Barboursville Mayor looks to future business growth

Posted on | by Joe Bell

 

Barboursville Mayor looks to future business growth and economic prospects amid holiday shopping and pending new year

POSTED BY KATHERINESKELDON   WCHS 104.5 FM   ON DECEMBER 18, 2023

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — The Mayor of Barboursville is looking forward to a busy holiday shopping season and a new year of further growth in the city as several new businesses and economic developments get underway.

Mayor Chris Tatum said on The Dave Allen Show Monday the city’s revenue has seen a record-breaking year following the new developments. He said a major one still in the works, though, is the announcement of Dave & Buster’s to come to the Huntington Mall.

Tatum said although the popular arcade and entertainment establishment hasn’t made its way to the area yet, he feels its pending arrival alone will attract more holiday shoppers to the mall this year as the excitement builds for the first Dave & Buster’s to come to the state.

However, he said Dave & Buster’s only scratches the surface of all of the developing prospects coming to Barboursville and the entire state for the year ahead.

“There’s so many good things going on here, in Charleston, in the valley and what not,” Tatum said. “It’s such an exciting time and if people aren’t excited then they aren’t looking for anything to be excited about.”

He said as the city has already been voted one of the top retail and shopping destinations in the state by many national publications, this is only more motivation for them to work toward continued growth.

Tatum said every year he and other city representatives attend the International Association of Shopping Centers conference for a chance to network and develop relationships with potential business prospects to come to Barboursville, as he said the event brings in any entity you can imagine would be in a mall or retail center, all looking for more places to establish their businesses within.

He said it’s important to reach out to these retail and business representatives attending the conference in hopes of influencing them to establish roots in the area, even it’s one which seems like too big of a stretch for West Virginia to accommodate, because, he said taking the chance to get them here could always pay off.

“We do talk to folks like that, we have talked to them, we’ve talked to Topgolf, I mean I know that’s kind of high in the sky but I thought Dave and Busters six years ago was high in the sky,” he said.

Tatum said Barboursville has the largest shopping complex in the state, and the more and more businesses that establish in the area, the more others will follow.

“It makes people start looking at it, you point out the good, you point out kind of the numbers of where people are coming from to do their shopping, they start taking notice, and that’s how its all happened with Dave and Busters,” said Tatum.

Another new prospect which has come to the Huntington Mall, the Woody Williams Center for Advanced Learning and Careers, Tatum said will not only bring in economic development opportunities but educational opportunities to the area, as well.

“We’re happy to have that in our city, too, lots of learning opportunities, and lots of expanded learning opportunities for students here in Cabell County,” he said.

He said in addition, every county in the region will soon be benefitting from the impact of Nucor Steele currently being developed in Apple Grove in Mason County. The $3.1 billion steel mill is expected to bring in 800 new manufacturing jobs to the area.

Tatum said you can look at the growth going on throughout the entire state, and he said he is happy Barboursville can be a part of that.

“Doom and gloom I guess has been everyone’s mantra for a while now, or it seems that way, it always seems like the negative is pointed out, but man, we have so many positive things going on here and in the state, as well,” said Tatum.

He said the city expects to welcome Dave and Busters to the area for an official grand opening sometime in the spring or summer of 2024.

 

Hankook Tire doubling production, becoming largest private employer in Clarksville

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Hankook Tire to more than double production, becoming largest private employer in Clarksville

By Chris Smith December 7, 2023 11:53 am

Clarksville Now Courtesy Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board

The planned expansion, in white above, of the Hankook Tire plant in Clarksville. The existing facility is in gray.

 

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Hankook Tire has moved up its expansion plans, announcing this week that it will double its production – and the number of employees – over the course of the coming year. Once the expansion is complete, Hankook will be the largest private employer in Clarksville.

“What’s going to happen next I truly think will put Montgomery County and Clarksville and Hankook on the map as one of the largest employers – one of the most productive tire companies in the world,” Hankook North America Chief Operating Officer Rob Williams said at a Clarksville Industrial Association meeting on Thursday.

Hankook COO Rob Williams announces expansions at the Clarksville plant on Dec. 7, 2023. (Chris Smith)

“We’re going to be more than doubling our capacity. That will make us the fastest-growing tire company from a production standpoint in North America,” he said. “The investment is huge, not only in dollars but in human capital. That’s what I’m the most proud of, is that we’ll be more than doubling the work force here in Montgomery County and Clarksville.”

After the meeting, Williams provided more details to Clarksville Now, explaining that the tire manufacturer will implement both its Phase 2 and Phase 3 expansions by the end of 2025 or early 2026. Hankook previously said it would move up its Phase 2 expansion, and this week’s announcement adds Phase 3 to the mix.

The plant currently moves about 5 milion units a year. Phase 2 will add a production line for another 5 million consumer tires. Phase 3 will add a production line for medium commercial truck tires. Hankook will also be building another distribution center at the plant, Williams said. When all is said and done, the plant will produce a total 11 million units per year.

Hankook, located at 1950 International Blvd., currently has about 1,100 employees in Clarksville. After the expansions, it will employ over 2,200.

These expansions exceed what was promised when the Hankook plant was first announced 10 years ago in October 2013, and they will make Hankook the largest private employer in Clarksville, exceeding the 2,000-employee workforce at Trane.

Bass Pro Shops Grand Opening

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Shoppers hooked on Bass Pro Shops

New store reels in lovers of the great outdoors

LOCAL NEW  

NOV 16, 2023

MASON COLE

Reporter

mcole@tribtoday.com

Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Jim Gintner of Howland, along with Vivi, 4, and Brennan, 6, try on some Bass Pro Shops hats Wednesday during the grand opening of the new store in Niles.

 

NILES — Bass Pro Shops officially opened its doors at the Eastwood Mall Complex after a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by hundreds of customers Wednesday.

The grand opening gave lovers of the outdoors a chance to take advantage of deals on merchandise, with early Black Friday bargains and giveaways.

The ceremony, titled the “Evening for Conservation,” culminated with a percentage of proceeds on sales going toward local conservation efforts.

“This evening for conservation is a big deal,” Jimmy Houston, hall of fame angler and television host, said. “It’s a tremendous thing because the money raised here tonight will stay right here in this area.”

While initial plans were for 10% of every dollar spent during the evening to go toward local conservation efforts, Houston announced that Bass Pro officials were raising the donation to 20%.

Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, said he hoped the store would be embraced by residents of the Mahoning Valley.

“When you go into the shop, we hope you’re very proud,” Morris said.

“I walked in here a couple of weeks ago, I’m so proud. I just want to say thank you to every craftsman and woman, every artist, every talented person who worked on this. They worked hard to make this store your store, and it’s very unique to this region.”

According to a news release, Bass Pro Shops has a history of conservation support throughout Ohio, including work with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

The release said that in the past three years alone the company has granted over $100,000 to local organizations and conservation projects through the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.

The Niles location is the seventh in Ohio, and the only location within 150 miles of the Mahoning Valley.

Bruce Miller, general manager of the Niles location, said he is thrilled to see Bass Pro’s entry into Trumbull County.

Miller said the store will provide outdoorsmen with all of the products and equipment that they might need.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me,” he said. “I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and to bring this legendary brand back here and just to represent Johnny Morris and everything that he has built with this brand is absolutely incredible. We’ve got hunting, fishing, camping, clothing, anything that you can imagine to get you to the outdoors and enjoying the natural resources that we have in this area.”

The 93,000-square-foot store features a 5,000-gallon trough aquarium with 70 native fish. The store is filled with antique artifacts displayed along the walls, next to hand-painted murals celebrating Ohio farmlands and local hunting and fishing scenery, according to the news release. There also are several North American big game mounts and taxidermized wildlife dioramas lining the walls.

Anthony Cafaro Jr., co-president of the Cafaro Company, said the store will draw shoppers from across the state to the Eastwood complex.

“We’re thrilled to have Bass Pro Shops here at the Eastwood Mall complex,” he said. “This is the jewel of the Mahoning Valley, just having a destination retailer that is not just going to pull people from the local community, but from the region, it’s just outstanding.”

Product giveaways will be available over the five-day grand opening event. The store will be open for regular business hours the rest of the week.