Published April 1993 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Defense-Conversion Workshop At Oglebay Park
Assisting West Virginia businesses and enterprises to pursue federal-government contracts has long been a priority effort on my agenda to strengthen our state's economy and to expand job opportunities for West Virginians. The virtual collapse of the old Soviet Union has made possible a broad recasting of our country's defense requirements, at the same time foreclosing many of the federal-contracting opportunities available to the private sector. To assist West Virginia business people to take advantage of the new possibilities presented by the need to convert from defense related contracting to expanded domestic requirements, I am cooperating in the convening of a special workshop at Wheeling's Oglebay Park on May 5. This workshop is being sponsored by the nonprofit Software Valley Corporation, which I helped to launch in an effort to promote high-technology business and job opportunities throughout our state. Through the Defense Conversion Reinvestment Act of Fiscal Year 1992, the Department of Defense has been provided nearly $600 million to be invested in the development, deployment, and stimulation of non-defense technologies -- in effect, an interagency federal effort to facilitate the conversion of previously defense-oriented enterprises to new domestic endeavors through eight competitive bidding programs. The purpose of this one-day Oglebay Park workshop will be to provide West Virginia enterprises with a detailed presentation of opportunities opening to them in this conversion effort; to allow West Virginia companies to learn about conversion proposals currently being developed in our state; and to prmnit attendees to coordinate, and not duplicate, their efforts in competing for the available funds. Federal agency officials will be present to supply information and to explain the full scope of the defense-conversion program. I commend the Software Valley Corporation for conducting this advanced-technology workshop for West Virginia entrepreneurs and business people, and I encourage anyone interested in this workshop to contact Software Valley's Morgantown offices at telephone number (304) 594- 9844 prior to April 30 to make workshop reservations, or for further information April 14, 1993