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CHARLESTON - Tom Loehr's daily planner used to have some free space, which gave him some free time.
But after he was bestowed a position at West Virginia University on the first of this month, his schedule began filling up fast , and trips from Charleston to Morgantown became frequent.
His position is that of director of WVU's new Entrepreneurship Center. Loehr, a former state treasurer, was chosen after a nationwide search, and he began his work immediately after the announcement. The center, part of the College of Business and Economics, was created to help foster economic growth and development throughout the state.
Initial projects will focus on opportunities with forestry and hightechnology products.
"I'm very excited about it," Loehr says. "It will offer options and opportunities to do different things ... I hope to bring a lot of enthusiasm to the job, and I hope to contribute." Planning for what the center will become is just now under way, he says.
Loehr's goal is to involve as many entities as possible in the planning stage.
He is looking at legislators, government officials, businessmen and citizens.
"My job is to find out what the options are and develop a consensus," Loehr says. "It shouldn't be my vision."
But Loehr does have a vision of these entities, in cooperative agreement, encouraging the development of West Virginia's business environment. At the same time, it needs to be its own effort. "There's no sense in duplicating things that are already out there," he says. "We have to look at all our options."
One of the first sectors to receive attention from the...