Why I Launched Here

My business partner, Stephen Stire, and I went to college together at West Virginia University here in Morgantown. We elected to headquarter our business, which opened in 2001, in Morgantown because the city provided us with a lot of consulting support through WVU.

Our company, the Iridium Group, is a small management consulting firm focusing on business processes and technology solutions for government and commercial clients, including Visa. They're mostly based outside of West Virginia.

I love the atmosphere of Morgantown. It's vibrant and there's always a lot going on. There's also a lot of optimistic points of view about what can done here. I think every business startup faces challenges, but around Morgantown, there's a lot of support and feedback. And as with any college town, there's the opportunity to work with bright and passionate individuals who are motivated to innovate.

There are some aspects of Morgantown that haven't changed and I hope they never change, but at the same time there is a dynamic, moving culture here. I used to drive to Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C., when I needed to get some big-city exposure, but a lot of those things -- restaurants, entertainment, shopping -- are in Morgantown now. We have that big city connection with a lot fewer people.

Transportation can be a problem, and sometimes I need to drive to Pittsburgh to get flights, but the city and county are basically challenge-free for small businesses. -Christina Crapanzano

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