They say all good things must come to an end. James H. “Buck” Harless worked his entire life to become the exception to that rule. His charitable spirit, his faith and his devotion to people will be forever impressed upon the hills of West Virginia and beyond.
There’s a reason the phrase “Wild and Wonderful” is used to describe the Mountain State. West Virginia is full of magnificent views, inspiring success stories and phenomenal people. At West Virginia Executive, it’s more than just a slogan or a description, though. It’s a mission. In every publication we produce, our goal is to help show not only the state’s beautiful, action-packed attributes but also its success stories—our wildly entrepreneurial and wonderfully talented people.
Everyday life is dependent on reliable infrastructure: water and sewer systems, roads and bridges and even schools, hospitals and airports. For the design, construction and maintenance of these elements that provide a higher quality of living, we look to the construction trades industry, comprised of construction, architecture and engineering.
Located in the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve sits on 10,600 acres of forested mountains adjacent to more than 70,000 acres of the New River Gorge National River area. On July 15-24, the summit played host to the first of many national Scout jamborees that will be held at the site, which is the new permanent home of the event. By all accounts, the inaugural jamboree at the summit was a resounding success—both for the Boy Scouts of America and for the State of West Virginia.
Green preservation expert Carl Elefante has been credited with the saying, “The greenest building is the one that is already built.” Although sustainability has become a fast-growing trend, reusing old buildings is not a new concept. For hundreds of years, old buildings have found new purposes through adaptive reuse for economic, social and, more recently, environmental reasons. In West Virginia, creative architects, contractors and individuals are changing the landscape by reusing historic buildings and breathing new life into communities.
West Virginia’s construction sector remains on the road to recovery. While job gains have not been consistent on a monthly basis over the course of 2013, employment in the sector has increased at a strong pace overall.