November 2022: Volume 22, No. 11

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 Names Economic Development Director

Roanoke County welcomes Megan Baker as the new Economic Development Director. Baker is coming to Roanoke County from Peachtree City, Georgia where she served as President of the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA). She led the business attraction and retention programs for Fayette County and spearheaded development of a 600-acre business park. 

“I am thrilled to be selected to serve as the Director of Economic Development for Roanoke County,” said Baker. “I look forward to becoming part of the team and building upon the work that’s been done to position Roanoke as a top place to live and do business. My husband and I are excited to become part of the community.” 

Read the full release

Fallowater Square Opens in Cave Spring

Roanoke County Economic Development hosted a grand opening ceremony for Fallowater Square located at 5324 Fallowater Lane in the Cave Spring area. Fallowater Square is a newly constructed building developed by A. Boone Real Estate and is adding to revitalization along Route 419. It is a fully-leased multi-use building with tenants Long & Foster Real Estate and National Spine & Pain Centers. Learn more on the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Carilion Expands at Tanglewood

Carilion Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine outpatient services will relocate to Tanglewood Mall by the fall of 2023. Outpatient mental health services, currently located at 2017 S. Jefferson St., will relocate to space adjacent to Carilion’s existing Tanglewood practices. This location will provide access to clinics specializing in mental health and expanded office space. Carilion’s mental health services will occupy 37,000 square feet, spanning two floors and including group therapy rooms, support groups, clinician offices and telemedicine capabilities. When the renovations are complete, more than 80 employees will provide services from the Tanglewood location including the following:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• Geriatric Mental Health
• The Center for Healthy Aging
• Research and Development
• Center for Grief and Healing
• Adult Treatment Programs (mood disorders, anxiety, etc.)

Read More Here

AEP Operation Center Completed

Congratulations to Appalachian Power upon completion of the Glenmary Project at the Roanoke County Center for Research and Technology (CRT). The newly constructed facilities support the utility’s mission to ensure customers have access to safe, reliable electric service.

The project includes a new office building, substation, and transmission line. The station will power the office building and current business park occupants. When fully configured, the new station and approximately a quarter mile of transmission line will also serve as a source of power for future CRT occupants and enhance reliability for hundreds of neighboring residential customers.

The decision to invest in the business and technology park is a win-win for the company and Roanoke County. In 2016, the CRT was designated an AEP Qualified Data Center Site due to the park’s water, sewer, electrical and fiber capacity. AEP transmission’s decision to place a station in the technology park makes the property even more marketable for data centers and medium to large industrial businesses.

“We are only as successful as the communities we serve,” said Whitney Czelusniak, AEP’s economic and business development manager for Virginia and Tennessee. “We are honored to be part of the CRT and to support Roanoke County and its partners as we work together to bring new jobs, business and tax base to the region.”



The Glenmary Project is built on a 57-acre site. It houses equipment and employees responsible for monitoring and operating AEP’s transmission facilities. 

Children's Nest Learning Center Expanding in Hollins

Children's Nest Learning Center - Hollins has broken ground to expand their campus at 504 Dexter Road. They will construct an additional facility and splash pad, which will inturn allow them to enroll 150+ new children into their program with the additional capacity. Children's Nest provides services that accommodate infants to afterschool programming. Childcare and its necessity have increased since COVID-19 began and this project will help ease the constraints on childcare availability in our community. Learn more on the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Read the full release on their expansion in Hollins Here

Her Perfect Day Celebrates Grand Opening

Roanoke County Economic Development hosted the grand opening celebration for Her Perfect Day Boutique & Design Studio for their new location in the Hollins area. Her Perfect Day offers custom design formals and Bridals, heirloom styling, specialty alterations, accessories, and tuxedo and suit rentals. You can find them at 5720 Williamson Road, Suite #112 in the Bowers Building. Learn more on the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Small Business Celebration & Awards

The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2022 Small Business Celebration & Awards at the Berglund Special Events Center. Congratulations to Nadean Carson and Oya Construction for winning the 2022 Best New Small Business Award! Oya Construction installs and maintains sediment control measures on construction sites, including silt fence, inlet protection, construction entrances, and more to reduce construction waste and help protect our waterways.

Watch this video highlighting Oya Construction from the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Taylored Images.

Congratulations to the Roanoke County Business that were finalists in the People's Choice Award category:

Farmburguesa

RND Coffee

AgenaCare Housecalls

QuiltOff Joins Roanoke CouBusiness Community

Welcome to the Roanoke County business community QuiltOff! Established in 2016 but new to ROanoke COunty,  Quiltoff offers longarm quilting service, quilting tools, fabrics, supplies, and classes. You can find them at 2149 Electric Road, Suite 6 or by visiting their website Here.

Support the Community on Shop Small Saturday

Small businesses can find usable graphics for Shop Small Saturday Here

Small Business Saturday lands on November 26 this year, right after Black Friday. This is the perfect time to support local businesses and shop small. Small businesses give the community character and are an extremely important part of the local economy. Ways you can support include:

• Shopping at and discovering new local small businesses in the community
• Starting your holiday shopping at small businesses - don’t forget gift cards!
• Following and sharing your favorite small businesses on social media

Make a difference and shop local on Saturday, November 26!

Learn more in the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Gallery at South Peak Rezoning Approved

The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning to construct Gallery at South Peak, a 260-unit multi-family housing development which will be located at the 5000 block of The Peaks Drive.

Development By District - What's New in Vinton?

Roanoke County Economic Development sat down with Board Supervisor Jason Peters (Vinton Magisterial District) to hear from him about the economic and community development activity that's happened in Vinton recently. We cover topics including new businesses, community development projects, and what we can expect in the future. Check out more on the November episode of Roanoke County Business Partners.

Make Your Trip to McAfee Knob Easy

McAfee Knob in Catawba has officially opened its trail shuttle service which will ease parking constraints for the McAfee Knob Trail. The McAfee Knob Trailhead Shuttle Service provides safe and convenient transportation to the McAfee Knob Trailhead on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with occasional Mondays for holidays (Memorial Day and Labor Day).

Learn More Here

Small Business Credit Survey

Owners and key financial decision-makers of for-profit businesses, share your recent experiences. Did your business seek financing such as loans or lines of credit in the last 12 months? How would you rate the financial condition of your business?

The Virginia SBDC Network is partnering with the Federal Reserve to conduct a Small Business Credit Survey. By taking the survey, you contribute to data that directly informs the Fed, federal government agencies, service providers, policymakers, and others—ultimately benefitting your business and other businesses like yours.

The survey is open to businesses currently in operation, those recently closed, and those about to launch. All responses are confidential.

The survey closes November 4, 2022.

Questions? Contact Grace Guynn at grace.guynn@atl.frb.org

Take the Survey

RoCo Parks and Rec Updates

Illuminights 2022 Tickets On Sale

Illuminights tickets are on sale now! Brighten your nights and explore your holiday spirit through a dazzling world of over 650,000 lights at Illuminights Winter Walk of Lights! Roanoke County and Center in the Square will operate the signature event over the span of 33 nights from November 19 through December 30!

Visit https://www.roanokecountyparks.com/545/Illuminights to purchase your tickets and learn more about Illuminights! 

VBR TWENTY24

Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 is America's premier women's cycling team empowering women and young girls to develop and thrive as world leaders. Championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging not only in the sport of cycling, but in occupations, cultures, and all aspects of their lives.

To learn more, visit vbrtwenty24.com.

Roanoke County Business Partners Show

This month, we celebrate the grand opening of Fallowater Square, a newly constructed office building adding to the revitalization along Route 419. Then we visit Children’s Nest Learning Center - Hollins to learn more about their campus expansion. Finally, we speak with Roanoke County Board Supervisor for the Vinton Magisterial District, Jason Peters, to learn more about the district he represents. We also encourage everyone to check out Her Perfect Day Boutique & Design Studio which is now open in Hollins, and to shop local on Small Business Saturday on November 26 this year.