CHARLESTON — During his two decades in the West Virginia Legislature, Mitch Carmichael rose to become one of the most influential players in West Virginia politics.
The former Senate president, who represented Jackson County from 2012 to 2020, recently began a new role that puts him in charge of some of the state’s most visible policies and initiatives.
While Carmichael may no longer hold elected office, in his new position as the first Cabinet-level secretary of Economic Development, he will continue to play an important role in setting the state’s political tone, trajectory and goals.
In March, Gov. Jim Justice signed House Bill 2019 into law, which removed the state departments of Tourism and Economic Development from within the Commerce Department and established them as separate, distinct entities within the executive branch.
“The governor, to his credit, said we want an absolute focus on economic development, broadband expansion and community advancement and development,” Carmichael said, “which all falls underneath the now-secretary of Economic Development.”
Justice said the move was intended to emphasize the importance of both agencies in his administration’s strategy to create jobs, diversify the economy and attract new residents.
“I am excited beyond belief to officially elevate our economic development and tourism offices to cabinet-level agencies because these are the areas that enable us to tell West Virginia’s story and market ourselves to the outside world,” Justice said. “This is going to bring so much goodness and opportunity to our state, it’s unbelievable.”
Carmichael, who also served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2000 to 2012, said his years of experience in the Legislature greatly aid his new position.
“It’s an incredible benefit to have been Senate president and have legislative experience so that when I’m interacting with the Legislature, I know exactly what their expectations are and what their thoughts are around economic development,” he said. “We all kind of bring different experiences to our various roles and having had that role, I feel, is a big benefit for me.”
He understands he has been tasked with tackling a broad list of some of the state’s biggest barriers to economic progress, Carmichael said.
“Here’s how we rank ourselves and the metrics we use: Are there more jobs and opportunities in West Virginia than there were yesterday? Do more people have broadband internet connectivity then they did yesterday? And we continually improve those metrics,” he said. “That’s how we approach the bigger issues, on a macro-scale, of saying how can we recruit companies, sell West Virginia as a business location to the rest of the nation and to the world?”
One of the first major initiatives Carmichael’s office has been involved with is Justice’s recently announced $1 billion broadband expansion strategy, which aims to bring internet access to more than 200,000 additional homes and businesses.
The strategy will add a $236 million state broadband program to $362 million in Federal Communications Commission funding and $120 million from other state and federal sources, for a total of $718 million in government funding expected to be allocated by fall 2022.
The funds will be allocated through competitive programs that draw matching funds from private-sector and local government partners, generating more than $1 billion in total broadband investment.
The state Broadband Office projects the first homes and businesses to be connected in the state-based program will gain broadband access by the end of the year.
Aspects of the strategy will start “immediately,” Carmichael said.
“You’ll start to see an immediate impact with some of the programs that are in place. There are various programs that are incorporated into this entire aggregate of $1 billion,” he said. “That’s our goal, to have plenty of new connections before the end of the year. But over a period of time, two years maximum on some of these programs and on some of the federal programs, up to five years. So it takes some time, but the effort is ongoing, it’s immediate, it’s concentrated and it’s focused.”
Meanwhile, his office is in talks with numerous companies and investors about potential projects in the state, Carmichael said.
“There are lots of projects that are in various stages of recruitment and discussions that we are under NDA agreements with — nondisclosure agreements,” he said. “There are some big entities that are exploring West Virginia, and we’re in competition with other states to attract these entities.”
He and his team are constantly in the process of selling the state and telling its story, Carmichael said.
“To help create this narrative, we go to a lot of international and national conferences with site selection people, consultants and we’re interacting with that group to create that buzz around West Virginia,” he said. “We’re being so successful with it right now.”
Carmichael pointed to the recent announcement from CS Global Group, a Turkish mining company that specializes in barite manufacturing and sales, saying it had selected Moundsville as the location for its first manufacturing plant in the United States.
The company, incorporated in West Virginia as ADO Industries Inc., is expected to create 47 full-time jobs and it plans to invest $10 million in the facility, which will be operational by the first quarter of 2022.
“We are so thrilled to welcome ADO Industries to West Virginia and help them bring their business to the Northern Panhandle and provide good-paying jobs to the incredible people of Marshall County and Moundsville,” he said. “The leadership of Gov. Justice, who has built the ultimate pro-business climate in this state along with the West Virginia Legislature, and the willingness of West Virginians to go the extra mile are just some of the things that made this investment possible. We look forward to working with ADO Industries and CS Global Group for many years to come.”
As the first person to hold the position of West Virginia secretary of Economic Development, he has the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy and set a template for his successors, Carmichael said.
“I hope the legacy we’re able to establish here is people are able to look back at this moment in our state’s history and say, ‘They did everything they could at this moment to advance the cause of prosperity and opportunity in our state,’” he said.