West Virginia Now Certifies Veteran-Owned Businesses, and One of the First Five Is Right Here

West Virginia launched its Certified Veteran-Owned Business program today, making this the fifteenth state in the nation to formally recognize and certify businesses owned by veterans. Secretary of State Kris Warner announced the program at the American Legion State Convention in Huntington, alongside Ryan Kennedy, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance.

The program was created by House Bill 5227, which took effect on July 1. Under it, a business that is at least fifty one percent owned by an honorably discharged veteran, an active duty service member, or their spouse can apply through the Secretary of State’s Business Division, be verified, and then display the official CVOB logotype on its storefront, its printed materials, and its website.

Five businesses were certified in the first round. One of them is in our service area. James Merrill of Hasten Services, in Monongalia County, is among the first five veteran business owners certified by the State of West Virginia.

We want to be direct about why that matters beyond the ceremony. A certification is a signal, and signals are what small businesses in rural counties do not have easy access to. A veteran running a two person operation out of a shop in Fairmont or Bridgeport or Kingwood is competing for attention against companies with marketing budgets. A state-verified mark is something that a customer, a bank, or a procurement officer can look at and trust without having to investigate. It costs the business owner an application and nothing else.

The application is short. The requirements are ownership, honorable discharge, and a West Virginia business. Proof of service is a DD-214 for veterans and spouses, or a current military identification card for active duty members. The Secretary of State’s page for the program is at sos.wv.gov/WVCVOB.

If you own a veteran business in Preston, Monongalia, Marion, Harrison, Taylor, Wood counties and surrounding areas, we would encourage you to go get certified. There is no reason not to, and the mark is worth having.

We would also point you to our own Business Directory, which we have spent the past several weeks rebuilding. It now lists thirty veteran-owned businesses across our six counties, from a brewery in Terra Alta to a security firm in Thornton to a flooring company in Clarksburg, each one with a location on the map and a way to reach them. The state’s own list of certified businesses is not published yet. Ours is.

Supporting a veteran-owned business is not charity and it never was. It is buying something you were going to buy anyway from somebody who already proved what they are willing to do for people they have never met.