FREE
NOVEMBER 2012
SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/ NEW RIVER E R VA V VALLEY A LL LLE EY YR REGION EG E G IO ION
Modernizing the powder plant BAE Systems S Ordnance Systems takes over a New River Valley manufacturer with a 72-year history
HomeTown Bank is built around service. In my business, I value solid partnerships. That’s why I like HomeTown Bank. They offer a great range of services that help my company run smoothly and most importantly, they pay attention to my business needs. From remote deposits and online banking, to excellent service inside the bank, HomeTown appreciates my business. Allen Whittle, Thor Construction
Isn’t it time you turned over a new leaf? www.hometownbankva.com 345-6000 Member FDIC
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTING AND BROKERAGE CONSTRUCTION
The success of your organization is dependent upon your employees. They are your greatest asset. At Rutherfoord, our employee benefits professionals can assist you in developing
PROPERTY AND CASUALTY
programs that empower employees to take
SURETY BONDING
satisfaction, improvving g overall employee health
charge of their health – increasing employee and reducing beneefits costs.
ALTERNATIVE RISK CAPTIVES CONTROLLED INSURANCE PROGRAMS
ruth ru ther e foor ord. d co com m
ENVIRONMENTAL BROKERAGE AND CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS MARITIME PERSONAL INSURANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES
ONE SOUTH JEFFERSON ST, ROANOKE, VA 24011 PHONE- 540-982-3511 ALEXANDRIA, VA ATLANTA, GA CHARLOTTE, NC GLEN ALLEN, VA
HAMPTON ROADS, VA LYNCHBURG, VA MOBILE, AL PETERSBURG, VA
PHILADELPHIA, PA RALEIGH, NC RICHMOND, VA ROANOKE, VA
CONTENTS SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/ NEW RIVER VALLEY REGION
November 2012 FEATURES COVER STORY
6
Modernizing the powder plant
6
BAE Systems Ordnance Systems takes over the Radford arsenal and will oversee a major expansion. by Jenny Kincaid Boone
TECHNOLOGY Accelerating Business VT KnowledgeWorks gives entrepreneurs a good start and honest advice. by Jenny Kincaid Boone
16
19
HEALTH CARE Nursing shortage It’s a cyclical thing, but this cycle may be worse than most.
19
by Anna Westerman
EDUCATION Quiet, but quick Virginia Tech’s battery-powered racing bike can hit 100 mph.
22
16
by Michael Abraham
D 26
28
E
P
A
R
INTERVIEW
M 32
E
N
T
S
ROANOKE NEXT
Putting the fest in Floyd
A different path
One couple’s dream becomes a major festival. by Jeanne Chitty
Caroline Pritchett has learned lessons from Katrina’s aftermath and Floyd County vegetables. by Mindy King
LIFESTYLES Hokie tailgating The menu ranges from baked salmon to Luther burgers, but it always includes fun. by Donna Alvis-Banks
2
T
22
NOVEMBER 2012
33
NEWS FROM THE CHAMBER
36
NEWS FROM THE PARTNERSHIP`
Smart Tool for Financing • home improvement projects • major repairs • major purchases • bill consolidation
1to 60 Months
Member FDIC
* with a Valley Bank MyLifestyle Checking account or a Valley Bank Money Market account.
OTHER TERMS AND RATES AVAILABLE.
Valley Bank pays all Closing Costs excluding the appraisal fee.
MyValleyBank.com
EQUAL HOUSING
LENDER
*Terms and conditions: To obtain the 3.45% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for a 60 month term either a Valley Bank MyLifeStyle checking account or a Valley Bank Money Market account are required. A 4.52% APR for up to 60 months will apply without one of these deposit accounts. APRs are effective as of September 1, 2012 and are subject to change at the bank’s discretion. Payment example for a consumer who finances $10,000 at a term of 60 months and at an annual percentage rate of 3.45% would result in 60 payments of $181.70. A consumer who finances $10,000 at a term of 60 months and at an annual percentage rate of 4.52% would result in 60 payments of $186.22. The minimum loan amount is $10,000. The maximum loan amount is $417,000. Loan-to-value ratio can be up to 85%. Valley Bank pays all closing costs for a new equity loan, with the exception of the cost of an appraisal if required. If you pay off your loan within 36 months, all closing costs paid by Valley Bank on your behalf must be reimbursed. Available for owner occupied principal residences only. Purchase money loans are not eligible. Home equity loans may be either a 1st or 2nd deed of trust. If a 1st deed of trust, the payments do not include taxes and insurance and the actual payment obligation will be greater. If a 2nd deed of trust, the 1st must be held by an institutional lender. Property insurance and flood insurance, if applicable, must be in effect on the property being secured. Other products and terms may exist for applications which do not qualify under the aforesaid conditions. Interest paid on home equity loans may be tax deductible and you should consult your tax advisor regarding tax advantages. Home Equity loans are subject to credit approval, verification and collateral evaluation.
FROM THE EDITOR Wisdom from people who’ve been there SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/ NEW RIVER VALLEY REGION
by Tim Thornton
C
onventional wisdom holds that small businesses create most of the new jobs in the American economy. But that’s only part of the story. According to a report from the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, very small businesses can be very volatile. Between 1989 and 2009, about 95 percent of the startup businesses in the country had 20 or fewer employees. But so did about 95 percent of the businesses that closed. Even in this Year of the Entrepreneur in Virginia, starting a business is a risky thing. Michelle Dykstra calls it “a huge leap of faith … I pray to God that people are going to give me money for doing what I want to do.” Dykstra, the wife in the husband-and-wife team that is Six-Eleven Bicycle Co., was speaking at the Roanoke Regional Adventure Tourism Workshop on a crisp just-before-fall day at Camp Roanoke. She was one in a series of entrepreneurs who shared what they’ve learned from their startups with people who want startups of their own. Six-Eleven is a very special case. Michelle’s husband, Aaron, has won a pile of awards for his bike frames, and there’s a year’s wait list for their custom-made, hand-built bikes. The company has more than a good product. “We gave ourselves a story,” Michelle Dykstra says, naming their bikes after the legendary 611 steam locomotive that was built in Roanoke in 1950. Every Six-Eleven bicycle carries a medallion that says it was built in Roanoke, a medallion similar to the one the 611 locomotive wears. “Roanoke has such a manufacturing heritage, such a blue-collar authenticity,” she says. And yet, Dykstra says, “Luxury bikes were never going to make us money.” So Six-Eleven plans to manufacture less expensive bikes. “We want to produce a bike we can afford to buy,” she says. All the business owners who spoke that day talked about the necessity of being flexible and adaptable. “You’ve got one or two chances to screw up,” Dykstra says. Stratton Delaney knows about adapting, and he’s seen some screw-ups. Delaney started an online store for bike frames in his basement in 2007. Now he sells and services bikes at Starlight Bicycles in downtown Roanoke. He started Starlight Custom Cycling Apparel two years ago. Now the cycling apparel business is bigger than the bike shop. Delaney described one bike shop filled with photos of the owner, then counseled against “building your business around yourself instead of your customers.” He offered what seems like very basic advice. “Don’t be afraid to charge what something is worth,” he says. “Don’t ever give away stuff you can sell. … Most of your customers probably make more money than you do.” There are lots of programs, agencies and organizations willing to help entrepreneurs, Delaney says, and entrepreneurs should take advantage of them, but ultimately, he says, “If your business does fail, you have no one to blame but yourself. Ever.” The workshop was aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs, especially entrepreneurs interested in businesses built on adventure tourism. But much of what the experienced entrepreneurs said has a much wider application. That seems especially true of what may have been the best advice that came out of the workshop. It came from Gene Nervo, who started Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing 21 years ago after spending 33 years in the Marine Corps. “If you don’t love it, and you don’t look forward to doing it every day,” Nervo says, “My advice is don’t do it.”
Vol. 1
NOVEMBER 2012
President & Publisher Roanoke Business Editor Contributing Writers
Bernard A. Niemeier Tim Thornton Jenny Kincaid Boone Anna Westerman Michael Abraham Jeanne Chitty Donna Alvis-Banks Mindy King
Art Director Contributing Designer Contributing Photographers
Adrienne R. Watson Elizabeth Coffey Sam Dean Alisa Moody Mark Rhodes
Production Manager Circulation Manager Accounting Manager Advertising Sales
Kevin L. Dick Karen Chenault Sunny Ogburn Lynn Williams Hunter Bendall
CONTACT: EDITORIAL: (540) 520-2399 ADVERTISING: (540) 597-2499 210 S. Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011-1702 We welcome your feedback. Email Letters to the Editor to Tim Thornton at tthornton@roanoke-business.com VIRGINIA BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS LLC A portfolio company of Virginia Capital Partners LLC Frederick L. Russell Jr.,, chairman
on the cover Radford Army Ammunition Plant Photo courtesy BAE Systems
4
NOVEMBER 2012
No. 5
Innovation can hit you anywhere. We can get you from ink to Inc. Starting out right by protecting your ideas and intellectual property will get you further down the road to success. Forming your company, operating and ownership agreements, capital development, nondisclosures, licensing and noncompete agreements — that’s what we can do for you.
Gentry Locke 10 Franklin Road S.E. Roanoke, VA 540.983.9300 Toll-free: 866.983.0866 gentrylocke.com
COVER STORY
Mode the BAE Systems Ordnance Systems takes over Radford arsenal and will oversee a major expansion by Jenny Kincaid Boone
6
NOVEMBER 2012
ernizing e powder plant A $240 million expansion next year will update the arsenal’s nitrocellulose facility and create many new construction jobs.
Then and now -- This is how the plant looked during a dedication ceremony on March 18, 1941. This and other old photos are movie stills, taken from a video clip of the ceremony.
Photo courtesy BAE Systems Inset photo by CriticalPast.com
ROANOKE ROA OANO ANO NOKE NOKE KE BUSINESS BUS USIN INES NES ESS
7
Cover story behind-the-scenes group of people in Southwest Virginia is a key arm in the nation’s defense operations. Without their work, U.S. s o l d i e r s wo u l d n o t h ave t h e tools to defend the country. They are the employees at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, one of the New River Valley’s 10 largest employers. The facility began as a smokeless powder plant during World War II. Seventy-two years later, the arsenal continues to supply military munitions for the U.S. armed forces in the form of propellants used to make things like shells for helicopter and aircraft canons and larger rounds for tanks and artillery. In fact, of the nine to 10 ammunition plants left in the country, the Radford plant is the only one that makes nitrocellulose, a key ingredient in military ammunition. en
Since July 1, there has been a significant shift at this sprawling industrial site, which sits on a combined 7,000 acres in Radford and Dublin. That’s when BAE Systems Ordnance Systems became the new operator, following a bidding process that began in 2010. BAE beat out longtime operator Alliant Techsystems for a 10-year contract to operate the government-owned plant. BAE, which runs a similar plant in Kingsport, Tenn., has three fiveyear options to renew its contract, but it will receive $850 million for the first 10 years from the Army. It’s too soon to tell whether BAE’s takeover will bode well for the plant and the region, but economic development officials were pleased last month when BAE announced that it will break ground next year on a new $240 million nitrocellulose facility. The three-year, federally funded project would replace the plant’s current aging facility. “It’s a go project. It’s in design, and the final design will affect the number of construction jobs, but we expect the number to be substan-
In this movie still, a worker produces nitrocellulose, a fluffy,flammable material used in making military ammunition. The Radford arsenal is the only place in the U.S. where nitrocellulose is made.
8
NOVEMBER 2012
tial,” said Tony Hewitt, director of commercial development and community relations for BAE’s Radford and Kingsport plants. The expansion also would represent one of the largest new industrial projects the region has seen in years. “The arsenal is a key employer and a key industry in the region. That would be a welcome investment to the arsenal’s future,” says Aric Bopp, executive director of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance. Cutline BAE is bringing back jobs that Alliant laid off during the shift in operators. “Our philosophy was to come in and take advantage of the experience of the existing work force, same people, same process, same material providers,” says Bill Barnett, the plant’s new general manager. Nitrocellulose, a flammable, fluffy white material made of cellulose and nitric acid, is shipped from Radford to other commercial plants that use the propellant to make different kinds of ammunition. Without tthe Radford plant, “the United States State would have to spend billions re-creating its capabilities or be totally dependent on foreign sources of supply,” Daniel Goure, vice president with the Lexington Institute — a nonprofit public policy research organization in Arlington — wrote in a brief published on the institute’s website. The institute strives to educate and shape public debate on national priorities such as national security and s eeducation reform. The Radford facility was built in 1940 as one of the counb try’s first smokeless powder tr plants. It supplied ammunition pl for World War II soldiers, at a fo time when demand was rampant. tim The Th plant’s production halted Photo by CriticalPast.com
Cover story temporarily after World War II, but it resumed in 1949, just before the Korean War. In all, the facility produced about 600 million pounds of powder during war times, including the Vietnam War, states GlobalSecurity.org. Despite the arsenal’s long history, BAE is only its third operator. Hercules initially ran the plant, before Alliant bought the company and became operator in 1995. The Radford operation employed as many as 10,000 people in the 1960s. This was during a time when the armed forces’ numbers were larger, Goure says. The U.S. military peaked at 3.4 million members in 1969. About 1.4 million service members are on active duty today. BAE brings sound defense experience to Radford, Goure says. The company, which has operated the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee for the past 12 years, is a subsidiary of Arlingtonbased BAE Systems Inc. That company is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, a London-based global defense, security and aerospace business. BAE’s IMX-101 explosive, produced at Holston, was named one of the 50 Best Inventions of 2010 by Time Magazine. This explosive is less volatile and can be stored tightly in storage areas, making it more accessible to soldiers, according to Time. BAE Systems Inc. had sales of $14.4 billion in 2011. Both BAE and Alliant are “extremely competent” companies that are the two premier ammunition makers in the country, Goure says. BAE, however, has a wide net of knowledge in the defense industry, including the production of guns and artillery. “These guys are able to kind of understand the full spectrum that’s involved for the demand for and use of military munitions,” Goure says. As of early September, there Photo courtesy BAE Systems
Bill Barnett, new general manager at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, says the plant will employ at least 700 people by the end of the year.
were about 620 employees at the Radford plant. But when BAE took over in July, there were approximately 200, Barnett says. Alliant laid off plant employees ahead of the operator shift. Linda Burcham, a spokeswoman for Alliant, would not
disclose the number of jobs lost. A June WARN notice filed by Alliant with the Virginia Employment Commission stated the company’s plans to lay off 614 employees. Now, BAE is hiring. Barnett says he expects the plant’s employees to ROANOKE BUSINESS
9
Cover story
This aerial photo shows the sprawling Radford Army Ammunition Plant complex, which sits on 7,000 acres.
total at least 700 by the end of this year. That’s good news for the region’s job market, says Bopp. The plant pays competitive wages and has “a great blend of both professional and production employees,” he says. Arsenal jobs range from manufacturing and engineering to risk management and supervisory roles. More than 450 employees at the Radford facility are members of the United Steelworkers Union, Local 8-495. BAE and the union adopted a three-year contract in October, which provides raises to union employ10
NOVEMBER 2012
ees and caps increases in health insurance premiums. Under the contract, union workers received hourly pay raises of 50 cents an hour, and they will get additional raises of 52 cents an hour for the second year and 52 cents an hour in the third year, says David Harrell, the union’s vice president. The workers earn $19 to $26 an hour. BAE officials say the company plans to continue modernizing the plant with new technologies. Some upgrades already were under way before BAE became operator. An example is the
new nitrocellulose facility. The Army planned this addition, and BAE will take over the construction. “This is not a shortterm vision for BAE,” Barnett says. “We’re here, in our minds, for the next 25 years. You’ve got to come in and be a good steward of the facility.” It’s not unusual that a U.S. ammunition plant would need an upgrade. Most in this country were built at the start of World War II, putting them in major need of modernization, Goure says. BAE officials claim that much of the upgrades will make the Radford fa-
cility more environmentally friendly. The Radford plant led the Toxics Release Inventory in 2010, the latest ranking of toxic emissions at Virginia facilities. Radford’s total emissions were approximately 12.5 million pounds, significantly higher than the No. 2 ranked plant, the Chesterfield Power Station, with 3.5 million pounds. The inventory tracks such toxins as lead and mercury at Radford. Toxins in the form of nitrates are released from the plant into the nearby New River, but so far, there is no evidence that nitrates have harmed the Photo courtesy BAE Systems
Ask a doctor if Aetna Whole Health is right for you. (We already know the answer.) We’re Aetna Whole Health, a doctor-driven collaboration between Aetna and Carilion Clinic that promises to change the way you think about health care. With a network that includes strategic partners such as LewisGale Regional Health System, we’re striving to align the best physicians with the best technologies to deliver superior patient care at a lower cost. Call your broker or Aetna Sales Agent to learn more. Or visit AetnaACS.com/employers
(L[UH PZ [OL IYHUK UHTL \ZLK MVY WYVK\J[Z HUK ZLY]PJLZ WYV]PKLK I` VUL VY TVYL VM [OL (L[UH NYV\W VM Z\IZPKPHY` JVTWHUPLZ ;OL (L[UH JVTWHUPLZ [OH[ VMMLY \UKLY^YP[L VY HKTPUPZ[LY ILULĂ„ [Z coverage include: Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health Insurance Company of New York, Aetna Health Insurance Company and/or Aetna Life Insurance Company (L[UH 0U 4HY`SHUK I` (L[UH /LHS[O 0UJ -HYTPUN[VU (]LU\L /HY[MVYK *; ,HJO PUZ\YLY OHZ ZVSL Ă„ UHUJPHS YLZWVUZPIPSP[` MVY P[Z V^U WYVK\J[Z
Cover story
Plant officials say updates to equipment will help reduce toxic emissions into the New River. The state’s environmental agency is requiring the plant to install additional air pollution devices.
Poe & Cronk The Region’s Leader
In Commercial and Industrial Real Estate Our success is built by working in partnership with our valued clients and focusing on their success. This is reŇected in repeat referrals from those with whom we are privileged to serve. We are proud to welcome “Roanoke Business” to our Region. Please visit our oĸces at The Tower in downtown Roanoke.
10 South Jeīerson Street, Roanoke, VA • www.poecronk.com
Individual Memberships
12
NOVEMBER 2012
river’s fish species or had other negative impacts, says George negat Santucci, president of the NaSantu tional tiona Committee for the New River, Rive a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina. The group regularly monitors emissions from the arsenal, em Santucci says. “They’re nevSan er going to eliminate the nitrates,” he says, adding that tra many water systems contain m some nitrates. “They make so ammunition for our entire a military. The volume is just m off o the charts.” Still, upgrading the plant’s antiquated equipment should help to reduce emissions into the river over time, Santucci adds. Additionally, a violation for excessive carbon monoxide e emissions emission at the plant remains unresolved. resolved In April 2011, the Radford arsenal was fined $20,304 by the Department of Environmental Quality for excessive carbon monoxide emissions. A consent order issued by DEQ requires that the plant install additional air pollution control equipment. But this year’s contractor change at the plant caused a delay in getting the necessary pollution control equipment installed, says Bill Hayden, a spokesman for DEQ. He says installation should begin soon. DEQ plans to meet with Army and plant officials to review a timeline for completing the installation. Also, the Radford facility has been cited more often for violations of environmental regulations than any other facility in the Blue Ridge region, according to DEQ. There are eight consent orders for the arsenal cited on DEQ’s website. “Considering the size and complexity of a plant like that, it’s not unusual to have several consent orders over a Photo by CriticalPast.com
We’re Still Growing … Radford University’s growth continues! We’re making room for our new $49 million, 115,000-square-foot Center for the Sciences. Follow our progress at www.radford.edu.
Artist’s renderings of the Center for the Sciences
Cover story couple of years,” Hayden says. Still “the fewer there are the better.” Barnett of BAE says there is a competent en-
Ten tenants lease space at the Radford site, including Grucci, a fireworks manufacturer; Alexander Arms, a company that makes fire-
nesses to the site and increase the area’s economic development opportunities. But challenges loom in the ammunition production
“This is not a short-term vision for BAE. We’re here, in our minds, for the next 25 years.” vironmental team in place at the plant that will work closely with DEQ to improve environmental management. “Those folks aren’t there to monitor compliance,” he says. “They’re there to improve upon our process.” Manufacturing facilities are exploring ways to produce ammunition with less pollutant, and this is a longterm plan at Radford, says Goure of the Lexington Institute. BAE’s other responsibilities go beyond producing propellant for ammunition. The company must help the Army market available industrial space for lease in the plant’s park, an initiative known as the Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) Program. The Army owns the industrial site and adjoining spaces. It leases space to businesses that are a good fit for the plant, such as those that produce military related products or need to be in a secure facility. Leasing this space helps the Army reduce its overhead costs, says Stephen Abney, a spokesman for the Army’s Joint Munitions Command. 14
arms; and New River Energetics, a medium-caliber ammunition producer and commercial powder operation that makes gun powder. New River Energetics is a part of Alliant Techsystems that still operates in Radford. Space is available for new tenants at the site, but the total square footage is unclear, says Charles Saks, a public affairs officer for the Army at the Radford facility. Bopp says he hopes BAE will attract more busi-
NOVEMBER 2012
The U.S. gradually is pulling troops out of Afghanistan, a move that will lessen the need for military combat ammunition.
industry. The U.S. gradually is drawing troops down in Afghanistan, a move that will lessen the need for military combat ammunition, Goure says. When U.S. troops first went to the Middle East, “people in the ammunition business had to go to multiple shifts and do a lot more because the demand for munitions had skyrocketed,” Goure says. “Everybody had to step up their game. Now we’re going down the other side of that curve.”
Still, 90 percent of the propellant produced for ammunition in Radford stays in the U.S. for military training, Abney says. It doesn’t all go to the front lines of war. BAE spokesman Neil Franz says company officials are “aware of overall declining defense budgets. However, we believe there will continue to be strong customer needs for munitions, and we’re confident in our plans for growth over the coming years.” Whether production of nitrocellulose will increase under BAE depends on customer demand, says Barnett. Though BAE officials, via Franz, say the company intends “to bring to Radford strategies and innovative ideas that will enable growth,” they did not offer specific details on the business plan. BAE’s first major test came on its first day as operator at Radford. Late on July 1, an acid tank overheated and leaked for about two hours through the next morning. Exposure to the chemical fumes sent one arsenal employee to the hospital. The plant shut down its nitrocellulose production line for much of the next day. Workers inspected the acid tanks and replaced four of them as a result of the leak, Abney says. “They went through their annual inspections,” he says. “They are very corrosive.” Abney says the leak did not shake the Army’s confidence in the new operator of the Radford arsenal.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
15
TECHNOLOGY
Accelerating business VT KnowledgeWorks gives entrepreneurs a good start and honest advice by Jenny Kincaid Boone
athy Kropff was tired of listening to her husband complain when he visited baseball fields. Chad Kropff, a sports turf and outdoor facilities manager for Virginia Tech’s department of recreational sports, noticed a problem with pitchers’ mounds. The pitching rubbers, the white rubber plates on which baseball pitchers stand, were bowed and twisted. Field crews flip them over for reuse, but they still were in bad condition. So, why not sell a heavier rubber, Cathy Kropff suggested to her husband.
C
The Roanoke couple’s business idea was born, and this year, they launched it. But that was after they visited a unique enterprise at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg. VT KnowledgeWorks helps new business ventures take off and keep growing. Yet it’s not a business incubator, insists executive director Jim Flowers. An incubator traditionally offers startup companies a few select services and shared office space at a discount. VT KnowledgeWorks calls itself a business accelerator. Its staff consults with entrepreneurs at all stages of a new business’s
development, from the bright idea through the grown-up phase. VT KnowledgeWorks, a subsidiary of the Corporate Research Center, sells a slew of services to help new enterprises thrive, including monthly meetings with professional mentors, risk-reduction workshops, leadership retreats and market research. Businesses pay $1,000 to $2,000 annually for different services. Membership is $250 per year. Flowers is the face of VT Knowledgeworks. He’s a former tech entrepreneur himself, and he’s often the first person to meet with aspiring business owners. He may encourage
Jim Flowers leads VT KnowledgeWorks in Blacksburg.
16
NOVEMBER 2012
Photos by Sam Dean
them to move forward with a feasible idea. He also may tell them to drop it. One-third of new entrepreneurs who consult with VT KnowledgeWorks decide not to launch a business. “We keep them from launching a company with fatal flaws,” Flowers says. “It leaves them with their money and time intact.” Flowers believes this honest assessment is a major reason VT KnowledgeWorks has a high success rate. Since it opened in 2004, only two of its more than 100 companies have failed after launching. This statistic is significant, considering that 85 percent of new businesses often fail in the first or second year, Flowers says. Aspiring entrepreneurs too often presume that a market will behave in a certain way, he says. That’s where counsel from VT KnowledgeWorks comes in handy. It sets out to transform people who have no business sense into those who can run a thriving enterprise. “People who are inventive have a high-ego involvement in their creations,” Flowers says. “We focus really heavily on who’s really going to buy this stuff and how are you going to address the competition. We do all of that stuff before they open the business.” VT KnowledgeWorks offers office space for new businesses inside the Corporate Research Center at a 10 percent discount from standard rates. It mostly works with high-tech startups, with a focus on inventions by Virginia Tech researchers. This year, the company held the first Tech Transfer Challenge, which gives $100,000 worth of mentoring and business support services to a winning Virginia Tech student, faculty or staff team with a new venture idea based on university-owned technology. The Kropffs considered launching their pitching rubbers business once before. They stopped after learning that the product would carry a high price tag. But last summer, they gave the venture another try af-
Drew Morgan in the lab at Aeroprobe, an airflow measurement company.
ter Cathy Kropff, marketing manager for Virginia Tech’s department of recreational sports, heard about VT KnowledgeWorks. The Kropffs visited Flowers. He encouraged them to run with the business, explaining that they are solving a problem for a niche market. “‘It’s okay if you’re the Mercedes of pitching rubbers,’ says Cathy Kropff, quoting Flowers. ‘That’s what you would be known as.’” Flowers steered the Kropffs to a one-day workshop called Founders Readiness Express. It gives new business owners advice on responsibilities, financial skills, management techniques and more. The couple also met with a financial representative and for six months used a community office at the Corporate Research Center where they studied and planned the business. Contacts through VT KnowledgeWorks also helped the Kropffs get a patent and develop a pay online function for their company website. The Kropffs launched Bulldog Field Equipment in January, selling adult and youth pitching rubbers, ranging from $99 to $295, accord-
ing to the company’s website. These products are manufactured in China by Lynchburg-based Atlantic Precision Resource. The Kropffs operate the business out of their home, but the majority of VT KnowledgeWorks’ member companies lease office space inside the Corporate Research Center. Of the 55 VT KnowledgeWorks clients, 43 were tenants in the center as of mid-September, Flowers said. Unlike some traditional business incubators, companies can stay at the center as long as they want. “We don’t need to have people move out of the building,” Flowers says. “It’s a very self-accelerating, supportive community of similar people.” Aeroprobe Corp., a manufacturer of scientific instruments used in aerodynamic and hydrodynamic research, is one VT KnowledgeWorks member that has outgrown its office at the center. The center was at its first location about seven years ago. Now, Aeroprobe is building a 20,000-square-foot facility at Falling Branch Corporate Park in Christiansburg with plans to relocate there next year. Still, having an office in a business center is not feasible for every enterprise, particularly those that need to have a public presence, such as a retailer or an attorney, says Reed Kennedy, director of the Small Business Institute at Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, the Kropffs are moving forward and considering ways to sell pitching rubbers through vendors that supply equipment to field maintenance managers. In September, they shipped two pitching rubbers to Germany for the World Baseball Classic. The couple also is in the midst of developing new products for field maintenance workers. They still rely on VT KnowledgeWorks staff for advice. It was Flowers’ honesty early on about the Kropffs’ idea that gave them confidence to step into the business world. “We had some good mentors in our corner,” says Cathy Kropff. ROANOKE BUSINESS
17
ABOUT THIS SMALL. CARILIONLess SERVICES than INC half an inch. That’s the length of incisions full page
when you’re talking about the da Vinci® Surgical
System. With that small cut, surgeons at Carilion can accomplish big things, and offer you less discomfort and a shorter recovery. It’s a revolutionary approach to care, and only Carilion offers it here. Ask your doctor about da Vinci. You may have less to talk about than you ever imagined. The da Vinci Surgical System is available at:
• Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital • AND NOW at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
CarilionClinic.org/daVinci | 800-422-8482
HEALTH CARE
Jefferson College of Health Sciences nursing students in a wound management class.
Nursing shortage It’s a cyclical thing, but this cycle may be worse than most by Anna Westerman
ocal hospitals and universities are working again to stave off an epidemic that threatens to leave an aging population without adequate health care. The nation faces a shortage of up to 1.2 million nurses by 2020, according to the American Academy of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
L
Photo by Sam Dean
“For several years we’ve been knowing that despite not being in a particular shortage now, we could be in another anywhere from 2015 and on through,” says Carolyn Webster, Carilion Clinic’s director of nursing. This would be the fourth shortage of her 40-year career, but research shows it could the worst, ex-
acerbated by aging baby boomers, aging nurses and the increase in patients stemming from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Hospitals’ professional development programs and the number of educational programs in the area should help with any shortage in the Roanoke and New River valleys, ROANOKE BUSINESS
19
Health Care but there’s no guarantee, healthcare leaders say. A report from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) suggests that one in three patients across the state could be without needed nursing unless nursing programs see boosts in enrollment. The South is one of two regions (the other is the West) to be hit hardest by the shortage, according to the “United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast” published in the January issue of the American Journal of Medical Quality. The study’s authors assigned Virginia a letter grade of C-minus in addressing the shortage now, but it’s expected to fall to an F by the climax of the crisis. “Shortages are something that seem to be very cyclic,” Webster says. “This one is a little bit different because the range of positions avail-
able is higher. [It] used to be you either were a teacher or you worked in a hospital.” Nursing specialties range from hospital bedside, to case workers, hospice, gerontology, diabetic and beyond. Communities will see an uptick in services needed as healthcare legislation comes online, which means a growing demand for such positions outside the hospital’s walls. Graduates with advanced education and technological understanding will be needed for management and leadership roles. “That contributes to the fact that this shortage may end up being a bit steep. It’s going to be harder to meet the demand,” Webster says. Another factor is the aging work force, which hovers nationally between 46 and 51. “We’ve got a pretty old work force if you think about it,” says Pam Hardesty, chief nursing officer at LewisGale Regional Medical Center. While many nurses remain in health care through their 70s, the job can be physically demanding, and many prefer to move on to different roles. In 2009, noted Vanderbilt University nursing scholar Peter Buerhaus projected the average age of registered nurses to be 44.5 by this year. Meanwhile, nurses in their 50s could account for nearly 25 percent of the RN Lewis Gale Clinic population. That’s nurse Sara Noell holds baby Levi Laviolette why it’s important at the Lewis-Gale to recruit and retain Medical Center in younger nurses. Salem. Noell is At lea st fou r a graduate of the colleges in the valJefferson College leys have nursi ng of Health Sciences programs. Radford nursing program. University has three.
20
NOVEMBER 2012
Jefferson College of Health Sciences nursing student Kyleigh Moore, left, studies wound management with fellow students Bethany Allman, center, and Melissa Dunlea.
Graduates of Radford’s pre-licensure undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree qualify to sit for the licensing exam in any state. The university also offers a primarily web-based track for already licensed RNs and a doctoral program that gained accreditation this year. A nationwide push for doctoral programs began after the Institutes of Medicine called for a doubling of nurses with the degree. Schools in the Roanoke area are following their guidelines closely. While obtaining the RN designation is considered the first step in nursing education, the doctoral degree is the pinnacle, allowing graduates to fill leadership positions, to work as consultants, faculty or to even run their own offices. Jefferson College of Health Sciences was created by the 1965 convergence of the Lewis-Gale School of Nursing, founded in 1911 and the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing, founded in 1914. The college offers pre- and post-licensure bachelor’s programs. Two years ago, it began a four-semester accelerated bachelor’s program for students from other disciplines. Its first class graduates in December. Photos by Sam Dean
“We feel strongly that a stronger nursing force is best for all of us. At least five years ago, we started talking about AD [associate’s degree] versus bachelor programs,” says Ava Porter, chairwoman of the nursing department at Jefferson College of Health Sciences. Both Virginia Western and New River community colleges offer four-semester associate degree programs for RNs. New River offers a bridge program for licensed practical nurses wishing to become RNs. Both have articulation agreements with local four-year institutions such as Radford. At Jefferson, which is affiliated with Carilion, graduates are heading out the doors twice a year. “It’s helpful,” says Webster. “That may seem like a minor thing, but it kind of spreads out the population … We don’t want to go to the point where a warm body is good enough.” Virginia Tech has an agreement with the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing which allows students who successfully complete three years as biochemistry majors at Tech to be eligible for admission to the school of nursing program. If admitted and after completing two years in
Hopkins’ nursing program, the student earns the Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Tech and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Johns Hopkins. Last year, the AACN reported a 5.1 percent increase in enrollment among entry-level bachelor’s programs in nursing, but the organization doesn’t expect the increase to be sufficient to meet the projected demand. Even so, nursing schools nationwide turned away more than 75,000 qualified applicants in 2011 because of limited funds, faculty, clinical sites, classroom space and clinical preceptors, the AACN reports. Porter says retaining faculty is more difficult than getting students in the door. And you can’t have students without faculty or funding to pay their salaries. While neither Radford nor Jefferson has a faculty shortage, their nursing chairwomen note faculty shortages remain a problem nationwide. People can make more money being nurses than they can teaching nurses. According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the average salary of a nurse prac-
titioner is $91,310, while an instructor with a master’s degree earns an average of $72,028. “It’s hard to compete with that on the academic side, but you try very hard,” Porter says. Hospitals have to be diligent about keeping their nurses happy and educated as well. Many are working to mentor nurses, to get them into doctoral programs and to make sure they feel connected to all facets of care. Hardesty also points to the system’s two-year residency program as a way to retain the younger nurses. If a nurse is going to leave the profession, it’s most likely to happen in the first two years, she says. All newly hired graduates are placed in the program to shepherd their early careers and encourage them to further their education. LewisGale and Carilion also provide tuition reimbursement for nurses wishing to attain a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Hardesty, working now to fight off an approaching nurse shortage, entered the profession because of a similar threat. “I went into this because I remember in the ’70s that this was the profession of the future.” It still is, she says. ROANOKE BUSINESS
21
EDUCATION Mechanical Engineering team members from Virginia Tech work on an all electric motorcycle named BOLT, which stands for Battery Operated Land Transportation.
Quiet, but quick Virginia Tech’s battery-powered racing bike can hit 100 mph. by Michael Abraham
R
acing vehicles always exude a raw, edgy, purposeful look, even when they’re sitting still. Even when they’re plugged into a wall socket. Thus it is with the BOLT, an electric racing
22
NOVEMBER 2012
motorcycle built by 25 Virginia Tech undergraduate students headed by John Marshall, a senior in mechanical engineering from Loudoun County. A series of sub-teams is working on different aspects of the
motorcycle’s design: the suspension, the battery pack, the cooling system. Most of the participants are mechanical engineering students, but there are also electrical engineering and computer science
people. BOLT stands for Battery Operated Land Transportation. Marshall started with the project as a junior, the sole volunteer. The year before, another team did some work on a bike but
Photos by John McCormick, courtesy Virginia Tech
Education ran out of money. This bike has been raced successfully. “It is a senior design project, but it goes well beyond just a class,” Marshall beams. “It becomes an obsession. When things start coming together, it really gets rewarding.” Tech has contributed working space for the group in a building called the Joseph F. Ware Jr. Advanced Engineering Lab. It has housed a number of similar projects, including Indy race cars, radiocontrolled airplanes, even a miniature human-powered submarine. But most of the money for the BOLT has been provided by sponsors including Kollmorgen, Dunlop, Boeing, Areva and Go Race, whose decals adorn the burnt orange and white plastic cowlings. “On this bike, we’ve spent $70,000,” Marshall says. “It is a highly capitalintensive project.” The bike’s chassis is a 2009 Honda CBR 600RR. Conventional motorcycles have a gas tank, carburetors or fuel injectors, an internal combustion engine, a transmission, a chain and sprockets. An electric vehicle is much simpler, with just a battery pack, a controller, a motor, a chain and sprockets. The batteries act as the fuel. The controller monitors the discharge energy from the batteries to the motor, which transfers the electricity to a rotating shaft. The bike has no transmission or clutch. The rider twists the “throttle” on the right handgrip and away he goes. “We run in the TTX-GP Grand Prix Series, which is the first all-electric circuit in
the world. It is international in scope,” Marshall says. “This year, we’re the only team that isn’t comprised of professionals. Everyone on our team except the rider —who is a professional racer — is a student here at Tech.” The professional rider Marshall mentioned is Matt Kent, a senior engineer with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He says the electric bike handles similarly to a gas-powered motorcycle. “In fact, after the development that we conducted during our last race weekend, we discovered a programming change that makes the bike much similar to a gas-powered bike in terms of controlling the power. This
is a fundamental change that will drastically improve the handling characteristics of the bike from the rider’s perspective.” The BOLT feels nimble, Kent says, because, “the electric bike has much less rotating mass than a gaspowered bike. Therefore, an electric bike that weighs significantly more than a gas bike can actually feel lighter from the rider’s perspective. This is because decreased effort is needed to turn the bike since you are not fighting the rotational forces that are inherent to a crank, rods, pistons and transmission of a gas powered bike.” Kent rode the BOLT
in three races this summer, winning its class in all three and earning a spot in the series championship at Daytona Beach, Fla. The battery pack is comprised of separate units that resemble an iPad in size, shape and weight. It has two metallic foil strips that protrude from one end that are the terminals. There are 23 of these units in the BOLT. The battery type is lithium polymer, chosen because it has a high ratio of stored energy to weight and the ability to discharge rapidly. Each battery costs about $315 – that’s $7,250 worth of batteries. Marshall says they “last between 500 and 1000 re-charge cycles,
Students check out the bike’s electric motor.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
23
Education probably at the lower end since we push them so hard.” T he batter ies t hat move the bike around the track also keep electric bikes from really competing with the old fossil fuel-driven two-wheelers. TTXGP races cover about 20 miles. Gasoline-powered bikes race for 200 miles. Tech’s BOLT can go 100 mph. Next year, the team hopes to hit 150 mph. That will still be 20 mph behind gas racers. “What holds electric motorcycles back from being competitive with conventional gasoline powered bikes is the batteries,” Marshall says. “In the grander scheme of things, battery technology holds the world back. There’s plenty of energy on earth, but the
ability to store and use it whenever and wherever we need it is a challenge. “Potentially the goal of this project is to develop electric technologies that will transfer over to commercial use in much the same way that everyday cars benefit from racing technologies from a few years ago. One example is turbocharging. Most diesel autos and trucks on the road today are turbocharged. We’re on the forefront of electric motor technology and battery technology.” Electric motorcycles are already on the market, but they are limited in range and overall speed. The benefit is effortless driving, quiet operation, and low “fueling” and maintenance costs.
The College of Engineering’s BOLT team prepares to take the motorcycle on a test run.
Kollmorgen, the lead sponsor, has devoted several engineers to help Marshall’s team. They maintain close contact with the local division of the company in Radford. “The bike generates lots of heat when it is being ridden hard. One of our challenges is to cool the batteries because they won’t re-charge as fast if they’re hot,” Marshall says. “We want to engineer into the bike just enough juice to finish the race. We don’t want to be carrying around more batteries than we need.” The engineering faculty adviser for the team, Saied Taheri, says the BOLT project proves the student engineers can and will work long hours as a team and they can apply
classroom lessons to real life projects. “They have learned that engineering ethics is the key to a successful outcome,” Taheri says. “And they have become excellent engineers that can go out today and take on the most complex project and feel good about themselves and the fact that they are able to deliver what is needed.” Marshall turned on the controller and twisted the throttle. The back wheel spun frantically, held aloft on a work stand. The bike was nearly noiseless, other than the mechanical noise of the final drive chain and sprockets. “Being on a motorcycle is a liberating experience,” Marshall says. “Being on an electric motorcycle takes it to a whole new level.”
Pilots y airplanes. We drive business. For nearly 85 years, Roanoke Regional Airport has been a place where people go to work, travel for work, and get away from work. With just one stop linking Roanoke to nearly 500 destinations, your airport is your portal to the world...and an economic engine that produces an annual regional impact of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. But we realize our most important job is working as your advocate. While the airlines control fares, schedules, and ights, we never let them forget that you deserve the very best service possible. To learn more visit roanokeairport.com.
INTERVIEW: Kris Hodges and Erika Johnson, Owners, Across-the-Way Productions
‘Putting the fest in Floyd’ Erika Johnson and Kris Hodges began FloydFest in 2002.
One couple’s dream becomes a major festival by Jeanne Chitty
loyd wasn’t a music mecca when Kris Hodges and Erika Johnson opened Oddfellas Cantina half a block from the county’s only stoplight. The roads into town were crooked, but no one had named a marketing campaign after them yet. And neither The Washington Post nor The New York Times nor USA Today had written about how hip Floyd had become. A drummer, singer, songwriter, producer and engineer, Hodges began performing on stage and touring when he was 15. So, he liked to book bands into the restaurant. Local and regional artists played at Oddfellas. So did Norman Blake and some other big names. When the restaurant became really successful, Hodges and Johnson sold it. They wanted a bigger stage. They wanted to create FloydFest. That was more than a decade ago. The first FloydFest, held in 2002 in a field beside the Blue Ridge Parkway, featured Doc Watson and the Neville Brothers.
F
26
NOVEMBER 2012
There were no permanent stages. There was virtually no paid staff. A storm with 50 mph winds hit the first night of the first festival and knocked out the tents. But the show went on. It’s continued every July since, drawing national media attention. The first FloydFest consisted of a long weekend. The latest one ran for five days. FloydFest offers many things, but it’s built around music – from Americana to Zydeco. This summer’s lineup included Jackson Browne, Wayne Henderson, Drive-By Truckers, The Whitetop Mountain Band, Matisyahu, Big Tony and Trouble Funk, and Chris Thile and the Rogues. Other FloydFests have featured a Canadian Celtic rock band called Enter the Haggis and the African Showboyz, a group from Ghana that sometimes plays with fire and eats glass while dancing, playing and singing. If people have never heard of some of these musicians, that’s part of the point. FloydFest also offers yoga, magicians, storytell-
ing, contra dancing, belly dancing, trapeze classes and workshops on topics ranging from drumming to composting. Across-the-Way Productions, Johnson and Hodges’ event management company, also produces Vintage Virginia and the Virginia Wine Festival. The couple are partners in life as well as business, with two children. Linda DeVito, a New Yorker and Virginia Tech graduate, also has been an important part of Across-the-Way since the second FloydFest.
Roanoke Business: What were some of the problems you faced in the beginning?
Kris Hodges: Like any startup, FloydFest had its ups and downs. During our first year, a devastating hurricane swept across the mountains and totally leveled the festivities. But not even Mother Nature’s whim could dampen our spirits. If anything, the natural disaster strengthened everyone’s support of FloydFest. When all the power went down in the eighth and ninth years, the musicians calmly played on acoustically, and we were frantically figuring out the problem behind the scenes. The crowd’s cheers never missed a beat. In the beginning, we didn’t even have a main stage for our performers. Luckily, a local timber Photo courtesy Across-the-Way Productions
frame company came to us in the third year with plans to make a huge wooden stage. When it was in place, we knew we were here to stay.
RB: How has FloydFest evolved? Erika Johnson: For one thing, our themes vary from year to year. When the main stage went up, we were doing “Rock of Ages.” In the second year, our theme was “Out of This World Music.” Since then, we’ve had “A Midsummer’s Dream,” “Roots Alive,” “It’s in the Mix,” “Family Affair,” “Revival,” “Breaking Ground,” “The EXperience,” and “Lovers Rock.” We have to keep FloydFest fresh every year. There’s a fine line between what’s going to sell and what’s new and different. Linda DeVito: As we grew, parking and camping areas were enlarged. Recycling and cleanup efforts made the area even more appealing. To provide only positive entertainment and energy, acts and vendors were carefully chosen to avoid any political or religious messaging. We sought out local vintners and restaurants and enlisted them to offer their exceptional wines and delicious cuisine. Our visitors can now enjoy performances on 10 stages. In addition to expanding and improving our talent lineup with each festival, the number of visitors has increased. We had 8,500 this summer and will have the capacity for up to 12,500. Most of our visitors come from Virginia and North Carolina, but we draw people from along the East Coast.
RB: How does FloydFest differ from other festivals? Johnson: In addition to the number of different bands playing from early morning to midnight, a kaleidoscopic mixture of sights, sounds, movements, colors, tastes and scents surrounds the diverse crowds. When they aren’t dancing to the different musical rhythms on each stage, our guests are enchanted by painters, woodworkers, potters, clothing designers, photographers, sculptors, jewelry designers, yurt makers and hula hoop dancers. Throughout The Healing Arts Village, bodyworkers offer a sanctuary of relief and rejuvenation with Shiatsu, reflexology, acupuncture, pregnancy massage, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, ayurveda, Chinese medicine, aromatherapy and crystal healing. The Children’s Universe includes a toddler playground, child care, storytelling, trapeze artists, jugglers, a balloon artist, stilt walkers, art classes, a Tae Kwon Do clinic and a drumming workshop. Hodges: Although we never wanted to create the biggest music and art festival, Erika, Linda and I always wanted to produce the best. Now showcasing over 100 performers on 10 stages, FloydFest ranks among other top annual celebrations, such as Bonaroo in Manchester, Tenn.; Lollapalooza in Chicago; Southby-Southwest in Austin; and The Ultra Music Festival in Miami. With legendary performers including Alison Krauss, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Levon Helm, Taj Mahal, the Neville Brothers, John Scofield, Grace Pot-
ter and Doc Watson, we’ve garnered statewide and national appreciation.
RB: How have your accomplishments been recognized? Hodges: Last October the NEA’s National Council for the Arts invited us to speak about the development of FloydFest and how it transformed our community. Seven years ago the Virginia Wineries Association lifted a toast to the team for their creativity and customer service by asking Across-TheWay to manage the Vintage Virginia Wine Festival at Bull Run Special Events Center in Centreville. Three years later the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association asked Across-The-Way to manage the Virginia Wine Festival at Great Meadow in The Plains, the largest and the longest-running grape galas on the East Coast, respectively. RB: In addition to keeping a lot of Floyd residents busy with the big event, how does FloydFest support its community? Hodges: Our staff at AcrossThe-Way Productions is very conscious of its responsibility towards the local environment. Teaming with the Appalachian Carbon Partnership, we match every dollar donated at FloydFest to help steward areas of the Appalachian forests. The ACP works with landowners and other companies to promote sustainable forest management in Central Appalachia, safeguarding the ecological health and value of its beautiful green acres.
DeVito: One of the many ways in which we support our local community and its musicians is by holding a competition called ‘”Under the Radar” at FloydFest. Fledgling bands have the opportunity to play for the enthusiastic audiences, who then vote on the best performance. The winner receives a slot in the following year’s FloydFest on the Dreaming Creek Main Stage, as well as a $3,500 prize, 25 hours at Blackwater Recording Studio in town, and a microphone package. The runnerup comes away with $1,000 and a microphone gift, along with a place on stage in the next festival. RB: To what do you attribute the success of FloydFest? Johnson: We’re known for being true to our core values: high-quality entertainment, a family-friendly environment and exceptional customer service. We want to offer people more than just a vacation from their daily lives; we want them to have a staycation. With all of the fun activities and performances, FloydFest offers something for everyone. The beauty of our environment complements their experience and brings them back time after time. Hodges: We’ve redefined the art of the festival and turned our mountains into a mecca. It shows that even in the middle of widespread financial distress, people still need to celebrate life and release their burdens by reconnecting with what inspires them.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
27
LIFESTYLES
The menu ranges baked salmon to L but it always inclu
28 28
NOVEMBER 2012
Photos by Alisa Moody
Lifestyles Game day outside Lane Stadium means maroon and orange and food. Lots of food.
from Luther burgers, udes fun by Donna Alvis Alvis-Banks
oe Cahn just might have the best job in the world, a career he concocted for himself. Sixteen years ago, the selfappointed “Commissioner of Tailgating” — “The Commish,” for short — sold the house and the New Orleans cooking school
J
Photo credit
he owned to set out on his journey as the world’s only professional tailgater. Since then, he has visited every NFL arena, as well as all the mega-size college stadiums and many of the smaller ones. Along the way, he has met thousands of people who,
like himself, love a good tailgate party. He has attended more than 870 of them. Speaking by phone from Atlanta during a break from a recent media event, The Commish explained his reasons for doing what he does. “We live in a
ROANOKE BUSINESS
29
Lifestyles world of suspicion,” he laments. “The tailgate is the last great American neighborhood. In tailgating, you walk around and talk to people. You’re not judged by age or gender or color or anything else. You’re judged by one criterion and that’s what color jersey you have on.” “Tailgating,” the 64-year-old Cahn adds exuberantly, “is the new social networking. On Facebook, you might get a friend with the push of a button, but you get no food.” At Virginia Tech, of course, there’s no shortage of food or orangeand-maroon jerseys at home football games. For Hokie fans, tailgating seems to get bigger, better and exponentially more creative each year. Terri Lynn Howard and husband Chuck, a Blacksburg oral surgeon, have been tailgating for as long as they can remember. They’ve occupied their Lane Stadium corner parking spot for the past decade, putting out a spread that’s become something of a legend among tailgaters. With six to eight tents bearing Hokie emblems and a dozen tables covered in likewise festive tablecloths,
Terri Howard helps her husband whip up a game day drink, the “Hokie shooter,” served in a syringe in game colors.
30
NOVEMBER 2012
the Howards serve a buffet of delicacies ranging from baked Alaskan salmon to spicy Texas barbecue. At a recent party, Terri Lynn even had prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe chunks. “I cook and try to make all my things have an orange or maroon color,” she explains. “You’d be surprised how much food is orange!” Chuck and his buddies arrive at the site as early as 7 a.m. on game days to set up the tailgate. The oral surgeon attracts a lot of attention when he fires up his “Hokie Whacker,” an ear-piercing blender powered by a string weed-trimming engine, and when he produces his “Hokie Shooters,” colorful cocktail shots encapsulated in giant plastic syringes. “My husband just shines at these,” Terri Lynn says, admitting that she spends a great deal of time on her tailgate parties. “If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t do so much.” By the time the football game starts, she confesses, she’s tuckered out. She hasn’t been inside Lane Stadium in years, preferring instead to watch the game on a big screen TV in-
stalled in the back of her friend Dave Reynolds’ customized Hokie van. “Besides,” she adds, gesturing to the tents and tables, “somebody has to keep an eye on all this stuff. Anybody’s welcome here. It’s just a good time.” Cahn, The Commish, would agree there. He has been to Virginia Tech and University of Virginia tailgate parties where he said he found “two totally different atmospheres.” Virginia’s Cavaliers, he notes, had more of an “Old South” social mentality. “They even had a special libation area,” he says. “The Hokies needed no libation area. “The great thing about Virginia Tech is the atmosphere and the friendliness. I’ve only had one visit to Virginia Tech, but I remember it was a lot of fun. When you’re at Tech, you’ve got to be a Hokie.” Aaron Gresham of Radford already is training his young daughters to be Hokies. Abigail, 6, and Karly, 3, don their tiny Tech cheerleading costumes for the tailgate Gresham sets up with his brother-in-law, Photos by Alisa Moody
The tailgating scene includes trailers decked out with TVs, signage,and a foodfixing area.
Chris Quillen of Bristol. The two men pooled resources with other family members to buy a specially designed tailgate trailer equipped with a TV, satellite dish, refrigerator, microwave oven and keg beer system. “You just pile everything in the trailer and it makes it a little bit easier,” notes Quillen. Maroon and sporting a huge VT logo, the trailer attracts lots of attention in the Lane Stadium parking lot. Quillen and Gresham have a tailgate delicacy that attracts attention, too. “Our specialty is the Luther burger,” Gresham notes, describing a bacon cheeseburger squeezed between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts. “I think it was named after Luther Vandross,” adds Quillen. “Of course, he died of a heart attack.” Needless to say, local supermarkets approve of tailgating. Cooking and bartending drive up grocery sales. Tailgating, says manager Gary Willard of Wades Foods in Christiansburg, affects the independently owned business tremendously and
Lifestyles provides a boost for the local economy because so many fans come from other areas of the state and beyond. “On game day, our store goes up as much as 5 percent. Our deli sales double,” Willard said. “We sell tons of ice, some beer. Everything sells.” Willard said his employees prepare for tailgating by decorating the store and the food items they produce. It’s fun for everyone. “We enjoy it. People are always cheerful on game day,” he says. Well, maybe not everyone. Tailgating takes a toll on some local restaurateurs. Zeppoli’s owner Doris Fleming says it hurts her business, even though her eatery is one of the most popular spots in Blacksburg for Italian food. “Lasagna and salad aren’t big tailgate foods,” Fleming says. “Occasionally, I’ll get catering orders when the weather is cooler. ... I’ve been trying to think of ways to market better.” Not to be a spoilsport, Fleming admits to having a negative outlook on tailgating. She’s not normally a blasphemous Hokie fan, but she finds herself a bit more irreverent during football season. “I always pray for rain on game days,” she confesses.
Terri Howard’s prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe chunks and grapes is one of the orange and maroon dishes she serves.
Grilling is always popular at home games.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
31
Caroline Pritchett, a native of McLean, is a 2006 Virginia Tech graduate with a degree in building construction.
Caroline Pritchett
Next ROANOKE
A different path Caroline Pritchett has learned lessons from Katrina’s aftermath and Floyd County vegetables
by Mindy King
C
a r o li n e P r i t c h e t t loves working with her hands. Mostly, she uses them to raise houses and organic crops. The 28-year-old McLean native and 20 0 6 V ir ginia Tech graduate with a degree in building construction cofounded a nonprofit in Mississippi to build houses in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, one of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history. Last summer, she spent a month in Floyd County without the modern conveniences of cell phones and Internet access living in a mini-cabin on the rolling hills of an organic farming community. Then a friend invited Pritchett to join a Florida star tup that’s helping people and companies file claims with the program BP set up after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion poured millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. When she wasn’t traveling between McLean, Tampa and Craig County, Pritchett answered a few questions.
RB: Can you tell readers about the farm on which you recently worked? Pritchett: I worked for Riverstone Farm for one month. There was one other intern, two farm managers and two to 32
NOVEMBER 2012
three other workers on a given day. The interns lived in small cabins and shared a kitchen and bath in the barn. The farm was very family-oriented, and children were always welcome. They often helped! We grew almost everything that you fi nd in the supermarket, plus a few things that you never knew existed: chioggia [a member of the beet family], kohlrabi [a German turnip] and scapes from the stems of garlic, to name a few. We also had laying hens, donkeys, hogs and sheep. The farm harvested twice a week for farmers markets. The food was distributed to CSAs [community supported agriculture], local restaurants [such as Mickey G’s in Floyd and The River and Rail Restaurant and Firefly Fare in Roanoke], and Good Food Good People. My hopes were to work on an organic farm to see if it was something I'd enjoy doing. There is a huge movement towards destination farms. Organic farms solely producing produce to sell is the tip of the iceberg. For 10 years my mom and I have talked about a destination farm where people came to learn about organic food, teach their children where food came from, educate the public about living healthful lifestyles, provide cooking classes,
Photo by Mark Rhodes
farm tours, peaceful retreats, etc. I think it’s a great business model for many reasons, but after working on the farm for a short period, I realized I would stick to my own personal organic garden. Anyone that starts a farm must have extremely deep pockets.
finally move down and get the nonprofit started. We had our first round of Virginia Tech students in August 2009. It is no longer in operation. It is hard to get funds in a recession, especially for a natural disaster that occurred seven years ago.
RB: How did you become involved with a nonprofit designed to build homes in the wake of Katrina? Pritchett: Another young woman from the Virginia Tech architecture school moved to Pass Christian, Miss., with her family shortly after the storm. She ran a volunteer camp there for a few years. At the time I was working for a general contractor in D.C. A couple times I used my vacation time to travel down and help out. The young architect told me of her ideas to start the nonprofi t, which would later become a studentaccredited program. She kept after me to help her co-found it. In early 2009, the general contractor I had been working for went bankrupt, and I felt it was the perfect opportunity to
RB: Seven years after Katrina hit, what do you think are the major lessons we can learn from the disaster? Pritchett: The most important thing is to manage adequately to avoid or mitigate the impact of disasters. The next is to develop a rational and prudent system for enticing recovery. I also learned that the more effective recovery systems encourage those needing help to assist as well. I believe in teaching a man to fish, not giving him a fish. I also believe in helping those that are willing to help themselves. Our nonprofit required homeowners to pitch in at least 100 hours. It’s healthy for people to feel a sense of self-worth. Encourage others to help themselves.
Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce | SPONSORED CONTENT
Roanoke Regional Chamber recognizes Chamber Champions and event sponsors CHAMBER CHAMPIONS BB&T
EVENT SPONSORS 2012 Roanoke Regional Cup Presented by All Star Impressions (golf tournament)
Brown Edwards Blue Ridge Copier Cox Business Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore
Gold Sponsors Cox Business Chocklett Press The Homestead Roanoke Country Club
Grow Inc. LifeWorks REHAB (Medical Facilities of America) Lumos Networks rev.net Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC Trane
Title Sponsor All Star Impressions Silver Sponsors Anthem Appalachian Power Branch Management Carilion Clinic First Citizens Bank Trane
Woods Rogers PLC Valley Bank Interactive Achievement Delta Dental Rockydale Quarries Corp. Bank of Floyd Hole Sponsors Mattress Firm Mountain Valley Transport Oasis Point & Beverage Cart Sponsors First Piedmont Corp. Pepsi Bottling Group
Tread Corp. Wells Fargo Woods Rogers Attorneys at Law
Swing into Business – Business After Hours Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC Roanoke Country Club
Pepsi Bottling Group
Business After Hours – The Shenandoah Club Note: Chamber Champions are members who support the Roanoke Regional Chamber through year-round sponsorships in exchange for year-round recognition.
Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC The Shenandoah Club HomeTown Bank
ROANOKE BUSINESS
33
SPONSORED CONTENT | Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce
Member news & recognitions Advance Auto Parts, a leading retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries and maintenance items headquartered in Roanoke, has announced the following promotions: Joe Gonzalez has been promoted to area senior vice president Tweedy and will lead the company’s store operations in Florida, the Southeast, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; Kurt Schumacher has been promoted to senior vice president, national field operations; and Rusty Tweedy has been promoted to area senior vice president with responsibility for the company’s store operations in the mid-Atlantic regions. Brown, Edwards & Co. has announced the promotion of Billy R. Robinson, James R. Fries, Laura H. Robinson Guilliams Sprouse, Robert G. Guilliams, Tony M. Harris, Jr., and Elizabeth K. Hammond to firm directors. Robinson specializes in construction Fries Harris companies, familyowned businesses and governmental entities. Fries works with employee benefit plans and Sprouse Hammond not-for-profit organizations; Sprouse specializes in the information systems area of the accounting firm; Guilliams serves as the firm’s director of information technology; Harris specializes in the taxation of corporations and pass-through entities and in individual taxation; and Hammond is a member of the tax department with extensive experience dealing with various tax and business issues. Sidney Mallenbaum, M.D., medical director of the stroke unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, has been elected co-chair of the Virginia Mallenbaum Stroke Systems Task Force. Linda Staley, brand manager at Carilion Clinic, was admitted into the Public Relations Society of America’s prestigious College of Fellows. Staley, along with 14 other new fellows, was inducted Staley during the society’s international conference held in October. 34
NOVEMBER 2012
Center in the Square has received a check for $40,000 from the Square Society for 2012. Funds were raised at the Center in the Square Annual Dinner held at Hotel Roanoke. The Square Society has now raised a total of $278,872 for Center in the Square since 1998. Cushman & Wakefield |Thalhimer has announced that R&K Solutions, a leading provider of facility portfolio management services and software, has leased 25,462-square-feet in the Johnson & Johnson Building, located along I-581 in Roanoke. R&K’s new, larger location will house 60 to 70 employees. The board of directors of Downtown Roanoke, Inc. (DRI) has appointed Stephen Musselwhite to serve as interim president of the organization, following the recent resignation of Sean Luther. Luther had served as the DRI president since 2009. Musselwhite served as chair of the board from in 2011-12 and during his tenure worked closely with the DRI staff on a number of key initiatives including the expansion of the Downtown Service District. Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore has announced the addition of two attorneys. Justin M. Lugar has joined the litigation group and focuses primarily on representing individuals and corporations in connection with criminal and government investigations. John Reed Thomas Jr. will practice within the employment and labor and criminal and government investigations Lugar Thomas groups. Global Metal Finishing Inc. has announced it has achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification. To receive certification, Global Metal Finishing had to meet the requirements set by the International Standards Organization in consistency, documentation and a company-wide commitment to quality.
career-focused education with personal attention from faculty and staff that National College students receive in the classroom. The Roanoke Valley Campus of National College has recognized Blue Ridge Pain Management for continued support of employee education by being named a distinguished community employer. The center works closely with National College in the training, educating and hiring of students and graduates. National College has announced the hiring of Noah Dellinger as an admissions representative for the college’s Roanoke Valley Campus. Neathawk Dubuque & Packett (ND&P), a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency, has announced the acquisition of The Becher Agency (tba). Thomas Becher, owner and president of tba, has joined ND&P as senior vice president, leading the combined company’s public relations and crisis communications practices. With the merger, ND&P has 54 employees in Roanoke; Richmond; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Charlotte and Durham, N.C.; and Tampa, Fla. The combined entity has 17 full-time positions in the Roanoke office. The National Complete Streets Coalition, an official program of Smart Growth America, recently recognized the City of Roanoke’s Complete Street Policy as one of the nation’s leading examples of safe, smart transportation policy. The coalition’s annual report, which rates every Complete Streets Policy across the country on a numerical basis according to best practices criteria, highlights Roanoke’s policy as being especially strong in the areas of establishing clear intent and including all projects and phases. The coalition evaluated more than 350 complete streets policies nationwide and scored them based on 10 criteria. Roanoke had the 10th highest score among all Complete Street Policies. Jason Torrance, a native of Charleston, S.C., has been named the general manager for Ovations Food Services at the Roanoke Civic Center. Torrance will be responsible for all food and beverage services at the civic center.
Interactive Achievement has been recognized nationally by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing, private companies in America. The magazine ranked Interactive Achievement No. 705 on its sixth annual Inc 500/5000 list.
Torrance
Virginia residents who have an associate or bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university now have an opportunity to complete a bachelor’s and master of business administration degree online through National College. Designed for people looking to advance their careers, these e-learning programs offer the same
Roanoke College has announced the establishment of the Center for Teaching the Rule of Law. The campus-based organization’s mission is to enlighten people everywhere about the importance of the rule of law in providing justice, equality, fairness and stability in the world. G. Michael Pace, Jr.,
Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce | SPONSORED CONTENT
Member news & recognitions, cont’d. managing partner at Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, is the center’s founder and CEO. Diane Hyatt, who has served as assistant Roanoke County administrator since 1982, recently retired after 30 years of service. She began her career as assistant superintendent of fiscal management, and was later promoted to director of finance, and later to CFO for the county. She was named assistant adminisHyatt trator in 2009. The Virginia Recreation and Park Society presented the “Distinguished Volunteer Service Award” to Fred Corbett, chairman of the Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Advisory Commission. Corbett has served Roanoke County as a volunteer for more than 30 years, and has been instrumental in the development of high-quality athletics fields through his leadership and fundraising efforts. The Roanoke County School Board has announced the following personnel changes: Marcee Cook, current assistant principal at Green Valley Elementary School, has been named the new assistant principal at Hidden Valley Middle School; Michael Riley has been named the new principal at Hidden Valley Middle School, replacing Ken Nicely, who been named the new director of secondary instruction/technology for the Roanoke County Public Schools. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has recognized Clearbroook Elementary School and 268 other schools nationwide as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on their overall academic excellence or for making progress in improving student academic achievement levels. Clearbrook Elementary is the first school in Roanoke County to earn the coveted status. The Roanoke region has been selected by Where to Retire, the only magazine in America geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions, as a top retirement destination and was profiled in the feature story “15 Low-Cost Towns,” published in the September/October 2012 issue of the magazine. Save-a-Ton, the regional energy conservation education and awareness program started by Roanoke County, the City of Roanoke, and a number of nonprofits and other partners, has announced a new partnership program. The partnership program hopes to provide a platform for local businesses and service providers working in the area of energy efficiency and conservation to connect to Save-a-Ton’s growing audience.
The partnership is free and allows qualified businesses and nonprofits to be promoted through Save-a-Ton’s website, social media presence and events. In return, partners are asked to share information about Savea-Ton with their customers to help build awareness of the program. To become a partner, organizations just have to show how their business or service can reduce energy consumption. Interested groups can complete a simple application online at www.saveaton.org/partner.asp. Spectrum Design has announced that Richard Thomas, AIA, has joined the firm as an architect. He is a nationally recognized designer of higher education and retirement facilities.
Thomas Virginia Tech has announced several personnel changes and recognitions, including: Earving L. Blythe, recently retired vice president for information technology and chief information officer, has been Blythe Borgarelli conferred the “vice president emeritus” title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors; Dr. Michele Borgarelli has joined the VirginiaBushey Grisso Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine as an associate professor of cardiology in the Department of Small Animal Clinical SciHanigan Kleiner e n c e s ; Ro s a i re Bushey has joined the university as the communications manager for the College of Science; Robert “Bobby” Grisso, professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and farm equipment and safety specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension, has been named associate director of agriculture and natural resources for the extension; Mark Hanigan, a professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been named the David R. and Margaret Lincicome Professor of Agriculture by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors; Brian M. Kleiner, director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction and professor of industrial and systems engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been reappointed as the Ralph H. Bogle Professor Fellow in Industrial and Systems Engineering by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors; Andrew McCoy, assistant professor of building construction in the Myers-
Lawson School of Building Construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, has been named direcMcCoy Midkiff tor of the university’s Center for Housing Research; Scott F. Midkiff, professor and head of the Bradley Department of Electrical and ComPastor Spencer puter Engineering in the College of Engineering, has been named the university’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer; John D. Pastor, formerly an ediStripling tor and science writer with the University of Florida, has joined Virginia Tech as director of research communications in the Office of the Vice President for Research; Edward F.D. Spencer, former vice president for student affairs, has been conferred the vice president emeritus title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors; C. Robert “Bob” Stripling, professor of practice in the Center for Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Affairs, received the Stephen B. Sweeney Academic Award, an award presented to a classroom instructor who has made a significant contribution to the formal education of students pursuing careers in local government, by the International City/County Management Association; and James A.Yardley, retired associate professor of accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business, has been conferred the associate professor emeritus title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. The Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) Program at Virginia Tech has selected its inaugural class, which includes 11 outstanding individuals from throughout the state. Members of the VALOR inaugural class are: Roger Elkins of Jonesville; Dana Fisher of New Market; Ben Grove of Blacksburg, development officer with the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Ian Heatwole of Weyers Cave; Matt Hickey of Staunton; Jim Hilleary of Marshall; C.J. Isbell of Rockville; Teresa Lindberg of Jarratt; Hunter Richardson of Shacklefords; Ken Ryan of Edinburg; and Andrew Smith of Beaverdam. Virginia Utility Protection Service, the statewide one-call notification center located in Roanoke, has achieved ISO 9001:2008 quality management systems certification from the International Organization for Standardization. ROANOKE BUSINESS
35
SPONSORED CONTENT |
News from the Roanoke Regional Partnership A new business is on tap at Smith Mountain Lake Franklin County officials and business leaders broke ground on Sunken City Brewing Co., the county’s first microbrewery, on Aug. 30. (August was Virginia’s first Craft Beer Month.) The $2.3 million, 8,800-square-foot project will feature a production brewery, tasting room and outdoor beer garden. It is expected to create 20 to 25 jobs within five years, growing at three to five positions per year. Sunken City, named after the villages that were flooded when the lake was dammed, will be located along Route 122 at Westlake Towne Center near Smith Mountain Lake. Sunken City’s founder, Jerome Parnell III, owns the trademark and franchise rights to the lake area’s signature beer, Dam Lager, which has become popular among local residents and tourists. The brewery plans to start making Dam Lager and other beer styles in January, and the tasting room will be open to the public by spring. History aside, beer brewing is big business. There are more than 40 breweries in Virginia, a 25 percent increase in the past two years. The Travel Channel recently named Virginia a topseven beer destination. The Sunken City brewery will feature a 25-barrel, four-vessel brewing system capable of supplying beer to multiple states. Once brewing begins in January, the brewery will produce an initial volume of 1,000 barrels of beer; 65 percent in packaging, and 35 percent in kegs and retail sales. Next, the company plans to expand to 2,500 barrels by the end of the second year and 4,600 barrels by year three, distributing outside the state. The plant will have a long-term capacity of 35,000 barrels per year.
Jobs are being added in Roanoke Region The Roanoke Region is adding jobs, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seasonally adjusted employment figures for July 2012 show that the Roanoke MSA has seen employment increase by 1,200 jobs year over year. Meanwhile, unemployment has decreased by 867 individuals from the same point last year, according to seasonally adjusted unemployment data for the MSA. The data show a dramatic improvement in employment from June and hopefully portend a stronger employment growth trend heading into the end of the year. Manufacturing employment continues to show strength, as does employment in transportation/utilities and leisure/hospitality. Roanoke’s unemployment rate is lower than more than 80 percent of other metros in the United States, including all competitor regions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Another ranking confirms Roanoke is friendly to business Roanoke placed 33rd out of 384 metro areas in a ranking of relative economic freedom in an article recently accepted by the Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy. The ranking considers size of government, tax revenue as
36
NOVEMBER 2012
a percentage of personal income, labor union density and factors related to the minimum wage. The result is a description of the relative burden of local and state government on business in every metro area in the United States. Roanoke’s ranking places it in the top 10 percent of all metros in the United States. Roanoke’s ranking is higher than any city in North Carolina and South Carolina and Knoxville and Chattanooga. The ranking confirms Roanoke is one of the best regions in the United States for business-friendly tax codes and regulatory environments and comes mere months after CNBC ranked Virginia as third best state for business. To view the rankings and methodology, visit the Social Science Research Network to download the paper.
Roanoke’s a leader for drivers, riders, pedalers and walkers The National Complete Streets Coalition has recognized Roanoke for transportation policies that include not only cars and trucks but also pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders. Roanoke’s Complete Streets Policy is one of the nation’s leading examples of safe, sustainable transportation policy. Roanoke’s policy directs that city streets should be welcoming and attractive to all forms of transportation. The plan has been in place since 2008 and has strengthened Roanoke’s commitment to offering more choices in transportation and becoming a more sustainable city. Roanoke’s plan received the 10th highest score among similar policies in the nation. Roanoke continues to expand its bicycling amenities. The regional network of trails and greenways continues to expand, and the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission has raised more than half the funds required to complete the Roanoke River Greenway, which will eventually stretch to over 18 miles and will serve as the backbone of the regional system of recreational greenway trails. Meanwhile, Roanoke has added free bicycle parking in seven public garages and increased the number of shared lane markings or “sharrows” on city streets. Data from the most recent American Community Survey indicate that the number of individuals walking and biking to work in the Roanoke MSA is up approximately 40 percent from 2008 to 2010. In all, there were approximately 3,221 individuals in the Roanoke metro who report walking or bicycling to work in 2010.
New Hotel coming to downtown Roanoke A Greenville, S.C.-based company plans to buy the ground floor of the Market Garage to build a 123-room hotel in the heart of downtown. South Commonwealth Partners will renovate 11,500 square feet of retail space and a garage on the building’s ground floor to develop a full-service lobby and then build a 123-room Hampton Inn & Suites. The plan allows for additional floors to be built atop the current structure as well. The planned hotel, which is next to historic Fire Station No. 1 at Church Avenue and Market Street, is part of a string of projects that have helped downtown Roanoke gain national media attention.
Maybe you’ve found yourself stuck in your search for a rewarding career. Maybe you need to upgrade your skills to advance in your current job, or perhaps you want to explore an entirely new career. Maybe you are a business manager who needs to find cost-effective ways to train your team to stay current.
You need Virginia Western Community College.
AND GE TO WOR T K Virginia Western’s Workforce Solutions Group develops programs and training by working hand-in-hand with employers. It provides students with the real-world skills they need. Businesses can contract Workforce Solutions to provide on-site training in the latest technology and software. Workforce Solutions can also help employers find the best workers for job openings. At Virginia Western, you really can GET THERE.
I M PA C .
Virginia Tech and the Corporate Research Center are helping business boom.
What happens when 200 acres of land and nearly one million square-feet of office space in southwestern Virginia is set up solely to house businesses? Over 140 companies employing more than 2,600 people. That’s what’s happening at the Corporate Research Center just outside of Virginia Tech’s campus. National companies have expanded here and VT Knowledge Works serves as a business accelerator to help launch new products and ideas. Jobs are being created and entrepreneurs are thriving. We call that impact. To learn more, visit www.thisisthefuture.com.