Local Business and Economic Development
Roanoke, VA (March 11, 2021) – Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia is pleased to provide the official results for its 2021 Roanoke Valley Gives Day, a 24-hour online effort to raise much needed funds for over 140 local nonprofits.
The Community Foundation had set an ambitious goal this year of securing $900,000 in new gifts for the participating charitable organizations. Last year, the one day event brought in $715,000, and over the five previous years Roanoke Valley Gives had produced $3.2 million in cumulative contributions.
With that background, the Community Foundation is thrilled to announce that its 2021 give day total is $1,148,668 significantly exceeding the $900,000 goal and being more than a 60% increase over 2020! Over 4,500 unique donors contributed from across the communities served by the Foundation and much farther afield.
Kaitlyn Van Buskirk, the Foundation’s Grants Associate who coordinated the day, noted: “We want to thank all of our Roanoke Valley Gives sponsors, especially our Platinum Sponsor, Davis H. Elliot, who play such a critical role in making the online giving day possible. We could not carry out this important day without your strong and enduring support. We further echo that sentiment with respect to the Community Foundation’s board and its unwavering commitment to community-building projects such as Roanoke Valley Gives.”
She further said: “We also want to thank the local nonprofits who put in many, many hours of diligent marketing and outreach to share their respective organization’s mission with the broader community of donors and who also found many creative ways to attract much-needed financial support through social and traditional media outlets. And of course, we must thank the many radio, television and print partners in their willingness to cover and promote the day.”
Alan Ronk, the Foundation’s CEO and President added: “Today demonstrated that serious events that distance ourselves from others can also be a rallying cry to come together in a marvelous way. We are humbled by the community’s generosity.”
Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia is the community foundation serving this region. It has worked for over 30 years to administer and make grants from many hundreds of named endowment funds on behalf of the community. For more information, visit www.cfwesternva.org.
The Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has appointed Khari Ryder as the Executive Director. Ryder has served as Finance Director at Total Action Against Poverty (TAP), project manager and research and development specialist for Stik-Pak Solutions, a principal at Principal Endeavors, LLC, and Adjunct Professor for Midway University. He is also the founder of Equine Endeavors, a business that involves education, training, and open judging. “Botetourt’s location and beautiful setting position it to be an ideal location for growth, both for businesses and the endless family life opportunities it offers,” says Ryder.
The Volvo Trucks New River Valley Plant in Dublin is holding a job fair today until 3pm. Full time production workers (welders, finish painters, general maintenance workers etc.) are needed. Apply via the link below. Walk in applicants until 3pm will be accepted at New River Community College between the appointments set by those who preregister via the link below.
http://www.tinyurl.com/JobsAtVolvoTrucksNRV
The latest vehicle sales numbers for the Roanoke region show that the fastest sellers around here are far different from the hottest vehicles nationwide. iSeeCars tracks vehicle sales, and for January, it finds that four Toyotas were leaving area dealer lots most quickly: Tacoma, RAV4, 4Runner and Highlander. That’s in sharp contrast to the fastest sellers nationwide like Corvette, and Lexus, Genesis and Mercedes models. It is a similar story on the used car side, where Honda CR-V and Accord are the fastest to sell in the region; nationally, it’s Hyundai Palisade at the top, followed by three Lexus models and the Corvette. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Click here to see the iSeeCars national report.
Here are the region’s fastest new and used vehicle sellers for January:
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Fastest-Selling New and Used Vehicles in Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA in January 2021 |
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|
New Cars |
Used Cars |
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|
Rank |
Vehicle |
Days to Sell (Avg.) |
Vehicle |
Days to Sell (Avg.) |
|
1 |
Toyota Tacoma |
13.3 |
Honda CR-V |
25.9 |
|
2 |
Toyota RAV4 |
13.9 |
Honda Accord |
29.4 |
|
3 |
Toyota 4Runner |
15.3 |
Jeep Cherokee |
31.3 |
|
4 |
Toyota Highlander |
21.3 |
Toyota Tacoma |
32.9 |
|
5 |
Ford Explorer |
23.4 |
Jeep Compass |
33.1 |
|
Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA Averages |
46.7 |
42.2 |
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New businesses will be coming to Tanglewood Mall after two outparcel buildings are constructed: Panda Express, Jersey Mikes, Aspen Dental, Blaze Pizza and Chipotle. The two new buildings will be located along Electric Road in front of the new Carilion Children’s space. Construction will begin next month, with tenants to begin opening at the start of 2022.
(News Release) ROANOKE, VA–Birmingham, AL-based Blackwater Resources, LLC announces the tenant line-up for two new outparcel buildings to be constructed at Tanglewood, the nearly 800,000 SF mixed use center that sits at what is known as the gateway to Roanoke County and the Electric Road/Route 419 corridor. The property,which is anchored by Kroger, AMC, Belk, TJ Maxx and Carilion Clinic, will welcome the following new businesses Panda Express, Jersey Mikes, Aspen Dental, Blaze Pizza and Chipotle in two new buildings that will be located along Electric Road in front of the new Carilion Children’s (former JC Penney) space. Blackwater will begin construction in March 2021,with tenants to begin opening at the start of2022.John Abernathy, President of Blackwater Resources, explains, “The addition of these buildings and the discussions with a long list of interested retailers and restaurants have been ongoing for some time; the improvements being made to the property including the announcement of the new Carilion Children’s Clinic were major drivers that allowed the project to move forward. We are excited to begin construction and offer new dining and service options to the area.” Additional announcements of more retailers and restaurants are expected in the coming months.
NEWS RELEASE: Roanoke County Economic Development is launching a new 2021 Roanoke County Restaurant Week(s) program to drive customers to local restaurants in Virginia’s Blue Ridge during a slow season. The winter months tend to be more difficult for restaurants compared to the rest of the year, and the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the challenge restaurants are currently facing. The Roanoke County Economic Development office has partnered with the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce, Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce, and Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge to extend the reach and effectiveness of this event.
“We want to recognize and thank the organizations and individuals it takes to plan and launch initiatives like Restaurant Week in Roanoke County. This initiative will help restaurants continue to build exposure and relationships with the community and generate economic growth. With Covid-19 impacting our community negatively, it is important to support these businesses” said Kat Pascal, Owner of Farburguesa in Roanoke County.
Roanoke County Restaurant Weeks(s) 2021 will run for two weeks from February 15 – February 28 with participating restaurants offering lunch and dinner specials in at least one of three tiers: $10 and under, $20 and under, and $30 and under. All restaurants operating within Roanoke County, the Town of Vinton and Salem areas can submit their menu offerings to Marshall Stanley, Economic Development Specialist at mstanley@roanokecountyva.gov to be included in the Restaurant Week program. Anyone who takes part in a Restaurant Week(s) special is encouraged to post his or her dish on social media and tag the post with #ROCOeats so other community members can know what is being served throughout the event.
