Kris Hopkins, executive director of the West Virginia Development Office, announces Jeff Vandall to fill the newly created post of sales director for the West Virginia Development Office Business and Industrial Development Division.
“Jeff has extensive experience working with North America’s largest corporations and a successful career leading technical, financial and sales teams,” said Hopkins. “His experience, combined with his deep affection for his native West Virginia, will enable him to take this new position and shape it into an effective tool for attracting business to our state.”
West Virginia native Vandall graduated from Ravenswood High School in Jackson County. He received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from West Virginia University and was immediately hired by global technology company IBM. He held various sales, technical and management posts in IBM’s regional and North American business. He has worked closely with Fortune 100 companies, with a focus on the financial services sector, “scale out” computer and storage technologies, and open systems.
Vandall served as senior state executive for IBM West Virginia for 12 years. His most recent position was as an IBM North American Business Unit executive, which entailed leading a team with worldwide sales and distribution responsibilities.
Currently Vandall and wife Laura, a pharmacist at the CAMC Cancer Center, live in Charleston with two of their three children, Katherine and Jeffery Jr. Daughter Sara Towle (nee Vandall) also lives in Charleston.
The West Virginia Development Office, under the West Virginia Department of Commerce, works both domestically and abroad to recruit, retain and expand industries in the state. The Development Office serves as the lead for new business recruitment and helps established businesses expand and succeed. The agency works with local governments and economic developers to achieve these goals.
BID conducts aggressive marketing campaigns to reach new, expanding and relocating companies in West Virginia’s target industries. The division coordinates information on state assistance with areas such as infrastructure, loan programs, labor force recruitment, worker training resources, tax credits and site location.
In addition to BID, other programs housed within the Development Office are the International division, the Small Business Development Center, and the Community Advancement and Development division.
For more information, visit www.westvirginia.gov.
