By ALEX MEYER, The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — The region’s economy is facing challenges but should see long-term growth, Ohio Valley business professionals and officials heard Wednesday during the 2019 Wheeling Economic Area Outlook Conference.
The event at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack included presentations about the economic outlook for the state and Wheeling area based on research conducted by West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research for 2020 to 2024.
“In West Virginia, we do have some reasons to be positive a lot of good things have been happening. Jobs are up, tax revenue is up, GDP is up, a lot of metrics are looking good,” said John Deskins, director of the bureau. “But, the improvement isn’t happening everywhere. It’s relatively isolated along a couple different dimensions.”
“I don’t want to get too excited because we still have a lot of economic challenges in West Virginia,” he continued. “I want us to maintain this sense of urgency, to continue to push forward and make positive change to overcome those challenges.”
According to the bureau’s report, the Wheeling Area — encompassing Ohio, Belmont, Marshall and Wetzel counties — added more than 2,400 jobs between early 2017 and late 2018 after losing roughly 2,200 jobs between early 2014 and 2016. …
