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Weirton should be lining up at the starting blocks

Del. Mark Zatezalo

I’ve never been a person prone to hyperbole, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating in any way to say everything’s coming up Weirton. The announcement last month that Form Energy has decided to build its first U.S. battery manufacturing plant on 55 acres of the mill property formerly used by Weirton Steel was just the tip of an iceberg of great news for Weirton and the entire Upper Ohio Valley.

Weirton won out from a slate of 50 potential locations in 16 different states, but the competition isn’t over yet. The construction is expected to start later this year. Production could begin as early as next year, with plans for 750 new, full-time jobs. What we ought to be hearing loud and clear is the call to get to the starting line now with our homegrown, educated and skilled workforce ready to meet that demand and rise to the occasion.

We have the opportunity, first and foremost, to provide the workers for a highly skilled, high-paying trade. Form Energy is pioneering a revolutionary new technology that will carry on West Virginia’s proud tradition of powering the nation. However, this is not the only opportunity we will have to seize here in our proud community.

That 1,300-acre site, perfectly situated on the river, is also on track to see some infrastructure enhancements. As part of the Form Energy development of the first 55 acres there, the long-anticipated industrial road between Cove Road and the Browns Island bridge will be added to the area. Once that happens, even more companies with a need for even more employees will find their way to our neck of the woods.

But we can’t wait for the shovels to go in the ground first. We know that our region’s ability to attract business is based on several factors: our location, the availability of large amounts of energy to power the manufacturing, and the feedstock of materials required for that manufacturing. The feedstock includes a skilled and ready workforce. Some of those factors drawing attention to this area are beyond our control. I’m so pleased to see Weirton reaping the benefits of some indiscriminate factors we enjoy here at the top of the state. But one factor we can control is our workforce participation rate. And we must.

We must be motivated now, while the spotlight on us is still hot, to act with the careful coordination necessary to lay the groundwork for matching companies with our workers. That foundation will require an enormous amount of planning and strategy among entrepreneurs, educators and several various organizations throughout the community. We must get to work on it now to ensure our future generations can go to work here in our hometowns instead of leaving the valley to find opportunities elsewhere. I stand ready to help however I can at the state level.

(Zatezalo, a resident of Weirton, is a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing the Second House District)

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