photo by: Derek Redd

Officials from WesBanco present the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce with a $25,000 sponsorship check. Pictured are, from left, WesBanco Elm Grove Branch Manager Courtney Wiggins, WesBanco Vice President of Business Continuity Management and District Team Leader Sunny West, WesBanco Assistant VP of Banking Center Management Ryan Garrison, WesBanco Executive Administrative Assistant Beth Kuhn, WesBanco Senior VP and District Manager Amanda Brown, WesBanco VP and Banking Center Manager Bill Edgar, Chamber COO Mike Howard and Chamber Business Development Coordinator Ross Salvatori.

WesBanco and the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the continuation of their partnership Monday afternoon, with the banking company presenting the chamber another $25,000 sponsorship check.

Chamber and WesBanco officials congregated at WesBanco’s downtown branch to commemorate the event. This is the third year of WesBanco’s sponsorship and the $25,000 will go to the chamber’s missions of leadership education, community engagement, and business development.

Mike Howard, the chamber’s chief operations officer, said the money will be a major boost to the organization’s operational base and will allow the chamber to continue its work. It also will create a visible collaboration with WesBanco, which Howard said remains a great partnership.

“They see where we’re taking things and the value we’re building for our membership and the leadership development that we’re doing,” Howard said. “And it says a lot for the culture of WesBanco and what they’re developing day to day in their operations.”

Amanda Brown, a senior vice president and district manager at WesBanco, agreed that the collaboration between the banking company and the chamber speaks well to both organizations and their missions.

“I agree that we have similar cultures, which is community and people,” she said. “It’s a perfect marriage of culture.

“It bridges that gap,” she added. “We can all come together and network, to meet each other and introduce others to others. And we just keep expanding our network.”