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Southwest Virginia Community College president appointed
Clinton R. Hayes, provost of Kentucky's Somerset Community College, will be the next president of Southwest Virginia Community College, the state's community college system announced this week.
Simmons Equipment announces $8.5M expansion into Russell County
Simmons Equipment, a specialty mining equipment manufacturer based in Tazewell County, plans to expand into neighboring Russell County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. The company expects to invest $8.5 million into converting two buildings in Lebanon, an investment set to create 75 jobs, the governor’s office said. Founded in Tazewell in 2005, Simmons produces soft […]
Tazewell indoor salmon farm adjusts course
The $228 million Pure Salmon facility on 200 acres straddling Tazewell and Russell counties has hit a snag with construction delays and is pushing back its expected timeline. Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young says construction progress has not proceeded as anticipated on the Virginia branch of the United Arab Emirates-based Atlantic salmon farming and processing […]
5 SWVA projects recommended for $9.5M in federal grants
Five Southwest Virginia economic development projects have been recommended to receive a cumulative $9.35 million in federal Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) grants, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith announced Thursday. The projects are on sites where coal was mined before 1977. Funding for the federal AMLER Program comes through the […]
Russell County farm to invest $1M in expanded manufacturing
Goat milk products maker Bates Family Farm will invest roughly $1 million to relocate its manufacturing facility to a Russell County-owned building in Lebanon, a project expected to create 12 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. “We’re creating agriculture-based jobs and selling Virginia-made products,” Bates Family Farm co-founder and CEO Joseph “Joe” Bates said. T[...]
$14.9M manufacturing facility coming to Russell County
Tate, a data center supplier, will invest $14.9 million to establish a new manufacturing facility in Russell County, creating 170 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. The new plant will focus primarily on data center component manufacturing and containment products to serve clients in Virginia and other data center sites. “I’m proud that the commonwealth […]
Economic Development 2023: JONATHAN S. BELCHER
In addition to leading the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, Belcher has also headed up the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority since 2020. This year, the Virginia Department of Transportation received $7 million from the federal government, which the expressway authority will use to widen a 2-mile stretch of U.S. Route 460 in Buchanan County into […]
Judge dismisses Trigiani lawsuit against New Peoples Bank
A federal judge issued a summary judgment last week, dismissing all claims in former executive Mary Y. Trigiani’s lawsuit against Russell County-based New Peoples Bank for discrimination and wrongful termination. Trigiani’s complaints of a “cultlike office culture” did not hold up to judicial scrutiny, U.S. District Judge James P. Jones ruled. A Big Stone Gap […]
Rising in the Southwest
Through decades of owning her own beauty salon and later a gift shop in downtown Abingdon, Cathy Lowe developed an interest in economic development. In 2006, she decided to run for town council and won — ultimately serving for 12 years, including six as vice mayor and two as mayor. Throughout her career, Lowe, who […]
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. […]
Appalachian Council for Innovation taps exec director
John Bebber has been hired as executive director of the Appalachian Council for Innovation, its board announced earlier in January. He was previously district director for U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Abingdon. ACI is a nonprofit regional economic development organization founded in 1999 as the Southwestern Virginia Technology Council. It includes businesses and organizations in 16 […]
Italian vehicle wash manufacturer to open U.S. HQ in Russell County
An Italian manufacturer will open a $1.75 million U.S. headquarters in Russell County, creating 50 jobs over the next three to five years, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority announced Thursday. Ceccato S.p.A. will open its U.S. subsidiary at the Russell Place building at 122 Haber Drive in Lebanon. It has a presence in more […]
