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Fire causes $4.25M in damages to custom van biz
A three-alarm fire at Roanoke‘s Riverdale campus on Saturday started accidentally from an electrical cause, Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback said Wednesday. Damages from the fire that reduced Noke Van Co., a custom camper van business, to rubble are estimated at $4.25 million. “Once you have a structural collapse and a roof collapse, sometimes we […]
Roanoke ER doc seeks $20M in landmark whistleblower lawsuit
Update: Jury rules against doctor. A Roanoke Valley emergency room doctor’s $20 million lawsuit goes to jury trial this week, with Dr. Thomas Bolton alleging that he was fired for complaining that HCA Healthcare‘s emphasis on shorter ER wait times at LewisGale Medical Center and its Cave Spring ER had a negative impact on patient […]
A second act for Roanoke’s Walker Machine and Foundry
Standing within hollering distance of the Roanoke River, Gregory Kaknes points toward an empty, 10,000-square-foot building. “That’s the bar and grill,” he says. He turns the other direction and motions toward a large expanse of land covered in concrete. “The apartments are over there. … There’s where we’ll have outdoor music, pickleball courts, beach volleyball.” [&hel[...]
Verge rebrands to Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance
Verge, a collective of organizations dedicated to tech-based economic development in the Roanoke and New River valleys, announced a rebrand Tuesday, an effort that includes a new website, logo and a new name — the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance (RBIA). Previously, Verge, which has roots dating back to 2013, used “Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance” as […]
Timmons Group opens Roanoke office
Timmons Group has opened an office on Norfolk Avenue in Roanoke, according to a Thursday announcement by the engineering, design and technology services firm, which has headquarters in Chesterfield County. Timmons has 20 offices, including the new Roanoke office and its headquarters, located across Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C. Located […]
Riverdale project moves forward in Roanoke
Work on the $50 million-plus Riverdale mixed-use redevelopment planned for more than 126 acres on the sprawling former campus of American Viscose, a rayon plant that closed in the late 1950s, is moving right along. Developer Ed Walker shared a lengthy written update on the project Jan. 24 that included a rendering of a 267-unit […]
Carilion CEO appoints chief of staff
Carilion Clinic has named Chris Turnbull chief of staff for Steve Arner, the Roanoke-based health care system’s president and CEO, according to a Monday announcement. Joining Carilion as a senior advisor in public relations and corporate communications in 2014, Turnbull went on to become senior director of corporate communications in 2020, according to his LinkedIn […]
Va. Bar Association elects 2025 president
A Richmond attorney who leads the family law practice group at FloranceGordonBrown in Richmond will serve as the 2025 president of the Virginia Bar Association, the professional organization announced earlier this month. President of FloranceGordanBrown, Kimberlee Harris Ramsey joined VBA in 1989 and is a past chair of the association’s domestic relations section. Additionally, the […[...]
Riverdale, Roanoke foundry projects progress with zoning votes
Two ambitious Roanoke mixed-use readaptation projects are one step closer to rezoning under the city’s new “urban center” designation, which aims to create more pedestrian-friendly development. Developer Ed Walker’s Riverdale, a 126-acre multiuse project proposed on the site of Roanoke’s former American Viscose rayon plant, and another Roanoke-area developer’s &[...]
Tiny Cargo gets big local support
In a bid to keep the startup local, the Roanoke Regional Partnership found a 10,800-square-foot warehouse to renovate and looped in Roanoke Valley Development Corp. and Greater Roanoke Valley Development Foundation, which jointly purchased the building and offered Tiny Cargo favorable leasing terms. “If a place has the real estate solution to offer a business, […]
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 […]
Roanoke City Council approves zoning changes — again
A residential zoning do-over in the Star City is done. At least for now. On Sept. 16, Roanoke City Council voted 6-1 to adopt zoning amendments that will allow greater housing density and eliminate single-family-only housing City Council adopted similar zoning amendments in March, but several city homeowners, including Republican mayoral candidate David Bowers and […]
