ISSUE 217 OCTOBER 2026 Sinkland Farms Big Cedars Farm AccessU Needle in the Noke Mathnasium
VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE BUSINESS JOURNAL
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WELCOME TO THE FRONT Let’s have some fun. Visualize—if you will—a goat with a logo cross-stitched in its hide, and it is raising its hoof to count pumpkins on the ground. You just got our story lineup for this month. That’s two agritourism businesses, an ad agency, a needlepoint craft boutique, and a learning center for mathematics. If you’re not sure if our stories of businesses and the individuals behind them are diverse— just picture that colorful goat scene in your mind. This Virginia’s Blue Ridge place where we live… well, it’s amazing. We hope that’s why you’re reading the FRONT.
Tom Field Gene Marrano Publisher Editor
Success... is learning how to grow ” “ without outgrowing yourself.
— Page 31
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CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 16 Big Cedars Farm Special Feature
22 AccessU
by Gene Marrano
LEAD STORY PAGE 8
From Dairy Farm to Destination How Sinkland Farms Built a Diversified Business Out of a Failing Dairy Operation
28 Mathnasium by Aila Boyd
32 Needle in the Noke by Tom Field
PERSPECTIVES 20 Lead By Example by Carrie Cousins
26 Real Estate Matters by Frazier Hughes
27 Biz Ops
by Zachary Collier
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30 Business Cents by Daniel Colston
REVIEWS & OPINIONS 34 There’s Something Happening Here
by Gene Marrano
35 On Tap from the Pub by Tom Field
38 Reviews FRONTLINES 42 FRONT’n About 52 Career FRONT 58 FRONT Notes
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28 Omni digital ” “ campaigns might show up on seven different platforms now. — Page 24
FRONTcover photography of Susan Sink by Keeland Griffith (photoedited with prop).
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OCTOBER
P.O. Box 1041 Salem, VA 24153 (540) 389-9945 www.vbFRONT.com
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Tom Field tfield@vbFRONT.com (540) 389-9945
Editor
Gene Marrano news@vbFRONT.com
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Emily Field
Tom Field
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morefront.blogspot.com © Copyright 2026; Valley Business FRONT, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of this publication in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Information within Valley Business FRONT is obtained from sources considered reliable, but cannot be guaranteed. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the ownership. Valley Business FRONT is primarily distributed to subscribers by mail, digitally and select locations throughout the Roanoke Valley, New River Valley, and western Virginia.
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Advisory Board Valley Business FRONT has organized an Advisory Board comprised of a selective group of diverse business professionals who support our mission and have an interest in how our business journal best serves our local communities and region. As a sounding board throughout their term, board members have been given the task of helping FRONT understand the issues and develop coverage. You will note that the Board is comprised of experts in many different business / industry “fronts.” This is intentional, as we are reporting on all the areas that affect our regional economy and are important to you. Although the members are encouraged to keep FRONT updated on their own industries and the key players, they aren’t limited to their area of specialty, as all commercial enterprises ultimately collaborate to impact our quality of life here in this part of Virginia. An additional contribution by the Advisory Board involves direct input on the various FRONTLists we present throughout the year. In keeping with our policy of being “the voice of business in the valleys” we ask each reader to join us as an editorial partner by contacting us with your ideas. You know more than we know about your business—or you certainly should—and that inside knowledge shared with our readers will make us all better at what we do.
2026 CONTRIBUTORS
Daniel Colston
Carrie Cousins
Dan Dowdy
“” Frazier Hughes
Gene Marrano
Nicholas Vaassen
Somewhere, over 60 percent are likely to stay in the region where they did their residency training. — Page 34
Jason Boone
Freedom First Credit Union / finance—credit unions
Mary Ann L. Miller Bank of Botetourt / finance – banking
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Micah Fraim
Fraim & Cawley CPAs / finance - accounting
Alicia Smith
F&S Building Innovations / construction
Biographies and contact information on each contributor are provided on Page 56.
That was our introduction... not gently. — Page 11
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Sinkland Farms beside Rte 8 in Christiansburg; you can’t miss it during festival season—just follow the cars
From Dairy Farm to Destination How Sinkland Farms Built a Diversified Business Out of a Failing Dairy Operation SPECIAL FEATURE
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FRONT COVER
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Sinkland Farms: the 4th-best pumpkin patch in the country in 2025 —USA Today’s 10 Best readers’ poll
Apex Drone Services
Every October, roughly 40,000 visitors turn off Riner Road in Christiansburg and into the parking lot at Sinkland Farms — a number that would be remarkable for any regional attraction, let alone one that started as a struggling 125-acre dairy farm. What's grown up around that original farm over the past forty-six years is, by most measures, a genuine small-business success story: a nationally ranked pumpkin festival, a wedding venue that has hosted nearly a thousand ceremonies since 2000, a summer sunflower festival, and an educational nonprofit that brings thousands of schoolchildren through the gate every year. “The man who sold us this land looked us in the eye and asked only one thing,” says Susan Sink, owner of vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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“We can do this,” says Susan Sink, with the idea of a pumpkin festival t OCTOBER 2026 / vbFRONT.com
Renee Beran
FRONT COVER Sinkland Farms. “Please don't let the land become a subdivision.” Forty-six years later, it hasn't — though keeping that promise required Sink and her late husband, Henry, to essentially reinvent the business twice. Sink, who was twenty-five at the time, and Henry bought the property as a working dairy farm on New Year's Day, 1980. Their first night as owners set an early tone for how much the job would actually demand of them: a sheriff's deputy knocked on their door before dawn to tell them their entire milking herd had gotten loose and was walking down Route 8 — apparently headed toward Floyd. “That was our introduction to farming,” Sink says. “Not gently.”
SINKLAND FARMS OFFERS: • Pumpkin Festival • Sunflower Festival • Wedding Venue • Special Events • Organizational Retreats • Hayrides • Farm Animals • Corn Maze • School Trips • Pig Races • Chainsaw Carvings • Playground, Slide, Pum’kin Chunk’n • Food & Merchant Vendors • U-Pick Flowers • Line Dancing • Live Music • Entertainment
The dairy years that followed were unforgiving. A three-year drought strained the operation past what it could reasonably absorb, and along a ten-mile stretch near the farm, nearly forty dairies once operated; today only one remains. “I remember standing at the edge of a field that should have been green,” Sink says, “and understanding, for the first time, the particular fear that only farmers know — the fear of a thing you cannot fix with effort alone.”
That fear became the catalyst for the business Sinkland Farms is today. “The turn toward agritourism came out of necessity rather than inspiration,” Sink says. After the drought pushed the dairy operation to its limit, she and Henry needed another revenue stream — fast. A visit to a small pumpkin festival in a neighboring county became the model. “I turned to Henry and said, ‘We can do this, too,’” Sink recalls. They opened their own gates with almost no capital investment: a hay wagon, a hand-cut corn maze, a barn full of farmyard animals, and a stand of pumpkins planted on a hunch. The lesson in that first season has shaped every expansion since: build on infrastructure the farm already has and let demand — not a business plan — decide what comes next. When local schoolteachers began asking to bring students out to see a working farm, Sink and Henry said yes, expecting a single visit. It grew into the Sinkland Center for Educational and Experiential Development, a nonprofit now bringing thousands of students to the farm annually. When friends began asking to hold their weddings on the property, that grew too — today the venue includes Tuscan Pond, a pergola and terrace, two barns, and
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Please don't let the land become a subdivision
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Kaitlyn-Phipps Kaitlyn-Phipps
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Kyra-Calyn
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Kyra-Calyn
FRONT COVER
Natalie Gibbs
gardens galore; and Sink has personally directed nearly a thousand weddings since 2000. Recognition has followed the growth. USA Today's 10Best readers' poll ranked Sinkland Farms the 4th-best pumpkin patch in the country in 2025, and the farm received a Virginia Tourism Award the same year. A second signature event, a summer sunflower festival across roughly 100,000 blossoms, has become its own regional draw. Entertainment now ranges from pig races and chainsaw carving to live student performers from Virginia Tech and Radford University, alongside a 150-foot mega slide and educational signage posted throughout the property to help visitors understand the agriculture happening around them. Sink's own background gave her an unusual set of tools for building this kind of operation. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Radford University and spent years working in conservation and agricultural policy, including stints with the National Academy of Engineering, The Nature Conservancy, and American Farmland Trust. “Every experience strengthened my belief that education, conservation, and agriculture belong together,” she says. “Coming home let those passions come together in one place.”
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Let demand— not a business plan—decide what comes next.
The business has weathered loss as well as drought. Henry passed away in 2007, and Sink says the operation didn't pause to accommodate it — the animals still needed feeding, the land still needed tending, the fall festival still needed to open on schedule. In 2018, she married Roger Williams, Henry's best friend from their vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Myers
Renee Beran
Lilly Magnolia
Natalie Gibbs
Kyra-Calyn
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Natalie Gibbs
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Dairy Science days at Virginia Tech, who had built his own career in the dairy industry in Suffolk, and now shares in running the operation. “Roger understood exactly what this land had already cost me, without my ever having to explain it,” Sink says. The business's current model — treating the working farm itself as the attraction, then layering revenue streams (festivals, weddings, education, entertainment) on top of that core asset — has become something of a model in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic for other agricultural operations looking to diversify. Sink's advice to those considering a similar path is straightforward: start with what the land already gives you, let visitor demand guide expansion, and expect the business to keep evolving. Two of her children have added their own initiatives in just the past year alone, including line dancing nights that now draw more than 300 attendees per event, U-pick flower bouquets for bridal parties, and corporate retreat bookings — additions that emerged from the next generation's own read of what visitors want, not from a formal business plan. “People sometimes thank me for preserving Sinkland Farms,” Sink says. “But the truth is, the farm has shaped all of us — the man who sold it to us, Henry, me, my three children, and now Roger too. The business only works because every generation has been willing to ask what it needs to become next.” Sinkland Farms is located at 3020 Riner Road in Christiansburg. The Pumpkin Festival runs annually each fall; visit sinklandfarms.com for current dates and hours.
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The business's current model — treating the working farm itself as the attraction, then layering revenue streams (festivals, weddings, education, entertainment) on top of that core asset — has become something of a model in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic for other agricultural operations looking to diversify. vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Submitted and Keeland Griffin Photography
Big Cedars Farm, nestled in a Blue Ridge hollow
“It evolved into something magical.” SPECIAL FEATURE
It started as a budgeting solution; but then… things took a turn for this couple. “Before we met,” Sylvia says, “Warren had created an AirBnB rental property on the farm to help ends meet. Then COVID happened and it shifted our thinking.”
like the original AirBnB intended] we’re now creating connections as part of the magic our farm inspires via weddings and special events, retreats, and more.”
Today… the family farm offers a different story.
An apt description because Big Cedars Farm is the area’s newest small venue agritourism showcase example, hosted by Warren Neily and Sylvia Davis. The property, located in
“As an event venue [for brief overnight stays
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AGRITOURISM FRONT
the rustic Catawba Valley just east of Blacksburg and north of Salem, provides calendar-worthy views of the best of our southwestern mountains of Virginia and the New River Valley. This special place—nestled in a “Blue Ridge hollow”—has been owned by the Neily family since 1941. Harvesting timber as his profession, Grandpa Neily was proud to have kept his crew employed during the Great Depression and was known as a primary supplier of cedar for Lane Furniture. Today, Big Cedars Farm is now more a “playground” and entertainment / hospitality operation than a working farm, offering the goats and donkeys as part of the attraction.
from pastures to playgrounds for future generations,” adds Warren Neily, property owner and one who Sylvia appointed title of Old Goat. He jokingly calls her the crazy Chicken Lady. The two have been friends since 1982 but reconnected seven years ago; and that’s when things really started to take off. “I already opened the Lodge for guests and had a million ideas how to enhance the property into memorable areas,” Warren says. “She has a hospitality and events background; so it was the perfect match.” Believe it or not, establishing Big Cedars Farm as an event venue started with one element: a fire pit.
“I believe my grandfather would be proud to “It evolved from there,” Warren says. An see how the fields have transitioned understatement for sure, since the on-site
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Sylvia Davis and Warren Neily
amenities now include a retro camper “glamping” site, creek-side beach, saltwater pool, covered event pavilion, and weekly yoga classes. Big Cedars Farm focuses on three business areas: overnight stays; weddings / group gatherings; and seasonal ticketed events. The “charm” of Big Cedars Farm is that visitors get a rustic farm experience, coupled with almost resort-like treats including eclectic décor, antiques and vintage props, and a mountainside oasis with a tropical flair. Overnight guests at the “Wandering Goat Lodge” (that sleeps up to 14) can request customized spa day packages, goat cuddle sessions, and even ATV tours.
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In addition to overnight stays, Big Cedars Farm is also offering seasonal ticket events to allow locals a special chance to “experience” the farm for just a few hours. One can even rent the pool privately for date nights, or just an afternoon group swim. Customer reviews (more than 400) are positive, with mentions of “great hosts” and repeating descriptions, like “relaxing, renewal, magical, gorgeous, natural beauty, intimate, memorable”… many wishing they could “stay longer.” “Building this place over the years, we are enjoying hosting repeat guests. These folks have evolved into people we welcome like family,” states Warren. “I have loved this
AGRITOURISM FRONT
land my whole life and believe this is a space worth sharing. It’s nature, mountains, and animals in a spot where everyone can
slow down, breathe, and feel the quiet power of belonging to something larger than yourself.”
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OMG! It’s the 4th quarter already It’s time to start planning for 2027. You’ve probably already thought about budgets and revenue projections, but it is also time to think about marketing goals. (These can also be an essential part of your budget planning cycle.) When it comes to forward planning for marketing, I like to group things into several buckets: • Marketing needs (staffing, advertising, software, partners, and vendors) • Marketing sponsorships (donations or funds used to support nonprofits or other organizations) • Marketing wants (new tools, contract help, anything that you’d love to have but could potentially live without)
LEAD BY EXAMPLE By Carrie Cousins, LeadPoint Digital Executive Summary: Holy smokes, Batman! Where did the year go?
• Marketing emergencies (for anything unplanned or unexpected) Then do the math. Each of these groups should get a percentage of your budget. Some budgets may not include sponsorships, depending on your corporate structure. Marketing needs are by far the biggest part of your budget, with close to 80% of your spending. Start with hard costs, such as staff, agency fees (if you have partners), and software; then you know what you have left to play with for advertising. If you have a sponsorship line item, this can be about 10% of your overall budget. Here’s the important part: Don’t just hand out funds without reason. Even with sponsorships, you should track return on marketing spend. What value does your business get from this relationship? I like to group marketing wants and emergencies into that
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PERSPECTIVES final 10%. Each quarter, anything that wasn’t used for a marketing emergency goes toward wants. What’s important here is to have a plan for the funds. For many of you, unused budget can vanish or even decrease available budget the following year, so plan ahead for marketing wants to make the best use of these funds. With all of that in mind, do you still have budget left for this year that you need to spend? It might be the perfect time to think about website upgrades or preplanning advertising for 2027. If you aren’t sure how to best maximize your marketing budget, a good partner can help. Start those conversations now to get the most out of your 2027 marketing and advertising plan!
needs, sponsorships, “”Marketing wants, emergencies.
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Courtesy photos
Tony Pearman
“A lot of hard work and a lot of luck” By Gene Marrano Thirty years and counting describes Tony Pearman and AccessU
At 60 President and CEO Tony Pearman shows no signs of slowing done with the creative agency he and former partner Todd Marcum started in a co-lab space three decades ago last month.
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Access became AccessU when Tony Pearman says they “reimagined” the firm during COVID downtime. Now AccessU is, “one hundred percent dedicated to education, K through 12 as well as higher ed,” says
MARKETING FRONT LEAPS AND BOUNDS … Since 2021, AccessU has experienced significant growth, with 2026 revenue projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels by 213% and team size increasing by 116%. The agency’s momentum has been recognized nationally and statewide, including being named one of Virginia’s Best Places to Work in 2025 and earning a place on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. … and Milestones
Pearman, whose headquarters is a remodeled 17,000 square feet building that had once been a car dealership, with a company workout room in the basement – (employees vote every year on a new piece of workout equipment they’d like to see added) – and a 5000 sq. ft. condo where Tony and his wife Amy reside. They moved in after selling their house elsewhere. Pearman says he’s often up very early to work out well before employees show up, setting the example for his staff, many of whom have been there for a decade or more. Carilion, Roanoke Gas and Roanoke Blacksburg Airport, etc. are still accounts under the everything-else AccessUnlimited moniker. “We just had too many loyal clients that kept coming back to us. Who am I to say no? I’m flattered.” Creative consultants told him generalization was a way to stay small, and as “a smart businessman,” in his own words he took that advice to heart. “Specialization is how you grow.” AccessU clients out of state include the College of Charleston and New Mexico Highlands University. He has hired staffers who came from higher education in various roles and understood the culture better. Access debuted in 1996 and home at first was an early Roanoke co-lab space in Wasena (where they wrote an initial business plan). Pearman is a graphic designer by trade and had been with another creative firm after graduating from VCU, where he studied graphic arts. Marcum was with the Roanoke Times and, “had $500 dollars,” recalls Pearman
• Invested in the area by preserving and maintaining a registered historical building on Patterson Avenue SW as its headquarters (It was once a Double Cola Bottling Co. and car dealership) • Named by Virginia Business as one of the best places to work • Made it to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies • Created a sister brand called AccessUnlimited (for local legacy accounts like Carilion) • Retained talent such as the co-creator of the Geico Gecko • Created a culture where people want to stay and grow — their very first hire, 30 years ago, is actually retiring this year • Invested in the community through pro bono work • AccessU is behind marketing campaigns or website design for many local organizations, including Ferrum College, Roanoke College, Virginia Tech, JMU, RoanokeBlacksburg Airport and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys - just to name a few. —From AccessU
about his partner and how Access was born, and he had a credit card. Access eventually purchased a houseturned-office on Memorial Avenue in the Grandin area. Pearman says when the staff grew to the point there were employees in the hallways it was time to look for a bigger space. That’s when he and Marcum found the place on Patterson Avenue. A sevenvbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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figure loan on the cusp of the Great Recession in 2008 and major overhauls to “a shell of a building,” landed now-AccessU in their current space. (Todd Marcum took a buyout and retired from the firm several years ago.)
the industry giants, and via offerings from schools like Vanderbilt and Harvard.
Revolution and evolution Pearman calls it, fighting to remain relevant and tuned in to the latest tech changes that have impacted how creative firms do their job for clients. Pearman himself has been immersed in AI certification courses online, with some of
Early on Pearman said they chased awards that could be displayed for current and prospective clients (there’s a wall full of them just inside the AccessU entrance) and worried too much what other firms were doing. “I don’t do that anymore,” says
A staff of around 30, a mix of veterans and some newer hires that grew up in today’s evolving digital world all work to stay Pearman pulls out a list of what they were current. Client omni digital campaigns as working with – or didn’t have yet – as Access he puts it might show up on seven different took root: no Google, no YouTube, Cloud platforms now. Algorithms are tweaked computing, AI, streaming video, dialup daily if necessary. For creatives that don’t internet, websites that were mostly “digital keep up with the changing times: “you’re brochures,” etc. Marketing campaigns dead … you just don’t know it yet,” he were largely print and radio. “The fact that chuckles. AI is a useful tool, says Pearman we were able to evolve [with changing for “first gen” drafts but should not produce technologies] was nothing short of a miracle. the final product – that’s where creative A lot of hard work and a lot of luck.” humans come in to play.
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MARKETING FRONT
Pearman, who professes to have adopted a “racehorse mentality.” Put the blinders on and run your own race. Adapt and pivot. At now-defunct Shawsville High School he was voted Most Dependable and Most Creative (there were 48 students in his graduating class.) These days it’s about going the extra mile and caring for a client’s
business, not missing deadlines or busting budgets. “I have always been very driven and motivated to succeed. I’m just a competitive person.” Growth should come from serving clients better, says Tony Pearman, not just, “for the sake of growth,” and from constant innovation. A philosophy he and the talented team assembled have used to grow what is now AccessU over the past three decades.
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PERSPECTIVES I AM STILL ALIVE I came to after 5 hours in the passenger seat – my wife said, “you’ve had a bike accident.” I was in different clothes. I don’t remember the wreck, I don’t remember the cat scan in the hospital, walking around Walgreens while my wife had my prescriptions filled, and I didn’t remember listing a house the day before. I am not sure if I got hit by a car or it was train tracks. Of all days it was April Fools Day 2026. I was about to become the busiest I’d ever been in real estate. I had to hire a driver to go to listing appointments. I had to hook up a flat screen to my computer to read contracts and ask Mary on my team to proofread them. My anxiety was sky high. My brain felt like playdough for two months.
REAL ESTATE MATTERS By Frazier Hughes Executive Summary: One of Roanoke’s best known and successful Real Estate agents climbs back on the horse after a brush with his own mortality – and gets back to selling homes.
I had a concussion from wrecking my bike in Wilmington. I know that if I did not have a helmet on, I’d probably have suffered worse brain injuries. It has affected my speech some, but I am working through it. The crazy part is, it’s my second concussion in three years as I had one at The Trampoline Park in freak jump. Real Estate doesn’t stop. I couldn’t just say, “hey can we list your home in a couple of months or look at the contract you just got for it later?” I had to keep going. Working. The first couple of weeks were grueling just trying to keep focused on top of the anxiety. I remember driving my car again for the first time and thought “this is what it feels like to drive.” It was liberating. Coming back into life and having the brain pain fog go away was so refreshing. I told myself to keep pushing, ask for help, you’ve got this. I made this my screen saver on my phone “This Is My Brain Healing, Not Me Losing My Edge. I’ve Done This A Hundred Times. I’m Still Sharp.” Sometimes the best words of encouragement are the ones you can give yourself. And sometimes better messages come through other people: “Keep doing what you are doing in Real Estate, Frazier. You are doing great.” It’s exactly what Kim, who I randomly passed on the greenway walking after a month into my concussion told me. It fueled my motivation to recover and do great things for others— which I know you can too if a life trouble hits you.
Frazier Hughes is with Keller Williams Realty. Reach him at frazier hughescom@gmail.com
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I told myself ” “ to keep pushing.
Fixing the bottlenecks in your business processes Bottlenecks occur when some steps within a sequence have a higher capacity than others, where capacity refers to the number of units (products, customers) that can be processed per unit time. Imagine Andy, Bob, and Cathy are working at three stations in an assembly line. Andy can process 60 units per hour. Bob can only process 30 units per hour, and Cathy can process 40 units per hour. In this case, Bob would be the bottleneck in the process. Since he processes units at the slowest rate, the whole assembly line gets slowed down. Cathy, who could theoretically process 40 units per hour, only processes 30 units per hour, since that is all that is delivered to her station from Bob. But the situation is even worse on the other side – while 60 units per hour are being processed at Andy’s station, Bob can only handle half of that in the same time period. After the first hour, Andy sends 60 units to Bob, but Bob can only send 30 to Cathy, which means that every hour, 30 additional units are waiting to be processed at Bob’s station, leading to a growing backlog. Identifying the bottleneck within a system is important because it helps managers identify where to allocate scarce resources to improve the system’s functionality and performance. Obviously it wouldn’t make sense to spend money increasing the capacity and Andy’s station. That would just increase the backlog at Bob’s station and the overall system would still be constrained by Bob’s capacity. Increasing Bob’s capacity to 60 units per hour (for example by hiring a second employee who works at the same rate as Bob) is one way to fix this problem. But fixing one bottleneck doesn’t mean that you’re done. Increasing Bob’s capacity to 60 units per hour now creates a new problem. Cathy is now the new bottleneck, since she can only process 40 units per hour. Bottlenecks almost never disappear completely. Instead, they have a tendency to change locations. The activity of process optimization is a continuous one, sometimes resembling whack-a-mole. Bottlenecks occur in both manufacturing processes and in service settings. Services are more unpredictable than manufacturing because they involve a wider variety of customer interactions. Think of a waiting room at a hospital – depending on the staffing and space constraints, the volume of patients, and the range of medical issues being treated, bottlenecks (like checking in at the front desk or waiting to be seen by a doctor) can easily occur. These bottlenecks can lead to long waiting times and customer dissatisfaction. Finding and fixing bottlenecks is not merely a theoretical exercise. It is an aspect of operations management that has clear and profound managerial implications for a company’s productivity, competitiveness, and customer satisfaction.
BIZ OPS By Zachary A. Collier Executive Summary: You’ve likely experienced standing in a long line or waiting in a waiting room for what feels like ages. Typically, when something or someone is waiting for a downstream step, this is a sign of what is known as a bottleneck.
Zachary A. Collier is Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Applied Analytics at Radford University.
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Submitted
Cory Applegate
MATHNASIUM: Making Math Click By Aila Boyd
Roanoke Mathnasium has already helped more than 500 students improve their math skills. When Cory Applegate left the financial services industry, he was looking for more than a career change. He wanted to build something that would allow him to put down deeper roots in the Roanoke Valley while making a direct impact on the community. That search eventually led Cory Applegate to Mathnasium of Roanoke, a math-focused learning center at 3555 Electric Road in Cave Spring. “During that time, Applegate found that he particularly enjoyed solving problems and finding ways to create greater efficiency within organizations. But much of his
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work was not directly connected to the local community.” “I wanted to do something that more directly touched the lives of people here in the Roanoke Valley,” Applegate said. Mathnasium emerged as an option after Applegate spoke with family members who had a positive experience with the program in another market. His own interest in math and its practical applications made the concept particularly appealing. Applegate signed a franchise agreement in late 2019 and initially planned to open the center in March 2020. The COVID-19
EDUCATION FRONT pandemic quickly changed those plans. The opening was postponed until late August, and Applegate found himself launching a new business while navigating social distancing, masking, temperature checks and other pandemic-era requirements. “It was a crash course in meeting strict government safety requirements while still trying to create a welcoming learning environment,” he said. Having the support of an established franchise helped Applegate navigate everything from leasing and construction to signage, bookkeeping and marketing. The experience also taught him the value of seeking advice from those who had already gone through the process. His choice of Cave Spring, in Southwest Roanoke County, was much more straightforward. Applegate lives in the community, and the area was at the center of Mathnasium’s designated territory. The Shoppes at West Village location also provided convenient access to families throughout the 419 corridor and surrounding communities. Applegate saw an opportunity to provide specialized math instruction that went beyond helping students complete homework or prepare for an upcoming test. Students at Mathnasium begin with a diagnostic assessment designed to identify their strengths and areas where they have gaps in understanding. Instructors then develop customized learning plans using the Mathnasium Method, which incorporates mental, verbal, visual, tactile and written teaching techniques. Most students attend two 60-minute sessions each week, with all the work taking place at the center. “We also work hard to make math fun,” Applegate said. Games, activities, rewards and recognition are incorporated into the experience to help students build confidence alongside their math skills.
That focus on relationships has also become an important part of Applegate’s approach to running the business. He said frequent communication with parents, progress reports and celebrating smaller accomplishments have helped establish trust with families. “An education business succeeds when families trust you with their child’s confidence as much as their skills,” he said. The center has also worked to become visible in the community through school fun runs, trunk-or-treat events, Math Nights and other local activities. Applegate said some relationships have lasted long enough for students to complete the program and later return to work as instructors. Amanda Livingston, president of the SalemRoanoke County Chamber of Commerce, said businesses such as Mathnasium play an important role in the region. “Small businesses like Mathnasium are the backbone of our local economy,” Livingston said. “Mathnasium exemplifies what it means to invest in our community’s future — helping local students build confidence in math. She added that the chamber appreciates the specialized service Applegate provides to the community’s future leaders. Mathnasium of Roanoke has now worked with more than 500 students, but Applegate sees room for continued growth. He hopes to strengthen partnerships with local schools and eventually could consider another location to serve the northern portions of the Roanoke Valley. The center also offers Mathnasium@home for students who cannot easily travel to Cave Spring. For Applegate, however, growth remains closely connected to the reason he entered the business in the first place. “There’s no better feeling than seeing the look on a student’s face when frustration and insecurity turn into confidence and a smile,” he said. “That’s the impact I want to keep creating for as many kids in this community as we can.” vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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PERSPECTIVES Growing … without outgrowing yourself For those who don’t know my story, I run three businesses. For more than two years, we had been searching for the right long-term home for them. We initially purchased a commercial building that we planned to renovate ourselves, improve, and build equity in. Although I have completed plenty of residential real estate projects, this was my first real venture into commercial property. I quickly learned that commercial real estate is a different world. Banks, appraisers, engineers, architects, municipalities, internet providers, insurance companies, security companies, landscapers and seemingly everyone else charges accordingly when the words “commercial property” are involved.
BUSINESS CENTS By Daniel Colston Executive Summary: This summer was one of the busiest, most challenging—and ultimately most successful—seasons of my career.
Daniel Colston, CFP®, CEPA runs a tax and investing firm in Roanoke, Upward Financial Planning, specializing in helping business owners and retirees. He can be reached at daniel@ upwardfp.com.
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Then came the parking lot. Our building sat awkwardly on a hill, and creating adequate parking required significant engineering. After spending a considerable amount developing a plan, we realized construction would be extraordinarily expensive without adding nearly enough value to justify the investment. Around that same time, an unexpected opportunity appeared: two office buildings just a mile down the road, sharing a large parking lot. We went under contract in April. What followed was five months of some of the hardest work I have ever done. While continuing to operate three businesses, I became a project manager, interior designer, financier, planner, decorator, materials purchaser and, occasionally, painter. For months, 12-hour days and seven-day weeks became normal. There were moments when I felt incredibly alone. Yet throughout the process, I remained grounded by my faith, my wife, my family and my coworkers. In the end, we created something special. Our new offices sit at a busy intersection traveled by more than 40,000 vehicles each day. The two buildings will house all three of our businesses, and our financial planning office has become something particularly meaningful to me: a tribute to the history and influence of Virginia and the Roanoke region. Artwork, books and historical artifacts fill the building, including rooms honoring each of the eight U.S. presidents born in Virginia. I look forward to sharing more of that story in the future. For now, I’m taking some much-needed time to enjoy my family, slow down and recover from an incredibly demanding summer. We are planning a ribbon cutting this spring, and I hope many of you will join us.
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Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned is that growth is good—but growth has consequences. Entrepreneurs naturally want to pursue the next opportunity. But sustainable growth requires recognizing the limits of our time, energy, people and capital. Growth should never come at the expense of quality, safety, customer service or the people who matter most. Sometimes success isn’t simply learning how to grow. It’s learning how to grow without outgrowing yourself.
I quickly learned that ” “ commercial real estate is a different world.
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WORK SPACE
New stitch in town Katie Stoner and Tina Hatcher have opened Needle in the Noke—a new, boutique needlepoint store (supplies, classes, canvases, finishing services, etc.) in Roanoke County
at the upper level of West Village shopping center. “What began as a dream has become a place filled with creativity, connection, and community. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for the support that has helped bring Needle to Noke to life.” Photo by Tom Field
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VTCSOM cuts rate for in-state students, hoping to retain more physicians down the road Attending medical school - if you're lucky enough to have the grades and are chosen from an application process where hundreds or thousands of other college graduates may be vying for the same slot - is daunting enough. Now money set aside in the state budget has led the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors to approve a sizable tuition rate cut for the medical school in Roanoke. It costs around $64,000 per year right now for each of the four years in-state students at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will have to pay at some point - but now it will cost them $15,000 less each year after the announced tuition cut. Dr. Rebecca Pauley is a physician and Vice Dean at the School of Medicine. She says the med school receives about 6000 applications annually - the 2026 first year class is 64 students. The $15,000 cut per each year - which only applies to Virginia residents - is about a quarter of the overall price tag and is designed in large part to attract more Virginia med school students and then keep more of them in state after graduation: “It depends on which study you’re reviewing, but somewhere over 60 percent are likely to stay in the region of where they did their residency training. If they did medical school and residency training that just solidifies that number.”
THERE’S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE By Gene Marrano
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will expand its first year class to 72 students next year with eyes on reaching 100 at some point. That will require building an additional facility and Pauley says plans have been approved; they are focused on a plot along South Jefferson Street near Dr Pepper Park. The more competitive in-state tuition rate should help fill those expanded student rosters. “Right now, about 50 percent of Virginia residents who attend medical school are [doing that] outside the Commonwealth of Virginia,” notes Dr. Pauley, “we’re hoping this will make us more competitive for those students. The price reduction [in tuition] will put us in the same range of other in-state schools.”
Executive Summary: Stopping the region’s “Brain Drain,” - always a problem for southwest Virginia – gets a boost with state funding.
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Class of 2030 White Coat VTCSOM
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REVIEWS & OPINIONS Are you special? I attended my first ADDY (advertising) Awards in 1978. Related to that, and my love of the business of advertising, I served in our local AAF Roanoke ad club for quite a stretch— a member for decades, and president, government relations chair, and my favorite role—programs chair for an attendance record-breaking multi-year term. My BERRYFIELD firm here in the Roanoke region, has been in operation since 1993 (after my freelancing gigs)… more of a boutique publishing outlet than an ad agency these days (though I produced a hefty portfolio over the past near-50 years). Why the background? Let’s just say I got to know our local “ad agency” scene and lineup (though today, most go by descriptions that include words like digital and marketing and branding and creative). So, I remain intrigued by the developments in our creative and marketing sectors—particularly the agents who serve our local businesses and organizations.
ON TAP FROM THE PUB
The shift to specialization (especially within the past fiveto-ten years) seems rather remarkable on the surface, until you dig deeper to see how necessary it was for an agency to grow—and for some, to survive. Three examples come to mind: 1. AccessU (formerly Access Advertising & PR): the story of its “grand pivot” to the education sector is presented in this edition. 2. Advance Auto: how locally, when it was headquartered here, the auto parts retailer essentially “lifted” an entire ad agency (formerly Packet Group) and brought it in house to form a significant marketing department.
By Tom Field Executive Summary: Is specialization more important now than ever?
3. Anstey Hodge (like Access, the agency shifted a good while back to now specialize in the senior living sector). Business analysts (and I) can debate the value of specialization for advertisers and marketers; but there’s plenty of proof that strategy has paid off financially. At one time, many in the business specifically avoided specialization. The thinking was—you can’t give your best work to one client if it is in the same business as another client. Many agencies (especially smaller shops) restricted their accounts to one or few that were in the same industry, scale, scope, or market. That limit was also thought to produce better creative. After all, wouldn’t the work start looking the same or awfully similar if you made ads or developed marketing that everyone deemed effective, simply from experience or based on trends? Much of that thinking has been dismissed. There’s no better vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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REVIEWS & OPINIONS proof of that than the automotive retail market. Can you imagine two competing car dealers using the same agency (or franchise-like techniques) in the same local market? Yet, it happens today. Specialization in business as a path to success is worth study and consideration. Old-school generalists and liberal arts majors and DIY shade tree mechanics like me could be going the way of the dinosaur. Throw in Google (old hat, now) and AI applications; and you begin to wonder about the oncecherished attribute of “knowing a little about a lot.” I don’t even know why anyone bothers to watch the television gameshow “Jeopardy” anymore. Who cares if you press a buzzer when you know the answer? Just Google it. If generalization is a good thing (and I think it still is), perhaps it should be more of an umbrella over whatever expertise commerce or profession you’re in. Total absorption into a specialized field could confine you to a microcosm that makes you rather stale, unobservant, closed-minded, and not able to see the big picture. I believe if you really look at our worldwide history of progress and discovery, inventions and grand solutions, scientific advancement and societal improvements, creative achievements and harmonious civilizations, you’ll discover the heroes that delivered these celebrations were indeed specialists. But specialists with a good sense of our general condition. We’ll have to see if the future supports my “eggshell generalization / yolk of specialization” model. A number of years back, I noticed the advertising campaigns I was executing at my agency included a funeral home and a cemetery. That’s about as specialized as I ever got. People died; I thrived. There are countless ways to capitalize on specialization.
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FRONTReviews > Readers and patrons of the business journal are invited to submit reviews (along with an optional photo) to news@vbFRONT. com. We’ve expanded our reviews to include books, music, art, performances, culinary—with a preference for local productions. Reviews must be original, include the author’s name and location, and should be brief, under 350 words.
Higher ed love advice Where Love Leads: Leadership and the Liberal Arts (UVA Press; 2026) by Mary Dana Hinton is a balm for the spirit for anyone working in higher education right now. Hollins University President Mary Dana Hinton draws on years of leadership experience and her own personal journey to build a theory of leadership centered on humanity — one built on a striking premise: leading with love is not an abdication of power; it is rather the “use of all one’s worldly resources to promote the common good — justice” (p. 122). More than any other book about leadership, Where Love Leads is a clear and urgent call to higher education leaders: love — the kind that centers the humanity of those we lead — is what our communities need most right now.
ways we try, and sometimes fail, to create beloved community. And this is the beauty and hope that Mary Dana Hinton’s book offers for all who struggle and aspire to make higher education a humanly just place for all. At a moment when higher education is both essential and under attack, this book makes the most compelling case yet for why our communities need love to lead. —Laurie McLary
Nomadic notes
If you think you’re going to read about walking the Johnny Appleseed trail that paints the picture of a snappy gait, whistling happy tunes along the way, and a song of fun folklore in your heart with a little bit of early Hinton tells stories from her own leadership American romanticism thrown in—think again if your source is American Rambler: with vulnerability and compassion, and in conversation with scholars and changemakers Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed (Knopf; 2026) by Isaac Fitzgerald. Oh, you’ll get the who see love as capable of motivating folklore. And I especially loved the history communities toward difficult achievement, she rejects the notion of leadership as merely notes and religion discussions (specifically, an exercise of power. She offers an alternative the Great Awakening and Swedenborgianism sect of Christianity), and of course, the multivision built on an unwavering foundation of state-year-long excursion. But here’s a tale care and respect for those she leads—a vision a little deeper. Darker. Dirtier. How deep? in which loving those we lead as a college The trek involves relationship-building (both president also means holding one another the shallow and significant kind), mental accountable. Hinton acknowledges how hard this work is: forgiving others' mistakes, illnesses, poverty, and personal fears. How dirty? Well, there are blistered feet, bedbugs, offering grace, and modeling for the whole and a whole chapter on shatting your pants. community what it means to hold each Pretty dirty. This Johnny Appleseed tale is other accountable with care and to have not exactly Hunter S. Thompson, but I’m not the courage to correct course away from going to forget it. Younger readers (as in, division and toward justice. people under 40) might not stick with some of the dialogues (only because a few of them This love is difficult and complicated, mature go a little unnecessarily long…an editor’s and deeply human, embracing the flawed
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REVIEWS & OPINIONS
slip); but I had to stay along with “my new friend” Isaac for the whole journey. He’s woefully unprepared at times; and I might have to keep my distance to avoid the stench; but his random and serendipitous itinerary is a nice reprieve from our mobile phone, app-based society. And somehow, we survive the melancholy tone—including a most sad personal incident at the end. —Tom Field
From sea to shining success In his new book, Business is Simple: From a Family Cottage Business to World Processing and Markets, Terry Conway shares the three-part structure he developed while building businesses under pressure and navigating decades of competition, uncertainty and growth. “Core values are essential,” Conway said. “I like two: ‘Trust is the cornerstone of everything’ and ‘free flowing collaboration to innovate and use innovations for competitive advantages.’" This time-tested methodology guided Conway’s own journey as he took the helm of Handy Seafood—a small company with one phone line and no plans for expansion— and transformed it into a thriving international business operating across 17 countries. In his book, he retraces the risks, fierce competition, regulatory hurdles, betrayals, and costly mistakes he encountered and how he overcame them. Along the way, Conway navigates emerging markets across Thailand and India through a series of high-risk
ventures and international expansion efforts that earned him the nickname “The Indiana Jones of the seafood business.” Part memoir, part business manual, part survival story, Business is Simple delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs, business leaders, familyowned companies and recent college graduates—anyone looking for real-world applications of business principles. —Helen Cook
Laughing at spending Alan Opts Out (Little Brown; 2026) by Courtney Maum is a fun read. Probably the most fun read I’ll have for 2026. About a contemporary family of affluence grappling with a “keeping up with the Joneses” syndrome, I found myself chuckling far more than the artificial laugh tracks you hear on television sitcoms. Even better—it’s such a perfectly-written novel. I mean perfectly. In fact, the only flaws I saw came from two reviews on the back cover. Both reviewers (prominent authors) used the term “late-stage capitalism” as if our story was simply (so obviously?) an allegory of socio-political posturing. Even if Maum agrees with that assessment, our true antagonist here is “over-consumption” or “hyper-consumerism,” not a rallying call for Marxism. If I may “moralize”: the same system delivering excess delivers prosperity and hope if not deployed in renegade, irresponsible fashion. —Tom Field vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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REVIEWS & OPINIONS Ingalls “”Laura Wilder and
Jack London had a baby delivered by Timothy Leary.
Literal title surprises
end, you'll be on the edge of your seat.
There is no question about it, The Pillagers’ Guide to Arctic Pianos (Pantheon; 2026) by Kendra Langford Shaw gets my award for the most unique premise of any book I read this year. The title says it all. How more unique and imaginative can a story be than one about nomadic pioneers who are promised great plots of land in the nearly inhabitable Arctic isles with the “simple” requirement that your family or clan brings a piano (to keep culture alive)? Who thinks up something like this? The multi-generational tome contains some of the most vivid descriptions of icy-oceanic biosphere and survivalist living coupled with searching and diving for the retrieval of pianos as currency (restoring them for resale or selling the ivory and metals). It’s like Laura Ingalls Wilder and Jack London had a baby delivered by Timothy Leary. (The premise and plot, that is; the writing is straightforward.) I picked this book off the shelf because the title was so poetic. I had no idea it would be the literal description. A bit complicated at times keeping up with the generations and family members, but a fun read altogether.
Mountains have deep, dark hearts, and those hearts are carved by water. Deep in the shadowed hollers of Appalachia, Rhia Blackburn has always kept her powers and her heart buried. Around here, the river whispers dark secrets, the earth remembers every cut, and survival is a skill women pass down in blood. But when her cousin Amey is kidnapped up the mountain, Rhia is forced to confront the terror of her home and her own troubled history. To save her, Rhia must trust her powers—and herself—because in Appalachia, family comes first and water always finds a way.
—Tom Field
Chilling Appalachian tale Local author Amanda McGee leads us into the dark again with A River Wide (Interstellar Press; 2026), an Appalachian horror novella about family, grief, and the stubborn strength it takes to survive. From the opening scene to the twisty
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McGee earned degrees from Hollins University and Virginia Tech, where she studied languages, identity politics, policy, and infrastructure. She is the author of the dark epic fantasy series The Creation Saga: Mother of Creation and Daughter of Madness and is an Art Matters Grant recipient, a program of the City of Roanoke and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her novella Viridian was published in the anthology A Sinister Quartet, which made the 2020 Locus Recommended Reading List. A River Wide is her debut standalone novella. —from Book No Further The reviewers: Laurie McLary is the Nora Kizer Bell Provost at Hollins University in Roanoke; Tom Field is a creative director (and publisher of FRONT); Gene Marrano is a news reporter and FRONT news editor; Helen Cook is a publicist in Friendswood, TX.
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Contributions to ‘Hab-Cov-Hack’ > Freedom First Credit Union awarded $40,000 to three organizations advancing affordable housing in our region. Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County, Lynchburg Covenant Fellowship, and Hacksburg (community makerspace) were selected from over 20 applicants during the Spring 2026 Freedom First Gives campaign. FFCU president Linda Johnson: “By creating opportunities for people to access safe, stable housing, we’re helping build a stronger community for years to come.” Submitted
Blue maroon? > With so many bold, vibrant, graphic murals popping up throughout town, this one—adjacent from the main entrance at Roanoke College in Salem—is surprisingly understated, subtle, and representative of the Blue Ridge Mountains with various blue hues. Local artist Nicole Gray painted the 60-foot scene with Roanoke College logo, completed in August and based on a design by Roanoke College graphic designer James France.
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FRONT’N ABOUT SRCCC
AI approachable > Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce hosted its Business Advocacy Breakfast in August that featured Wendi Pannell of Pannell Consulting. She shared “how AI can serve as a thought partner—not a replacement for human expertise” as well as practical tips to use at work and in business in everyday workflow. Submitted
Women’s FinSummit > Virginia Credit Union held its 2026 Financial Success for Women Summit in Roanoke (and Richmond) in August, featuring keynote speaker Jean Chatzky (of HerMoney online platform and financial editor for NBC Today Show). As part of the summit, VACU donated $5,000 to Roanoke’s Huddle Up Moms (and $5,000 to Richmond’s Little Hands Virginia) in support of childcare for working women. vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Courtesy of Friendship
A most memorable flight > Friendship retirement community hosted a “Dream Flight” with vintage bi-plane that flew war veterans from the Signature FOB at Roanoke’s airport on Sept. 3. Friendship organizer Kimbery Bratic said, “I watched an 89-year-old veteran be brought to tears—and then light up with absolute delight” when he realized he was going to get to fly after originally being told the event was booked at capacity. “Every one of these veterans has a story and every one of them reminds me just how incredibly fortunate we are to hear those stories and to help preserve them.” Submitted
BOCO students learn money > Bank of Botetourt has launched its Investing in Future Leaders program with Botetourt County Public Schools. The seven-month financial education program (a series of 30-minute lessons from local, retired educators working alongside the Bank) will begin with third- and fifth-grade students at Buchanan, Cloverdale, and Greenfield Elementary Schools. The curriculum covers “foundational concepts, including earning, saving, spending, needs and wants, giving, goal setting” for 3rd grade; “budgeting, banking, consumer decision-making, fraud awareness, entrepreneurship, and financial planning.” Bank of Botetourt says this is a pilot, inaugural program “intended to be a starting point” as it moves to the next phase.
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FRONT’N ABOUT
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VACU on VT gridiron > Virginia Credit Union logo has been added to the Virginia Tech football field between the 20- and 30-yard lines in conjunction with a “Down to Help” charitable donation campaign for Carilion Children’s Hospital. The branding and promotion will be highly visible to the Hokie Nation and national television audience on game days.
NYSE
Ringing for vets > Two local business leaders recently represented a national cause on one of the most recognized global financial and business platforms in the world. On September 4, Ashley Ege and Caitlyn Scaggs, Vice Presidents at Stop Soldier Suicide, participated in the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell ceremony as the organization was recognized for its work serving veterans and service members nationwide. vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Virginia Tech
VT-NRV love > Virginia Tech and tourism partners have launched the Virginia is for Hokie Lovers campaign unveiling a Virginia Tech-themed LOVE sign on Henderson Lawn designed to draw attention to Blacksburg and the New River Valley as destinations for visitors from across Virginia – and beyond. The partnership was developed through Virginia Tech’s Licensing and Trademarks team and the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Montgomery County Regional Tourism program. Its focus is on introducing new audiences to commonwealth – and the New River Valley in particular, as a destination.
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CTE in 2027 > Governor Abigail Spanberger visited the Roanoke County Public Schools Career and Technology Center last month — a new workforce development facility opening in January 2027 that will train local students in more than 20 different career fields. “Our new CTE center (which cost around $80 million to build) is a focal point for student opportunity and workforce development in the region. Effective career and technical education requires partnership with business and industry,” said Roanoke County Public Schools Director of Career and Technical Education Jason Suhr.
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FRONT’N ABOUT
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Pew-pew for Navy jobs > Northside High School in Roanoke County was the venue for the US Navy’s “The Strike Group” multi-scenario, mobile mixed-reality experience—designed to demonstrate Navy STEM careers “in the most realistic way possible.” The Strike Group uses three distinctive, interactive challenges, including All Hands (aircraft carrier flight deck skills); Support (global humanitarian work); and Fly (flight simulator). The demonstration and gaming experiences were conducted on Sept. 15. Submitted
Henry helps hungry > Salem-based Feeding Southwest Virginia has presented a $250,000 grant award to Henry County Food Pantry at their facility in Bassett. The award was made available through Feeding America and will allow the Henry County Food Pantry to hire a full-time staff member, expand their distribution of fresh produce, participate in a Home Delivery service, and receive capital need improvements to their facility over a 3-year period. Henry County Food Pantry serves an average of 2,500 neighbors per month. vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Gene Marrano
Excel Center expands > The Excel Center adult high school operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys at Melrose Plaza in Roanoke is growing its student numbers from around 50 to the low 70’s this fall, adding courses and teachers as well. “We’re expanding our electives, wanting to be able to offer business and IT-related [courses],” says Kelly Weems with Goodwill (pictured); “really focus on electives that are going to help our students in the workforce, on the business aspects. The best things we can do with those electives is have them match up and pair with what our adults are going to be doing day to day once they graduate.” Every Excel Center graduate also will leave with a workforce credential. Gene Marrano
Long legacy with pets > Danielle Bryant is the practice manager and co-owner for Salem Animal Hospital on West Main Street, which recently celebrated joining the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce by cutting a ribbon. She says the animal hospital, which moved into a new building last year, is the oldest such practice at 81 years and counting in the Roanoke Valley, and “it looks like the top five oldest in Virginia. We love people and we love animals. We’re taking care of our pets, but we’re also helping our clients through tough times, exciting times. A lot of people don’t know that about our industry.”
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2nd busiest bus stop updated > It was twenty years in the making—that’s how far back some Roanoke City Council members recall the need for an updated, covered bus shelter at the busy Valley View Walmart. They finally cut a ribbon in late August on a new Valley Metro bus stop, featuring two covered shelters and benches, lean rails and direct access to Walmart. Roanoke Mayor Job Cobb: “when we talk about perseverance and patience and timing, it’s all about staying in relationships with people. Walmart has been a consistent partner.” Valley Metro says after the downtown bus terminal on Salem Avenue, ridership to and from Walmart is the busiest in its system – and now they have a sheltered bus stop. Cobb said Walmart, the City of Roanoke and Valley Metro worked together to make the new bus shelter finally happen. A previous attempt to place one on the old Sears property across the street hit a snag over an easement the city needed to make that happen. Gene Marrano
Roanoke Cement springs for new trailhead > A project more than four years in the making was celebrated with a ribbon cutting recently— the relocation of the Andy Layne Trailhead on Catawba Road in Botetourt County—along with a mile of new trail and a brand new footbridge. Expansion plans by Titan America and its Roanoke Cement subsidiary made that necessary. Roanoke Cement owns an easement where the old trailhead - and the new one - are located. The cement plant picked up the entire tab; Patrick McCrady is a director for Roanoke Cement: “this [project] started in February of 2022. From day one we talked about what this could be, what [the local Appalachian Trail Club] wanted this to be.” The Andy Layne Trail is a popular way for local hikers to reach Tinker Cliffs along the Appalachian Trail. The late Andy Layne was a longtime devoted trail maintainer in the valley. vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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That’s how this cookie Crumbl’s > Crumbl has around 1100 locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. One of the newest has opened in Southwest Roanoke County on Starkey Road. There was a line out the door early on opening day. Owner Patrick Gardner helped his customers at the register, showing them a sample tray: “it’s humbling to see all the people that I’ve grown up with – this was me going to other places to support their business. For them to come here and support ours is really cool.” Gardner owns franchises in Blacksburg and Lynchburg as well. How does Crumbl Cookies keep patrons coming back? Gardner says corporate sends out new recipes every week. “They outdo themselves almost every single time.”
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RC build onsite is a first > This year’s R-House, where Roanoke College freshman help to build an affordable home for a family that will then be deeded the house and pay a mortgage, was not done on campus in modules and then shipped to a vacant lot. It was built on the home site in Salem – the first Habitat project in Salem since 2014. David Tate is director of development with Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley. “It’s a way to introduce the kids not only to the community they’re starting to be involved in, but also introducing them to community service. This has been the best R-House project we’ve had so far.”
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FRONT’N ABOUT Gene Marrano
Wawa arrives in these parts > Wawa has been in Virginia for more than 25 years, with more than 135 of its convenience stores and fuel stations in the Commonwealth—but has only started to expand into the western part of the state. They cut a ribbon on West Main Street in Salem last month, giving away free t-shirts and coffee. Kim Dowgielewicz is director of store operations in Virginia: “our customers have been asking for this for years. This has been a journey for us to continue to expand.” The Pennsylvania-based chain has plans to open 30 more Wawa in Western Virginia over the next five years, including one in Daleville by the end of the year. A second store in Lynchburg is also opening this year, and construction will start on a Roanoke City location that will open in 2027. The Wawa opening in Salem included a hoagie-building contest between local police and fire departments, and a donation made to Feeding Southwest Virginia. Big picture, Wawa has plans for 60 stores in the I-81 market over the next 10 years, averaging more than 7.5 million dollars investment per location. Each store will employ around 35 associates on average.
Gene Marrano
Bears race to children’s hospital > A $10,000 check for Carilion Children's Hospital and 40 plush "Speedy Bears" for young patients at Carilion Children's-Tanglewood were delivered last month from Martinsville Speedway, courtesy of the NASCAR Foundation. For the past decade NASCAR has been delivering those same Speedy Bears and "big check" donations for pediatric care to health care systems near racetracks where NASCAR Cup Series races are held. Dr. Andrew Herman is chair of pediatrics for Carilion Clinic: “we’re so thrilled to have partners like NASCAR and the Martinsville Speedway. It’s a little box that has teddy bears and a few other little toys for our kids. It raises spirits, it shows connections with the community, and the community support for kids’ health – and healing.” Valley Business FRONT is FRONT’n About at many events each month. Check the social media links at www.vbFRONT.com for more coverage. vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Credit Union team as Chief Financial Officer. Fiore brings nearly 20 years of experience in finance, the banking industry and the technology field.
EDUCATIONAL FRONT
Lewis
City Public Schools. He is a Northside High Millhiser School (Roanoke Maggie Millhiser County) alumnus and has been appointed has deep roots in as Chief Investment the Roanoke Valley Officer at Virginia basketball community, Tech Foundation. A including extensive seasoned investment coaching assignments professional with at Salem High School nearly two decades of (VHSL State Runnerexperience, she will Up in 2025-26), Patrick lead the Foundation’s Henry High School, and investment program Northside High School, and continue advancing multiple district and long-term stewardship regional championships, of assets in support of and a 93-19 record Virginia Tech. Millhiser over the past four holds an MBA from seasons. Lewis is the the Tuck School of founder and executive Business at Dartmouth director of Hoop and a BA in Economics Love Academy, a from the University of nonprofit basketball Richmond. development organization that serves more than Mackenzie “Mack” 400 athletes throughout Lewis has been named the Roanoke and New the new varsity head River valleys. coach of the girls’ basketball program at Ashley Wells has been William Fleming High selected as assistant School with Roanoke vice president for health
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Wells
sciences at Radford University, following a national search. Wells has more than 20 years of experience in public health and higher education. Most recently, she was associate director for quality assurance at UNC Wilmington's School of Health and Applied Human Sciences.
FINANCIAL FRONT
Fiore
Ashley Fiore has joined the Roanokebased Blue Eagle
WELLNESS FRONT
Carmouche
Jonathan Carmouche, MD, MBA, was appointed chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery for Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. He has practiced in Roanoke for more than 18 years and has held numerous leadership roles across the organization. Carmouche earned his medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine and his MBA from the University of
CAREER FRONT Virginia Darden School of Business.
Have a career announcement?
SENIOR FRONT
Send announcements to news@vbFRONT.com. Photos should be color, 300dpi. A contact / source must be provided. Inclusions are not guaranteed and all submissions are subject to editing.
Greenhalgh
Bradley
Warm Hearth Village has announced several leadership promotions within the Nursing Management team at Kroontje Health Care Center. Tabitha Greenhalgh, RN, has been promoted to Director of Clinical Services, where she will oversee all clinical operations. Gini Bradley, BSN, has been promoted to
Sult
D'Ardenne
Goyne
Director of Nursing Services for the Cove following her successful service in an interim capacity. Amber Sult, RN, has been promoted to Director of Nursing Services for the Willows and Arbor. Sult began her career with Warm Hearth Village in 2008 as a floor nurse.
planner following a 26-year position with City of Roanoke transportation and stormwater utility divisions. He directed a $14 million budget and team of 74 with responsibilities in permitting, maintaining, and operating infrastructure assets.
and infrastructure experience, his career spans field operations, strategic growth, organizational development, and executive leadership.
MUNICIPALITY FRONT Dwayne D’Ardenne has joined the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission as a senior transportation
CONSTRUCTION FRONT Josh Goyne has been named CEO of Branch construction firm based in Roanoke. With more than 25 years of construction
TECH/INDUSTRY FRONT Rachel McClure has joined 5 Points Creative as social media coordinator. She will manager clients’ social media platforms, develop strategic content, and analyze performance to optimize engagement and achieve goals.
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CAREER FRONT
Spencer
Keene
Varnier
McClure has a degree in Sports Medicine from Marshall University, social media certifications, and developed her social media skills through volunteer work and working with Mays organizations in diverse industries. Spencer has been named Chief Operating Having been with the Officer for AccessU agency for 18 years in Roanoke. The new and already a partner Chief Financial Officer in the firm, Rachel is Melissa Mays, who
McClure
has served AccessU for eight years. Greg Keene, a 15-year veteran of the agency and partner in the firm, will now serve as Chief Technology Officer.
decades of experience in local television, including Creative Services Director for the Kansas City affiliate (where KCTV5 earned Station of the Year from both the Kansas Association of Broadcasters and the Missouri Broadcasters Association for three consecutive years).
William Varnier has been appointed General Manager of Gray Media local CBS affiliate WDBJ7 television. A central Virginia native, Varnier has more than three
Compiled by Gene Marrano and Tom Field.
He wanted to put down deeper ” “ roots [and make] a direct impact on the community.
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— Page 28
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CONTRIBUTORS Jason Boone is Vice
has helped businesses tell
Micah Fraim is a top-
banking industry for more than
President & Business Banking
their stories and get better
referred Certified Public
fifteen years and currently
for Freedom First Credit Union.
results online with practical
Accountant and business
serves on the board and
He is a lifelong resident of the
digital marketing strategies.
finance strategist who
executive committee as
Roanoke area, graduated from
She also an active leader in
is well-connected in the
past-president with the
Cave Spring High School and
AAF, serving on the local
regional business community
Botetourt County Chamber
earned a degree in business
and district boards, and is
and nationally recognized.
of Commerce, a board
from Liberty University. He has
an adjunct professor at
Publisher of The Little Big
member with the Daleville
over 20 years of experience in
Virginia Tech.
Small Business Book, he
Institute, and is vice chair
also publishes a blog at
of the board of with the
banking, more than half of that at Freedom First. He enjoys
Dan Dowdy is the
www.fraim.cpa/blog and is
Botetourt Family YMCA.
spending time with his family
business development
frequently interviewed as a
A native of Botetourt County,
and friends, hiking, playing
director for Valley Business
business financial expert in
she resides in Daleville with
volleyball with RVVA, and
FRONT and owner of The
national media channels.
her husband and two children.
following Penn State football.
Proofing Prof proofreading
[ micahfraim@fraimcpa.com ]
[ jboone@freedomfirst.com ]
services (proofingprof.net).
Alicia Smith is vice
His background includes
Frazier Hughes was
president of F&S Building
Aila Boyd serves as the
service in the U.S. Air Force
recruited by the CEO of Keller
Innovations in Roanoke. She
editor of “The Fincastle
and an extensive career
Williams Realty after being
grew up in the construction
Herald” and “The Vinton
in education, including
named 2017 salesman of the
business and has served in
Messenger” and coordinates
teaching college-level writing
year at Berglund Luxury of
multiple capacities, currently
social media for the Botetourt
competency and business
Roanoke. He also hosts The
managing all sales, design,
County Chamber of Commerce.
courses, and working for
Roanoke Real Estate Podcast,
production and marketing of
She holds an MFA in writing
a Fortune 100 company.
is Dale Carnegie Trained, a
the residential division. She's
from Lindenwood University.
[ddowdy@vbFRONT.com]
former radio personality, and
also the president of Build
is a Social Media Influencer.
Smart Institute and serves on
Zachary Collier, Ph.D.
Emily Field is the office
[ frazierhughescom@
several boards, community
is Assistant Professor of
administrator for Berryfield,
gmail.com]
and church organizations.
Management at the Davis
Inc. (publisher of FRONT and
College of Business and
a media / marketing firm).
Gene Marrano is FRONT
and fun times with her family
Economics at Radford
She lives in Salem with her
editor and an award-winning
(husband and two daughters)
University. [ zcollier@
husband, Tom, and is the
anchor and reporter for WFIR
and friends.
radford.edu ]
mother of three and
Newstalk radio. "Best one
grandmother of three.
on one interview" award
Nicholas Vaassen
[ efield@berryfield.com ]
from Associated Press of
is a graphic design specialist
the Virginias for his interview
with over a million years of
Daniel Colston, CFP®, CEPA runs a tax and
Alicia enjoys lake-life living
investing firm in Roanoke,
Tom Field is a creative
with former Roanoke County
experience. His design projects
Upward Financial Planning,
director, marketing executive
Chief of Police Howard Hall.
include logos, magazines, web
specializing in helping
and owner of Berryfield, Inc.
[gmarrano@cox.net]
design, signs, newsletters,
business owners and retirees.
in Salem, and owner of Valley
[ daniel@upwardfp.com ]
Business FRONT magazine.
Mary Ann L. Miller is
any other marketing materials
He has written and produced
vice president of business
you can think of. [ nicholas
Carrie Cousins is the
programs and materials
banking and community
vaassen@gmail.com ]
Director of Digital Marketing
for local and international
relations at Bank of Botetourt.
at LeadPoint Digital in
organizations for 40 years.
A graduate of Bridgewater
Roanoke. For 15+ years, she
[tfield@berryfield.com]
College, she has been in the
postcards, business cards, and
Bottlenecks almost never ” “ disappear completely... they change locations. — Page 27
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FRONT NETWORK
These folks have evolved into ” “ people we welcome like family. — Page 18
Put your Business Card in the FRONT for only $149! Email ads@vbFRONT.com or call 540-389-9945 vbFRONT.com / OCTOBER 2026 u
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Cox or Spectrum… depends
or the operation halted from the counties of: Roanoke, Montgomery, Floyd, Giles, Henry, and cities of: Roanoke, Christiansburg, Lynchburg. Other municipalities are reviewing whether to remove or suspend the use of Flock technologies. Most localities are in the process of establishing some level of policy with current or potential Flock and similar “public safety” contracts. ____________________
Stamford, CT-based Charter (Spectrum) has completed its acquisition of Atlanta-based Cox Communications in a $35 billion deal, making Charter the largest cable and broadcast provider in the U.S. What’s a bit unusual is the home, internet, TV, mobile, and phone services will be rebranded under the Spectrum name; however, the parent company will adopt the Cox Communications name. Sam is elite ____________________ Good Samaritan (hospice Pro-drone, Anti-drone care) received the 2026 Hospice Honors Elite Virginia Tech has Award—MatrixCare’s opened the Counterhighest recognition for UAS Testing and hospice patient and Research Center at family experience. The Kentland Farm, which award is based on direct develops detection of feedback from the potentially dangerous families and caregivers. drones. VT has already Roanoke’s Good Sam established itself as a has been serving pioneer and leader in Southwest Virginia for drone technologies more than 30 years. in applications from ____________________ commercial to military to agriculture The crown still reigns to distribution to infrastructure and other Crowning Touch sectors. This “counter” Senior Moving Services development involves in Roanoke is still in at least one initial business, after reporting collaboration with its intention to close the US Army and earlier this year. New combating drone threats owner Trace Hurd on the battlefield. announced on social ____________________ media that the new ownership and team Flocking to deflock transition is in place, and that the moving Communities across and auction services our region are removing will continue, but the Flock camera systems consignment shop “will (designed to read be closing for now.” vehicle license plates, ____________________ provide surveillance, detect gunshots) in Character counts response to public and citizenry opposition. Roanoke College In our region, as of received a $300,000 publication, equipment institutional grant from (either select cameras or the Educating Character all) have been removed Initiative to “expand…
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initiatives that prepare students to lead with compassion, integrity, and resourcefulness.” Branded as “Maroons on a Mission” the 2028-29 program includes: first-year student program; workshops; faculty and staff leadership academy; workshops for athletics; alumni mentor engagement. ____________________
position. The firm is headquartered in Charlotte and managed by Bill’s son, Clint. The Inc list is an annual compilation of America’s fastest growing private companies. ____________________ Ag lender gives back
Farm Credit of the Virginias awarded $130,000 through its charitable grant Georgia and NC funding contributions to both fetch Fosters organizations in its VA, WV, western MD region. Two central Virginia Recipients in our region companies in the utility included: Buena Vista sector were acquired Community Garden; around the same time. Society of Saint Andrew; Brookneal-based Foster Virginia Cooperative Fuels is slated for Extension; and Work acquisition by Savannah, Skills Training Center Georgia-based Colonial for Youth. Group (projected ____________________ October close pending regulatory approval). Water tastes ‘different’ Lynchburg-based Foster Electric was acquired Virginia Tech released by Raleigh, North a report that says if your Carolina-based water tastes “strange” Electrical Equipment it might be due to the Co. in mid-August. drought. The difference ____________________ doesn’t necessarily mean your water is Kind of moving out unsafe, but Tech advises checking with your Kind Brew has closed water provider if you’re its coffee and tea house concerned. Improvement in Roanoke County’s tips include drinking Cave Spring area, citing cold water and using profit instability with carbon filters. The taste retail space expenses; difference is likely due to however, the owners “minerals and naturally issued a statement occurring compounds saying it is returning that become more to its original mobile concentrated.” operation. ____________________ ____________________ A spiritual stayover Inc transactions make Inc list Art House Chapel—a two room BnB and event Bundy Group business space—has opened in brokerage—originally Catawba on Catawba founded by Bill Bundy Creek Road, just minutes in 1989 in Roanoke from McAffee Knob, (see Valley Business Dragon’s Tooth, and FRONT; October 2013 Tinker Cliffs—the “Triple issue)—made the 2026 Crown” popular hiking Inc 5000 List (again), destinations off Virginia’s ranked at the 1,170th Appalachian Trail. The
FRONT NOTES building is a conversion from the former 75-yearold Mountain View Baptist Church. ____________________ Where to park my big rig The Roanoke ValleyAlleghany Regional Commission conducted a survey that determined a shortage of safe, legal, commercial truck parking in our region—particularly important for I-81, I-64, US 220, and US 460 corridors. ____________________ $17M to clean up Tetra Tech—a Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center tenant—has been awarded a $16.8 million, four-year contract to support the US Environmental Protection Agency’s national Land Revitalization Program. The company will provide planning, engineering, and t echnical expertise to help communities assess, clean up, and put brownfields and contaminated properties back to productive use. ____________________ Roanoke City buys acreage, looks at future use Roanoke City Council approved the $8 million purchase of 236 acres of property associated with the former Ole Monterey Golf course last month. The City is considering several potential uses for the land, including a Roanoke City Public Schools campus, a housing development, parks and recreation facilities, and expansion of the Roanoke Center for Industry and Technology to support future manufacturing and
industrial development. “The acquisition provides the City with an opportunity to expand our assets in many key areas,” said Send announcements to news@vbFRONT. Marc Nelson, Director of com. A contact / source must be provided. Economic Development. “We immediately Inclusions are not guaranteed and all recognized it as critical submissions are subject to editing. to the future development of our city.” a more affordable and ____________________ It is adjacent to the Roanoke Center for supported pathway to In support of our animals Industry and Technology, complete a four-year implying its future could degree. CVCC becomes involve expanding the the 10th and final partner Local business leader industrial park; but in Tartan Transfer - now and Shawsville horse housing, education, the largest two-yearfarm operator Karen parks and recreation public-to-four-yearWaldron and Shawn developments have public transfer alliance Ricci donated $15 also been listed for in Virginia. Direct million to Virginia Tech consideration. admission to Radford for Animal Cancer Care ____________________ students with a 2.5 GPA and Research Center. or higher and free tuition The couple is known for ISO healthcare positions opportunities through the their animal advocacy, Radford Tuition Promise which included previous George Mason are major pieces of the donations to VT’s University Center for Tartan Transfer. Veterinary Teaching Health Workforce ____________________ Hospital. ____________________ recently reported a need for more than Henry County 5,000 registered nurses company growing Abrupt braking in our Southwest and Southside Virginia Twain Lumber Company Sunshine Tours— markets. Additionally, will invest $7.4 million based in Dublin— “thousands” of other to purchase and reopen announced its closing healthcare positions the former Teal Jones on Sept. 8, with no are needed, including sawmill operation in clarification if that is assistants, therapists, Henry County. Once permanent or not. and device operators. operational, the facility Booking refunds are ____________________ will create 74 new jobs pending; and the in the region, and the announcement was a company will purchase surprise to both individual EUV for Parks & Rec more than $51.2 million trips and for organizations Narro Trucks—a of Virginia-grown forest that used Sunshine for Dublin-based, Radford products over the next repeat excursions. The University-New River three years. Twain will motorcoach operator purchase new production has been in business for Community Collegeabout 45 years and cited graduate-founded electric machinery and upgrade vehicle business— equipment, increasing rising fuel and lodging released its first electric operational capacity costs coupled with utility vehicle for use by from 80 million board declining passenger Pulaski County Parks feet annually to 108 counts as reason for and Rec department. million board feet at the closing ____________________ ____________________ full capacity. ____________________ Radford and CVCC From tee-time to… Pondering the NRV’s something else Central Virginia economic future Roanoke City has been Community College (CVCC) has signed Radford University approved to purchase hosted a meeting last the former 236-acre Ole a Tartan Transfer partnership agreement month for state and Monterey Golf Course regional leaders came property in the northeast with Radford University, giving CVCC students together to talk about quadrant for $8 million.
Have an announcement about your business?
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FRONT NOTES the future of the region and how communities, businesses, schools and other organizations can work together to build it. "Shaping Tomorrow, Together: Building a Regional Economy for the New River Valley," was an economic development and business luncheon featuring Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery, New River Valley Regional Commission Executive Director Kevin Byrd and Onward NRV Executive Director Katie Boswell. Panelists discussed the things that shape everyday life in the region, including where people work, how students prepare for careers, how the region can better support small businesses, build communities that attract new residents and visitors, and how the New River and Roanoke Valleys can make the most of the mountains, rivers, trails and communities that make it distinctive. "Regions are what drive the state's economy," Chenery said. "We can't do this alone. It has to happen through partnership. We have to think differently about who's at the table for these conversations about Virginia's growth.” ____________________ Infrastructure grants for local food Fourteen Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Infrastructure Grants to support projects that will establish and expand opportunities for local producers and strengthen local food systems have been issued, totaling more than $507,000 to 14 different localities to fund a range of
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projects including animal and wood products processing facilities, a shared-use cannery and commercial kitchens, farmers market, creamery expansion, produce packing facility, and the creation of a new regional livestock marketing complex. Bedford County’s EcoFriendly Foods Initiative, a food processing facility in Covington that will be renovated, were the local recipients of those grants. ____________________ Rumors of beer pouring The once popular, showroom-quality tap room at what was then the brand new Ballast Point brewery at the Greenfield Industrial Park in Botetourt County, could be reopening. New Belgium has filed a permit and advertised hospitality positions that could indicate a return of the picturesque taproom, though no formal announcement has been made. ____________________ Guide for leaf peepers Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) has launched a new fall travel microsite designed to inspire seasonal getaways across the Commonwealth. Developed in partnership with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the site helps travelers discover Virginia's diverse fall experiences while planning trips around peak foliage season.
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The new interactive microsite features regional trip ideas, scenic driving routes, curated itineraries, and peak foliage maps to help visitors make the most of fall in Virginia. Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation says, “through this collaboration, we’re making it easier than ever for visitors to plan a fall getaway that aligns with their interests.” Visit fall.virginia.org. ____________________ Commonwealth transit news The Federal Railroad Administration has accepted the first phase of planning for the east-west Commonwealth Corridor and the Washington, D.C.–Bristol Corridor, clearing the way for their next stage of development. The 2026 Statewide Rail Plan is evaluating Virginia’s rail needs, and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority continues construction for major passenger rail projects, including the New River Valley rail extension to Christiansburg. Statewide transit systems carried over 14.4 million passengers in April, the highest monthly total since February 2020, while Virginia Breeze intercity bus ridership increased by approximately nine percent. ____________________ RC meets AI Roanoke College students, faculty and staff now have free access to Google artificial intelligence training and Google Career Certificates
thanks to a new partnership between the college and the Google AI for Education Accelerator. It’s a no-cost program for accredited higher education institutions designed to support learning and workforce readiness. Roanoke College says at a time when technology is advancing rapidly and workforce needs are shifting, the partnership provides the next generation of leaders with critical AI and jobready skills, supporting the college’s mission of empowering learners for life. “A Roanoke College liberal arts education already equips our learners with the skills to ask good questions and spot a bad answer when they see one,” said Ryan King, chief of staff and innovation officer. “Pairing that with practical AI skills, at no cost, means our learners graduate knowing how to use these tools and when to question what they produce." ____________________ Mixed signals on economy The only consumer sentiment poll released on a regular basis has once again surveyed Virginians statewide how they feel about the economy and their own household finances. Mixed signals from the Virginia Consumer Sentiment Report released last month by Roanoke College, showing that consumer sentiment fell sharply after modest gains were recorded in the first quarter survey. The new online poll taken with almost 600 respondents in early to mid-August reveals that Virginians
feel worse than they did about their circumstances in February. Roanoke College economist Dr. Alice Kassens says stubborn inflation and higher gas prices related to the war with Iran are a major reason. “One of the bright [spots] however is that it’s mostly stemming from people’s lack of confidence in our current economy that’s largely driven by prices, particularly fuel prices. We see those prices every day when we drive by the gas station.” However, Virginia households keep spending and are more optimistic than the national average about the future. Wage growth has not kept pace with the resurgence in inflation in the latest Roanoke College survey, nearly erasing the real-wage cushion that had supported household spending earlier in the year. ____________________ Ridge View Bank headed to NRV Roanoke-based Ridge View Bank has announced plans to open a new office in the New River Valley
in 2027, pending regulatory approval. The new office will mark the bank's fourth location overall. Located in Clifton Town Center off Peppers Ferry Road in Christiansburg, the new office will build upon the success of Ridge View Bank's New River Valley Loan Production Office and reflects the bank's continued investment in one of Virginia's fastest-growing regions. "The New River Valley is a place that's deeply personal to me because it's where I grew up," said Carrie McConnell, President of Ridge View Bank. ____________________ RoVa labs and biotech momentum A major research facility on South Jefferson Street in Downtown Roanoke is opening its doors to advance commercial medical research. Virginia Tech Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth McClanahan presented an update to City Council last month on RoVA Labs inside the landmark "Darth Vader" building as it was referred to by
some because of the now-removed dark exterior glass design at 1030 South Jefferson Street. “It is much more than a building. It is about the continued growth of Roanoke’s biotechnology innovation corridor and the power of partnership. We are proud to have been a very small part of the collaboration that has helped build this momentum in the region’s biotech ecosystem.” Carilion Clinic contributed the property to help recruit out of state cancer research startups like Luminary Therapeutics to the Star City. Additional biotech firms are expected to move into the renovated wet/dry lab RoVa Labs sharedspace facility in the coming months. ____________________ RC’s scholarship for even more accessible college Roanoke College has announced the Southwest Virginia Scholars Award, a guaranteed four-year scholarship the school says is designed to open doors for a new
generation of Southwest Virginians. The scholarship automatically awards $5,000 per year to first-year students from 24 counties and eight cities stretching from Botetourt to the far southwest tip of the state. No income criteria or bureaucratic red tape stands in the way of the tuition assistance. Combined with other stackable financial aid, including the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, merit awards and needbased grants, the new scholarship can result in free tuition for the region's highest-need students, closing a critical gap and removing barriers to opportunity. The Southwest Virginia Scholars Award is available for incoming first-year students beginning in fall 2027. “Education continues to be one of the most powerful engines for prosperity and opportunity that a community can provide," Roanoke College President Frank Shushok Jr. said. ____________________ Compiled by Gene Marrano and Tom Field.
Check out additional FRONT Notes from Valley Business FRONT on our Facebook site or social media links at www.vbFRONT.com.
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ADVERTISER INDEX Adult Care Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Ameriprise Financial / Christine Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Anytime Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 APCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Around SALEM Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Bank of Botetourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52-53 Berryfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Botetourt Living Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Carilion Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Daleville Summer Concert Series . . . . . . . 24
Davis H. Elliot Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Entre Computer Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 F&S Building Innovations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 First Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC First Fridays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Fraim Crawley & Co CPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Freedom First Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Gentry Locke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Lead Point Digital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sentara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Spilman Thomas & Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 TransWorld Business Advisors . . . . . . . . . . 57 Virginia Business Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Wheeler Broadcasting . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 & 31
Our communities need ” “ love to lead. — Page 38
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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MERRIFIELD, VA PERMIT NO. 1434
P.O. Box 1041 Salem, VA 24153
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