Charleston Daily Mail: November 10, 2008 (MORGANTOWN, W.Va.)- West Virginia University has named former WVU President David Hardesty, John Deere equipment supplier John Leslie and retired coal executive Ben Statler as 2008 inductees to its W.Va. Business Hall of Fame.
Hardesty was president of WVU from 1995 to 2007. Before becoming president, he practiced law. He was state tax commissioner during U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller's first term as West Virginia governor. Hardesty is now of counsel to the law firm of Bowles Rice and serves on Consol Energy Inc.'s Board of Directors.
When he was just a boy, Leslie began working for his father at the family business in Cowen, Leslie Equipment Co., a John Deere construction equipment franchise. Leslie graduated from Marshall University in 1974 and returned home and bought out his uncle's half of the business. He expanded, then purchased the franchises of another dealer. The company now has more than 250 employees at 10 locations.
Statler was born and raised in Monongalia County. He worked the night shift at the Pursglove Mine while attending WVU, joined Consolidation Coal Co. in 1969 and rose through the ranks. In 2003 Statler and Questor Management Co. acquired the assets of U.S. Steel Mining and established PinnOak Resources. Statler sold the company in 2007 and is now retired, living in Naples, Fla., and McMurray, Pa.
The three inductees will be honored at a ceremony Wednesday at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown. There will be a ceremony at 6:30 p.m., followed by the induction at 7:30 p.m.
WVU's College of Business and Economics established the Hall of Fame in 2001 to recognize extraordinary business leaders and to create a lasting record of their achievements.