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Arts Council Awards Regional Art Grants

2012-03-02T15:18:00.001-05:00

The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge has awarded five $1,000 grants to regional artists for their professional development during the second round of funding of the Grants for Artists Program (GAP).

This year the guidelines were adapted to allow collaborative projects along with individual proposals which were awarded in two funding cycles. The first round of grants funded 14 artists in individual and collaborative projects with $5,500 bringing the total amount of awards this year to $10,500.

This cycle’s Grants for Artists Program recipients are :

Jennifer Anderson working in printmaking and paper cutting;
Alison Hall and Clover Archer Lyle in a collaborative project to “engage with viewers, demonstrate the extent to which the arts contribute to the vitality of the community and strengthen educational relationships;”
Robert Sulkin, a photographer working with ”the constructed image”;
Annie Waldrop’s project, Sowing Seeds, which will coincide with the Taubman’s Sidewalk Art Show and engage viewers with art that uses technology and choreography to stimulate an ever-evolving creative narrative;
Bill White developing a new body of work in painting based on the urban landscape from varied perspectives.

All 2011-2012 Grants for Artists Recipients will be recognized at this year’s Perry F. Kendig Awards on Tuesday, May 1, held at the Taubman Museum of Art.

Plans for Full-Time Ice Rink in Roanoke Emerge

2012-02-27T16:26:00.002-05:00

Roanoke Mayor David Bowers (right) and the Roanoke Valley Ice Advocates plan to develop a permanent ice rink in the City . Led by the Ice Advocates citizens group, who would raise the money needed to construct a year-round rink as early as fall 2013, this project would be the latest effort to brand Roanoke as a sports and recreational location for economic development.

The proposal comes as demand grows for college and recreational hockey and public skating in the region and discussions continue about bringing minor-league hockey back to Roanoke.

“In addition to being an outstanding recreational facility that further enhances our quality of life and fitness, the rink would attract college and youth hockey games and tournaments – becoming an economic driver that benefits all citizens and businesses,” Bowers says. “It will be another tool for our economic development and sports marketing professionals to use as they encourage folks near and far to come to our community and spend their valuable time and money.”

A rink would be another great partnership with our colleges and universities in the region, says Councilman Sherman Lea. “It reminds me of the void our community saw more than 10 years ago, which brought colleges and universities into Roanoke through a similar partnership at the Higher Education Center. A true partnership opportunity exists again by providing a dedicated sheet of ice to attract these college teams and students to Roanoke.”

“Simply put, the Roanoke Valley needs a permanent ice rink to supplement the Roanoke Civic Center ice,” says Dr. Matt Skelton, co-vice president of Roanoke Valley Ice Advocates. “The Civic Center’s recent successes have included more shows and concerts, and that’s limited ice time. There are more people skating, shooting and scoring than you might think.”

These include:

Valley Youth Hockey Association – more than 138 kids participating, including 54 learning to play.
Roanoke No Check Hockey League – six teams with a waiting list.
Roanoke Valley Adult Hockey Association – eight teams.
Rusty Blades – for those 45 and older.
Colleges – club hockey teams from Virginia Tech, Radford University, Roanoke College and interest from Washington and Lee.

“While hockey would be the biggest user of the ice, we envision a new rink to serve a broader community, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating and of course recreational skating, where people can have fun and exercise,” Skelton says.

HomeTown Bank Opens Mortgage Office in Roanoke

2012-02-24T13:51:00.003-05:00

HomeTown Bank's Susan Still cuts ribbon*

HomeTown Bank of Roanoke today opened a dedicated mortgage office serving the Roanoke and New River Valleys. HomeTown Mortgage coordinates the bank’s existing mortgage services with an experienced team of local lenders offering mortgages, refinancing, home-construction loans, home-equity loans and other services.

The office is at 4227 Colonial Ave., next to an existing HomeTown Bank branch.

“As a bank committed to helping our own community prosper and grow, we’re delighted to serve the needs of the Roanoke and New River valleys with a local office staffed by local lenders who understand our market, understand local real estate and understand the needs and concerns of families and businesses right here at home,” says Susan Still, president and CEO.

“We are pleased to have a team of very experienced mortgage bankers who have the knowledge and personal service to help people realize the current financing opportunities available,” says Melissa Mason, Senior Vice President and Mortgage Manager. “With continued low interest rates and a rebounding housing market, this is a great time for qualified customers to get the loans they need to build a great future.”

(Those in the photo are, from left, Melissa Mason, Joanne Polly, Debbie Carpenter, Susan Still and Christine Sander.)

Modea Lays Off Many of Its Workers

2012-02-23T22:56:00.002-05:00

Modea, the digital ad company in Blacksburg that has consistently been among the fastest growing companies in the region has laid off 25 of its 79 employees, according to reports. The company lost its lucrative Verizon Wireless account, for which Modea built simulators and emulators.

President David Catalano reports that the company remains healthy, but needs to be smaller. He says the company will continue to pursue its plan to locate at Blacksburg Middle School.

VTK Expands Presidents' Council to Roanoke

2012-02-20T13:57:00.002-05:00

VT KnowledgeWorks in Blacksburg has expanded its Presidents’ Councils to Roanoke with the appointment of Ken Ferris as moderator. Presidents’ Councils are private networks of experienced executives working together to increase energy, share insight, reduce risk and improve leadership skills.

Ferris is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience which has included being on the founding team of three technology start-up companies, each of which was sold to a large, publicly traded company. He is past president and on the board of the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC).

Since 1994 Presidents' Council has provided its members with the time, atmosphere and structure to become more effective leaders. VT KnowledgeWorks is home to two Presidents’ Councils in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

Friendship's Garden Wins Award

2012-02-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

Friendship Retirement Community’s Wandering Garden in Roanoke—a courtyard offering outdoor respite for patients with dementia and related illnesses—has been cited as an example of excellence. The Environments for Aging Showcase selected the Wandering Garden as one of 36 projects around the nation deserving to be included in Long Term Care magazine’s annual April design issue.

Roanoke Bond Rating Stable at AA+

2012-02-14T13:47:00.002-05:00

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the City of Roanoke's AA+ bond rating with a stable outlook.

According to Fitch's assessment, "Roanoke is a regional economic hub, with a diverse economy that leverages the city's employment sector strengths in health care and transportation. Growing opportunities in biomedical research spearheaded by a joint partnership between Carilion Clinic and [Virginia Tech] lend additional employment and income stability."

The AA+ rating also reflects Roanoke's steady reserve levels, as well as its moderate debt levels and debt service costs. Fitch's assessment additionally recognizes the city's prudent financial
policies, including the practice of adopting a balanced budget excluding the use of one-time measures or existing fund balance.

Bond ratings of all municipalities are periodically reviewed by agencies such as Fitch, and are assessed by considering factors including economy, debt structure, financial condition, demographic factors, and management practices. Standard and Poor's Rating Services also recently assessed the City of Roanoke, and affirmed the city's AA bond rating with a stable outlook.

Hotel Roanoke Wins Prestigious Award

2012-02-10T11:48:00.002-05:00

R.D. Wright accepts the first place award for the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, was recently honored with the company’s Best Property Operations - Americas East award at a Hilton Worldwide conference in Dallas.

R.D. Wright, director of property operations at the historic hotel and conference center, earned the prestigious honor after successfully obtaining the highest scores in property operation evaluations for three consecutive years. Only three such awards were given out within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of hotels in the Americas East region – which includes Hilton Worldwide managed properties from North America, Central America and South America.

“We are thrilled to have received this tremendous honor amongst our peers that exemplifies the hard work, dedication and commitment of RD and his team here at the historic hotel and conference center,” said Gary Walton, general manager, The Hotel Roanoke & Conference.

The award is based on the best practices and scores that maximize the condition, life, and value of assets over the long term of the property and assesses the building’s structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and system infrastructure annually. To measure the effectiveness of those practices, performance operation reviews are conducted annually at each property that is managed, leased or joint venture by Hilton Worldwide.

'Work: It's Personal,' Anne Clelland's New Book is Available Now

2012-02-10T11:34:00.003-05:00

Valley Business FRONT Workplace Advice columnist Anne Clelland has gathered up a group of her columns and published them as Work: It's Personal and it is available today. Take a look for yourself here.

Anne has gained quite a following because of her straight-forward, take charge attitude, one that puts personal responsibility where it belongs. Anne, who owns the small business Handshake2.0 and understands the problems of the workplace firsthand, has also been a counselor, journalist, coach and teacher. She uses all of that experience in writing her column.

Take a close look at her columns and the book and consider the purchase. Her Kindle version is very inexpensive and the paper copy satisfies the traditionalists at a reasonable price, as well.

Ramsey Broadcast at Roanoke County Library

2012-02-09T14:35:00.002-05:00

HomeTown Bank is sponsoring a broadcast of nationally syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey and his “Total Money Makeover Live” program to Roanoke. Ramsey will not be in Roanoke, but the show will be broadcast live. “Total Money Makeover” is the largest personal finance event in the country.

The live simulcast will be held from 12:45-6 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 at Roanoke County Library, 6303 Merriman Road. Tickets are available at the library for $39 and space is limited.

Ramsey is the author of four New York Times best-sellers. "The Dave Ramsey Show" is heard on more than 500 radio stations across the United States, including WFIR in the Roanoke Valley.

APCo Files for New Transmission Lines in NRV

2012-02-09T10:47:00.004-05:00

Appalachian Power today filed an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) to construct a new $25 million electric transmission line. The company says the line would reinforce the electric grid and prevent potential overload conditions in the Montgomery County, Blacksburg and Christiansburg area that could occur as early as summer 2015.

Following a public comment period and environmental analysis, the company identified what it says is the least-impacting route possible for the 7.5 mile transmission line.

The new facilities, if approved, would be constructed using a combination of single pole structures with an average height of 100 feet in more developed areas and H-frame structures with an average height of 80 feet in more rural areas. Both types of structures will require a 100 foot-wide right of way.

Appalachian Power originally announced the Falling Branch-Merrimac project in 2008. After an initial comment period, the project was postponed. The company reitiated the project in 2011. Appalachian held multiple public workshops and received significant input from local government and property owners throughout the route identification process.

The company’s application identifies a preferred route for the project that minimizes human and environmental impacts. In addition to being the most direct route, the preferred corridor provides an opportunity to relocate approximately .6 mile of 69 kilovolt line in a densely populated area where the right of way has been encroached upon. The company is seeking approval of a 500-foot-wide corridor, within which the line will ultimately be constructed on a 100 foot-wide right of way.

Electric service in the area is primarily supplied by a single 138 kilovolt line and multiple 69 kV lines. Between 2003 and 2010, peak electric demand in the area increased by 34 percent to 278 megawatts and is expected to continue to grow steadily.

The addition of the new power line, which ties together existing electric substations and establishes a looped 138 kV system, will help prevent overloads and reduce the likelihood of interrupting electric service to the region. With a looped system in place, Appalachian can isolate problems when they occur and limit the disturbance they cause to customers, company spokesmen say.

(Photo: constructionequipmentguide.com)

Holnback Retires from Land Trust; David Perry Interim Head

2012-02-09T09:56:00.005-05:00

The Western Virginia Land Trust has announced that Executive Director Roger Holnback (above) has resigned after 10 years with the organization. Assistant Director David Perry (left) will become interim director. Perry is a regular contributor to Valley Business FRONT.

Holnback has been with the land trust since 2001. Under his tenure, the land trust achieved several significant goals, including conservation easements on Carvins Cove Natural Reserve and Mill Mountain Park, as well as shepherding the organization to national accreditation with the Land Trust Alliance in 2011.

“I’ve enjoyed a wonderful 10 1/2 years at the land trust, and it’s time to move on,” says Holnback, 57. “There is a lot I want to do in retirement.” That includes building hiking trails with a local volunteer group, golfing, adding a deck onto his home and finishing restoration of a fiberglass boat in his garage.

“We are accepting Roger’s resignation with regret,” says Board of Trustees President Sandy Light. “He truly cares deeply about our mission of conserving our resources for future generations.”

Perry has been with the land trust since 2006. “Roger has been a wonderful mentor and I’ll miss his passion for saving western Virginia’s beautiful places,” he said.

Harrington Named to Lead Spot at VTC

2012-02-09T07:48:00.002-05:00

Daniel Harrington (right) has been named senior dean for academic affairs at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

Two other faculty members have been appointed to key positions, as well. As assistant dean for clinical sciences for the preclinical years, Dr. Tarin Schmidt-Dalton will lead in the continued development and execution of the clinical sciences and skills portion of the curriculum. As assistant dean for clinical sciences for the clinical years, Dr. Aubrey Knight will coordinate the development and implementation of clerkship rotations through the various medical specialties.

Harrington, who oversaw the design of the third- and fourth-year clinical clerkships as the school’s senior associate dean, will now oversee the entire four-year curriculum. The position not only mirrors his current position as vice president for academic affairs at Carilion Clinic, but it also reflects his early role in shaping the school’s program.

“Dan has been in the trenches as an integral part of the leadership team that built this school from scratch,” said Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson, founding dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, in appointing Harrington. “His expertise in designing and delivering top-rate medical education has been a tremendous asset, even more so now in his new expanded role.”

Harrington served on the school’s original curriculum planning committee. To determine the best learning model, he visited medical schools with a range of successful approaches to education. Based on that research, committee members chose to devise a new, innovative approach: a problem-based, team-based learning model that incorporates a research-project requirement.

“I’m excited to deepen my responsibilities at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine,” said Harrington. “I have a wonderful, hard-working, and growing leadership team to help orchestrate the vision for an innovative medical education curriculum.”

Harrington will continue to serve as vice president for academic affairs at Carilion Clinic, where he oversees graduate medical education programs. He earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from West Virginia University, and he completed a combined internal medicine and psychiatry residency at the University of Virginia.

Donovan Leaving Technology Council Soon

2012-02-03T14:48:00.004-05:00

Donovan with his wife, veterinarian Dr. Julie Sanders.

Cory Donovan of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council has announced he is leaving his job because of an opportunity his wife, Dr. Julie Sanders, a Roanoke veterinarian, can’t pass up. Donovan has been with the council a little over four years. He will remain at the helm during the transitions.

Carilion Clinic Adds Helicopter for Rockbridge Co.

2012-02-02T13:54:00.002-05:00

Carilion Clinic will add a third helicopter to its fleet of medical aircraft serving southwest and central Virginia and sections of West Virginia and North Carolina. The helicopter, called Carilion Life-Guard 12, will be based in the Rockbridge County area.

Its presence will further extend Carilion’s ability to serve the region, which includes Allegheny County, Bath County, Pocahontas County, Greenbrier County and Lewisburg. Life-Guard 12 will significantly reduce response and transport time, providing fast, efficient critical care air services to those in need.

Life-Guard 12 will join Life-Guard 10 which covers the Roanoke Valley region, and Life-Guard 11, which responds in the New River Valley region from its base at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.

While planning for the expansion, Carilion sought a partner who was best aligned with the organization’s needs and mission and selected Med-Trans Corp. based out of Dallas, Texas.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Carilion Clinic and able to contribute to their team’s continued commitment of caring for critical patients in need of air medical transport. Carilion’s air medical bases will continue to be a regional asset and industry leader providing an invaluable service,” stated Fred Buttrell, President/CEO of Med-Trans Corp.

Advance To Invest $8 Million and Create 75 Jobs

2012-02-02T10:26:00.006-05:00

Roanoke-based Advance Auto Parts, an automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, batteries, accessories, and maintenance items, will add a Financial Services Commercial Customer Care Center to its Roanoke corporate headquarters operation.

Advance will invest $8 million to support this expansion, as well as other growth. Financial Services will manage the entire commercial customer credit experience including commercial customer master data setup, billing, accounts receivable and collections.

The project will create 75 new jobs over the next three years.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor Bob McDonnell said, “An investment of $8 million and 75 new jobs for the City of Roanoke is tremendous for the Company and the region. Advance Auto Parts operates more than 3,600 stores across the United States, and we are proud to be the home of this Fortune 500 company’s corporate headquarters and now growing financial services operations, for the 80th year. I am confident that the partnership between the Commonwealth and the Company will remain strong and continue to grow.”

“Advance Auto Parts is a leading Virginia-grown company that has thrived in Roanoke since 1932,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “The new Financial Services Commercial Customer Care Center will add to the company’s impressive and growing operation, and I am thrilled that Advance chose Virginia for this significant expansion project

The company is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment and training activities.

Consumer Reports CEO To Speak at Tech

2012-02-02T08:26:00.001-05:00

Jim Guest, president and chief executive officer of the internationally renowned Consumer Reports, will be the inaugural speaker for the Alfred and Shirley Wampler Caudill Lecture in Consumer Affairs.

Guest’s talk is entitled “How to be a Smart Consumer and Engaged Activist in the 21st Century,” and will be held on Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Graduate Life Center auditorium at Virginia Tech. This event is free and open to the public.

Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports is the world's premier consumer testing, research, publishing, and advocacy organization with more than eight million subscribers to its products and services.

ConsumerReports.org is the largest subscription-based publication website, Consumer Reports is one of the top-10-circulation magazines in the U.S., and the organization's advocacy arm, Consumers Union, has close to 1 million online activists who advance its role as a national powerhouse in promoting pro-consumer policies and market reform at both the federal and the state levels.

Guest’s lecture will cover some of the 76-year history of the non-profit organization as well as what it takes to be savvy in today’s world. There will be ample time for questions.

WestPlace Opens in Downtown Roanoke

2012-01-25T17:51:00.012-05:00

Exterior of the old warehouse on Salem Ave. is now WestPlace.

Skylight illuminates the atrium area.

Living room/dining room combination in one of the small apartments.

View from a fourth floor apartment.

Three movies a week in the ground floor screening room.

Bar on the fourth floor.

Bill Chapman addresses the crowd.

Story/Photos by DAN SMITH

The West Station District of Roanoke continues to grow along what had been a hopelessly blighted area of Salem Avenue, mostly because developer Bill Chapman has never been steeped in Roanoke bias, he says.

Roanokers would tell you the place is not liveable, but Chapman's developments in the area around the Virginia Museum of Transportation continue to sell out to a combination of demographics from young people to retirees.

The newest is WestPlace and the next-door Beamer 25, a restaurant carrying Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer's name. They sit beside the Re-Store of Habitat for Humanity. The restaurant will open in late spring or early fall, Chapman says, and is being put together by his group, Beamer and Steve Parry, a restaurateur. It will serve Virginia foods and craft beers and will have outdoor dining. The restaurant will seat 100.

The new apartment complex is 60,000 square feet on four floors and has 71 apartments (1 and 2 bedroom) ranging in price from $500 to $1,050 per month. The size of the apartments ranges between 420 and 1,000 square feet. Agent Melissa Morgan says there are fewer than 10 apartments remaining to be rented.

There are a variety of amenities (for which residents pay $99 a month) including a movie room with a 125 inch HD screen, a weight room, a bar and off-street parking in a city parking garage across the street. "It is safe, covered, lighted and convenient," says Chapman. "Without the parking garage, there is no apartment complex. The city did a good thing when it built that garage."

The $7.6 million investment in the complex brings to $11 million Chapman's investment in what he calls the West Station District, which includes his Fulton Lofts, opened last year.

The location next door to Habitat is perfect, says Chapman, because recycle and renew are among the concerns in rehabilitating an old building.

This kind of investment requires a lot of belief in the area, he says. "You have to be confident. This is a tremendous risk with a lot of personal liability. In a building like this, when you start working, you don't know what's behind the wall."

The downtown area, he says, is much like the old Richmond warehouse district, which locals didn't want to develop. Outsiders did, however, and created an icon of the district. Roanoke "is small, walkable and doesn't have anything out of balance," Chapman says. "The YMCA created a new center of the city and the development is surrounding that.

Occupancy Down, Rentals Stable in Roanoke

2012-01-25T14:39:00.004-05:00

Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group in Roanoke has released the results of its 25th Annual Office Market Survey, reporting overall occupancy rates trending lower with rental rates remaining stable.

The occupancy rate in the Central Business District (CBD) decreased from 95 percent to 92 percent largely as a result of Anthem’s reduction of office space in the Franklin Plaza Building. Both the South and North Business District experienced a 2 percent decrease.

Overall occupancy rates in the valley dropped by 3 percent to 88 percent in 2011 adding an additional 130,000 SF of available office space. Roanoke’s 88 percent occupancy rate continues to outpace the 83 percent National average as reported by the National Association of Realtors.'

“Additional inventory is healthy when new construction is non-existent," says Bryan Musselwhite of Poe & Cronk. "In the past 12 months alone, we have seen a substantial increase in activity from both existing tenants looking to expand and new businesses interested in locating in the Roanoke Valley. The most recent example is Optima Health which located its regional headquarters in Downtown Roanoke at the corner of Williamson Road and Campbell Avenue."

Poe & Cronk developed Roanoke’s Original Office Market Survey in 1987 and have conducted it annually using consistent criteria and methods of reporting. This year’s survey incorporates data covering more than 100 existing nongovernmental office buildings measuring 10,000 square feet or larger.

SML Chamber Presents Awards

2012-01-25T08:56:00.002-05:00

The 2012 Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce Annual Award Winners are: (front, from left) Roy Enslow, Bridgewater Marina and Boat Rentals; Joanna Hudzik, Haywood’s Jewelers; and Cheryl Ward, Bank of Botetourt (back row) Harold Ingram, Haywood’s Jewelers; Matt Brown, Laker Media; Andie Gibson, Laker Media; Phil Hager, Phil Hager Insurance.

The Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce recently presented the Norma Jean Teass Award for community leadership went to Cheryl Ward, Bank of Botetourt. Business of the Year is Bridgewater Marina & Boat Rental. Regional Advocate Award is Laker Media. Emerging Entrepreneur Award went to Tuscan Tavern. Enduring Enterprise Award was given to Phil Hager Insurance and the Service Excellence Award went to Haywood’s Jewelers.

300 Layoffs at ITT in Roanoke; More To Come

2012-01-12T10:58:00.002-05:00

ITT Exelis in Roanoke County, a significant defense contractor with 1,400 employees in the Roanoke Valley, has furloughed 300 of its hourly employees.

ITT makes night vision goggles, mostly supplying the military whose needs are declining with the wind-down of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Apparently, more cuts were on the way before the end of January.

Energy Summit Scheduled at Virginia Tech

2012-01-12T07:57:00.003-05:00

Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering will be host for a Virginia Energy Summit Jan. 31, bringing together Virginia-based energy companies and related government agencies to identify industry opportunities.

Summit leader Shashank Priya (right) says the meeting will pave the way for partnerships that could spur high-paying jobs in the burgeoning energy harvesting sector. “We anticipate this meeting to play a vital role in bringing together small and large businesses towards development of energy generation and distribution technologies,” says Priya, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering.

“Energy harvesting is growing rapidly across the world, covering vital sectors of the economy such as defense, health care, infrastructure, construction, mining, and consumer electronics. Commercial transitions from laboratory to market are continuously happening, and in past few years many new companies have been formed to capture this growing industry.”

Priya said the summit will be led by Virginia Tech’s Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, which Priya directs, and could help the commonwealth form a leadership role in development of the U.S. energy harvesting market. “Virginia is uniquely positioned to be a dominant player in this market, creating new economy and high-paying jobs here,” he says. “The research conducted at our Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, and its partnering industries, is continuously paving the way for new opportunities.” Registration deadline is Jan. 20.

Ferrum, VWCC Sign Transfer Pact

2012-01-11T15:59:00.003-05:00

Bobby Snadel and Jennifer Braaten sign agreement.

Ferrum College President Jennifer Braaten and Virginia Western Community College President Robert Sandel signed an Agreement of Articulation today to facilitate the transfer of students from Virginia Western’s Administration of Justice Associate of Applied Science degree program to Ferrum College’s Criminal Justice Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts degree program.

The agreement, signed during a ceremony at Ferrum College, guarantees that Ferrum will accept Virginia Western students who successfully earn their AAS Administration of Justice degree and meet outlined criteria.

“As educators we all need to make student success and employment readiness a high priority and that can mean removing barriers to higher aspirations,” says Braaten. “Two-year colleges are doing a tremendous job in encouraging so many of their students to seek higher goals. Our objective at Ferrum is to smooth the transition for these transfer students. This collaboration with Virginia Western will help achieve that aim.”

The articulation agreement ensures that Ferrum College will transfer credit for all Virginia Western Administration of Justice courses completed successfully with a grade of “C” or above at the 100-200 level, excluding SDV College Skills Courses, even when the student has not completed the Associate Degree. Virginia Western students who successfully complete 56 hours with a grade of “C” or above will be admitted to Ferrum College with junior status.

RAC Xpress Cuts Ribbon for Downtown Facility

2012-01-06T14:27:00.005-05:00

Carlion CEO Nancy Agee at ribbon-cutting.

The new workout facility is ready for use.

Dignitaries cut the ribbon.

Developer John Garland (from left), Nancy Agee and Bud Grey of Carilion.

Crowd lines up along rail at the workout facility.

Bud Grey addresses the gathered.

Carilion Clinic and Spectrum Design cut the ribbon for the new RAC Xpress at 16 West in downtown Roanoke early this afternoon, opening a workout facility and returning the historic building to a longtime use.

16 West was originally a cafeteria, but since 1980 it has most often been used as a facility for working out, designed around the schedules of business people. It has become an anchor for a group of businesses that will occupy the building.

Carilion executives, including CEO Nancy Agee and Bud Grey of RAC, were on hand with the project's developer, John Garland of Spectrum design. Garland has two partners in the venture.

In addition to RAC Xpress, the building's tenants will shortly include a grocery delivery service, a smoothie bar, a cheese shop and a chiropractor.

RAC is operating its facility and memberships are $25 a month.

Tech's New Supercomputer Far Faster

2012-01-05T08:01:00.003-05:00

Weng Fu and the new Tech supercomputer.

Virginia Tech crashed the supercomputing arena in 2003 with System X, a machine that placed the university among the world’s top computational research facilities. Now comes HokieSpeed, a new supercomputer that is up to 22 times faster and yet a quarter of the size of X, boasting a single-precision peak of 455 teraflops, or 455 trillion operations per second, and a double-precision peak of 240 teraflops, or 240 trillion operations per second.

That’s enough computational capability to place HokieSpeed at No. 96 on the most recent Top500 List, the industry-standard ranking of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers. More intriguing is HokieSpeed’s energy efficiency, which ranks it at No. 11 in the world on the November 2011 Green500 List, a compilation of supercomputers that excel at using less energy to do more. On the Green500 List, HokieSpeed is the highest-ranked commodity supercomputer in the United States.

Located at Virginia Tech’s Corporate Research Center, HokieSpeed – the word “Hokie” originating from an old Virginia Tech sports cheer – contains 209 nodes, or separate computers, connected to one another in and across large metal racks, each roughly 6.5 feet tall, to create a single supercomputer that occupies half a row of racks in a vast university computer machine room. X took three times the rack space.

Each HokieSpeed node contains two 2.40-gigahertz Intel Xeon E5645 6-core central processing units, commonly called CPUs, and two NVIDIA M2050/C2050 448-core graphics processor units, or GPUs, which reside on a Supermicro 2026GT0TRF motherboard. That gives HokieSpeed more than 2,500 central processing unit cores and more than 185,000 graphics processor unit cores to compute with.

“HokieSpeed is a versatile heterogeneous supercomputing instrument, where each compute node consists of energy-efficient central-processing units and high-end graphics-processing units,” said Wu Feng, associate professor with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s computer science and electrical and computer engineering departments.

“This instrument will empower faculty, students, and staff across disciplines to tackle problems previously viewed as intractable or that required heroic efforts and signiﬁcant domain-speciﬁc expertise to solve.”

Carilion, Eye Clinics To Collaborate

2011-12-22T17:23:00.004-05:00

Carilion Clinic, Vistar Eye Center, Eye Care & Surgery and Blue Ridge Eye Center will collaborate to provide emergency and in-patient eye care to patients at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

The agreement includes the provision of 24/7 on-call service for Carilion’s Level-1 trauma program, along with general and retinal ophthalmologic care for emergency/urgent care and hospitalized patients.

The three physician groups will continue as independent practices, but will collaborate with Carilion’s trauma and emergency programs to further advance the level and quality of eye care in the region.

The physicians participating in the collaboration include:

Eugene H. Eng, M.D., Carey W. Robinson, M.D., and William M. Thompson, M.D., with Eye Care & Surgery;
Chad Albright, M.D., Jon Brisley, M.D., Timothy Byrnes, M.D., Frank Cotter, M.D., John Facciani, M.D., Kurt Guelzow, M.D., Craig Hartranft, M.D., John Hines, M.D., David Kinsler, M.D., Scott Strelow, M.D., Kenneth Tuck, M.D., and John R. Wood, M.D. with Vistar Eye Center;
Joseph S. Weisman, M.D. with Blue Ridge Eye Center.

(Photo: carynchealthinsurance.com)

Wireless Medcare Has Joint Venture

2011-12-22T14:08:00.002-05:00

Wireless MedCARE, LLC today announced a customer and joint venture agreement with Senior Homestyle Living, LLC of Arlington, Texas in which Wireless MedCARE will provide its FDA-cleared VivaTRAK sensor assisted care system to two Senior Homestyle Living (SHL) facilities currently under construction in Texas.

The VivaTRAK platform technology aggregates sensor and device information for healthcare applications in long-term care facilities and in homes. Benefits include higher quality care and operational efficiencies. In addition to the 32-bed installation, the two companies have agreed to form VivaSense Solutions, a joint venture that will be owned equally by the two companies.

VivaSense will focus on further product development, marketing and sales of technology products with applications in the independent living, assisted living and home healthcare market segments. Wireless MedCARE staff will provide product development and an advanced technology roadmap to meet the product needs at SHL installations.

Senior Homestyle Living will provide beta testing for new products designs and market feedback for new product enhancements and features. "SHL is committed to delivering the highest quality care at an affordable price," says Ron Cheney, CEO of Senior Homestyle Living, LLC. "By jointly working with Wireless MedCARE, we are confident we can deliver on our commitment to improve both the quality and efficient delivery of care while advancing information technology tools for the care of our aging population. Our ultimate goal is to provide the highest quality of life to our residents."

"Since its founding through the Carilion Biomedical Institute, Wireless MedCARE has focused on opportunities to use its technology to deliver patient informatics to doctors, nurses, technicians as well as electronic medical record systems. VivaTRAK™ improves the effectiveness and efficiency of care in skilled nursing and other healthcare facilities," says Dan Wrappe, the company's CEO. "We are pleased to partner with SHL to forge a path into the assisted living, independent living, and home healthcare markets.”

Roanoke Co-Op Helps Charities, Keeps Bags from Landfill

2011-12-20T08:14:00.002-05:00

The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op has released figures from a year-old program that allows shoppers who use their own grocery bags to fund local charities while preventing thousands of disposable paper and plastic bags from landing in local landfills.

Just a year after launching the program, the Co-op estimates the program has kept nearly 60,000 bags out of the trash, while nearly $5,0000 has been contributed to local charities.

Co-op Director Bruce Phlegar says the program is straightforward. “If shoppers opt to use their own, re-usable shopping bag it saves the Co-op money that would have been spent on traditional paper or plastic grocery bags. We wanted to help the environment and local charities, by channeling our savings to agencies that need and deserve extra income.”

Phlegar explained that customers receive a poker chip every time they use their own bag instead of one provided by the store. Customers drop their chips into bins near the exit. Each bin is labeled with the name of a local not-for-profit organization. At the end of the month, the Co-op pays the charity a nickel for every chip.

(Photo: trileafdesigns.com)

G&H Gets School Contract from Roanoke County

2011-12-17T07:34:00.000-05:00

The Roanoke County School Board has awarded a $1,884,000 contract to G&H Contracting to construct an expansion to Burlington Elementary School to house preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

“This is a needed expansion at Burlington,” says Roanoke County School Board member Jerry Canada. “This helps get classes out of the basement at the school and into a new space,” Canada said.

Construction is expected to begin within the next few weeks with the intention to have the new classrooms ready for the start of the 2012-2013 school year.

Manufacturers Receive Second Round of Grants

2011-12-16T10:03:00.005-05:00

Salem Vent (above), Dex and Dynax are among the recipients.

Nine projects totaling more than $700,000 have been approved for Southwest Virginia’s transportation equipment manufacturing industry. The grants provide funding to make industrial plants more efficient, fuel new product creation, or beef up company research-and-development efforts, New River Valley Planning District Commission announced.

This announcement comes at the beginning of a second round of funding as part of three rounds.

The largest grant recipient for the second round is Dex Truck Parts, headquartered in Floyd. Five other companies successfully competed for the grants:Volvo Trucks North America in Dublin, Salem Vent in Salem, Dynax America in Roanoke, Graham-White in Salem, and TRW Automotive in Atkins.

The grants are issued under a U.S. Economic Development Administration project focused on the transportation equipment manufacturing sector of Southwest Virginia. The money is designated to provide the kind of technical assistance that allows companies to grow and create jobs. In some cases Virginia Tech College of Engineering faculty or experts from the GENEDGE Alliance (formerly the Virginia Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership) will offer research guidance.

“All of these projects are delivering innovations to the shop floor. For example, at Salem Vent International, the father-daughter team of Tim and Cary Kelly owns a plant employing 40 people making vent systems for truck cabs. A Virginia Tech engineering faculty member is working with the Kellys, moving ahead on a new product that will reduce truck idle times – making green by going green. I am very excited in the second round that we are able to extend this opportunity for collaboration to additional companies, and I look forward to helping build jobs in this industry in this region” says John Provo, director of the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.

The projects include green facility upgrades (Dex Truck Parts, Salem Vent International), new product development (Graham-White, Salem Vent International), and process improvements (Volvo Trucks North America, Dex Truck Parts, Dynax America, Salem Vent International, and TRW Automotive).

The grant will underwrite more than $525,000 of the work, along with approximately $180,000 in contributions from the companies, resulting in more than $700,000 in total investment for the transportation equipment manufacturing industry in Southwest Virginia.

Over the two rounds of funding to date, more than $1.2 million has been invested in the region’s transportation equipment manufacturing sector. “The leadership team sees a lot of promise in these projects creating new jobs in the region. This program is also helping companies retain jobs and solidify their presence in the region for the future” says Kevin Byrd, director of the New River Valley Planning District Commission.

A third and final round of grant funding will commence with company letters of intent due by January 23 2012.

Social Media Meetup: Christmas Lunch

2011-12-15T16:25:00.005-05:00

Raquel Rothe and Patsy Stewart deep in conversation.

Janeson Keeley (left) and Raquel Rothe chat.

The table kept having to be expanded as guests arrived.

Patsy Stewart thanks those gathered for coming.

Social media's Roanoke area meetup group held its annual Christmas lunch today at Shakers at Valley View Mall and a full complement showed up to chat and compare notes. Here's some of what it looked like.

Luna Plans To Redefine Its Mission

2011-12-15T15:26:00.003-05:00

Luna Innovations in Roanoke has announced a new corporate strategy to grow revenue that focuses on serving high-growth industries with new technology solutions to measure, monitor, protect and improve critical processes in the medical, defense and composites industries.

The strategy, recently approved by the company’s Board of Directors, focuses on three key objectives:

Become the leading provider of sensing systems and standard test methods for composite materials by offering disruptive technology that revolutionizes the industry.
Continue to pioneer the way and be the leading supplier of fiber-optic shape sensing technology for robotic and minimally invasive surgical systems.
Be the leading choice for ensuring the integrity of integrated circuits used in defense systems.

“Over the past few months, our leadership team and board members have worked together to conduct a comprehensive analysis of our products, strengths, market position and market needs,” says My Chung, CEO of Luna Innovations. “We believe that our technologies, our people and our research and development, along with our partnerships in numerous industries, provide us with some very attractive opportunities.”

“Now, following a successful reorganization, we want to provide investors and other stakeholders with a road map to the future that emphasizes the compelling value proposition for markets we serve,” Chung says.

One example of a product implementing our strategy is the ODiSI (Optical Distributed Sensor Interrogator), Luna’s new sensing platform. It provides fully distributed strain or temperature measurements and delivers an unprecedented amount of data by using an optical fiber as a continuous sensor over up to 50 meters of surface. Compared to traditional sensing methods, such as strain gages, Luna's technology provides greater insight into the performance, tolerances and failure mechanisms of structures and vehicles. The company believes the technology will provide value to the fast-growing composites manufacturing market, particularly in aerospace and green energy applications.

Another growth opportunity is in the medical market. Luna maintains product development relationships with two leading players in robotic medical technology – Intuitive Surgical and Hansen Medical and is working with both companies to support the development of high-speed shape sensing and localization of minimally invasive surgical devices using fiber-optic technology. The technology is helping to improve healthcare with advances in medical robotics and minimally invasive surgery.

“These are just a few examples of technology and markets where we’ve identified opportunities to increase revenues and market share,” Chung said. “Together with our continued emphasis on research and development and new focus on cultivating a high-performance team with the energy of a start-up company, we have mapped out a future direction that takes advantage of technology trends and high-growth industries to position Luna for what we expect will be a strong and promising future.”

Dresser-Rand Acquires Synchrony for $50M

2011-12-08T13:39:00.004-05:00

Dresser-Rand Group Inc., a global supplier of rotating equipment and aftermarket parts and services, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Synchrony, Inc., of Roanoke County. The transaction is expected to close in January 2012.

Synchrony, whose president, Victor Ianello (right) was FRONT's executive of the year in 2009 and is a former chairman of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce Board, is a technology development company of technologies and products including active magnetic bearings (AMB), high speed motors and generators, and power electronics for clean, efficient, and reliable rotating machinery.

Under the agreement, Dresser-Rand will acquire Synchrony, Inc. for approximately $50 million net of cash acquired. The agreement includes the potential for additional consideration of up to a maximum of $10 million tied to technical milestones and to business performance. It should be noted that the operating costs for this acquisition are already included in the Company's guidance for 2012 previously provided.

Founded in 1993, Synchrony manufactures, and tests its products in an ISO 9001-certified facility which includes a best-in-class model shop for rapid prototype fabrication and assembly.

Iannello says, "We are truly excited about becoming part of Dresser-Rand as we believe its global presence and resources will accelerate our growth. I am confident that the combination of Dresser-Rand and Synchrony provides for new opportunities and unparalleled value for our business partners."

According to Christopher Rossi, Dresser-Rand's Vice President of Technology and Business Development, "Several years ago we identified the strategic importance of being able to offer oil-free solutions in high speed rotating equipment applications.

"The overall value proposition for eliminating auxiliary oil systems centers around three principles: a) reduced footprint and weight in platform and FPSO applications which generates overall CAPEX savings in the construction phase, b) oil-lubricated bearings in subsea applications are neither practical nor reliable, and c) lubrication oil in compressor and steam turbine applications in general needs to be reconditioned and ultimately discarded as it is mixed with process gas or steam, thus making it environmentally unfriendly.

"As we believe that this technology will need to develop on an ongoing basis along with the normal evolution of the other components of our compressor and turbine offerings, we made the decision that we either needed to invest in our own internal R&D effort or acquire excellent design capacity in the marketplace.

"After an extensive technology assessment process we concluded that we have found, what we believe to be, the best technology that exists today in the form of Synchrony.

"We believe that the seamless integration of this capability into our product development process will provide us with the ability to continuously improve our overall equipment designs, and is the fastest and least expensive way to build this capability internally.

"Synchrony has already realized this value in the defense, HVAC, wastewater, and renewable energy markets, and will continue to supply its products and technology to leading rotating equipment manufacturers in these respective markets."

Executive Coaching Tips Workshop Set

2011-12-08T10:22:00.003-05:00

Allan Tsang of 88 owls inb Blacksburg is presenting a workshop on the techniques, methodology, system and secrets that he uses to advise and coach executives and consultants Jan. 16 and 27. It is a four-hour, intensive, interactive workshop is for both new and veteran leaders.

It is scheduled 8 a.m.-noon at the Hilton Garden Inn in Blacksburg and costs $97. That includes breakfast, book, handouts, advance work, and 30 minutes of phone coaching.

You can register here. Register early enough and the tuition is cut in half.

Tech-Wake Research Rewarded with Projects

2011-12-07T08:37:00.002-05:00

Of four new research projects announced today by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center, two include the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences.

Just a few days ago, the Brain Trauma Foundation honored the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University biomedical program with its 2011 Brain Trauma Foundation Award. Toyota funded some of the research that led to this award.

“We are confident our research advancements will help reduce the risk of traumatic brain injuries in both automobile impacts as well as on the football field,” said Stefan Duma, professor and head of the biomedical engineering program for Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University. “We are grateful to Toyota for its support of this important, lifesaving research and to the Brain Trauma Foundation for its recognition.”

Toyota launched its research safety center in January 2011 with an initial investment of $50 million. This center pursues automotive safety research through a collaborative model that prioritizes sharing Toyota’s talent and technology with a broad range of institutions, and Virginia Tech’s biomedical program continues to receive significant support.

At Virginia Tech, one of the new Toyota projects will focus on abdominal injuries. Duma said this study will look at the relationship between age and abdominal injuries caused by automobile crashes in the United States, to determine if a specific population, such as senior drivers, is more vulnerable to abdominal injuries during these events.

The second project involving Virginia Tech is a partnership with George Washington University. Duma explained the project will upgrade a frontal impact test dummy, initially developed by the National Highway Safety Transportation Safety Administration, that allows automotive manufacturers an advanced tool to assess the injury risk of drivers and passengers in vehicles using crash tests. The dummy, named THOR, may lead to new technologies for the design of vehicles and their restraint systems.

Virginia Tech’s biomedical program has a history of work in crash mechanics. Over the past three years, the U.S. Army awarded Duma and his colleagues Warren Hardy and Clay Gabler, also biomedical engineering faculty members, over $10 million in research awards to study the biomechanics of head, neck, and chest injury.

Michael Miller Wins Top FRONT Award

2011-12-06T16:28:00.002-05:00

Contributor of the Year Michael Miller (left) with Editor Dan Smith.

Speaker Andrea Brunais makes a point.

Smith and Publisher Tom Field introduce the contributors.

Technology writer Michael Miller, whose technological insight, outstanding photography and general reporting and feature writing have been outstanding during the past year, is the 2011 Valley Business FRONT Contributor of the Year.

Alison Weaver

Michael, whose day job is at Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, received the award at the FRONT's annual Writers Luncheon at Hunting Hills Country Club, where Virginia Tech's Andrea Brunais gave the address. Andrea is an award-winning writer and editor, who has also been involved in public relations and freelance writing.

Janeson Keeley

Editor Dan Smith said of Michael, "He's good at everything he wants to be good at and we're fortunate he wants to be good at writing and photography. And we're very fortunate he's with us."

Other writers winning one of the four top awards included:

Alison Weaver, Story of the Year, for her cover story "Alternative Medicine." Alison has won one either Story of the Year or Contributor of the Year each of the four years of VBFRONT's existence. Runners-up in this category included Rob Johnson for his cover story on homebrew and small beer breweries; Laura Purcell for cover stories on labor and veterinarians; and Susan Ayers for a cover piece on angel investing.

Janeson Keeley, who wrote the FRONT's NetFRONT column (about the internet) for more than a year, was the winner of the Columnist of the Year because, says Smith, "she put so much into her work. She would often quote as many people as you'd see in other publications' cover stories--everybody in the room, sometimes. She got around and she put great effort into the column. You could tell it." She gave up the column this past fall when her own business became more demanding.
Laura Purcell was named the Editor's Choice award winner, selected by Dan Smith. He said, "This one is for whatever I want it to be at a given time and this year it is for Laura's outstanding reporting and bulldog approach to her cover stories. I'm afraid I might have underestimated her at one time. I won't again. She's a dandy."
Laura Purcell

A History Lesson from the Ex-Governor

2011-12-01T22:22:00.001-05:00


Chamber President Joyce Waugh and Ex-Gov. Gerald Baliles.

Baliles addresses the membership.

Former Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles addressed the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner last night and it was nearly a full house on hand to see the popular Democrat.

Baliles in a 40-minute talk gave an interesting rundown on the history of financial crises in the United States and talked a good big about dysfunctional government. He left the crowd with some promising thoughts about the future.

It was announced that the chamber's membership was increased 20 percent during the past few days because of an initiative spearheaded by popular Chamber President Joyce Waugh.

Preservation Foundation Presents Awards

2011-11-29T21:00:00.001-05:00

Preservation Foundation President George Kegley announces awards.

Catawba's jubilant Christy Gabbard accepts award.

Big Lick Junction designer Lucas Thornton gets award.

Lisa Soltis of Roanoke City and Kay Dunkley of VT chat

Some of the usual suspects and a few newcomers are among the winners of the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation's Preservation Award winners. On the flip side, Carilion Clinic was cited with a Golden Bulldozer Award for the destruction of the 10-story, 60-year-old Carlton Terrace Building in downtown Roanoke.

The Carlton Terrace was built in 1949-1950 for $2.5 million and was most recently occupied by the Jefferson College of Health Sciences. Carilion moved that school into its Community Hospital.

The winners included:

Big Lick Junction/Community School
Meridium
Catawba Sustainable Communithy
Patrick Henry Hotel
City Market Building
Salem Historical Society Museum
Gazebo at Lake Spring Park in Salem
A Book on the Deyerle family builders by Michael Pulice

The Patrick Henry, Catawba Community and Carlton Terrace-Reed Building had been listed previously as endangered sites by the Preservation Foundation.

Big Lick Junction was built in 1925 as a three-story dry goods distribution warehouse downtown. Community School--employing Lucas Thornton, son of founder Linda Thornton, as its builder--renovated the building for its use recently.

President George Kegley presents Golden Bulldozer Award

Meridium renovated a nearby building for use as its world headquarters. The software company is in a building that has often been at the center of attention because of the bizarre color it was painted in the past.

The Catawba Sustainability Center (part of Virginia Tech) is using 400 acres for environmental practices research. A community group helped secure the land and buildings for preservation and for use.

Ed Walker's renovation of the Patrick Henry Hotel is just the latest in a string of downtown renovations that have brought considerable acclaim to him and those who have worked closely with him. This is his second straight preservation award.

Roanoke's City Market Building renovation--though controversial from the standpoint of the city using an out of town architectural firm--is the latest effort to preserve the building, built in 1921 after the original building burned.

Salem's museum is a former home in downtown Salem, built in 1845 and the new renovation has been hailed for its green features. Lake Spring Park's gazebo, near the museum, was damaged by a truck last year, but renovated and restored to its 1909 beauty.

Michael Pulice wrote Nineteenth Century Brick Architecture in the Roanoke Valley and Beyond: Discovering the True Legacy of the Deyerle Builders.

Western Va. Land Trust Ranks 5th Nationally

2011-11-22T16:02:00.001-05:00

The first census of land trusts in five years found 10million new acres conserved nationwide since 2005, including 1.1 million acresin Virginia, according to a press release from the Western Virginia Land Trust. Virginia ranked fifth nationally in acres conserved and firstoverall in the southeast.

The National Land Trust Census, released by the Land TrustAlliance, shows that voluntarily protected land increased 27 percent between2005 and 2010. In the same time period,local land trusts and state agencies added 1,129,787 acres—a 77 percentincrease since 2005—despite a recession that has seen a decrease in non-profitgiving and state budget cuts. The census is online at www.lta.org/census.

A total of 47 million acres—an area over twice the size ofall the national parks in the contiguous United States—are now protected byland trusts. A greater percentage of the new acreage comes through local andstate land trusts like the Western Virginia Land Trust (WVLT).

“Virginia residents value their land, and we are conservingit at the community level,” said Roger Holnback, executive director of WVLT. “Herein Virginia,we are investing in our future with land trusts that ensure clean water,local food and places to play for our children and for generations to come.”

Since 2005, WVLT has permanently protected more than 13,300acres in its 10-county service area surrounding Roanoke. This includes 11,400acres in Carvins Cove Natural Reserve—the largest city-owned park east of theRockies—as well as nearly all of Mill Mountain and properties in Roanoke, Franklin,Craig, Bedford, Floyd, and Botetourt counties. WVLT earned nationalaccreditation by the Land Trust Alliance in 2011, providing assurance ofquality and permanence of land conservation, and publicly recognizing WVLT’sability to protect important natural places and working lands forever.

City Hires EconDev Projects Coordinator

2011-11-22T13:06:00.001-05:00

Marc Nelson

TheCity of RoanokeDepartment of Economic Development today announced Marc Nelson has joined thestaff as Special Projects Coordinator. Nelson previously served as development services liaison with the City of Savannah, Georgia, DevelopmentServices Department. City Manager Chris Morrow came to Roanoke from Savannah.

The redevelopment of existing properties and new highlyvisible development initiatives will be led by Nelson. He will also be charged with the developmentand implementation of programs for new, existing and emerging businesses intechnology and innovation-oriented sectors.

With more than 7 years ofexperience in local and state government, Nelson most recently coordinateddevelopment efforts for four City of Savannahcapital projects totaling over $50 million, including installation of a $4.5million in public utilities for Sustainable Fellwood, a mixed-income, mixed usedevelopment replacing the City’s oldest public housing community.

WDBJ7 Adds Morning News Anchor

2011-11-22T09:34:00.001-05:00

Seth Kovar

WDBJ7 in Roanoke has announced Seth Kovar has joined its morningnews team. He willco-anchor, along with Kimberly McBroom, of “News7 Mornin’,”making it the only co-anchored morning newscastin the Roanoke-Lynchburg television market.

Kovar will first appear on News7 Mornin’ on Monday, Nov. 28. Kovar has been the morning co-anchor at KXXV-TV in Waco, Texas, and willalso assume responsibilities as executive producer of the morning newsbroadcast, which airs Monday-Friday from 5 a.m. until 7 a.m.

LewisGale Joins Carilion Medicare Plan

2011-11-21T16:55:00.002-05:00

LewisGale Regional Health System has reached a new provider agreement with Carilion Clinic to be a participating provider in its Medicare Advantage plans. The agreement gives enrollees full access to all LewisGale facilities and physicians, effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Says Victor Giovanetti, president of LewisGale Regional Health System, “As our presence in the marketplace has grown and our health system has been recognized locally and nationally for providing exceptional care, an increasing number of people want an insurance plan that allows them access to our physicians and hospitals.”

The new provider agreement covers inpatient, outpatient, and primary care services at all four hospitals—LewisGale Medical Center, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, LewisGale Hospital Pulaski, and LewisGale Hospital Alleghany as well as eight outpatient centers and 135 employed physicians.

The new agreements with Carilion and recently-announced Humana plan, along with four other Medicare Advantage companies that LewisGale is participating in, gives 90 percent of the population enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans access to the health system’s facilities and physicians.

While LewisGale employed physicians are part of the new agreements with Carilion Clinic and Humana, the health system’s 500 independent physicians, making up the majority of LewisGale Hospitals’ medical staffs, will also be invited to participate in the new agreements, according to Humana and Carilion.

“This is a ‘win-win-win’ for everyone – the insurance companies and healthcare providers, but, most importantly, it’s providing the best option for our community,” says Giovanetti.

Virginia Tech Exceeds $1 Billion Fundraising Goal

2011-11-13T12:35:00.003-05:00

Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger Saturday night announced the university had exceeded the $1 billion goal of The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future, an eight-year fundraising initiative that was supported by nearly 170,000 contributors.

The most ambitious campaign in university history -- which began July 1, 2003, and ran through June 30, 2011 -- raised $1.11 billion in outright gifts, pledge payments, or commitments of future support.

To put this historic achievement for Virginia Tech in context, the university's last comparable campaign, Making a Difference, which concluded in 1998, raised $337.42 million, approximately $470 million in today’s dollars.

The amount raised in the more recent campaign was announced at a closing ceremony attended by approximately 1,000 of the university's most generous supporters.

It was the last of dozens of events held on campus, coming hours after Virginia Tech for the first time in memory held a university-wide open house, during which members of the public toured numerous facilities and attended special presentations by faculty, staff, and students.

Prior to the event, Steger said the extent of generosity displayed by participants in the campaign demonstrated “a degree of love and loyalty that is exceedingly uncommon in our modern age, and a philanthropic instinct that has the capacity to make a profound impact not only on our present, but on our future.”

Twenty-seven percent of campaign commitments were designated for endowed purposes and will provide predictable income to support various causes at the university for years to come.
The university's endowment, managed by the Virginia Tech Foundation, grew by 81 percent during the campaign, thanks to gifts and investments. The endowment stood at $600.65 million as of the end of the campaign.

After spending four years in a quiet phase, during which more than $550 million was committed, the campaign was announced publicly on Oct. 20, 2007. Nearly 900 volunteers served on campaign committees, including regional committees based in nine different states and the District of Columbia.

Gene Fife, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs International who earned his bachelor’s of business administration in 1962 from what is now the Pamplin College of Business, chaired the Quiet Phase Campaign Steering Committee. The public phase’s National Campaign Steering Committee co-chairs were David Calhoun, another graduate of the business college, who earned his bachelor’s of accounting in 1979, and John Lawson, who earned his bachelor’s of geophysics in 1975 from what is now the College of Science.

VTK, Tech Business Center Merge Purposes

2011-11-09T17:53:00.002-05:00

VTKnowledgeWorks in Blacksburg.

VT KnowledgeWorks and the Virginia Tech Business Technology Center have joined forces under the VT KnowledgeWorks umbrella to create a comprehensive entrepreneurship program serving the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.

VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships.

It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks, headed by Executive Director, Jim Flowers, recently extended its service offerings throughout the Commonwealth via the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Alliance, a network of regional partner centers, sharing best practices, entrepreneurship events, curriculum, and public outreach.

Soon it will initiate a powerful in-reach program for Virginia Tech inventors to accelerate the process of preparing innovative discoveries for commercial markets.

Dick Daugherty, long-time director of the Virginia Tech Business Technology Center, in his new role as Director of Strategic Services for VT KnowledgeWorks, will spearhead the in-reach program and other active mentorship initiatives.

Details on the new program will be released early in December. In addition, Dick will continue to provide market research and business plan development services statewide.

$500,000 for New River Valley Jobs

2011-11-09T17:39:00.003-05:00

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt S. Erskine announced $500,000 in federal money over five years awarded to Virginia Tech’s Office of Economic Development during a New River Valley plant tour Nov. 9. The money launches the Virginia Rural Competitiveness Project, a job-creation effort. Here Erskine takes a cell phone photo of a new truck at Volvo in Dublin.

(Photo Andrea Brunais.)

Cox Links to Valley View Businesses

2011-11-09T10:45:00.002-05:00

Cox VP Kim Stanley (right center) and dignitaries cut the ribbon at Valley View.

Cox Communications today announced a partnership with Valley View Mall to provide services to tenants and the surrounding properties for business customers.

Kim Stanley, VP of operations in Roanoke, says, “This investment will allow Cox Business to serve business customers who have been unable to get our services. There are businesses who want Cox services and through this newest effort we are pleased to share that we will soon be able to provide our services to them.”

Cox is building the infrastructure for a Technology Park, located on the west side of Roanoke County. The location is off of Route 460 near Salem. Construction will take approximately five to six months to complete.

Taking a Look at Tech's Fast Football Field

2011-11-09T07:57:00.003-05:00

There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to a field of grass, particularly turf at Virginia Tech. Researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will explain the science behind Virginia Tech’s athletic fields during the University Open House Saturday, Nov. 12.

Mike Goatley, professor and Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension turf specialist, will provide insight into the GreenTech ITM modular system on Worsham Field in Lane Stadium. The system on the playing field, one of only two such modular fields in the country, is composed of 4,224 46-inch by 46-inch trays of sod positioned above asphalt. In conjunction with a portable vacuum pump, the playing surface stays dry even during heavy rain.

The college’s turfgrass specialists work closely with the Virginia Tech Department of Athletics to develop turf management strategies to help ensure the best athletic surfaces possible. Goatley will be at the stadium from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. during the open house to show how the turf system works and to talk about the surfaces on other university sports surfaces.

According to Goatley, the sod system, coupled with specialized bermudagrass, and a fertilizer regimen, tolerates Blacksburg’s cold temperatures and a mowing height of 3/4 inch, making for a fast playing surface.

Faculty members and students conduct research at the university’sTurfgrass Research Center, and on the athletic fields, which provides for invaluable research data used to develop such specialized surfaces.

This experience is very important to our hands-on training for the next generation of sports field managers,” said Goatley. “Our graduates have gone on to work with some major athletic programs, including Virginia Tech, the University of Missouri, and Texas A&M.”

Currently, turf specialists from the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences are monitoring the volume of stormwater passing through Worsham Field’s drainage system and analyzing the potential for using a rechargeable filter to capture nutrients in the material leeched from the field. The project is a collaboration with Brian Benham, associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Stephen Schoenholtz, professor of forest hydrology and soils in the College of Natural Resources and Environment; and athletic turf staff members.

Roanoke in Top 20 Digital Cities in U.S.

2011-11-08T11:14:00.002-05:00

The Center for Digital Government has has ranked the City of Roanoke as a leading digital city for the 11th straight year. Roanoke was ranked 8th among the cities in the 75,000 to 124,999 population category.

Conducted by the Center for Digital Government and Government Technology, the survey spotlights municipalities that best show how information and communication technology are used to enhance public service. Cities are selected in four different population categories, and picked from hundreds of municipalities taking part in the survey.

In the past, the Digital Cities Survey has recognized Roanoke in this population category as follows: 2000-2003, first place; 2004, fifth place; 2005, first place; 2006, tied for first place with Ogden City, Utah; 2007, second place; 2008, first place; 2009, third place; and 2010, eighth place.

(Illustration: pixeljoint.com)

Roanoke Co-Op Withdraws Countryside Offer

2011-11-07T15:37:00.002-05:00

Citing respect for the wishes of nearby residents The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op today withdrew its proposal to create an urban farm on a 12 acre parcel located in NW Roanoke City and adjacent to what was once the Countryside Golf Course.

In a statement before Roanoke City Council, Co-op General Manager Bruce Phlegar officially withdrew his group’s interest. “We are very interested in creating a cooperatively owned urban farm in the city of Roanoke. But we are not interested in creating an entity that is a significant point of conflict with the surrounding neighborhood. Out of respect for those who oppose this project, and in the hope that the city will continue to work with our group, we respectfully withdrew our proposal.”

The Co-op had initially submitted its request on July 8^th after City planners said they wanted the parcel to be used for commercial urban agriculture in its master plan for the Countryside property and several parcels adjoining it.

The Co-op plan called for 8 green houses know as “high tunnel hoop houses,” garden style row crops and an orchard. The group planned to have as many as 400 free-range chickens to produce eggs and fertilizer for the plants. Since the group utilizes sustainable farming techniques, it will not use harmful commercial fertilizers or pesticides. Plans also called for a small retail shop where locally grown produce would be sold to members of the surrounding community. The building would also have included classroom space.

“We still believe in the value and viability of a sustainable urban farm within Roanoke City limits,” said Phlegar. “It offers our community hyper-locally grown produce, and many educational opportunities. Our farm will strengthen the local, sustainable food movement in the Roanoke Valley.” Phlegar said the group would continue to seek property within the city that would meet their needs and have the general support of the surrounding neighbors.

Tech Adds Degrees in Nuclear Engineering

2011-11-07T15:06:00.002-05:00

At its quarterly meeting held on campus today, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved resolutions on new master’s and doctoral degree programs in nuclear engineering.

If approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the new degrees will be offered beginning spring term of 2013. A complete story on the College of Engineering's nuclear engineering program and the new degrees will appear Thursday in Virginia Tech News.

In other business, the board continued its conversation on strategic planning issues. On Sunday, board members received a report on progress made on the University Strategic Plan 2006-2012 and a report on the ongoing development of the Long Range Plan<. Among the topics included in the long term plan discussion were university governance, admissions considerations for both undergraduate and graduate students, instructional space needs and costs, and capital projects.

Also on Sunday, the board received a report on compliance and finances in the Athletic Department which has an overall annual operating budget of $38.6 million. It also received an update on Grow by Degrees, an initiative started by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council in 2009 to build broad-based, bipartisan support for Virginia’s colleges and universities.

Following the full-board information session on Sunday, the Research Committee met and received an extensive report on the many energy-related research initiatives occurring at Virginia Tech. Currently, university researchers are engaged in projects involving coal, nuclear, bioenergy, and solar energy, as well as others related to building energy efficiency and energy use in transportation.

On Monday, the Finance and Audit Committee received an annual report on the university’s student financial aid program. Though state support for higher education as steadily declined over the past decade, Virginia Tech continues to increase the total amount of aid available to students. In the past two years, financial aid for students has grown from $342.2 million in Fiscal Year 2008-2009 to $390 million in Fiscal Year 2010-2011. The amount of aid coming from grants, scholarships, and waivers has grown from $134.2 million to $174.2 million over the same period of time.

Finance and Audit also received a report on overall administrative costs of the university which indicated Virginia Tech’s costs are below average as compared to peer institutions, other Virginia schools, or national research universities. A full story on this report will appear Wednesday in Virginia Tech News.

(Photo: nuclearengineeringjobs.net)

Plowshare Sues City Over Peaceful Protests

2011-11-04T14:10:00.000-04:00

Roanoke’s small community of regular peace protesters, the Plowshare Peace Center, has sued the City of Roanoke in federal court because of a ban against protests on the sidewalk in front of Roanoke City Market Building. The new board of the building decided recently to ban demonstrations of any kind in front of the building because, the board says, they disrupt business.

Court Rules Elliston Intermodal Facility Can Be Built

2011-11-04T12:10:00.005-04:00

"Boxcar" lifted to the bed of a truck for final leg of journey.

A circuit court in Richmond has ruled that Norfolk Southern Railway can built an intermodal transportation facility in Elliston, ending months of speculation and disagreement.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Transportation will be allowed to help pay (with $35 million) for the facility that would put trucks on trains, an efficiency railroads have been seeking and using successfully across the country.

Montgomery County's Board of Supervisors had tried to block the agreement to build the facility, saying it was unconstitutional.

(Photo: Berry & Smith Trucking.)

VTC Researchers Track Decision Process

2011-11-01T08:13:00.002-04:00

A research team led by investigators at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute has demonstrated the first rapid measurements of dopamine release in a human brain and provided preliminary evidence that the neurotransmitter can be tracked in its movement between brain cells while a subject expresses decision-making behavior.

"In an experiment where we measured dopamine release while a subject made investment decisions in a stock market trading game, we showed that dopamine tracks changes in the value of the market," says Read Montague (right), director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and professor of physics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.

"A startling discovery was that the dopamine signal appeared to be a very good indicator of the market value and in many instances a good predictor of future market changes," says Kenneth Kishida, a postdoctoral associate with the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and the lead author on the report. Interestingly, the choice expressed by the subject did not always correspond with the prescient brain chemistry, he said.

The research was published in the Public Library of Science journal, PLoS ONE, in the article "Sub-Second Dopamine Detection in Human Striatum," by Kishida; Stefan G. Sandberg, senior fellow with the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle; Terry Lohrenz, assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine; Dr. Youssef G. Comair, professor and chief, Division of Neurosurgery, American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Ignacio Saez, assistant professor at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; Paul E. M. Phillips, associate professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle; and Montague, senior author.

The researchers adapted their sensors to existing technology used for functional mapping of the brain during surgical implantation of deep-brain stimulation devices. "Deep-brain stimulation is typically used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease," said Montague. “Uses for treating other neurological disorders are also being investigated, though, and may open new avenues for the technology we developed."

The researchers applied criteria that employed experimental methodology that is "safe to the patient, compatible with existing neurosurgical apparatus and the operating-room environment, and capable of sub-second detection of physiological dopamine," they state in the article. They modified existing sensor technology to improve signal conductivity, creating a microsensor that shares the electrochemical properties of existing electrodes yet can detect sub-second dopamine release. "Even more important, the new microsensors are biocompatible and can be sterilized without affecting performance," Kishida says.

The new instrument was demonstrated in a single human subject, a consenting patient with late-stage Parkinson's disease who was undergoing elective surgery for deep-brain stimulation electrode implantation. The new microsensor was placed in the patient's brain and dopamine release was monitored as the patient engaged in a decision-making game. The current value and recent history of a stock market was graphically represented on a laptop monitor.

The subject chose the proportion of a portfolio initially valued at $100 to be invested in the stock market. Decisions were submitted by pushing buttons on handheld response devices. Following the submission of each decision, the market was updated. The final portfolio determined the actual payout at the end of the experiment.

The researchers report that they were surprised to observe that "the slope of the dopamine signal over a period five seconds prior to a market price update correlated with subsequent market returns …, demonstrating that it is a significant predictor of future market activity."

To test this hypothesis, the researchers constructed a trader model that made decisions based on the fluctuations in the dopamine signal leading up to the market price changes. This decision model invested 100 percent, or all in, when the dopamine slope was positive and 0 percent, or all out, when the slope was negative. The researchers report that, "Over the five markets played, this trader model earned 202 points (a gain of 175 percent), more than two times the amount earned by the subject’s expressed behavior. These data demonstrate that the information encoded in the dopamine signal of this patient is potentially useful for economic decision making."

Skill Capped Wins Expand Contest, $35,000

2011-10-28T08:02:00.003-04:00

Skill Capped, a group of three Virginia Tech students, won the $35,000 top prize (cash and services) in the Roanoke Regional Entrepreneur Center’s Expand contest. The students will be given advertising and business coaching as part of their prize.

The contest drew a surprisingly large field and was pared to 20, then five before the selection was made at a final Super Synergy conference in Roanoke. The winning team members are Jeff Brabant, Jordan Garcia and Cel Arrington, all Roanokers who put together an online site that gives “World of Warcraft” players tips via video. They have 100,000 subscribers who pay a monthly fee.

CityWorks (X)po Kicks Off in Roanoke

2011-10-27T18:24:00.007-04:00

CityWorks (X)po, the brainchild of self-described urban social engineer Ed Walker (above), who also develops a little property, was off and running this afternoon.

The three-day brainstorm at Roanoke City Market building's new meeting facility on the third floor was full to brimming with an array of creative types who were looking to make a mark in the Small Cities Movement nationally.

Walker has brought in a number of speakers and planned quite a few events around the (X)po and you can get a schedule here.

Falwell Makes a Pitch for the Liberty Way

2011-10-27T18:07:00.002-04:00

Jerry Falwell Jr. addresses bankers and lawyers at the Bankers' Forum today.

Photo and Story by DAN SMITH

Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., a guy who was named Business Executive of the Year a while back by the now defunct Blue Ridge Business Journal made an impressive sales pitch for his vision of higher education today at the periodic Bankers' Forum at the Shenandoah Club in Roanoke. His audience was lawyers and bankers, many of they who share his conservative philosophy, but some who didn't. All seemed impressed.

Falwell, like his father, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, was full of warmth and humor of statistics and insider information in building his case for private education. Falwell has taken what started as Liberty Bible College and turned it into a national force in 20 years. The college has a total enrollment (on campus and online) of 64,000 students in its most recent census and is heading toward 80,000 shortly.

Its almost overwhelming debt of 1988 ($83 million) has been nearly paid off and it recently received a AA/positive rating from Standard & Poor's when it wanted to issue bonds. The university is accredited by the tough and demanding Southern Association of Colleges and Universities (something other online universities simply don't have) and the cost of four years of education at the school is $38,664, compared to $124,000 at private universities.

Falwell said that early on, the goal was to be in the bottom 25 percent of universities in student cost and that has been achieved. The university is also has a student loan default rate that is half the national average--taking some of the bite out of the nearly half a billion in student loans its students had in 2010. That's up over $500,000 this year, Falwell says.

The student body, which is but 42 percent white, is one of the most diverse in the country and the university has set out on an ambitious construction period, beginning with the building of a state-of-the-art library to be named after the senior Falwell.

Liberty recently received $12 million in matching money from the federal tobacco fund, which it will use to build a medical school to serve rural Southside Virginia. Falwell says it is the first significant government money the school has ever received. "The government has generally been in the way," he said, smiling.

Falwell says a number of universities have consulted with Liberty about its distance learning program and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell asked him to be on a panel to talk about how it is done. "It is very expensive and difficult to start," he said, "but it is well worth the effort. We believe that is the way education is going in the future. We are going slow in our residential growth until we fully understand what all this means."

The success, he says, partly comes down "to the fact that we were so poor for so long that we had to learn to be frugal."

Going Greener With Save a Ton Campaign

2011-10-26T13:02:00.003-04:00

Citizens and governments in the Roanoke and New River Valleys have launched Save a Ton, a new campaign to help people save money on energy use. The multi-media campaign encourages people to visit, learn about energy savings and share their ideas and results on social media.

“With bigger electric bills, stubborn gas prices and higher home heating costs – and with winter around the corner – we’re here to help residents in our region and beyond save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year in energy costs by doing just a little,” says Nell Boyle (right), chairwoman of RC CLEAR, a Roanoke County citizen committee, and director of the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Through our new website and a public service and advertising campaign, we’re sharing share easy ways for people to save money on everyday activities, and encourage everyone to share successes with each other.”

There are dozens of ways to save in energy costs. For example, using compact fluorescent bulbs can save you $65 per year, or $360 over the life of the bulbs compared to incandescent 60-watt bulbs. Keeping your car tires properly inflated can reduce gas use by 3 percent. And did you know that 8 percent of your electric bill is for devices that are plugged in when not in use?

The website offers tips, links and resources in five categories – lighting, vehicle efficiency, energy conservation, weatherization and water conservation.

“From the Roanoke Valley to the New River Valley, this is one issue we can agree on – saving money!” says Jeremy Holmes, program director of Ride Solutions, the sustainable transportation program operated by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission. “In the weeks ahead we hope that other municipalities and groups in our region join our effort to help people save money and conserve energy. This is more than simply searching for energy saving tips on the Internet. On SaveaTon.org you can get factual, helpful information all in one place while choosing the savings that best fit your lifestyle.”

“The information on SaveaTon.org is not just about saving money,” adds Charlotte Moore, Vice Chair of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. “Roanoke Valley local governments are committed to preserving the natural resources that enhance our quality of life.”

During the next decade, Roanoke County and the City of Roanoke have committed to a 3 and 2-percent reduction, respectively, in community-wide carbon dioxide emissions. These reductions add up to 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

“This seems like a big number – but consider this,” Moore says. “There are approximately 100,000 households in the Roanoke Valley, so the targets can be achieved if each household saved just one ton of carbon dioxide emissions each year.”

The Save a Ton campaign is supported by partners Clean Valley Council, Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, Community Alliance for Energy Efficiency, Ride Solutions, RC CLEAR, Roanoke County, Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, City of Roanoke and Town of Blacksburg.

Ray Smoot To Retire from Tech Foundation

2011-10-24T07:39:00.002-04:00

Long-time university business executive Raymond J. Smoot Jr. (left) will relinquish leadership at the Virginia Tech Foundation next year, announced Horacio Valeiras, Virginia Tech Foundation chairman. Smoot, a 1969 Virginia Tech graduate, intends to retire from full-time leadership of the Virginia Tech Foundation in July 2012.

“Ray has proved to be a valuable leader, administrator, and business executive in many roles across his four decade association with the university and its foundation. He has been at the center of many university successes,” said Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger.

The foundation begins its transition with another long-time Virginia Tech administrator. John Dooley, vice president for outreach and international affairs, will become the foundation’s chief operating officer April 1, 2012, and then chief executive officer upon Smoot’s retirement in July.

“We have a seasoned administrator in John with strong command of the higher education landscape, community relations, and understanding of the foundation’s role in advancing the university,” said Steger.

While Smoot may be stepping down from full-time leadership of the Virginia Tech Foundation, he will remain for two years on a part-time non-management basis to assist the university and foundation.

Global Metalfinishing Finally Opens After 2 Years

2011-10-21T14:21:00.008-04:00

Tamea Woodward at Global Metalfinishing's new tanks.

Tanks full and ready to anodize.

More treatment tanks.

Storage of necessary chemistry.

The ventilation chiller and rectifier behind the facility.

Story, Photos by DAN SMITH

After nearly two years of fussing and fighting with various regulatory agencies and government bodies, Global Metalfinishing owner Tamea Woodward has finally opened the new shop in Roanoke--without inviting Roanoke officials to the celebration.

Woodward invested between $1.2 million and $1.3 million in the building and equipment and has added a number of employees. She started the project--which is an offshoot of her other business, East West DyeCom--with seven employees and now had 18. She hopes to have 26 in the next 24 months.

Global will concentrate on general anodizing of metals, where East West DyeCom was more specific in its purpose, anodizing for the art community. Woodward says the facility will allow her to "improve quality and increase capacity."

Goodlatte Assures NY Flights To Continue

2011-10-21T13:24:00.003-04:00

Direct air service between Roanoke and New York will continue, according to 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte, who has been working with the airlines who talked of dropping the service.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) had announced its approval of a “slot-swap” agreement that includes US Air and Delta. This agreement allows carriers to exchange slots they control at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), which affects flight service from Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA) to New York.

U.S. Airways provides non-stop service between Roanoke and New York. New direct jet service by Delta Air Lines is contingent upon the completion of the Department of Justice’s investigation of the “slot-swap” agreement between Delta Air Lines and US Airways.

“I am extremely pleased that Delta has told me that [it] intends to provide direct jet service between Roanoke and New York,” says Goodlatte.

“Access to the preeminent financial center of the country has proven vital to the employment base of the Roanoke Valley, the business community and economic development efforts. Delta’s intention to maintain a direct flight between Roanoke and New York will ensure that this beneficial relationship continues.”

Goodlatte has met with representatives of Delta Airlines several times over the last year and he, along with other members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation, has written to Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood about the “slot-swap” agreement and its potential affect on smaller communities like Roanoke.

ITT Creates New Defense Company in Roanoke

2011-10-21T13:05:00.004-04:00

ITT Night Vision in Roanoke County from above.

ITT Corporation, a major Roanoke employer, has announced that its Defense and Information Solutions business will become an independent company on October 31.

Soon-to-be ITT Exelis employs approximately 1,400 people in Roanoke and has been in the Roanoke Valley for 50 years.

“I am excited to announce that ITT Defense is becoming its own independent company,” says Nick Bobay, ITT Corporation Vice President and General Manager of Night Vision and Imaging. “Though you will be seeing new signs outside our places of operation, we will be conducting business as usual with an even greater focus on meeting our customers’ needs. We look forward to introducing our new brand and continuing our relationship with the Roanoke community as ITT Exelis.”

ITT Exelis will be headquartered in McLean. The company will continue to employ over 22,000 people and is expected to generate $5.8 billion in pro forma 2011 revenue. ITT Exelis will debut on the New York Stock Exchange on November 1, with the ticker symbol XLS.

ACC, Tech To Compete in Clean Energy

2011-10-19T09:40:00.002-04:00

The University of Maryland and its Atlantic Coast Conference partners, including Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, will lead a new, conference-hosted Clean Energy Business Challenge launching in the fall of 2011, encouraging students throughout the conference and the entire southeast United States to develop successful business plans and to create a new generation of American clean energy companies.

Funded by $2 million from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the ACC Clean Energy Challenge is one of six regional winners selected by the DOE to be part of its inaugural nationwide network of student-focused clean energy business creation competitions over the next three years. The first national grand prize competition will be held during the summer of 2012 in Washington, D.C.

"By promoting innovation at our nation's universities and cultivating America's next generation scientific and technical leaders, we will ensure our nation's competiveness in the clean energy economy of tomorrow," says DOE Secretary Steven Chu. "The awards announced support the [Obama] administration's continued effort to ensure that America has the workforce we need to secure our energy future, create jobs here at home, and win the future."

The ACC Clean Energy Business Challenge combines the technology, business, and student strengths of all the ACC schools in the Southeast region, including Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

Together, these schools conduct more than $4 billion in cutting-edge research each year, with clean energy a clear focus. ACC schools are also home to hundreds of student researchers in the energy field and numerous student energy clubs.

"At Virginia Tech, we have an international reputation in the hybrid electric vehicle development, winning the international competition, EcoCAR, in 2011. We are also world leaders in clean coal technology and among the top ten departments in environmental engineering that focuses on many clean energy efforts," says Richard C. Benson, dean of Virginia Tech's College of Engineering and who holds the Torgersen Chaired Professorship. "I believe our ACC partnership in clean energy will prove to be beneficial to the economic competitiveness of our nation."

"This effort will help Virginia Tech build on assets like its corporate research center, VT KnowledgeWorks, and current successful startups in the region by Hokie alumni, i.e. TORC, VPT Inc., and PowerHub Systems, to develop programs and academic focus that will prepare the next generation of technology leaders and entrepreneurs," says Jack Lesko, associate dean for research and graduate studies at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering.

Crowning Touch Senior Moving Wins National Award

2011-10-18T15:58:00.004-04:00

Linda Ballentine of Crowning Touch (center) receives her award.

Crowning Touch Senior Moving Services of Roanoke is the winner of the inaugural Enterprise Award, presented by the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) to an outstanding smaller, independent mover.

The Enterprise Award reflects AMSA's and the industry’s commitment to recognizing outstanding performance among small, independent movers, which can be demonstrated in a variety of ways; including community service, employee relations, innovative operations and/or exceptional customer service practices. It honors AMSA mover members with less than $3 million in annual gross revenues and fewer than 25 employees. The recipient is selected by a panel of industry experts.

Crowning Touch offers innovative services developed for the senior community while maintaining exemplary relationships with clients and employees. Starting in 1996, Crowning Touch began catering to the specific needs of the high-growth senior citizen market. The company offers both local and interstate moving.

Jefferson Center Gets $35,000 Energy Grant

2011-10-18T15:47:00.003-04:00

Jefferson Center will get an energy upfit.

With the assistance of a $35,000 grant awarded by The American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation, Jefferson Center in Roanoke will soon launch an energy monitoring and conservation project in an effort to renew an historic building with today's technology.

Ninteen years have passed since the first phase of renovation to the old Jefferson High School began and within the last two decades environmental concerns, energy conservation and building systems technology have changed dramatically.

"We are coming to the end of the natural life of many elements of the building's renovation and have begun planning for Jefferson Center's renewal as a more efficient structure," says Cyrus Pace, Jefferson Center executive director.

AEP Foundation awarded its support to a four-phased implementation of energy auditing, monitoring and of practices and equipment to reduce Jefferson Center's consumption of electricity, natural gas and water. Appalachian Power is the local operating subsidiary of AEP.

The proposed conservation measures will not just focus on updating physical technologies. Jefferson Center's energy conservation project will provide an example of the wisdom of creative reuse of historic buildings, showing that an historic property can be made relevant to contemporary standards and technology.

"A sense of stewardship demands that we operate efficiently and with an updated concern for environmental impacts," says Pace. "That's why in the summer of 2010 we asked Breakell Inc., a Roanoke general contractor with certified specialists advising on environmental issues, to perform an energy audit and estimate the cost of retrofits focused on conservation."

Breakell donated its expertise and after an extensive energy audit proposed a four-phase plan that predicted savings of $42,500 a year by lowering utility costs after completion of the plan.

The first phase of the project includes extensive education of those working in Jefferson Center, as well as its non-profit tenants to the wisdom of significant changes in energy usage.

Additionally, the plan calls for retrofitting all incandescent, fluorescent and exit lights with more efficient bulbs and installing occupancy and motion detectors in seldom-used spaces such as storage areas and restrooms.

Subsequent phases include continuing upgrades in monitoring equipment, adding timers to control hot water recirculation and replacement of the 10 oldest heat pumps with more efficient models.

(Photo: downtownroanoke.org)

Tech To Study Children's Football Helmets

2011-10-18T07:51:00.002-04:00

Virginia Tech released today results from the first study ever to instrument child football helmets. Youth football helmets are currently designed to the same standards as adult helmets, even though little is known about how child football players impact their heads. This is the first study to investigate the head impact characteristics in youth football, and will greatly enhance the development of improved helmets specifically designed for children.

The Auburn Eagles, a local youth team consisting of 6- to 8-year-old boys, has participated in the study since August. The helmets of the child football players are instrumented with custom 12 accelerometer arrays that measure how a child’s head responds to impact. Each time a player impacts his head, data is recorded and wirelessly downloaded to a computer on the sideline.

The technology is similar to what Virginia Tech has used since 2003 to instrument its collegiate football team. “The research conducted with the Virginia Tech football team has led to a better understanding of head impacts in football and how they relate to concussions,” says Stefan Duma, the Virginia Tech professor of biomedical engineering and department head of the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering Sciences that directs this project., which contains the first safety rating system ever available for adult football helmets (STAR Evaluation System). Similar developments for youth football are anticipated from the current study with the Auburn Eagles.

“Based on eight years of studying head impacts experienced by Virginia Tech football players, we were able to quantify exposure for adult football players relative to impact location, severity, and frequency,” Duma says. “Unfortunately, we cannot translate the adult exposure to the youth helmets because the impact conditions of youth football are completely unknown. To solve this problem, we are applying the same approach that we have used with the Virginia Tech football team to a youth football team,” Duma says.

The instrumentation wasn’t compatible with the older helmets that were initially provided for the youth team, so Virginia Tech purchased new helmets for the entire team. “The kids are very excited about wearing the same technology in their helmets that the Virginia Tech football team has worn over the last eight years,” says Ray Daniel, the graduate student whose master’s thesis will be focused on the study.

At Virginia Tech, Locking Down Smartphones

2011-10-17T09:37:00.002-04:00

Jules White demonstrates how, using a laptop, he can put smart phones under lockdown with new software that "puts physical boundaries around information in cyberspace."

In a breakthrough that could aid spies, keepers of medical records, and parents who want to prevent their kids from "sexting," a team of Virginia Tech researchers has created software to remotely put smart phones under lockdown. The phones are given permission to access sensitive data while in a particular room, but when the devices leave the room, the data is completely wiped.

“This level of complexity and security, nobody else has,” says Jules White, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “There are commercial products that do limited versions of these things, but nothing that allows for automating wiping and complete control of settings and apps on smart phones and tablets.”

A general, for example, could access secret intelligence while visiting a secure government facility without fear that his or her smart phone or tablet computer might later be lost or stolen, White said. “This system provides something that has never been available before. It puts physical boundaries around information in cyberspace.”

Medical caregivers could review patient information during a doctor visit, but – safeguarding patient privacy – doctors or nurses couldn’t walk out of the examination room with the patient’s records.

The software also enables central control of phone features such as preventing a smart phone’s camera or email from working.

“For instance, you could keep certain apps from working in the operating room so surgeons wouldn’t get distracted, or you could prevent nurses from taking patient photos and putting them on the Internet,” White said. "In that same way, parents could restrict when and where children could send text messages to prevent distraction at school. Parents could also limit to whom messages with images could be sent in order to prevent 'sexting.'"

White and his team, in research underwritten by Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation, modified Google’s Android operating system to create the security features.

The team recently demonstrated the software for an inside-the-beltway group, Virginia Tech Intelligence and Defense Executive Alumni, or VT IDEA, composed of Virginia Tech alums who are interested in research that may benefit intelligence and military agencies.

“It was exciting to connect the VT IDEA group with Jules White and his team,” said John Provo, director of the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development. “Technology like this may be ripe not only for commercialization, but it could also improve our nation’s defense and security.”

Dominion's New Electric Line Helps Meet Goals

2011-10-13T11:14:00.006-04:00

Andy Kaplan with his police cruiser.

Snack cart would be great at festivals.

A mini dump truck.

This one carries a lot of passengers.

Story, Photos By DAN SMITH

The rain was heavy at times this morning as Dominion Electric Vehicles in Salem held its grand opening for its new lines of electric work vehicles, but I didn't see any lessening of enthusiasm those working it. Bob and Andy Kaplan believe they have found the solution to selling these little gems that cost about two cents a mile to drive, even if you can't drive most of them to work. You drive them once you get there.

For the past two and a half years, Dominion has sold GEM (Global Electric Motorcars) electric cars, which are both street legal and too high in cost for most of us at about $7,000 or so. The new lines--Club Car and XtremeGreen--have a different purpose, a slower speed and a lower price, but are no less valuable for what they will do.

The uses are widely varied and include security on college campuses, dumptrucks for construction sites, gurneys to take injured football players from the football field and a variety of other work-related purposes. The new lines will also start at about $5,750. They carry decent loads, go 30-40 miles on a charge and run up to about 25 miles per hour.

Says Andy, “A few years ago, we learned from our customers--particularly those doing business with the government--that they needed zero and low emissions alternatives to meet lower carbon footprint requirements. Our electric vehicles are their alternative. The bonus? Their operating costs are reduced as well.”

Kaplan says Dominion Electric Vehicles is the first business in Virginia specializing in electric vehicles.

Backcountry.com To Create 200 Montgomery County Jobs

2011-10-11T12:41:00.004-04:00

Backcountry.com, the largest online specialty retailer of premium outdoor gear, will invest more than $20 million to establish a fulfillment center in Christiansburg.

The Utah-based company's east-coast presence, which will be located in Falling Branch Corporate Park, will create more than 200 new jobs in Montgomery County.

"The state of Virginia, Montgomery County and Christiansburg proved to us that this is where we should do business," says Jill Layfield, CEO of Backcountry.com. "Their support of and commitment to Backcountry.com has been remarkable, and that is only a sign of their larger commitment to the people of the area."

Says Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Chair Jim Politis, "This is a prime location for a distribution hub for the East Coast, and the company will be creating hundreds of jobs. Backcountry.com also fits in very well with our region's abundant outdoor recreation opportunities."

Backcountry.com marks the third major business annoucement in Montgomery County this year. Just last week, Federal-Mogal Corp. announced its plans to invest $10 million and add 50 new employees to its existing facility in Blacksburg. In March, local startup Modea announced its plans to construct a new $10 million corporate headquarters in downtown Blacksburg and hire 200 employees.

Children's Mobile ICU To Be on Display

2011-10-11T08:47:00.003-04:00

Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital’s new Mobile ICU will be turning heads in the region when it hits the road this fall. The vehicle, which could be described as a rolling, two-patient hospital intensive care unit, is unlike anything seen in this area before.

The vehicle’s size and on-board technology will benefit patients and caregivers. The exterior features a tribute to CCCH and the Roanoke Valley, created by a local artist. The new mobile ICU will be located in front of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. this Thursday so hospital staff can tour and familiarize themselves with the unit.

A Positive View at Novozymes

2011-10-11T07:59:00.003-04:00

In the upcoming November edition of Valley Business FRONT Publisher Tom Field shares his conversation with Steen Riisgaard (right), the president and CEO of Novozymes, who addressed the Roanoke County division at the Salem Civic Center yesterday. He lives in Denmark.

Riisgaard has a positive view of the future—one where industry responds to societal challenges with earth-friendly solutions. He says the technology challenge for Novozymes is to turn to nature before chemistry.

The interview reveals the CEO’s vision: he has been called the global champion of “bio-economics” and Novozymes has been cited as “the world leader in enzymes and bio-innovation.”

Roanoke plant president Patrick Patterson echoes the company’s support of practical environmentalism by contributing to the local greenways movement in the Roanoke Valley. Catch the full story in November’s FRONT.

Roanoke Native To Head Science Museum

2011-10-07T18:12:00.002-04:00

The Science Museum of Western Virginia has named Jim Rollings (right) executive director. Rollings was most recently with Heifer Village in Arkansas.

A Roanoke native, Rollings has experience in museum leadership, including positions with the Yorktown Victory Center, NASA Langley Visitor Center and the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. He served 10 years as the director of the South Florida Science Museum and two years with the Gulfcoast Wonder and Imagination Zone before moving to Arkansas.

He has a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from Regis University in Denver, and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Christopher Newport University.

Rollings is married and has three children. “I am delighted to be back in Roanoke because I was born here," he said, "and it’s exciting to be part of the Reinvention of the Science Museum. I have been impressed with the commitment of the Board of
Trustees and the direction for the museum and look forward to being part of the future of the Science Museum.”

Interactive Achievement Is Chamber's Small Business of Year

2011-10-06T16:44:00.008-04:00

Interactive Achievement's Jonathan Hagmaier (left) talks to Ken Ferris. At right are bicycle shop owners Michelle and Aaron Dykstra. Below, former Advocate of the Year Lynda Foster with new winner Brian Duvall. Bottom is John Garland of Spectrum, the construction guy of the year.

The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center have named Interactive Achievement the 2011 Small Business of the Year before a sold out ballroom at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

The company that creates and distributes educational software used for testing, reporting and analyzing students was recognized at the Chamber's's 25th Annual Small Business Awards dinner.

The annual awards program showcases the accomplishments of the small business sector which is composed of 99 percent of the area’s business community.

Founded in 2006 by Jonathan Hagmaier, a middle-school teacher and principal, Mary Hagmaier, a realtor, and Matthew Muller, a software programmer, Interactive Achievement has experienced phenomenal growth in product sales, revenue and number of employees. The company’s major product is assessment software used by school districts in Virginia and South Carolina.

“As in years past, the selection committee was faced with a very difficult decision because of the number of outstanding companies represented in the competition,” said Joyce Waugh, president of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Waugh continued, “The Small Business Awards selection committee was impressed with how Interactive Achievement has increased sales and its number of employees, as well as its innovative product line.” A committee of local business people evaluates nominees in terms of increased sales, employee growth, staying power, innovation, and contributions to the community.

Award winners by category are:

Small Business Advocate: Brian Duvall, CEO, Duvall Media
Small Business Veteran of the Year: Ray Puckett, At Home Caregivers Inc.
Construction/Real Estate: Spectrum Design architectural/engineering design firm
Manufacturing: Virginia Transformer Corporation a processor of electric power transformers in North America
Micro-Business: Nevaeh Salon Services
Technology: Interactive Achievement
Business-to-Business Services: Virginia Business Systems which provides technology and software to help businesses manage documents
Business-to-Consumer Services: Varsity Landscaping & Grounds
Wholesale/Retail: East Coasters Bike Shop
Legacy Award: AmRhein’s, the Roanoke Valley’s oldest jeweler (90 years) and now also a winery.
Not-for-Profit Arts & Culture: The Roanoke Regional Partnership
Not-for-Profit Health & Human Services: Goodwill Industries of the Valleys

Carilion names Kay Strickland Development Director

2011-10-06T08:45:00.002-04:00

Carilion Clinic has named Katherine F. (Kay) Strickland (right) to serve as chief development offficer. She is the former executive director of the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation and External Relations and was instrumental in establishing the Community College Access Program (CCAP) providing free tuition for high school graduates to attend Virginia Western.

She established an annual giving program for the college; a planned giving program; launched a campaign to raise $7m to support CCAP; and supervised all marketing initiatives for the college.

Ms. Strickland served as Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving for Hollins University before working for Virginia Western and served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation before that for 12 years. During her tenure at the Museum Ms. Strickland tripled the size of the museum and raised $2.5 million for capital improvements.

She has served on numerous national, state and local boards including the Council for Resource Development, Virginia Association of Museums, the Commonwealth Council, the Committee to Advance the TransDominion Express, the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Oliver White Hill Foundation. Ms. Strickland received her B.A. in English and Psychology from Hollins University.

Vote for Your Favorite Valley Business FRONT Cover

2011-10-06T08:33:00.003-04:00

We're coming down to the deadline for voting on your favorite cover for the past publishing year (October to September) for Valley Business FRONT and we'd love to have your vote. We're going to make it easy for you:

Simply look over these covers, pick the one you like best and e-mail your selection to editrdan@msn.com. Simple as that. We'll record your vote and come up with the winner in our November FRONTList issue, the one where we select the best of business each year.

Woods Rogers Forms 'Guidance' Firm

2011-10-05T13:27:00.004-04:00

Woods Rogers PLC and Gregory W. Feldmann (right) have announced the formation of Skyline Capital Strategies, LLC, a business advisory firm offering strategic guidance to financial institutions and middle-market companies.

Skyline Capital Strategies will be led by Feldmann, former president and CEO of StellarOne Bank. He has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance, board and executive leadership positions.

Skyline will provide advisory services in such areas as corporate finance, business strategy and mergers and acquisitions to assist management teams, boards and business owners make strategic decisions about how to grow their companies and how to finance that growth.

The new venture also will serve as an independent advisor on matters related to shareholder value management, ownership changes, reorganizations and re-capitailizations.

“We recognized a need in the marketplace for an experienced business advisor backed by a full-service law firm that can provide companies with the combined expertise and resources to confront the many challenges in today’s economy,” says Nicholas C. Conte, Chairman of the Board of Woods Rogers.

“Our ultimate goal is to support business decision-makers by providing independent, data-driven advice to help them make critical strategic decsions about growing, strengthening and perpetuating their companies,” Feldmann says. “In consolidating industries like commercial banking, for example, it has become more important than ever for executive management teams and boards to routinely assess strategic options in order to determine the best long-term strategy for increasing shareholder value. It is more important than ever for boards and executive management teams to be vigilant about strategic growth alternatives and performance.”

She Chooses Makes Startup Competition Cut

2011-10-04T08:23:00.003-04:00

She Chooses, a startup business in Blacksburg, has been chosen as one of 55 contestants by Distilled Intelligence 1.0 for its startup business competition, Fifty-five startups have been selected to compete for a chance to win cash and prizes totaling $25,000.

She Chooses, a social application for women, is a product of Virginia-based Wasabi Enterprises, co-owned by Anne Giles Clelland (who writes a column for FRONT), Henry Bass, Gail Billingsly and Laureen Fleming of Blacksburg and Carnegie Mellon student Alex Edelman.

The event hosts and sponsors seek to pair startups with investors with the goal that they will obtain funding as a result of attending this event.

The presenters represent a strong cross-section of technology, including big data, cyber security, clean / green tech, critical infrastructure, disruptive technology, analytics, design, enterprise software, medical IT, mobile commerce, SaaS providers, and social platforms.

Distilled Intelligence 1.0 will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 in Herndon. The selected companies will present in the first round. Twenty-two will advance to the second round and 11 will compete for the cash and prizes.

Tech Grads Rank 5th Nationally in Starting Salaries

2011-09-30T09:44:00.005-04:00

An interesting twist on college rankings these days comes from a new report on which college degrees bring in the most money for graduates.

The complete report--and there's a lot of interesting aspects to it--is here.

Virginia Tech, with an average starting salary of $51,600, ranks fifth in the nation, behind Stanford, Duke, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame. The Atlantic Coast Conference, of which Tech is a member, ranked first among all the top level of athletic conferences.

Of the 10 most popular jobs among Tech grads, four had to do with IT or computer programming. IT business analyst, civil engineer, database administrator, electrical engineer and financial analyst and were the top four.

The major that had the quickest payback for graduates--by far--was petroleum engineering.

Washington & Lee University in Lexington ranked fourth among Southern schools in salary potential with a mid-career median of $98,000. William & Mary was 10th at $96,500 and Duke was first at $113,000.

Virginia Tech also ranked 14th nationally for mid-career salaries of graduates of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools. Tech graduates bring in an average mid-career salary of $91,500.

According to a study published by the website Payscale.com, The Atlantic Coast Conference was first among all the 11 conferences that constitute the NCAA FBS subdivision for most money earned by graduates in their initial jobs following graduation. The ACC also placed first among the same conferences for mid-career salaries of graduates, with an average of $90,192.

(Photo: Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech)

GS Industries Gets Big New Contract

2011-09-27T09:51:00.002-04:00

GS Industries of Bassett, a leading provider of custom plastic injection molding, is expanding its business to produce parts for a manufacturer of infant and toddler toys and accessories. The company, occupying a 148,000-square-foot building in Henry County, expects to add 35 new jobs to meet demand.

Of the 35 new positions to be created, 21 of will be machine operators with the rest in support roles and tooling maintenance.

“At a time when domestic manufacturing continues to struggle, we’re bucking the trend with quality work, on-time delivery, low manufacturing costs and tooling transfer experience,” says Hank McHale, CEO of GS Industries of Bassett.

The company’s newest client, Kids II Inc., manufactures, markets and distributes products worldwide under its signature Bright Starts brand and holds a license to design and manufacture products under the Disney Baby and Baby Einstein brands. Most recently, it acquired the intellectual property rights to Rhino Toys and Taggies. Kids II produces more than 400 products worldwide under its brand portfolio.

GS Industries’ injection-molded plastics will be used in Baby Einstein’s Around the World Discovery Center, an activity saucer for babies. The company’s work also will be used to make high chairs, potty seats, booster seats and other items for the U.S. and global markets. The first parts were shipped worldwide in late August.

“With shipping costs rising due to fuel prices, manufacturers are realizing that parts and products can be made more efficiently here at home rather than importing them,” McHale says.

Vision Point Rolls Out New Service

2011-09-26T07:51:00.002-04:00

Vision Point Systems of Blacksburg has introduced a new service called Voice Vision which assesses the performance and compliance of Interactive Voice Response (IVR), as well as contact centers and telephone systems in regulated environments.

VoiceVision is a standardized evaluation process that delivers an analysis of integrated IVR systems, contact center operations and voice/data networks performance quickly and inexpensively. VoiceVision identifies operational cost drivers, locates opportunities to leverage existing assets and find regulatory risk areas.

It is designed to be used by regulated pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, clinical research organizations, pharmaceutical benefits management, medical device manufacturers and similar regulated markets.

Facilitating communications between pharmaceutical companies, their patients, pharmacies and health care providers to ensure patient safety and compliance requires continual review, development, testing, validation and documentation development to meet evolving GxP guidelines and FDA regulations.

EXPAND Announces Top 20 Contestants

2011-09-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

The EXPAND contest, which will select a budding business for a $25,000 prize has selected its top 20 from the 178 businesses initially entered.

The Top 20 Businesses now advance to the Semi-Finals Round competition where they must present their business pitch to the five panelists at WBRA TV studios before a live audience.

Each business owner will have five minutes to tell the panel about the business and how the business will grow if the business wins the contest. The panel then has 10 minutes to question the contestant. Once all contestants have presented, the panel will then select one business from each of the five teams to advance to the Final round of competition.

The five finalists will present their business pitch at Super Synergy on Oct. 27, where the grand prize winner will be announced.

Here are the finalists:

Team 1 – Mentor: Kimberly Eakin: At Home Caregivers George R. Puckett); SleepEZ Diagnositic Center, Inc.(Raquel Rothe); Milkin’ Cookies (Lennox McNeary); 24/7 Hunting TV (Kevin Cameron).

Team 2 – Mentor: Dawn LeMone: Better Building Works (Monica Rokicki); Mountain View Equine Hospital (Wynne DiGrassie); ADA Specialties (Gary Feazell); Skill-Capped.

Team 3 – Mentor: Hugh Ballou: Muneris (Burman S. Clark); Phoenix, LLC (Ashley Callahan); Engagn (Marek Zareba); Whitewash.m2 Publishing (Dennis Graybill).

Team 4 – Mentor: David Shanks: NjoynLife2 (Theresa Childress-Foster); SitMyBaby! (Roger Duncan); Blinkmatchapp.com (Allan Tsang); Valley Energy Consultants, LLC (John Cook).

Team 5 – Mentor: Mike Hamlar: The Inn on Campbell (Keith Hummer); Nature’s Nectars(Sharisse Brookins); Bulldog Field Equipment; Know Better LLC (Robert Kenny).

Honorable Mentions: Glow-A-Rama; Azario Spa & Salon; The Hour of Joy; Sundara; Wine Gourmet; LiveBasin; The Design Consign Shop; Rainbow Hill Farms; Creative Occasions; New Moon Creative Media.

Tech, Toyota Announce Collaboration

2011-09-22T14:23:00.002-04:00

Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) has announced 10 new research initiatives and new partnership agreements with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, as well as six leading North American universities and research institutions. They are designed to enhance the development, testing, and implementation of new automotive safety innovations across North America.

The new projects will research subjects ranging from driver education and collision mitigation to accident reconstruction and enhanced crash data analysis. A significant expansion in the center's work, these initiatives build upon the CSRC's initial focus of reducing the risk of driver distraction and better protecting the most vulnerable traffic populations, including children, teens, seniors, and pedestrians.

"In keeping with its collaborative, open research model, the CSRC intends to publish as much of the research from its partnerships as possible to make it available to federal agencies, the industry, and academia," says Chuck Gulash, senior executive engineer at the Toyota Technical Center and director of the CSRC.

"This model of sharing Toyota talent, technology, and data with a broad range of institutions, represents a fundamental change for Toyota, moving away from a traditional focus on proprietary research towards a new concern for innovations that benefit the automotive industry and society as a whole."

Life Science Forum Scheduled Oct. 6 at VTC

2011-09-22T14:21:00.001-04:00

The Fifth Annual Southwest Virginia Life Science Forum on the evening of Oct. 6 will bring together university researchers and business people to discuss discoveries and possible collaborations.

There will also be a day-long workshop on how to apply for funding from the National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research program, and a late-afternoon talk from a distinguished scholar on how the brain processes olfactory information.

The forum and reception are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke. They will present an opportunity for students to learn about jobs, university scientists to meet people from Virginia's outstanding biological and medical product companies, and business people to learn about the most recent research results--which the scientists have only begun to report--and what they are working on.

More than 100 academic and private sector bioscience leaders are expected to participate. Poster presentations will include biotechnology, biomaterials, nanotechnology, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering.

'A Banner Year for Botetourt County' Continues: 25 More Good Jobs

2011-09-15T07:58:00.003-04:00

An Austrian company today announced it is establishing a U.S. subsidiary in Botetourt County to manufacture and market specialty optical fiber, investing $5 million in new construction and equipment and creating 25 high-tech, high-paying jobs.

FCTech Inc., a subsidiary of NBG Holding, plans to build a new facility at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield in Daleville. The company’s optical fiber will be used in high-performance sensor applications for the global energy, healthcare, industrial and defense industries.

Average wages for the new jobs will range from $70,000-$80,000.

“I would like to extend a warm welcome to FCTech and NBG Holding,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade, who made the announcement at a news conference at Greenfield Education and Training Center. “The Administration and the partners involved were determined to bring NBG to Virginia, and we are extremely pleased at the positive outcome of our efforts.”

The $4 billion global market for distributed fiber optic sensors is forecasted to double over the next four years, driven in large part by the continued growth of fiber optic sensing applications. Market segments that will see the most growth are in well oil and gas sensing, homeland security applications, and defense underwater monitoring.

“Our company has a solid track record of establishing and growing companies in the fiber optics market. This year we initiated a strategy to open new markets, principally in the U.S., and we are delighted to join other international companies that have found Botetourt County to combine a quality workforce with low costs of doing business,” says Karl Bauer, CEO and managing director of NBG Holding and president of FCTech. “We look forward to starting our new U.S. operation and appreciate the support of Botetourt County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

The company plans to invest $2 million in a new facility and $3 million in equipment and employ approximately 25 people by 2015. Construction is expected to start at the end of September. The company expects to start shipping to customers by next summer. A significant portion of the FCTech sales will be international.

Botetourt County, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and the Virginia Jobs Investment Program of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance worked together on this project.

“It has been a banner year for Botetourt County,” says Gerald Burgess, county administrator. “We’ve announced the location of Canatal and expansions at Dynax America, Arkay Packaging and TREAD Corporation. And now, FCTech lends a high-tech flavor to our run of success. So far this year, companies have announced investments of nearly $35 million and 378 new jobs. And with the region’s lowest unemployment rate, Botetourt is a shining example of economic opportunity.”

LewisGale Among Nation's Top Performers

2011-09-14T15:57:00.003-04:00

LewisGale Hospital Salem's campus^

All four LewisGale Regional Health System Hospitals today were named as one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission, an accreditor of health care organizations in the United States.

Each of the LewisGale Hospitals was recognized by The Joint Commission based on 2010 data reported about evidence-based clinical processes linked to better patient outcomes for certain medical conditions.

LewisGale Medical Center, LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, LewisGale Hospital Pulaski, and LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, were among only 405 U.S. hospitals and 12 Virginia hospitals--as well as being the only health system in Western Virginia--achieving this exemplary level of performance for the following medical conditions and procedures:

LewisGale Medical Center: Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia, and Surgical Care
LewisGale Hospital Alleghany: Pneumonia, Surgical Care
LewisGale Hospital Montgomery: Heart Attack, Pneumonia, Surgical Care
LewisGale Hospital Pulaski: Heart Attack, Pneumonia, Surgical Care

The Joint Commission report singles out hospitals based on their performance related to 22 accountability measures on heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, and children’s asthma care. For example, to be recognized as a top performer in heart attack care, a hospital had to achieve (1) a 95 percent or greater score on each of several clinical processes proven to give patients the best possible outcomes and (2) the hospital had to achieve a composite score of 95 percent or greater for overall heart attack care.

Schultz-Creehan Holdings Merges with Aeroprobe

2011-09-13T07:58:00.002-04:00

Schultz-Creehan Holdings Inc. of Blacksburg has acquired Aeroprobe Corporation, an international supplier of custom aerodynamic and hydrodynamic measurement systems. Schultz-Creehan had been Aeroprobe’s exclusive manufacturer of multi-hole probe instrumentation.
The merger brings design and manufacturing together while enhancing Aeroprobe’s mechanical, electronic, and materials capabilities. The companies have combined to operate as Aeroprobe Corporation. Offices and staff have been consolidated in Schultz-Creehan Holding’s facilities on Kraft Drive in Blacksburg.

Nanci Hardwick (right), CEO of the merged entity, says, "Schultz-Creehan Holdings has a strong reputation for innovation and has addressed complex problems requiring a multi-disciplinary team approach for customers who are challenged by the extremes of the environment they work in.

“We have been able to develop novel solutions to address the conditions of extreme heat, corrosion, and pressure. For 18 years, Aeroprobe has provided custom solutions for industries like aerospace, turbomachinery, wind energy and automotive which all face extreme conditions. We share a culture of innovation and technical expertise. To honor Aeroprobe’s global reputation for leading technology, we’ve chosen to continue operating under that name.”

Aeroprobe Vice President of Business Development Matt Zeiger says, “This merger provides a synergy that will greatly benefit the market. Both companies have a tradition of commitment to the customer. We are excited to now offer expanded in-house resources, engineering, and expertise.”

150 Businesses at Va. Tech Career Fair Thursday

2011-09-12T12:28:00.002-04:00

Nearly 150 employers have signed up to attend the 29th annual Business Horizons career fair of the Pamplin College of Business on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Squires Student Center’s Commonwealth and Old Dominion ballrooms.

“We have sold out our available booths but we can find room for a few more employers, if necessary,” says Stuart Mease, Pamplin’s undergraduate career services director. “Employer registrations are up.”

The fair drew 127 employers last year and 106 in 2009. “There are plenty of jobs, if students have acquired skill sets in demand or are willing to take a position that is not their dream job.”

Five Pamplin majors are routinely among the 10 majors most sought after by recruiters visiting campus, according to the university’s Career Services office. A 2010 Wall Street Journal employer survey ranked Virginia Tech as the 13th best place for college recruiting.

More than 2,000 students attended Business Horizons last year. The event, organized by Pamplin undergraduates, gives students and employers a good opportunity to meet and interact with each other in one central location, Mease says. “A job seeker will have no better opportunity to meet face-to-face with hundreds of company representatives. To reproduce the environment of a job fair will take many months to orchestrate. That’s why the job fair is still the best job search tool for seekers.”

LewisGale Opens Alleghany Seniors Facility

2011-09-08T15:22:00.002-04:00

Interior at LewisGale Alleghany's new Senior Transitions facility.

LewisGale Regional Health System celebrated the completion of its new Senior Transitions Unit at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 15-bed inpatient specialty unit, located on the fifth floor of the hospital, is designed to meet the behavioral health needs of seniors throughout LewisGale Regional Health System’s service area.

“We strategically chose Alleghany as the site for our new program because of its rapidly growing senior population,” says Victor E. Giovanetti, president of LewisGale Regional Health System. “This specialized unit will focus on meeting the needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens and ensure they have the best health outcomes.”

Giovanetti anticipates patients will come from all over the region to receive this specialized care because the unit is a first-of-its-kind for Southwest Virginia.

“There is currently a shortage of resources in the area to the serve the senior population,” said Bruce Melosh, MA, MSPH, Senior Transitions Director. “Opening this program will help to fill the gap and serve as a regional center for the treatment of seniors with behavioral or emotional issues.”

The Senior Transitions program will primarily serve patients 65 and older with emotional and behavioral health issues such as memory problems, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and psychotic disorders. Patients as young as 55 years old may qualify for admission if they suffer with chronic mental health issues or disability.

“Seniors have unique behavioral health challenges that are often coupled with other medical conditions,” said Pradip Koirala, M.D., Senior Transitions Medical Director.

“We are excited to bring this new service to Alleghany to meet an important community need while at the same time benefitting our local economy through the creation of new jobs,” said Greg Madsen, CEO, LewisGale Hospital Alleghany.

New Research Center for Virginia Tech

2011-09-07T15:54:00.000-04:00

Virginia Tech, in cooperation with L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, and Verisign Labs, has received a five-year continuing grant to establish a National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) site for cybersecurity.

Initial topics of research for the center include secure computing architectures, cloud computing security, visualization tools for cyber defense, securing critical infrastructure, wireless security, and malware detection and mitigation. This new cybersecurity site joins the Security and Software Engineering Research Center (S2ERC), which is led by Ball State University and includes a primary site at Iowa State University and now Virginia Tech.

Harris, Williamson Named to Hall of Fame

2011-09-07T15:32:00.003-04:00

Leon P. Harris (left), KelTech Inc. and John B. Williamson (right), CEO of RGC Resources, Inc. have been named laureates for the 21^st Southwest VirginiaBusiness Hall of Fame. They will be recognized on Nov. 14 at the Business Hall of Fame dinner at Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Reception begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30pm. For more ticket information please e-mail betsy@ja.roacoxmail.com or call 989-6392.

Established in 1990 the Business Hall of Fame honors leaders based on their outstanding leadership and business success as well as contributions and involvement in the community.

Harris is a native of Floyd and a graduate of Virginia Tech in electrical engineering. He started at GE building parts for locomotives and was involved in two start-up businesses making small electric components. He was also part owner of a radio broadcasting company. Each of his ventures started with a small nucleus of dedicated workers that grew into national providers of telecommunications.

Harris’ success has afforded him time and capital to help others with business and venture capital. His he was instrumental in the launch of RB TC (Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council) formerly NCTC.

Williamson is chairman/president of RGC Resources who has served as county administrator in three Virginia locations and on several boards that uphold human rights, education, health and wellness and the arts. Williamson has held positions at C& P Telephone (now Verizon), to Roanoke Gas Company and the newly formed energy distributor RGC Resources, a publicly traded company.

Transportation Museum To Install Electric Charging Station Downtown

2011-08-30T19:21:00.005-04:00

The Virginia Museum of Transportation is all but finished installing an Eaton Level 2 Pow-R-Station electric vehicle charging station (like the one above) at the Museum in downtown Roanoke.

The charging station is part of the Museum’s efforts to highlight emerging transportation technologies and their impact on community development throughout the Commonwealth. “Alternative energies and fuels have an important place in the future of transportation,” says Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., executive director of the Museum.

Plug-in electric vehicles offer improved fuel economy, lower emissions and strong acceleration with a quiet operation – all from a domestic energy source. Some industry forecasts predict an annual volume of 400,000 battery-operated electric vehicles in North American by 2020. These electric vehicles will require substantial residential, commercial and public infrastructure to support them.

“We’re thrilled to have the first charging station in downtown Roanoke,” says Fitzpatrick. “Our hope is that it doesn’t end here. We’d like to see more power stations throughout the Roanoke Valley.”

The Eaton Level 2 Pow-R-Station is NEMA 3R-rated for outdoor use. The charging station supplies the connection to the grid where the vehicles are parked and provides the electric car’s onboard charger with the electricity it needs to refill the battery.

Tech Jewish Center Employs Passivhaus Technology

2011-08-30T16:21:00.004-04:00

Structures Design Build of Roanoke has achieved pre-certification to construct a new Jewish center (above) using Passivhaus energy-efficiency technology. The Malcolm Rosenberg Hillel Center for Jewish Life, now under construction across from the Virginia Tech campus, will be the first religious building and the largest commercial building in the United States incorporating PassivStructures propriety technology and standards to achieve low-energy usage certification.

Passivhaus-certified structures typically use 90 percent less energy for heating and cooling than conventional buildings. Pre-certification is part of the process whereby the Passive House Institute US confirms a project’s ultra low energy projections and methodology before construction. Passivhaus is a German term for a new trend in construction that meets extreme standards in energy efficiency.

The 8,000-square-foot center will provide an inclusive, nurturing environment with programming space needed for Jewish cultural, educational, social, and religious activities.

Shehan Roanoke Regional Forum Speaker

2011-08-29T14:07:00.004-04:00

The Roanoke Regional Forum, an educational and networking organization, will present Peter Sheahan's (left) FL!P: Creative Strategies for Turning Challenge into Opportunity and Change into Competitive Advantage at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 26 at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke.

For ticket information, call Judy Chambliss at 540-983-0700 x221 or www.roanokeregionalforum.com.

Not yet 30 years old, Sheahan has built a multi-million dollar consulting practice attracting clients such as News Corporation, Google, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, Harley Davidson and Ernst & Young. Sheahan has delivered more than 2,000 presentations to a combined audience of more than 300,000 people in eight different countries.

The author of six books, including the international bestsellers Fl!p: Generation Y, Sheahan focuses on teaching leaders and companies how to flip their thinking, make money in the cracks and find opportunity where others cannot.

His newest book Making It Happen unpacks his insights on how the best leaders and entrepreneurs execute on their good ideas, and turn them into profitable results.

Chilean Students Claim Top Prize

2011-08-26T08:05:00.002-04:00

The $25,000 first prize in the Global Student Business Concept Challenge has gone to a student team from Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile. The concept the students pitched to potential investors was for Kimeltu, which produces a product that helps educators measure student performance.

The competition was part of a forum on student entrepreneurship put together by VT KnowledgeWorks. It ran for a week and the competition was held at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

Bio-Sense Diagnostics, from Kent, England, and OOHLALA Mobile, of Toron won runnerup prizes of $5,000 each.

Eight Weekly Newspapers Sold to Local Group

2011-08-26T07:59:00.000-04:00

The eight weekly newspapers that constituted Montgomery County Publishing and Blue Ridge Newspapers have been purchased by the former owner of two of them, Wane and Dolores Brockenbrough, principals of Montgomery Publishing.

It was a relatively quick sale, brought about when creditor Wells Fargo ordered the papers to be sold. The Brockenbroughs are former owners of the Radford News Journal and the Montgomery County News Messenger. They picked up the Salem Times-Register, Fincastle Herald, Vinton Messenger, Cave Spring Connection and New Castle Record.

According to a story in the current issue of the newspapers, Brockenbrough is quoted as saying employees will retain their jobs and there will be no disruption in the publishing schedule. In addition to the newspapers, the printing operation in Salem was also purchased.

The newspaper group had been owned for a number of years by investors from Birmingham, Ala. The sale returns them to local ownership.

Wells Fargo Arrives in Roanoke

2011-08-25T14:00:00.001-04:00

Wells Fargo Market President Harvey Brookins (red shirt on the stagecoach) helped usher in the transfer of Wachovia to Wells Fargo August 25 in downtown Roanoke.

That is Brookins' wife Sharisse in the red top photographing him and Mayor David Bowers is in the white suit riding shotgun. A large crowd lined Campbell Avenue to watch the coach and four horses parade by with the Patrick Henry High School band.

FreightCar America Sells NS 1,500 More Cars

2011-08-22T14:01:00.006-04:00

From Left FreightCar America's Ed Whalen; Secretary of Commerce Jim Cheng; and NS's Wick Moorman.

These new cars are stronger, lighter and more durable.

Story, Photos by DAN SMITH

Roanoke Mayor David Bowers paused for emphasis, listened to the noisy yard at FrieghtCar America's East End Shops facility and said, "That clang is a good sound. It indicates a rebound in the economy in Roanoke."

In this case, it also means 200 more jobs, 1,500 more coal cars for Norfolk Southern Railway, and an indication that the giant railroad with a long Roanoke history believes the future is good. In fact, NS CEO Wick Moorman said as much: "It is with high confidence in the future of the coal market that we have chosen to continue our program to upgrade our coal fleet by ordering these new coal cars."

Bowers and Moorman shared the podium at a morning press conference today with FreightCar America President/CEO Ed Whalen and Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng. They said the things you'd expect at one of these back-slapping events, but it was Bowers who framed the reference strongly: this is about jobs, good jobs, stable jobs, jobs in private industry making things.

There will be 200 more jobs in this round of the order for what will finally be 3,000 cars. Cheng put the cost estimate for 1,500 cars at $100 million.

The cars are large capacity, lightweight (good for NS fuel consumption), strong and durable (good for NS long-term expenses).

'Outsiders' Boosting Region's Population

2011-08-22T13:53:00.002-04:00

More people from outside the Roanoke Region are moving here, helping to increase the region’s population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Data suggests that the majority of population growth experienced in the region is due to migration from other regions of the state and the nation.

Weldon Cooper Center estimates show that 87.5 percent of population growth in the Roanoke Region is due to migration, compared to just 47 percent statewide. “This is telling us that people are recognizing that the Roanoke Region is an outstanding place to work, with a high quality of life and low cost of living,” says Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership. “These days, with high unemployment in other areas of the country, traffic jams around big cities and unattainable home ownership in many markets, families and businesses are seeking more attractive options like the Roanoke Region.

“In this 21st Century economy, many families and entrepreneurs are also looking for amenities we already enjoy: easy access to the outdoors, a variety of outdoor-related activities and a climate that lets them enjoy nature year-round.”

Though the region’s rate of annualized growth averaged a mere 0.3 percent between 2000 and 2003, its growth rate more than doubled by the end of the decade. Annualized growth rates for the region averaged 0.8 percent between 2007 and 2010, according to Weldon Cooper Center data.

Compared with the rest of Virginia, the Roanoke Region’s growth rate was a full percentage point below the state between 2000-2003 but now trails the Commonwealth’s rate by only four-tenths of a percentage point in the last three years, signaling improvement.

According to Internal Revenue Service data, the Roanoke Region has attracted roughly 2,800 households each year from out of state. Nearly 55 percent of these households come from the South, 18.5 percent of these households from the Northeast, 15.7 percent from the Midwest, and 10.9 percent from the West Coast.

IRS figures also reveal a healthy amount of migration from surrounding counties in Virginia as well as from traffic-choked Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

“With growth at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute under way, it’s possible that future migration statistics will show an increased level of migration to the region,” Doughty says.

Falls by Elderly Focus of Tech, UVa Study

2011-08-18T16:04:00.003-04:00

Karen Roberto (from left), Thurmon Lockhart,and Dong Ha are working on a project to stem elderly falls.

Virginia Tech and University of Virginia scientists have taken note that among Americans age 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death. Falls also are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.

In 2007, more than 18,000 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries. In 2009, 2.2 million nonfatal fall injuries among elderly adults were treated in emergency rooms and more than 581,000 of these patients were hospitalized.

Researchers at Tech and UVa are hoping to stem this tide. With a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Smart Health and Wellbeing Program, they are creating a portable fall prediction monitoring system for early detection of fall risks that can provide early diagnosis and treatment before a fall occurs to reduce long-term health effects and injuries, and ultimately, help stave off death.

Users likely would wear the device as a faux piece of jewelry on a piece of clothing or around an ankle. It will measure potentially small declining increments in gait, posture, and mobility of a patient, major indictors that can help point to a future fall, says Thurmon Lockhart, an associate professor with the Virginia Tech Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering<, part of the College of Engineering.

“I believe we could really help some people, that is the reason for this program, helping save lives” says Lockhart, who also is director of the Virginia Tech Locomotion Research Lab, and has worked with dozens of U.S. companies – including delivery giant UPS – in training workers in fall training safety.

Joining Lockhart on the research project from Virginia Tech are Dong Ha, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Karen Roberto, professor of human development and director of the Center for Gerontology and the Institute for Society Culture and Environment. Also joining the study is John Lach, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

The two universities will share the grant, with $750,000 going to Virginia Tech, and $450,000 to University of Virginia. “Our focus is on preventative measures,” Roberto says. “The idea is to identify with some confidence those older adults most at risk for falling before they actually fall. With this type of information, facilities could implement safety measures and work with those individuals to prevent and reduce fall accidents.”

The federal grant money is a pittance compared to the health care costs associated with falls among the elderly, said Lockhart. In 2005, the latest numbers available from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, direct medical costs of falls totaled more than $19 billion and fatal fall costs $349 million.

With inflation, skyrocketing health care costs and the aging of the baby-boomer generation, these numbers likely are to dramatically increase. An early prototype of the sensor already has been built and tested under a previous National Science Foundation funded project by Lockhart and Lach.

The newer project will develop a monitoring system called “ROOP-Alert” for Remote Observation Operating Platform. It will bridge gait and posture analysis, body sensor networks, low-power radio frequency wireless communication, and gerontology.

Home Sales Up In July Over Last Year in Roanoke Valley

2011-08-13T08:25:00.002-04:00

Realtors in the Roanoke Valley got some good news yesterday from the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors. Its report for July 2011 says sales increased 23.9 percent over July of last year, even though the sale price dropped to $176,289, nearly $15,000 less than a year ago.

There were 342 home sales in the Roanoke Valley last month and 276 in the same month in 2010.

TREAD To Expand in Botetourt County

2011-08-12T13:52:00.005-04:00

Botetourt Administrator Gerry Burgess (left) Accepts $100,000 check from Gov. Bob McDonnell for the TREAD expansion.

TREAD Corp., a manufacturer of bulk handling equipment for the explosives industry will invest $5 million to expand its operations in Botetourt County, creating 100 new jobs. The expansion will take place at the EastPark Commerce Center.

Speaking at a news conference today at Greenfield Education and Training Center, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said, “Botetourt County has been home to TREAD Corporation’s corporate, sales and support, and manufacturing operations since 2004. The company has experienced tremendous growth operating equipment all over the world from Botetourt, and appreciates the ample workforce found in the region. We are thrilled that TREAD will continue to expand.”

TREAD plans to begin its expansion by the third quarter of 2011 and create at least 100 jobs within 36 months. The average wage for the new jobs will be $17.50 per hour plus benefits. The project’s investment will be a minimum of $5 million, of which approximately $4.75 million will be in building and infrastructure with the balance in machinery and tools within 36 months. Square footage of the expansion, including manufacturing space, staging area and parking, has yet to be determined.

The new jobs are primarily production oriented with skills focused on but not limited to welding and mechatronics. “Our location in Botetourt County strategically positions the company to service the global explosives equipment market," says Phil Bortz, vice president, worldwide sales. "TREAD is fortunate to have a skilled work force, which when coupled with economic opportunities, provides the resources to grow the business and serve our customers’ needs.”

TREAD, a privately held company founded in 1957, has operated from its current facility since 2004. The company, with 170 current employees, has added about 65 jobs since June 2010.