Earl Ray Tomblin on Free Trade | |
During that trip my team met with a number of prospects--several have committed to investing in West Virginia. One of the highlights of this trip was my stop at Pietro Fiorentini in Italy. My thanks goes out to the Italian company for placing its trust in West Virginia.
West Virginia is a strong international competitor. Production from manufacturing sectors--plastics, machinery, chemicals, aerospace, medical products and automotive--grew substantially. Exports have increased from $9 billion in 2011 to over $11 billion last year and outpaced the national growth rate.