Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin touted changes in the state's business climate, new business investments and workforce training initiatives in his State of the State address Wednesday night.
MORE: Text, highlights and video of every governor's annual address.
"We've created a business climate where companies are encouraged to innovate, expand and create new jobs," Tomblin said. "Companies across the country and around the world are noticing the changes we have made."
Kenny Perdue, president of the state AFL-CIO, thought the governor's speech carried a positive message about the prosperity in the Mountain State.
"There's a lot of opportunity in the state with all the businesses coming in," Perdue said. "It's a good time to be here."
Tomblin championed new business investments to the Mountain State, such as Diamond Electric's recent relocation of its North American headquarters to Putnam County and American Woodmark, which announced a $30 million expansion in Hardy County.
The governor praised Southwestern Energy's more than $5 billion investment to secure Marcellus and Utica shale properties in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in October.
"We have the potential to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in bonus and royalty payments, monies that can be invested to improve our state parks, support tourism initiatives across the state and finance a number of other worthy endeavors to strengthen job creation," Tomblin said.
Tomblin noted the elimination of the business franchise tax two weeks ago, counting it among the steps the state has taken to reduce taxes for employers. He also discussed continued reductions in workers compensation premiums for the tenth consecutive year, saving more than $280 million since 2005.
Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, was disappointed the governor's speech "didn't seem to have a lot of meat on the bones."
"Unfortunately there was very little discussion about things that would improve the economy in the state, such as higher education, early childhood development and infrastructure," Boettner said.
Overall, Boettner said the speech didn't provide guidance on where we should be going in the future.
"The governor talked a lot about how we can try to get people to invest in the state but talked very little about investing in our own people," Boettner said. "Shared prosperity doesn't happen by accident."
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce President, Steve Roberts said the speech was promising, with a bipartisan tone. Roberts believes the governor addressed the issues that he needed to, like workforce training and improving education.
Roberts added he supported the governor's proposal to extend teaching opportunities in the state to people without an education degree.
"It's bringing down some of the barriers and enabling some of the barriers and enabling some highly qualified people to enter the workforce," Roberts said.
Anthony Majestro of the West Virginia Association for Justice, believes West Virginia legislators should follow the governor's led and denounce the American Tort Reform Association's reference to the state as a "judicial hellhole." The governor called that an "unreasonable and irrational [label] drummed up by out-of-state interests."
"Our real problems are elsewhere and the governor realizes that," said Majestro, president of the state trial lawyers group.
He'd like to see legislators focus on infrastructure, developing a highly skilled workforce and educating the future workforce.
Matt Ballard, president of the Charleston Area Alliance, agreed.
"Labeling us a 'judicial hellhole' makes it harder on those of us attempting to recruit business to the state," Ballard said.
(c)2015 The Charleston Gazette
