BEECH BOTTOM – A company which specializes in the construction of electric boats and boat engines is set to call Brooke County home.
Pure Watercraft, a company based in Seattle, will be locating an operation at the Beech Bottom Industrial Park.
Gov. Jim Justice, federal, state and local officials made the announcement today during the 2022 annual meeting and business summit of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, being held this week at the Greenbrier.
“People are really coming,” Justice said following the announcement, referencing several other businesses announced for the state in the last year.
Andy Rebele, chief executive officer, of Pure Watercraft, explained the new operation will be tasked with building pontoon boats.
“Pontoon boats are the biggest segment of boating today,” Rebele said.
Rebele noted Pure Watercraft is in partnership with General Motors, which will provide access to the electric batteries to power the craft.
The boats will have a maximum speed of 23 miles per hour, according to Justice.
“Pure wanted to get into this market,” Marvin Six, executive director of the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle, explained, noting the location provides the company with improved access to the eastern United States.
Six noted the work to bring Pure Watercraft to West Virginia was a team effort between the BDC and the West Virginia Department of Economic Development.
Pure Watercraft was founded in 2011, according to the company’s website, “with a belief that boating could be made more enjoyable, accessible, and environmentally friendly than ever before.”