For The State Journal

Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties are showing signs of improved economic prospects heading into 2010.

Leaders with local economic development groups said the Mountain State's eastern gateway remains a grateful beneficiary of all that nearby Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area has to offer. And that's evident through the region's job numbers that rank better than state and national averages.

Jefferson County

Rondex Products Inc., a medical supply company, recently announced plans to move to the Burr Industrial Park off W.Va. Route 9 in February, and it could grow from an initial staff of 20 to about 50 in 2011. The company has the potential to bring in as many as 150 jobs.

At Summit Point, the Audi automotive parts firm Stasis Engineering has paved the way for 10 to 15 more local jobs.

"These are the kinds of jobs you want," said Jefferson County Development Authority Executive Director Thomas Bayuzik. "And they become a catalyst for other kinds of investment."

Jefferson's unemployment rate for October stood at 6.2 percent, compared to 9.5 nationally and 7.7 percent for West Virginia.

"That's a good sign," Bayuzik said. "Obviously, being this close to D.C. is a help."

Federal government operations, such as the National Conservation Training Center, U.S. Coast Guard, Internal Revenue Service, National Park Service in Harpers Ferry and a new Customs training facility have added greatly to the employment picture, Bayuzik said. Contractors that serve those facilities look to West Virginia for possible business locations as well, he said.

Much of the interest in West Virginia has come from efforts to move government functions outside of Washington. Since Sept. 11, 2001, an area 50- to 150-miles from Washington was been identified as good for relocating services.

Large numbers of Jefferson County workers drive daily to the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore region, while 1,200 to 1,400 ride the train to Washington. Of the roughly 24,000 people employed in the county, some 10,000 -- or 40 percent -- travel outside Jefferson each day to work, Bayusik said.

Some 500 new jobs are expected to come with voters' approval of table games at Charles Town Races & Slots. And the final leg of W.Va. 9 construction from Kearneysville to Martinsburg, now under way, will connect Burr Industrial Park to Intersate 81.

Those two developments mean Jefferson County is poised to enter the new year on a positive economic note.

"I'd much rather manage growth than manage decline," Bayuzik said, noting the 140 acres open for Phase II of the industrial park will be much more attractive with a completed W.Va. 9.

Berkeley County

Berkeley County Development Authority Executive Director Stephen L. Christian reported his county's jobless numbers also are bucking the national average.

"We are between 7.5 and 8.5 percent right now," Christian said, but he qualified the statistic. "Those numbers are artificially low because of the seasonal surge in part-time jobs."

The county has received some visits recently from prospective new business.

"And there are a couple companies expected to announce soon," Christian said.

Compared to the end of 2008, Christian said the county has seen a little more activity in 2009.

"We are busier this quarter than we have been for over a year," he said, adding he would like to see 2010 continue the momentum. "It would be great to get a new technology company to place their operations here," he said, adding that such an operation would continue to diversify the local economy.

Christian said he also hopes to fill some empty industrial and commercial spaces to add jobs and investment from the private sector.

The 2009 recession has forced business leaders to become better at what they do.

"We work harder on every project," Christian said. "There are fewer opportunities, so every one is important."

Morgan County

In Morgan County, much of the local business community relies on tourism, but Economic Development Authority Director Bill Clark is working with about eight businesses that have applied for $2.8 million in economic development bond programs and recovery zone facility bonds made available through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. The bonds can be used for facility construction, renovation, expansion or acquisition by business.

Morgan County private-sector businesses are eligible for the $2.8 million in bonding capacity for items such as the construction of offices, research space, warehouses, resorts and hotels, manufacturing plants and other commercial facilities.

The time table to use the funding opportunity is short, and use of the funds is required by the end of 2010.

With unemployment in Morgan at 9 percent, Clark said he knows there's room for improvement. He has experience dealing with a lagging economy. He has worked in Morgan County government for some 24 years. In the 1980s, he saw unemployment in the county hit 10 percent.

"I feel good about our possibilities," Clark said. "We have lived through that before and managed to come out of it. ... The economy is kind of strange. Some sectors are doing well; other sectors are not."

Berkeley Springs' status as a vibrant town for the arts and tourism remains strong, he said, noting that visitors still flock to the town and state park.

"The winters are about having nice weekends," he said. "If we have some pretty nice weekends, we can make it. Come spring, everything seems to pop, and we look good. ... We're really fortunate to have a downtown that's so quaint and appealing to travelers."

Clark said he is working toward increased reliability of cellular telephone service for the area and an enhanced communication network that would make Morgan County more attractive to data centers and other technology companies.