After decades in the private sector — including ownership of 24 Burger King franchises across West Virginia and Ohio and a decade as the brand’s government-relations chairman — Matt Herridge brought his business expertise to West Virginia’s Department of Commerce, where he now leads the state’s economic outreach. His years as a government-relations leader brought him to Miami regularly, forging deep ties with South Florida’s business community.
By Nancy Esteves @nancyesteves.editor
Herridge says the state is at an inflection point since Governor Patrick Morrisey took office in January 2025. West Virginia has recently announced approximately $96 billion in new private-sector investment and more than 19,000 projected jobs — including $81 billion in September alone.
- $96B in new investment
- 19,000+ projected jobs
- $81B in September alone
In an exclusive interview with Hola Latinos Magazine, Herridge shares the milestones driving that momentum.
Tell us about the journey that brought you to this role.
Matt Herridge: With Burger King headquartered in Miami, I served on advisory councils and fell in love with the city. After the sale of my franchises, I ran for chairman of the Republican Party of West Virginia and was elected in 2024. When Governor Morrisey asked me to join him as Secretary of Commerce in January 2025, his vision matched mine — an opportunity to move West Virginia from gradual growth to accelerated growth. We are at that inflection point now.
The Morrisey administration has now announced approximately $96 billion in new private-sector investment. What is driving this extraordinary surge, and why is West Virginia attracting so much investment now?
Matt Herridge: West Virginia has finally aligned all its advantages at once. Geography is a big part of it: roughly half the U.S. population lives within a day’s drive of this state, which matters enormously for data centers, logistics and manufacturing.
September was a landmark month. NScale received High Impact Data Center certification for a projected $69.2 billion investment requiring approximately two gigawatts of power and supporting 4,375 construction jobs and 645 permanent positions. Starwood Digital Ventures secured certification for a planned $12 billion project in Mason County, expected to require 2.16 gigawatts and support 1,500 jobs. In both cases, infrastructure costs will be covered by the companies — not by West Virginia ratepayers. Life-sciences leader Randox announced a $13 million expansion in Jefferson County adding 100 jobs, and AEP acquired the Longview Power Plant with a commitment to additional generation. Global brands like Toyota, Procter & Gamble, Clorox and Anthropic are experiencing the competitive advantages of operating and growing in West Virginia. Location, energy availability, speed to market and loyal workforce all matter and give our businesses a competitive edge.
We have always had the assets — energy reserves, workforce, quality of life. What has changed is leadership. Governor Morrisey has tasked all of us with making West Virginia the most business-friendly climate in the country, and the world is responding. ww.holalatinosnews.com | October/November 2026 | 25
When companies tell you why they chose West Virginia, what is the deciding factor?
Matt Herridge: Predictability. Our tax rates are competitive, but the number one thing I hear is that our regulatory environment is fast, transparent and reliable. In very few states can you sit down with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Environmental Protection and the Governor himself, talk through your business plan and walk out with a partnership designed to move you from investment to profitability as quickly as possible.
We also give companies something most states do not: our own site-development and site-selection team, which works directly with prospects to identify the right location. That service has attracted everything from advanced manufacturing to defense to the drone industry we are actively courting.
Defense, biotech, artificial intelligence — the state has landed several major players in these sectors. Talk about the innovation ecosystem.
Matt Herridge: The list keeps growing. Helsing, the European defense-AI company, wanted proximity to Washington so political and military leadership could easily see what they are building. Drones are the next iteration of the defense industry, and we are seeing many more contractors follow Helsing’s logic.
In life sciences, GATC Health chose Morgantown to accelerate drug discovery using artificial intelligence — a process that in the past relied on trial and error. Synthesis Health, a radiology AI company, recently announced it is bringing its headquarters to Huntington as part of President Brad Smith’s IDEA District at Marshall University. West Virginia University and Marshall are among the leading institutions in the country for AI and healthcare research.
Underlying all of it is energy. We sit on some of the largest natural gas reserves in the nation, and House Bill 2014 — our microgrid legislation — allows data centers to bring their own energy production behind the meter. I call West Virginia the battery of the nation. That is why data centers, advanced manufacturing and heavy industry are all looking at us.
Real estate is another significant opportunity. You have made a direct invitation to South Florida developers.
Matt Herridge: I have. Our new Nucor steel plant in the Mason County–Point Pleasant area will be one of the largest in the world, bringing hundreds of workers who will need housing. The Charleston-to-Huntington corridor is the same story. We do not have enough residential or commercial supply for what is coming.
Through the West Virginia BUILD Program, qualifying developers receive a refundable ten-year Property Value Adjustment Credit of up to $100,000 per project, along with sales-tax exemptions on building materials. Our permitting process is expedited — we move projects from paper to groundbreaking faster than most developers coming out of South Florida or the Northeast are used to.
Median home prices here sit in the low hundreds of thousands, compared with more than $800,000 in New York City. Land is dramatically less expensive than anything in South Florida. For developers who can move quickly, this is a genuine chance to build at scale — and we would love to partner with any investor from South Florida who wants to explore it.
Do you now have a dedicated Latin American lead on your team?
Matt Herridge: Yes — Jesús Velasco joined our International Division. He is fluent in Spanish and works directly with investors from Latin America, helping shape the projects that make sense for them. Jesús gives them a direct line into our Commerce leadership team.
Beyond business incentives, there is a lifestyle case. Tell us about Ascend West Virginia.
Matt Herridge: Ascend West Virginia was developed in partnership with Brad Smith, a native West Virginian, former CEO of Intuit and now president of Marshall University. The program offers a $12,000 relocation stipend to remote workers who move here, plus access to our outdoor lifestyle: skiing in winter, hardwood-forest color in fall known around the world, and full summers and springs. I am a trail runner, and West Virginia is one of the best places in the country to do it. Combine that with a cost-of-living index of 78.1 — compared with 187.2 in New York City — plus a high rate of homeownership and dramatically lower land costs, and the value proposition is clear.
What has surprised you most since taking this role?
Matt Herridge: Though not entirely surprised, I continue to be impressed with the quality and commitment of our people and their openness to new opportunities. We have a history of generational workers — mothers and daughters, fathers and sons — trained in skilled trades. As manufacturing companies expand, arrive and grow here, they are finding exactly the reliable, loyal workforce they need.
There is also a real sense of community: welcoming, family-oriented, unafraid of hard work. It reminds me of what I first experienced in Miami.
If a Hola Latinos reader takes away one thing from this interview, what should it be?
Matt Herridge: Do not evaluate West Virginia based on an outdated perception of what this state was. Whether the opportunity is real estate, technology and AI infrastructure, energy, life sciences or tourism, it is here — and at a scale most of the country has not yet understood. I know how South Florida brilliantly turned tourism into a full industry. That same opportunity exists in West Virginia, and we are just beginning to build it.
Come with fresh eyes. Come with an open mind. Come and see it for yourself.
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