Charleston, W.Va. – WV Secretary of State Kris Warner recorded a recent “Just Three Questions!” episode at the WV One Stop Business Center (WVOSBC) in Charleston. The Center is a one stop shop for entrepreneurs and business owners who can walk in and register a new business, file their Annual Report, or ask business related questions. The Secretary of State Business Division Director, Sarah Carey, helps lead the efforts at the WVOSBC and joined Secretary Warner to discuss the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Annual Conference held during Bridging Innovation Week.
The conference brought together entrepreneurs, innovators and inventors in the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, which was established in 2019. Secretary Warner said, “The West Virginia Secretary of State’s office is a founding member of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. The Ecosystem now consists of 160 members and nearly 2,000 entrepreneurs and business owners.”
This year’s conference was held at Shepherd University. It was an opportunity to educate attendees about the role the Secretary of State’s Office plays in business registration. Carey said, “There’s a lot of people with innovative new ideas in West Virginia. We’re currently on average registering a little over a thousand businesses each month. So, I think that there’s a lot of opportunity to grow there, and I think it just shows that West Virginia has really good ideas.”
A key theme of the conference was innovation. AI technology is making it easier to do business in West Virginia. SOLO, an acronym for “Single Online Location,” is an AI-powered chatbot that can be found on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s website. It can be accessed from any computer or smart phone 24/7/365 days a year. SOLO assists more than 600 users each month. The platform recently garnered international attention.
Conference attendees also learned that virtual appointments are now available on the WV One Stop Business Portal. “We’re really excited about it. It gives folks an appointment for 30 minutes with one of our business specialists. It is a virtual appointment in camera, so you’ll be able to see our face, see that we’re a real person here talking to you,” said Carey.
The West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem will host next year’s conference in Morgantown from April 27th to May 1st.
The interview with Carey and other recorded episodes of “Just Three Questions!” can be found on the WVSOS YouTube channel.
