Five West Virginia Cities Partner with National Non-Profit to Streamline Process for Opening Businesses

ARLINGTON, Va.—Today, the Institute for Justice (IJ) announced it has partnered with the five largest cities in West Virginia to make it cheaper, faster and simpler to start a business. The effort, named West Virginia Works, will bring together city leaders in Wheeling, Parkersburg, Morgantown, Huntington and Charleston to identify and reform regulatory barriers to starting a business. 

“We’re thrilled to bring together leaders from across the Mountain State to collaborate on creating a more friendly business environment,” said IJ City Policy Assistant Zoe Tishaev. “By working together to ease the regulatory burden on small business owners, this cohort can further unlock the entrepreneurial potential in their cities and across West Virginia.” 

Leaders from the five cities will work through municipal and state-level regulatory barriers to business over the course of a 10-month cohort. Additionally, they’ll engage entrepreneurs and community members in the process. At the end of the cohort, leaders will take concrete policy recommendations back to their respective cities for consideration.  

“We look forward to collaborating with city leaders across West Virginia to deliver municipal and state-wide policy results to enable broader access to entrepreneurship,” said IJ Activism Director Jennifer McDonald.  

City leaders had the following to say about the cohort:     

• Wheeling Building and Planning Director Brenda Delbert: “Through collaboration, data, and regulatory reform, this cohort equips local leaders with the tools to turn identified barriers into actionable solutions. We are looking forward to working with other cities across West Virginia.” 

• Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber: “Our goal is to ensure that the systems governing business development work for the entrepreneurs who depend on them. By participating in this cohort, Parkersburg is taking a deliberate step toward removing unnecessary barriers, streamlining requirements, and supporting a more vibrant business environment.”  

• Morgantown Mayor Danielle Trumble: “Intentional and thoughtful land-use and zoning reform will allow Morgantown to reactivate underutilized spaces and to ensure that small businesses can thrive. By listening to local entrepreneurs and creating more transparent, efficient processes, we will build a Morgantown that better serves everyone who lives, works, and invests here.”     

West Virginia Works is a collaborative effort between IJ’s Cities Work Initiative, the five aforementioned cities, the Office of the West Virginia Secretary of State and the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.