Economy/Transportation - Business and Industry
The Wheeling Area's early industrial strength was built with steel and coal, and these products still have a significant role in the area's increasingly diverse industrial mix.
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., among the nation's largest steel companies, is headquartered in Wheeling with an employee total of 4,000 people in the valley.
More than 17 million tons of coal are locally mined each year, primarily from three underground mines and one surface mine operated by the CONSOL Coal Group-Moundsville and Ohio Operations, and from an underground mine in Belmont County operated by Ohio Valley Coal. These operations employ an average of 1,500 persons.
Electric utilities are the primary customers for the area's coal, which helps to keep energy costs well below average in the Ohio Valley.
Geographically, Wheeling is within a day's drive of 60 percent of the nation's population; an hour from Pittsburgh, two from Columbus and less than three from Cleveland. Regional and national companies have taken advantage of this centralized location, along with Wheeling's in-town access to the Interstate Highways, the Ohio River and rail lines, to make Wheeling an ideal distribution point for their products and services.
Wheeling has also enjoyed an access advantage in telecommunications since Bell Atlantic installed digital switching in Wheeling and the Northern Panhandle, rendering West Virginia the first state in the country to be completely digital. The installation of fiber optic cable between switching stations allowed Wheeling and West Virginia to take the national lead in telecommunication technology.
These improvements, coupled with the area's plentiful, well-trained labor pool, led several companies to move their back office operations from congested, expensive urban areas to Wheeling.
Another asset for Wheeling is its abundance of educational institutions. In addition to being an economic factor because of their staff numbers and substantial payroll, these schools and colleges have formed working partnerships with area businesses and industries. In this way, the educational institutions are able to offer programs and training that are called for by area employers.
One of the best examples of such a partnership is the co-operative venture between Wheeling Jesuit University and the National Technology Transfer Center and NASA Classroom of the Future. (See Technology). The NTTC provides private business and industry access to the wealth of data gathered by government research laboratories.
The Classroom of the Future offers a space flight simulator, a 21st Century classroom, a software and multimedia development center, an interactive satellite video teleconferencing center and a regional NASA teacher resource center.
But the real key to Wheeling's strengths is its willingness to diversify. In addition to basic steel, there are other primary metals plants located in the area. One of the newest, Ohio Coatings, is a joint venture between Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, Dongyang Tinplate Corp. of South Korea and Nittetsu Shoji America Inc, of Los Angeles, a Japan-based trading company. Custom mills, machine shops and mold shops have grown and prospered in Wheeling. There are also a number of light industries in the area producing dairy products, cleaning supplies, bath fixtures, paper, tobacco products, and optical goods.
A Wheeling landmark, the Wheeling LaBelle Cut Nail Company, continues to thrive under the new ownership of Denis McMorrow of D-Mac Industries in Geogia. Many of the 35 workers are second or third generation of their family to work at the plant, which was founded in the 1850s.
Just a few miles south of Wheeling are Ormet Aluminum, PPG, and Miles, Inc. to the north, Wheeling-Nisshin Steel provides hot-dip aluminized and galvanized products. The area also boasts several power producing plants. Limestone, natural gas and agricultural fertilizer are other industries nearby.
Wheeling's centralized location has made the city the logical choice for a number of companies to establish wholesale shipping operations here. Companies shipping to the surrounding eight states include those carrying pharmaceuticals, steel products, food and dairy products, beverages, natural gas, paint, tires, tobacco, industrial gases, building and plumbing supplies, electric power and chemical products.
With its location at the crossroads of Interstate 70 and West Virginia Route 2 and Ohio Route 7, Wheeling has also become a commercial trucking hub, with more than a dozen trucking companies maintaining offices in the immediate area.
Financial institutions have also found Wheeling's location advantageous from the city's earliest days. There are a number of major banks, savings and loan associations, lending institutions and other financial businesses in Wheeling. Several banks have trust departments that rank among the largest in the State of West Virginia. Of the six and one-half billion dollars of trust assets in West Virginia, one-third are in Wheeling institutions. Although some of the banks and savings and loans are independents, most are members of local and regional holding companies.
Several stock and bond brokers have established offices in Wheeling, as well.
A "growth" industry that is rapidly developing in Wheeling is that of travel and tourism. Nearly five million people visit Wheeling each year and more than 9,000 buses bring in visitors annually for fun, festivals, music and the natural beauty found right here. This growth has begun to make an impact on local businesses, who have enjoyed increases in retail sales, lodging and ancillary services.
Companies looking to relocate in Wheeling will find plentiful and affordable office space, both downtown or in "suburban" locations; developable sites with ready highway access; available manufacturing space, an attractive tax structure and incentives, a realistic cost of living and a skilled, flexible employee base instilled with a strong work ethic.
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