Roanoke County Business Partners Newsletter

July 2023: Volume 23, No. 7

The E-newsletter of the Roanoke County Economic Development Department is designed to showcase the investments and achievements of our existing business partners. For additional information about doing business in Roanoke County, visit our website.

Roanoke County Business Survey

Dear Roanoke County Business Partners - We are in the process of updating our company information and seeking feedback on how we can support you. We would very much appreciate if you could answer a short survey that should take no more than 10 minutes.

To access the survey, please click on the following link: https://forms.gle/EogvaySaYT7sJpsh7

For any questions, please contact Karli Foster, Economic Development Specialist, at kfoster@roanokecountyva.gov.

Galen College of Nursing opens at Metis Plaza

On June 27, Board of Supervisors Chair Martha Hooker spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to recognize the opening of Galen College of Nursing at Metis Plaza in the Oak Grove area. Galen’s newest campus will help address the critical nursing shortage and help fill the pipeline of future nurses that will help raise the quality of care in the state. The college will expand access to quality nursing education in the area by offering a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing and for Licensed Practical Nurses wanting to pursue their RN, an LPN to ADN Bride program.

Board members Paul Mahoney, Jason Peter, David Radford and Phil North were also in attendance, along with State Delegate Joe McNamara, State Delegate Sam Rasoul, and State Senator David Sutterlein.

Speakers at the event included College Dean Kim Brown, Chief Executive Officer Mark Vogt, HCA Capital Division Chief Nurse Executive Erin Keister, Lewis Gale Regional Health System Market President Alan Fabian, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel, and Board of Supervisors Chair Martha Hooker.

WoodSpring Suites is now open at 3812 Peters Creek Road

The new 122 room WoodSpring Suites hotel, located near I-581, opened in June.

RoCo Parks and Rec Updates

Food Truck Thursday at

Green Hill Park - July 6

Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism is hosting Food Truck Thursdays at Green Hill Park on July 6 and August 3 from 11 AM to 2 PM. June 1 food vendors include Buddy's BBQ, Empanada Nirvana, L.A.'s Wings and Things, RC Food Truck, Charlee Tropical Italian Ice and Star City Sweet Treats. Visit https://roanokecountyparks.com/685/Food-Truck-Thursdays for more information!

Tavern Stage

Summer Music Series

July 14

The Tavern Stage Summer Music Series takes place on the second Friday of each month through September at Explore Park's new Tavern Stage! Eric Wayne Band will be performing southern rock sounds at the third music series event on Friday, July 14th! The Brewpub lawn opens at 6 PM with live music from 7 PM to 9 PM. Visit https://roanokecountyparks.com/684/Tavern-Stage-Summer-Music-Series for more event information.

Adventure Saturday at

Explore Park - July 15

Explore Park will have a full day of family activities on Saturday, July 15 from 10 AM to 5 PM! Treetop Quest and T-Rex Trail will be open for daily operation and Treetop Quest will host the third Twilight Zipline event of the year! Twin Creeks Brewpub will also be open from 12 PM to 9 PM! Visit https://www.roanokecountyparks.com/659/Adventure-Saturday for more the full schedule and event details.

T-Rex Trail at Explore Park

Travel back-in-time again this summer at Explore Park's T-Rex Trail! Visitors will experience the sights and sound of 19 animatronic dinosaurs including a stegosaurus, velociraptor, triceratops and tyrrannosaurus rex, as well as a dino dig pit, new storyline, trail layout and new photo ops for 2023! The roaring adventure is open Tuesday to Sunday this summer through August 13. Visit https://roanokecountyparks.com/665/T-Rex-Trail to purchase tickets and event details!

Announcements from the Virginia's Blue Ridge

Virginia’s Blue Ridge Hosts IRONMAN & USA Cycling Events

On behalf of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the hospitality industry, we would like to thank Roanoke County and the hundreds of volunteers and local organizations that helped our region host two major sporting events over the past few weeks - the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon and the USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships. Visitors from around the country had the opportunity to experience the beauty and hospitality of Roanoke County, with the IRONMAN athletes riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway and through the Town of Vinton, and the USA Cycling competitors racing at Explore Park.

Visit VBR Marketing Campaign in Northern Virginia

Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge is currently implementing a 2023 advertising campaign in the Northern Virginia-Washington DC market to promote the region as a destination for visitors to experience a metro mountain adventure. The campaign, which features imagery of iconic locations in Roanoke County, has included prominent displays in metro stations, digital advertising, streaming video, bus wraps, in-person activation events, and more.

Visit VBR Hires Cheryl Morales as

Director of Community Relations

Visit VBR is excited to announce that Cheryl Morales has joined the team as the organization’s new Director of Community Relations. Cheryl will be promoting the activities of VisitVBR and overseeing its partnership program, as well as managing the Visit VBR Visitor Center operations and supervision of its staff.

Partners and Programs

RAMP Fall Cohort Applications Open Through August 13

RAMP’s in-residence program for Fall 2023 will be geared toward Health & Life Science companies and will offer:

•$20,000 in equity-free funding sponsored by VIPC

•1:1 expert mentoring•Access to industry experts

•12 weeks of intense curriculum

•Free office space with high-speed internet access

•Free membership in: Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council (2 years); GAN for the lifetime of your company (each founder is given access to playbooks, mentors and other resources including over $1M worth in perks); Shenandoah Club (3 years); VA Bio (1 year).

•Discounted office space following your completion of the program

•Three additional years of ongoing support through Exit RAMP

More Info

Ignite your ambition with the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative database available for free with your Roanoke Valley Library card! Do you have an idea for a product or service? Have you always wanted to start your own business? Check out this resource and more on the library's website.

Our workshops, events, and programs are designed with a small business owner in mind. Actionable, sharing of ideas, and takeaways to keep things straight.

Upcoming Workshops & Events

The Roanoke Regional Chamber fosters the growth of our members and our community by offering relevant programs and events designed to address business needs, solve business problems and increase opportunities for members.

Upcoming Events

Catawba Valley Farmers Market Customer Appreciation Day

The Catawba Valley Farmers Market will have Customer Appreciation Day Thursday July 6th. Stop by for a free hot dog and bottled water. We will also have tickets available for our Farm-to-Table Dinner to be held on Saturday August 5th.