Jan 10, 2021
CHARLESTON — The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the importance of a robust and reliable manufacturing sector.
The members of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association have been forced to meet the changes and challenges presented by the unprecedented circumstances of the past 10 months, according to President Rebbeca McPhail.
“It’s been challenging, especially in the early days of COVID with the level uncertainty both economically and in terms of worldview and what this would mean [creating] a lack of stability for manufacturers, not just in West Virginia, but nationally and globally,” she said.
However, a recently completed analysis of 2020 shows that West Virginia’s manufacturing sector was one of the few in the state that actually saw growth, McPhail said.
“We feel pretty strongly positioned going into 2021,” she said. “With every challenge comes opportunity to find other ways of attracting manufacturing investment into the state, and maybe some of those facilities that are downshifting will provide an opportunity for us to look at other types of manufacturing to bring in.”
Her organization is preparing its agenda and priorities for the upcoming session of the West Virginia Legislature, McPhail said.
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