State of the County Address
Preston County Chamber of Commerce
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristy Ash, 304.329.0576
Chamber to host State of the County Address
Kingwood, W.Va., – May 10, 2019 – Mark your calendar! The Preston County Chamber of Commerce is hosting its inaugural “State of the County” on June 6, 2019, and it will be an evening you will not want to miss.
The event is open to the public and free of charge. Held at the KVFD Community Building, the night begins at 5pm with a Business After Hours mixer – hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments will be provided, and a cash bar will be available.
Beginning promptly at 6pm, the “State of the County” will feature concise 5-minute briefs from numerous speakers representing the following sectors of our county’s current climate: Education, Infrastructure, Tourism, Health & Safety, Economic Development and Community & Culture. The evening will end with a 30-minute Q&A session led by Preston News & Journal Editor Joe Hauger. Each of the evening’s speakers will be invited to be part of the Q&A panel.
This fast-paced event will offer attendees updates on hot topic items including the next steps for the Preston Schools Levy Committee, available job training and continuing education programs, road legislation and repair, broadband expansion, cell tower construction, water and Rail Trail grants, CVB tourism initiatives, Preston Memorial Hospital growth, the county’s drug epidemic, EDA updates, workforce challenges, a commercial real estate overview, a County Commission update and the creation of the first Preston County Task Force.
The Preston County Chamber of Commerce is proud to organize this inaugural “State of the County” as an effort to encourage an invigorated sense of collaboration in our community so we can all see it grow and improve as we know it can
.
EVENT AGENDA:
6:00 PM Welcome—Kristy Ash, Executive Director Preston County Chamber of Commerce
6:05 PM County Commission Looking Forward—Dave Price, President Preston County Commissioner
6:10 PM Around the County—Samantha Stone, Preston County Commissioner
Education
6:20 PM Levy Update and Career Technical Education (CTE) – Steve Wotring, Superintendent Preston County Schools
6:30 PM First Energy Power Systems Institute – Robin Micco, Assistant Workforce Development Representative First
Energy
6:35 PM Free Tech School Education – Senator Dave Sypolt
6:40 PM Jobs Challenge at Camp Dawson – Bob Morris, Deputy Director Mountaineer Challenge Academy
Infrastructure
6:45 PM Roads “Randy’s Dream” – Senator Randy Smith
6:50 PM Prodigi Internet Expansion Update – Tim Wotring, Owner Prodigi
6:55 PM Sprint Cell Towers – Keith Collins, Director Wireless of Sales
Tourism
7:00 PM Water and Rail Trail Grants – Amanda Pitzer, Executive Director Friends of the Cheat
7:05 PM CVB “102 Things to Do” – Susan Riddle, President and CEO Greater Morgantown CVB
15 Minute Break
Health and Safety
7:25 PM MON HEALTH Preston Memorial Hospital Growth – Melissa Lockwood, President and CEO Preston
Memorial Hospital
7:30 PM Drug Epidemic – Dan Loughrie, Sheriff of Preston County
Economic Development
7:35 PM Economic Development Authority Update and Workforce – Robbie Baylor, Executive Director Preston
County EDA
7:45 PM Real Estate Market Update – Jessica Miller Lipscomb, Owner/Realtor of Houses and More Real Estate
Community and Culture
7:50 PM County Task Force
Kerry Gnik, President Preston County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Executive Director
Camp Dawson Event Center
7:55 PM Closing Statement
Don Smith, Preston County Commissioner
8:00 PM Panel Q&A Session
Facilitated by Joseph Hauger, Editor Preston County News and Journal and the Garrett County Republican