The West Virginia Polymer Alliance Zone (PAZ) announced the first recipients of its new Economic Development Travel Grant Program, an initiative designed to strengthen regional business recruitment by supporting local economic development organizations within the PAZ region. The grants will help offset costs for participation in the nation’s premier foreign direct investment event later this year.
The response to the program was immediate. Lindsey Piersol with the Wood and Pleasants County Economic Development Authorities, Veronica Lewis with the Jackson County Development Authority, and Anna Rittenhouse with the Mason County Development Authority will each receive a $2,000 grant to attend the 2026 SelectUSA Investment Summit, scheduled for May 3–6, 2026, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
“Collaborating with PAZ allows counties like Mason to be part of a larger regional strategy to attract investment,” Rittenhouse said. “The travel grant makes it possible for us to participate in SelectUSA and engage directly with companies that may be considering investment in West Virginia. Opportunities like this help ensure our communities are visible and competitive on a national and international stage.”
Hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the SelectUSA Investment Summit connects international companies and site selectors with U.S. states, regions, and communities seeking to attract foreign direct investment.
“Economic development works best when regional and local partners move together,” said Keith Burdette, president of PAZ. “PAZ is focused on promoting the region, developing sites, and attracting investment at a regional scale, while our county development authorities bring critical local knowledge and relationships to the table. Supporting their participation at SelectUSA helps ensure our entire region is represented and working as one team when international companies are looking for places to invest.”
PAZ Vice President Pat Ford said the travel grant program aligns with the organization’s mission to advance investment, jobs, and industrial growth through collaboration across the Ohio River corridor.
“Our mission is to strive for economic success within the state and the Polymer Alliance Zone,” Ford said. “Supporting our local development authorities at SelectUSA helps ensure the entire PAZ region shows up as a coordinated team—ready to recruit, ready to answer investor questions, and ready to pursue opportunities that match our strengths in manufacturing and industrial development.”
PAZ officials said the grants are intended to expand regional capacity by enabling more local leaders to attend high-impact recruitment events, coordinate messaging, and build pipelines of prospective projects.
Burdette and Ford will also attend SelectUSA to promote investment opportunities throughout the region and support county partners during meetings with prospective investors, site selectors, and economic development organizations.