Aug. 30, 2010
 
GUEST COMMENTARY: Raese Has What It Takes to Jumpstart the U.S. Economy
 
By Alice Click
 
We hear the media speaking always of John Raese as "Wealthy"...but how about referring to him as successful?
 
Raese is a successful businessman who manages a diverse network of businesses from the Greer Headquarters located in Morgantown.
 
One only has to listen to John Raese for a short time, before one will hear the story of his grandparents, but especially of his grandmother and the influence she had on his life. He named his daughters (who are now teen-agers) for their grandmother.
 
Raese has been responsible for the safety and well-being of upwards of 1,000 employees at any one time in his limestone, steel, and broadcasting companies across West Virginia.
 
Through good economic times and bad, regardless of what new hurdles the state and federal governments put on him, Raese's companies managed to not only survive in a tough West Virginia business climate but thrive.
 
Today, Greer Industries Inc. is a successful company that oversees numerous businesses that span a range of mining, steel, tourism, recreation, publishing and broadcasting.
 
John Raese's grandparents, Herbert C. Greer and Agnes Jane Reeves Greer, set out to create a business that would be built on hard work, vision and innovation.
 
John Raese's employees no doubt thank him for his dedication to staying the task, especially in economic downturns like the current one. While companies and corporations just throw in the towel in tough times, John Raese is determined to keep the men and women who make up the Greer Industries employed.
 
Raese did very well in the Primary Election on Saturday. He has what it takes to go to Washington, DC and help jumpstart the economy of this country..
 
Raese has the background. His grandparents worked hard to build the Greer Industries from the time of the World War I era, and The Great Depression, and the World War II era. His grandfather died soon after World War II, but Agnes Greer continued the businesses until her death in 1972.
 
Raese knows it's a new kind of struggle to survive in business in the 2000s. Raese, a Conservative, believes in Capitalism, just as his grandmother. With his teen-aged daughters at his side at campaign rallies, they too, are learning the story of Capitalism -- The Agnes Jane Reeves Greer style of Capitalism ... one their father wishes to continue ...hard work, vision and innovation.
 
Alice Click lives in Mt. Alto, WV