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Branch Builds names president
The Branch Builds subsidiary of Roanoke-based construction company The Branch Group announced Wednesday it has promoted Catherine Underwood to president. With 20 years of experience at the company, she was most recently the senior vice president. She began her time with Branch Builds in 2000 as an estimator and has also served[...]
Roanoke, local credit union launch small business relief fund
The city of Roanoke and Roanoke-based credit union Freedom First announced Tuesday a partnership that will disburse small business relief grants of up to $25,000 to those affected by the coronavirus. The $416,250 program will use Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) federal funding. The program is intended for businesses that are at risk of closing […]
Roanoke medical office building sells for $1.3M
A medical office building in Roanoke sold for $1.3 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced last week. The 27,363-square-foot, three-story Fountain Square building sold to Fountain Square Partners LLC from Johnson Family Investments Corp. The building is located at 1315 2nd Street SW and was constructed in 1973, ac[...]
Volvo electric trucks to be produced at NRV plant in early 2021
Volvo Trucks North America’s plant in Pulaski County will manufacture its new battery-powered VNR Electric truck model starting early next year, the company announced Thursday. The largest Volvo truck plant in the world, the Dublin facility currently employs close to 3,000 people and builds heavy-duty trucks of multiple mo[...]
Va. Tech says ‘Cheers!’ to Fightin’ Hokies Lager
Although Hokie fans couldn’t fill Lane Stadium this year decked in maroon and orange, there’s a new tailgating trophy they can look forward to obtaining this coming spring — a licensed Virginia Tech beer, Fightin’ Hokies Lager. Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences announced Tuesday it has partnered [...]
The Branch Group names new CEO
The Branch Group Inc. announced Monday that Donald “Don” Graul will take over as CEO of the Roanoke-based construction company on Dec. 14. With 38 years of industry experience, Graul most recently served as president of construction and connected communities for Centreville-based Parsons Corp. Graul held several roles at Parsons, including executive vice president of […]
Va. Tech ups connectivity with broadband block buy
In an effort to literally expand Virginia Tech’s research bandwidth, the Virginia Tech Foundation bought eight blocks of Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in the Federal Communications Commission’s auction this summer. As owner of priority access licenses (PALs) for four 10MHz blocks in Montgomery County and four block[...]
Appalachian Power denied rate increase by SCC
A rate increase sought by Appalachian Power Co. has been denied by the State Corporation Commission. According to a statement issued by the SCC on Tuesday, Appalachian Power was seeking to increase rates by approximately $10 per month for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. Appalachian Power earned profits that were […]
Northam announces ‘Dopesick’ to film in Virginia
On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that “Dopesick,” an eight-episode limited Hulu series, will film in Central Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley and Roanoke region through the spring. Based on the bestselling nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America,” by Roanoke journali[...]
Va. Tech College of Science names interim dean
Virginia Tech announced Tuesday that Ron Fricker, senior associate dean of the College of Science, has been named as interim dean, effective Jan. 4. Fricker succeeds Dean Sally C. Morton, who is leaving to become executive vice president of the Knowledge Enterprise at Arizona State University at the end of 2020. She served as de[...]
Vinton, Warsaw, Wytheville receive industrial revitalization funding
The towns of Vinton, Warsaw and Wytheville will receive a total of more than $1.4 million in state industrial revitalization fund (IRF) grants, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. IRF funding provides gap financing for redevelopment projects that can lead to long-term employment opportunities. “This funding will not only help transform deteriorating or unused structures, it […]
David Baldacci donates $100K to Smith Mountain Lake meals program
Bestselling author David Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, have donated $100,000 to The Landing Love Project, a nonprofit initiative to expand meal delivery services to at-risk families and seniors in the Smith Mountain Lake region. The Landing Love Project was established in March 2020 by March Bruno and Tiffany Silva, owners [...]
