OVOGA will meet Thursday

OVOGA will meet Thursday

LOCAL NEWS

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Ohio Valley Oil and Gas Association is scheduled to hold its 2018 General Member Meeting from 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at Belmont College’s Horizon Hall in St. Clairsville.

J.P. Dutton, a Belmont County commissioner, and Patrick Ford, executive director of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle, will be on hand to give an industry update to members and speak about upcoming economic development in the Oil & Gas arena in the Ohio Valley.

Dutton, is president of the Belmont County Board of Commissioners. He was elected to his seat which began on Jan. 2. Prior to serving as a commissioner, Dutton spent nine years with Leonardo Technologies, Inc., during which he focused on providing policy analysis to energy and environmental projects including global trends as well as advanced technologies, particularly in coal and natural gas. He has worked with a variety of clients including the Department of Energy, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the Corps of Engineers.

Prior to joining LTI, Dutton spent eight years serving in a number of roles on Capitol Hill as Congressional staff. During this time period, he worked with federal, state, and local governments on behalf of Ohio’s 18th Congressional District which included 20 counties.

Dutton was raised on a cattle farm in Flushing, Ohio and graduated from Union Local High School. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Miami University, Richard T. Farmer School of Business as well as a MBA from Wheeling Jesuit University.

He and his wife, Stacey, who is a local hospital social worker, are the parents of three young children.

Ford is the executive director of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle, a private, non-profit, economic development agency for Brooke and Hancock counties. Ford has 30 years of experience in economic development and has worked as a development executive in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and Florida.

As executive director of the BDC, Ford’s breadth of professional accomplishments includes awards and recognition from the United States Small Business Administration and West Virginia Small Business Development Center as the West Virginia Small Business Champion of the Year, West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center for Excellence in Economic Development, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for Land Stewardship in the BDC’s efforts to repurpose environmentally contaminated properties, the United States Environmental Protection Agency for Leveraging USEPA Financial Assistance to attract private investment, the American Planning Association for innovative and Collaborative Community Revitalization Strategies, and the West Virginia Association of Consulting Engineers for Design Excellence. Ford was also recognized by the Wall Street Journal for closing the “Deal of the Week,” a public-private partnership whereby the BDC acquired the former Wheeling Corrugating plant in Beech Bottom, WV, which includes 600 acres and a half-million square foot steel finishing plant.

Ford holds a bachelor of City Planning and Master of Planning degrees from the University of Virginia, an honorary doctorate degree from West Liberty University, is a graduate of Leadership West Virginia, was selected as one of “Who’s Who Top Entrepreneurs in West Virginia” by The State Journal, and regularly lectures on leadership and team-building.

Appointed by Gov. Jim Justice, Ford serves as the vice chairman of the West Liberty University Board of Governors, and is on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Hub for Community Development, West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Regional Planning Commission, the Finance Committee of Weirton Medical Center, and Chair of the Campaign Committee of the United Way.

“We are honored to have both Mr. Dutton and Mr. Ford to share their knowledge and awareness with our members,” OVOGA President AJ Smith said. “The Oil & Gas industry is a game-changer for the economic development of our community”

Sponsors for the event include: Airport Limousine Services, Eastern Construction and Excavating, Hull & Associates and Sidwell Materials.

This event is open only to OVOGA members/members guests and pre-registration is required. Deadline for registration is March 13, 2018. If you would like more information on how you can attend this event, or how to become a member email Lisa Kindler, executive director of OVOGA at lkindler@ovoga.org or call her at 740-232-9219.