Home | How the West Virginia Economic Development Authority Helped this Manufacturer Go from 5 to 100 Jobs

How the West Virginia Economic Development Authority Helped this Manufacturer Go from 5 to 100 Jobs

Published: October 6, 2023

Years ago, the local manufacturing plant across the street from Shannon Remines, VP of Manufacturing for Maxxim Manufacturing, closed down and their workers were let go. The next day many of the workers showed up at Mr. Remines’ door. He didn’t have the work for them at the time, but he had just done a deal with the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, so he had the equipment for them to work on. He was able to hire 44 of them on the spot.

In 2003, they started with a small gear shop and, since then, have expanded the size and scope of their work in Brushfork, West Virginia. Among other things, they have a welding shop, a mechanical division doing gearbox repairs, and they do complete equipment rebuilds.

“They were there at every turn,” Remines said of the WVEDA. “They can see the return on investment, and they can see the job growth… Going from five jobs to 100 jobs, and I gotta say the Economic Development Authority played a huge part in financing and allowing me to do that.”

The West Virginia Economic Development Authority has been a trusted partner for Shannon Remines for a long time. The first loan was to secure the property. Right away, the WVEDA financed their first pieces of equipment like cranes. More recently, the WVEDA helped finance a four-axis contour cutting machine center. Originally designed to cut landing gear for planes and orthopedic hip and knee replacement parts, this precision-driven machine gives Maxxim Manufacturing an edge over the competition to do work that others simply can’t. They go to Peoria, Columbia, Richmond, and elsewhere to bring back business to Southern West Virginia.

It also gives them an advantage in the employment marketplace. “The trade tends to follow the higher technical machines. You actually attract a lot of talent with the equipment,” Remines said. “It makes it easier to recruit… Together, we have quite an offering for the local workforce.”

Remines loves two things: creating jobs for his local community and watching employees grow personally and in their skills. “My goal was to create jobs for people to have a living wage, where they had great benefits, and could enjoy staying at home and not having to move to another town or state,” Remines said.

“It’s watching people succeed,” Remines said of his favorite part of the job. “A young man or a young woman can develop skills where they can earn more money, often they get married, they have a family… Being able to watch people be successful in our community has been what I enjoy the most.”