butane and propane. The heavy ethane content must be removed before natural gas enters a pipeline to be transported throughout West Virginia and surrounding states.

It is estimated the Marcellus shale contains enough natural gas to fuel the U.S. for 25 to 30 years.

The ethane content within the Marcellus shale creates an opportunity for West Virginia, and we have to act quickly to take advantage. It can be isolated and processed through a “steam cracker.” The cracker uses high temperatures and high pressure to “convert” ethane into ethylene. The chemical industry transforms ethylene into compounds that find themselves in everything from water bottles to diapers.

Experts estimate that constructing one or more crackers in West Virginia and the subsequent downstream chemical processing facilities would mean between $1 billion and $3 billion in investment.

This wouldn’t be the first time West Virginia would be at the heart of cracking and chemical manufacturing. West Virginia benefited nearly a century ago from the nation’s first cracker in Clendenin. The state and the Charleston Metro Region are well-positioned to once again be a leader in the country’s energy future. With a large supply of ethane, an existing chemical industry and infrastructure, our region can offer attractive reasons to invest in West Virginia.

If we work together to attract the investment and win a crucial race, we can help supply the nation with an environmentally-responsible energy source. That investment would bring new employers and industries. Existing businesses could flourish, and the state’s youth would have a concrete reason to remain in what would be a progressive, exciting and innovative state.

West Virginia can lead the way, but we must act aggressively and responsibly. We face competition from already existing natural gas infrastructure and pipelines to the Gulf Coast and Canada, as well as neighboring states also looking for cracker investment.

The future is literally beneath our feet. Do we continue to stand around? Or do we make our move?   

Rest assured, the Charleston Area Alliance is working with its partners, the transmission industry, the West Virginia Oil and Gas Association, the chemical industry, the Chemical Alliance Zone, the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, government agencies at all levels and other stakeholders to put this project together.

West Virginia could expect more than 2,300 direct jobs from building a plant to convert a Marcellus shale natural gas byproduct into a chemical industry staple.

That’s the estimate that state Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette gave Wednesday to fellow members of the Marcellus to Manufacturing Task Force.

The group held its first meeting since acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin formed it earlier this year. Its key goal is to attract and encourage employers that convert ethane into ethylene.

Task force members say Marcellus shale drillers are removing more than enough ethane during refining for a plant to turn it into the widely used chemical compound ethylene.

Burdette said building this $1.5 billion cracker plant would also create 498 indirect jobs while inducing 3,500 more throughout the state’s economy.

The Charleston Area Alliance presented its plans for downtown development at Charleston City Council Monday.

The group’s chair of the Community Development Committee, John Ruddick, says it’s time for something fresh downtown.

“We’ve had plans previously that have been done, and they’ve kind of run their course.  They’re done,” Ruddick said.  “We need a new plan, a new blueprint for the next 10 years that we can follow.”

Ruddick says the Alliance has been successful in implementing many previous plans.  He says Capital Market, Capital Street redesign, Haddad Riverfront Park and the Clay Center are all examples of the group’s hard work.

Now it’s time to focus on new initiatives like Slack Plaza, Ruddick said.

Other priorities for the Alliance include improving East End and West Side housing possibilities.

“We want to dig into what we’re calling urban housing,” Ruddick said.  “There’s a whole host of problems on the West Side.”

Ruddick says he expects to frequent Council over the coming weeks and months to formulate more specifics.

“We want to work together,” Ruddick said.  “I think the city is committed to the plans.”

by George Hohmann
Daily Mail Business Editor

There have been lots of changes from one end of Capitol Street to the other over the last year and some big changes are in the works.

The most noticeable change occurred near the south end of the street, where a retractable canopy was installed over a portion of Haddad Riverfront Park. The project was paid for in large measure with a $2 million federal grant secured by the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd.

The canopy wasn’t the only improvement:

* A concert stage, the Schoenbaum Stage, was built.

* Kanawha Boulevard between the park and the Charleston House Hotel was given a makeover with colored pavers laid out to form the City of Charleston’s logo.

* An observation deck with canopy was completed overlooking the Kanawha River at the end of Court Street.

The improvements to what Mayor Danny Jones likes to call “Charleston’s front porch” added life to the area. The park hosted numerous events, ranging from a free Labor Day weekend concert by the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra to an October rally for Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Raese that featured former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and gun advocate and rocker Ted Nugent.

During the summer the park also hosted Live on the Levee, a series of free Friday night concerts, and in August The Belle of Cincinnati, a sternwheeler, offered cruises that departed from the dock.

Susie Salisbury, the Charleston Area Alliance’s vice president of community development, believes the city will reap even more benefits from the upgraded park this summer. “It’s going to be a great anchor,” she said.

A big change that has not yet happened but looms is the sale of the Charleston House Hotel, which overlooks the park.

A deal to sell the 12-story, 256-room hotel to a Florida-based company fell through in December. Earlier this month Mayor Jones told the Sunday Gazette-Mail he has been talking to two prospective buyers.

CWCapital Asset Management, a holding company that owns the hotel, is asking $6 million for the property, which includes a 258-space parking garage. It was previously reported that consultants have estimated it would cost $12 million to $15 million to renovate the hotel. The property carried the Holiday Inn logo until November.

Several bars, clubs and restaurants form a nucleus of nightspots on Capitol Street north of the riverfront.

An upscale bar, the Sky Lounge, has opened at 26 Capitol St., and the building’s owner, John Smallridge, has put the structure on the market for $645,000. He claims the building dates back to the end of the Civil War and is the oldest building in downtown Charleston.

Smallridge also has listed 16 Capitol St., the former home of Ernie’s Esquire, for sale. The asking price is $300,000.

One change at the Security Building, 100 Capitol St., occurred at the end of January when Capitol Fitness closed. The gym had opened in 2004.

On the northwest corner of Capitol and Quarrier streets, the space last occupied by the Cafe de Paris is for rent. The cafe closed about two years ago.

On up the street, new life was brought to the ground floor of 222 Capitol St. in December when Kimberly Shingledecker and David Bailey opened Pies and Pints. The pizzeria offers hand-stretched pizzas and premium beers.

Across the street, there have been several changes at the Lowenstein Building, 225 Capitol St., since Bill Turner bought it in 2009:

* Ellen’s Ice Cream was remodeled.

* A new entrance was cut into the Brawley Walkway side of the building and Maple Creative moved into a 3,000-square-foot space behind Ellen’s. Maple Creative is a marketing, advertising, public relations and lobbying company.

Big changes are in store for Brawley Walkway, the pedestrian thoroughfare formerly known as Fife Street.

Salisbury said the city has obtained the services of Origin 4 Design, a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based design team, to come up with a re-design of the walkway and Slack Plaza.

“They’ll do this through a public input process very similar to the process we went through with Sasaki Associates for Haddad Riverfront Park,” she said. Stakeholders like the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority and businesses in the vicinity of the project will be consulted. One part of the process will involve a 6 p.m. March 28 public hearing at the Civic Center.

Salisbury said the Charleston Area Alliance formed a task force to work on the application for the design work and the city filed the application. “This is through the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Greening America’s Capitals’ program,” she said. “The program only targeted state capitals. I think they had over 30 applicants. They only chose five. We were one of the five.”

After the design work is complete the city will have to seek a way to finance the project. Asked to guess the cost, Salisbury said, “The reality is you’re probably at least going to be looking at a million dollars to do it right – and so far I haven’t talked to anyone who does not want to do it right.”

Several changes have occurred recently near Capitol Street. They include:

* The Blossom, at 904 Quarrier St., reopened under new ownership in December after the previous owner shut it down in late August. The restaurant currently serves lunch but there’s talk of expanding to include dinner hours.

* A company formed by real estate agent Anna Pollitt purchased The Quarrier Diner last year. The diner closed in 1999. Pollitt and her son, Tim, plan to remodel and reopen the restaurant at 1022 Quarrier St.

* Gallery Eleven moved from 1033 Quarrier St. to 1035 Quarrier St., as did Studio 1031.

Salisbury said the Charleston Area Alliance’s Art Walk will include two new stops this year: Studio 1031, which moved in above Gallery Eleven, and the Marshall University Graduate Humanities Program at the Blue Door Art Studio, which is behind the Good News Mountaineer Garage Gallery on Hale Street.

The Art Walk season begins March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. Art Walk is held the third Thursday of the month, March through December, except in June, when there’s a special edition held to coincide with FestivALL, and in November when we take advantage of ‘Black Friday.’”

On the topic of Art Walk stops: Stray Dog Antiques, 219 Hale St., expanded last year. The shop now features furniture and large items on the third floor and vintage clothing on the mezzanine.

A few blocks from Capitol Street, across from the Clay Center, the brick wall behind the Mary Price Ratrie Greenspace was painted purple.

Thinking back over the past year, Salisbury said, “There have been a lot of changes. In a recession, it’s pretty good.”

Click here to register.

Join us from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at this popular Southridge restaurant for food, drinks and excellent networking opportunities.

Business After Hours is an excellent chance to meet and stay connected with other business and community leaders.

The price is $15 Charleston Area Alliance members and $25 for future members.

Online registration for this event ends at noon on Feb. 24. Prices increase to $25 and $35 at the door.

The Alliance will be able to invoice only for groups of 10 or more. Contact Deb Coffman at DCoffman@CharlestonAreaAlliance.org for more information.

The Alliance cannot issue cancellation refunds within 48 hours of the event. Thank you.

Companies will learn about the best prospects, financial and legal considerations as well as marketing strategies to enter any market in the Western Hemisphere. Participants will also understand and appreciate the cultural differences, economic conditions and technological capabilities of potential partners. This five-part webinar series is also a venue to prepare participating U.S. companies for a more successful experience at the upcoming Trade Winds Forum event which will be held on April 6-12, 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico.

You can register for the entire series or for any of the series’ five webinars.
Venue: Your Computer!
Date: November 17; December 17, 2010 and January 18; February 17; March 17, 2011
Time: 11:00AM-12:15PM EST
Cost: $150 per company
Register: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/newWebinarRegistration.jsp?SmartCode=1Q2J
More Information: http://www.buyusa.gov/westvirginia/twws.html
Venue: Your Computer!
Date: December 17, 2010
Time: 11:00AM-12:15PM EST
Cost: $40 per company
Register: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/newWebinarRegistration.jsp?SmartCode=1Q2G

Event: Financial and Legal Considerations when Exporting to Mexico
Venue: Your Computer!
Date: January 18, 2011
Time: 11:00AM-12:15PM EST
Cost: $40 per company
Register: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/newWebinarRegistration.jsp?SmartCode=1Q2F
Venue: Your Computer!
Date: February 17, 2011
Time: 11:00AM-12:15PM EST
Cost: $40 per company
Register: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/newWebinarRegistration.jsp?SmartCode=1Q2E
Venue: Your Computer!
Date: March 17, 2011
Time: 11:00AM-12:15PM EST
Cost: $40 per company
Register: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/newWebinarRegistration.jsp?SmartCode=1Q2D

Event: Trade Winds 2011: “Mexico and the Americas” – Webinar Series

Event: Explore your export opportunities in Central America

Event: Explore your export opportunities in the Caribbean Region

Event: Logistics, Incoterms and FTAs considerations when Exporting to Mexico