By Xavier Staggs, director of Fuel Counter Holdings Corp.

Deals are afoot, and West Virginia is poised to take advantage.

Buoyed by a late upswing last year, mergers and acquisitions are expected to surge this year following their 16% slide in activity from a record-shattering $3.1 trillion in 2022 amid the post-pandemic recovery. 

Fueled by companies in the chase for advances in technology and artificial intelligence, stocks on the Standard & Poor’s 500 rocketed up…