Sep. 28—bluefield, va. — Day-to-day record keeping, economic development plus preparing special community events are all part of the job for a local woman with ties to both southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia.
Town Clerk Lori Charles Stacy of Bluefield, Va. took some time to talk after helping one of the town’s employees with an issue. Many local radio listeners know her already by a slightly different name.
“I am a radio deejay part time,” she said. “I’ve been with First Media for about 30 years, so my on-air and my maiden name is Charles, so I’m known as Lori Charles as well, but Lori Stacy here.”
Stacy grew up in southern West Virginia before fate took her to Southwest Virginia.
“I’m originally from McDowell County, from Berwind, WV,” she said. “I lived there until I was about 14, and after that my family moved to Tazewell County, so I went to Tazewell High School and graduated from there in 1991. I went to East Tennessee State after that, but didn’t finish my degree.
“I did eventually finish and I did that online, and it was really just a few years ago, but I had received an Associates Degree from Southwest Virginia Community College and that’s when I got into media,” Stacy said. “So I went to work at the former WTZE in Tazewell and then just a few years after that — I think it was in 1994 — I started working in Bluefield, which was at that time Adventure Communications. Most of my career has been with J104 and Kicks Country. And I’m still there — just part time. My air shift on J104 is from 10 until noon, so it’s a short one, but then I do Afternoon Drive on Kicks Country from 3 to 7, Monday through Friday. “
The town of Bluefield, Va. is now Stacy’s full-time focus. Before coming to the town, she was the director of the Tazewell County Chamber of Commerce.
“I was very thankful for those years although it was challenging because I was hired in November, then Covid hit in March, so I was learning the position plus navigating through Covid with a new position; but it was challenge but it was also when I saw the real need for chambers and being there for our businesses,” she said. “I was a part of the Small Business Development grant we received with Tazewell County, so it was a total of $1.6 million that we able to distribute to small businesses that were eligible for that money.”
The Tazewell County Chamber of Commerce did a lot of fundraising while Stacy was its director.
“We did a gift certificate program and that was in part with Thompson Charitable Foundation and that was very beneficial,” she said. “It was about $30,000 to businesses in Tazewell County during that time.”
When the covid pandemic reached the region, life at the chamber became more challenging.
“While I feel like a lot of the world shut down, there were particular businesses that really sprang into action and became even more busy, and that was the time when I really needed to work and fight for our businesses.,” Stacy said. “I was there, I want to say, about three years. I left the chamber to come here and that was in November of 2022.”
Stacy got to know many people in the Bluefields while working for the radio station and the chamber of commerce.
“I live in Bluefield, WV, but I’m heavily invested in Tazewell County, but I just knew there was a position here that was open with the town and I felt like with my marketing experience that I would be a good fit, so I applied and got the position, and that’s when I left the chamber and I’ve been here with the town since then,” Stacy said. “And since then I’ve gone from being the communications director to now the town clerk.”
Stacy said that being town clerk is a busy job, but very exciting, too.
“I work very closely with our new town manager Andrew Hanson, but primarily we are responsible for record retention. I will attend all of the town council meetings,” she said. “I am of making sure with Mr. Hanson’s direction that we have the agenda set for the council meetings. I do the minutes of the meetings, so it’s primarily record retention.”
She is also the town’s communications director, so she maintains the town’s digital sign as well as its Facebook page and website. Events coordinator is among her other duties. She recently worked with Felicia Holcomb, administrative assistant to Bluefield Town Manager Cecil Marson, on events celebrating the 100th anniversary of a symbolic marriage between the two Bluefields. Both Stacy and Holcomb were recognized by the city for their work.
“I also do Field Fests which we try to do three times a year in downtown Bluefield, Va., so I do coordinated Field Fests with a great group of volunteers,” Stacy said. “I was very lucky to work with Felicia. She and I were friends in the past and so when I was put on the tasks to help her organize it so that way you have one person from Bluefield, Va., one person from Bluefield, WV working together and being the boots on the ground. I was lucky to be able to work with her and be able to look at some events we could bring together. I was so excited to work with her, and the events, I thought, went over very well and so many people were so excited about it.”
Stacy also helps town employees with Workers Comp claims and insurance, plus she’s secretary of the town’s industrial development authority.
“Last June, we were fortunate to receive a $750,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development,” she said. “This grant was for blight removal and for job creation and business creation, but that property sadly burned on May 20.”
The blaze on Virginia Avenue that day destroyed the vacant building. The Virginia State Police cleared the scene and the remains have been demolished, but the fire’s cause was undetermined.
“I happen to serve on the board of the Sanders House and we were in a meeting,” Stacy recalled. “I excused myself when I got a text from our town manager because I knew this was the building we got for the grant.”
The revised economic development plan now calls for erecting a shell building at the burned building’s site, she said.
“We’re very excited to get the project back in action and our new plan as for now, you know things can change, we’re going to demo the entire area and our early thoughts are to create a shell building,” Stacy said. “So it will be a brand new building.”
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com