Facebook bringing broadband to Grayson County
Facebook, Appalachian Power and Gigabeam Networks are partnering to bring faster internet to Grayson County residents, the social media giant announced Thursday. The trio of companies will bring fiber-to-the-home and wireless internet to about 6,000 households in Grayson, a Southwest Virginia county with a population of about 15[...]
Va. projects get $2.5 million from Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative is granting three Virginia projects a total of $2.5 million, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. “As our economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, it is critical to invest in Appalachia,” Northam said in a statement. “ARC’s POWER initiative will continue […][...]
EarthLink to create 285 jobs in Norton
Atlanta-based internet service provider EarthLink is spending $5.4 million to build a customer support center in Norton, a project expected to create 285 jobs, InvestSWVA and Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. As part of moving its customer service operations from overseas to the U.S., EarthLink will build a 30,000-square-foo[...]
State awards $8.85M to redevelop SWVA abandoned mine sites
The Virginia Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program intends to award funds to eight economic development projects across Southwest Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, announced Friday. The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, which will be renamed the Virginia Department of Energy on Oct. 1, administers the program. The […]
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 pr[...]
Bland County’s Eupepsia resort tops wellness hotel ranking
Eupepsia, a 250-acre Ayurveda wellness retreat in Bland County, was named the top wellness hotel in the nation this week by USA Today readers, who chose the resort from nominees selected by editors of USA Today’s 10Best rankings section. Set near the Jefferson National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Eupepsia offers v[...]
Amazon opens delivery station in Bristol
The Amazon.com Inc. delivery station in Bristol opened for its first official day of operation Wednesday. Located at 103 Thomas Road, the station is 72,000 square feet. A delivery station creates on average 100 to 150 full- and part-time associate jobs “in addition to hundreds of driver opportunities,” with wages of at least[...]
Nonprofit news site launches to cover SW and Southern Virginia
Cardinal Press, a new nonprofit digital news service covering Southwest and Southern Virginia, will begin publishing stories in late September, with Dwayne Yancey, former editorial page editor for The Roanoke Times, at the helm as its founding editor. Nonprofit organization Cardinal Productions, incorporated in June, created Car[...]
Theater project aims to put Wytheville in limelight
Soon after Todd Wolford became executive director of community revitalization nonprofit Downtown Wytheville Inc. in 2015, he began seeking pictures of the Soda Shop, the Main Street hotspot his grandfather owned in the late ’50s and ’60s. After locating a couple photos of his grandfather’s packed establishment, Wolford had[...]
Woodgrain Inc. to invest $17M in SW Va., creating 100 jobs
Woodgrain Inc. will invest $9 million to expand its operations in Smyth County and invest $8 million more to purchase and expand the former Independence Lumber sawmill in Grayson County, producing 100 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The family-owned business based in Idaho is one of the largest millwork companies in the world, manufacturing […]
State pushes broadband expansion into overdrive
Early in his administration, Gov. Ralph Northam proposed an ambitious goal: achieving universal broadband connectivity statewide by 2028. In May and July, Northam and General Assembly leaders announced plans to speed up that timeline; instead, they aim to deliver broadband to most of Virginia in 18 months using $700 million from[...]
United Way of SW Va. names marketing, communications director
The United Way of Southwest Virginia named Scott Robertson as its director of marketing and communications. He will assume the role on Aug. 9, according to the Abingdon-based nonprofit. Robertson will direct strategic marketing and promotions, provide communications project management and oversee digital services. President and [...]