U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., sat down across the table Friday from representatives of a new Fayette County business, one with international roots.
Capito met with company leadership and toured the facilities at Gainwell Engineering, an India-based mining equipment company with its U.S. headquarters for sales and repairs in Hico. Gainwell officials and local dignitaries cut the ribbon for the Fayette location on June 16.
During her July 15 visit, Capito talked with Jason Sizemore, general manager for U.S. operations for Gainwell Engineering; Sujoy Banerjee, Gainwell's group chief people officer and group head — marketing; Allison Taylor, president of the Fayette County Commission; and the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority's Jenna Grayson. They touched on a variety of topics, including the shipping procedure for repaired parts.
"An unusual and great point here about Gainwell; it's an international company, so it's international coal, and I think that is a more sustainable probably model in terms of not just what's here in West Virginia or across this country but also in Australia and other places," said Capito. "So that's exciting for me, to be the U.S. hub for that.
"We have the skill set and the work force here in the Fayette County area to be able to man this facility, and when it's up and running in full, that's going to be a lot of jobs," she continued. "That's good diversification. We have the tourism aspects, but this manufacturing is something that's important."
And the need for such jobs will be there in the future, the senator said. "But you know what? Coal is going to be around. The met coal prices are way up, and the export coal is way up, and our domestic use is up. So, I think we have to be smart in this country to realize we need an all-of-the-above energy policy, and I think that's going to be reflected in places like this."
Sizemore was pleased with Capito's visit. "This is huge for the company, to know that there are officials like that within the state that support us as a company, as an industry," he said. "It's very motivating for us.
"From a community perspective, people are starting to learn who we are," Sizemore added. "We are starting to see a lot of positive feedback." That has come from the community at-large, individuals checking into the timeline for an expansion of the workforce crew, and customers, he said.
During their meeting, Sizemore and Banerjee presented Capito with a letter of thanks from Gainwell Engineering owner Sunil Chaturvedi.
Gainwell's stated mission is to enhance the mining industry in North America with spare parts sales and support, equipment rebuilds and repairs, and new equipment sales. The firm says it wants to employ more than 40 people at the facility in the next three years.
According to Taylor, a request for earmark funding has been submitted to aid the push to provide sewage service in the area and bolster the area infrastructure.
Also during her weekend in the Mountain State, Capito helped do a feature on the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and also engaged in discussion "on how can we get along better in Congress" and "what are my perceptions on how to improve things." The itinerary included a stop by Cathedral Café and some hiking, as well. "It was fun to show West Virginia off" to visitors from New York, she said.
On another topic, Capito said, "I've been following the Jan. 6 hearings; I think we need to hear everything. I'm sorry it's one-sided and sort of politically charged. I wish we'd had a more even kind of approach to this, but I do think everything needs to come out and will come out, and that's good for the country."