Roanoke County Business Partners Newsletter |
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January 2022: Volume 22, No. 1
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.
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Roanoke County: 2021 Year in Review |
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Roanoke County experienced many economic wins in 2021, which was very meaningful after the hardships local businesses felt due to the pandemic in 2020. The economic success of Roanoke County is reliant upon our innovative, diverse, and driven business community, which Roanoke County Economic Development recognized in the 2021 Year in Review. Recap this past year with Jill Loope, Director of Economic Development, to see the economic successes of 2021.
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New in the Town of Vinton |
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RND Coffee Opens in Vinyard Station |
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RND Coffee is officially open in Vinyard Station in downtown Vinton! Last month, the Town of Vinton and Roanoke County celebrated the opening of the local coffee shop inside one of Vinton's redevelopment projects. Downtown Vinton has become a hub of local food and beverage options, redevelopment projects, and business expansions that help elevate the Town of Vinton and position it for further economic success. You can visit RND Coffee at 101 Washington Avenue in Vinton and you can learn more on the January episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.
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Rosie's Expands with More Offerings for Guests |
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Rosie's Gaming Emporium in Vinton recently opened their expansion that more than doubled their footprint. Rosie's grew their overall space from 15,000 square feet to 33,000 square feet which features a new high-limit gaming area, 350 new machines, and an entertainment stage that will feature live music Thursday through Saturday. Rosie's has also constructed Vinton’s first parking garage for Rosie’s customers. You can visit Rosie's at 1135 Vinyard Road in Vinton.
Tax revenue generated from Rosie's has helped the Town of Vinton fund many necessary projects and improvements around the Town. Rosie's also has their Rosie's Gives Back program which donates $1,000 every week to a local charity.
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Tour Carilion Children's Tanglewood Center |
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Carilion Children's Tanglewood Center is a hub for a wide array of pediatric services and helps breathe new life as a strong anchor tenant in the mall. Check out the impressive facility with this virtual tour presented at the 2021 Carilion Clinic Leadership Conference.
Take the virtual tour Here
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Neely's Accounting Opens on Brambleton |
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Neely's Accounting Services celebrated the grand opening of their third location in Roanoke County last month for their new office located at 3652 Brambleton Avenue. Neely's offers clients an array of services, both for business and personal finances, that range from payroll, taxes, retirement plan analysis, and more. You can learn more about Neely's at their Brambleton location on the January episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.
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Roanoke: Best for Business |
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Roanoke Makes Doing Business Easy
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The cost of doing business and the cost of living are major factors that can impact the growth and retention of a healthy economy. In recent findings, the Roanoke Region excels in both! Data shows that the cost of doing business in Roanoke sits 18% lower than the national average. This index incorporates costs including workforce, energy, taxes, and real estate to arrive at a national comparison. These cost advantages are fueling the region’s competitiveness and increasing economic growth projections.
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Virginia Among Best States for Business |
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Business Facilities magazine named Virginia as a winner of the Business Facilities’ 2021 States of the Year awards. Virginia was recognized as the state with the Overall Best Business Climate, referencing factors such as workforce. Workforce is one of Virginia's strengths, with an unemployment rate of just 3.6%, the 10th lowest in the country. The commonwealth also runs a number of highly-successful workforce programs, including the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a customizable job-specific training and recruitment initiative; and Fast Forward Virginia, a short-term credential program to train Virginians for top, in-demand jobs across the commonwealth.
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Transportation Update: 419 at Tanglewood Road Improvements |
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The new RT 419 extended lane at Tanglewood Mall is officially open, as well as a new direct turn lane takes you onto RT 220 southbound.
Drivers can use the far right lane to access the ramp and use the left & middle lanes as thru lanes to continue on RT 419. The bicycle lanes are open and new sidewalks are under construction.
Stay up-to-date on the VDOT Salem District updates by following their Facebook page Here.
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LewisGale NICU Development |
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LewisGale Medical Center is planning to develop a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as part of ongoing renovations in the labor and delivery unit. Construction will start in early 2022 and the NICU could be up and running as soon as fall 2022. Newborns that need intensive, life-saving measures will still be transported to Roanoke Memorial or another facility, but the NICU will also allow the staff to better stabilize infants before they leave for a different hospital.
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Project Outside Accepting Applications for 2022 |
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Project Outside is a community fund helping to support outdoor capital improvement projects, maintain key outdoor assets, and help launch and support businesses in the outdoor sector.
Project Outside funded 14 regional projects last year including a new river access currently being built at Wayside Park, improvements to the Mayflower Disc Golf Course, along with tools/machines for trail repairs/building throughout the region.
If you want to learn more about the 2022 Project Outside program and how to apply, click Here. The application period ends January 21.
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State Leadership Tours Wood Haven Site |
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Delegate Terry Austin (R-19) visited the Wood Haven Technology Park last month to tour the site with local economic developers and Roanoke County administration and supervisors. Wood Haven Technology Park is a certified site with Virginia Economic Development Partnership which can accommodate 1,000,000+ square feet of quality manufacturing space. Its location offers a speed to market with more than 2,000 feet of interstate frontage on I-81, placing this site at the gateway to the Roanoke Valley.
Learn more about the Wood Haven technology Park Here.
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BCAT Team Wins National Competition |
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The E3 Sparks Plug team, an engine building team from the Burton Center for the Arts & Technology, recently won the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Building Challenge national competition, making this their fourth national championship. Each team member was also awarded $10,000 in scholarships. Congratulations to the E3 Sparks Plug team!
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Virginia Tech Lands Grant Award |
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For over two years, Roanoke County Economic Development has worked on advancing the Automotive Industry Sector with regional partners and Virginia Tech was recently awarded funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Automotive industry cluster EDA grant was selected as one of 60 finalists (from a pool of 529 applicants) for an award of approx. $500,000, which allows the department to then be able to apply for the up to $100 million Rescue Plan Build Back Better funding for Phase 2 implementation. This grant will be used to catalyze regional economic growth by aligning regional assets, accelerating the adoption of critical vehicle technologies, and achieving global prominence in automated electric delivery.
Read the full release Here under the category “Virginia Tech”
View the Fact Sheet Here.
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New Surgical Technology Program at VWCC |
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Virginia Western announces new Surgical Technology program.
Healthcare is the largest employment sector of the Roanoke Valley economy and the need for well-trained surgical technologists is projected to continue to grow.
New students can apply now for Virginia Western’s Surgical Technology program Here. Surgical Technology is included in the statewide G3 program, a tuition assistance program for any Virginia resident who qualifies for in-state tuition and whose family income falls below an identified threshold. Eligible students may enroll in designated programs at the state’s community college to gain the skills they need to begin jobs in high-demand fields.
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Learn more about the G3 Program and how to enroll Here.
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International Trade and Innovation Resources for Businesses |
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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.
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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.
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.
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Applications Now Open for Spring 2022 Cohort
The Spring 2022 cohort will be focused on Health and Life Science startup companies.
RAMP will select up to five companies for the 12-week cohort that provides:
- Expert 1:1 mentoring with the region’s top entrepreneurs and executives
- Free office space with high-speed internet
- Access to venture capital and equity-free funding
- More!
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The GAUNTLET 2022 Program Applications are Open
Virtual classes start Feb. 1, 2022
The GAUNTLET includes business training, mentorship, scaling strategies, and much more! Anyone can participate in the classes and decide to compete for over $300,000 cash and prizes!
Learn About Main Street manufacturing Here
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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.
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
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Blue Ridge Parkway Winter Conditions and Closures
Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) personnel are currently conducting winter maintenance activities in multiple locations along the 469-mile route, with work continuing into the early months of 2022. Winter weather conditions and seasonal road maintenance activities can cause temporary closures along the Blue Ridge Parkway, so plan ahead for traveling the BRP.
Click Here to view upcoming events in Virginia's Blue Ridge
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Events, Workshops, and Resources
Upcoming Roanoke Regional SBDC events include:
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Virginia Tech Roanoke Center Courses
Save The Date: Virginia Tech’s Annual Lean Conference will be held Feb. 23-24, 2022, at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
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Roanoke County Business Partners on RVTV |
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This month, we celebrate the expansions of two businesses in Roanoke County. We visit RND Coffee for their new location inside Vinyard Station in downtown Vinton, and we check out Neely’s Accounting Services at their new location on Brambleton Avenue. Then we speak with Jill Loope, director of Economic Development in Roanoke County, to recap some of 2021’s most impactful economic development moments in our community.
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(540) 772-2069
P.O. Box 29800, Roanoke, VA 24018-0798
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