PARKERSBURG - Local businesses were ranked on the list of West Virginia's 100 Largest Private Employers in a ranking done by Workforce West Virginia.
Among those were Camden Clark Medical Center, DuPont and Constellium Rolled Products of Ravenswood.
The list contains businesses with both single and multiple locations and ranks companies according to the number of employees, according to a press release from Workforce West Virginia. The data is extracted from the Quarterly Contributions Report for the first quarter of each year and are available to the public by the third quarter of each year.
West Virginia's top five largest private employers are retail giant Wal-Mart, West Virginia United Health System, Charleston Area Medical Center, Kroger and Consolidated Coal Co., many unchanged from last year, the release said. Wal-Mart has remained the state's top private employer since 1998.
The remaining five employers in the top 10 have shifted positions with Lowe's Home Centers climbing one to No. 6 and Mylan Pharmaceuticals slipping to No. 7. The Mentor Network climbed two spots to No. 8 while St. Mary's Medical Center and American Electric Power slipped to Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.
The top 10 employers had 1,818 more employees than the top 10 employers of 2011, Workforce West Virginia said.
With the merger of Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital in March 2011, the new Camden Clark Medical Center rose in the rankings to 14th compared to Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital's ranking of 23rd last year and St. Joseph's Hospital's ranking of 82nd in 2011.
The new ranking makes the Camden Clark Medical Center the largest private employer in the area.
The medical center employs 1,791 employees with an annual salary and wages budget of around $78.9 million, said Tim Brunicardi, director of marketing and public affairs for the medical center.
"As one of the top 100 employers in the state, we're mindful and proud of the fact that we are able to have a positive impact on the fiscal health as well as the physical health of our community," Brunicardi said. "Moreover, I think it's important to note that with the significant number of employees at Camden Clark, there's a high probability that many of our patients are actually being treated and cared for by friends, neighbors and family members.
''That kind of 'connection' creates a tangible sense of communitymaking the hospital an integral and vital part of peoples' lives."
The medical center's employees are involved throughout the community in various ways, Brunicardi said
"In addition, our employees have an impact in other ways as well. Many of our employees volunteer and serve with a wide variety of civic and charitable organizations, providing leadership and valuable resources to benefit the community,'' he said. ''Thus, in reality, Camden Clark's impact extents far beyond the limits of the Memorial or St. Joseph's campuses.''
Camden Clark purchased St. Joseph's in an affiliation with United Health System.
DuPont Washington Works was ranked 16th on the list, the same as the previous year.
DuPont's facilities in Wood County and in Belle, W.Va. employ 2,100 people with a combined payroll exceeding $151 million annually, plant officials said. The combined property tax payments exceed $6 million annually, they added.
The Washington Works plant produces more than 700 million pounds of products that are used in many automotive, industrial, architectural and household applications.
"We are proud to be part of the Mid-Ohio Valley community," Plant Manager Karl Boelter said. "Our company is pleased to be among the largest West Virginia employers providing jobs and serving as part of a the economic engine for the state."
Constellium Rolled Products Ravenswood was 49th on the list, moving up one spot from 50th last year.
Members of the United Steelworkers Local 5668 recently voted to accept a new five-year contract from the company after being on strike for about a month-and-a-half.
Company spokesperson Laura Prisc said the company doesn't usually comment on this ranking and did not comment on how many people are employed at the plant.
However, workers were back on their normal shift patterns at 7 a.m. Sept. 24, she said.
"We look forward to resuming our work in bringing growth back to Ravenswood,'' said plant CEO Kyle Lorentzen. ''As the largest employer in Jackson County, this facility is critically important because of the jobs we provide, the goods and services we buy, and the taxes we pay.
''We look forward to resuming the progress we were making earlier this year."
Wal-Mart and Kroger have stores throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley, which contributed to the two companies' overall ranking in the state.
Simonton Windows in Ritchie County ranked 62st on the list. United Bank, which is based in Parkersburg, was 64th on the list.
Manpower Temporary Services, which has an office in Parkersburg, made the list this year coming in 80th.
