July 2009
Volume 9, No. 6

Butch Church presents the Archers with a framed memento. from left, James Archer, Regine Archer, Bob Archer, Butch Church, Nancy Archer Doucette, and Jacqueline Archer.

Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc., a family-owned and operated beverage distributor serving a 49-county area in central and southwest Virginia, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The Company, headquartered in West Roanoke County, VA, has been in existence since 1938, but it has been under the continuous leadership of the Archer family for 50 years since 1959, when it had only 10 employees and four beverage delivery routes.

Since that time, Blue Ridge Beverage has expanded its territory and currently has facilities in Salem, Waynesboro, Lynchburg, South Boston, Marion and Norton, VA. The Company has 350 valued employees and distributes annually more than 7,300,000 cases of beer, wine and soft drinks, making it one of the largest beverage distributorships in Virginia. The success of the Company can be attributed to its outstanding employees and to the many valued retail customers it serves. Click here to read more

(L to R) Bob Archer, Regine Archer, Jim Archer and Jacqueline Archer  

www.blueridgebeverage.com

From left: Virginia Secretary of Commerce, Pat Gottschalk, TMEIC GE CEO, Dale Guidry, and Paul Grossman, Director of International Trade and Investment, VEDP

TMEIC GE is one of eight companies that recently graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program.

Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Patrick Gottschalk, presented a certificate and crystal globe to Dale Guidry, CEO of TMEIC GE, in recognition of completing the VALET program, which helps companies that are committed to international exporting.

Secretary Gottschalk praised TMEIC GE’s completion of the program and the Company’s contributions to Virginia.

Launched in January 2002, the two-year VALET program assists exporters in the Commonwealth that have firmly established domestic operations and are committed to international exporting as an expansion strategy. The first of its kind in the U.S., the VALET program offers a powerful combination of capital resources from the state and professional services from private-sector partners to enhance the international efforts of up to 15 companies per year. Participating firms are chosen based on their dedication to growth through export. The VALET program now has 73 graduates and 29 current participating companies. TMGE participated in a number of international trade missions as a part of the VALET program.

“The VALET Program accelerates the development of international business by connecting companies with the practical tools needed for successful export sales,” said Leslie Parpart, VALET Program Manager. “These graduating companies have utilized all of the resources of the VALET Program and have really challenged themselves to grow their international businesses. This class of companies was one of the program’s strongest ever, and I am confident that they will see the return on their investment for years to come.”

www.tmge.com

Richfield is a not-for-profit retirement community which for more than 70 years, has expanded and evolved to meet the needs of senior adults living in southwest Virginia. Beginning with long-term care, a full continuum of services and settings is now offered. The campus is a beautifully landscaped 50 acres with two lakes and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. A unique quality of Richfield is the ability to offer a full continuum of health care services, without leaving the Richfield campus.

Richfield Retirement Center has an intriguing history about dedicated people whose legacy has been passed to today’s administration. To read more about Richfield’s history, click here.

Pictured above is the completed Phase II of The Shoppes at West Village Center with Phase III which is currently under construction in the background.

The Shoppes at West Village Center are expanding. Lewis Jamison, new owner and president of Heritage Builders and Jamison Properties, has Phase III of the West Village development under construction. The European inspired architectural building is 14,500 square feet and the targeted completion date is October 2009.

Phase IV and Phase V are slated for completion in late 2009 or early 2010. The center’s focus is a mixed use concept which provides retail shop space on the lower level and professional office space on the upper terrace level. The center is located on Electric Road near the Colonial Avenue intersection and plans have been approved for a new entrance stop light.

The facade work of Phase III of The Shoppes at West Village Center is featured in this photo. Phase III is scheduled to be completed in October of 2009.

The village center is an upscale development offering designer clothes, furs, jewels to fine dining and handmade chocolates. Despite the national economic condition, Lewis Jamison is moving ahead with commercial investment. Jamison is the owner and developer of other county properties such as the McVitty Executive Center and Dominion Office Park.

For more information, contact Janice Dunleavy of Jamison Properties at 540.798.5308 or 540.345.5498.

Why would an individual who was an operations director for Media General, operations manager for Harley Davidson, general manager of Duncan Honda Motor Sports, a partner in a personal training business and general manager of Gold’s Gym in Roanoke opt to open an Anytime Fitness franchise? The answer to the question for Dwight Ward was to fulfill his dream of working for himself through the opportunities provided by a franchise.

Ward chose Anytime Fitness which is the number one co-ed fitness club chain in the world. The Minnesota company’s number of worldwide clubs grew from 593 to 958 in 2008 and the 1000th club opened in January of 2009. Coincidentally, January was also the month the Wards’ opened their business in the Kroger Square at Bonsack just shy of the 1,000th mark. Dwight Ward and his wife, Shirley, set up operation in 4,200 square feet with leased equipment and a business plan after almost two years of market research.

Click here to read more

(Middle) Vinton Mayor Brad Grose and (Middle Right) Roanoke County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Altizer join (Middle Far Right) Vinton Kroger Store Manager Bruce Molnar in celebrating the Grand Re-Opening.

The Kroger store in Vinton held its Grand Re-Opening on Thursday, May 14th with store manager, Bruce Molnar, serving as Master of Ceremonies. Roanoke County Board of Supervisors Chairman, Mike Altizer, and Town of Vinton Mayor, Brad Grose, presented a joint Certificate of Appreciation for the capital investment in the expansion/renovation project. Afterward, a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held and a Vinton Fire Truck sounded the alarm as the ribbon was officially cut and customers were invited into the store.

The Vinton Kroger now has an additional 30,000 square feet for a total of 88,426 square feet, a new Pharmacy with a drive-in window, an expanded wine department, a new floral department and an expanded Nature's Market. Not only is the location one of the largest grocery stores in the area, but it is the only store to host a new and unique department - home furnishings. The department includes name brand furniture such as Ashley, Sauder or Kroger's private label brands such as HD Designs and Everyday Living for couches, bar stools, entertainment centers, bookshelves, lamps, etc. The Vinton Kroger is the only store in the mid-Atlantic region with this distinctive merchandise section.

Congratulations to Bruce Molnar and his colleagues!

kroger.com

Saint Francis Service Dogs is constructing a new custom designed, state-of-the-art kennel building and manager’s quarters on the organization’s 18-acre training center complex on Enon Road in north county. The facility will cost approximately $3 million for the expansion and other property improvements which will be funded by an on-going capital campaign.

According to Executive Director, Cabell Youell, the kennel had been a missing component in the organization’s ability to expand. The new facility will increase training efficiencies, the number of dogs in the program and the ability to meet rising demand from candidates which are the client group.

The service dogs, which perform a wide variety of task work and assistance to children and adults with disabilities, are placed throughout Virginia at no cost to the recipient. To learn more about the role of service dogs and the other sponsored programs such as “Pet Partner Teams” to assist elementary school children with reading, the “Prison Pup Program” at Bland Correctional Center or events such as “Dogtoberfest,” visit their website www.saintfrancisdogs.org.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit that offers an incentive for private sector businesses to hire individuals from nine targeted groups that have consistently faced significant barriers to employment, including Veterans.

Depending on the employment scenario, private sector businesses may be eligible to reduce their federal income tax liability by as much as:

1. Qualified 1st-year wages are capped at $6,000 for all adult target groups, including veterans.
2. The cap on qualified first-year wages for disabled veterans was increased from $6,000 to $12,000 resulting in a bigger tax credit.
3. Employers hiring from this group receive a two-year credit for each new hire. It has different wages and credit percentages.

For more information on where to apply or get the application forms, visit our Web site at: www.doleta.gov/business/Incentives/opptax or IRS’s Web site at: www.irs.gov

Business assistance programs provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia is the newest feature show on Roanoke County Business Partners. The program provides an overview of two timely programs in the current economic climate:

The International Trade Division
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Interview with Paul Grossman, Director of International Trade

and

Virginia Jobs Investment Partnership
Virginia Department of Business Assistance
Interview with Debbie Melvin, Project Manager

Also featured in the program were Optical Cable Corporation for developing trade relationships in 60 foreign markets and ITT Night Vision for its training investment of 800+ employees.

Join Roanoke County Business Partner's hosts, Melinda Cox, Doug Chittum and Jill Loope as they explore assistance programs available to county business partners by the state of Virginia. Roanoke County Business Partners airs every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on RVTV Channel 3. For additional programming information, please click here www.rvtv.org.