In July, the Secretary of State Office announced that Gilmer County led the state in the percentage of new business growth with a total of eight new business registrations and a growth rate of 2.45 percent. I hope our district will continue to innovate and have people that will take advantage of the programs West Virginia offers to assist small businesses. You can learn more at www.wv business link.com.
September Interim meetings are scheduled for September 10th-12th, in Charleston. Agendas have not been posted yet. I will continue to serve on the following interim committees: Education, Health and Human Resources, and Economic Development and Tourism.
New River Gorge National Park saw more than 1.5 million visitors whospent approximately $79.2 million in 2022. Of the 1.5 million visitors, 88.1 percent were from out of state. West Virginia is being promoted in out of state markets and that promotion is working. With Summersville Lake State Park, Cedar Creek State Park, and Elk River State Park, central West Virginia will see a portion of those visitors and a boost to local economies.
Labor Day Weekend is approaching marking the unofficial end to summer. While there will technically be a couple of weeks left on the calendar, we shift gears into fall. As we celebrate the last weekend of summer, let us remember all the hardworking people who are contributing in numerous ways to make West Virginia a wonderful place to live, work, play, and raise a family.
Our family had our own end of summer celebration this past Saturday hosting our third annual Land and Sea gathering for family and friends that have become family. We had a great evening sitting in chairs in the front yard, enjoying a “low country boil” courtesy of my daughter, Hannah, and BBQ ribs made by Cody Dobbins, and side dishes and desserts made by all our guests. Altogether, we had about 24 in attendance and, as Will said in the blessing before the meal, “we are blessed in abundance and fellowship” and I am so thankful.
In honor of Labor Day, here are a few labor statistics: Unemployment since January for Braxton County has decreased from 6.6 percent to 4.7 percent, in Gilmer County the rate has decreased from 5.8 percent to 5.3 percent. The top five employers in the state are WVU Medicine, Walmart, CAMC Health System, Mountain Health Network, and Kroger. If you want to learn more about the workforce in West Virginia as employers or job seekers, please go to www.workforce.org to learn more about opportunities.
While the Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers, the long holiday weekend allows us to celebrate and rest. It is a reminder that it is important to find balance in life.
I appreciate everyone who works every day to make us a stronger state, region, and country and hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.
“Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”
(Ovid)
I look forward to hearing from people in the district and hope to see you out and about enjoying all the great things our area has to offer. I can be contacted at lori.dittman@wv house.gov or 304-701-8600.
Devoted to Braxton County, West Virginia