MARTINSBURG - It may have taken three years from looking at locations in Berkeley County to hosting a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, but Jason Singer, owner of CounterTop Solutions, said he is excited to now call Berkeley County home for his business.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Rep. Alex X. Mooney, R-W.Va., as well as state and local leaders celebrated the business environment in Berkeley County at the groundbreaking ceremony for CounterTop Solutions in Falling Waters and a dedication ceremony for Rankin Physical Therapy in Hedgesville.
CounterTop Solutions supplies and fabricates marble, granite and quartz countertops for residential and commercial clients. The company is relocating to Berkeley County from its manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, Maryland and Earth Art Slab Studio showroom in Williamsport, Maryland.
The 22,000 square-foot store will feature both a showroom and manufacturing space inside the Falling Waters Industrial Complex and will be located on Langston Boulevard. It is expected to open next spring and employ around 22 people.
Singer said he relocated the company to Berkeley County because of the benefits offered with the Falling Waters location, including high visibility from Interstate 81 and access to the interstate.
"There wasn't a comparable location in Maryland to this. We really wanted to own the property, and West Virginia came to use with some tax incentives and helped us to get over here. I can't say enough good words about how helpful West Virginia has been. This process has really opened up so many doors for us," he said.
Watching two businesses celebrate their success shows the growth and opportunities available in this area, Mooney said.
"We're experiencing opportunities here in the Eastern Panhandle that other parts of the state would love to have. There's jobs here, expanding population in this area, so there's enough of a population base to justify a business expansion. So this is a very good thing," he said.
The dedication ceremony for Rankin Physical Therapy in Hedgesville, at 181 Roaring Lion Dr., showcased the fourth location in the Eastern Panhandle for owner Kelley Rankin. Open since February, the center represents a business that employs about 80 people and has invested nearly $6 million locally.
"We try to put centers where we think care is needed," Rankin said. "We were a little nervous about expanding into Berkeley County in a big way, and we made a big investment in this building. But, we've been very well supported. It happened very quickly. The numbers in the first two months were what we expected in the first two years. It's been wonderful."
Rankin said he plans to open at least four more locations in Inwood, Shepherdstown, Charles Town and Collinsburg, Pennsylvania.
After spending the day with growing companies in Berkeley County, West Virginia Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette said it is a "big deal" to have businesses willing to take the risk of relocating and expanding.
"It's wonderful to have this type of growth here. Procter & Gamble gets a lot of attention, but this is the real blood that runs through the economy. It's the companies that employ 25 jobs and are family-based and are growing. That's what makes this so important," he said.
Capito said it was a joint effort between local and state governments and organizations to promote an environment of development and job creation that made these business opportunities a smart investment.
"The area is growing and it's business friendly. I think (Berkeley County) council, the development authority and the chamber all work together to find the right conditions to have Kelley Rankin want to expand his business here or have a business want to relocate from Maryland here," she said.
"I think the dream has always been if you live in the Eastern Panhandle you can work here too, and now that's coming true," she said.