BRIDGEPORT (WV News) — Secretary of State Kris Warner emphasized the importance of small businesses, small projects and small investments Wednesday during the final day of the West Virginia Economic Development Council’s 2025 Conference.

High-profile projects — like Nucor Steel's plant in Mason County or the BHE Renewables project in Ravenswood — are welcome and needed additions to the state's economy, Warner said, but it's the small, often overlooked businesses that make up the fabric of the state's communities.

"West Virginia has the land, the talent to succeed. What it needs is our collective commitment to ensure opportunities for success. That success is not the next mega-project that’s going to 'save the state.' Those projects are absolutely necessary, but they don't reflect what m

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