Regardless of who’s working to improve business, working together has been proved to be productive.
Business growth in Virginia’s Blue Ridge—including the New River Valley—has been tenuous for the past few years but seems to be on the upswing. This recent success is owed to productive industrial recruiting, coupled with technology alliances that are beginning to fulfill their promise.
Job announcements from the Roanoke Regional Partnership dipped significantly in 2019, down from 12 in 2018 to three, worth a $26.75 million local investment and 100 jobs. Things ticked back up in 2020. Through the summer, there were four announcements with a combined investment of over $44 million. Those announcements also brought a significant 440 jobs, even though they occurred during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The challenge is figuring out what 2021 and beyond will look like,” says Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership (now retired). “There is still so much uncertainty as clients try to figure out what the future looks like in terms of demand, work environment, supply chains, etcetera.”
Like other industrial recruitment organizations, the Partnership has had to work outside the long-established box, understanding that clients aren’t traveling as they did, developing “new channels,” as Doughty calls them, and working online with projects and potential customers.
A recent online campaign called “Live Here, Work Anywhere, Play Everywhere” pulled in 2.6 million impressions, 40,000 clicks and 2000 signups, says Doughty. “That’s really successful for our size and resources.” Many are counting on Zoom for person-to-person contact, and social events are verboten.
“We’ve been through recessions before,” Doughty says. “A difference for the Roanoke Regional Partnership is that now we’re approaching economic development from a lot of different directions, which will bolster our resiliency. I’d worry if we were focused only on business attraction. That’s an outdated model of economic development.”
Among the most significant successes in 2020 was the recruitment of Mack Trucks in January. Mack will hire 250 employees to start, with a $13 million investment in the former LSC Communications building in Roanoke County to produce medium-duty trucks. Mack is part of the Volvo Group, which has a massive plant in Dublin. Doughty points out that this new truck plant brings the number of firms in that industry in the region to 26.
Courtesy of Mack Trucks
Mack Trucks’ all-new Mack® MD Series of medium-duty vehicles are now in full production at Mack’s new Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) facility.
The plant by itself will have an overall economic impact in Virginia’s Blue Ridge of nearly $365 million per year when in full operation. It will also create almost 600 new jobs.
Roanoke County Economic Development Director Jill Loope emphasizes that Mack brings “high-paying, skilled jobs in a prominent industry sector.”
Elsewhere, technology is the focus, especially in the New River Valley where the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is up to 36 buildings on 210 acres and 200 companies employing 3,300 people.
Several programs are working to solidify the region as a technology stalwart. The Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program (RAMP), features mentoring and some funding for developing businesses; the Advancement Foundation, Innovation Mill, The Gauntlet and The Hive are Vinton-based interlocked mentors/funders for startups; Valleys Innovation Council is helping create an innovation ecosystem; and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority is inspiring entrepreneurs.
Greg Feldman, executive director of the Valleys Innovation Council (VIC), says the support system “is in the best spot in my working lifetime. We have evolved a support mechanism,” but access to capital remains a sometimes-elusive element. Victor Ianello, co-chairman of the VIC, says, “Our goal is to increase the activity and resources in the innovation ecosystem.”
Roanoke Business Technology Council (RAMP) Executive Director Mary Miller says, “I’m all about how we work together to move the ball. Long before RAMP, we studied for a long time: How do we move the region forward with higher-end jobs, which is the technology sector? The Tech Council was the obvious focal point for business involved in technology.”
She says it “made perfect sense that RAMP should be closely aligned with Tech Council. Mentors we need were already there in that council. Our initial mentors came from the tech council.”
“Now the alignment has come back together, and the messaging realization is that we’re all focused on the same game; we just have different responsibilities across the eco-system … What we leave out is main street businesses, but there’s a lot of support for that. If I want to start bagel shop, there’s a lot of support.”
Successes have been numerous. Miller points to MicroHarmonics, which “will be a rock star company worldwide. They would have found their way, but we’ve helped them RAMP up their success and connect to sources.” The company makes a small part for the 5G world and “when the 5G network comes online, they will be critical part of it.” A key customer is NASA.
Beam Technologies, a spinoff from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke, is commercializing research by Warren Bickel and Sara Snider, which might have gone lacking in the past. Beam pairs addiction research with technology.
Courtesy of Beam Diagnostics
ABOVE:Beam Diagnostics CEO and co-founder Sarah Snider presents her company’s flagship product for RAMP’s 2018 Demo Day.
“Autonomous research,” where humans are not directing the decision-making, is a recent focal point, says Miller. Block Chain in Blacksburg concentrates on the “concept that all the pieces are not in one spot. Block Chain is a critical part of the more secure systems.”
Ticket Spigot, an online ticket manager, “will be huge,” says Miller, emphasizing that working together is vital. “You shouldn’t have to be lucky to get help.” Other clients include Abstract Assembly, spacecraft design for the small satellite market; Itmus Digital, software that helps predict and prevent equipment failures; Local Food Network, software for local food companies; Quick Tech, medical evaluation for range of motion; and Rendyr, which creates desktop robotics.
Doughty says, “The Partnership received a GoVirginia grant to put together a recovery and resilience program with traded sectors. There is lots of attention being paid to small business, and rightfully so, but attention on our traded sectors was getting lost. This program will have the Partnership and local governments leading roundtables with businesses in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and technology to determine their needs, challenges and opportunities and implementing tactics to help.”
Says Miller, “We have to keep the long view. Remember the day they broke ground for VTC? There were a lot of naysayers. Now it’s hard to see the region without it. The success we’re seeing is significant.”