Sign In
Free Newsletter
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 […]
10 Va. companies graduate VEDP export program
Ten Virginia companies are the latest to graduate from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program, which helps companies work on international export growth strategies, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced this week. The two-year VALET program helps Virginia companies that have established domestic operations use international exporting as a gro[...]
Generation next
There’s a new wave of “super collaborators” driving economic development in the Roanoke and New River valleys. Many of the top positions in the region’s public and private sector economic development engines have turned over in the past couple of years. In multiple cases, individuals who had held positions for decades decided to retire or […]
Torc Robotics names new CEO
Blacksburg-based self-driving truck company Torc Robotics has named Peter Vaughan Schmidt its next CEO, the Daimler Truck AG subsidiary announced Thursday. Currently head of Daimler Truck’s Autonomous Technology Group, Schmidt will take on his new role Oct. 1 and succeeds Michael Fleming. The company produces software for self-driving commercial vehicles and was started by a […]
Virginia Tech breaks ground on $85M Hitt Hall
Virginia Tech leaders and donors broke ground Wednesday on the university’s $85 million, 100,000-square-foot Hitt Hall, which will house the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. The building, which has an expected completion of spring 2024, will feature general assignment classrooms and a 600-seat multivenue dining facility. The Myers-Lawson School is a collaboration between the College of [[...]
Torc Robotics names chief transformation officer
Blacksburg-based Torc Robotics has hired Eddie Amos, a former Microsoft and GE Digital executive and software developer, as its chief transformation officer, the company announced Thursday. In a statement, Amos said his new job is to “translate the lessons learned in 35 years of software disruption into best practices for commercializing self-driving trucks.” Torc is […]
Virginia Tech replaces economic development office
On Wednesday, Virginia Tech announced that it was replacing its Office of Economic Development with a new Center for Economic and Community Engagement, as part of its commitment to improving the lives of others. The new university-level center will engage with internal and external partners to drive economic growth, address workforce needs and interact with […]
Manufacturer announces $10.7M expansion in Montgomery County
Motion control product manufacturer Moog Inc. will invest $10.7 million to transfer existing jobs and equipment from its Blacksburg facilities to a larger building in Montgomery County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The investment will also create 75 jobs. Founded more than 65 years ago, East Aurora, New York-based Moog Inc. designs, manufactures and integrates […]
Torc Robotics expanding, creating 350 jobs in Montgomery County
Torc Robotics plans to invest $8.5 million and create 350 jobs in Montgomery County, not far from its current operation in the Blacksburg Industrial Park, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. The company produces self-driving vehicles and was started in 2005 by a group of Virginia Tech students who were on a robotics team together. In […]
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 […]
