For the record August 2023
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Buc-ee’s, the Texas-size travel center chain, completed its purchase of 27.686 acres in New Kent County for $6.5 million and will open its first Virginia location in the next two years, with three more slated across the state, S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co. announced June 16. At more than 75,000 square feet, the new Buc-ee’s […]
Rail equipment manufacturer to expand in Salem
Wabtec Corp. is investing $2.7 million to expand its existing facility in Salem, adding 38 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Wabtec provides equipment, systems, digital solutions and other services for freight and transit rail globally. The expansion will accommodate the relocation of its pneumatically controlled braking systems manufacturing lines within its […][...]
FloydFest cancelation causes economic ripples
FloydFest, a five-day celebration showcasing more than 100 performers, has had an annual regional economic impact of about $4 million since its 2002 founding, according to festival organizers. Even so, county officials and local business owners seem to be taking a “c’est la vie” attitude to the cancelation in April of [...]
LewisGale receives Level 2 trauma center status
Salem-based LewisGale Medical Center has been designated as a Level 2 trauma center by the Virginia Department of Health, the hospital system announced Wednesday. The designation makes LewisGale the eighth Level 2 center in the state and the first in the region, according to the state health department. One level below the top L[...]
Va. Tech’s Center for Biz Analytics names director
Jennifer Havens has been named director of the Center for Business Analytics at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, the university announced Wednesday. Havens joins Virginia Tech from Amazon.com Inc., where she was an executive coach, shaping organizational strategy and culture and designing the global e-tailer[...]
Riverdale project could be ‘transformative’
Partnering with the city of Roanoke, developer Ed Walker started redevelopment of 100 acres encompassing the sprawling, former campus of American Viscose, a rayon plant that closed in 1958. “This is a chance we have as a community to really do something transformative,” Roanoke Economic Development Director Marc Nelson say[...]
Growing the talent pool
For tech worker Courtney Proffitt, summer 2020 was a transformative time. After roughly a decade away from her native Virginia, she found herself in an Airbnb rental on the outskirts of downtown Roanoke. “I was ready to try a new city after 10 years in Charleston,” recalls Proffitt, who earned her master’s degree from [...]
Carilion Clinic promotes COO Arner to president
Carilion Clinic has promoted its executive vice president and chief operating officer, Steve Arner, to president of the Roanoke-based nonprofit health system. He will remain COO while taking on new duties as president, Carilion said in its announcement Tuesday. Nancy Howell Agee, who has served as CEO and president since 2011, w[...]
Convenience products distributor to double size in Salem
Layman Distributing, a woman-owned wholesale distributor of convenience and grocery store products, will invest $6.8 million to expand in Salem, adding 42 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The company will relocate to a facility at 2157 Aspersion Drive, doubling its current square footage and operational capacity. Founded in 1948, the company is currently located […]
Roanoke medical building sells for $2.8M
The Asthma and Allergy Center medical office building in Roanoke has changed hands. The 9,120-square-foot building, built in 2000 and sitting on a nearly 1-acre parcel at 1505 Franklin Road SW, was acquired by HKM LLC, which will lease it back to the asthma and allergy practice. Clay Taylor of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhim[...]
Roanoke apartment complex sells for $1.1M
The Eastgate Apartments in Roanoke have been sold for $1.1 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced Monday. Restoration Turnkey Investments LLC acquired the community on March 28 from Rafan LLC. The buyer is planning extensive interior and exterior renovations. The complex, built in 1977, has 14 townhouse-style[...]
May 2023 For the Record
Central Virginia More than 340 union workers went on strike at the AdvanSix Inc. chemical plant in Hopewell on April 6 over contract wage negotiations. The International Chemical Workers Union Council and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union accused the New Jersey-based chemical company of trying to divide union membership by offering pay raises […]

















