Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Lynchburg-based Framatome Inc. names new CEO
The nuclear-services company Framatome Inc. on Wednesday announced a new CEO to lead its North American operations headquartered in Lynchburg.
Tony Robinson will start in the role on Aug. 5, succeeding Kathy Williams, who is retiring after more than 20 years, Framatome said in a news release. Robinson’s 35-year nuclear industry career includes 25 at Framatome and its predecessor, Areva.
Framatome, based in France, designs, installs and services nuclear reactors. It employs more than 2,200 people in North America, of whom about 1,300 are in the Lynchburg region. In December, the company announced it will invest $49.4 million in its Lynchburg-area facilities, adding 515 new engineers and support staff through 2027.
“The promising growth of the North American nuclear industry, fueled by public and private support for clean energy, positions Tony to lead Framatome North America with excellence, ensuring seamless operations and continued support for our customers,” Framatome CEO Bernard Fontana said in the news release.
Robinson earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron and was a member of the executive MBA program at Kent State University. He serves on the board of the Central Virginia YMCA in Lynchburg.
“I’m looking forward to fostering a smooth transition to support the trust of our team and customers, and to build on the foundation of our culture that is rooted in the nuclear industry for more than 65 years,” Robinson said in the release.
— Matt Busse
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Bourbon-barrel maker to invest $16.85 million, create 40 jobs in Pittsylvania County
A company that makes barrels for aging bourbon will open a new facility in Pittsylvania County, its fourth in Virginia, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage Inc. will invest $16.85 million and create 40 new jobs as it builds a stave mill in the county’s Brosville Industrial Park. Gov. Glenn Youngkin approved a $250,000 state grant, which Pittsylvania County will match with local money.
The mill will supply staves, which are narrow strips of wood used to make barrels, to the company’s barrel-manufacturing facility in Smyth County. The company also has stave mills in Bath and Washington counties along with facilities in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
“Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, Inc. is very excited to once again announce that we are building yet another site in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” company president and general manager Darren Whitmer said in a news release from Youngkin’s office. “Virginia has been home to three of our sites for multiple years now and beyond that, an excellent partner for us and our business.”
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage is a division of Speyside Cooperage Ltd., which was founded in Scotland and sold to the French firm Tonnellerie François Frères Group in 2008.
The company has committed to sourcing 40% of its timber from Virginia forest landowners, and Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority Chair Joey Faucette said in the news release that Speyside’s stave manufacturing will allow the county to “operationalize our renewable white oak resource at a much higher level.”
“Also, the construction of this facility will complete the development of the Brosville Industrial Park, providing a clear indication that economic growth remains strong in this area,” Faucette said.
— Matt Busse
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Roanoke Colleges names VP for student success
Roanoke College has hired Jay Ellison to serve as vice president for student success and the Roanoke experience.
Ellison most recently served as the interim special assistant to the vice president for student success and enrollment at Trinity College, according to a news release from Roanoke College.
Prior to his time at Trinity, Ellison served for nearly a decade as dean of students at the University of Chicago and as associate and assistant dean of Harvard College at Harvard University, according to the release.
While at Chicago, Ellison established the Center for College Student Success, designed to address the needs of students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation students and those with complex immigration statuses.
Ellison earned a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Arts from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
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Downtown Lynchburg gets $100,000 to continue small-business program
The Downtown Lynchburg Association has received $100,000 in Community Business Launch funding for its third year of hosting the Launch LYH program.
The initiative is designed to help current and prospective small-business owners start and expand their businesses in downtown Lynchburg, according to a news release from the association.
To date, DLA has provided grants to 10 businesses through the program and plans to support another five businesses in the next year. Participants complete an eight-week program that covers topics including market trends, pricing strategies, finance and hiring. They then pitch their business concepts to a panel of judges, and five winners receive $20,000 grants.
A list of 2023 and 2024 participants is on the Launch LYH website. The third round of Launch LYH will begin in early 2025.
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Patrick County appoints tourism, economic development director
James Houchins has added economic development to his responsibilities in Patrick County.
Houchins, who previously served as tourism director for the county, recently was named director of economic development and tourism, according to a news release from the county. He started in his new position July 1.
Prior to taking the tourism job, Houchins worked in the county’s parks and recreation department.
Houchins, a Patrick County native, holds a bachelor’s degree from Averett University in business administration.