For the Record – Southwest Virginia, April 2013

Blue Bird Resins in Pulaski is expanding to more than double its leased square footage, according to company owner Dan Oberlander. The plastic recycling company, which occupies more than 40,000 square feet of a former furniture plant, has begun moving into surplus property of Jefferson Yarns in Pulaski. Oberlander predicted his company’s work force would grow from 15 to 22 full-time employees to 25-30 workers this year. (The Roanoke Times)

Corvesta Services, a Roanoke-based dental benefits administration and health informatics company, has changed its name to Revolv. Company officials said the new name better reflects the products and services it has introduced since its founding in 2010. The company said it provides specialized customer services and advanced claims processing systems with real-time claims adjudication capabilities. It also offers ancillary services such as benefit-consultation, business analytics, quality assessment and integrity tools. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Cycle Systems, a family run metals recycling company based in Roanoke, has been acquired by Gerdau, an international steel producer based in Brazil. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gerdau’s North America division operates a steel mill in Petersburg, and according to the company website, it also has mills in Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky, as well as other locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. (The Roanoke Times)

LewisGale Hospital Alleghany now offers an inpatient treatment service for people with severe drug or alcohol addictions. The New Vision program, operated by St. Louis-based SpecialCare Hospital Management Corp. in partnership with the hospital, will stabilize adult patients who are going through withdrawal or have become incapacitated due to substance abuse. The New Vision program will be the first of its kind for the Alleghany Highlands. The service initially will be available to two or three patients at a time. (The Roanoke Times)

Norfolk Southern Corp. will discontinue regional railcar classification operations at its Roanoke Terminal hump yard, a railroad yard used to separate cars to one of several tracks. One hundred and forty jobs will be eliminated. Systemwide, Norfolk Southern expects to hire 850 to 1,150 employees in 2013 to keep up with attrition. These positions will first be offered to employees affected by the Roanoke change and employees furloughed at other locations. Norfolk Southern, which currently employs about 1,870 in Roanoke, said it will continue its presence in the area. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op plans to open a second store at the Roanoke farmer’s market in April. The 1,225-square-foot store will nr in the former Thomas Market space. The store will offer grab-and-go foods prepared daily at the co-op’s Grandin Road store. The downtown store will carry items similar to those offered at the Grandin store but with a smaller selection. (The Roanoke Times)

Bristol-based Strongwell Corp. announced an agreement with Canadian-based Redwood Plastics to be its authorized distributor in western Canada for Strongwell’s structural shapes, molded grating, and pultruded grating. Redwood Plastics, based in Vancouver, has seven branches located throughout western Canada and the Northwest and Southeast in the U.S. (News release)