The Positively West Virginia Podcast

Mike Green serves as the chairman of the West Virginia Growth Investment Fund and managing director of Mountain State Capital. In these roles, Mike provides mentorship and funding to entrepreneurs and early stage companies. He began serving on the West Virginia Board of Education in 2009 and served as the board president for a time. He is also on the West Virginia High Tech Consortium Foundation b...

Ryan Lemley is the owner of Ridge Roasters Coffee. Ridge Roasters Coffee is a roasting company that locally roasts the finest coffees from Honduras, Ethiopia, Guatemala and other countries in small batches to the most exacting standards. The result is an exceptional coffee roast that has won the hearts and pallets of coffee lovers across the mountain state. Ryan and his wife Carley are coffee love...

Dwayne Freeman is the owner of Appalachian Distillery. Appalachian Distillery is a family owned business that makes premium sour mash moonshine, whiskey, and bourbon, owned by Dwayne and his wife Sandy Freeman. They are a growing company that plans to employ up to eight people in the near future. They have the capacity to produce 12,000 gallons of moonshine per year. With only a handful of reputab...

Heather Cyphert is the Managing Director of four companies that she and her husband own, based in Westover, West Virginia. Those companies include: Precision Tool, Performance Hydraulics, Progressive Industries, and Phoenix Trucking. Heather grew up in a family that knows the joys and the challenges of a family owned enterprise. After earning her BS degree in Journalism at West Virginia University...

Danny Fink is the president of Premier Tax Consulting LLC. Premier Tax Consulting specializes in working with small to midsize businesses primarily in North Central West Virginia. Danny noticed that most accounting firms spend most of their time focused on recording past history by preparing financial statements and tax returns. Of course Premier provides those services as well because they must b...

Tony Figaretti is the owner of Figaretti Manufacturing and Distribution Incorporated. In the early 1940s, Tony's grandparents and their five sons began packaging and selling their delicious pasta sauce to local grocery stores in the Wheeling area. The sauce became so popular they decided to open a restaurant. In 1949, Figaretti Brothers Restaurant opened in Wheeling. The restaurant has remained in...

Sierra Cox is the co-owner of Wonder Valley Farm, a veteran-owned agritourism business in Gandeeville, West Virginia that concentrates on lavender, bees, and forest botanicals. Sierra and her business partner traded in their uniforms for overalls when they separated from the US Navy and created Wonder Valley Farm. They envisioned bringing some of the West Coast flare they experienced while station...

Ruston Seaman is the managing partner of New Vision Renewable Energy, a non-profit social enterprise. He also founded GLOgames Basketball, a company that designs and builds LED basketball rims. New Vision is a Christian community development organization working to re-energize communities. It evolved from a rich history of ministry and development in rural communities in Appalachia and around the...

James L. Estep has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the High Technology Foundation in Fairmont, West Virginia, since June of 2000. The High Technology Foundation's mission is to facilitate economic diversification. Through the High Technology Foundation Jim has positioned the I-79 Technology Park as the premiere economic diversification effort in the state. It has […]

Brian Joseph is president and CEO of Touchstone Research Laboratories, in Triadelphia, West Virginia. The company was founded by Brian in the 1980s right out of college. The company develops patents and products and is one of the most innovative and successful commercial research and development organizations in the U.S. Based on their inventions Touchstone is establishing three new high-tech busi...

Chad Remp is operations manager of Wheeling Truck Center incorporated, a family owned business in Wheeling, West Virginia. The company was founded in 1933 and is an authorized Volvo truck dealership. The company also sells trucks and truck parts around the US and to multiple countries around the world. The international sales division was started by Chad himself in 2010. Chad is also the chair of...

Logan Hartle is the president of  Warwood Tool Company in Wheeling, West Virginia. For 164 years the Warwood Tool Company has forged world class, 100% U.S.A. made hand tools of the highest quality right here in West Virginia. Logan studied industrial engineering at West Virginia University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering. He launched a decorative concrete...

Chad Daniel is the co-owner of Daniel Vineyards in Crab Orchard, West Virginia. Daniel Vineyards, founded in 1990, is a family owned and operated conservation grape farm and estate winery. Their 192 acre property boasts 30 acres of perfectly manicured West Virginia grown grapes. Chad is 25 years old and was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia. After graduating from Culinary school, his twin...

Drs. Lucas and Amy Watterson cofounded Mountain State Wellness in Morgantown, WV in 2002. Since then their practice has continued to grow every year and has helped more than 5,000 people from 10 different states. They also enjoy many outdoor activities, raising their two daughters, and entertaining in their mountaintop home.

Arria Hines serves as CEO and President at  Allegheny Science and Technology (AST) . She proudly wears other hats as well: award-winning entrepreneur, successful business woman, trusted advisor, valued mentor, and native West Virginian. She is recognized as a leader in her home state and in areas throughout AST's geographic business footprint. Arria's desire to counsel, support, and give back to s...

John Deskins, PhD serves as Assistant Dean, Director of the BBER and as an associate professor of economics at the College of Business and Economics at WVU, discusses the West Virginia business outlook.

Forge Business Solutions  is a veteran-owned business founded upon the principle of service above self. President and CEO, Frank Vitale started Forge to help companies thrive in any aspect. From developing new markets, identifying potential customers, human resources training, investor relations and beyond.

This is a special edition of the Positively West Virginia podcast. Jim talks about Alignment 2018 and recaps some of the events like John Deskins session and the small business panel he was a part of. Jim also talks about the report from the  The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)  that centers around how small business is at record highs and it is a great time to own a small busin...

Happiness is a State of Mine  is a new WV based company looking to not only provide a comfortable, well-made product to fellow West Virginians, but also aim to cultivate happiness and shed a positive spotlight on all of the wonderful and culturally diverse things West Virginia has to offer.

KeyLogic  is a leading provider of professional services and engineering solutions for research and development technologies that transform how federal agencies operate. We specialize in developing unique solutions, bolstered by exceptional service and comprehensive capabilities, that improve an organization's technology management, business intelligence, data analytics, budget formulation and bio...

WV Eye Consultants  provides you with the most technically advanced and compassionate care at all of their seven convenient locations in Southern West Virginia serving the Tri-State area.

Sunbelt  has an extensive network that will enable you to find your dream business. Based on your industry and location, Sunbelt professionals will search thousands of business-for-sale listings to find the business for you. Once an acquisition target is determined, the Sunbelt professionals will walk you through the negotiation and acquisition process.

Mountain View Solar  is deeply rooted in their local community. They had a start in the custom home building industry, and over those years became known as one of the Eastern Panhandle's premier builder of custom green homes. Building homes designed to use less energy inspired the idea to also create some of the energy the homes would use. This led them to a transition to renewable energy systems...

Preston County Workshop  is a 501(c)3 non-profit, certified by the State of WV as a Community Rehabilitation Program, located in Reedsville, WV. Their mission is to help people with disabilities secure gainful employment opportunities that align with their distinctive interests, skills, and talents.  Their organization connects a pool of pre-screened, qualified, job-ready employees to opportunitie...

EscapeWorks  has brought the excitement of live-action "escape" games to the Ohio Valley.  Located in Weirton, West Virginia, they're just 20 minutes west of Robinson Township and convenient to Steubenville and the Northern Panhandle.  ​Perfect for team-building, group date night, or family fun!