Roanoke County Business Partners Newsletter  
August 2019: Volume 19, No. 8
 
The E-newsletter of the Roanoke County Economic Development Department is designed to showcase the investments and achievements of our existing business partners. For additional information about doing business in Roanoke County, visit our  website .
VFP, Inc. Celebrates New Corporate Headquarters with Ribbon Cutting

On July 30, VFP, Inc. celebrated their new corporate headquarters location with a grand opening and ribbon cutting. The company purchased the space from Cox Communications and relocated to the 50,000 square foot building early this year. Cox is leasing back 26,000 square feet in the facility to manage their operations in Roanoke.
 
Guests attending the event enjoyed tours of both the newly renovated space and a product showcase of one of VFP's equipment shelters brought up from its manufacturing facility in Duffield, VA. Guests also enjoyed remarks from VFP and Cox leadership as well as Roanoke County Chairman, Phil North. 
 
  
About Us
General Inquires
 
P: 540-772-2069
F: 540-772-2030
 
 
Address
  
5204 Bernard Drive, SW 
Room 421 
PO Box 29800 
Roanoke, VA 24018
 
 
Contacts
 
Jill Loope
Director
  
Specialist
   
Administrative Assistant
  
 
Mission Statement
 
To attract and facilitate the growth of innovative businesses, jobs and population that increase taxable investment and ensure sustainable world class community resources. 
   
 
 


Demographics 
  

   
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
The Board of Supervisors Approves the 419 Town Center Plan!  

On Tuesday, July 23, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution incorporating the 419 Town Center Plan into the Roanoke County Comprehensive Plan.

The 419 Town Center Plan provides an overall vision for a mixed-use, multi-modal area on Route 419 near Tanglewood Mall, and makes recommendations on how to achieve this vision.  
 
Investment Opportunities 

The Route 419 Corridor Offers Outstanding Commercial and Residential Investment Opportunities

To find out more, please view the 419 Town Center video


I-81 SITE FOR SALE AT EXIT 141 - PRICE REDUCED TO SELL AT $868,000!   
 
**Outstanding hotel investment opportunity**  
 
3.36 acres of highly visible commercial property located adjacent to Interstate 81. The property is adjacent to the new Allstate corporate office and boasts clear visibility from the highway - perfect for drawing in the high-volume traffic from I-81. 
 
For more info concerning this site, please contact Roanoke County Economic Development at
(540) 772-2069 or  econdev@roanokecountyva.gov.

Work Begins on New Wood Haven Technology Park
 
Work will soon be underway on improvements to the approximately 100-acres now known as the Wood Haven Technology Park in North Roanoke County.  This is a project of the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority and jointly owned by Roanoke County and the cities of Roanoke and Salem.
 
In August, work will begin to bring water and sewer lines across Wood Haven Road to the park entrance.  The project will also include grading to accommodate a four-lane entrance road with landscaped median.   Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019.  Once utility construction is complete, plans will be made for entrance landscaping, curb and gutter construction, and paving to begin in the spring of 2020. 
 
The Wood Haven Technology Park development plan also includes relocating utility lines from the north side of Wood Haven Road to the south side.  This work is planned during the late summer and fall of 2019 and will involve new wooden poles in the same locations as existing ones on the south side of the road.

This work is designed to bring the property closer to market readiness and enable the Authority to attract a high-quality project. 
Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge

VBR Sports Unveils Exciting New Video to Capture More Sports Tourism Boosting the Local Economy
 
 
 
Capitalizing on Virginia's Blue Ridge (VBR) regional success as a well-established sports destination, Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge (Visit VBR) and VBR Sports unveiled an exciting new video showcasing that sports tourism is alive and growing in the region. Read On 
 
 

IRONMAN Announces the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginis's Blue Ridge Triathlon for June 7, 2020   
 

IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Group company, announced that Virginia's Blue Ridge will serve as a multi-year host venue for the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN® 70.3® Virginia's Blue Ridge triathlon.  The event will take place on June 7, 2020. General registration will open on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019 with more information available at www.ironman.com/blueridge70.3.
   
Read On  
 
 
Treetop Quest at Explore Park is now open 

Take the Treetop Quest challenge this summer at Explore Park

Roanoke County opened the new aerial adventure course at Explore Park with a ribbon cutting on Monday, July 1. This event marked the completion of the first phase of Treetop Quest's development, including 55 obstacles over four skill levels, and zip-lines up to 160 feet long. A state-of-the-art continuous belay system provides industry-leading safety while allowing for participants as young as age four to enjoy the course. Additional course elements will be added in the coming years. The attraction is projected to draw 25,000 visitors per year.
 
The opening of Treetop Quest fulfills a key amenity identified in the Explore Park Adventure Plan, adopted by the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors in 2016. This attraction will provide synergy with other amenities recently added to the park including campgrounds and tubing by Blue Mountain Adventures, cabins and yurts by Don's Cab-Inns, a brewery and bistro by Twin Creeks Brewing, the Mayflower Hills Disc Golf Course and new special event.  
  Learn More 
 
This was the scene at the July 1 ribbon cutting
Virginia Reclaims "Top State for Business"   

CNBC has named Virginia America's "Top State for Business" in 2019

Governor Ralph Northam announced on July 10 that CNBC had named Virginia America's "Top State for Business" in 2019. CNBC unveiled Virginia as the top state for business this morning during a live broadcast from Shenandoah River State Park, and Governor Northam was on location to discuss the announcement. The top ranking is determined by CNBC following an extensive study of all 50 states based on 64 metrics in 10 categories of competitiveness. Virginia is tied with Texas for most years named top state for business by CNBC, with wins in 2007, 2009, 2011, and now 2019. Read on


New RIDE Solutions App Offers Employers Immediate Transportation Solutions
Noteworthy   
The Advancement Foundation (TAF) is excited to share that the GAUNTLET Business Program and Competition has been Trademarked! After 5 years of building the program that has received immense enthusiasm, support, and resources, TAF can't wait to see what the GAUNTLET will become in the next 5 years. This past Spring TAF celebrated the 5th Annual GAUNTLET with over 120 participating entrepreneurs and awarded over $300,000 cash and in-kind awards to competitors.

Now Accepting Applications for Q3    
 
Innovation Mill to Engineer Opportunities  
for Entrepreneurs with Early Stage Companies  
in High Growth Industries    
 
   
 
Innovation Mill will work to increase the birth rate of new high growth companies by helping 5 companies per quarter validate their proof of concept.  
 
Innovation Mill supports early stage businesses in high-growth industries by providing next level resources, proof of concept, market research, industry expertise, and higher education networks in order to prepare for scaling both regionally and nationally. 
 
Catawba Valley Farmers Market  
Farm-to-Table Dinner   
 
Saturday, August 10
 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
 
 
The Catawba Community Center picnic shelter will be transformed from the usual Farmers Market scene to a Farm-to-Table scene. In observance of National Farmers Market Week, the Catawba Valley Farmers Market (CVFM) is holding their first-ever Farm-to-Table Dinner.

This event promises to be a fun-filled and educational time for the diners, with locally-sourced foods, served in a true country atmosphere, with an opportunity to meet and talk with those who have actually produced the foods. We hope that you will join us for a country meal featuring local foods
served in a true country atmosphere! 

The Catawba Valley Farmers Market is located at the Catawba Community Center, 4965 Catawba Creek Road (Rt. 779), Catawba, VA 24070. Vendors are set up under the newly-expanded picnic shelter on Thursdays from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m., rain or shine.
Upcoming Events 
Roanoke County Library Events 
Post Internship Listings NOWI


Did you know that top college students commit to an internship in September or October?
 
If you want to recruit in-demand talent for summer internships, co-ops, and apprenticeships,  
you need to post them now. The Roanoke Regional Partnership is here to help.

Don't miss out on top talent, let us market your internships for you!
 

Virginia International Trade Events
 
 
VEDP International Trade  
 
Registration is now open for VEDP - International Trade's new calendar of events! 
 
Face-to-face meetings are critical to international business. We help Virginia companies meet potential customers and partners through trade missions and trade shows.  
 
 Trade Missions 
Trade Missions are customized visits of business meetings arranged on your behalf. These meetings are pre-qualified based on your export market objective. Our schedule of upcoming Trade Missions includes:
Trade Mission to Australia - Oct. 7 - 11, 2019 - Registration Deadline August 9, 2019
Trade Mission to Sweden and Denmark - Oct. 21 - 25, 2019 - Registration Deadline August 23, 2019
Trade Mission to Qatar - Nov. 10 - 13, 2019 - Registration Deadline Septembet 13, 2019 
  Trade Mission to Colombia - Dec. 2 - 6, 2019 - Registration Deadline October 4, 2019 
Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia and UAE - Jan. 14 - 21, 2020 - Registration Deadline November 15, 2019
  Trade Mission to India - February 3 - 7, 2020 - Registration Deadline December 1, 2019 
Trade Mission to Mexico - Mar. 23 - 27, 2020 - Registration Deadline January 24, 2020
Trade Mission to Ireland - Apr. 27 - 29, 2020 - Registration Deadline February 28, 2020 
Trade Mission to Poland and Romania - May 11 - 15, 2020 - Registration Deadline March 13, 2020 
Trade Mission to Chile and Peru - May 13 - 20, 2020 - Registration Deadline March 13, 2020 
 
Trade Shows 
 At select international Trade Shows, Virginia's booth provides the ideal base for co-exhibiting companies, allowing you to exhibit your products and services and network with prospective customers. Our schedule of up upcoming Trade Shows includes:  
Pacific 2019 (Australia) - Oct. 8 - 10, 2019 - Registration Deadline August 9, 2019
AUSA 2019 - Oct. 14 - 16, 2019 - Registration Deadline August 16, 2019
Expodefensa 2019 - Dec. 2 - 4, 2019 - Registration Deadline October 4, 2019
Arab Health 2020 - January 27 - 30, 2020 - Registration Deadline November 22, 2019
InfoSecurity 2020 - June 2 - 4, 2020 - Registration Deadline April 3, 2020
Farnborough 2020- July 20 - 24, 2020 - Registration Deadline May 22, 2020
 
 Learn More    
 
Save the Date



 
OSHA COMPLIANCE TRAINING
 
  Roanoke Higher Education Center
 
  Registration
material online at chesapeakesc.org or  
call 1.800.875.4770.  
 
For more  information,  
contact Carla Jackson at 540.767.6010 or  
email at carla.jackson@education.edu


FastForward is a grant that will pay tuition to earn industry-recognized credentials in a variety of fields

540-857-6076 or careernavigators@virginiawestern.edu

Upcoming Open Houses
 
 Nov 19, 2019  



 
 
 
 
 
Leadership Academy for the 21st Century
 
  August 2019 - March 2020
 



Project Management Certification Course 
 
  This course is a prerequisite to the Project Management Institute PMP certification exam.
 
Tuesdays, August 27 through November 12, 5:30-9 p.m. 

For more information, contact David Conners at (540) 767-6145 or  dconners@vt.edu




Lean Foundations

September 25, 2019
9 am - 4:30 pm
 
  For more information, contact David Conners at (540) 767-6145 or  dconners@vt.edu



   
 
Business of Brewing

January 27-31, 2020



Implementing LEAN
the lean conference

March 4-5



 
 
Blue Ridge Mountain Biking Conference

May 6-8, 2020

blueridgemtb.com
Roanoke County Business Partners Show on RVTV
RVTV
Roanoke County Business Partners - August 2019
Roanoke County Business Partners - August 2019



On the August Roanoke County Business Partners show, we celebrate the grand opening of VFP Inc.'s new corporate headquarters on Fallowater Lane, and learn how this 50 year old company is growing their footprint in Roanoke County. We interview Scott Fife, Vice President of VFP, and learn how they have successfully transformed their 50,000 sf. facility into multi-tenant office space in the 419 Plan area.  This redeveloped property will also remain the home of Cox Communication's operations.

Next, we speak with Jeff Merritt, Roanoke Market Vice President for Cox Communications who will tell us how the company has successfully transitioned from being building owner to tenant, and how Cox has proudly served the Roanoke market for 43 years, providing robust services to their customers.
 
  www.rvtv.org