BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito is expected to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday celebrating a Textile Training and Manufacturing Facility with New River Gorge Regional Development Authority leaders.
Scheduled to take place at 1:00pm on Thursday, November 7, 2024, the event will present the facility which will be the future home of PATTERN, an economic initiative aiming to leverage the Mountain State’s knowledge of the outdoor industry, craftsmanship, and heritage to expand opportunities for textile manufacturing throughout the Southern West Virginia region.
PATTERN – short for Planning and Accelerating Textile Technology and Entrepreneurship Regional Network – will be located at 412 City Avenue in Beckley.
New River Gorge Regional Development Authority Executive Director, Jina Belcher notes that Senator Capito’s involvement with the project has been vital in the securing of federal funding essential in bringing the project to fruition.
“We are blessed in the New River Gorge region and statewide to have Senator Capito on our team,” said Belcher. “In every way, Senator Capito and her skilled staff offer us the ability to dream big and bring innovative project ideas to her attention. PATTERN is one of our most game-changing economic development initiatives.”
Senator Capito spoke positively of the initiative and the impact it stands to make on the Southern West Virginia region.
“The establishment of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve has resulted in a boost in visitors from all over, leading to great potential to fill voids in the outdoor textiles prototyping industry here in West Virginia,” said Senator Capito of the Textile Training and Manufacturing Facility. “As a leader on the Appropriations Committee, I was proud to advocate for the support needed to establish this lab in southern West Virginia, and I’m looking forward to seeing the significant progress made as they work to complete it.
This type of collaboration is critical to moving our state forward and strengthening our business climate, and I can’t wait to see what it does for local businesses when it is fully up and running.”
