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Roanoke County launches small business relief grants
The Roanoke County Economic Development Department announced Monday it has launched a $1 million small business grant program to help businesses suffering from COVID-19 closures in the county and the town of Vinton. The program is being funded through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and wil[...]
Fleetwood Homes launching $2.1M expansion in Rocky Mount
Homebuilding company Fleetwood Homes will invest $2.1 million to renovate and expand its Rocky Mount facility, creating 60 jobs in Franklin County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. “Fleetwood Homes has been a valued employer in Virginia more than 50 years, and we are proud to see the company reinvest in Franklin County,” Northam said in […]
2020 RAMP cohort chosen
Roanoke-based business accelerator RAMP — the Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program — announced the selection of six high-growth startups as part of its fourth round of training. The companies are taking part in workshops that test the viability and marketability of their products before they enter a larger market. RAMP is focused on companies in […]
The Branch Group CEO resigns
Roanoke-based construction company The Branch Group Inc. announced Wednesday that CEO Will Karbach has resigned. Ron Oakley, the current chairman of the board, will serve as interim CEO, effective immediately. Upon the announcement Wednesday afternoon, The Branch Group had not provided a reason for Karbach’s departure and [...]
Pulaski company aims for pollution revolution
Pulaski-based MOVA Technologies is poised to go commercial with a system that removes coal ash and other chemical pollutants from the air — extracting chemicals that can be recycled and sold for industrial use. Named Project Revolution, the panel-bed filtration system absorbs fly ash particles, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and[...]
Making a difference
As health care systems raced to locate new sources of personal protective equipment during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia’s engineering schools stepped up with innovative plans for manufacturing in-demand PPE. In Roanoke, where the number of COVID-19 cases has remained much lower than Northern, Eastern and[...]
Tech names VP of campus planning, infrastructure, facilities
Virginia Tech announced Thursday that Christopher H. Kiwus has been named vice president for campus planning, infrastructure and facilities, a position in which he oversees the university’s six-year plan for approximately 30 projects totaling nearly $3 billion. Kiwus had been Tech’s associate vice president and chief facilit[...]
Tech names president, CEO for Corporate Research Center
Virginia Tech announced Thursday that Brett Malone will become the next president and CEO of the university’s Corporate Research Center (CRC), effective July 1. Malone succeeds longtime CRC President and CEO Joe Meredith, who retired in February after 27 years in the position. A “triple Hokie” (earning his bachelor[...]
Virginia gets new digits
On Wednesday, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) announced that the North American Numbering Plan Administrator has assigned a new area code, 826, to relieve future exhaustion of the 540 area code, which is expected to occur in 2022. Residents and businesses in the affected region will not lose their existing 540 phone numbers under […]
Pulaski company prepares to launch pollutant filter system
Updated June 29 A Pulaski-based company is poised to go commercial with technology that removes coal ash and other chemical pollutants from the air — extracting chemicals that can be recycled and sold for industrial use. A team of scientists at Virginia Tech has released a preliminary report confirming proof of concept, MOVA [...]
Reopening weekend largely positive for restaurants
Reopening weekend was largely positive for restaurants and other businesses in Virginia localities that entered Phase One of Gov. Northam’s Forward Virginia plan on Friday. “It was actually very busy,” said Brad Smith, general manager of Quaker Steak & Lube on Bristol’s State Street. “We were bu[...]
Hotel Roanoke reveals $3.9M renovation plans
The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton, announced Monday its $3.9 million plans to renovate The Pine Room Pub and the Palm Court Lobby. “The renovation will build upon the hotel’s premier four diamond status as a destination, dining and meeting facility in Virginia’s Blue Ridge and will c[...]
