On Wednesday, October 3, The 2nd Annual West Virginia Energy Expo will be held at Hazel & J.W. Ruby Community Center at Mylan Park. The WV Energy Expo is a one-day business event tailored towards the growth and opportunity of the energy industry in West Virginia. The event provides information, resources and networking needed for growing our state’s energy industry, and the businesses that support it.
The Stick Company, a Morgantown-based Marketing and Design agency, along with the WV Department of Commerce (WVDOC) and the WV Economic Development Council (WVEDC), both of which are advocates for economic growth and opportunity in our state, host this annual event. These partnerships reinforce the value of the event, and show the state’s commitment to the energy industry and those that benefit from it, including; manufacturing, construction, trade and education.
This year, the WV Energy Expo is serving as a dual-purpose event, featuring the annual industry-focused trade show, but is also now incorporating an employment/hiring aspect to the event. The event is free to attend, and our team encourages interested job applicants to bring their resume for on-site interviews and hiring.
“Each year, we look at how the event can provide the most value to our exhibitors, sponsors and attendees. When you look at the industry, one of the biggest demands is the need for additional workforce,” said Damian Ferek, founder of the WV Energy Expo. “We understand that finding employees is almost as important as finding the work itself, and we wanted to tailor this year’s event to support the Energy Industry.”
At the backbone of the hiring event will be an area designated as the West Virginia Employment Resource area, anchored by the WV Department of Commerce and Workforce WV. Jobseekers will be able to utilize this area as the starting point to better understand all of the companies hiring, as well as the resources available within the state.
The WV Energy Expo will also feature On-Site Drug Testing throughout the day for the exhibiting companies. Advantage Occupational Medicine will be setup and administering same-day drug testing to help expedite the hiring process and allow for on-site interviews and hiring.
This year, the event will feature over 175 companies on display with an expected attendance of over 1,000 people throughout the day. Because of this year’s hiring aspect, the event is being promoted throughout the Mid-Atlantic, and other national energy-dominant regions to demonstrate the growth potential of West Virginia. As one of the top energy-producing states in the nation, West Virginia is quickly developing its available resources to benefit the growing demand for energy.
“Where coal, oil/gas and alternatives once operated and existed completely separately, the vision of this effort is to bring state-wide resources and these sectors together to learn from one another, grow stronger and prosper well into the future,” said Robbie Baylor, Executive Director of the Preston County Economic Development Authority and President of the WV Economic Development Council. “It is sure to be a can’t-miss event for all energy-related companies in the region.”
The WV Energy Expo starts at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 3, and will go to 5:00 p.m. For additional information on the event, please visit www.WVEnergyExpo.com.
