West Virginia Business Hall of Fame nominations now open

The West Virginia Business Hall of Fame has announced that the nomination process for 2019 inductees is open until Nov. 30.

The event, which kicks off the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit at The Greenbrier, saw its largest crowd this past August. The event will be next held on Aug. 27, 2019, and is hosted annually by the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics.

Since the inception of the Hall of Fame in 2001, 68 individuals with strong ties to West Virginia have been inducted for their significant and lasting contributions in national and/or international businesses, state-based enterprises and entrepreneurial and family businesses.

“The accomplishments and successes of those individuals inducted into the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame have molded and transformed the business landscape in our state,” said W. Marston “Marty” Becker, chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee and a 2009 inductee. “The Hall of Fame is designed to recognize and honor these success stories, and to harness the energy and momentum of what they have accomplished to propel West Virginia forward.”

Inductees this year included Linda Arnold, founder and former chairman and CEO of The Arnold Agency, Charleston; Andrew J. Paterno, CEO of Centurion Insurance Services, LLC, Charleston; and Brad Smith, chairman and CEO of Inuit, San Francisco Bay, California.

Inductees are seen as people who have had a noteworthy impact on West Virginia’s business landscape and have demonstrated commitment and success in the state.  They have either been educated in West Virginia, built their careers in West Virginia or are native West Virginians. Additionally, they serve as commendable role models for students and younger generations everywhere. Nominees are not required to be West Virginia natives or graduates from in-state institutions, and are chosen by an independent selection committee.

“The Hall of Fame event grew to the point where it took on a new identity by kicking off the West Virginia Business Summit in 2017,” Becker said. “We have seen a marked increase in engagement and participation in the event by the stakeholders in West Virginia’s business community, including business leaders and policymakers, and that engagement really defines the purpose of the Hall of Fame.”

See complete nomination criteria and further information on the Hall of Fame.