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Hope Coliseum radio spot - October 3, 2025
Transcript
Shauna Johnson: This is West Virginia University. HOPE Gas is investing in the university through a historic 10-year partnership with Athletics and Golden Blue Enterprises, a deal which includes naming rights for what is now HOPE Coliseum. Morgan O'Brien is the company's president and CEO.
Morgan O'Brien: West Virginia is what WVU is. The whole state identifies itself with the athletics here and for us to invest in the athletics to help them compete. This is the world we're in. It's really important. We're not just standing on the sidelines cheering WVU, we're cheering them, but also investing in them to help them be successful.
Shauna Johnson: HOPE Coliseum now moves into its next era as a continuing mountaineer destination for men's and women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, and rifle, as well as university functions like commencement and concerts.
Morgan O'Brien: For my employees who live here, their parents who worked here to see their name associated with something as special as WVU Athletics. It's such an important part of everybody in West Virginia. It's not just Morgantown. WVU is who defines a good week and a bad week in West Virginia, so to see their name there will mean an awful lot.
Shauna Johnson: A West Virginia-based company, HOPE has been providing energy to West Virginians for more than 125 years. With this latest investment, O'Brien says the company is putting money down on the mountain state's future.
Morgan O'Brien: We want to attach the jobs, we create the jobs in this industry with those students and really open doors, and that's the definition of success for us. We believe the best days are ahead, and we know there's going to be a lot of opportunities in my industry to grow, and we want to partner with WVU opening doorways for the next generation of workers so that kids who are getting educated here or even work with their hands, they find a way to get into the industry by this partnership. It's really keeping kids in West Virginia so that your dreams can come true. You can become everything you want to do, but you don't have to leave West Virginia.
Shauna Johnson: Let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.
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