A job fair this week in Salem is intended to help connect Yokohama Tire workers with prospective future employers following the announcement of the tire plant’s closure later this month.
The event will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the main arena of the Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Blvd.
About 70 organizations will be represented.
The event comes as hundreds of Yokohama Tire employees will lose their jobs when the plant shuts down on March 18.
“We want to do what we can to help people not have to relocate, to be able to find good substantial jobs in this region,” said Toni McLawhorn, business and development manager for the Greater Roanoke Workforce Development Board.
The job fair is not limited to Yokohama Tire employees and the public is invited to attend. More information, including a list of participating employers, is available online at www.yokohamasalemworks.com.
Roanoke-based quarry firm to be acquired
Roanoke-based Rockydale Quarries has agreed to be acquired by Nashville-based Rogers Group Inc., a privately owned construction and roadbuilding firm.
The deal is expected to close April 10, according to a news release from Rogers Group. The sale price was not disclosed.
The transaction includes Rockydale subsidiary B&S Contracting Inc. The 170 employees of Rockydale and B&S Contracting will join more than 3,400 Rogers Group employees.
The current Rockydale management team will continue to lead day-to-day operations.
“This is a milestone moment for Rockydale,” Ken Randolph, president and CEO of Rockydale Quarries, said in the release. “The owners of Rockydale are proud of our long history and the company we’ve built. Rogers Group provides the best opportunity for us to continue growing while ensuring our employees have every chance to reach their full potential.”
Rockydale Quarries, founded in 1932, operates multiple quarry and asphalt sites around Virginia serving the agriculture, construction and industrial markets.
Rogers Group, founded in 1908, supplies stone, sand, gravel and asphalt for infrastructure projects. The acquisition will expand its footprint to cover 13 states.
Wythe County cannery to get new boiler
Wythe County’s community cannery is slated to get a new boiler after canning operations were paused in October when the old boiler failed.
The county’s board of supervisors voted last week to buy and install a new boiler. The project will be supported by a $50,000 state agriculture grant, and the board voted to appropriate $60,000.
Community canneries offer equipment for residents to preserve fruit, vegetables, stews and other foods.
“The Wythe County Cannery has served generations of families, farmers, church groups and civic organizations,” James Smith, chair of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors, said in a news release. “By moving forward with this replacement, we are investing in an important community asset and supporting the small producers and families who rely on it.”
County spokesperson Allyson Williams said no date has been set for when canning operations will resume. The facility has remained open for meat processing.
“Typically, we see high traffic in late summer and early fall. We expect to be able to run well before then and will release more information as soon as work is completed,” Williams said.
The cannery is part of Wythe County Public Schools’ technology center in Wytheville. Officials with the county and the school system are exploring whether to eventually relocate the cannery to a larger space.
That’s a wrap for this week. Do you know of a new business expanding or relocating in your town? Excited about a restaurant opening up soon? Maybe you’ve got an update on a story we’ve reported before. Please send your tips and suggestions to: matt@cardinalnews.org.
