Inductees

Richard M. Adams

2002 Inductee

Richard M. Adams' career in banking is marked by his exemplary leadership. By the age of 29, he had earned degrees from WVU and Rutgers and was named president of what was the Parkersburg National Bank.

Frank Alderman

2014 Inductee

Frank Alderman, MD is the CEO of MedExpress, an innovative outpatient healthcare delivery model.

John Crile Allen

2004 Inductee

As president and CEO of J.F. Allen Co., John C. Allen has demonstrated the ability to take a solid family business and make it grow.

Dave Arnold

Board Member, Adventures on the Gorge

2024 Inductee

Dave is a founding partner in a number of adventure/resort businesses: Class VI River Runners Inc., Lost Paddle LLC, Adventures on the Gorge (AOTG), Mountain State Outdoor LLC, New River Adventure Resort LLC, Wild Rock LLC and Bridge Walk LLC. All these companies were formed in partnership with a number of great partners. These companies started with the formation of Class VI River Runners in 1977 when Dave was 22 years old. The pursuit of excellence was always a cornerstone in the development of these companies.

Linda Arnold

2018 Inductee

Linda Arnold is the founder and former chairman & CEO of The Arnold Agency, a multi-state advertising, public relations and governmental relations company that grew to have offices in Washington, D.C., Montana and West Virginia.

Phyllis H. Arnold

2007 Inductee

Phyllis Huff Arnold is the State President of BB&T West Virginia and Regional President of BB&T West Virginia Central Region.

Gregory S. Babe

2010 Inductee

Gregory S. Babe, president and CEO of Bayer Corp. and Bayer MaterialScience LLC, is responsible for the North American activities of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany.

Curtis Barnette

2003 Inductee

The distinguished career of Mr. Curtis H. "Hank" Barnette is certainly enough to make West Virginia proud of this St. Albans native. Now Chairman Emeritus of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Barnette served the company for 33 years, starting as a lawyer in 1967, becoming General Counsel, and retiring as Chairman and CEO in 2000.

Bill Bayless

2019 Inductee

As CEO, Bill provides the guiding vision for American Campus Communities. Known for his contagious enthusiasm and true passion for student success, he is considered one of the nation’s foremost experts on student housing— having been featured in Fortune Magazine, NYSE Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and having appeared on CNBC.

W. Marston Becker

2009 Inductee

W. Marston (Marty) Becker is chairman and CEO of Max Capital Group Ltd, a global specialty insurer.

George Bennett

2014 Inductee

For more than 40 years, George Bennett has been a successful serial entrepreneur. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University in 1967 and MS and PhD degrees in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University in 1970 and 1971, he joined the Boston Consulting Group.

Michael Bodnar

2015 Inductee

Currently, Mike is actively involved as real estate investor and equity capitalist in start-up restaurants as well as the more established restaurant brands such as Jim & Nick’s BBQ.

William T. Bright

2005 Inductee

While still in college, William T. Bright started a small business photographing churches for Christmas cards. When he graduated, he and his brother John expanded this home business into what became Bright of America, an international fundraising graphics, paper converting and marketing firm with 500 employees and over $20 million in sales. In 1990 he sold the company to Russ Berrie and Company, which continues operations in Summersville.

Gregory A. Burton

Executive Chairman of Encova Mutual Insurance Group

2020-2021 Inductee

Burton became chief executive officer of BrickStreet Mutual Insurance when the company launched in 2006, and he has served as the executive chair of the Encova Mutual Insurance Group, formerly Motorists Insurance Group since April 2017. He was also the company’s president from 2006 through May 2015.

Wesley Bush

2013 Inductee

Wes Bush is chairman, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leader in global security.

Gaston Caperton

2001 Inductee

As a businessman, Gaston Caperton led a small insurance agency to status as the nation's 10th largest privately owned insurance brokerage firm. He used this same business acumen as West Virginia's governor (1988-96) when he rescued the state from crippling debt

Bray Cary

2002 Inductee

Bray Cary, Jr. is an experienced media executive who built his own television sports syndication business and then became the architect of one of the most significant sports television contracts in history.

John Chambers

2001 Inductee

As president and CEO of Cisco Systems Inc., John Chambers helped build a company known for being the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet.

John T. Chambers

2009 Inductee

Dr. John T. Chambers is a retired physician, real estate developer and venture capitalist.

Fred D. Clark

Owner & Corporate Secretary IVS Hydro Inc.

2023 Inductee

Fred D. Clark was born in New Martinsville, WV in 1953 and grew up in Waverly, WV. He was a 1971 graduate of Williamstown High School and was awarded a National Merit Scholarship to attend West Virginia University.

Chris Cline

2019 Inductee

Chris Cline launched his career in the coal industry in 1980 at the age of 22. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father before him, he began working as an underground coal miner in southern West Virginia. He quickly moved into management, where he learned to use unique tools to motivate his workforce to develop and run low-cost coal mining operations. Working proactively with union and union-free operations, Chris Cline’s successes attracted the notice of major coal companies who engaged him to provide contract mining services for their own mines.

John W. Crites

2009 Inductee

John W. Crites is chairman of Allegheny Wood Products Inc.

Thomas J. DeWitt

2010 Inductee

Tom DeWitt is a partner in and president and CEO of Swanson Industries Inc., a manufacturing, re-manufacturing, metal finishing, engineered products, and distribution company headquartered in Morgantown, with 10 operating companies in the United States and one joint venture company in Shanghai, China.

John Ebert

Owner J.W. Ebert Corporation

2023 Inductee

John Ebert is a 1982 graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in accounting. That same year, he went to work for Arthur Young & Co in Dallas, which was then a Big Eight accounting firm, where his clients included Texas Stadium.

Joseph C. Eddy

Retired President and CEO of Eagle Manufacturing Company and Executive Vice President of Justrite Safety Group

2022 Inductee

Joe Eddy recently retired as President/CEO of Eagle Manufacturing Company in Wellsburg, WV and Executive VP of Justrite Safety Group in Chicago, IL, after successfully integrating the operations of these two world class manufacturers after Eagle was acquired by Justrite in 2018. Joe maintains an ownership interest in the Justrite platform of companies, and manages his energy and management consulting company, Enhanced Technologies, his energy development company, Pinnacle Holdings, and the real estate investment trust, Heritage Holdings.

Harry “Hap” Esbenshade III

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Mountain Company and Laurel Management Group

2020-21 Inductee

Esbenshade is chairman and CEO of The Mountain Company, Laurel Management Group and Tri-State/Service specialty contracting companies covering the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeastern United States. The group will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023. He leads real estate and investment businesses, as well.

H. Smoot Fahlgren

2005 Inductee

As a successful businessman and active leader in the state, H. Smoot Fahlgren is an outstanding example of business excellence. Fahlgren began his business ventures in outdoor advertising, and in 1962 he formed an advertising agency in Parkersburg.

Addison M. Fischer

2010 Inductee

Dr. Addison M. Fischer created his first high-tech startup company in 1973, and has been involved in seed venture capital investing since the early 1980s. He founded Fischer International Systems Corp. and serves as its chairman. As major owner of RSA Data Security, he founded VeriSign, the internationally recognized standard of Internet commerce integrity.

Arthur Gabriel

co-founder, secretary, treasurer and president of Gabriel Brothers

2020-21 Inductee

Gabriel was the secretary, treasurer and president of Gabriel Brothers, which he founded along with his brother James Gabriel. Gabriel Brothers opened its first store in 1961 in Morgantown, where the company remains headquartered.

Patrick Graney

2014 Inductee

Patrick Graney, III, is the Chairman of the One Stop Company, which owns and operates more than 40 stores throughout West Virginia. He recently retired as the Eastern Regional President of Maxum Petroleum (now known as Pilot Logistics Services), a nationwide independent distributor of petroleum products.

Benjamin A. Hardesty

2009 Inductee

Benjamin A. Hardesty is president of Dominion Exploration and Production Inc.

David C. Hardesty

2008 Inductee

David C. Hardesty Jr. is president emeritus and professor of law at West Virginia University, where he teaches subjects related to professional responsibility (legal ethics) and the role of legislatures and statutory law in the legal system.

James H. Harless

2001 Inductee

Having built the Gilbert Lumber Company from humble beginnings into the multi-million-dollar International Industries Inc., James H. "Buck" Harless has used his resources and influence to make the state, particularly his hometown of Gilbert, a better place to live.

J. Brett Harvey

2012 Inductee

J. Brett Harvey is chairman and chief executive officer of CONSOL Energy Inc. Harvey also is a member of the board of directors of Barrick Gold Corporation (Toronto) and Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (Pittsburgh).

Glen H. Hiner

2003 Inductee

A child of a West Virginia coal miner, Hiner earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia University and began his 35-year tenure with the General Electric Company. During the 13 years he led GE Plastics, the division grew from less than $1 billion to $5 billion in annual sales. Following his own advice to "look to the highest goal you can achieve," Hiner left GE to accept the leadership of Owens Corning in 1992.

Ernest L. Hogan

2001 Inductee

Ernest L. Hogan (April 10, 1913 - March 8, 1999) began his 43-year career in the insurance business as an agent for Peoples Life Insurance Company in Beckley, West Virginia, and retired as president, chairman and CEO in Washington, D.C.

Don Hoylman

2010 Inductee

Don Hoylman is owner/operator of Donmar Enterprises Inc. During his career, he founded and/or developed Industrial Contracting of Fairmont Inc.; Industrial Resources; Mountaineer Resources, Inc.; Industrial Pneumatic Systems; West Virginia Electric; West Virginia Electric Industries; McHal Corp., Salem Electric Co.; and Salem Automation in Rotherham, England.

Elmo J. Hurst

2004 Inductee

After graduation from WVU in 1953 (BS in mining engineering) and three years in the Navy, Elmo J. Hurst began work as an assistant chief engineer and assistant to the vice president and general manager for Winding Gulf Coals, Inc. in West Virginia. He then became vice president and general manager of J. O. Lively Construction Co. and Lively Manufacturing and Equipment Co. When these companies were sold to Elgin National Industries, Inc. in 1969, he became president of both.

Rusty Hutson Jr.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Diversified Energy Company

2023 Inductee

Born and raised in West Virginia, Rusty Hutson Jr. marks the fourth generation of Hutsons to work in the oil and gas industry, with family roots dating back to the early 1900s.

Charles H. James

2007 Inductee

Charles H. "Chuck" James III is the Chairman and CEO of C.H. James & Co. Recognized as one of the oldest and largest African-American owned companies in the United States, the firm was established as a wholesale produce house by his great-grandfather in 1883 in Charleston, WV.

Charles Jones

2017 Indcutee

Charles “Charlie” Jones is president and CEO of Amherst Industries. As a longtime West Virginia barge and coal operator, he’s been providing jobs through one of the state’s few home-based corporations. He has been referred to as a “coal miner, farmer, riverboat captain, and Renaissance man.”

J. Thomas Jones

2012 Inductee

Tom Jones is President and CEO of the West Virginia United Health System.

Earl G. Kendrick

2006 Inductee

A native of Princeton, WV, and a 1965 West Virginia University graduate with a degree in business administration, Earl G. "Ken" Kendrick, Jr. is a successful entrepreneur with a commitment to community.

Kimberly Brown Knopf

2011 Inductee

Kimberly Brown Knopf is the founder, president and CEO of Innovative Mattress Solutions, a Winfield, West Virginia. based mattress retailer doing business as Mattress Warehouse and Sleep Outfitters. The company has more than 100 stores in four states: West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Raymond J. Lane

2003 Inductee

Raymond J. Lane has decades of experience as a pioneer and corporate leading in high technology. From his years of rising through the ranks at IBM, Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, and Oracle Corporation, to his position as general partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lane has demonstrated a talent for leadership, a reputation for success, an unshakeable entrepreneurial spirit and a steadfast commitment to civic leadership.

Douglas J. Leech

2007 Inductee

Douglas J. Leech is Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of Centra Financial Holdings, Inc. and Centra Bank, Inc. in Morgantown, WV; formed in 1999 as a community-centered banking company.

John Leslie

2008 Inductee

John Leslie began working for his father at the family business when he was just a boy. He went to Marshall University after high school and graduated in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Leslie came back to his hometown of Cowen, West Virginia, and bought his uncle’s half of Leslie Brothers Equipment Co., a John Deere equipment franchise. Leslie ran the business with his father until 1985, when he purchased his father’s half of the company to become the sole owner.

Albert Lewis

Owner and Chairman, Glass Inc.

2022 Inductee

From the coal mine, to caddie master, U.S.M.C., to owner and chairman of Glass Inc. International, Albert Lewis led an extraordinary life.

Diana Lewis Jackson

President and founder of Action Facilities Management

2020-21 Inductee

Lewis Jackson is the president and founder of Action Facilities Management, a premier government and commercial contract firm specializing in building integrated facilities maintenance, janitorial/sanitation, administrative and security services.

Edna B. & R. Emmett Lynch

2001 Inductees

R. Emmett and Edna Lynch's careful stewardship of the Davis-Lynch Glass Company kept the factory operating when many state glass factories were forced to close. Since they founded it in the 1940s, the company has witnessed three generations of the Lynch family work at the Star City company, which also employs 60 other West Virginians.

Elizabeth McIlvain

President and CEO of the Fiesta Tableware Company

2022 Inductee

Liz was born in Newell, WV with slip (liquid clay) in her veins. A member of the 4th generation of the Wells family to own and operate The Homer Laughlin China Company, now known as The Fiesta Tableware Company, Liz joined the company shortly after graduating from Bethany College. She held various supervisory roles in the plant, culminating as Superintendent of the hotel division plant before taking a break from her professional life to raise her three daughters, two of whom now work for the company. Liz rejoined the company in 2007 as a Vice President and became the first female leader of the company when she became President and CEO in 2013, succeeding her brother in the role. Under Liz’s leadership, The Fiesta Tableware Company and the iconic Fiesta® brand has flourished, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the company and 85th anniversary of the Fiesta® brand in 2021.

William T. McLaughlin

2004 Inductee

Because of Mr. William T. McLaughlin II, banking in West Virginia has significantly changed. With a BS degree in business administration from WVU, McLaughlin began as an examiner for the FDIC in 1960. In 1967 he moved to auditor for the Community Bank & Trust CB&T), where he became president, chairman, and CEO.

Michele Vigneault McNeil

2004 Inductee

Dr. Michele V. McNeill founded and operated a financially successful business with an unfaltering focus on her clients-patients with life-threatening diseases.

Marshall S. Miller

2005 Inductee

In 1976, Marshall S. Miller demonstrated his willingness to take risks by founding his own geological, geophysical, and engineering services company. Marshall Miller and Associates, Inc., headquartered in Bluefield, Virginia, now operates eleven offices in eight states. As chairman and CEO, Miller has established new fields in his industry, helped his company adapt to changing markets, and fostered its continued growth.

John Mork

2013 Inductee

John Mork is President and Chief Executive Officer of Energy Corporation of America and a Director of the Company.

G. Ogden Nutting

2002 Inductee

G. Ogden Nutting has been a leader in the West Virginia publishing industry for more than 40 years. West Virginia's largest newspaper company, Ogden Newspapers Inc., publishes 38 daily newspapers, several magazines, weekly newspapers and shopping guides in 11 states.

Thomas J. “TJ” Obrokta Jr.

President and CEO of Encova Insurance

2024 Inductee

Thomas J. “TJ” Obrokta Jr. is president and chief executive officer of Encova Insurance. A super-regional carrier ranked in the top 25 mutual insurance companies in the United States, Encova is rated A (excellent) by AM Best, the leading provider of insurer ratings.

Robert Orders

2017 Inductee

2017 Inductee

Robert O. (Bob) Orders of Charleston, WV is CEO of Orders Construction Company, which began as a small WV bridge construction firm and has grown to become a regional provider of a wide range of construction services.

Donald E. Panoz

2015 Inductee

Don Panoz’s distinguished career formerly began in 1961 when he and Army buddy and fellow West Virginal University alum Milan “Mike” Puskar founded Milan Pharmaceuticals in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., making Panoz the youngest president of a pharmaceutical company in the United States. Milan evolved into Mylan, a company that now sells an estimated 1,300 products to more than 140 countries and territories worldwide.

Andrew Paterno

2018 Inductee

Currently CEO of Centurion Insurance Services, Andy’s career history includes being President of the West Virginia Region of Huntington National Bank for over five years.

A. Michael Perry

2001 Inductee

A. Michael Perry has been a key leader in the West Virginia business, education, and health communities throughout his long career. He helped guide Key Centurion Bancshares, West Virginia's first billion dollar banking organization, through its transitions toward becoming Bank One, West Virginia Corporation, for which he was chairman and CEO.

Parry G. Petroplus

2009 Inductee

Parry G. Petroplus is a partner at Petroplus and Associates Inc., a Morgantown development firm.

Verl O. Purdy

2002 Inductee

Verl O. Purdy's career as a business leader is notable for his high achievement and unceasing reach for excellence. On joining the BASF group in 1969, he played a major role in developing the company in the United States to a multi-billion dollar enterprise. He left BASF in 1980 to become president and CEO of Rio Tinto Zinc Chemicals in the United States and Canada.

Milan Puskar

2001 Inductee

As founder, chairman, CEO, and president of Mylan Laboratories Inc., Milan Puskar built a business that is one of the great business success stories in West Virginia. Originally only a distributor, Mylan has grown to one of the nation's leading generic pharmaceutical firms.

Robert H. Quenon

2004 Inductee

Robert H. Quenon, a fourth-generation coal miner, has made coal his life's work, and it has taken him from summer work at the bottom of Federal No. 1 mine to the top of the nation's largest coal company-Peabody Holding Company, Inc., now Peabody Energy Corp.

Marshall T. Reynolds

2006 Inductee

Marshall T. Reynolds is chairman and CEO of Champion Industries, chairman of the Radisson Hotel Huntington, Protec Rail Products, Inc., and Pritchard Electric Company, and director for the C.J. Hughes Construction Company.

Robert Reynolds

2010 Inductee

Bob Reynolds is the president and CEO of Putnam Investments.

Stuart M. Robbins

2011 Inductee

Robbins worked for Mellon Bank, Parke Hunter, C.S. McKee and Paine Webber prior to his final position as managing director of global equities at Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette (DLJ).

Mike Ross

2013 Inductee

Ross serves as a model of how a citizen can weave their success into the communities in which they live work, serve and play. Mike has continuously and generously sponsored and supported community events, fairs and festivals, schools, team sports, and charitable activities. In Randolph County alone, he has donated tens of thousands of dollars to non-profit organizations to enhance the quality of life for our residents. And just recently Mr. Ross donated $1 million to WVU’s Children’s Hospital for pediatric diabetes research.

Samuel B. Ross

2006 Inductee

Samuel B. Ross, II recently retired as chairman and CEO of SBR, Inc., parent company of Simonton Windows and several other companies.

Charles E. Ryan

2002 Inductee

Charles E. Ryan is a textbook example of combining constant vigilance, relationship building, and high ethical standards with creative thinking and business leadership skills. Starting in 1974 with a single-employee, one-client public relations firm, he built Charles Ryan Associates into a 70-employee, $30 million integrated marketing and communications business with offices in Charleston, Cincinnati, Lexington, and Richmond.

Robert L. Shell

2007 Inductee

Mr. Shell is Chairman and CEO of Guyan International, a privately held holding company whose Permco Division is internationally recognized.

David Simmons

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer – PPD, Inc.

2022 Inductee

David Simmons joined PPD in 2012 as chairman and chief executive officer and served in this capacity until PPD was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in December, 2021. In this role, he led the company’s global workforce of more than 30,000 employees, across 46 countries, in the design and execution of drug development programs on behalf of pharmaceutical industry customers.

Judy Sheppard

2019 Inductee

Judy Sheppard leads Professional Services of America, a human resources company she founded in Parkersburg in 1989. The company has grown into a global leader in human resources and business management, as Sheppard has overseen all operations of her company and its commitment to delivering quality services.

Brad Smith

2018 Inductee

Brad Smith is chairman and chief executive officer of Intuit. Under Brad’s leadership, Intuit has transformed from a North American desktop software company to a global, cloud-based product and platform company.

Julie M. Smith

2012 Inductee

Julie M. Smith earned her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis at WVU. While still a student, Julie and a team of consultants at the University's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development pioneered a new field in business management consulting that leads to superior strategy execution and dramatic performance improvements—all while engaging the hearts and minds of employees.

Benjamin M. Statler

2008 Inductee

Today Benjamin M. Statler is a retired coal executive who lives in Naples, Fla., and McMurray, Pa.

Diane Strong-Treister

President and Franchise Owner of Manpower of WV, Inc.

2024 Inductee

Diane Strong-Treister is the President and Franchise Owner of Manpower of WV, Inc., with offices in West Virginia and Kentucky servicing employment needs of clients in the Administrative, Industrial, Technical/Professional and Healthcare divisions. Manpower is a franchise of ManpowerGroup, an international company with offices worldwide in 80 countries, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Fred T. Tattersall

2011 Inductee

He was a Senior Vice President at what is now Bank of America, and then become a partner at Lowe, Brockenbrough, Tierney and Tattersall, where he began to build an institutional fixed income division.

L. Newton Thomas

2003 Inductee

Mr. L. Newton Thomas, Jr. developed ITT Carbon Industries Inc., a family-owned business, into one of West Virginia's most successful coal operations, but his record of public service is what truly distinguishes him.

Douglas R. Van Scoy

2011 Inductee

In 1974, Doug went to work for the investment firm of Smith Barney, where he worked until his retirement in 2001.

Leo Vecellio Jr.

2019 Inductee

Leo Vecellio Jr. is chairman, president and CEO of Vecellio Group, Inc., a fourth-generation, family owned and operated business with substantial heavy/highway, mining and petroleum operations throughout the southeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S.

Stephen Walker

2017 Inductee

D. Stephen Walker is the retired president and CEO of Cecil I Walker Machinery Company, a family business primarily located in Charleston West Virginia, with branches in western West Virginia and southeastern Ohio. Walker-Machinery was founded in 1949 as a heavy equipment distributor. In 1953, it was awarded the Caterpillar dealership from western West Virginia and southeastern Ohio.

Bernie Wehrle

2015 Inductee

H.B. "Bernie" Wehrle III graduated from Princeton University in 1973 and received an MBA in finance from Georgia State University in 1979. He began his career with McJunkin Corp. in 1973 in sales and held various positions in sales and finance. He became President in 1987, CEO in 1992, and retired from the company in September 2008.

Gary E. West

2006 Inductee

Gary E. West bought Valley Welding Supply Company and grew it from a one-shop operation to a business with 55 locations in 10 states and annual sales in excess of $85 million.

Gary G. White

2007 Inductee

Gary G. White is president and CEO of International Resource Partners, a central Appalachian coal company that produces steam and metallurgical coal for domestic and international markets.