Lewis Chamber of Commerce Hosts Banquet
By JOHN WICKLINE, Staff WriterArticle Photos
Chesapeake Energy's vice president of Eastern operations Michael John told the audience at the 73rd annual Lewis County Chamber of Commerce dinner that it should listen fast, saying he gets excited when talking about the possibilities his company is bringing to West Virginia.
John, a Weston native who was able to come home to deliver the keynote address, said the Eastern District has more than 1,000 employees, counting Chesapeake's subsidiary companies, "and most of those are in West Virginia. I am proud to be a part of that."
The natural gas industry in Lewis County has grown significantly in the past few years, with both Chesapeake and Dominion increasing their presence in the county. Chesapeake Energy recently dedicated a new facility in the Jane Lew area.
"We're convinced that natural gas is clean, affordable and abundant," John said. "We are convinced that the best thing we can do for the country is to continue to drill gas wells as a home-grown alternative to foreign oil."
Chesapeake Energy is the nation's top natural gas producer and the top driller of wells, John said. Chesapeake Energy is involved in some capacity in about 10 percent of the nation's wells.
"The No. 2, 3 and 4 companies combined, they still aren't as active as we are," he said. "We think we have had a lot to do with the price of natural gas coming down. We think that is because we have had great success drilling wells. Our success comes from the passion we have for what we do."
The Chamber of Commerce also took time to honor those who made outstanding contributions to the organization and to the community.
Former executive director Terri Burhans was honored with the President's Award. Burhans remains active in the organization as a member of the board of directors.
The KFC was honored as the Lewis County Business of the Year. Sandra Mick accepted the award on behalf of the company.
Marilyn Workman, who owns and operates Lewis County Printing, was honored as the Chamber Member of the Year.
"Lewis County has been good to me," Workman said. "It's a good community. There is no other place I would rather live."
Richard Eugene "Dick" Harrison was named the Lewis County Citizen of the Year. Last year's honoree Dan Moody joked that with the number of years and the several jobs from which Harrison is retired, Harrison probably delivered mail to Abraham Lincoln. Harrison was honored for his history of volunteering throughout the community.
"Everybody is a Citizen of the Year," Harrison said. "All I did was assist everybody is making Lewis County a better place to live. If we want to move to the forefront, we have got to work, everybody pulling together."
