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Roanoke County Business Partners Newsletter
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June 2019: Volume 19, No. 6
The E-newsletter of the Roanoke County Economic Development Department is designed to showcase the investments and achievements of our existing business partners. For additional information about doing business in Roanoke County, visit
our
website
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Board of Supervisors Recognizes Tru by Hilton
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Billed as a revolutionary new brand in the Hilton portfolio, the new Tru by Hilton made its entry into the Roanoke market in 2018. This is the first hotel in the region for this corporate brand. The 4 story hotel has 82 new rooms with an $8 million investment and has created more than 30 new jobs.
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From left to right; Jill Loope, Director, Roanoke County Economic Development; Kirtesh Patel, Partner, Tru by Hilton Hotel; Phil North, Chair, Roanoke County Board of Supervisors
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General Inquires
P: 540-772-2069
5204 Bernard Drive, SW
Room 421
PO Box 29800
Roanoke, VA 24018
Administrative Assistant
Mission Statement
To attract and facilitate the growth of innovative businesses, jobs and population that increase taxable investment and ensure sustainable world class community resources.
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Treetop Quest at Explore Park
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Tubing at Explore Park
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Explore your wild side! A new aerial adventure course opens at Explore Park on July 1. Book your adventure online today.
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B
lue Mountain Adventures will be offering tube and inflatable kayak rental every Saturday and Sunday during the summer season, beginning Memorial Day weekend. Online booking will be available soon.
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Nearly 200 people attended the Draft Plan Reveal meetings on May 2 and 4, 2019 and commented on potential projects for the Oak Grove Center study area.
"Reimagine Oak Grove" is a joint planning effort between Roanoke County and the City of Roanoke to enhance the area for residents, visitors and employees. The study area covers 173 acres and more than 80 commercial and residential properties, including Keagy Village and Oak Grove Plaza in the County, and Southwest Plaza in the City.
Participants were able to rank projects that are proposed to be implemented over the next 20 years. Potential projects included public space and landscaping conc
e
pts, O
ak Grove Park improvements and a range of multimodal transportation improvements. Participants could also weigh in on future development patterns that will guide development and redevelopment in the study area.
The draft Plan's recommendations are based on feedback from stakeholders and community members. Nearly 170 members of the public attended four community meetings in 2018 and over 600 survey responses were c
ollected for the planning study.
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Law Enforcement and Business Community Team Up to prevent Workplace Violence
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Local police departments, businesses, educational institutions,
and health care providers in the Roanoke Valley are working together to identify and prevent potential workplace violence threats and incidents. The group calls itself the Blue Ridge Partnership for Workplace Violence Prevention (BRPWVP).
The civilian and law enforcement professionals in the partnership can aid businesses in establishing internal workplace violence prevention teams, conducting security assessments, offering training, and
identifying potential risks.
Businesses interested in learning more about making their workplaces safer can find more information online at:
www.roanokecountyva.gov/BRPWVP
Read the complete Roanoke Times Article from April 9, 2019
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Brian Hale (Left) environmental health and safety manager at Integrity Windows gives Roanoke County Sgt. Tony Ayers a tour of the facility as part of an assessment to help identify potential workplace threats.
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Photo Credit Heather Rousseau - Roanoke Times
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The Gauntlet Awards Night
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Congratulations to Roanoke County Gold Division Winners!
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Catawba Valley Farmers Market
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J
une looks to be an especially busy month for Catawba Valley Farmers Market vendors and patrons! Produce vendors expect to offer a much wider selection of vegetables as the growing season progresses. Other vendors will continue to bring meats, eggs, applebutter, jams, pickles and an assortment of baked goods. Crafts range from pottery, jewelry and fabric crafts to baskets and wood working. Music for the month includes Guitars for Vets, Mack Belcher and Marya Katz.
CVFM is located at the Catawba Community Center, 4965 Catawba Creek Road (Rt. 779), Catawba, VA 24070. Vendors are set up under the newly-expanded picnic shelter on Thursdays from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m., rain or shine.
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New Marketing Campaign for the Virginia's Blue Ridge
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Travel Guides Featuring Roanoke and Virginia's Blue Ridge
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Virginia's Blue Ridge has been featured online by
Travel Through Life and
Back Road Ramblers
as a result of the Visit VBR public relations program.
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Divine Fog Realty comes to Roanoke County
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May 15 marked the Grand Opening of Lynchburg-based Devine Fog Realty in Roanoke County.
Divine Fog handles residential and commercial real estate as well as property management, development and acquisitions. Founder Scottie Booker said he wanted to open an office Roanoke after watching new development taking place the the region.
Divine Fog Realty Company
4097 Electric Road ~Roanoke VA 24018
Office Phone 540.725.7777 ~ Office Fax 540.725.1555
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 www.divinefogrealtycompany.com |
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Beacon Partners Consulting opens Room 2 Bloom
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New office space with plenty of extra benefits in Tanglewood Mall area
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Will Hall, Beacon Consulting Partners CEO, cuts ribbon for Room 2 Bloom as
Delegate Sam Rasoul looks on. |
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June 4th, 2019 marks the grand opening for Rooms 2 Bloom, which is a Beacon Partners Consulting project that offers businesses a place to grow with one manageable expense that includes everything they need to do business.
All office space offered for lease at Room 2 Bloom have a furnature, 24/7 access, reception area with receptionist, electric, internet, automated phone system and free business consultation.
Beacon Partners
4370 Starkey Road, Suite C
Roanoke VA 24018
Will Hall 540-598-9455 & Brandon Muse 540-798-1267
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Innovative Internship Program
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Board of Supervisors recognize students participating in Registered Apprenticeship
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L-R:
Jay Werner- WVWA; Ethan Wray - GJ Hopkins; Scott Wells- Wells Construction; Mark Jone - RCPS;
Phil North, Chair, Roanoke County Board of Supervisors; Jason Suhr, RCPS;
Jay Brenchick, Roanoke County Economic Development;
Robert Brown- WVWA;
Clay Huskey- Wabtec Graham White; Fletcher Curtis- WVWA; John Gamble- WVWA
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During the May 28th Board of Supervisors Meeting 30 students who have helped make the Student Registered Apprenticeship Program a success were recognized. The students had to pass a rigorous interview process in order to pursuing their career of choice in partnership with local businesses.
The Apprenticeship Program addresses the needs of businesses to have a skilled workforce, and provides the students with the education and on-the-job training needed in their chosen career path.
Three years ago, Roanoke County Economic Development and Roanoke County Public Schools partnered to bring Student Registered Apprenticeship to students in Roanoke County Public Schools.
In the first year, the Western Virginia Water Authority signed on five students to serve as apprentices. Today, student Registered Apprenticeship has grown to include 12 businesses and a total of 30 students. This summer, two more companies and an additional ten students are anticipated to join the program.
The Roanoke County Economic Development - Roanoke County Public Schools Student Registered Apprenticeship Program is now the fastest growing Student Registered Apprenticeship Program in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Roanoke County is especially appreciative of the efforts of Jason Suhr, Director of Career & Technical Education and Mark Jones, Supervisor of Career and Technical Education programs for Roanoke County Public Schools. Without their work the Student Apprenticeship Program would not be such a great success.
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To learn More about Student Registered Apprenticeship Contact
Mark Jones
Supervisor of Career and Technical Education
Roanoke County Public Schools
540-562-3900 x10332
mcjones@rcps.us
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New Re-certification program for Roanoke County Public Schools Teachers
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Special Thanks to PlasticsOne and TMEIC for Hosting the Summer teachers tour
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Kathy Carter, VP of PlasticsOne
addresses teachers_ questions
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| Dale Guidry, President and CEO of TMEIC welcomes teachers to TMEIC |
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Roanoke County Economic Development and Roanoke County Public Schools have connected again to craft another program that helps address workforce challenges.
Teachers maintaining their teaching certification must participate in professional development activities as outlined by the Virginia Department of Education. One way teachers can earn recertification points is to connect teachers and other school staff with business and industry. May 24th marked the first time in a long time that Roanoke County Public Schools personnel visited area businesses to learn what each business does and to learn more about the skill-sets students would need to work for each business. Twelve teachers and staff members visited Plastics One and Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Corporation (TMEIC) to learn what each company does and to discover ways they can integrate what they learned during the tours into their classroom and counseling endeavors.
"We hope that the May 24th tour is only the beginning of an ongoing partnership with business and industry. Roanoke County Public Schools, in collaboration with Roanoke County Office of Economic Development, hopes to build the industry tour to where many teachers, school counselors, and administrators can take advantage of tours of all manner of industry. The hope is that the knowledge gained on the tours will help school staff better understand business needs and share the wonderful employment opportunities in the region with students!" said Jason Suhr, Director for Career and Technical Education for Roanoke County Public Schools.
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Burton Center Student Wins First Place in Science Fairs in Biochemistry
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Burton Center for Arts and Technology Student, Nabeel Raza
Photo Credit: Roanoke Times
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Nabeel Raza
,
graduating Hidden Valley High senior
and
Burton Center for Arts and Technology engineering student, won first place in local and regional science fairs in biochemistry.
During his junior year, Raza and two of his classmates at the Burton Center, Joanne Wang and Andrea Jerausek, collaborated to help a golden retriever puppy and his owner. The puppy, Spartacus, had a malformed paw. As the puppy grew, the team of students developed several variations of a prosthetic leg using a 3D printer.
Read more about Nabeel Raza's achievements in the May 20, 2019 Roanoke Times article.
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Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport Report
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April traffic was up 10.7% year over year at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport as 2019 continues strong traffic growth
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The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport continues to see 2019 traffic increase with April traffic up 10.7% on a year-over- year basis. April 2019 saw 58,623 passengers fly via ROA compared to 52,957 in April of 2018 an increase of 5,666 passengers. Year-to-date passenger traffic is up 10.7% versus 2018 with 212,731 passengers served this year compared to 192,053 in 2018.
Strong community support, additional capacity, and improved airline operational reliability have all played roles in the continuation of sustained passenger growth, which began in September of 2016. April 2019 saw in increase of 5,666 passengers versus April 2018, which equates to 169 more passengers flying ROA each day. Year-to-date 2019 traffic is up an average of 172 passengers a day versus 2018. At this pace, the airport is on track to have its busiest year since 2000.
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Leadership Starts with Authentic Purpose
Are you leading with purpose?
Zach Mercurio, best-selling author of
The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose, will help you find the path to purposeful leadership at Experience 2019.
Register today: The first 75 people to register will get a free copy of The Invisible Leader.
Through personal stories and professional research, Mercurio will discuss how purpose compels people and builds thriving organizations and lives. He will share practical steps to discovering, clarifying, aligning, and delivering purpose.
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Fifth Annual Artisan Saturdays at Roanoke County's Explore Park
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On Saturday June 8 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Roanoke County's Explore Park will host the second of three Artisan Saturdays in 2019. This event is FREE and fun for all ages. Located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at milepost 115, the Visitor Center and Gift Shop will have local artisans on hand to demonstrate a number of uniquely different crafts and skills.
The day will include demonstrations from many of our Explore Park gift shop artisans who create an array of unique items, such as fused glass, pottery, ink art, plein air paintings, fiber art, leather crafts and one of a kind handmade jewelry.
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Virginia International Trade Events
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Registration is now open for VEDP - International Trade's new calendar of events!
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Face-to-face meetings are critical to international business. We help Virginia companies meet potential customers and partners through trade missions and trade shows.
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Trade Missions
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Trade Missions are customized visits of business meetings arranged on your behalf. These meetings are pre-qualified based on your export market objective. Our schedule of upcoming Trade Missions includes:
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Trade Shows
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At select international Trade Shows, Virginia's booth provides the ideal base for co-exhibiting companies, allowing you to exhibit your products and services and network with prospective customers. Our schedule of up upcoming Trade Shows includes:
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AUSA 2019 - Oct. 14 - 16, 2019 - Registration Deadline August 16, 2019
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Arab Health 2020
- January 27 - 30, 2020 - Registration Deadline November 22, 2019
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Let us help you find new avenues to grow your business!
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Free One-On-One Assistance From the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity
The Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD), in partnership with Roanoke County Economic Development Department, will be conducting free one-on-one counseling sessions on how to access business development resources, State financing programs (VSBFA), including technical assistance for conducting business with State agencies through SWaM Certification and eVA (Virginia's Online Procurement Portal).
These 1-hour sessions are by appointment only
No fee, but appointment is REQUIRED
to schedule an appointment
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Salem-Roanoke County Chamber
Restaurant Week
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July 15 - 21
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FastForward is a grant that will pay tuition to earn industry-recognized credentials in a variety of fields |
Upcoming Open Houses
July 16, 2019
Nov 19, 2019
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Exploring Blockchain
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August 1, 2019
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keg and barrels
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Saturday,
August 3, 2019
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Leadership Academy for the 21st Century
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August 2019 - March 2020
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Project Management
Certification Course
The Virginia Tech Roanoke Center will be offering a Project Management Certification Course. This course is a prerequisite to the Project Management Institute PMP certification exam.
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Tuesdays, August 27 through November 12, from 5:30-9 p.m.
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For more information, contact David Conners at (540) 767-6145 or
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Lean Foundations
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September
25, 2019
9 am - 4:30 pm
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For more information, contact David Conners at (540) 767-6145 or
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Business of Brewing
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January 27-31, 2020
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Implementing LEAN
the lean conference
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March 4-5, 2020
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| Roanoke County Business Partners Show on RVTV |
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In the June edition of Roanoke County Business Partners, we interview George Child, President and CEO of Richfield Living, so he can tell us about their expansion, which will include 140 new independent living residences, a state of the art nursing facility, and a town center. We'll see their groundbreaking ceremony, well as renderings of what the expansion will look like when complete.
Next, we will reveal three Roanoke County Businesses that were Gold Division Winners in the Gauntlet Business Plan Competition.
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Stay Connected
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