Beckley, W.Va. (WVDN) – Dudding Commercial Development LLC was recently awarded 2025 Development Partner of the Year by Jina Belcher, Executive Director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA), at a recent NRGRDA/West Virginia Hive Showcase and Awards event.
Belcher said Jerime Dudding’s leadership in developing the site now occupied by Amazon is one of the reasons his firm was selected. She told the story about how it happened: “Jerime walked into my office one day and asked, ‘If you could pick any property in the region to develop for industrial use, what would it be?’ I shared the site. Jerime got to work. And eight months later, Amazon landed there.”
She indicated that Jerime and his team have the qualities to get the job done. “Success doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of a developer partner who listens, who understands community priorities, and who is willing to move quickly, decisively, and collaboratively. It is rare — incredibly rare — to find a private developer who consistently puts community and people ahead of profit. But that is who Jerime is. And that is what Dudding Commercial represents.”
Conveying her pride in NRGRDA’s partnership with Dudding Commercial Development, Belcher added, “Our partnership has set the bar high for what public–private collaboration can look like. We’ve built trust, momentum, and a shared belief in what’s possible for this region. And because of that, we are seeing investments, opportunities, and development outcomes that simply wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. In our field, having a development partner who is willing to put real skin in the game — to take risks, to invest early, to stand beside us through the unknowns — is an incredibly rare gift,” said Belcher. “That’s exactly what Jerime brings to the table.”
She added, “Dudding Commercial has become a partner we can count on to move from idea to action, from possibility to investment. Jerime has earned the trust and respect of legacy property owners, elected officials, and even national site selectors and recruitment firms — not because he demands it, but because he shows up with honesty, transparency, and a clear commitment to equitable benefit for everyone involved. He is the kind of partner who makes sure deals don’t just close — they work, and they work for everyone.”
