What The Putnam County Development Authority Inc does

The Putnam County Development Authority Inc (PCDA) is a quasi-government, non-profit economic development authority established in 1961 and headquartered in Hurricane, West Virginia. The organization drives economic growth in Putnam County through business attraction, retention, and expansion services, targeting sectors including automotive, chemicals, metals, manufacturing, distribution, and agriculture. Its service portfolio includes an available properties database, workforce development programs anchored by the Kanawha Valley FAME skilled technician apprenticeship, BUILD WV Act housing development incentives, Economic Gardening referrals, financing connections (WVEDA, ARC, SBDC), exporting assistance, and quarterly Grounds for Discussion events. PCDA serves manufacturers, industrial site selectors, residential developers, existing local employers, and entrepreneurs, providing these services free of charge.

PCDA operates with an unusually lean staff of two full-time professionals, Executive Director Morganne Tenney and Business Outreach Coordinator Megan Lomax, supplemented by a volunteer board of 14 members drawn from local business, municipal, and legislative leadership. Revenue is not generated from service fees; instead, the authority is funded through public appropriations, a nonprofit investment arm called PROTEC that accepts third-party investments for business attraction and workforce development, and facilitation fees such as the $5,000 non-refundable BUILD WV application charge. Technology is not a core competency — PCDA's digital footprint centers on a WordPress-based website with a property database and newsletter signup, rather than proprietary software or AI capabilities.

The authority's value proposition rests on Putnam County's geographic advantages (location between Charleston and Huntington, I-64 and Route 35 highway access, rail and barge infrastructure, and reach to 50% of the U.S. population within one day's drive), its skilled workforce pipeline through FAME and Putnam Career and Technical Center, and the claim of the nation's lowest manufacturing turnover rate. Strategic anchor relationships with Toyota Motor Manufacturing WV (2,400 team members, $1.8B facility) and Nucor Steel West Virginia (3 million tons annual capacity) provide scale, while projected demand for 4,000 housing units by 2028 represents a forward growth driver.

Name

The Putnam County Development Authority Inc

Legal name

Putnam County Development Authority

Website

https://pcda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Putnam County Development Authority Inc is a quasi-government, non-profit economic development authority founded in 1961 in Hurricane, WV. It provides free business attraction, retention, workforce, and housing development services to manufacturers, developers, and entrepreneurs across Putnam County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hurricane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. PROTEC Investment Program: PCDA operates PROTEC, a nonprofit arm that accepts investments to attract and retain businesses and develop the workforce in Putnam County. Investments are used to drive economic development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PCDA is a quasi-government, nonprofit economic development authority that drives job creation, tax base expansion, and development in Putnam County, West Virginia. Its core work is business attraction, retention, and expansion services combined with site selection via an online properties database, workforce development and training referrals, housing development incentives under the Build WV Act, financing connections (WVEDA, ARC loans, SBDC), entrepreneurship support (Economic Gardening, Area 34 coworking), and community programs such as Grounds for Discussion events and the Hometown Advantage career initiative. Services are delivered free of charge to businesses, developers, and residents, with investment funding flowing through its nonprofit arm PROTEC.

Product overview

The Putnam County Development Authority (PCDA) is a quasi-government economic development organization established in 1961. Rather than a unified software product, PCDA offers a portfolio of economic development services and programs including business attraction and retention, available property listings, workforce development programs (including the Kanawha Valley FAME advanced manufacturing education program), housing development initiatives (Build WV Act), financing and lending connections, entrepreneurship support, and various business resources such as the Economic Gardening program, Grounds for Discussion events, and the Hometown Advantage initiative connecting residents with local career opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Attraction & Retention Services Core economic development services for manufacturers, industrial companies, and other businesses seeking to locate, expand, or retain operations in Putnam County, WV. Includes direct outreach, permit and utility facilitation, tax incentive navigation, and coordination with state-level economic development partners.
• Available Properties Database Free online database of commercial and industrial sites and buildings available for business development in Putnam County. Businesses can search listings and property owners can submit properties via the submission form.
• Workforce Resources

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved nation's lowest manufacturing turnover rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CAMC (Charleston Area Medical Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAMC is listed as a partner in PCDA's development ecosystem, indicating collaboration on workforce or community development initiatives in Putnam County.
• Civil Environmental ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner driving development in Putnam County. Provides environmental and civil engineering consulting services supporting business and housing development.
• Family Wealth GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner driving development. Family Wealth Group sponsors the Hometown Advantage Registered Behavior Technicians career pathway.
• Nucor West VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNucor Steel West Virginia is a major manufacturing employer and FAME program partner. Located in Apple Grove, WV with 3 million ton annual steel capacity. One of the most advanced steel mills with lowest carbon footprint.
• Toyota West VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToyota Motor Manufacturing WV is the largest employer in Putnam County with 2,400 team members. Participates in Kanawha Valley FAME program. The $1.8 billion facility is Toyota's only combined engine and transmission plant in North America and produces hybrid transaxles.
• United RentalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner driving development in Putnam County, providing equipment rental services supporting construction and industrial projects.
• Putnam Career and Technical Center (PCTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCTC is a key partner in workforce development, collaborating on Kanawha Valley FAME apprenticeship program and Hometown Advantage initiative to connect students with local career opportunities.
• Advantage ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvantage Valley is a regional economic development organization spanning nine counties including Putnam County. PCDA partners with Advantage Valley for Economic Gardening program and regional housing studies.
• Putnam County Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPCDA collaborates with the Putnam County Chamber on relocation guides, Area 34 coworking space, The Comeback Club for women re-entering workforce, and joint economic development initiatives.
• BridgeValley Community and Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner for Kanawha Valley FAME program, providing advanced manufacturing technology associate's degree. Partners with PCDA and local manufacturers for work-study apprenticeship model.
• WV Department of Economic DevelopmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMorganne Tenney previously served as Business Retention and Expansion Manager with WV Dept. of Economic Development. PCDA facilitates connections to state-level programs including Governor's Guaranteed Workforce, BUILD WV Act, and exporting assistance.
• Workforce West VirginiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkforce West Virginia provides the Federal Bonding Program and connects businesses with workforce programs. PCDA helps businesses apply for Federal Bonding to hire at-risk job seekers.
• Marshall HealthminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarshall CORE (Creating Opportunities for Recovery Employment) initiative helps individuals in recovery re-enter the workforce. PCDA connects employers with CORE for hiring employees facing employment barriers.
• West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWVSBDC provides business coaching, loan proposal assistance, and funding strategies. PCDA connects entrepreneurs and small businesses with WVSBDC services.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Putnam County Chamber of Commerce: Local chamber that co-runs Area 34 coworking space and The Comeback Club with PCDA. A complementary, not competing, organization serving overlapping Putnam County businesses—useful for benchmarking member-service and retention motions.
• Advantage Valley: Regional economic development organization covering nine counties including Putnam, and a direct PCDA partner for Economic Gardening referrals and regional housing studies. Comparable scope and structure, broader geographic mandate.
• West Virginia Department of Economic Development: State-level economic development agency that administers the BUILD WV Act, Governor's Guaranteed Workforce, and exporting assistance programs that PCDA helps local businesses access. Closest functional peer, just one tier up in the economic development hierarchy.
• West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA): State lending authority that provides direct loans, loan guarantees up to 80%, and financing programs to which PCDA refers local businesses. Peer in the broader economic development ecosystem, with overlapping developer/employer relationships.
• Huntington Area Development Council: Regional economic development organization serving the Huntington, WV area—a neighboring region to Putnam County sharing some manufacturers (e.g., Nucor's broader footprint) and competing for the same industrial recruitment prospects.
• Charleston Area Alliance: Regional economic development and chamber hybrid serving the Charleston, WV market, immediately adjacent to Putnam County. Shares commuting shed and competes for some prospect attention; comparable program mix (workforce, site selection, advocacy).
• Berkeley County Development Authority: Another West Virginia county-level economic development authority with a similar mandate of business attraction, retention, and expansion. Closest direct structural peer—an apples-to-apples comparison for a county-level EDA.

Emerging players

• West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC): Statewide small business support network providing coaching, loan proposal assistance, and growth strategy—overlapping with PCDA's entrepreneurship and Economic Gardening programs. A partner via referral but also partial substitute for some services.

Broad incumbents

• JobsOhio: Ohio's private-sector economic development corporation—a large, well-funded statewide counterpart to PCDA's mission. Useful as a benchmark for what a more mature, state-level economic development organization can deliver, and a competitor for cross-border site selection deals.

Regional players

• Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation: Regional community foundation in the Kanawha Valley that funds community and economic development initiatives, partially overlapping with PCDA's mission of strengthening the regional economy. Comparable geography, different mechanism (grantmaking vs. direct business services).

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PutnamCountyDevelopmentAuthority
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pcda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Putnam County Development Authority Inc