Picture this: Thousands of high-paying jobs at all skill and education levels. The state's coffers swelling. And your children and their children coming home to West Virginia to live and work.
Not long ago, the Kanawha Valley had all that with Union Carbide's Technical Center in South Charleston, where first Union Carbide and then Dow Chemical demonstrated a consistent, almost unequaled ability to commercialize new products and technologies. For more than 50 years, the Tech Center was arguably the top research center in the chemical industry. Dozens of patents were produced there each year, resulting in globally distributed products worth billions of dollars.
The center's work force of more than 2,500 included many scientists and engineers with advanced degrees, as well as a large support staff of highly skilled technicians and operators. The average pay of about $75,000 in the 1990s was significantly higher than average in the area and contributed greatly to the region's economy. Tech Center workers also added immensely to the social and cultural fabric of the Kanawha Valley, and nonprofit organizations in the region benefited from corporate donations and a ready corps of volunteers.
That was yesterday. Today, Dow is moving much of its research and development operation elsewhere, and it would benefit all of us who call West Virginia home to find a way to save and revitalize the facilities they will leave behind. If we play our cards right, we can recreate our future at that site.
Assets at the old Tech Center can be turned into a new-technology research park an engine of commercialization and economic growth for all of West Virginia which will allow us to take charge of our own destiny and help ensure a better future for our children and grandchildren, right here at home.
Obtaining the former Tech Center and creating a dynamic, collaborative environment of researchers, organizations, companies and entrepreneurs not only would stimulate short-term and long-term economic growth but also would allow West Virginia to re-establish its role in solving some of the most pressing technological issues of the day. For example, our strengths and experience in energy, environmental technologies, electricity distribution and natural resources would make the research park an exceptional and almost unique location to lead the nation's movement toward a more secure and energy-independent future. The innovative technologies we can create locally can solve global challenges, such as pollution-free fossil fuels, sustainable energy sources, and clean food and water.
We have a brief window of opportunity. The land, research facilities and infrastructure are available. Many highly experienced and successful researchers, innovators and technical workers are still here in the valley. With these ingredients and some creative thinking, we once again can have a bustling research enterprise in our community and all the economic benefits it would bring. But we cannot wait too long. The facilities and work force will not be here forever. The time to act is now.
I urge state and local leaders from government and private industry to quickly join together to focus on a plan for the future of the park before we miss our chance.
DiGregorio is executive director of the Chemical Alliance Zone.