FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2026
CONTACT:
Bay Epperly, phone: 304-747-8031 email: [email protected]
WEST VIRGINIA – Today, at West Edge Factory in Huntington, a partnership of state and regional organizations hosted an in-person gathering aimed at catalyzing the growth of West Virginia’s advanced manufacturing initiatives.
“West Virginia already has the key ingredients for becoming an advanced manufacturing leader. The industrial assets, the skilled workforce, a reputation for resourcefulness; it’s all there,” said Bay Epperly, Sustainable Manufacturing Coordinator at ReImagine Appalachia. “What we need is to strengthen collaboration between organizations and businesses, collectively define regional priorities for investment and policy in the sector, and to scale what’s already working.”
With today’s event, ReImagine Appalachia, in partnership with the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative, fulfilled the first portion of their Manufacturing Roadshow Discussion Series. Here, local manufacturers, community members, and labor leaders joined to discuss the build-out of a robust manufacturing ecosystem across the Ohio River Valley of Appalachia. This event was co-facilitated by Coalfield Development, ACT-NOW, and the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center.
The roadshow discussion series will make two more stops this week. In Marietta, Ohio on Wednesday and in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on Thursday. The partnership will engage with manufacturing & labor leaders in each state to find solutions for local leaders and strengthen cross-regional manufacturing networks.
You can learn more about this week’s upcoming roadshow events on ReImagine Appalachia’s events page: https://reimagineappalachia.org/events/
About ReImagine Appalachia
ReImagine Appalachia is a coalition working to ensure Appalachia is a leader in building a clean energy economy that creates good jobs and strengthens communities.