SUMMIT POINT -- Story By Christine Miller Ford

There's a clear message in the image of Gov. Joe Manchin speeding around the racetrack at Summit Point Raceway in an Audi boosted by performance-enhancing parts made by West Virginia's newest company, STaSIS Inc.

The engineering company's decision to move from California to Jefferson County signals that the state has put job creation on the fast track, says Andy Zulauf, the executive director of the Job Investment Trust, the state-funded venture capital firm that connects small companies with the funding they need to grow.

Along with Manchin, Zulauf was in Jefferson County for a race-themed STaSIS welcoming event Sept. 8.

"The governor clearly enjoyed himself out on the track," Zulauf noted. "This is his kind of economic development -- something that goes fast and makes a lot of noise."

STaSIS also has the potential to make a lot of jobs for West Virginia, Zulauf said. To that end, the company received $2 million in low-interest loans from the state Economic Development Authority and the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council. The state JIT invested another $500,000 in STaSIS.

A key part of what brought the company to West Virginia was STaSIS' chief financial officer, Todd Cope. Cope is a Winfield native who had long desired to return to work in the Mountain State, Zulauf said.

"I would hope we could point to this as an example of how Gov. Machin's message of bringing West Virginia natives back to the state really is working," Zulauf said.

Thomas Bayuzik Jr. took over as Jefferson County Economic Development Authority director exactly three months before Tuesday's STaSIS celebration.

"Obviously, we're very pleased to see the company come here," he said. "It sends a message about West Virginia and about Jefferson County when a growing California company decides to create opportunities here."

STaSIS is set to expand operations and transfer its corporate headquarters from Sonoma, Calif., to Summit Point Raceway early next month.