Associated Press Published

Economic Roadmap for West Virginia Outlined at Chamber's Business Summit

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West Virginia’s state university and commerce officials say plastics and chemical manufacturing, cybersecurity, higher-end tourism and automotive assembly are sectors where the state can turn its lagging economy around.

In an address Thursday to business leaders at the Greenbrier Resort, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee says they collaborated to produce a roadmap for reinforcing the state’s existing foundation for growth and identify sectors to diversify the economy.

West Virginia has been hurt by sharp declines in coal production and employment the past several years despite an uptick this year.

A full report is expected by mid-September. It follows a study conducted by McKinsey & Co., a global management consultant. Additional ideas can be submitted via email leading up to the release of the final report.

Other sectors identified Thursday are computer cloud services and data centers and life sciences.