Cabell County Growth

In recent years, Huntington and its surrounding cities have seen major growth in education, health care, economic and workforce development and tourism. None of this would be possible without having determined, hardworking and genuine leaders at the forefront.

“Good leaders not only help you get where you think you need to go, but they also help you go where you didn’t know you could go,” Marc Williams, managing partner of Nelson Mullins’ West Virginia office says, inspired by Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the United States.

With companies like Nucor Corporation deciding to bring their businesses to this region, the opportunities for growth are immeasurable.

Education and Health Care

From announcing the Fourth Avenue Innovation District to formalizing its longstanding partnership with Mountain Health Network and Marshall Health, Marshall University has blazed trails in the education and health care industries.

Marshall is currently experiencing the highest enrollment rates it has had in the last decade.

“From a university standpoint, we’re thrilled about the current developments,” says Toney Stroud, chief legal counsel and vice president for strategic initiatives and corporate relations at Marshall University. “Marshall’s enrollment has been declining for the past decade, but this year, we’ve experienced a remarkable turnaround with a 4% overall increase and an impressive 13% surge in our freshman class. Our enrollment numbers are moving in a positive direction, and we believe our strategy and vision will result in continued growth.”

To keep this momentum going, Marshall has been working on implementing the Fourth Avenue Innovation District, a two-block development west of the Old Main building. Stroud shares that the goal of this $250 million project is to connect Marshall’s campus to downtown Huntington. The innovation district will include many different amenities, one being a new cybersecurity building.

“Thanks to the state’s allocation of $45 million, we’re embarking on the construction of a new cybersecurity institute at the intersection of Hal Greer Boulevard and 4th Avenue,” Stroud shares. “Housed within a new mixed-use innovation district, this 70,000-square-foot facility will be designated as a Center of Excellence by the Department of Defense. We’re enthusiastic about this partnership and the crucial infrastructure initiatives we’ll undertake for the national security of our country.”

Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center is also moving to the innovation district.

“We will repurpose the one remaining building on the old ACF Industries manufacturing site in Huntington into a state-of-the-art welding and robotics center,” says Mike Friel, director of communication. “This will enable us to boost our capacity for welding and manufacturing, nearly doubling the number of students we serve.”

In addition to its educational successes, Marshall is taking great strides in the health care industry with a newly integrated academic health system. Marshall Health Network is composed of four hospitals, including Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Hoops Family Children’s Hospital and Rivers Health, along with Marshall Health, the newly integrated group practice.

“Our integration under the Marshall Health Network banner harnesses the collective power of we to advance health, inspire hope and best serve our patients. As a true academic health system, we are bringing a holistic shift in how we deliver health care, how we train future health care professionals and how we engage with our communities with more promising opportunities on the horizon,” says Beth Hammers, MBA, CEO of Marshall Health.

Cabell County is a primary and specialty health care hub for the state, including the services provided by the health department.

The Cabell-Huntington Health Department is one of only two health departments in West Virginia that is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board.

“We just completed a community health assessment, which impacts the entire county,” says Elizabeth Adkins, M.S., administrator for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department. “This report allows us to develop a community health improvement plan where we identify and address areas to improve upon over the next year or two years.”

According to the health department’s 2023 Community Health Assessment Report, Cabell County has more than twice the availability of primary care physicians as the state and nation overall.

Economic and Workforce Development

For Huntington communities to thrive, unglamorous yet significant improvements need to be made, one of which is the Hal Greer Boulevard project. With its location being so close to Marshall’s campus, this multi-year, $17.8 million project prioritizes safety by providing better lighting and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists. The city is also investing its time and money in the wastewater system.

“Between now and 2030, the Huntington Sanitary Board, of which Mayor Steve Williams is chairman, will make $262 million worth of improvements to our sanitary sewer and storm water infrastructure,” says Bryan Chambers, communications director for the City of Huntington. “These are much-needed improvements that have been neglected for decades, and the funding is in place. Of that $262 million, $210 million will go toward a new wastewater treatment plant.”

This overhaul of the wastewater system is vital as the current plant is at 97% capacity. With more industries coming to Huntington, more issues arise with what the sewer system can treat.

Chris Chiles, executive director of the Region 2 Planning and Development Council, touches on another infrastructure improvement—the addition of a new welcome center.

“The Division of Highways was awarded $1.5 million to design and construct a new West Virginia Welcome Center off of I-64 Exit 8, which is the 5th Street exit,” Chiles explains. “This welcome center will be accessible from both directions of traffic on the interstate, and it can also serve as a visitor center for some of the tourism-related activities in the area. From the 5th Street exit, you can be in downtown Huntington in 10 minutes, or you can be in rural Wayne County in the other direction in 10 minutes. There is a good mix of urban and rural experiences off this exit.”

The need for housing is another challenge unfortunately shared by many cities in the Mountain State, but Huntington constantly works to find solutions, one of them being the transformation of the old Pritchard Hotel building. This $50 million project will create 108 affordable apartments for seniors, as well as two full floors of health care and community services for the residents. These services will be maintained by Marshall Health Network.

Tricia Ball, president and CEO of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, touches on a regional housing study that Advantage Valley recently unveiled which was completed on Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Putnam, Roane, Mason and Wayne counties. The purpose of this study was to analyze the region’s ever-evolving housing market and encourage residential development to meet current and future housing needs.

“It’s interesting because in a healthy economy, the rental vacancy rate is 4 to 6%, and ours is less than 1%,” she shares. “To me, this is one of our biggest economic development challenges. We don’t have enough rental units or housing stock on the market. It’s hard for a middle-class or lower-class family to afford the housing that is available. Residential housing development for our area is going to be the main focus.”

Mountwest Community and Technical College prioritizes workforce development, which is why it continuously introduces new programs to better serve its students.

“The college built a two-year program with St. Mary’s School of Respiratory Care,” says Karen Horner, director of communication and outreach for Mountwest. “The students can take their general education courses here and finish the program-related content at St. Mary’s Center for Education. The degree will be awarded through Mountwest.”

Horner also shares that the college’s alcohol and drug counseling program that was launched in fall 2023 has seen great success. Students can obtain a two-year degree in alcohol and drug counseling or a one-year certificate in addiction studies.

Mountwest is in the process of launching a tech marketing program for fall 2024. It’s being created in response to feedback from local businesses that feel there is a high demand for the skills that will be taught in this program.

“One of the courses we’re currently offering is an introduction to social media marketing. It’s a free five-week course,” Horner explains. “We’re also offering another free class on content creation. Both of these classes are non-credit. So, students can earn a micro-credential upon completion of the introduction to social media marketing and a micro-credential for the content creation course. The micro-credentials can then be converted into for-credit down the road.”

For some of its programs, Mountwest partners with businesses throughout Cabell County to ensure students are ready for the workforce after graduating.

“We have partnerships with Marshall Health Network, Cabell Huntington Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center to do the patient care tech program,” says Horner. “Students can take the eight-week phlebotomy course and the eight-week EKG individually, or they can take them as part of the patient care tech program.”

Retaining young professionals in the Mountain State is part of why the City of Huntington and other community leaders invest so much time in the city itself. Julian Pecora, associate attorney at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP and founder of Counsel Connections, speaks on the importance of collaboration when working to improve the quality of life for those in the Mountain State

“I’m not aware of any other state in the country that is able to plan events to bring people 35 years of age and younger together from all levels of government and different businesses around the state to come and invest in you,” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s the power of collaboration. Groups like Counsel Connections, Huntington Young Professionals, PutnamCREW and Up Next Charlie West are breaking down barriers and tearing down lines. These groups are not making money from this—they do it because they genuinely care about West Virginia.”

Tourism

From baseball and indoor skiing to festivals and glass blowing, the Huntington area is experiencing major growth in its tourism industry.

Marshall University’s new baseball stadium, Jack Cook Field, will be home to the Tri-State Coal Cats Appalachian League team.

“It’s exciting to have a baseball park in Huntington,” says Stroud. “The Tri-State Coal Cats will start playing games in June, so we look forward to that and the economic development associated with it. This marks a historic moment for Marshall University as, for the first time in its history, it has a home for its baseball team. The Marshall family has long awaited its own baseball stadium, and now it has finally become a reality.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Heritage Farm Museum and Village implemented new adventure components such as a rock-climbing wall, ziplining and a challenge course. Heritage Farm plans to add a year-round ski and sledding park.

“It’s going to be one of the few of its kind in the country. Heritage Farm aims to start construction this summer, and it is projected to be open for the winter 2024-2025 season,” shares Tyson Compton, president of Huntington Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Two of Huntington’s most notable festivals are the West Virginia Hot Dog Festival and Rails & Ales. The hot dog festival is held on the last Saturday of July. Hot dog businesses from all around the state come together to raise money for children in the region facing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Rails & Ales is a beer festival that takes place along the Ohio River. It’s hosted by the Better Beer Coalition, whose mission is to promote a craft beer culture in the area and to improve access by demonstrating the local demand to craft breweries and distributors.

Another draw for tourists and locals alike is Blenko Glass Company. Blenko is one of the last surviving glass manufacturers in West Virginia.

“We make all of our glass from scratch, which is unique in most art glass contexts,” says James Arnett, creative director for Blenko. “We make our moulds for production work from scratch. Our design work and, of course, our glass working, is done on our campus. We are purely Appalachian and American in our manufacturing model and methodologies, which we’re incredibly proud of. It’s a perfectly American product that you’re buying.”

With these dynamic initiatives happening throughout the city, Huntington is bound to flourish as a vibrant hub of innovation, opportunity and community prosperity.