Speakers 2024

Larry Stalica

  • Title: Messer Americas
  • Company: Head of Energy

Mr. Stalica currently serves as Head of Energy for Messer Americas and President of Messer Energy Services, both part of the Messer Group, the world’s largest privately held company specializing in industrial, medical, and specialty gases. Messer Americas, headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, employs over 5,000 people and operates more than 90 major production facilities across the United States, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. Mr. Stalica leads a team of energy professionals responsible for managing the company’s energy expenditures across North and South America. Electricity, Messer’s largest single expense, constitutes approximately two-thirds of the production cost at air separation facilities, such as the two plants Messer operates in West Virginia.

 Throughout his career, Mr. Stalica has held leadership roles in operations, facilities, and energy management. He began his career at General Electric and later joined the Naval Reactors Program under GE’s Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Schenectady, New York, where he held various roles overseeing the design, operation, and training of the Navy’s nuclear fleet. After leaving Knolls in 1996, he joined Thomson Multimedia, where he managed facilities and energy for its North American sites, working extensively in Mexico to establish and maintain several facilities. 

In 2001, Mr. Stalica joined Messer, formerly known as BOC and Linde, and soon after, he founded Messer Energy Services, a licensed electric supplier. This allows Messer to participate directly in wholesale energy markets, securing electricity for its manufacturing facilities and external customers across the United States’ competitive energy markets. Over the years, Mr. Stalica has led numerous state and national industrial energy groups and has testified before state legislature committees, public utility commissions, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on energy matters, including grid transmission and demand response. He has also advised the President’s Council of Economic Advisors on energy issues affecting large industrial companies. Recently, Mr. Stalica was nominated by the Industrial Energy Consumers of America to serve on the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee, which advises on electricity issues across the United States.

Mr. Stalica holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He also graduated from the United States Navy’s Nuclear Engineering Program and was certified as an Engineer in the Department of Energy’s Naval Reactors Program.

Marvin Woodie

  • Title: President
  • Company: Conn-Weld Industries, LLC

Marvin Woodie graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and began his career with Conn-Weld Industries in 1986. Throughout his tenure, Marvin has held various roles, starting as a project engineer where he was involved in product development. He later served as Vice President of Field Operations, playing a key role in expanding Conn-Weld’s global presence. Marvin now serves as President of Conn-Weld Industries, LLC.

Marvin is passionate about education, community, and manufacturing. He serves on several boards aimed at advancing West Virginia’s future, including the Bluefield State University Board of Accreditation for the Mechanical Engineering Department, The Wade Center, WVU’s Visiting Committee for the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, the Graham High School Foundation, and the West Virginia Manufacturers Association.

Jim Linsenmeyer

  • Title: Region Manager
  • Company: WV Dept of Economic Development

Jim Linsenmeyer, a native of West Virginia, serves as the Region Manager for the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, overseeing the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions. In this role, Jim focuses on helping West Virginia-based businesses grow by leveraging the state’s resources, while also working to attract international companies to invest in the state’s infrastructure and economy.

Jim holds an undergraduate business degree from Xavier University and an MBA from West Virginia University. Prior to joining the Department of Economic Development, he spent 40 years operating and owning beer and wine wholesale businesses in West Virginia. Over the course of his career, he has been involved in numerous startups, mergers, and acquisitions of small businesses.

Following his retirement, Jim dedicated several years to providing pro bono consulting services to business colleges, incubators, and accelerators in the Baltimore area, serving as a guest lecturer and entrepreneur-in-residence.

Glenn Jeffries

  • Title: WV Senate
  • Company: Chair of Economic Development Committee

Senator Jeffries, who represents parts of Kanawha and Putnam Counties, is a successful businessperson and entrepreneur who chairs the West Virginia Senate’s Economic Development Committee. Working collaboratively with the West Virginia Development Office and all levels of government, Jeffries brings a private sector perspective to economic development and builds lasting relationships with existing and potential companies to position the Mountain State to grow more jobs and opportunities.

Dana Burns

  • Title: Vice President
  • Company: Potesta & Associates, Inc.

Dana holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University. He is the Vice President of Potesta & Associates, Inc., a civil, geotechnical, and environmental consulting firm with offices in Charleston and Morgantown, West Virginia, as well as Winchester and Richmond, Virginia. Dana is a Registered Professional Engineer with over 45 years of experience in civil/site, geotechnical, and environmental engineering.

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