*Feature Picture- Peggy Lovio, Bob Lovio, Senator Joe Manchin, Mark Hainer, David McCormick and Lisa McCormick attending the 81st WV Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit of 2017.
Approximately 1,000 business and community leaders met at the Greenbrier in White Suphur Springs to attend the 81st WV Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit of 2017. Over the course of 3 days, August 30th through September 1st, great speakers from around the state addressed their audience.
Governor Jim Justice kicked off the first day’s meetings by speaking about West Virginia being the 26th Workplace Freedom Right-to-Work state in America. Vice President, Mike Pence, marked the first time a sitting vice president has ever addressed the business summit’s audience. As the closing speaker of the first day, he encouraged support of President Trump’s tax proposal. Senator Joe Manchin agrees with Vice President Mike Pence.
Other first day speakers included West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, and Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson. The U.S. Congressmen representing West Virginia, David McKinley, Alex Mooney and Evan Jenkins also gave a presentation.
Among Thursday’s speakers were WV University President Gordon Gee and U.S. Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. Marshall University President Jerome Gilbert spoke on Friday.
Since its inception (2001), The West Virginia Business Hall of Fame has inducted 62 individuals from a variety of business sectors. This year, the ceremonies led the West Virginia Business Summit. Charles T. Jones, president and CEO of Amherst Madison, D. Stephen Walker, former president and CEO of Walker Machinery Company, and Robert O. Orders, CEO of Orders Construction Company are the inductees for the 2017 West Virginia Business Hall of Fame.
Omega Commercial Interiors, WVU Medicine and Mylan are among some of the area businesses that participated and attended. David McCormick, President of Omega Commercial Interiors, said, “It is the ‘super bowl’ of networking in West Virginia.” He has attended since 2001 and Peggy has since 2013. “It includes networking, business and legal related seminars and updates on legislation that affects businesses, speeches by state and federal office holders, a golf tournament and other activities. People from all corners of the state share different business, educational, legal and political objectives.”