June 28, 2026 - A new manufacturing business is coming to Putnam County, West Virginia.

Local and federal officials were on hand Friday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially welcome Centauri Ground Support. The joint venture between global engineering group Sandvik and Tennessee-based mining company Alpha Metallurgical Resources is entering the renovated 100,000-square-foot Waterways Industrial Park facility in Poca.

Nonprofit economic development organization Advantage Valley has invested $6 million in renovation projects at the Waterways property over multiple years to attract industrial businesses to the area.

“We purchased the building because it was sitting here, vacant and abandoned, and we have a terrible need for industrial sites in not only our region, but, frankly, across the state,” Advantage Valley President and CEO Terrell Ellis said. “Nobody was investing in it. We decided to step in.”

Ellis said Advantage Valley plans to invest another half-million for improvements. She credited the U.S. Economic Development Administration and West Virginia Economic Development Authority for supporting these projects.

Company officials said the Centauri Ground Support operation will create rock bolt and resin capsules. The $25 million investment is expected to create 120 new jobs.

Sandvik Ground Support President Thomas Vallant said it made perfect sense to come to Poca.

“Most of the Alpha (Metallurgical) mines are within about three-hour drive from this location, so that’s the perfect spot for us to produce here,” Vallant said. “Transport cost is an essential part of the overall product cost on ground support material. So, to keep that in a low range, you need to have a production facility that’s very close to the mines.”

Vallant said the site meets the company’s criteria for space requirements. He noted the operation will need a lot of space. Having an established site that only requires minor renovation before getting started, he said, speeds up the entire process.

“If we would have had to go greenfield and build a new site ourselves, we probably would delay the project by at least six to 12 months,” Vallant explained. “This way, we can speed our production and already get first product out in the second half of 2027.”

Vallant credited Alpha Metallurgical Resources for their partnership and said he’s excited to see the work begin. He said it will take two-to-three years to get everything completely set up. Going forward, he said Centauri could become a major hub for Sandvik’s services across the country.

Advantage Valley is thrilled to have Centauri come to the facility, Ellis said. She said it would have cost Sandvik and Alpha Metallurgical Resources between $15-20 million to create a building like the Waterways Industrial facility. This is a win-win for all involved, Ellis said, helping the businesses and the local communities through job creation.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Today’s ribbon cutting marks an exciting new chapter for the Waterways Industrial Park and for Putnam County,” Capito said. “Centauri Ground Support’s investment and commitment to creating new, good paying jobs is exactly the type of economic growth we need in West Virginia.”

“By revitalizing this facility and attracting new manufacturing opportunities, we are strengthening our local economy, supporting energy generation, and demonstrating that West Virginia is a great place to expand manufacturing,” Capito added.

Putnam County Commission President Andy Skidmore said it’s great to see the investment in the county.

“In this area of Putnam County, we’ve seen a lot of manufacturing jobs leave,” Skidmore said. “Today, knowing that a year or 18 months from now, we’re going to look at 120 manufacturing jobs in this area, it’s tremendous, and we’re so excited to see these jobs come back to our area. For Putnam County, we continue to grow, but the north side of the river has been lacking, so this is just a great day for Putnam County.”

Skidmore said he hopes this investment is a harbinger of things to come.

“As county development, you can never take a foot off the gas,” Skidmore said. “So, you can never be content with where your county’s at. You got to continue to grow, continue to strive for better. And I think this is an example of that, working with Advantage Valley, and our Putnam County Development Authority, coming to the point of days like today.”