It Starts at State

Gordon Lane, Entrepreneur

Gordon Lane Jr.’s start toward launching a business out of West Virginia State University’s Economic Development Center (EDC), located on Charleston's West Side, began with a simple enough need. After years in the energy industry, he was looking to launch a venture that combined his energy expertise with the burgeoning field of drone technology, but he needed to be in a place where the idea could thrive.
 
“I was looking for a place to work that wasn’t my house,” says Gordon, the owner of Advantage Aerial Solutions LLC, which uses drones and different software programs to map large areas of land and inspect infrastructure like cell phone towers, oil and gas rigs. “It can be hard to take a side project seriously if you are not in a serious environment, and the EDC allowed me a serious space to pursue this opportunity.”
 
Gordon began using the EDC’s co-working space, which allows entrepreneurs and creative types a place to work independently while in the presence of other like-minded people.
 
“Besides providing a professional setting to operate, being at the EDC has introduced me to a lot of people who are also creating their own opportunities. It’s led to a lot of partnerships and chances to bounce ideas off of people. It’s provided a sense of camaraderie among all the different operations working in the building.”
 
What began as a part-time venture for Gordon quickly expanded. He has since shifted his full focus to Advantage Aerial Solutions and become a tenant at the EDC, renting an office full-time and planning to expand his thriving business.