For the Record – Southern Virginia, June 2013

Amcor, formerly AGI-Shorewood, is closing its plant in Danville, sidelining 67 employees. Thirty-five of those employees will be leaving the company, while others will receive employment opportunities at Amcor’s Richmond and Reidsville, N.C. plants. Amcor laid off 41 employees in March after acquiring the plant in February. In a release, Vice President and General Manager Marcus Hilty said the demand for tobacco packaging has declined 40 percent in the past 16 years. (Danville Register & Bee)

Applied Felts of Martinsville is expanding, with plans to add 40 jobs with an average pay of $28,000 per year and a $6 million investment. The company has received a matching fund grant of $220,000 from Genedge Alliance and the Virginia Tobacco Commission, according to a news release. Applied Felts makes felt liners for pipes. The funding is targeted toward new product development activities for an emerging sector in municipal markets. The funding will help offset costs of testing certifications and prototype production involving specialized contracting services and scientific expertise. (The News & Advance)

CBN Secure Technologies Inc. plans to expand its identification solutions facility in Danville, adding about 25 jobs. CBN currently employs 40 people in Danville producing credentials for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The company established its U.S. operations in 2009, with plans to serve customers in the U.S. and other countries. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Danville Community College has found itself in the crosshairs of the Affordable Care Act’s complexities, shedding employee hours to avoid paying benefits it can’t afford. Twelve adjunct faculty and 20 staff members have had their hours reduced, according to how they are paid — credit hours for faculty and work hours for staff members. No one has been laid off, and no one has voluntarily left, President Carlyle Ramsey said. The Affordable Care Act mandates that employers provide health-care coverage for every worker at or above a 30-hour-a-week threshold. Meeting that requirement would have cost the college from $220,000 to $250,000, Ramsey said. (Danville Register &Bee)

JTI Leaf Services plans to invest $7.5 million in new tobacco processing technology at its Danville facility. “We have made substantial investments to date, and we now have plans for further expansion of our Danville facility,” Steve Daniels, director of JTI Leaf Services, said in a statement. “With this investment we intend to further enhance our capacity, our efficiency and our quality.” The Danville plant, which opened in 2009, employs more than 270 full-time and seasonal workers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

A $200,235 grant has been awarded for veterans’ educational and employment services in a partnership between Patrick Henry Community College, the Virginia Employment Commission and the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board (WIB). The money is Workforce Investment Act Rapid Response Assistance funds, and the Virginia Community College System is the issuing agency, according to officials. The PHCC Veterans Office will serve as a one-stop center for veterans’ educational needs, according to the grant application. (Martinsville Bulletin)

Officials with Halifax Regional Health System in South Boston and Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare have signed a formal affiliation agreement and now await regulatory approval of the deal, which is projected to go into effect July 1. Halifax Regional CEO