Governor Northam Nominates Opportunity Zones, Six Located in NRV

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NEW RIVER VALLEY, VA – Governor Northam announced the nomination of Virginia Opportunity Zones yesterday to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Governor nominated a total of 212 sites (the maximum number allowed). There are 6 nominated Opportunity Zones in the NRV.

Opportunity Zones in the NRV

Click for full, interactive map. (via esri)

“Opportunity zones are an important federal tool to spur vitality in economic growth in communities across Virginia and we are committed to using them fully in this administration,” said Governor Northam. “By focusing on local and regional strategies, as well as Virginia’s diverse geography and economic opportunities, we selected a balance of zones that align with other state and local economic development and revitalization efforts. This ensures that Virginia is at the forefront of attracting new Opportunity fund investments.”

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development assisted in coordinating nomination process alongside the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

For more information regarding the opportunity zones, visit the Governor’s website.

Click here for a full, interactive map of Virginia’s nominated zones. (via esri)

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of all worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Governor McAuliffe at Koinonia Announcement at Pete Dye River Course in Pulaski County, VA 2017

Pulaski County Economic Development Performance on Top in 2017

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~Pulaski County economic development performance is on top in 2017.~

FROM PULASKI COUNTY, VA – According to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Announcements of Employment Creation and Capital Investment – ‘2017 End of Year Report,’ Pulaski County finished 2nd in Job Creation, 4th in New Capital Investment and 2nd in the Number of Projects Announced per capita for the Calendar Year 2017 out of all 95 counties within the Commonwealth of Virginia. According to the report, Pulaski County was the only county that finished 4th or better in all three categories, respectively placing the County in the top spot overall in economic development performance.

“The Board of Supervisors is extremely thankful for our success in 2017 and the true benefit of our accomplishments is the more than 600 new jobs that will become available to our citizens,” stated Andy McCready, Chair of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors.

“We have one of the most dedicated and creative economic development teams working hard to advance our existing industries and to recruit new foreign and domestic investments to the County.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pulaski County’s unemployment rate dipped below 4.0% in December of 2017 for the first time since April 2006 (3.5%). The unemployment rate improved from 9.3% in January of 2017, down to 3.9% in December of 2017.

“We are starting to see the positive effects of new jobs being created in the County, and a 140-month low unemployment rate at the end of 2017 was further affirmation that our economic development efforts are beginning to pay dividends,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet. “I am so thankful to the Board of Supervisors, Michael Solomon, our EDA and the entire County Administration Team, but I am most grateful to our business community for their trust and confidence to invest in Pulaski County and our world-class workforce.”

The ranking outcomes were the result of Pulaski County’s five (5) qualified projects in CY-2017, two of which were officially announced in concert with the Governor’s office. These five (5) basic industry sector projects will collectively create more than 600 new jobs and $57 million in new capital investment. The projects referenced consisted of Phoenix Packaging Operations, LLC, MicroXact, Koinonia Ltd., MTM Inc., and Volvo Trucks North America.

“We knew Pulaski County had a banner year, but until you compare our numbers to the rest of the counties in Virginia, it’s hard to appreciate just how strongly we performed,” stated Jon Wyatt, Chair of the Pulaski County Economic Development Authority. “Kudos to our Economic Development Team for their ability to structure and close so many deals and subsequently manage and service all of these projects.”

Pulaski County, located in Virginia’s New River Valley, is home to eight (8) international companies that represents more than 4,000 advanced manufacturing jobs. The County is considered to be Southwest Virginia’s Center for International Business and the New River Valley’s Advanced Manufacturing Hub.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of all worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Women laughing and enjoying one of the outside events in the NRV.

There’s No Excuse for Being Bored in the NRV

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While Virginia’s New River Valley may be a collection of small towns, the amount of things to do here is anything but small. There are tons of events in the NRV.

In fact, there are tons of events in the NRV daily. Whether it’s large, nationally acclaimed annual festivals, or weekly happy hours, these small towns are more bustling than ever.

According to Jami Ryan of NextThreeDays.com, a regional website featuring nearly all the events in the NRV, there were 4,927 Featured Events in our region in 2017. That means these events don’t reoccur weekly.

That’s right. Almost 5,000 one-time events for residents in the NRV.

That comes to 13.5 big events each day.

“I used to hear ‘there’s nothing to do’ all the time from my friends in college who grew up in the city or in more populous areas and came to the NRV for school,” said Ryan. “In fact, this is one of the reasons why I created NextThreeDays because, having spent most of my life in our region, I knew it wasn’t true. And, since I’ve been running NextThreeDays, I can say emphatically that ‘there’s nothing to do’ in the New River Valley is completely false.”

To fight the misconception of lack of events in the NRV, Ryan uses NextThreeDays.com as a place where those events can be easily found: an ever-changing database of fun for all residents of the NRV.

It’s about more than just the amount of events in the NRV too; there is a solid variety as well. Because he sees almost all the events in the NRV, Ryan understands the diversity of activities offered here.

“I would like people to know that there is truly something for everyone,” said Ryan. “Whether it’s looking for live music, finding a local festival, a craft brewery, fun for the kids, the dogs or whomever or whatever your interests are, the NRV has something fun to offer. For example, two years ago I heard about the NRV Historic Dance Society. This group of local residents was formed to teach and celebrate English country dancing in the 17th, 18th & 19th centuries. We also regularly include outdoor games for the Laser Tag Club at Virginia Tech on NextThreeDays and just this week there was a Root Beer Tasting and Sommelier Certification. And, these are just three of the many events that are happening in the NRV. So my point is, there is truly something for everyone no matter your interests.“

On top of that, there’s also plenty to do that’s free. Who doesn’t love free?

“There are so many events that have either free admission or the ticket cost is very low,” said Ryan. “Sure, there are a number of dinners, galas and events that are expensive, but there are many, many more events that have free admission. In 2014, I created and completed the 31 Days of NRV Fun Challenge where I had to attend 31 or more events at 31 unique venues and spent no more than $7.00 a day. I was able to accomplish the feat and still had $12.00 leftover at the end.”

“And, this summer I did a 50 Events in 50 Days Challenge and most of the events I attended were free or very inexpensive. Both Radford University and Virginia Tech have wonderful arts, theatre and music programs and many of their performances are free as are many of the universities’ educational activities. Numerous restaurants offer free live music throughout the week and many of our area towns and bigger organizations hosts free festivals throughout the year.”

“And, that doesn’t even count the non-football and basketball collegiate athletics and our public libraries where all events are free. So it’s fairly easy to get out of your home and to find an event to enjoy for a couple of hours and spend $10.00 or less.”

Woman shimmies across rope at Muddy ACCE Race, an adventure race. One of the many events in the NRV, specifically Giles County.

The Muddy ACCE Race in Giles County is one of the many events in the NRV. The sign up fee for this muddy adventure race help fund local students’ community college tuition.

If you’re looking for something to do or specific events in the NRV, check out what’s going on at NextThreeDays.com. The same information also populates to the Live Here page.

For more information about Virginia’s New River Valley, check out Our Region and what it’s like to Live Here.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of all worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Pulaski County and the Town of Pulaski Announce 40 New Jobs

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~Newcan Corporation to Invest $4 Million and Locate Headquarters and Manufacturing Operations to Pulaski County~

PULASKI, VA – On January 17, 2018, Pulaski County in partnership with the Town of Pulaski officially announced Newcan Corporation is moving their headquarters and their main production facility from Holbrook, Massachusetts to Pulaski, Virginia. The move will bring 40 new jobs and an investment of $4 million to Pulaski County. Newcan is a recognized leader in the production of high-quality precision stampings and perforated components. The company has a rich history dating back to 1902, and has pioneered many innovative techniques, resulting in an annual production of over 350,000,000 components. “We are an ISO/TS16949-registered supplier and our commitment to quality is second to none,” stated Rick Boettner, Chairman of Newcan. “We have a great relationship with the Town and County of Pulaski, so when we acquired Newcan it made good sense we would move it to Pulaski because of its premier location and its quality of workforce.”

“In today’s competitive market, I commend Falls Stamping and Welding for the innovation and vision to expand its current capabilities with a new business unit,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “A key aspect of strengthening our economy is ensuring that existing companies of all sizes continue to thrive in the Commonwealth. We thank this important corporate partner for creating 40 new jobs in Pulaski County, and look forward to Falls Stamping and Newcan Corporation’s future success.”

Newcan will be moving into its new home at 28 Jefferson Street in the Town of Pulaski. The facility currently houses Falls Stamping and Welding. Falls will continue to operate within the facility and both companies will have the same management team and ownership, though the companies will make different products and have different customer bases. “Newcan allows us to diversify our product offerings and enables us to increase our customer relationships,” stated Rick Boettner. “Newcan and Falls Stamping both have high standards for quality and customer service and we think having them together in the same facility will make them both even better.”

“It is becoming ever more important for Pulaski County to partner with our Towns to recruit business and industry and provide the support needed to help them stabilize and grow in today’s competitive marketplace,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “This is our first announcement of 2018 and it happens to be an excellent example of partnership, pragmatism, and teamwork on both the public and private side of the equation. We are so very thankful for Newcan and its leadership’s decision to locate their headquarters and main production operations to Pulaski County, and we feel confident this strategic move will afford Newcan and Falls Stamping the synergies needed to ensure they remain industry leaders in the precession stamping and perforated components arena for many years to come.”

Newcan is a major supplier to the automotive and industrial filter industry and offers the largest assortment of lock seam tubes available on the market today. They have progressive tooling, feeding, and straightening concepts that allow high-speed production of the most precise stampings at speeds up to 250 parts per minute.

“We have a lot happening in downtown Pulaski and we are excited Newcan has decided to make their new home here,” shared Mayor Nick Glenn, Town of Pulaski. “We are in the process of revitalizing our Main Street and we could not be more pleased to add these new jobs and investments to our local economy. This is also another example of the County and Town working together to better our community as a whole.”

The company will be starting the move in February with hopes to having the facility up and running by July of 2018. Newcan operates three facilities throughout the U.S. that include Greenfield, OH, Gastonia, NC and now Pulaski, VA. This project marks the fifth (5th) basic industry sector announcement for Pulaski County in the past nine (9) months and brings the County’s 9-month totals to 645 new jobs and $65 million in new capital.

Pulaski County, Virginia
Jonathan D. Sweet ICMA-CM
County Administrator
Phone: (540) 980-7705
Email: jsweet@pulaskicounty.org

Newcan Corporation
Jason L. Taft
Chief Financial Officer and V.P. of Sales Phone: (440) 263-1961
Email: jason.taft@falls-stamping.com

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Pete Dye River Course Named the #20 Best Golf Course in VA

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FAIRLAWN, VA — The Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech was named the no. 20 best golf course in Virginia by Golf Digest (2017-2018).

The course, which finished it’s update by Course Architect Pete Dye in 2006, has been 2011 NCAA Regional Championships and the 2016 Virginia State Amateur Championship. It is the home course for all Radford University and Virginia Tech golf teams, and continues to be one of the top courses in the region. Dye said:

“This place has all the ambience and qualities that make a golf course really good. Here you’ve got the sound of the river up and down the whole golf course the entire time…the river and scenery are unbelievable.”

For more information about the course visit the River Course site. See what else there is to do in Virginia’s New River Valley by clicking below.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Volvo Trucks to Secure 270 Acres Adjacent to the NRV Plant

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~Company acquires 49 acres from the Pulaski County IDA and Enters into a Lease Option Agreement on an Additional 221 acres for Future Business Growth Needs.~

DUBLIN, VA – On December 19th, the Pulaski County IDA, in concert with the Board of Supervisors officially conveyed 49 acres to Volvo Trucks as part of a performance agreement following the satisfaction of the company’s commitment to invest $38.1 million for the construction of a new 36,000 sq. ft. Customer Center and several plant upgrades to further improve the safety, quality and efficiency of NRV’s manufacturing processes, resulting in the creation of 32 new jobs. Volvo Trucks’ business case was to acquire the additional property to the south-western portion of the NRV plant in order to extend their 1.1 mile Customer Experience Track. Volvo Trucks has also entered into a Lease Option-to-Purchase Agreement for an additional 221 adjacent acres owned by the Pulaski County IDA. The IDA has worked with company executives to utilize this creative approach to both satisfy the county’s local incentive obligation and increase opportunities for further capital investments by Volvo Trucks to take place within the County.

“Working with the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors, the Industrial Development Authority and the county staff, these efforts led to the acquisition of the 49 acres and the securing of an additional 121 acres through a lease-option agreement.” said Franky Marchand, Vice President & GM of the Volvo Trucks NRV plant. “Our investments in advanced manufacturing, upgrades in our cab and paint facility and the construction of the new Customer Center were all instrumental in facilitating this important land deal. One of our many competitive advantages stems from providing a unique customer experience here. Extending the Customer Experience Track, our innovative products and services, and interaction with our dedicated employees, makes NRV ‘best-in-class’ for customer experience.”

“Volvo’s land acquisition and the option agreement on the more than 220 acres contiguous to their current operations, has the potential to be one of the most transformative investments the County has recently embarked on,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “The IDA’s recent purchase of the adjoining property and the subsequent readying of it for Volvo’s use has significant strategic value and affords our region’s largest employer the ability to further enlarge operations and secure new business, both of which could have a positive yield of new jobs, new investments and new opportunities for the county and our citizens.”

This summer the company introduced their new Volvo VNL series within their new Customer Center. This launch helped gain truck sales by bringing thousands of customers and dealers here to Pulaski County, Virginia During those customer events, the company saw confirmation that they needed to expand the track.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Pulaski Yankees Win the 2017 Esurance Home Field Advantage Award

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PULASKI COUNTY, VA – The Pulaski Yankees won the 2017 Esurance Home Field Advantage Award… again! The Yankees also won in 2016.

The award, which originated in 2016, is awarded to communities who support their Minor League Baseball teams the best over the year. Only one team from each league is chosen as the winner. Esurance chooses their winner according to the highest percentage of capacity at games over the course of the season.

“Fans are the backbone of Minor League Baseball, and their support is what has contributed to our outstanding attendance numbers over the years,” said David Wright, Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer for Minor League Baseball. “We recognize the importance of each team within its community and the integral role the fans play in the teams’ success. This award recognizes not only individual teams, but their fans as well.”

Pulaski Yankee fans are proven to be some of the most dedicated in the MiLB. Read more from MiLB News.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

“How It’s Made” to Visit Korona Candles in Pulaski County

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Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” is heading to Dublin, VA to film an episode about candles. Where better to visit that Korona Candles? The film crew will arrive in the NRV on December 15 to showcase tea candles, jar candles, and possibly wax melts.

Korona Candles, based in Poland, is a great representation of Advanced Manufacturing in Virginia’s New River Valley. Pulaski County is home to a growing number of internationally based manufacturers that use advanced technology to more efficiently produces goods.


Read more about Discovery Channel’s visit from Brooke J. Wood at the Southwest Times.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.


Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

The Southwest Times: Pulaski Co. Launches Pride Project

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PULASKI COUNTY, VA – Pulaski County recently released a new video as a part of their #PulaskiCountyIs… campaign. Read more about how partners in the county are working to help residents fall in love with Pulaski County all over again via the Southwest Times article by Brooke J. Wood.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.


Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Pulaski County Unveils New Video for #PulaskiCountyIs… Campaign

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PULASKI COUNTY, VA- Pulaski County, in collaboration with the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, unveiled a new video to help launch the “Pulaski County Is…” campaign last night at the Chamber’s 65th Annual Dinner. The dinner was hosted at the Volvo Trucks Customer Experience Center in Dublin, VA and drew a audience of about 240 people.


The goal of the campaign is to help communicate the assets in Pulaski County and encourage people to share what #PulaskiCountyIs… to them. Check out the video below.


Pulaski County is… from Nightfire Productions on Vimeo.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.


Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.