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Shenandoah County takes long view on economic development
Shenandoah County hopes a $100,000 study is an early step toward welcoming new businesses and jobs. “We know that it takes time to develop property,” Jenna French, the county’s director of tourism and economic development, says. “We are planning for the future.” The county hired the Timmons Group to identify possible sites for business development. […]
Italian plastic packaging maker coming to Shenandoah
Serioplast, an Italian plastic packaging manufacturer, will open an industrial plant in Shenandoah County, investing $25.7 million and creating an expected 45 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The company, which was founded in 1974 and has 33 production facilities in 16 countries with more than 2,000 employees, provides rigid plastic packaging for Procter & […]
First National to acquire Prince George-based community bank
Strasburg-based First National has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Prince George-based Touchstone Bankshares in an all-stock transaction worth approximately $47 million, First National announced Tuesday. The parent companies’ merger combines community banks First Bank and Touchstone Bank to create a bank with expected total assets of about $2.1 billion, $1.5 billion in [...]
Shentel to sell cell towers portfolio for $310.3M
Shenandoah Telecommunications (Shentel) has entered into an agreement to sell its portfolio of cellular towers and associated operations to Vertical Bridge Holdco for $310.3 million in cash, the Edinburg-based company announced Friday, a move that appears to largely transition Shentel out of the last remnants of its cellular phone business. Vertical Bridge is the nation’s […]
A time to build
The Shenandoah Valley Partnership had more economic development activity than “anyone anticipated in 2022,” says Jay Langston, the partnership’s executive director. During the calendar year, the partnership saw close to $140 million in investment and 520 jobs. In Fishersville, Amazon.com Inc. is building a $120 million, 1 million-square-foot nonsortable fulfillment center, which handle[...]
Wholesome Foods to expand in Shenandoah County
Wholesome Foods Inc. will expand its meat processing operation in Shenandoah County by adding a new, USDA-inspected slaughter facility with a $1.2 million investment, creating 12 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. Nearly all the livestock used at the new facility will be sourced from Virginia farms, according to Youngkin’s office. “We are excited to […]
Return to form
In terms of business activity and economic development wins, 2021 turned out to be a stellar year for the Shenandoah Valley. “We have exceeded what we anticipated from a business activity perspective,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, which promotes economic development from Shenandoah County to Rockbridge County. “When government shut […]
Shentel appoints executive VP/COO
Edinburg-based Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. — better known as Shentel — has promoted Edward “Ed” H. McKay to lead its broadband business as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective July 3. McKay will oversee Shentel Cable, Shentel Business, Glo Fiber and Beam brands and the Edinburg-based company’s tower portfolio. He will replace David “Dave” L. He[...]
First Bank to acquire The Bank of Fincastle
Strasburg-based First National Corp. (the bank holding company of First Bank) announced Thursday it will acquire The Bank of Fincastle. Financial terms of the transaction were not released, but the combined bank is expected to have approximately $1.2 billion in assets, $868 million in loans, $1 billion in deposits and 20 branch offices across Virginia. […]
Shenandoah County distillery faces environmental violation charges
Maurertown-based Filibuster Distillery LLC and its co-founder, Sid Dilawri, have been indicted on 115 counts of violating State Water Control laws by allegedly dumping more than 40,000 gallons of industrial waste into a Shenandoah County stream, according to the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. The Shenandoah County distillery, Filibuster Barrels LLC and Dilawri were […]
Auto component supplier announces $4.6M Strasburg expansion
Automotive components and systems supplier International Automotive Components Group (IAC Group) will invest $4.6 million to expand its Strasburg operations and add auto component lines and products to its existing facility, creating 47 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. Headquartered in Luxembourg, IAC Group is a supplier of instrument panels, console systems, door panels, headliners [&he[...]
Mt. Jackson firm buys German lab company
Mt. Jackson-based preclinical and clinical archiving company StageBio announced Tuesday it has acquired Freiburg, Germany-based TPL Path Labs. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. StageBio provides GLP-compliant (good laboratory practice) necropsy, histology, pathology and specimen archiving services for both preclinical and clinical research. The combined company will offer other servic[...]
