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State releases list of West Virginia's Top 100 private employers - Wal-Mart remains No. 1

2010-09-01T15:42:00.003-04:00

CHARLESTON — WorkForce West Virginia’s list of the 100 largest private employers, compiled from data for the first quarter 2010, ranks retail giant Wal-Mart as the state’s largest employer. Wal-Mart has maintained this position since 1998.

The list, released today, contains businesses with both single and multiple locations and ranks companies according to the number of employees. The data are extracted from the Quarterly Contributions Report for the first quarter of each year and are available to the public by the third quarter of each year.

West Virginia’s top five largest private employers are Wal-Mart, West Virginia United Health System, Charleston Area Medical Center, Kroger, and American Electric Power, all unchanged from 2009.

Several employers in the top 10 have shifted positions, and two employers not found in the top 10 last year now make an appearance. These new additions are Res-Care, Inc. and Mylan Pharmaceuticals.

The top 10 employers in total had 143 fewer employees in the past year, faring well when compared to the total for all private sector employment in the state which declined nearly 17,000 from the first quarter 2009 to the first quarter 2010. The sum employment of the top 100 employers declined by just over 4,400 from March 2009. Analysis of all private employers by size indicated all size groups except the group employing 500 to 999 people lost both units and employment over the past year.

Just over one-half of employers on the top 100 list climbed in rank, while nearly a quarter of businesses descended in rank. Six employers not present on last year’s top 100 made their appearance on this year’s list.

This list was prepared from information provided by employers covered under the unemployment compensation insurance system, through the federal/state Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program conducted in West Virginia by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor and the Research, Information and Analysis Division of WorkForce West Virginia.

The lists for the state and counties for each year since 1999 and workforce investment areas since 2002 can be found on the website: www.workforcewv.org/lmi or by contacting the Research, Information and Analysis Division at 304.558.2660.

The 2010 Top 100 list

1. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.

2. West Virginia United Health System

3. Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc.

4. Kroger

5. American Electric Power

6. Consolidation Coal Company

7. Lowe's Home Centers, Inc.

8. St. Mary's Hospital

9. Res-Care, Inc.

10. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

11. Cabell Huntington Hospital, Inc.

12. Wheeling Hospital, Inc.

13. Pilgrim's Pride Corporation of West Virginia

14. Mentor Management, Inc. (Mentor Network, The)

15. Verizon

16. E I DuPont De Nemours & Company

17. Rite Aid of West Virginia, Inc.

18. Allegheny Energy Service Corporation

19. West Virginia University Medical Co. (University Health Associates)

20. Bob Evans Farms, Inc.

21. Mountaineer Park, Inc.

22. Alliant Techsystems, Inc.

23. Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital

24. Monongalia General Hospital

25. West Virginia's Choice, Inc.

26. K Mart Corporation

27. Aker Construction, Inc.

28. DOLGENCORP, Inc. (Dollar General Stores)

29. Herbert J Thomas Memorial Hospital Association

30. Greenbrier Hotel Corporation

31. BB&T Corporation

32. PNGI Charles Town Gaming, Ltd.

33. GMRI, Inc.

34. Go-Mart, Inc. 34 43 44

35. Teletech Customer Care Management (West Virginia), Inc.

36. Raleigh General Hospital, LLC

37. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

38. Dominion Transmission, Inc. 3

39. Spartan Mining Company

40. Hobet Mining, LLC

41. Employee Resource Group, LLC

42. Cabela's, Inc.

43. Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, Inc.

44. Elk Run Coal Company, Inc. (Black Castle Mining Company)

45. Alcan Rolled Products

46. Weirton Medical Center

47. Eastern Associated Coal Corporation

48. Heartland Employment Services, LLC

49. United Parcel Service Inc. (WV District)

50. Wheeling Island Gaming, Inc.

51. J C Penney Company, Inc.

52. Asplundh Tree Expert Company

53. Simonton Building Products, Inc.

54. Little General Store, Inc.

55. Highmark West Virginia, Inc. (Mountain State Blue Cross and Blue Shield)

56. Ohio Valley Medical Center, Inc.

57. Wesbanco Bank, Inc.

58. Gino's/Tudors Biscuit World

59. Homer Laughlin China Company

60. Huntington Alloys Corporation

61. ArcelorMittal Weirton, Inc.

62. Acordia/Wells Fargo Third Party Administrator, Inc.

63. Food Lion, LLC

64. Gabriel Brothers, Inc.

65. United National Bank

66. Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Inc.

67. Sears, Roebuck and Company

68. Prestera Center for Mental Health Services

69. McDonalds Restaurants of West Virginia, Inc.

70. Advance Stores Company, Inc.

71. Snowshoe Mountain, Inc.

72. Appalachian Regional Healthcare

73. Alex Energy, Inc. (Intrepid Mining Company)

74. GC Services Limited Partnership

75. TRG Customer Solutions

76. City National Bank of Charleston

77. Sunhealth Specialty Services, Inc.

78. St. Joseph's Healthcare System (St. Joseph's Hospital)

79. DirectTV Customer Service, Inc.

80. Charleston Hospital, Inc. (Saint Francis Hospital)

81. Pleasant Valley Hospital, Inc.

82. Universal Cable Holdings/Suddenlink

83. Quad/Graphics, Inc.

84. Alcon Research, Ltd

85. Mountain State University, Inc.

86. Logan General Hospital, LLC

87. Owner's Solution, Inc. (Personnel Management Company)

88. Echosphere, LLC

89. Davis Memorial Hospital

90. Capital Area Services Company, Inc. (CASCI)

91. Target Corporation

92. Armstrong Hardwood Flooring Company

93. Babcock & Wilcox Construction Company, Inc.

94. University Physicians & Surgeons

95. Wendy's International, Inc.

96. OS Restaurant Services, Inc. (Outback Steakhouse)

97. Speedway Superamerica, LLC

98. American Woodmark Corporation

99. Racing Corporation of West Virginia

100. Global Contact Services, LLC

Eight West Virginia Companies among Inc.'s 5,000 fastest growing

2010-08-31T09:54:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK — Inc. magazine this week announced its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Music website Pandora, convenience store chain 7-Eleven, Brooklyn Brewery, and Radio Flyer, maker of the iconic children’s red wagon, are among the prominent brands featured on this year’s list.

In addition, eight West Virginia based companies were named to the Inc. 5000 list.

They are:

• No. 392 Cenergy with a 3-year growth rate of 750 percent and revenue of $12 million;

• No. 638 HMS Technologies with a 3-year growth rate of 477 percent and revenue of $31.2 million;

• No. 764 The McEvoy Administration with a 3-year growth rate of 400 percent and revenue of $2.1 million;

• No. 1508 McKinley Carter Wealth Services with a 3-year growth rate of 190 percent and revenue of $2.8 million;

• No. 2426 Reliable Environmental Transport with a 3-year growth rate of 101 percent and revenue of $7.1 million;

• No. 2642 Performance Results with a 3-year growth rate of 88 percent and revenue of 13.8 million;

• No. 2715 KeyLogic Systems with a 3-year growth rate of 84 percent and revenue of 16.1 million;

• No. 3236 Advanced Technical Solutions with a 3-year growth rate of 60 percent and revenue of $8 million.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/5000 .

The Hottest Regions for Fast-Growing Companies

Once again, California tops the Inc. 5000 with the most companies of any state with 684. The Golden State is followed by Texas (404), New York (353), Virginia (293), and Florida (262). All 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, are represented on this year's list. New York boasts 410 Inc. 5000 companies, making it the top metro area, followed by Washington, D.C. (363), Los Angeles (262), Chicago (203), and Boston (189).

The Inc. 5000 at a Glance

The Real Estate sector, although small, was the top-performing industry, with a total growth rate of 189 percent. Software was second with a growth rate of 126 percent, and Telecommunications was third with 119 percent.

In total, the companies on the Inc. 5000 have created 1.4 million jobs. The Health sector is the top employer with 287,726 jobs, followed by Business Products & Services (230,066), Food & Beverage (108,344), Human Resources (107,924), and Retail (96,858).

Business Products & Services had the most companies on this year’s list with 640, followed by IT Services (607), Advertising & Marketing (410), Health (396), and Government Services (336).

This year’s fastest-growing company is Ambit Energy, a Dallas-based firm that buys electricity and natural gas at wholesale prices and resells the energy to customers acquired through a direct sales channel. The company saw $325 million in revenue in 2009 and a three-year growth rate of 20,369 percent.

The top woman-run company is Lexicon Consulting (No. 4 overall), based in El Cajon, California. Lexicon creates mock Iraqi and Afghan villages used to train military personnel. The firm, founded by Jamie Arundell-Latshaw in 2005, recorded revenue of $17.9 million in 2009 and a three-year growth rate of 14,018 percent. The top minority-run company is WDFA Marketing (No. 5 overall), a San Francisco–based firm that specializes in guerrilla, grass-roots, and micromarketing. WDFA, founded by Raj Prasad, posted revenue of $38.4 million in 2008 and a three-year growth rate of 13,350 percent.

The Inc. 5000 posted an aggregate revenue of $321.6 billion in 2009, up more than 50 percent from the previous year. The top five industries by total revenue are Business Products & Services ($84.7 billion), Health ($48.3 billion), Consumer Products & Services ($26.4 billion), Retail ($22.3 billion), and Government Services ($15.1 billion).

Methodology

The 2010 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2006 to 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be based in the United States, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. The top 10 percent of companies on the list constitute the Inc. 500, now in its 29th year.

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SBA to host business financing event Sept. 27 in Charleston

2010-08-26T14:59:00.001-04:00

CLARKSBURG – The U.S. Small Business Administration and its network of small business resource partners, will be hosting a “Borrower/Lender Matchmaking Event” on Monday. September 27, 2010 at the West Virginia State Training Center – Capitol Room located in Building 7 at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston.

This “One-Stop Business Financing Marketplace” event is specifically for businesses looking for funding to grow a business, capital to start a business venture, or help making ends meet in today’s economy.

“Small businesses have been struggling with financial issues since the onset of the economic recession,” said SBA West Virginia District Director Judy McCauley. “To help alleviate these concerns we are bringing together representatives throughout the state, to meet one-on-one with small business owners and nascent entrepreneurs to specifically discuss financing.”

Attendees can also participate in the loan packaging workshop being offered as part of the event. The workshop will provide step-by-step guidance on what it takes to obtain small business financing.

“Before a business owner leaves this matchmaking event, they should know what the qualifications are to obtain small business financing and learn how to put together an acceptable loan application package,” added McCauley.

Business owners can attend anytime during one of two offered sessions, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., or from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

There is no charge to attend or participate in this event, but pre-registration is required. To register, contact Karen Jones at (304) 253-3145 or via email at kjones@westvirginiawbc.org. A list of participating lenders and resources as well as registration information can be found on the SBA’s West Virginia web site at www.sba.gov/wv. Simply select the Lender/Borrower Matchmaking link under the Spotlight section.

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SBA to host webinar on 'Doing Business with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection'

2010-08-25T15:13:00.001-04:00

CLARKSBURG – The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a FREE webinar on “Doing Business with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)” on Thursday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The DEP needs qualified contractors, especially minority and women-owned small businesses, to fulfill their various contracting opportunities throughout the state.

Jamie Lenore Chambers, accountant/auditor for the WV DEP’s grant management section, will be presenting an overview of state purchasing procedures and providing tips on how to navigate through the states contracting process.

The webinar is one in a series of free small business clinics and webinars for small businesses.

Upcoming sessions include:

• Small Business Loans: No Hype, Just the Facts Clinic, Charleston, September 16, 2010

• LLC v. S-Corporation: Which is Right for You? Webinar, September 21, 2010

• Marketing to Federal Agencies Webinar, September 23, 2010

• Taxes v. Liability: Business Legal Organizations Explained Clinic, Charleston, October 14, 2010

• Small Business Taxes from A to Z webinar, October 19, 2010

• Marketing to Prime Contractors webinar, October 21, 2010

Registration for all the above clinics and webinars can be made online at www.wvscore.org .

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Small Business Development Center to host small business startup workshop

2010-08-24T15:00:00.001-04:00

CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) will offer a small business startup workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 14.

The training will be at the Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College Workforce Division in the Schoenbaum Center at 1701 5th Ave. in Charleston.

WVSBDC business coach Anne Lane will advise participants on the aspects of starting a business, including startup issues, legal structure, licensing, business planning, budgeting and financing. There is no fee. Registration is required and is limited to 10 people. To register or for more information, call Dreama Wolfingbarger at 304-558-2960.

The West Virginia Small Business Development Centers are part of the West Virginia Development Office and work with colleges, universities and other host institutions to provide cost effective business coaching and technical assistance statewide.

The WVSBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Call Dreama Wolfingbarger at 304-558-2960.

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Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour Coming to Marshall in September

2010-08-22T20:56:00.001-04:00

HUNTINGTON – The power of the entrepreneurial spirit will take the Tri-State Area by storm this fall when The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour visits Marshall University’s Huntington campus.

The tour, a high-energy, half-day event, will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Marshall University Foundation Hall, Home of the Erickson Alumni Center. Those in attendance will hear the stories of and learn the secrets behind the success of the world’s top entrepreneurs who are still in their 20s.

The event is sponsored by Marshall University’s Office of the President, MU Online College in the High School, the Center for Business and Economic Research and the Marshall University Research Corp.

The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is the first and only nationwide entrepreneurship tour. It is run by three award-winning young entrepreneurs – Sheena Lindahl (27), Michael Simmons (28) and Arel Moodie (26). Created in 2006 by Lindahl and Simmons, the tour features many of California’s top young entrepreneurs who have made, or sold companies for, millions of dollars and/or made a huge impact before the age of 30.

One speaker, Cameron Johnson (24) from Los Angeles, started a dozen profitable businesses and became a self-made millionaire while he was still a teenager. Another speaker, Rahim Fazal (27) from San Francisco, sold his first business for $1.5 million as he was graduating from high school. Fazal is the co-founder and CEO of the venture-backed company, Involver.

“More than half the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were launched during a recession or bear market,” Simmons said. “Technology and globalization have made it very inexpensive to start a business. Now is the best time that there has ever been to become your own boss."

According to a 2007 Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation survey by Harris Interactive, four out of 10 young people would like to start their own businesses someday.

“However, when we talked with students, we realized that many of them needed inspiration and support to achieve this dream,” Lindahl said. “That’s why we started the tour.”

The goal of the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is to have college students around the nation graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset.

The tour uses numerous themes and resources to reach and inspire those in attendance. Some are:

Focus – students are inspired and learn how to start and run their own businesses;
Keynote – this speaker is an extremely successful young entrepreneur who shares his or her story and business lessons:
Workshop – helps students come up with a viable business idea based on strengths and passions;
Speed networking – focuses on students connecting with each other based on their business ideas;
Panel – consists of the event speakers and local entrepreneurs with a focus on entrepreneurship. Local participants will include some who have created businesses and been successful in commercializing products, including representatives from Vandalia Research Inc., which is the first biotechnology research company based upon Marshall University research. Other panelists include local K-12 students, including award-winning students from Cabell Midland High School.

Registration to the event is limited to Marshall University students, faculty and staff, and to K-12 students. To register, they may go to www.extremetour.org/marshall.

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New Company Aims To Bring Music & Excitement Back To Charleston

2010-07-24T12:04:00.000-04:00

"A new company is emerging in Charleston, bringing excitement and a new batch of music to the area. The company is called Cardinal Productions and aims to bring a series of nationally known acts to Charleston. The company’s founders are Nathaniel Smalley and Damon Cater. Smalley graduated this spring from WV Wesleyan College with a degree in business and Cater is CEO of a WV company called Home base Inc., which relocate children in bad situations to alternative homes absent of malignancies such as discrimination, humiliation, poverty, abuse, neglect indifference and selfishness. Smalley, although new to the music business, has his fair share of experience. Throughout his college career at WV Wesleyan, he handled the event and concert coordination for the college, while also interning for National Public Radio program, Mountain Stage.

Cardinal's first endeavor is a concert featuring country music and bluegrass superstar Ricky Skaggs. He and his band Kentucky Thunder are bringing their fast and furious blend of bluegrass, traditional and country music to the Clay Center Friday, July 30 at 8pm. The show will also feature special guests Sara and Sean Watkins of progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek.

Skaggs' career spans decades. The mandolin player, singer, songwriter, and bandleader has won an astonishing 14 Grammy Awards and 8 Country Music Awards. Sara and Sean Watkins also have appeared regularly on NPR's Mountain Stage radio program and Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

For more information and tickets call (304) 561-3570 or visit www.theclaycenter.org. Also, for more information about Cardinal Productions contact Nathaniel Smalley at (304) 881-8859.

First ETALK Podcast Interview Released

2010-07-09T17:41:00.000-04:00

We have been anticipating the first interview from the new podcast series called ETALK that is airing on On Air! "The must listen to podcast for entrepreneurs." The concept, according to show host Mark Burdette, is to get key insights from entrepreneurs that other entrepreneurs and small business owners will find of value and can directly apply in their business from their experiences. A typical show will last anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes.

The first interview features Keith Pauley, President and CEO of MATRIC. There will be more interviews to come in the near future with one new interview to be released each week. You can subscribe directly to the On Air! podcast on iTunes.

New Podcast Series "ETALK" Set To Launch

2010-06-28T21:09:00.001-04:00

The popular On Air! podcast produced by Mark Burdette at Unique Edge Networks begins a new series of podcasts where they sit down and talk with successful entrepreneurs about their businesses. The goal of the podcasts is to peel back the onion to hear how entrepreneurs got started, how they overcame challenges in starting and growing their business, discuss in depth on successes and failures, and get insights into what drives them and their companies on a daily basis. The new podcast series is going to be called ETALK. Short for entrepreneur talk.

Be sure to listen to hear who their first guest will be starting this week. It was a great show to kickoff the new ETALK series.

Let's Raise Kids To Be Entrepreneurs

2010-06-21T08:30:00.004-04:00

Bored in school, failing classes, at odds with peers: This child might be an entrepreneur, says Cameron Herold. At TEDxEdmonton, he makes the case for parenting and education that helps would-be entrepreneurs flourish -- as kids and as adults. This is a great must see video. Do you agree or disagree? Your comments welcome.

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Support Youth Entrepreneurship In West Virginia

2010-06-20T12:39:00.005-04:00

In support of a Better West Virginia's invitation to blog about a specific need that could be solved through networking I couldn't think of a better subject than youth entrepreneurship in West Virginia. In 2003, the first statewide high school business plan competition called DreamQuest was created. The goal of Dreamquest is create a sustainable program that is recognized throughout West Virginia as an opportunity to actively involve students, teachers, and the private sector in an entrepreneurial learning experience. Dreamquest is a complementary program for other youth entrepreneurship initiatives associated with the high school curriculum. Dreamquest is West Virginia’s only statewide high school business plan competition. The program is available to all students – public or private, home-schooled, or vocational.

I personally have participated in judging and promoting DreamQuest through the years and it is great to see the creativity and enthusiasm our high school students display by going this process. Thanks to the dedication and leadership of Susan Rice, entrepreneurship coordinator for the WV Dept. of Education, that this program continues to produce young entrepreneurs throughout the state year after year. This program has a track record of impacting high school students by exposing them to entrepreneurship as a career path. In addition, students really do pursue their dreams! Last year’s winners are open for business in Beckley, West Virginia. The fourth place team is currently producing a marketing CD for Dreamquest to be used to promote the program across the state.

The reality is we need to ensure that this great program continues to reach high school students and expose them to entrepreneurship. It is vital to our state's future. If we don't actively train and produce entrepreneurial talent in our state then who are going to be the innovators and employers of tomorrow? I am asking the business and community leaders in West Virginia to contact me to learn how to help in making sure we not only help this program but take it to the next level. DreamQuest has been a model program across the nation for other states who have followed in our footsteps. It is time for us to go to the next level and reach more high school students by making sure DreamQuest continues to fulfill its mission for youth entrepreneurship.

If you are interested in learning how you can help please send me an email at mark@wventrepreneur.com with "I want to support DreamQuest" in the subject line. This is one way you can play apart in making a Better West Virginia.

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Want A Better West Virginia? aBetterWV.com

2010-06-17T13:40:00.001-04:00

On today's podcast I sit down with Jason Keeling, founder of aBetterWV.com and talk about his new initiative to help folks in West Virginia network better. To accomplish this Jason makes a call out to fellow West Virginians to think about the needs they have individually, professionally and in their community and be willing to share their message via aBetterWV.com. The goal is to bring awareness to the West Virginia community about different people's needs which will serve as a catalyst to network and encourage each other and at the end of the day to help each other. Learn how to jump in the conversation and contribute now by going to aBetterWV.com. Podcast produced by Unique Edge Networks.

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West Virginia High School Business Plan Competition Winners Announced

2010-06-15T10:04:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Logan DelSignore and Shelby Carr from Mineral County and Randolph County respectively who have been named co-champions of Idea101: West Virginia's High School Business Plan Competition. A special thanks to Susan Rice, entrepreneurship coordinator for the West Virginia Dept. of Education, whose energy and excitement for this program is why it continues to produce great winners each year. Events like Idea101 are critical to expose young people to entrepreneurship so they know that starting a business is a potential career path for them in the future. Great job everyone. You make us proud to be West Virginians. Read full article

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Angel Amendment Approved

2010-06-15T09:30:00.001-04:00

As many of you know the recent financial reform bill had several regulartory obstacles for entrepreneurs raising angel capital and weakening the pool of angel capital by reducing the number of accredited investors. The Senate recently passed the bipartisan-sponsored "Angel Amendment" that protects against creating new barriers for high-growth entrepreneurs seeking to raise angel capital. This is good news for those entrepreneurs who are seeking angel investors for their startup or early stage company. To read the full article on the Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship view now.

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New Podcast Series Featuring West Virginia Entrepreneurs

2010-06-08T10:21:00.001-04:00

If you had the opportunity to ask some of the top small business owners and entrepreneurs in West Virginia five questions what would they be? In the coming weeks we will be starting a new podcast series where I will be sitting down and interviewing some of the most successful small business owners and entrepreneurs in West Virginia. We are going to make them as informative as possible to help you in your business endeavor. Unique Edge Networks will be sponsoring the podcast series and distributing it on our podcast site located at http://uen.podbean.com. Be sure to check it out. We would love for you to be apart of this podcast series by submitting your questions and we will ask your question on the podcast. Stay tuned for the lineup of small business owners and entrepreneurs and get your questions ready. Post your questions via the comment section of this post.

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West Virginians Jump at Chance to Invest in High-Tech Business

2010-06-08T09:14:00.001-04:00

Here is a great article that I found about West Virginia entrepreneur Wade Linger starting back up again. Not often do you hear of investors contacting an entrepreneur and wanting to invest their money in a new startup. It usually is the other way around. I personally would like to wish Wade all the best in his new venture. View article

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Foodspotting.com Founder Discusses West Virginia Connection

2010-05-18T16:46:00.001-04:00

Be sure to check out Robert Scoble's interview on YouTube with Dennis Crowley [ @dens ], co-founder of Foursquare, and Alexa Andrzejewski [ @ladylexy ], founder of Foodspotting. He refers to them as "The King and Queen of Location Based Services". They are the hottest people in location-based services. Foursquare has a million users. Foodspotting has 100,000. Both are growing very quickly and getting lots of attention. Scoble sits down with them at the Big Omaha conference and talks with them about the location-based service business.

Be sure to watch the entire video because towards the end Alexa mentions West Virginia. Her dad currently lives here and she was pleasantly surprised people in West Virginia was using her new application Foodspotting. It is a great idea and can't wait to start using it myself. It provides good insight into the day and life of startup companies and revisit their inspirations that led to starting their respective ventures. --> Watch here

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WV Entrepreneurs June Meetup Scheduled

2010-05-18T13:27:00.001-04:00

I just scheduled our WV Entrepreneurs May Meetup for Thursday, June 3 at 5pm. We will be meeting at Capitol Roasters in downtown Charleston on the corner of Quarrier and Summers Street. Click here for further meetup details. Be sure to RSVP. We hope to see you there. Also, we would love for you to join our group. Just go to www.meetup.com/wventrepreneurs and get plugged in. Happy venturing!

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China Offers Ground Floor Opportunities

2010-05-13T09:36:00.001-04:00

Read our latest article in the Charleston Daily Mail about our recent trip to China - http://bit.ly/b1UU4Y

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China: First Impressions

2010-04-29T16:38:00.001-04:00

Mark Burdette of Unique Edge Networks and Rob Wilmink of Legacy Asset Strategies recently took a business trip to China as part of the Charleston Area Alliance business/cultural trade mission to Beijing and Shanghai. Mark and Rob begin a series of podcasts on doing business in China. You can listen to this podcast and others by going to http://uen.podbean.com/ and subscribe.

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Charleston Business Leaders Assess Opportunities Abroad

2010-04-28T10:24:00.001-04:00

We recently went to China on a business trade/cultural mission in conjunction with the Charleston Area Alliance (regional economic development organization) to learn more about the opportunities in China. Here is an article published in the Charleston Daily Mail by Matt Ballard, President of the Charleston Area Alliance - http://www.dailymail.com/Business/201004210868 highlighting our trip. We are currently working on an article to be published next week in the Money section of the Charleston Daily Mail of our key observations and lessons learned from our time in China. We will post a link when it goes live. Stay tuned.

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WV Entrepreneurs May Meetup Scheduled

2010-04-13T09:57:00.001-04:00

I just scheduled our WV Entrepreneurs May Meetup for Thursday, May 6 at 5pm. We will be meeting at Capitol Roasters in downtown Charleston on the corner of Quarrier and Summers Street. Click here for further meetup details. Be sure to RSVP. We hope to see you there. Also, we would love for you to join our group. Just go to www.meetup.com/wventrepreneurs and get plugged in. Happy venturing!

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WV Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition This Weekend

2010-04-08T10:09:00.005-04:00

The West Virginia University Entrepreneurship Center is hosting the final round of the 2009-2010 West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition this Saturday, April 10, 2010. The event will begin at 9am at G20 and G21 in Ming Hsieh Hall on WVU's Downtown Campus. An awards luncheon will follow from 1pm-2:30pm at the Hatfield's Restaurant in the Mountainlair. For more information contact Heather Richardson at (304) 293-7221.

I want to personally thank the sponsors of this great event who understand the importance of entrepreneurship in our great state of West Virginia. They are:

Without these great sponsors and the hard work of Mindy Walls, Center Director and her staff and volunteers throughout the state this very important event wouldn't happen. Congratulations to all of the students who have participated in this event and good luck to all of those in the finals. Once the winners are announced I will post them here so stay tuned.

First WV Entrepreneurs Meetup Tomorrow

2010-04-05T15:08:00.002-04:00

We are excited about our first meetup to create the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and business owners across West Virginia. To kickoff our meetup we will introduce ourselves. Be sure to come prepared to share what your current entrepreneurial endeavor is with the group. We will meet at 6pm at Capitol Roasters located in downtown Charleston, WV. Hope to see you there.

W.Va. still last for business-friendly courts, survey finds

2010-03-29T10:41:00.002-04:00

Excerpt from the WV Record - Of the 1,482 corporate lawyers and executives surveyed this year, more than two-thirds of respondents said a state's legal environment is a key factor in making strategic business decisions at their company, such as where to expand or locate. Click here to read the full article.