Roanoke County Business Partners Newsletter

November 2021: Volume 21, No. 11   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.

Read the Draft ELEVATE Roanoke County 2026 Plan

Roanoke County Economic Development has published the Draft ELEVATE 2026 Strategic Plan. Take a look at the Draft Plan and provide feedback that can help shape ELEVATE 2026 to better serve Roanoke County's economic landscape. Learn more in the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Draft ELEVATE 2026 Plan presentation Draft ELEVATE 2026 Plan overview

Learn more about the ELEVATE 2026 Plan Here

Chicken Salad Chick Opens Inside Tanglewood

Credit: Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce

Chicken Salad Chick is officially open at Tanglewood! The fast-casual restaurant chain with over 200 stores in 17 states opened their new-to-market location in Roanoke in the former Applebee's inside Tanglewood. Chicken Salad Chick offers an array of chicken salad variations, as well as pimiento cheese, signature sandwiches, soups, and more. You can visit them at 4340 Electric Road at Tanglewood and you can learn more about Chicken Salad Chick in the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners. You can stay up-to-date on Chicken Salad Chick by visiting their Roanoke website or their Roanoke location Facebook page.

Friendship Retirement Expands in Hollins

Friendship Retirement Community held a ribbon-cutting for their new Transitional Care Unit (TCU) on the Friendship Health & Rehab Center North campus in Hollins. The TCU helps deliver an array of services to Friendship residents and the general public, adding to the innovative senior care landscape in Roanoke County. Friendship worked with Hughes Associates Architects & Engineers to develop the new TCU, which offers 60 rooms that provide residents with more privacy, as the rooms have their own bathrooms with showers. The TCU will also feature Friendship’s pharmacy and emporium, as well as Bistro '66, Friendship's new dining venue. You can learn more about Chicken Salad Chick in the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Roanoke County Recognized for Revitalization Projects

Roanoke County Board of Supervisors recently recognized Roanoke County Economic Development for receiving a 2021 Achievement Award from the Virginia Association of County is (VACo). Roanoke County was awarded for the Town of Vinton Central Business District Revitalization project, which included the Billy Byrd apartments, Roland E. Cooke Lofts, former Vinton Library, Vinyard Station, and Gish Mill redevelopment projects. The five projects include a total of $21.7 million in taxable new investment with $533,500 in annual tax base enhancement and over 129 new jobs. These redevelopment projects have helped breathe new life into downtown Vinton's central business district and will inspire further development and revitalization into the area.

Also awarded a VACO 2021 Achievement Award was Roanoke County Public Libraries for civic engagement and providing continual services to citizens amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 100 submissions from across the state of Virginia, only 30 were selected for recognition, with Roanoke County receiving two of the 30 recognitions. Read The Full Release

Ribbon-cutting for New Pickleball Court in Roanoke County

Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism recently cut the ribbon on two new pickleball courts at Stonebridge Park. Along with the two new pickleball courts, three tennis courts at the Park were resurfaced. Stonebridge Park also offers a basketball court, playground, and a connection to the Wolf Creek Greenway. For pickleball lovers, courts are also available at Walrond and Garst Mill Parks in Roanoke County. Learn more on the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism website.

Wood Haven Tech Park Featured in Virginia Business

To help attract new business and industries to our region, Roanoke County, along with regional and state partners, work to identify and inventory shovel-ready sites. Sites like this include the Wood Haven Technology Park in Roanoke County, which was recently featured in Virginia Business. Wood Haven is a 100+ acre planned technology park at the junction of Interstates 81 and 581, located within close proximity of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. Currently, the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority is going through the process of having the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) designate the parcel as a Tier 5 site. This is the highest level in VEDP’s Virginia Business Ready Sites Program’s tier system, which is used to indicate a property’s readiness for industrial development. Read More Here

Holiday Spirit in Roanoke County

Illuminights at Explore Park Illuminights tickets are on sale now! Brighten your nights and explore your holiday spirit through a dazzling world of over 600,000 lights at Illuminights Winter Walk of Lights. Roanoke County and Center in the Square will operate the signature event over the span of 35 nights from November 20 through December 30! Visit Here to purchase your tickets and learn more about Illuminights!

Roanoke County Invests in Career & Technical Education

Career & Technical Education (or CTE) is an integral element of Roanoke County's public school offering and local talent pipeline development. Career readiness in trade professions has become a topic that both the Roanoke County School System and Roanoke County students have become more interested in, which is why Roanoke County, with the help of a citizen-led committee, is currently in the process of identifying site requirements for a new Burton Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT). The new space will provide an update to the current BCAT building that will help allow for more capacity and students to enroll in the CTE program. Read More Here Learn More about BCAT Here

Roanoke County 200 Plan Community Meetings

The Roanoke County 200 Plan is a major update to the Comprehensive Plan. It belongs to every citizen of Roanoke County. Please join us for a Roanoke County 200 Plan meeting in your community this month! All meetings will be open house-style from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Roanoke County Planning is hosting twelve community meetings that began in September and will end before Thanksgiving. In November there will be four meetings, shown above. For each community planning area the meeting will focus on information and feedback about that particular area. Two meetings will be held from a countywide perspective; the meeting locations are convenient to north or south county residents. If you are too busy to attend, or you are uncomfortable with in-person meetings, all of the information and public input exercises are available electronically on the Planning website. You can reach Roanoke County Planning staff at (540) 772-2065. Please share your issues, concerns, ideas, and vision for the future of Roanoke County.

Catawba Sustainability Center is Active in the Community

Partnering with Public Schools in the Region 6th graders from Read Mountain and Central Academy Middle Schools recently had the opportunity to visit Catawba Sustainability Center to learn about water quality and chemistry, wildlife, and soil health. The events, put together by Mountain Castles Soil and Water Conservation District, provided hands-on activities for students to learn about the topics. Students sampled for aquatic macroinvertebrates, took water samples, classified soil types, and simulated population changes in wildlife. It was a great chance for students to connect with the environment and apply knowledge learned from in-class lessons. An Introduction to Growing Medicinal Forest Herbs Join the Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center (VT CSC) for a workshop providing an introduction to growing medicinal forest herbs. This in-person workshop will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021 from 9 AM - 1 PM at the Catawba Sustainability Center. The workshop will include an overview of the VT CSC Herb Network, a presentation on woodland medicinals and forest farming (the intentional cultivation of these species) by Dr. John Munsell, and a hands-on “in the forest” session where participants will learn how to dig, divide/propagate, and plant black cohosh. The workshop is limited to 20 participants - Register Here while slots are still available. Email Katie Trozzo at ketrozzo@vt.edu for more information. Learn More Here

Catawba Valley Farmers Market Closes for the Season after a Successful Year!

The Catawba Valley Farmers' Market (CVFM) has closed for the 2021 season. The 2021 season proved to be successful, with a 9% increase in sales over 2020, providing economic benefits to vendors and the local area.   The Catawba Valley Farmers Market attracts tourists from Lynchburg, Richmond, northern Virginia, and several northern states. Area families now make it a point to bring their visiting family and friends to CVFM.   Due to the COVID-19 distancing requirements, the CVFM has canceled their annual Holiday Market which is normally held in November. Some vendors are selling their foods and crafts by pre-order, for local pick-up. Information on those vendors, their contact information, and their products is listed on the CVFM website and on the CVFM Facebook page. Although the Market is now closed, plans are already being made for the 2022 season which begins on May 5.

Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association Receives Grant for Business Development

The Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association recently received the Entrepreneurial Support Hub for Businesses on Williamson Road Corridor grant worth $150,000 from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association will develop a new shared workspace/incubator adjacent to WRABA’s existing space to serve a multi-lingual, multinational population of highly-motivated entrepreneurs hoping to open businesses along the Williamson Road corridor. WRABA plans to complete its facility buildout, execute start-up business training, and install public artworks that communicate the purpose of the hub. Learn more about the Association Here

Save Money on Tuition for In-demand Fields with G3

This year, Governor Ralph Northam launched the G3 Program to help make attaining a college education more accessible for Virginians via the Virginia Community College System. G3 is a "last dollar" program that pays the difference for tuition once other financial aid has already been applied, potentially bringing the out-of-pocket cost to $0. 

Requirements for qualification include: Qualifies for in-state tuition Has a total household income of less than or equal to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (roughly an income of $100,000 for a family of four) Is enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours at a local community college Has earned a high school diploma or GED Is enrolled in a designated G3 program Has applied for federal and/or state financial aid G3 at Virginia Western Community College Learn more about the G3 Program and how to enroll Here.

Visit VWCC's website Here

International Trade and Innovation Resources for Businesses

Export Readiness Assessment The Export Readiness Assessment is a custom-programmed quiz that is designed to provide feedback to a company to let them know where they are on the export spectrum and to provide an easy way for our own International Trade team to “qualify” companies for our programs/services.

Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP) ICAP helps Virginia-based technology and innovation-driven startups on their path to success. ICAP works with startups to provide support along their entire journey towards scaling – from the early idea stage, all the way through working on Series A level of funding.  Learn More Here International Trade The Virginia SBDC International Business Development Program works with Virginia-based firms to enhance their global success. Our Certified Global Business Professionals provide confidential counseling, training, and customized research to help companies mitigate risks, prioritize markets, identify financing, and grow export sales. International Trade Landing Page Trade Passport provides up to 20 FREE webinars and on-demand training for businesses to grow through international trade

Return to Earn Program Update - No Match required

The Return to Earn program now offers eligible small businesses the $500 employee hiring incentive award without requiring a match from the company. New hires must: •Be a W-2 employee •Be offered a position that pays at least $15.00 per hour •Can be either part-time or full-time •Self-attest that they were unemployed prior to being offered employment. Funding for this program is on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more about Return to Earn and apply Here Read Return to Earn FAQs Here

Partners and Programs

VCW - Blue Ridge Region is Hiring Our partners at Virginia Career Works (VCW) - Blue Ridge Region are hiring for a full-time Career Coach. Get involved with your region and help fill workforce gaps by applying below. Learn More and Apply Here Hospitality Hiring Event Find your career in the restaurant, hotel, tourism industries, and much more, by visiting the Hospitality Hiring Event at 3601 Thirlane Rd. NW on Nov. 9 from 3 - 6 PM. Learn More Here

The GAUNTLET Applications are Open Applications for the 2022 GAUNTLET business development program and competition are now OPEN! Learn More Here Ballyhack Golf Club Wins Top 10 in Virginia Ballyhack Golf Club in Mount Pleasant was recently recognized as the #6 best golf club in Virginia by Golf Digest. Read More Here

Events, Workshops, and Resources Upcoming Roanoke Regional SBDC events include: Happy National Veterans Small Business Week! (Nov. 1 - 5) Global Entrepreneurship Week (Nov. 8 - 14) SWaM Workshop (Nov. 17, 10 AM) Shop Small Saturday (Nov. 27) Creating with Canva: Design Like A Pro with No Experience (Dec. 2, 2 PM) ongoing 1:1 advising. Virginia's SBDC workshops/Events Virginia Tech Roanoke Center Courses 5 Tips & Tools for Better Virtual Business Communication (Nov. 10, 11 AM) Lean Foundations (Feb. 16, 9 AM) Business of Brewing The Art of Public Speaking & Presentation Skills (Feb. 10, 9 AM) Women Impact Virginia Management Essentials Workshops (Jan. 19, 11 AM) Save The Date: Virginia Tech’s Annual Lean Conference will be held Feb. 23-24, 2022, at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center

Roanoke County Business Partners on RVTV

On this month’s show, we visit Chicken Salad Chick for their grand opening at Tanglewood. Then we dive into the ELEVATE Roanoke County 2026 Strategic Plan following a community presentation of the Draft plan. Finally, we head to the Friendship Health & Rehab Center North campus in Hollins for the grand opening of their new Transitional Care unit.

yesroanoke.com econdev@roanokecountyva.gov (540) 772-2069 P.O. Box 29800, Roanoke, VA 24018-0798

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