Augusta County's Dennis Burnett passes away

Dennis Burnett, the sunny, all-smiles, friendly and outgoing executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, a position he took over on September 1, 2013, and former Economic Director for Augusta County, Virginia, has passed away from.... (Continue reading here)

Karaffa: Augusta County's Mill Place Commerce Park in Verona

By David Karaffa
Supervisor, Beverley Manor District, Augusta County

The Mill Place Commerce Park in Verona, is Augusta County’s industrial park and is in the Beverley Manor District. One of my campaign promises when running for the Board of Supervisors was to work toward filling Mill Place with new business. Since taking office, the park has seen a lot of activity and growth.

In March of 2013, Shamrock Farms out of Phoenix, AZ, decided to invest $50 million in a state of the art dairy. Once completed it will employ 60 people in a 130,000-square foot facility. It was a year-long process for Augusta County as we competed against locations up and down the eastern seaboard of the United States. Shamrock complements the valley with our culture and sense of community along with utilizing local materials and local source milk.

In June of 2013, Dascom Printing announced their purchase and investment in Mill Place. Their 23,000-square foot facility will add another 15-20 jobs in the printing industry with excitement about expanding into other technologies.

In 2014, private investment started moving dirt for more office space in Mill Place because the first building was filled. I am excited to see both small and large business coming together in the park.

Lastly, a yet-to-be-named business is poised for their announced coming to Mill Place and we will be happy to announce who they are once everything has been settled.

In all, Mill Place Commerce Park is on the move and doesn’t look to be slowing down. Augusta County and the Board of Supervisors are always introducing and touring the park with visitors and look forward to continued success.

You can learn more about Mill Place by clicking here or about Augusta County Economic Development Office by clicking here.
-----
David Karaffa, 30, represents the Beverley Manor District of Augusta County on the Board of Supervisors. A registered nurse, he is the Director of Nursing at Stuarts Draft Christian Home. He and his wife, Katie, have three daughters. Supervisor Karaffa can be reached at DavidKaraffa@comcast.net or by contacting the government center in Verona at (540) 245-5600.

Staunton hires Courtland Robinson as Assistant Director of Economic Development

The Queen City has hired Courtland Robinson as Staunton Assistant Director of Economic Development, replacing Amanda Glover who accepted the director position for Augusta County's economic development.

Robinson comes to Staunton after working for the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. As a Graduate Assistant with James Madison University, Robinson also served with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, James Madison University and the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission. In these positions he provided research, web and social media support, marketing assistance, policy analysis and grant writing. Robinson holds a B.S. in Urban and Regional Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Staunton's Director of Economic Development Bill Hamilton welcomed Robinson and noted:

“We are very pleased to welcome Courtland to the Staunton team. His strong knowledge of the region, combined with his background in urban planning and economic development make him an excellent choice.”

Robinson will earn his master's degree in Public Administration in May from James Madison University.

Waynesboro's Zeus Digital Theater to next build a restaurant

Brett Hayes' rendition of the new restaurant from the Zeus Digital Theater Facebook page.

Walking into Waynesboro's Zeus Theater is like walking into a high-end movie theater in a big city, thanks to an entrepreneur who had a dream that has benefited the entire area.

Brett Hayes' dream was of a better movie theater, something he wrote about on his blog in 2009. He didn't want to be another of the chains. He wanted to follow through on his own ideas of using the latest available technology to show movies so he invested $8 million to make it come true.

His Zeus Theater opened in October of 2010 on Lew DeWitt Boulevard in Waynesboro, Virginia, a state-of-the-art digital stadium-seating theater that has not only drawn hoards of locals to its eight screens but has shut down the aging chain theater in neighboring Staunton. Hayes offered cafe seating in the lobby complete with tall tables and chair for theater snacks as well as a meeting/party room.

Hayes is a self-described MBA, former US Marine, Gulf War Veteran, serial small business owner, commercial land developer, project manager, closet economist, and Rotarian. His Zeus Theater has been a huge success.

At the time of its opening, Hayes told NBC-29, "I would like to see a restaurant in front of my theater within three months of opening. If this works as well as I expect it to then I'll probably be adding onto it." However, three years later that part of the plan had not come together.

Until today. On New Year's Eve, Brett Hayes posted to his Facebook page with plans for a restaurant:

In the coming year, I am going to build a restaurant in front of Zeus. I have been trying to develop the corner lots for years and frankly I have lost patience with the national chains.

I am not prepared to discuss the details of the menu yet, but it will be family friendly serving lunch, dinner and deserts.

We will be breaking ground in the late Spring and plan to be open by November 2014.

The sketch [above] is version 2.0 or so. I still have some refining to do to get it where I want it. I am talking about this now, because I am excited about it and people are asking about it.

With his track record for Zeus Theater and its success, I have no doubt Hayes' restaurant will enjoy the same success.

JTI Leaf Services to Invest $7.5 Million to Upgrade Technology at Danville Processing Facility

Press release from Governor Bob McDonnell's office....

TOKYO– Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that JTI Leaf Services will invest $7.5 million in new tobacco processing technology at its facility in Danville. The facility employs more than 270 full-time and seasonal individuals. The Governor will meet with Japan Tobacco officials in Tokyo and express his appreciation for the expansion.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “I commend Japan Tobacco and JTI Leaf Services on their great success in Virginia since establishing operations in Danville in 2009. This significant investment in equipment represents the continued growth of the plant as product demand increases and can be met with new processing technology. Not only does this upgrade benefit overall efficiency, it also secures the future viability of the facility for years to come.”

“Even as we work to diversify Southern Virginia’s economy, a rich history in the tobacco industry and trained workforce are factors that contribute to the success of JTI Leaf Services in Danville,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “This expansion also positively affects the Commonwealth’s agriculture industry as the demand for tobacco from Virginia farmers increases and can be processed at a higher rate. With this project, JTI will continue to provide valuable employment opportunities and build on this historic sector in Virginia.”

“We have made substantial investments to date and we now have plans for further expansion of our Danville facility,” said Steve Daniels, JTI Leaf Services Director. “With this investment we intend to further enhance our capacity, our efficiency and our quality. We remain committed to Danville, the Region and to our Grower base.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Danville on this project for Virginia.

“Danville fosters partnerships, and our partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia is a valuable one,” said Mayor Sherman Saunders. “This expansion by JTI Leaf Services is a testimony to that partnership, and it sends a strong message that Danville, Virginia, is a great place to conduct business. We say ‘thank you’ to JTI Leaf Services for embracing Danville as Danville has embraced JTI Leaf Services.”

McDonnell Asian mission helps cities like Waynesboro

Though he has received some criticism for spending money to travel to Asia at a time when the economy is still shaky, the promise of a greater return lured Governor Bob McDonnell to seek agreements on economic development and investments for Virginia.

The small city of Waynesboro in the central Shenandoah Valley is an example of how Asian trade agreements can help the economy and rebuild jobs. I've written about it today at the Washington Examiner....

Cross-posted at Bearing Drift