U.S. Cellular to lay off 95 Va. employees due to T-Mobile merger
U.S. Cellular will lay off 95 workers in Virginia in June, according to a post on the Virginia Department of Workforce Development’s website Friday. The Chicago-based U.S. Cellular‘s wireless operations will be sold to T-Mobile for $4.4 billion, the companies announced in May 2024, and U.S. Cellular plans to lay off 4,100 employees nationally, according […]
NRV passenger rail on track for 2027
Sooner than initially anticipated, rail passengers will be able to ride to and from the New River Valley for the first time since 1979. In late August 2024, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority approved a deal that would bring Amtrak service to the region via Norfolk Southern’s main line from Roanoke by 2027. Passengers would […]
Appalachian Community Capital to launch Green Bank
Appalachian Community Capital, the Christiansburg-based community development financial institution for the Appalachian Valley, plans to launch the Green Bank for Rural America with a $500 million award from the Environmental Protection Agency, it announced Friday. Focused on financing up to 2,000 new energy projects that could create up to 13,000 jobs, the Green Bank will […]
New River auto group divests two more dealerships
On July 15, New River Valley automobile dealer Gary Duncan sold his Christiansburg Honda and Hyundai dealerships to New River Valley-Owned Shelor Motor Mile. Duncan declined to provide financial details. Representatives from Shelor Motor Mile did not respond to requests for comment. The deal follows Duncan’s 2022 sale of his Roanoke-based Acura, Audi and BMW […]
Ecosystem insights
Leaders from across Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem discuss investing in new companies, challenges facing startups and advice for success. RASHEEDA CREIGHTON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JACKSON WARD COLLECTIVE FOUNDATION, RICHMOND WHAT LED TO YOU CO-FOUNDING JACKSON WARD COLLECTIVE FOUNDATION? JWC Foundation’s mission is to learn, grow and own in the Black community. The organization bega[...]
NY foundation invests $10M in Appalachian Community Capital
Appalachian Community Capital, a Christiansburg-based community development financial institution that provides capital for small businesses across the Appalachian region, will receive an additional $10 million investment in the form of a low-interest loan from the Ford Foundation, the New York-based nonprofit announced Wednesday. The Ford Foundation initially invested $3 million in ACC in 2015. A[...]
$257M Western Rail Initiative to bring NRV train service
Passenger train service will return to the New River Valley for the first time since 1979, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday, announcing an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway. The $257.2 million deal is an addition to the $3.7 billion rail expansion package the governor hailed in March as part of the Transforming Rail in Virginia program. […]
Christiansburg industrial building sells for $6.5M
The former Dish Network call center in Christiansburg sold for $6.5 million, Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group announced last week. The 101,500-square-foot industrial building sits on more than 19 acres in Falling Branch Corporate Park at 400 Technology Drive. Motion control manufacturer Moog Inc. purchased the property in order to expand its industrial components […]
Christiansburg shopping center sells for $3.25M
A shopping center in Christiansburg has sold for $3.25 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced last week. Located at 290 Peppers Ferry Road, the 9,525-square-foot retail center sold to Collegiate Investment 290 LLC as an investment. Pepper’s Ferry Plaza was owned by Family Peppers Ferry LLC and its tenants include Subway, Mattress Warehouse and […]
Montgomery County, Blacksburg, Christiansburg launch small business relief grants
Montgomery County and the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg on Wednesday launched a grant fund to support small business recovery in response to COVID-19. Eligible businesses can receive one-time grants of up to $27,500. The Small Business Recovery grant program is funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and funding […]