Local Business and Economic Development
Roanoke County’s Economic Development Department will be holding a virtual town hall meeting tomorrow to update the public on their efforts to help the area recover after the COVID-19 shutdowns. WFIR’s Rachel Meell has the story:
To register for the virtual town hall meeting, click here.
Chalk it up as another side effect of the COVID pandemic: a nationwide coin shortage. Some area stores have posted signs asking customers to use change when they can, and some are looking for creative ways to deal with the shortage, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
In a Facebook post The Village Grill in Grandin Village reports today that they have shut down temporarily after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked on Sunday – and all workers are wearing masks. Ownership says they will wait for medical clearance before reopening.
(from Facebook post) So these are the kinds of announcements we get to make these days … we’ve had a member of the Village Grill staff test positive for COVID-19. The employee is asymptomatic and the positive test came from a test kit obtained from CVS. Others who have come in contact took a similar test that came back negative. Out of an abundance of caution we will be closing the Grill and having those in contact get tested by a medical professional for a secondary result. When we receive medical clearance to safely re-open, we will do so.
Another restaurant has launched in downtown Roanoke despite the pandemic. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
The Vice President of Operations for the Mack Trucks medium-duty line says they are aiming for an early September opening at the new Roanoke County production plant. The launch date was pushed back from this month due to COVID-19 safety precautions. Mack Trucks is still hiring for some of the 200-plus jobs they promised to create, with a 13 million dollar investment in its Roanoke Valley Operations plant. Antonio Servidoni is overseeing the roll-out:
The COVID-19 shutdowns have caused many to become unemployed, but a new non-profit organization has created a program to help people retrain and get new jobs. WFIR’s Rachel Meell has the story:
Landon Howard VVBR
After ten straight years of revenue growth and hotel room bookings associated with business visitation and tourism, Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge president Landon Howard says 2020 was lining up to be another record setter – but that was pre-pandemic. Howard said live on WFIR this morning that Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the outdoor amenities are ideal for the shorter, less-crowded “staycations” many are looking for as Virginia emerges from the COVID-19 lockdown. Hear the complete conversation with Landon Howard below:
