Topic: And the Hits just keep . . .

[coalherd]

. . . right on coming for the City of Huntington!! I, of course, am talking about an article by the business writer of the Herald-Dispatch about a week ago (July 31st) regarding a local business, Richwood Industries.  This company was founded in Huntington in 1976 and currently has 216 employees working at 4 locations in the City.  However, starting in 2023, they are beginning a complete move to ONE location in the Paul Coffey Industrial Park in Ashland, KY.  Deal is done, apparently Huntington couldn't offer anything to compete with the location in KY which appears to be what is needed for the business to consolidate all its locations, improve its overall operations and as a result grow and prosper.  Wonder if City officials contacted anyone in Gov. Big Jim's Commerce Dept. in the State Capitol to try and keep this business in H-town?

216 jobs just "Poof" and like that will up and disappear completely in the City in a couple years or so.  I'm sure that will have "no" impact whatsoever on Marshall University's future prospects.  Many, as we know, in the "We Will" City will just keep their heads buried in the sand, no doubt reading another article about "Lost Huntington" in the Herald-Disgrace, and comfortably dream wistfully of "yesterday".  Same people who for decades have just comfortably sat back while watching Huntington decay and decline, with no real indication of recovery and reversal of fortune.

However, I'm sure the City leadership/administration are busy brainstorming on just how quickly a ramped-up and larger needle giveaway/exchange "program" can be underway!!

[Toro Toro Taxi]

Huntington is a cluster!@#$ , always has been and always will. To many unelected people have influence here , its done nothing but to keep the city back , probably to the 50's.

[goherd73]

From the HD article referenced above:



There was a local effort to keep Richwood in Huntington, according to the city?s mayor Steve
Williams.
?I had several conversations with the company and attempted to explore what the city could do or
offer to persuade them to stay,? Williams said. ?I told them their history in Huntington is important and I
wanted to do whatever was necessary to get them to stay. Unfortunately, there was nothing we would
or could offer them to dissuade them from their decision to move. I was told that the real estate deal
that they made was such that they could not walk away from it.?

Williams said he asked what Kentucky offered, but was told nothing.
?It was a pure real estate transaction that enables Richwood to consolidate all their operations into
one location,? he said. ?I wanted to offer property at ACF and they indicated their deal was done and
they don?t walk away from their word.?

[coalherd]

From the HD article referenced above:



There was a local effort to keep Richwood in Huntington, according to the city?s mayor Steve
Williams.
?I had several conversations with the company and attempted to explore what the city could do or
offer to persuade them to stay,? Williams said. ?I told them their history in Huntington is important and I
wanted to do whatever was necessary to get them to stay. Unfortunately, there was nothing we would
or could offer them to dissuade them from their decision to move. I was told that the real estate deal
that they made was such that they could not walk away from it.?

Williams said he asked what Kentucky offered, but was told nothing.
?It was a pure real estate transaction that enables Richwood to consolidate all their operations into
one location,? he said. ?I wanted to offer property at ACF and they indicated their deal was done and
they don?t walk away from their word.?

Well, wonder what, if anything, did City and Mayor do to try and keep the Pepsi facility in the city before they decided to relocate elsewhere (up around Culloden, IIRC)?  People always seem to want to argue that WV's lack of available flat land as a prime reason for failure to grow and economic stagnation.  Well, City of Huntington has gone from 83,000 people to about 46 thousand over several decades.  Yet, to my knowledge the city has not, geographically, shrunk One Damn Inch!  Probably has as much or more flat land overall within the city limits than most other major cities in the State.  So, with some planning and LEADERSHIP, there should be a lot of available area for new business, industry, smaller manufacturing type facilities to locate and grow.  Clearing dilapidated facilities, houses, business structures, etc., shouldn't just be done for future residential purposes, but for commercial as well.

Unfortunately, seems City Government, leaders, etc., are too heavily involved in "social" issues, mainly drug rehab, needle exchange programs, etc.  Economic development needs to be just as emphasized and pushed by City leaders, IMO, because good jobs opportunities can be just as important a weapon to fight and overcome drug addiction and abuse.