IRONMAN ANNOUNCES ROANOKE, VIRGINIA AS NEW HOST CITY OF 2020 CARILION CLINIC IRONMAN 70.3 VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE TRIATHLON
Carilion Clinic to serve as the title sponsor for the new event
General Registration to open Aug. 13, 2019 for the first IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge event
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From left to right, City of Roanoke Mayor, Sherman P. Lea, Sr., Carilion Clinic Chief Medical Officer, Patrice M. Weiss M.D., Senior Regional Director for The IRONMAN Group, Keats McGonigal, Board Chair of Virginia's Blue Ridge, Lee Wilhelm, President of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, Landon Howard and Roanoke-based journalist and completor of three Ironman triathlons, Mark Taylor.
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IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Group company, recently announced that Roanoke, Virginia will serve as a multi-year host venue for the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN® 70.3® Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon, relocating the event from its previous host city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Carilion Clinic, a Roanoke-based health care organization, will serve as the title sponsor of the event. The Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon will take place on June 7, 2020. General registration for the event and the accommodation platform provided by Virginia’s Blue Ridge will open on Tuesday, August 13, 2020 by visiting www. ironman.com/blueridge70.3.
“The excitement surrounding the addition of Roanoke to the IRONMAN ‘Ohana’ is extremely high,” said Keats McGonigal, Senior Regional Director for The IRONMAN Group. “There is a long history of endurance events in
Virginia’s Blue Ridge area, including road cycling, mountain biking, and running. Bringing the IRONMAN 70.3 event to this destination provides a picturesque venue where athletes can achieve their dreams of crossing the finish line in the sport of triathlon.”
Located in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Roanoke is the largest metropolitan area in Virginia’s beautiful mountain region. It is a hub for outdoor recreation, arts and culture, and business west of Richmond. Roanoke is best known for the iconic Roanoke Star, which sits atop Mill Mountain and is adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. For outdoor lovers, Roanoke offers a bevy of hiking and biking trails convenient to downtown and was designated a Silver-Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Virginia’s Blue Ridge has staked its claim as America’s East Coast Mountain Biking Capital and is the perfect setting for an IRONMAN 70.3-branded event.
“Virginia’s Blue Ridge is honored to be chosen as the only host destination for an IRONMAN 70.3 event in Virginia for 2020,” said Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “Becoming part of IRONMAN’s elite global race series further establishes our region as a premier sports destination on a national and international level. We are ecstatic to host IRONMAN athletes and visitors for this inaugural race and look forward to introducing them to our beautiful mountain destination. We are extremely grateful for the group of local IRONMAN enthusiasts who had the vision to host this incredible event. Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge would also like to recognize Carilion Clinic, our local governmental partners, and the Western Virginia Water Authority for providing the necessary resources to make the IRONMAN 70.3 event a reality. Virginia’s Blue Ridge travel and tourism industry looks forward to welcoming everyone for this exciting and memorable event. Let the planning, training and fun begin.”
The 2020 Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon, taking place on Sunday, June 7, 2020, will begin with a rolling start format. The 1.2-mile swim will take place in the clear warm waters of Carvins Cove Reservoir. After careful consideration, the Western Virginia Water Authority is partnering with IRONMAN to hold its swimming event in Carvins Cove Reservoir because of the extraordinary opportunity this event will have to showcase the entire valley to a worldwide audience. The Authority worked closely with IRONMAN to make sure that the water quality and beauty of Carvins Cove will be preserved for the benefit of all residents.
Once out of the water, athletes will take on the 56-mile bike course that traverses the rolling hills of Botetourt County before returning to the heart of downtown Roanoke. After transitioning to the run at River’s Edge Park, athletes will experience the Roanoke River Greenway, a paved trail alongside the Roanoke River blueway for the run course.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, Carilion Clinic, a not-for-profit health care provider serving more than one million people in Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Southwest Virginia regions has been named title partner of the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon.
“I was excited to be a part of conversations with IRONMAN about bringing a race to the Roanoke region,” said Dr. Thomas K. “TK” Miller, vice chair of orthopaedics and chief of sports medicine at Carilion Clinic and Chairman of the IRONMAN Global Medical Advisory Board. “We knew this would provide us with a very special opportunity to showcase one of the region’s greatest assets – the outdoors – to a national and international audience. Having participated in IRONMAN and worked with their organization, I know they are highly sought-after events by cities of all sizes around the world. The selection of Virginia’s Blue Ridge region as an IRONMAN host is a remarkable accomplishment and opportunity. It’s an honor for everyone who calls our region home.”
General registration for 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 Blue Ridge triathlon will open on Tuesday, August 13, 2019. The event will offer 40 age-group qualifying slots to the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupõ, New Zealand.
For more information on the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 Blue Ridge triathlon, visit
www.ironman.com/blueridge70.3
and follow the social media hashtag #IM703VBR.
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Passenger Traffic Continues to Grow at ROA
June traffic was up 2.9% year over year at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport as 2019 continues trend of strong traffic growth.
The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport continues to see 2019 traffic increases with June traffic up 2.9% on a year over year basis. June 2019 saw 62,321 passengers fly via ROA compared to 60,543 in June 2018, an increase of 1,778 passengers or 59 additional passengers each day. Year to date 2019 traffic is up an average of 144 passengers a day versus 2018, or an increase of 8.35% versus 2018 with 340,078 passengers served this year compared to 313,857 in 2018.
Strong community support, additional capacity, and improved airline operational reliability have all played roles in the continuation of sustained passenger growth, which began in September of 2016. At this pace, the airport is on track to have its busiest year since 2000.
“We are pleased to see this positive trend continue into 2019, especially given our strong traffic numbers in 2016, 2017 and 2018,” stated Timothy T. Bradshaw, A.A.E., executive director of the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission. “Passenger demand is a critical factor when speaking with airlines regarding improving and increasing air service to our region. Our carriers have added capacity at ROA and our customers have utilized it. We appreciate the support of our community choosing to fly ROA.”
The Commission continually works with the airlines to improve reliability, reduce airfare and upgrade equipment serving the region. This has played a significant role in the increase of passengers using the airport. In addition, the commission has invested resources to promote the services available at ROA and sincerely thanks our customers for choosing to fly ROA.
The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport is the primary airport for Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the New River Valley. ROA serves over 660,000 passengers per year via 4 airlines (American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air) with nonstop service to 6 hub cities (Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, and Washington Dulles) as well as weekly flights to Orlando Sanford International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport.
To learn more about the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, please visit www.flyroa.com.
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Nearly 95 percent of Virginia businesses are small businesses and the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) is dedicated to making sure those businesses have opportunities and resources.
The Small, Women-owned and Minority-owned Business state certification program works to enhance procurement opportunities for businesses participating in state-funded projects.
To learn more about this program, please visit the Featured BizLink above.
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Virginia Tech BUSINESS BITS
“But I already told them that.”
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In a recent corporate training course I taught on Managing through People, we did an exercise on clarity, or lack thereof.
Participants were broken up into teams. One member of each team was chosen to be the “supervisor”. The directions for the teams were to blow up as many ‘acceptable’ balloons as possible. The winning team was going to be given chocolate bars, always an incentive!
The twist was that I took the “supervisors” out into the hallway to give them instructions on how to evaluate the balloons for acceptability. First I told them that under no circumstances were they to speak to their teammates. They were to merely hold up acceptable balloons for scoring. Then, they were told to only accept balloons handed to them via the left hand of the team member. They were only allowed to accept balloons once from any given team member. And, they were only to accept the first balloon of a color. Again, they were not allowed to communicate the rules, but they were to pop unacceptable balloons!
The activity began and immediately the teams were trying to figure out how to get an acceptable balloon. Teamwork was happening, but frustration was happening too. The teams were not given any clarity and had to guess their way through the activity.
The debrief was outstanding. Parallels were drawn between the activity and what can happen at work when directions, goals, processes, expectations and the like are unclear. The message was that clarity can improve production, morale, self-esteem, and teamwork.
How can you assure that there is clarity in the workplace?
1. Regularly review the company mission or vision and be sure it can be articulated by employees.
2. Create or update job descriptions and allow employees to have input as to their accuracy.
3. Develop standard operating procedures with employee-led efforts.
4. Communicate regularly in a variety of ways: email, memo, meetings (formal and informal).
5. Encourage employees to ask questions.
6. Don’t assume employees understand just because you’ve communicated with them.
Let’s go back to the opening comment, “but I already told them that”. By sharing information with employees and checking that they heard and understand the information, you’ll end up with many more “acceptable balloons,” no matter what your mission.
Business Bits
is brought to you by Lesa Hanlin (
Lesa@vt.edu
), Virginia Tech, Executive Director, Roanoke Regional Initiatives (540-767-6100).
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Department of Energy Recognizes City of Roanoke for Exceeding Better Buildings Challenge Goal
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently recognized the City of Roanoke for surpassing a 20 percent energy reduction goal as a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge. Through their efforts, the City has achieved an energy savings of 23 percent due to greater efficiency efforts across their building portfolio. The Better Buildings Challenge is a DOE program that works with more than 360 partners to drive the acceleration of cost-effective and proven strategies to improve the energy efficiency of the nation’s buildings, plants, and homes. Roanoke’s savings are now part of Better Buildings Challenge’s savings of $3.8 billion and 470 trillion BTUs since its launch in 2011, while financing commitments surpass $19 billion.
Roanoke focused on lighting retrofits, and HVAC and mechanical system replacements as an opportunity to save energy and improve efficiency across 1 million square feet of its building portfolio. For the last seven years, Roanoke’s Facilities staff has been dedicated to energy efficiency for all of the City’s buildings. The secret to the success is mechanical and lighting improvements using innovative technologies along with best practices for the operations and maintenance. In addition to the City’s organizational goal, the Berglund Center achieved an individual goal as a Better Buildings Challenge Showcase Project for a 30 percent energy reduction, contributing to the team’s success. More details on the strategies employed to achieve this goal can be found online in the redesigned Better Buildings Solution Center, along with 2,500 proven partner solutions.
City Manager Bob Cowell commented that, “Roanoke continues to be a leader in energy efficiency, saving the citizens more than $3 million over the course of the Better Buildings Challenge. We are proud of the City’s staff and the Berglund Center on a job well done!”
For more information, please contact the City’s Sustainability and Outreach Coordinator, Nell Boyle at 853-5430 or email her at nell.boyle@roanokeva.gov.
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Michael Friedlander named to advisory council focusing on school readiness for children
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Virginia Tech health sciences leader appointed to Virginia Early Childhood Foundation advisory council
The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) was founded in 2006 with the vision that every child in Virginia should begin kindergarten healthy, equipped with the resources they need, and ready to succeed.
Michael Friedlander, founding executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and vice president of health sciences and technology at Virginia Tech, was recently appointed to join the foundation’s Advisors Councils. He joins 10 other council members and will serve a three-year term.
“This is a role and honor that I am enthusiastic to accept," said Friedlander. “There is no single resource that is more precious and important for our nation and state's future than the cognitive potential of our children. The opportunity to work together with such an organization as VECF and contribute to this goal is one I fully embrace.”
VCEF works with the state’s School Readiness Subcommittee, which was established in 2005 to focus on developing Virginia’s workforce for early childhood initiatives. It also publishes a biennial School Readiness Report Card to assess the effectiveness of the state’s school readiness services.
The foundation funds community initiatives, conducts research, and integrates evidence-based early childhood systems throughout the Commonwealth.
Friedlander joined the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in 2010 as the institute’s inaugural executive director. In this capacity, he leads 26 biomedical research teams working to solve major health challenges. The institute’s faculty members hold more than $125 million in ongoing research grants and contracts, primarily funded through the National Institutes of Health.
Friedlander is the senior dean for research at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and a neuroscientist who studies how synaptic plasticity during brain development and in response to brain injury.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Friedlander served as the Wilhelmina Robertson Professor of Neuroscience, department of neuroscience chair, and director of neuroscience initiatives at Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
Before moving to Houston, Friedlander worked for the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine for 25 years. During that time, Friedlander was a professor and founding chair of the department of neurobiology, founding director of the Neurobiology Research Center, director of the Civitan International Research Center for Intellectual Disabilities, and the first Evelyn McKnight Professor of Learning and Memory in Aging.
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Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology Receives New Signage
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The tenants located within the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology (RCIT), the City of Roanoke's largest industrial park, have a new entrance sign!
RCIT is one of Virginia's premier industrial parks with 440-acres.
Located at the Orange Avenue/Route 460 entrance to the park, new signage was unveiled this week reflecting nine companies located within the industrial park. The new sign is lit to make visibility easier after dusk and this is the first time the sign has been upgraded since the opening of RCIT in 1980.
The new signage was a collaborative purchase by the City of Roanoke, the City of Roanoke Economic Development Authority and the tenant companies of RCIT. Budget Signs of Roanoke was the vendor used for the sign design and installation.
For more information on the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology, please visit:
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A Demo Day and reception is being hosted by the Roanoke-Blacksburg, Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program (RAMP) on October 3. This event is designed to showcase the 2018 RAMP program cohort companies.
When:
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Registration Opens: 2:30 pm
Demo Day: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Reception: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Where:
Virginia Western Community College – Whitman Theater | 3095 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24015
RAMP’s mission is to propel high-potential startups to expand and create jobs in the STEM-H (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Health) fields. Founding partners in the initiative include the City of Roanoke, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council, and Virginia Western Community College. The program is housed in the recently renovated Gill Memorial Building, 709 S. Jefferson St., along the downtown Roanoke Innovation Corridor.
To register and attend this event, click
here.
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New RIDE Solutions App Offers Employers Immediate Transportation Solutions
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RIDE Solutions and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation have launched a new, statewide ridematching system to help commuters explore their transportation options.
The new system, part of the Commute!VA statewide network, provides a suite of instant ridematching tools on mobile devices and through the
www.ridesolutions.org
website to help citizens connect to carpool, transit, and bike commuting opportunities.
“Our new software represents a huge leap forward in the level of service we are able to offer,” said RIDE Solutions Program Director Jeremy Holmes. “Commuters can instantly find and communicate with potential carpool partners, join vanpools, and find transit or bike buddies to help them navigate all their transportation choices, all via their smartphone or the web.”
An exciting feature of the new system, powered by the software platform Agile Mile, is the addition of a robust rewards system. Users can log their telework days, carpool, transit, bike, and vanpool trips to earn points that can be cashed in for over 2,000 different rewards at local and national businesses. RIDE Solutions hopes to work with retailers and restaurants across central and southwest Virginia to offer more reward options.
Additionally, the new system will allow commuters to match to destinations across the state and into areas not covered by existing programs, allowing long-distance, event, and one-time ridematching.
Chris Arabia, Manager of Statewide Mobility Programs for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said “We are excited to partner with RIDE Solutions and commuter assistance programs across the Commonwealth to provide statewide ridematching through Commute!VA. This is the next step in DRPT’s continuing commitment to provide transportation options that help move more people on our transportation system, reduce congestion and emissions, and provide mobility solutions for all our citizens.”
The new system can be found at
www.ridesolutions.org
or downloaded from the Apple app store or Google Play.
RIDE Solutions is a commuter services program operated by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in cooperation with the New River Valley Planning District Commission, the Central Virginia Planning District Commission, and the West Piedmont Planning District Commission. It provides multimodal trip planning services for citizens and employers throughout Central and Southwest Virginia.
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Recent Grand Openings & Ribbon Cuttings in the City of Roanoke
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Burns & McDonnell Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting at 110 Franklin Road on July 10, 2019.
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Orvis' Downtown Re-Grand Opening & Ribbon-Cutting at 19 Campbell Avenue on July 16, 2019.
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Bloom Restaurant & Wine Bar Grand Opening & Ribbon-Cutting located at 1109 Main Street in the
Wasena neighborhood on
July 31, 2019.
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Salt Foot Sanctuary located at Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center on
August 1, 2019.
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Roanoke Co+op announces changes and continues to enhance environmental stewardship.
Roanoke Co+op, the natural foods retailer will no longer offer single use plastic shopping bags at the registers after August 31, 2019
The co-op has long been an advocate for environmental stewardship in the Roanoke Valley and views the move as a natural progression toward being even more eco-conscious.
Many shoppers already bring their own bags to the register at the co-op and paper bags will still be available.
Roanoke Co+op has also replaced plastic drinking straws with paper ones in their stores and durable paper bags are provided in the produce and bulk departments as an alternative to single use plastic bags.
AND, more positive changes are in the works.
“We are committed to reducing single use plastic in our stores. Some eco-friendly alternatives are currently available while others will take some time to develop,” says general manager, Bruce Phlegar. “This is a new era in our city and shoppers are concerned about the vast amounts of plastic that end up in our landfills or in our world’s rivers and oceans. In response, many of our shoppers are saying they don’t need a bag at all because they brought their own.”
Roanoke Co+op has promoted BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) since 2010 with its Change! for the Community program. When you bring your own bag to the co-op, or don’t use a bag at all, Roanoke Co+op donates $.05 to the featured local organizations of the month. Over the years, co-op shoppers have saved over 865,000 bags from entering the waste stream, while contributing over $45k to local organizations. Shoppers can also ‘round up’ their change at the register through the Change! program, which has raised over $142k for local organizations, to date.
“EPA research showed us that one plastic bag can take 1,000 years to decompose! That’s a long time for something to hang around that may have been used for just 15 minutes,” says Phlegar. “It’s time we all work together to reduce our dependency on single use plastic”
Roanoke Co+op, founded in 1975, is the largest food co-op in Virginia. The co-op, as it is commonly known, is a community-owned grocery store with 4,700+ owners. Their products are many, their selection diverse, and their promise unwavering – that you will find quality organic, natural and local food with no artificial colorants, preservatives, or additives. In addition to providing families with high-quality organic and natural products, the co-op supports local efforts to preserve the integrity and health of natural resources and the local community. Roanoke Co+op operates two retail locations in Roanoke on Grandin Road and the Historic Downtown City Market.
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Don't forget...BizRoanoke is on RVTV Channel 3!
BizRoanoke is a monthly television program highlighting economic activity and programs
within the City of Roanoke.
Tune into RVTV Channel 3 to learn more, access it on our website at
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Check it Out!
City Owned Available Property
The City of Roanoke has a variety of properties, from existing buildings to buildable sites,
presently available for acquisition. The purchase of City property must be approved by Council; this requires potential buyers to submit a proposal for the property.
For more information on available properties and the proposal process, please visit the links below:
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The City of Roanoke Department of Economic Development is on
Facebook
and
Instagram
! Please "like" or "follow" us
today!
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