First regional meeting July 26 at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Business & Industry Council is hitting the road again for its annual tour of regional meetings around the Mountain State.
“We think it’s so important for us to travel around West Virginia so we can meet with local business and government leaders to learn more about their challenges, and more importantly, their opportunities for growth,” said BIC Chairman Chris Hamilton. “Our focus at BIC is always about advancing pro-growth policies and political candidates, and it’s more important than ever that we keep our eyes trained on the goal of job creation and building on the policy successes of the last few years.”
These regional forums are intended to unite business interests into a cohesive voice on matters relating to politics and public policy. The first regional meeting is 1-4 p.m. July 26 at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, and BIC is partnering with the Eastern Panhandle Business Association for the second year in a row.
“The EPBA has become a really fantastic voice for the business community in that part of West Virginia, and it’s a real honor for BIC to be able to work with them again,” Hamilton said. “We had an incredible crowd last year and I look forward to another successful Eastern Panhandle event later this month.”
The agenda for each regional meeting will include presentations by a variety of government and business leaders that are tailored to the local community. In addition, gubernatorial candidates Bill Cole and Jim Justice have been invited to participate in a special forum at each regional meeting.
“This year’s regional sessions should be of particular importance to area business leaders because the keynote portion of these meeting is the gubernatorial forum, which is designed to provide statewide business and industry interests insight into the candidates for governor — Bill Cole and Jim Justice — and how they plan to advance West Virginia’s economy and grow our job base,” Hamilton said.
As of this writing, speakers confirmed for the July 26 event in Charles Town include U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Supreme Court Justice-elect Beth Walker, Senate President Bill Cole, House Majority Leader Daryl Cowles, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charlie Trump and House Finance Chairman Eric Nelson.
The 2016 BIC regional meeting schedule is:
- July 26, Charles Town
- August 16, Morgantown
- September 13, Wheeling
- October 18, Beckley
- October 25, Charleston
All meetings require advance registration. For more information, email [email protected].