Karen Facemyer, President, Polymer Alliance Zone, Inc.

1. Karen Facemyer
Polymer Alliance Zone of West Virginia
www.pazwv.org

2. PAZ & WV’s Plastics Industry
• Launched in 1996 by Executive
Order of the Governor
• Public Private Economic
Development Organization
• Mission to Promote Plastics
Industries in 3 County Area
• Market WV’s Plastic Industries
Globally

3. PAZ & WV’s Plastics Industry
• Over 75 Plastics Companies in WV
• Most Located in the Polymer
Alliance Zone
• Average Industry Wage is $54,000
per year
• More than 1 ½ Times the state’s
average of $37,000
•Over 7,300 Industry Employees in
the “Zone”
• Average Salary is $74,000/Year

4. PAZ & WV’s Plastics Industry
Four Primary Types of
Manufacturing:
• Plastics Material & Resins
• Final & Intermediate
Plastic/Polymer Products
• Chemical Additives
• Services

5. PAZ & WV’s Plastics Industry
• Plastics 2nd Largest Export Segment in WV
• Over $1.08 Billion in Plastics Products Exported in 2013
• WV Plastics Company Average Operating Profit of 8.5 %

6. Business-Friendly West Virginia
• Business Franchise Tax Will Be Eliminated By 2015
• Corporate Net Income Tax Reduced to 6.5% on 1/1/14
• WV Removed $165 million of Business Tax Burden in FY 2013
• WV is one of the most taxpayer-friendly states in the union:
• Kiplinger’s 2013 State-by-State Guide to Taxes

7. Plastics Cluster Development
• 165-Acre Polymer
Technology Park Near
Parkersburg
• Park Offers River &
Highway Access
• Over 500,000 Sq. Ft. of
Commercial Industrial
Space In Use
• New 80,000 Sq. Ft.
Polymer Tech Building
Available

8. Workforce Development
• Worker Training A Priority
• Host of Organizations, Colleges, Involved/Engaged
• Community College System Taking Lead
• “Earn More WV” Program (www.earnmorewv.org)

9. Workforce Development
Governor’s Guaranteed Workforce Program
• Training Awards for New or Expanding Companies
• Since Inception:
• Nearly $55 million awarded to employers
• Nearly 200,000 workers have received training

10. Game-Changing Opportunity
• Project ASCENT – “Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise”
• Ethane Cracker
• 3 Polyethylene Plants
• Associated Infrastructure

11. Game-Changing Opportunity
• Proposed $3.8 Billion Investment in Facility Construction
• $150 Million in Pipeline Development
• $40 Million Rail, Truck, Storage Facilities

12. Game-Changing Opportunity
• Best Part…..Projections for Downstream Development:
•$2 Billion in Additional Development
•$110 Million Annual Employee Compensation
•2,000 Additional Jobs

13. Game-Changing Opportunity

14. Karen Facemyer
Polymer Alliance Zone of West Virginia
www.pazwv.org