Local governments in the Alleghany Highlands put
together a regional economic development effort with
an estimated $17 million price tag. The counties of Alleghany, Bath,
and Highland, the city of Covington and
the towns of Clifton Forge and Iron Gate will
invest in a variety of projects including, in the first
year, a warehouse relocation, a research center, improvement
in broadband access and gas lines for the regional
commerce center. Work to come later includes a business
incubator and efforts to promote tourism. (The Roanoke
Times)
Grubb & Ellis Co. of
Vienna, a real estate services company, was named
leasing agent for Alexandria's
Canal Center Plaza, owned by CarrAmerica. Canal Center
is a five-building Class A office complex totaling
over 600,000 square feet. (Press release)
Roomstore Inc. of Richmond,
a furniture retailer, reached agreement with Furniture.com
to market its
products through Furniture.com's Web site. Roomstore,
which owns 65 stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern
states, gains access to Furniture.com's online sales
and customer service capabilities. (PRNewswire)
United Food & Commercial
Workers Union Local 400 of Roanoke approved
a new contract with the Kroger Co., a retail grocery
chain headquartered
in Cincinnati. The four-year agreement covers 3,500
workers at 47 Kroger stores in western Virginia,
southern West Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. Included
in the deal is an offer to senior employees to choose
between a 5 percent raise and a lump sum payment. (The
News & Advance)
