Members of Sen. Joe Manchin’s staff held a “Building Your Business, Building Our Future” workshop Tuesday morning at the Shepherdstown Train Station.

The workshop featured speakers and representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration and West Virginia’s Small Business Development Center who provided local business owners with information about government assistance and resources available to small businesses in the state.

Cookie Davis, a member of Manchin’s staff, read a greeting from the senator addressing the workshop attendees.

“One of my top priorities is job creation,” the statement read.

Manchin acknowledged in his statement the challenges small business owners face due to the recent economic recession.

The senator attributed 96 percent of the state’s economy to small businesses, calling it West Virginia’s “backbone.”

The workshop is a part of a series of meetings Sen. Manchin and his staff have held across the state since January.