Hello Cardinal News readers. Welcome back to Cardinal Commerce Notes, our new regular feature catching you up on various recent business news items.
If you missed last week’s edition, check it out here to learn more about a $120 million U.S. Army contract to Elbit Systems of America, which has a location in Roanoke County, and a new state grant program seeking ideas for capturing coal methane gas.
I’m always on the lookout for news tips. Please email me at matt@cardinalnews.org or connect with me on LinkedIn and message me there.
New Appalachian Power president named
Brian Abraham has been named president and chief operating officer of Appalachian Power, according to a news release from American Electric Power, its parent company.
Abraham will join the Charleston, West Virginia-based company on April 13. He is currently chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia. He has worked as a local and federal prosecutor and is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general.
Appalachian Power has approximately 540,000 customers in Western Virginia and is Virginia’s second-largest electric utility.
“I look forward to working with the APCo team to listen to and work with our stakeholders to create affordable energy solutions that best fit the needs of our communities in Appalachia and generate opportunity for our customers,” Abraham said in a news release.
Abraham will succeed Aaron Walker, who will become American Electric Power’s vice president of engineering and quality for nuclear development. Walker has served as Appalachian’s president and COO since 2022.
Delta Star to hold hiring event
Delta Star, a Lynchburg-based manufacturer of electric transformers and substations, will host an on-site hiring event next week.
The event will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 1 at the company’s facility at 3550 Mayflower Drive.
Delta Star is seeking candidates for jobs including manufacturing, operations and field service, according to a news release. As of Monday, the company’s website listed more than 35 open positions.
Last year, Delta Star announced it would add 300 jobs at its Lynchburg site with a $149 million investment.
Friends of Southwest Virginia to research tourism habits
The nonprofit Friends of Southwest Virginia is launching a tourism marketing research program to gain “deeper insights into visitor behavior, travel patterns, and traveler sentiment across Southwest Virginia’s 19 counties and four independent cities,” according to a news release.
The group will work with the data-analysis firm Datafy and the travel research company Future Partners to learn more about who visits Southwest Virginia and what their experience is like.
Datafy uses data sources such as geolocation, spending, demographics and transportation to produce advertising and marketing strategies for clients. Future Partners provides insight into visitor motivations and travel trends.
The program will look at visitor movement patterns across Southwest Virginia, including travel routes, visit length and the purposes for people’s trips, along with visitor sentiment.
“For the first time, we will have a comprehensive view of how visitors move throughout our region, what experiences resonate most, and where new opportunities exist for growth,” Kim Davis, executive director of Friends of Southwest Virginia, said in the release. “These insights will help us and our partners make more strategic decisions about marketing, product development, and visitor experiences that strengthen local economies across Southwest Virginia.”
Separately, Friends of Southwest Virginia is undertaking an effort to evaluate “the scope and impact of Southwest Virginia’s creative economy and develop a strategic roadmap to guide destination development and marketing across the region for the next decade.”
The nonprofit has chosen the Boone, North Carolina-based planning and design firm Destination By Design to lead the project in partnership with Montana-based Headwaters Economics, an economic analysis firm.
“The project will include comprehensive asset mapping, economic analysis, stakeholder engagement, the development of an interactive Creative Economy Dashboard, and the creation of a 10-year strategic roadmap,” Friends of Southwest Virginia said in a news release.
Wythe County to hold community meeting about zoning
Wythe County will hold an informational community meeting on Monday to discuss a draft land-use ordinance and preliminary zoning map.
Wythe County is one of about seven of Virginia’s 95 counties that do not have zoning ordinances that govern where projects such as data centers and solar farms can be developed. The towns of Wytheville and Rural Retreat within the county do have such ordinances.
County officials say the proposed ordinance “aims to guide future development in Wythe County while respecting private property rights and preserving the county’s rural character.”
The March 30 session will be in the Fort Chiswell High School gym. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and a short presentation at 6 p.m. will kick off the discussion. More details on the proposal are available online at www.wytheco.org/zoning.
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 me your tips and suggestions: matt@cardinalnews.org or connect with me on LinkedIn.