Nonprofit To Redevelop Putnam County Manufacturing Plant

Newly granted federal and local funds will allow an economic development nonprofit to redevelop a manufacturing plant in the Kanawha Valley.

Advantage Valley purchased the Putnam County building — previously known as the Vossloh Track Building and the Union Boiler Plant — in 2023. The nonprofit works with local governments to develop jobs and economic growth in nine southwestern counties.

The project moved one step forward Tuesday when Advantage Valley was awarded a $3.4 million grant from the United States Economic Development Administration (EDA). These funds were also matched by $857,750 in local funds.

With the funds, Advantage Valley will renovate and repurpose the building, located near the town of Poca. The project is funded through disaster relief funds administered by the EDA to areas affected by natural disasters like flooding or wildfires in 2021 and 2022.

The project as a whole aims to create new jobs and investment opportunities in the region, according to a Tuesday EDA press release.

Federal officials also expressed their hopes for the renovation project in the press release.

“This EDA investment will support infrastructure improvements at the former Vossloh Track Building that will grow economic opportunity, support job growth and spur private investment in Charleston,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., echoed Raimondo’s support for the project.

Capito said that she would “look forward to the positive impact it will have on the Charleston area for years to come.”

“The EDA continues to be a strong partner for bolstering West Virginia’s economy and this announcement is proof of that,” Manchin said. “Renovating the former Vossloh Track Building will create good-paying jobs and spur economic opportunity throughout the entire Metro Valley.”