After the craziness of the presidential election, many residents of West Virginia may not have noticed that we now have a new governor.
Jim Justice, often recognized as the owner of the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, won 49% of the votes in the mountain state. Despite the state’s Republican voting record since the 2000 presidential election, the state remains blue when it comes to state and local elections.
Justice is the President and CEO of 102 companies, echoing his slogan, “Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.”
Many of Justice’s companies are based on agriculture, with the exception of the Greenbrier resort he purchased in 2009.
After renovations, expansions and the excitement surrounding the PGA Tour, Justice has brought an influx of tourism to the historic resort.
Tourism is a major part of Justice’s visionary plan for West Virginia. Through private investments, major media sponsored events and possibly even a theme park, Justice plans on letting the rest of the country see how Wild and Wonderful West Virginia is.
“We need to think big. What I did to increase tourism at The Greenbrier I’ll do all over West Virginia,” Justice said in an interview with The Register-Herald.
Not only does Justice want to create new jobs for West Virginians, but he also wants to improve the value of jobs, specifically those of educators.
Justice, who has a teaching certificate, plans to improve the pay of teachers across the state. He claims that improving the quality of educators and education is necessary for repairing the state. Justice has received endorsements from the West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.
Justice also recognizes West Virginia’s recent drug problem. He plans to work vigorously with law enforcement to prevent drugs from entering the state and provide treatment for those suffering from addiction.
When Justice isn’t busy with his companies or campaign, he coaches a girls’ basketball team at Greenbrier East High School in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He has been the President of Beckley Little League since 1992, helping to expand the program to include over 80 teams.
Justice will take the office of governor on Jan. 16, succeeding Earl Ray Tomblin as the 36th governor of West Virginia.
