Hello Cardinal News readers. Welcome back to Cardinal Commerce Notes, our 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 BWX Technologies selling its medical business, a new report on Virginia’s nuclear simulators and more.
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.
We’ll start this week’s Notes with some restaurant and real estate items:
- The bakery franchise Crumbl will hold a grand opening Friday, starting at 8 a.m., for its new location at 4361 Starkey Road in Roanoke County. That’s in Old Country Plaza near Tanglewood Mall. The store is owned by Roanoke native Patrick Gardner.
- The Buchanan Fountain & Grille will “soon be reopening under new management, bringing new life to a cherished local landmark,” according to Roanoke-based Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group. The restaurant at 19771 Main St. in Buchanan closed in March. Poe & Cronk announced last Friday that the building has been leased.
- An 11.88-acre parcel at 8091 Williamson Road in Roanoke County has sold for $1.2 million, Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group said Monday. It was bought for a “multifamily development project,” the firm said.
U.S. 58 widening project in Patrick County reaches milestone
Nearly five years after the groundbreaking for a $300 million project to widen 7.4 miles of U.S. 58 in Patrick County, the road’s new eastbound lanes are completed and open to traffic, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced recently.
The project starts a quarter-mile west of the Poor Farmers Farm store in Vesta and ends at the existing four-lane part of the U.S. 58 Stuart Bypass. It involves widening the road to four lanes, improving alignments and grades, expanding shoulders, and adding turn lanes and truck escape ramps, according to VDOT.
“This milestone reflects years of careful planning and hard work in one of the most challenging terrain areas in our district,” VDOT Salem District Engineer Ken King said in a July 30 news release.
That section of road is restricted to tractor-trailers, but the restriction will be removed once the project is completed, VDOT said.
Remaining work includes finishing the westbound lands, finishing a new overlook, completing a brake check area for commercial vehicles and installing signs, VDOT said. The project is expected to generally wrap up in October, although some work might continue through the end of the year.
The project is part of the U.S. Route 58 Corridor Development Program, which the Virginia General Assembly approved in 1989 to boost economic growth. Officials broke ground on the road-widening in 2021.
Community college to get $200K for utility worker training
The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Gas South are donating $200,000 over four years to support Southside Virginia Community College’s Power Line Worker Training School.
ODEC is an 11-member, not-for-profit wholesale power generation and transmission cooperative whose members include Southside Electric Cooperative and Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative. Gas South is an Atlanta-based natural gas company with nearly 500,000 customers.
The 11-week Power Line Worker Training School “provides training in electrical theory, safety procedures, climbing techniques, aerial line work, equipment operation and commercial driver’s license preparation,” according to an Aug. 13 news release.
The release states that the electric utility industry faces a workforce challenge as employees retire while demand for skilled labor keeps increasing.
“Support from industry partners like ODEC and Gas South allows us to continue growing this program and connecting students with rewarding careers that are essential to Virginia’s future,” Keith Harkins, vice president of academic and workforce programs for Southside Virginia Community College, said in the release.
SVCC has campuses in Brunswick and Charlotte counties and five off-campus centers, including one in Blackstone, where the power line worker program is located.
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.
