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Recent Articles from Beth JoJack
German auto parts maker revamps Salem GE plant
Most everyone in the Roanoke Valley either worked at the former General Electric Co. facility in Salem or knew someone who had, says Renée Turk, the city’s mayor. “On some level, it meant a lot to the entire community,” she says of the manufacturing plant, which opened in 1955. After employing more than 3,000 workers […]
Westward ho!
Southwest Virginia’s leaders feel confident their region will be home to the state’s next inland port. “The planets are aligning for us right now,” says state Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County. “Our localities are excited about it. The state seems to be excited about it.” During the Virginia General Assembly’s regular session, Pillion and two […]
Dickenson County to develop small industrial park
Work will start on a new industrial park on the site of a former strip mine in Dickenson County in late summer or early fall, says Dana Cronkhite, the county’s economic development director. The Virginia Department of Energy announced in January that the county’s Industrial Development Authority will receive $869,584 from the federal Abandoned Mine […]
Planned Wise EDA will spur downtown growth
Establishing an economic development authority might pave the way for new businesses in the town of Wise, local officials believe. EDAs can provide educational programs and mentoring to entrepreneurs, as well as buy, lease and sell property and administer grants, points out Reagan Walsh, the town’s planner and zoning administrator. “I’ve run into a lot […]
Commonwealth Crossing plays ‘long game’ for success
Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre’s first two tenants — Polish flat-glass processor Press Glass Inc. and Pennsylvania-based aluminum beverage can manufacturer Crown Holdings Inc. — have invested at least $218 million into facilities at the industrial park in Henry County, creating about 400 jobs, according to Mark Heath, president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic [&helli[...]
Familiar territory
When it came time to select a new home for its corporate headquarters and distribution center, Würth Revcar Fasteners Inc., a company with Star City roots dating back to 1969, stuck with the Roanoke Valley. Owned by the Würth Group, an industrial distributor headquartered in Germany, and consisting of more than 400 companies across more […]
Filling the steel gap
Metallurgical coal may be an unknown to the general population, but it’s very important to the manufacturing of steel and also valuable in the current economy. In August 2022, Australia-based Coronado Global Resources Inc., which produces metallurgical coal, announced a $169.1 million expansion of its Buchanan Mine Complex in Buchanan and Tazewell counties, expected to […]
Filling in
Industrial real estate is a hot commodity in Southwest Virginia. “It’s hard to find available space of anything that’s above 15,000 to 20,000 square feet,” says Jonathan Belcher, executive director of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), which represents Lee, Wise, Scott, Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell and Dickenson counties and the city of Norton. Leaders […]
Sweet valley high
For Paul Mahoney, chair of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, the past year has stood out for bringing an “explosion of development” to the county. Home improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. Inc. opened a new distribution center. North American Specialty Laminations LLC established a mid-Atlantic production facility. And Würth Revcar Fasteners Inc. began work on […]
The 2023 Heavy Hitters list
Virginia Business’ annual list of the commonwealth’s 50 most powerful and influential leaders provides our editors’ take on the heaviest-hitting of heavyweights in business, government, nonprofits and higher education. Think of it as an executive committee for the leaders populating our annual Virginia 500 issue — the top 10% of the state’s power elite. And […]
