Senior Vice President of Special Projects, Atn
Search every verified William O'quinn interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2020 floor speech, William O'Quinn, then a delegate and now Senior Vice President of Special Projects at Atn, argued that Southwest Virginia's economy is vital to the state and criticized what he described as a disregard for the region. He stated that the area has "been absolutely hammered since the Great Recession" and faces challenges including schools in need of repair, unpaved roads, and a lack of broadband. O'Quinn expressed skepticism about promised green energy jobs, saying the region would accept them "if and when they materialize," but questioned asking workers to give up "$90,000 blue collar job[s] for a $15 hour job." O'Quinn noted that Southwest Virginia has worked to diversify its economy and that the region's exports account for over half of Virginia's total export volume, supporting a $350 million port expansion. He warned that certain policies could put localities on the "verge of bankruptcy," citing one locality that could lose $8 million from a $50 million budget, affecting schools. He urged lawmakers to visit the region and consider the impact of their decisions, stating that "Virginia only works correctly and justly if every region is lifted up."
“We have been absolutely hammered since the Great Recession and we've really never pulled out of that. We have schools that are in bad need of repair, hundreds if not thousands of miles of unpaved state roads, and areas with exactly zero broadband capabilities.”
“With the promise of the green energy jobs that are purportedly coming, we will take those if and when they materialize. We're a little skeptical about that as these promises have been made for a long time and have never ever come to fruition.”
“You try looking someone in the eye with a straight face and saying you need to give up your $90,000 blue collar job for a $15 hour job that you don't want to do. It's a little more difficult than you might think.”
“Southwest Virginia seems to work the hardest to diversify its economy. Our delegation, local governments, and economic developers have taken this on head-on to try to make things better for the people that we represent.”
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