Putnam County Commissioner Andes praises late HADCO CEO

WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County Commissioner Steve Andes reacted Wednesday to the death of HADCO CEO Gary Walton, who died Tuesday after a short battle with cancer.

Gary served two years as HADCO President and CEO. Before that, Gary was the executive director of the Putnam County Development Authority for more than 14 years. Andes said Walton was well respected, especially in business.

“He’ll be missed. He’s well respected in the business community,” Andes said. “He was the driving force behind Putnam Business Park. He brought a lot of business to the county.”

Andes said that Walton traveled abroad on behalf of the county, and had a plan for Putnam.

“He would travel for us; he went to Germany and Japan. He made a lot of contacts for us that came to fruition. There are still some companies out there; I think one or two from Italy that are still interested in Putnam County.”

Andes felt that Walton was the top economic developer in West Virginia, if not one of the best in the country, and a smart man who did his job well.

Walton died at the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House in Huntington at the age of 63.