Sign In
Free Newsletter
Southwest Virginia Community College president appointed
Clinton R. Hayes, provost of Kentucky's Somerset Community College, will be the next president of Southwest Virginia Community College, the state's community college system announced this week.
Vaughan-Bassett sees strong domestic demand despite China tariff easing
Doug Bassett, president of Galax-based Vaughan-Bassett Furniture, said the recent developments and the ongoing uncertainty around trade are having a positive impact on the company’s business because it lacks much direct exposure to China in their supply chain.
New law to reduce Appalachian Power rates
Virginia passes the APCo Rate Reduction Act, cutting electric bills for Appalachian Power customers with new protections and lower fuel costs.
Flood insurance costs rise with newer risk rating
FEMA manages the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, which supplies flood insurance to the public and businesses through a network of insurance providers. The agency began implementing a rating standard known as Risk Rating 2.0 in October 2021. Critics think the new rating drove up prices.
Hitachi Energy to invest $22.5M in SWVA expansion, creating 120 jobs
Hitachi Energy will invest $22.5M to expand its Bland facility and open a new warehouse in Atkins, creating 120 jobs and boosting production capacity.
Vaughan-Bassett touts made-in-America inventory, vows no immediate price increases in wake of tariffs
Made-in-America bedroom and dining furniture manufacturer Vaughan-Bassett, which is headquartered in Galax, sent a letter to dealers and sales reps Thursday morning announcing no price increases for 120 days and discounts on certain items in wake of the tariffs announced Wednesday. “Given the great uncertainty created in the h[...]
SWCC to expand workforce development programs
Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff is expanding its workforce development programs this year with the help of three grants totaling $307,142 from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. These grants will support the college’s existing automotive technology and workforce development scholarsh[...]
Emory & Henry names new president
Washington County-based private college Emory & Henry University announced Monday that it was promoting Louise Fincher from interim president to the university’s permanent 23rd president. The university’s board of trustees unanimously selected Fincher as president during its spring board meeting. Fincher has more[...]
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Smyth lays off 75 workers
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Atkins will lay off 75 employees at the end of April due to slowdowns in the bourbon industry, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter dated Feb. 28. Speyside plans to end second-shift production and third-shift maintenance at the Smyth County facility. Laid-off wo[...]
New indoor farming operation to bring 118 jobs to Carroll County
U.K.-based business development firm Oasthouse Ventures, which specializes in low-carbon greenhouses, is investing $104.8 million to construct its first U.S.-based controlled environment agriculture operation in Carroll County, where it plans to produce tomatoes. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday that the project will initial[...]
Southwest Va. Year-in-Review: Regional cooperation nets manufacturing projects
Southwest Virginia is weathering the economic disruptions of the transition from coal and a pandemic-related shift to remote work by focusing on a collaborative approach to business attraction. Teamwork is yielding results with a bump in manufacturing deals, punctuated by the November 2024 announcement that Wrap Technologies wou[...]
Southwest Va. Big Deal: EO hub offers regional workforce development
The workers and managers at Food City in Abingdon can see the future by stepping out and looking to their left toward a former Kmart. The old Kmart has been redeveloped by EO, a nonprofit that spun off from the United Way of Southwest Virginia, into the 87,000-square-foot Regional Workforce and Child Development Hub. Constructio[...]
