Young Distinguished Alumni

MATTHEW B. HARPER

Our 2007 Young Distinguished Alumni, Matthew B. Harper, received a B.S. in resource management from WVU in 1993 and an M.B.A. from W.Va. Wesleyan College in 1997. Raised in Seneca Rocks, Matt is still actively involved with the family cattle, sheep, and crop farm. He is the co-owner and founder of Seneca Rental, LLC; the first ag-equipment rental and services business in West Virginia serving a fifteen county area. Through his business endeavors, Matt has researched, designed, and built three pieces of agricultural equipment that are currently in the patenting process. These efforts have helped to enhance the quality and quantity of feedstuffs and fertilizer needed for animal production in W.Va.. His vision and dedication to improving and preserving West Virginia?s agriculture heritage has led him to become actively involved in a USDA conservation project designed to reduce or eliminate waste, conserve fossil fuels, and improve the financial stability of poultry growers. Matt?s vision of sustainable and profitable production systems has evolved into the establishment Allegheny Biomass, LLC. This enterprise is designed to capitalize on nutrient credit trading and biomass energy production. In addition, he is actively involved in his community as a board of directors member of the Tri-County Fair and a member of the Grant Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees.