A company that got its start on TV soon will call West Virginia home.
Prime 6, a manufacturer of wood-based charcoal alternatives, held a groundbreaking ceremony in Fairmont Friday to celebrate its plan to invest $35 million in transforming the former Philips Lighting facility into a new manufacturing plant.
The plant is expected to create between 75 and 100 new employment opportunities, according to the company.
Friday’s ceremony was attended by Gov. Jim Justice, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a host of state and local leaders and Kevin O’Leary, one of the hosts of “Shark Tank.”
Prime 6 co-founders Oron and Riki Franco appeared on Season 12 of the popular business pitch show and struck a deal with O’Leary, known as “Mr. Wonderful.”
“Today we celebrate a significant milestone: Becoming a made-in-America brand,” said Riki Franco on Friday. “We chose Fairmont because we believe in the power of community. We are excited to work hand-in-hand with the talented, hardworking people of this region, creating new jobs, supporting the local economy and establishing Fairmont as a hub for innovation.”
Prime 6’s investment is another step toward the goal of diversifying West Virginia’s economy, Justice said.
“Today, West Virginia puts another stake in the sand,” he said.
“This great company, with this great lady and this great man, who have absolutely said, ‘We’re going to do things better in America; we’re going to do things better in this great world,” Justice said.
O’Leary, who has appeared on “Shark Tank” since 2009, said small businesses like Prime 6 play an integral role in the nation’s economy.
“62% of the jobs in America are created by companies with between five and 500 employees,” he said. “That’s not some of the economy, that’s the whole damn thing. That’s how it works — you’ve got to build small businesses with adventurers, take risks, create jobs, grow and build a community.”
Capito thanked O’Leary for his role in bringing the company to the Mountain State.
“It’s great to welcome Mr. Wonderful to Wild and Wonderful, again,” Capito said. “We met about a year ago in Charleston and learned about the possibilities for Prime 6 and the vision of Prime 6 would be for West Virginia. And here we are, seeing it come to life.”
Justice originally announced Prime 6’s plans to locate in West Virginia in August, during the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting and Business Summit.
The company initially planned to set up shop in the former Novelis Aluminum Plant in Buckhannon. Upshur County officials recently confirmed the company had selected a different site.
“Prime 6 will no longer be pursuing a location here due to an inability to reach an agreement on the property,” said Brandon Tenney, director of the county’s Development Authority.
The Novelis facility, which employed many local residents, shut down in June, leaving a void in the community’s economic landscape.
“Our top priority is to ensure that the jobs that were previously located there are recovered,” Tenney said.
The Novelis site was “ultimately deemed infeasible” for Prime 6 “due to environmental challenges requiring extensive and costly remediation that would have taken too long to address,” said C.J. Harvey, director of communications for Justice’s office.