Sign In
Free Newsletter
Economic Development 2023: WILL PAYNE
A Richmond native, Payne is now a full-fledged Southwest Virginian who leads marketing efforts to readapt former coal–mining land into other uses. Under Payne’s guidance, invoice automation company Paymerang expanded into Big Stone Gap’s downtown coworking space with 50 jobs. Working with Coronado Global Resources, Payne helped the Australian metallurgical coal producer boost ope[...]
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 [&[...]
Coronado announces $169M coal mining expansion
Coronado Global Resources Inc., an Australian producer of metallurgical coal, will invest $169.1 million to expand coal mining operations at its Buchanan Mine Complex, located about 10 miles southeast of Grundy in Buchanan County. The expansion will see the mining operation add 181 jobs, bringing its total workers at the site to 781, Virginia Gov. […]
E&H course demystifies blockchain for businesses
Business professionals will join Emory & Henry College students this summer for a course that will suggest how blockchain technology can help entrepreneurs, ultimately aiding development in Southwest Virginia. A collaboration between E&H’s School of Business, InvestSWVA and William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, the course will demystify the fundamentals of a technolog[...]
SW community colleges to create wind manufacturing workforce
The presidents of four community colleges in Southwest Virginia signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to establish a wind manufacturing workforce development partnership. “Today’s MOU signing is meaningful because it demonstrates our resident and abiding interest in collaborating. Our four community college presidents are setting an example of how to find ways to work together[...]
Coal waste project launches in SW Va.
A public-private project to evaluate the critical minerals in coal waste products in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky launched Wednesday with a community meeting in the Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator in Abingdon. The project, Evolve Central Appalachia (Evolve CAPP), is part of an almost $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department to the […]
Finding new solutions
Movers and shakers in Southwest Virginia wanted to try a new approach to economic development. The stakes were (and are) high. Naturally, the decline of the coal industry had a devastating impact on Virginia’s coalfields. The Appalachian Regional Commission classifies four counties in Southwest Virginia — Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee and Wise — as economically distressed. […]
SWVA initiative seeks to attract remote workers
Project Fuse, a regional cooperative initiative to make Southwest Virginia the location of choice for remote employment, launched Friday with the release of a playbook to attract businesses. “The global business community seeks options for both attracting the employees they want and managing their operating costs,” Will Payne, managing partner of Coalfield Strategies LLC and […]
Southwest Va. project will help manufacturers enter wind energy supply chain
Public-private campaign InvestSWVA announced Tuesday the launch of an economic development initiative designed to help Southwest Virginia manufacturers find entry points in the supply chain for wind energy equipment components. The initiative, called Project Veer, will connect Southwest Virginia manufacturers with industry experts, public sector partners, the Hampton Roads Alliance, Dominion Energ[...]
Va. projects get $2.5 million from Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative is granting three Virginia projects a total of $2.5 million, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. “As our economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, it is critical to invest in Appalachia,” Northam said in a statement. “ARC’s POWER initiative will c[...]
EarthLink to create 285 jobs in Norton
Atlanta-based internet service provider EarthLink is spending $5.4 million to build a customer support center in Norton, a project expected to create 285 jobs, InvestSWVA and Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. As part of moving its customer service operations from overseas to the U.S., EarthLink will build a 30,000-square-foot facility on a site in the […]
SWVA guardrail manufacturer announces $7.9M expansion
Nine months of hard work has paid off. Since February, InvestSWVA has been working with highway guardrail manufacturer SPIG Industry LLC on its expansion plans, and on Thursday Gov. Ralph Northam announced the Washington County-based company’s plans to invest $7.9 million to expand its operations in the Bristol-Washington Industrial Park, creating 113 jobs. Formed in […]
