Berkeley Springs is home to Gat Creek Furniture, a company that began just after World War II as a one-man shop. Gat Creek now uses several skilled artisans to hand craft a variety of solid wood home furnishings that are sold throughout the United States and to nearly 40 countries around the world. 

The Appalachian forest supplies Gat Creek with some of the highest quality hardwood in the world. Each artisan at Gat Creek takes ownership over building an entire furniture piece, which is then finished, stained and signed by hand. With 150 employees -- the majority of whom are women, along with a solid number of young people -- Gat Creek’s entire staff takes pride in producing superb, hand-crafted wood furnishings being used worldwide.

The northern panhandle of our state is the home of Warwood Tool Company. This small company produces industrial grade, forged steel hand tools that serve a wide variety of industries. From the most commonly used tools to specialty items that are industry specific, Warwood’s high-quality tools have withstood the test of time.

Beginning as a blacksmith shop in 1854, Warwood Tool has endured for decades. Employees at Warwood represent an ideal mixture of long-term, highly skilled workers and younger, apprentice workers who are ready to carry on the Warwood tradition of quality. Warwood Tool Company takes pride in being a small manufacturer where the high level of skill and efficiency required to make their fine products also gives rise to their employees’ strong sense of camaraderie and commitment to excellence.

In the 1860’s, Ziegenfelder, a small family company, began making homemade candies and ice cream. They did so until the 1980’s, when steep competition motivated the company to shift its focus to the water-ice business -- a niche that has made Ziegenfelder one of the world’s largest producers of frozen twin pops. 

Located in Wheeling, the Ziegenfelder company now has over 300 employees with three manufacturing facilities in the United States. This woman-owned company is built on strong family and customer-centered values. Ziegenfelder takes a great deal of pride not only in selling their twin pops to retailers in every state, but in being a model employer striving to uplift their “backyard” communities in vital ways.