Dan Smith
The feel of Vinton these days is quite different from the small, sleepy, Mayberry-like town of 10 years ago, says Annette Patterson.
“The levels [of energy] in Vinton have just exploded,” says the founder and director of The Advancement Foundation, which has had a lot to do with that change in attitude, direction, energy and vision since about 2007. That’s when the foundation was jump-started with a lot of cooperation from the town.
The Advancement Foundation is as much a symbol of the new Vinton as the City Hall clock is reminiscent of the old. Patterson says the nonprofit “engineers assets” and that has meant a strong push to develop business. “That is the great equalizer,” she says.
In 12 years, the Advancement Foundation has helped “well over 400 entrepreneurs” with 200 mentors find varying levels of success in their new business ventures. Patterson says those cumulative numbers will edge up to 1,000 in the near future. The foundation has expanded its reach into Roanoke, Botetourt and Alleghany Counties and the City of Roanoke, where there is a new business incubator.
The Advancement Foundation is responsible for the wildly successful “Gauntlet,” which has become the largest entrepreneur competition in Virginia, drawing 122 entries this past year. “They ranged from a drone company to new businesses in service industries,” says Patterson.
As impressive as the Advancement Foundation’s track record has been, it is not standing out there alone. The town’s management has vigorously sought to expand its business base with the kinds of enterprises that speak to a new Vinton.
Among those is Rosie’s, a horse race gaming enterprise at the old Colonial Downs, which recently opened in May to take advantage of the Kentucky Derby style “off-track” racing wagering. That has meant over 150 new employees.
Small, mom-and-pop businesses make up the bulk of the employment in Vinton and they have rarely seen days as flush as the ones they’re experiencing now. Vinton is becoming known for its excellent restaurants, some ethnic, some specialty, some old-line blue plate special. The Dogwood, which has been on Lee Avenue for a very long time, still packs them in at lunch time for home-cooked meals, while two Asian restaurants (Red Jasmine Thai Cuisine and Asia Gourmet) are quite popular, as is a Mexican restaurant La Casa del Burrito. Master Sergeant BBQ works out of a truck and has recently added outside dining. FarmBurguesa has created something of a stampede at lunchtime for its specialty hamburgers. New York Pizza has a long and storied run on Virginia Avenue.
Lilly Hemp in Vinton, part of the Innovation Mill, is a hemp-based products business that is sitting on the edge of what many people are saying is “the next Apple” from a growth standpoint. Some analysts estimate that in a few years 85 percent of everything in a home—including the home itself—will have some hemp component. In the states where hemp is legal, investment has been impressive.
Businesses like Cardinal Glass, Berkshire Health & Rehabilitation and Magnets USA are larger than the mom-and-pops and they provide a stability for the whole.
Two local radio stations also just moved to Vinton: The Mountain 102.5 (WBZA) and Oldies 101.5 (WVMP) signed a lease to leave downtown Roanoke and move their offices and studios to the third floor of the Lancerlot Sport Complex. Both stations are re-broadcasted to Christiansburg and Blacksburg markets.
And there is more to come. Macado’s restaurant, which recently moved into the old Vinton Library—to much ballyhoo—brought 60 employees and a renovated Vinton Motors (a new anchor restaurant downtown is being considered), could add another 60, says Assistant Town Manager Pete Peters. There are plans in the works to upgrade the 59,000-square-foot River Park Shopping Center, which recently lost its grocery store anchor and the new owner is considering building some out parcels there, Peters says.
The Town currently owns Gish’s Mill, probably Vinton’s oldest building, and is entertaining proposals for a renovation of the building that could include businesses, a restaurant and perhaps even apartments. “They’re looking at a B&B, restaurant, events space and even an indoor farmer’s market,” says Peters. Because of the age and historical significance of Gish’s Mill, it likely qualifies for “several historic and preservation programs,” says Peters.
Lancerlot recently reopened its ice rink, which was destroyed years ago by a snow storm. It has been an instant success, pulling in youth and college hockey, as well as being used as a practice facility by the Rail-Yard Dawgs pro team. The fitness center was also upgraded and membership rose quickly, Peters says.
Vinton has taken slow, steady steps toward becoming what it is, says Peters. It has the town center so many localities seek and visitor traffic is increasing—at least partly because a group of quality restaurants. A $750,000 Community Development Block Grant helped the town with aesthetics and the remodeling of the farmer’s market and streetscapes. Twin Creeks Brewery was recruited to locate downtown and it has been an important cog in the new “cool” feel. Twin Creeks will open another outlet at Brugh Tavern at the nearby Explore Park very soon.
There’s even talk of an 80-room hotel near downtown to support many of the numerous wedding, event and sports venues.
Vinton is not a big-business locality (Precision Fabric Group is the largest with just 230 employees; McDonald’s is fifth ranked), but its mixture of small businesses, medium-sized businesses and successful entrepreneurs is raising eyebrows across the Roanoke Valley and beyond.