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There was a good gathering Wednesday at the Lauttamus Event Center to hear a presentation on the Weirton Area Economic Outlook, prepared through the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University.
This wasn't the first time such a forecast has been created for our area (and I'm sure it won't be the last) but there has been much change in recent years and it was time to revisit the topic.
Thanks to John Deskins, Ph.D. as well as students Mackenzie Hill, Ben Sbei and Isabelle Dallaire for their research and preparation of this report, as well as to WVU, the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce, Lauttamus Communications and the Business Development Corp. for making the event possible.
Much of the information was what we've been hearing from local officials for some time; the potential for growth in certain industries, the need to invest in infrastructure and housing stock, the importance of attracting younger residents and provide job training opportunities.
What's important here is, these are people who are seldom in Weirton doing this research and telling us this same information. They have no connections to our communities and, in that respect, don't have the personal interest to just echo the same lines. They see the potential in our area, and that should give us a little more hope for where we are going.
A great deal of the outlook focuses on the impact of COVID, which was expected given the job losses and shifts in habit during the various phases of lockdown since March 2020. They did say, though, that most of the jobs lost have returned, but pointed to ongoing issues in manufacturing such as the closure of Mountain State Carbon to show we are not out of the woods.
Natural gas continues to be a big player, and it is expected the Shell ethane cracker set to open in Monaca, Pa., will have a major impact.
One of the items mentioned which caught my attention was the potential of using rare earth minerals and the benefit for West Virginia's economy. Today, these materials are especially desirable because of their use in electronics. They are imported in high quantities from other countries, and with ongoing supply chain issues in the global economy, have been more difficult to obtain…at least from traditional sources. The materials are available here in West Virginia, though, in coal ash. Coal ash is some of what's left over from the burning of coal. It's used in sheet rock and for other construction items now, but could also be used to manufacture electronics. It's something Congressman David McKinley has been promoting for years now.
The obvious population issues, as well as the health and age of our existing residents, also were a topic of discussion, with several questions from those in attendance about how people might be attracted to the region. For the most part, the researchers are predicting growth in the areas of natural resources and mining; leisure and hospitality; financial activities; professional and business services and health and education.
Our region continues to change. There are ongoing efforts to attract people and jobs, but there continue to be obstacles which need to be addressed. This report helps to clarify some of that information and, hopefully, will help to solidify some of the work currently being done and possibly even attract some attention from elsewhere which could put us on a more solid footing for the future.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter @CHowellWDT)