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WEIRTON -- Following more than three years at the head of the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle, Marvin Six announced Thursday he will retire as executive director of the local economic development agency.
"Being part of the BDC for nearly 20 years and witnessing a revitalization of the Northern Panhandle has been very rewarding. Hancock and Brooke counties have led the state in economic development over the past few years and it's been exciting to be part of that success," Six said.
Six was named executive director of the BDC in February 2020 after several years of serving as assistant director. He previously has been a member of the organization's board, and has, at various times, stepped in as interim director. Six was chosen to replace Patrick Ford as the BDC's executive director after Ford, who had held that position for 10 years, left in the fall of 2019 to become executive director of the Marion County Industrial Foundation in Lebanon, Ky.
"Since joining in 2004, Marvin has been the person most responsible for not just keeping the BDC going but growing," said William D'Alesio, chairman of the BDC's board of directors. "Marvin's dedication is unparalleled and much of the current economic development success we are experiencing from Chester to Weirton to Beech Bottom is directly attributable to his commitment to the region."
Six's work at the BDC has contributed toward redevelopment plans in the northern areas of Weirton through the efforts of the Frontier Group of Companies, as well as plans by Form Energy and Fanti USA to locate in the city, along with Pure Watercraft in Beech Bottom and Heavy Iron Oilfield Services relocating to Chester.
The BDC has been part of the planning and development along Park Drive in Weirton and the repurposing of the former Brooke Glass property in Wellsburg among its various projects in Hancock and Brooke counties.
"Under Marvin's leadership since 2019, the BDC has expanded partnerships with the USEDA, WVEDA and development office to generate more than a thousand high paying jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in local development," D'Alesio said. "This is an incredible legacy, and the BDC has never been in better shape. We have Marvin to thank for much of that success."
BDC Assistant Director Jacob Keeney and Program Director Anthony Clements will be taking over the day-to-day operations of the organization, with Six remaining through the end of the year to assist with the transition and assist with ongoing projects.