Shenandoah Valley Business Journal

A Byrd Newspapers Publication

Volume 19, No. 2, December 26, 2017

Valley Lawyers Named 2017’s Finest

Legal Elite Best Of The Bar

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SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Inside This Issue The Shenandoah Valley Business Journal is a monthly publication of Rockingham Publishing Company, Inc., 231 S. Liberty St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801.

Focus Section: Legal Elite ■ List of Honorees............................................Page 6

Other Business News

Editorial Staff

■ SVRA Ready For SkyWest Service.....................Page 4

Editor and General Manager: Peter S. Yates

■ McAuliffe Talks Tech At Smart Farm Summit.........Page 9 ■ Local Ledger................................................Page 10

Managing Editor: Jerry Blair

Harrisonburg, Va.

Contact us By mail: Shenandoah Valley Business Journal P.O. Box 193 Harrisonburg, VA 22803 By email: svbjnews@dnronline.com By fax: 433-9112 By phone: 574-6279 (news) 574-6229 (ads)

Columns

Staff Writers: Vic Bradshaw

■ Financial Focus with Kathy Armentrout..........Page 3

Contributing Photographers: Nikki Fox, Stephen Swofford

Arndt Selected By Audible.com For Narrator Hall Of Fame HARRISONBURG — Andi Arndt has been the voice behind many audiobooks sold across the world.

Now, a leader in the industry has deemed the Harrisonburg resident’s voice worthy of Hall of Fame recognition.

Audible.com, Amazon.com’s audiobooks subsidiary, has selectArndt ed Arndt as one of 20 narrators and one “distinctive voice” to form the first class inducted into its Narrator Hall of Fame.

Audible announced the selections on Nov. 19, and Arndt said a ceremony honoring the inductees is in the planning stages.

Arndt, who’s narrated about 230 books since 2010, is one of the top voices in the contemporary romance genre. However, she’s also done work ranging from narrating the novelization of Disney’s “Frozen” to the New York Times bestselling biography “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”

A thumbnail description of her work at Audible’s Hall of Fame page states: “Andi Arndt’s voice has been described as ‘welcoming,’ ‘calm,’ ‘clear,’ and ‘sublime,’ and listeners are known to rave that she ‘makes you feel all the feels.’”

— Vic Bradshaw

JMU Grad Woodward Named Shentel’s CFO, Senior Finance VP HARRISONBURG — James Woodward See MOVERS, Page 3

United Bankshares Inc. Boosts Dividend For 44th Straight Year HARRISONBURG — United Bankshares Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI) announced Friday that its board of directors has declared a fourth-quarter dividend of 34 cents a share.

The dividend will be paid on Jan. 2 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 8.

The quarterly shareholder payout will bring United’s total dividend amount to $1.33 for the year, up from $1.32 in 2016, according to a statement from the bank. It’s the 44th consecutive year that the company has increased its dividend, making it one of only two major banking companies in the United States with such a streak, according to the statement.

Based in Washington, D.C., and Charleston, W.Va., United Bankshares is the parent company of United Bank. It has 144 offices in Virginia, West Virginia,

Washington, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio, including branches in Harrisonburg, Bridgewater, Broadway, Elkton, Weyers Cave, Woodstock and Strasburg.

— Vic Bradshaw

Hope Distributed Lands $10,000 Grant To Support Its Food Bank HARRISONBURG — Hope Distributed has received a $10,000 grant to support its food bank.

The Rockingham County nonprofit that provides food, clothing and furniture to needy people received the grant from Columbia Gas and the NiSource Charitable Foundation. Columbia Gas is a NiSource subsidiary.

Hope Distributed was one of six See SCENE, Page 3

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

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Time To Review Your Investment Strategy A

s the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to review your progress toward your financial goals. But on what areas should you focus your attention?

Of course, you may immediately think about whether your investments have done well. When evaluating the performance of their investments for a given year, many people mistakenly think their portfolios should have done just as well as a common market index, such as the Standard & Poor’s 500.

But the S&P 500 is essentially a measure of large-company, domestic stocks, and your portfolio probably doesn’t look like that — nor should it, because it’s important to own an investment mix that aligns with your goals, risk tolerance and return objectives.

It’s this return objective that you should evaluate over time — not the return of an arbitrary benchmark that isn’t personalized to your goals and risk tolerance.

Your return objective will likely evolve. If you are starting out in your career, you may need your portfolio to be oriented primarily toward growth, which means it may need to be more heavily weighted toward stocks.

But if you are retiring in a few years, you may need a more balanced allocation be-

tween stocks and bonds, which can address your needs for growth and income.

So, assuming you have created a longterm investment strategy that has a target rate of return for each year, you can review your progress accordingly. If you matched or exceeded that rate this past year, you’re staying on track, but if your return fell short of your desired target, you may need to make some changes.

Before doing so, though, you need to understand just why your return was lower than anticipated.

For example, if you owned some stocks that underperformed due to unusual circumstances — and even events such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma can affect the stock prices of some companies — you may not need to be overly concerned, especially if the fundamentals of the stocks are still sound.

On the other hand, if you own some investments that have underperformed for several years, you may need to consider selling them and using the proceeds to explore new investment opportunities.

Investment performance isn’t the only thing you should consider when looking at your financial picture over this past year.

What changed in your life? Did you

Financial Focus Kathy Armentrout

welcome a new child to your family? If so, you may need to respond by increasing your life insurance coverage or opening a college savings account. Did you or your spouse change jobs?

You may now have access to a new employer-sponsored retirement account, such as a 401(k), so you’ll need to decide how much money to put into the various investments within this plan.

And one change certainly happened this past year: You moved one year closer to retirement. By itself, this may cause you to re-evaluate how much risk you’re willing to

tolerate in your investment portfolio, especially if you are within a few years of your planned retirement.

Whether it is the performance of your portfolio or changes in your life, you will find that you always have some reasons to look back at your investment and financial strategies for one year — and to look ahead at moves you can make for the next.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by Kathy Armentrout, an Edward Jones financial adviser at 560 Neff.

Ave., Suite 100, Harrisonburg; 540-574-1013.

Woodward Was CFO For Media General Grants Based On Social Media Users Movers

FROM PAGE 2

has joined Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (NASDAQ: SHEN) as its new chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance.

Woodward, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from James Madison University and is a former certified public accountant, has worked in finance, accounting and operations for 34 years.

He’ll be in charge of accounting and financial matters for the Edinburg company best known as Shentel.

He most recently was chief financial officer and senior vice president for Media General Inc., a publicly traded broadcasting and digital media company headquartered in Richmond.

Shentel provides communications services to customers in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio.

— Vic Bradshaw

Industry Vet Pete Weaver Added To Union Mortgage Group Team HARRISONBURG — Mortgage-industry veteran Pete Weaver has joined the Union Mortgage Group team.

Weaver has been assisting local families with mortgages for 45 years.

He recently was certified as a Virginia Housing Development Authority trainer and has been recognized in past years as a VHDA Silver Originator for the number of loans supported by the agency.

A graduate of the University of Richmond’s School of Business Administration, he was a lay member of the Virginia Bar Association’s District Disciplinary Committee.

Union Mortgage Group is affiliated with Union Bankshares (NASDAQ: UBSH), the Richmond-based parent company of Union Bank & Trust.

— Vic Bradshaw

Scene

FROM PAGE 2

Virginia food banks or shelters to receive $10,000 grants based on the number of social media users that shared or retweeted Columbia Gas Facebook or Twitter posts about hunger in the state.

The company donated $5, up to a total of $30,000, spread equally among the six organizations in its territory, and NiSource matched the contribution.

— Vic Bradshaw

Moseley Architects Announces Merger With Baltimore Company HARRISONBURG — Moseley Architects, a Richmond-based firm with an office in Harrisonburg, announced Nov. 2 that it will merge with a Baltimore firm.

The company plans to join forces with Marks Thomas, a woman-owned firm that focuses on senior living, multifamily housing, education, and historic preservation projects, according to a news release. The combined

firm will be known as Moseley Architects.

The merger adds a Maryland location to Moseley’s footprint, which includes six Virginia offices, two in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. It also puts the firm in the multifamily housing business.

— Vic Bradshaw

Comcast Launches New 1-Gigabit Per Second Internet Service HARRISONBURG — A new internet service available to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents can deliver speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second.

Comcast announced on Oct. 30 that the service had been launched in the market. A news release said the speeds are delivered over existing communications lines in most homes and touted the speed as “among the fastest and most widely available” in the area.

Customers must install a new DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem to receive 1-Gigabit service. More information is available at Xfinity.com/gig.

— Vic Bradshaw

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SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Harrisonburg, Va.

SVRA Ready For SkyWest Service To Start Commercial Carrier Begins At Valley Airport April 3

By VIC BRADSHAW Daily News-Record

WEYERS CAVE — Last week, as Greg Campbell walked out of Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, a wide grin crossed his face and he turned to one of the people walking with him.

“It’s like Christmas early,” he said.

The airport’s executive director wasn’t referring to the snow on the ground or the cold morning air. He was talking about the recent “gift” of having SkyWest Airlines named as SVRA’s commercial carrier for two years, with its service beginning April 3.

“SkyWest has an unparalleled record for being a highly reliable air carrier,” Campbell had said minutes earlier.

“They’re arguably the premier regional airline in the country.”

The 45-year-old publicly traded St.

George’s, Utah, company (NASDAQ: SKYW) is unlike any carrier SVRA has had.

According to company information, it has a fleet of 423 aircraft, employs more than 12,500 people and operates more than 2,000 flights daily to 237 North American destinations. Its planes carried 31.2 million passengers in 2016, and its network carrier partners include United, American and Alaska airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Each week, SkyWest has scheduled 12 flights aboard 50-seat CRJ200 regional jets to and from Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia and seven more to and from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The service will be branded as United Express.

“You guys have hit the lottery,” said Tom Williams, president of the Meridian Airport Authority in Mississippi, a community SkyWest serves. “That is huge to get that level of service from SkyWest.”

Stephen Swofford / DN-R

Passengers board a flight to Charlotte, N.C., at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave. SkyWest Airlines will take over as the airport’s commercial carrier starting April 3.

Dependable Partner The accolades for SkyWest might not

ring true with some people because similar statements were made about Via Airlines. ViaAir was supposed to make local travelers forget about service issues Fort Lauderdale, Fla., carrier Silver Airways had in the years it served the market.

Airport officials sought more bidders when SVRA’s Essential Air Service contract — which provides a subsidy for carriers to serve certain small markets as an economic development tool — to came up for bids in 2016. ViaAir emerged with the contract, with Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina as its hub.

Campbell touted the airline’s record over the few months it had severed a few West Virginia markets. Its addition of one-

stop, less-than-daily service to Orlando Sanford International Airport gave the appearance that SVRA had found the partner it long had desired.

The honeymoon didn’t last long. SVRA officials said fewer than half of ViaAir’s flights operated as scheduled in its first three months in the market, and the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport Authority requested a new carrier less than eight months into the two-year contract.

Officials with multiple airports served

by SkyWest said last week that the airline has provided top-flight service for decades.

Richard Roof, manager of Barkley

CLARK & BRADSHAW, P.C. congratulates its partner

David C. Nahm on being named a “Legal Elite” among Civil Li ga on lawyers in Virginia.

See SKYWEST, Page 11

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Stephen T. Heitz

2018 Best Lawyers in America 2018 Virginia “Super Lawyer”

Jason A. Botkins

2018 Virginia “Super Lawyer”

Melisa G. Michelsen

2017 Virginia’s “Legal Elite” 2018 Virginia “Super Lawyer”

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Jason J. Ham

2017 Virginia’s “Legal Elite” 2018 Virginia “Super Lawyer”

Designated a 2018 “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report

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Harrisonburg, Va.

An Elite Group Virginia Business Magazine named 31 lawyers from Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and the surrounding area as

Legal Elites

Criminal Law

Civil Litigation

John C. Holloran

Derek J. Brostek

Charles F. Hilton

Alexandra E. Humphreys

The Law Offices Of John C. Holloran

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

David C. Nahm

Grant D. Penrod

Kevin Michael Rose

Clark & Bradshaw Harrisonburg

Hoover Penrod PLC Harrisonburg

BotkinRose PLC Harrisonburg

Intellectual Property Daniel L. Fitch

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Family Law And Domestic Relations

Young Lawyers

Laura Ann Evans

Andrew S. Baugher

Evans Oliver PLC Harrisonburg

Lenhart Pettit PC Harrisonburg

Lindsay Cole Brubaker

BotkinRose PLC Harrisonburg

Ashley H. Waterbury

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Bankruptcy And Creditors’ Rights

P. Marshall Yoder

M. Bruce Wallinger

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Hoover Penrod PLC Harrisonburg

Hannah White Hutman

Bill Shmidheiser

Hoover Penrod PLC Harrisonburg

Lenhart Pettit PC Harrisonburg

Labor And Employment

Business Law

Lauren R. Darden

Thomas E. Ullrich

Cathleen Patricia Welsh

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Lenhart Pettit PC Harrisonburg

WHARTON ALDHIZER & WEAVER PLC ATTORNEYS & COUNSELLORS AT LAW

Jeffrey R. Adams

Stephen T. Heitz

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Litten & Sipe LLP Harrisonburg

2017 Legal Elite

Charles F. Hilton

Daniel L. Fitch

Donald E. Showalter

Gregory T. St. Ours

Humes J. Franklin III

James L. Johnson

Jeffrey R. Adams

Lauren R. Darden

Derek J. Brostek

P. Marshall Yoder

Stephan W. Milo

Thomas E. Ullrich

Offices in Harrisonburg ~ Staunton

540-434-0316 Glenn M. Hodge

Ashley H. Waterbury

Lucas I. Pangle

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Serving corporate, institutional, & individual clients in Virginia, West Virginia and other mid-Atlantic states

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Construction Law

Health Law

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Melisa G. Michelsen

Glenn M. Hodge

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Litten & Sipe LLP Harrisonburg

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Legal Services And Pro Bono John E. Whitfield

Blue Ridge Legal Services Inc. Harrisonburg

Get in the Game.

Harrisonburg, Va.

Legislative, Regulatory And Administrative Jeffrey G. Jason J. Lenhart Ham

Lenhart Pettit PC Harrisonburg

Real Estate And Land Use

Lucas I. Pangle

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Lisa Anne Hawkins

Lenhart Pettit PC Harrisonburg

James L. Johnson

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Litten & Sipe LLP Harrisonburg

Taxes, Estates, Trusts And Elder Law Donald E. Showalter

Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC Harrisonburg

Win-win business banking.

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McAuliffe Talks Tech At Smart Farm Summit

By VIC BRADSHAW Daily News-Record

HARRISONBURG — Gov. Terry McAuliffe, speaking at the Governor’s Smart Farm Summit on Dec. 12, said Virginia is the No. 1 state in America for cybersecurity, data centers and unmanned aerial systems.

And he’d like to see another superlative join that list, one from a profession that’s been around for ages.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re doing the same thing for our farmers,” McAuliffe said at the James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center. “And we’ve got to make sure the young folks, when they’re looking at going into these new, innovative technologies in cyber and data, that farming is right there.”

The governor’s remarks kicked off a daylong summit billed as the first of its kind in the nation. About 90 state and local agriculture, technology and economic development officials and some local FFA members attended the event.

The focus was how technology is changing agriculture and the opportunities those

changes present. McAuliffe said production, processing, research and development, marketing and trade are areas ripe for innovation that will alter the way the industry does business.

“I want Virginia,” he said, “to be considered the best state in America for coupling innovation, technology and agriculture.”

Luncheon keynote speaker Dr. Terry Sharrer, a medical expert and principal with iMED R&D, believes Virginia should create a Center for Innovative Agriculture. Sharrer said the center could be a biorepository for DNA samples of each living species that’s adapted to Virginia and a place where the latest agricultural technology could be exhibited.

Abundant Information During a panel discussion, three industry professionals described how the world of agriculture is changing.

Tim Woodward of Tellus Agronomics, an Orange County company that helps farmers interpret data collected by drones, satellites, soil and plant sensors and other precision-agriculture equipment, said the ability

Gov. Terry McAuliffe speaks Dec. 12 at the first Smart Farm Summit at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

Nikki Fox / DN-R

to gather that data creates opportunities for farmers to manage their operation better and be more profitable.

Karen Jackson, Virginia’s secretary of technology, advised local farmers to reach out to the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council, explaining that they might be able to help them with tech matters. Jackson also mentioned that NASA has satellite data available to farmers at no cost.

Though some machinery carries big price tags, Woodward said, yield, parts, planting and sprayer monitors are among the tools that can be obtained with a relatively small investment.

“That opens the door,” he said, “to largescale on-farm research. Farmers can try new practices and new technology before See SUMMIT, Page 10

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SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Smartphones And Tablets More Vital Summit

Local Ledger

FROM PAGE 9

investing in technology for the whole farm.”

The industry also has access to web platforms to help farmers, and better record-keeping measures to help with farm management, Woodward added.

Bobby Vick with PrecisionHawk, a Raleigh, N.C., company that specializes in drone research and data interpretation, said some farmers haven’t been early adapters of new technology. Tablets and smartphones, however, are becoming vital pieces of equipment for most.

“They have more information in the palm of their hand, literally,” Vick said, “than they would have had from decades of farming years ago.”

Closing speaker Bob Kolvoord, dean of JMU’s College of Integrated Science and Engineering, said technology can provide data on individual plants and animals.

“This is big data hits the farm,” Kolvoord said, “and farmers now are going to have to be able to find a way to take advantage of these kinds of things.”

Opportunities Abound Medical technology is going to become important to agriculture in the future because diseases span multiple species and commonalities will allow innovations to cross industries, according to Sharrer.

Sharrer said imaging, molecular diagnosis and artificial intelligence, bioprinting and gene medicine are among the technologies that can benefit agriculture. He also predicted that one day the most valuable commodity will be a plant that pharmaceutical manufacturers use to make medicine.

Drones, geospatial technologies, precision agriculture, robotics, Internet of Things devices and alternative energy are changing farming and/or could spawn major changes in the future, Kolvoord said.

“Technology is going to be an important part of this, and I think for the young people in the crowd, it’s a huge opportunity,” he said. “You’re going to be able to make your marks by finding ways to creatively integrate that technology and to come up with new technologies.

“Stuff we haven’t even thought of is going to allow you all to be successful in your careers, and to allow Virginia to be at the forefront of the smart-farm movement.”

Contact Vic Bradshaw at 574-6279 or vbradshaw@dnronline.com

Harrisonburg, Va.

Unemployment Central Valley Area Home Sales Median Price Harrisonburg Rockingham Shenandoah Page Augusta Staunton Waynesboro

Nov. 2017

Nov. 2016

Pct. Change

$191,000 $217,950 $183,600 $158,900 N/A N/A N/A

$163,000 $214,950 $156,000 $145,750 N/A N/A N/A

17.18% 1.61% 17.69% 9.02% N/A N/A N/A

Harrisonburg Rockingham Shenandoah Page Augusta Staunton Waynesboro

Oct. 2017

Sept. 2017

Oct. 2016

3.9% 3.0% 3.4% 4.2% 3.2% 3.5% 4.0%

4.2% 3.0% 3.5% 4.1% 3.2% 3.4% 3.9%

4.8% 3.5% 3.8% 4.4% 3.8% 4.0% 4.2%

Source: Virginia Employment Commission

Labor Force Days On Market Harrisonburg Rockingham Shenandoah Page Augusta Staunton Waynesboro

Nov. 2017

Nov. 2016

Pct. Change

18 40 105 98 N/A N/A N/A

40 45 161 345 N/A N/A N/A

-55.00% -11.11% -34.78% -71.59% N/A N/A N/A

Harrisonburg Rockingham Shenandoah Page Augusta Staunton Waynesboro

Oct. 2017

Sept. 2017

Oct. 2016

25,215 41,692 20,841 11,704 37,423 12,204 10,393

25,368 42,054 21,205 11,906 37,876 12,303 10,452

24,718 40,840 20,838 11,503 36,985 12,034 10,204

Source: Virginia Employment Commission

Units Sold Harrisonburg Rockingham Shenandoah Page Augusta Staunton Waynesboro

Nov. 2017

Nov. 2016

Pct. Change

24 70 47 18 N/A N/A N/A

36 76 46 18 N/A N/A N/A

-33.33% -7.89% 2.17% 0% N/A N/A N/A

Sources: Funkhouser Real Estate Group; Real Estate Business Intelligence

Retail Sales (in millions) Harrisonburg Rockingham Shenandoah Page Augusta Staunton Waynesboro

Oct. 2017

$112.8 $61.6 $36.9 $17.5 $47.8 $31.4 $42.6

Source: Weldon Cooper Center for Economic and Policy Studies

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

11

‘We Want To Make Sure We Stress The Need For Our Community To Get Behind It’ SkyWest

FROM PAGE 4

Regional Airport in West Paducah, Ky., has been with the facility since 1974.

SkyWest took over as its EAS carrier on Feb. 1, 2010, flying to O’Hare. He said its total cancellation rate, which includes weather and air-traffic disruptions, is 3.5 percent. Factor out the issues it can’t control and its cancellation rate drops to 1 percent.

SkyWest has grown the market a bit, he said, with the airport’s total passenger count expected to reach 42,000 this year. “You will not find a better carrier,� Roof said.

Support Needed In Meridian, SkyWest has done what airport officials hope it can do here — rebuild the market.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, SVRA had two carriers serving the community without a subsidy. Industry changes left the airport reliant on federal government support following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, but SVRA officials maintain that the right carrier can lift it out of the EAS program.

Williams said Meridian’s passenger count was about 1,800 a month in 2012 when its carrier decided to leave the market and Silver Airways took over. Its passenger count plummeted to 300 a month due to service problems.

With the help of a consultant, they teamed with nearby Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport to get SkyWest into the market. It took over when Silver’s contract ended in November 2014, and Williams said enplanements are back up to 1,800 a month. “SkyWest is a wonderful company to work with,� he said. “They are profession-

al, they have good equipment, they do a great job. I cannot say enough good about them.�

Charles Braden, director of market development for Norfolk International Airport, said he’s been with the airport for 30 years and SkyWest has been serving the market that long or longer. It’s provided service for at least three major airlines during that time. “SkyWest,� he said, “is a large, solid,

typically reliable regional airline.�

What SVRA sees in SkyWest is one thing. Company spokeswoman McKall Morris indicated that SkyWest has high hopes for the market.

The airline, she wrote in an email, is “glad the community and the DOT selected us to be the air service provider. We believe this market has a lot of potential, and we’re thrilled to bring our reliable air service to the community.�

The key will be use. Williams said local travelers need to support the service, which Campbell stressed. “It’s a very unique opportunity for our community,� Campbell said of having SkyWest as its carrier, “and we want to make sure we stress the need for our community to get behind it and support it.

Contact Vic Bradshaw at 574-6279 or vbradshaw@dnronline.com

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