Joe Eddy is a candidate in the Republican Primary for the 1st District of the West Virginia Senate, and he’s listed his “Top Issues” as Creating Jobs, Growing Our Existing Businesses, Recruiting New Diverse Industries, Investing in Infrastructure, Education and Workforce Development.
Below, Mr. Eddy answers specific questions concerning each of those issues.
CREATING JOBS – What can state government do to add manufacturing jobs in the Northern Panhandle?
Our state government should create a competitive advantaged business environment, especially compared to our border states (OH/PA), with competitive tax rates, lower industrial electric rates, quicker/easier permitting, intelligent infrastructure investments, and by making sure that we have a workforce ready to fill the jobs that we are trying to grow.
We already have many of the assets manufacturing requires, such as market location, transportation access (river, roads, rail), a strong industrial history, abundance of natural resources and raw materials (coal, natural gas, limestone, steel, aluminum), and a workforce that understands hard work, but we need state policy that builds on these advantages rather than slows it down.
I support a pro-growth approach that includes building on our historic strengths in energy and manufacturing, including developing energy-ready industrial sites, brownfield redevelopment, utility security and stability, micro-grid development, and targeted tax incentives tied to actual job creation and capital investment, available for both new and existing businesses.
Our state government should not try to pick winners, but it should make West Virginia the easiest place in the region to build, hire, and expand.
GROWING OUR EXISTING BUSINESSES – Which industries now active in West Virginia do you feel can expand with help from state government? (Please explain)
I believe that existing businesses have the ability to expand if our state government makes sure we have the right environment for growth, as referenced above. Example industries that can expand are agriculture, energy, advanced manufacturing, tourism, health care, and many small businesses.
From my perspective as someone who has worked in and around agriculture, energy development, and manufacturing, and understands the value of local enterprise, these industries are especially important because they support so many other parts of the economy.
I believe state government can help these industries grow by lowering regulatory burdens, improving access to capital, supporting workforce training, and investing in infrastructure that helps businesses move products and people more efficiently. For agriculture, that means more processing, more local marketing, and more direct-to-consumer sales. For manufacturing and energy, that means a stable policy environment and confidence to invest in growth for the long term.
Leading Eagle Manufacturing Company’s growth for nearly 25 years gave me valuable insight into what it takes to grow a business the right way, by Investing in the Future! Future growth fueled by: 1) investing in our employees (competitive pay, excellent benefits, training); 2) investing in our community (police, fire, schools, sports, infrastructure); 3) investing in technology and innovation (automation, robotics, 3-D printing); 4) investing in new product and process development (materials, machinery); 5) investing in market expansion (domestically, worldwide), and; 6) by investing in facilities expansion (manufacturing, warehousing, distribution).
By investing in the future, our business grew, and so did our community. When Business Grows-Communities Grow! This is the proactive leadership and business mindset that I will take to the West Virginia Senate.
RECRUITING NEW DIVERSE INDUSTRIES – Which new industries would you support recruiting to expand into West Virginia, and what kind of recruitment package should be offered by state government?
As noted above, I would build on our historic strengths in energy and manufacturing and recruit energy-intensive industries that have the potential to convert more of our energy resources into expanded downstream value-added jobs and local economy, as opposed to exporting most of our resources (coal, natural gas, natural gas liquids, electricity) out of West Virginia.
These types of industries include advanced manufacturing, chemicals, plastics and food processing, heavy steel fabrication, battery storage, natural gas to electric power plants, advanced materials, data centers where energy and site conditions make sense, logistics, coal to liquids technologies, and value-added agricultural initiatives.
I would also support continued growth in health care and technology, especially in communities that need more private-sector jobs. The key is not just bringing in any company, but recruiting businesses that fit our workforce, our resources, and our long-term economic goals.
A recruitment package should be competitive, but it should be tied to performance based on jobs created, wages paid, capital invested, and long-term commitment to the community. I would also want to see state support for permitting coordination, workforce training partnerships, and infrastructure improvements around major industrial sites so that these companies can start up faster and stay longer.
INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE – Do you support Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder’s idea that involves the state building a new bridge from the mainland of Wheeling to Wheeling Island?
I applaud Mayor Denny Magruder’s forward thinking about mobility, safety, and future development, as well as the grand scale and timing of his ideas as potential new investment comes into our city.
On the idea of a new bridge to Wheeling Island, I would want to review the project carefully when considering need, cost, traffic impact, and long-term return on investment. As an engineer and finance guy, I like to do comparative analysis of other investments and impact on the same scale.
At the same time, state government has to make sure any bridge project is the best use of taxpayer dollars compared with other pressing needs like roads, water systems, sewers, and critical maintenance. I would support this project if the data shows it improves access, supports growth, and strengthens the region’s transportation network, but only if the broader economic benefit is clear.
Bottom line, if we want investment in our region, we must build the systems that support it. Infrastructure is the foundation of growth for every company, community, and our state.
EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – Would it be your objective to spread programs like the partnership you created with Brooke County Schools across the state of West Virginia? What would that look like?
In my mind, education is workforce development. If we want more employers in West Virginia, we need more graduates who are ready for modern jobs and career pathways. Therefore, we need to improve our education outcomes, which we were able to help effectuate in partnership with Wellsburg Middle School, Brooke High School, and West Virginia Northern Community College.
In short, we established a career track education pathway that started in Wellsburg Middle School by building trust with the teachers and students that careers in energy and manufacturing do exist. We did presentations on Energy Speaks and Explore the New Manufacturing programs, explaining both industries. We then established the Eagle Awards program, honoring the top students in each of 8 different disciplines when they graduated from 8th grade each year. We also sponsored a Drug Awareness Week with a national-level speaker each year.
We then worked with Brooke High School’s TSA (Technology Students of America) program as a sponsor of their robotics team, and West Virginia Northern to offer Advanced Manufacturing Technology to junior and senior students, where they could earn an associate’s degree when they graduated high school. This program became popular and we were able to hire career-ready high school graduates.
Dual Enrollment and Guided Pathways programs are now common across the state in different disciplines like nursing and manufacturing.
This type of private-public partnership is critical to the success of giving our youth an opportunity to stay and prosper in West Virginia.
My education objectives are: 1) to make sure that our kids can read, write and do basic math prior to high school; 2) to support career track education, not that every student needs the same path, but every student deserves a specific path; 3) to support competitive pay for teachers, so they can produce competitive graduates; and 4) to connect schools directly to local employers (partnerships, sponsorships, awards, tours) for future opportunities.
Businesses cannot grow without workers; therefore, we need to: 1) invest more into workforce training and apprenticeships; 2) expand childcare options and affordable transportation; 3) expand career-track education; and 4) remove any barriers to return to work.
My approach is simple: Grow jobs, grow opportunity, and make West Virginia a place where people can build a life without leaving home. That means supporting employers, training workers, protecting property rights, and making sure our communities have the infrastructure they need to compete.
I believe West Virginia should create manufacturing jobs by making it the best place in the region to build and grow a business. That means reliable and affordable energy, a fair tax climate, less red tape, and a workforce pipeline that starts in our schools and leads directly to good-paying jobs.
We should be turning more of our natural resources into value-added products here at home so our young people can build their future right here in West Virginia.
