FOR THE
              RECORD        

      By Leila Marija Ugincius

This report is compiled from company releases, business journals and newspapers from around the state. If you have an item for these listings, mail it to Leila Marija Ugincius at VIRGINIA BUSINESS, 411 E. Franklin St., Suite 105, Richmond, Va. 23219, e-mail it to ForTheRecord@va-business.com, or fax it to (804) 649-6311.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

BMG Metals Inc. of Richmond plans to purchase Hill City Steel, a Lynchburg distributor of steel bars and plates. Terms were not disclosed.

The Dominion Cos., a Richmond-based holding company that owns AMF Bakery Systems, acquired Canada-based ETMW Enterprises Ltd. for an undisclosed amount.

Entrodyne Corp. of Natural Bridge Station, an air technology company, acquired Indiana-based Heat Transfer Specialists Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp. is being purchased by San Diego-based Southwest Marine Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Norshipco, which has had five rounds of layoffs since January 1997, plans to lay off more than half of its 1,700 employees.

Sabatini-Winn P.C. and Schultz & Associates P.C., both Richmond-based accounting firms, plan to merge to form Sabatini, Winn & Schultz P.C., with a staff of 21.

NEW PLANTS AND COMPANIES

Road Runner moves to the commonwealth

The second largest high-speed cable-modem Internet service provider is coming to Virginia. Road Runner, a joint venture between Time Warner and MediaOne Group, plans to occupy 100,000 square feet in a Woodland Park office building in Herndon. The 2-year-old company -- named after Time Warner's Looney Tunes character -- will bring about 70 employees from its offices in Denver and Boston and its Stamford, Conn., headquarters. In addition, it plans to hire about 130 more employees by the end of next year. The $2 billion company provides Internet service to 110,000 homes in 10 U.S. markets.

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AmeriCold Logistics Inc., an Atlanta-based storage and distribution company, plans to open a distribution facility in Shenandoah County.

The Gibb Group Llc., a commercial real estate firm, opened in Richmond.

Orca Yachts, a yacht manufacturer, plans to move its headquarters from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Chesapeake.

Sideware Systems Inc., a Vancouver-based software designer, plans to open an office in Reston and hire 40 workers.

EXPANSIONS

AB&C Group, a McLean-based direct-marketing company, plans to invest $1.35 million to open a distribution center in Winchester that will employ 135 people, and a customer service center in Orange County that will employ 125 people.

CFW Communications, a Waynesboro-based communications company, plans to open a customer call center in Winchester, initially employing 50 people.

Hewlett-Packard Co., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based computer products manufacturer, plans to locate a printer assembly and distribution center in an 800,000-square-foot facility in Henrico County's White Oak Technology Park. The company has a similar center in Richmond's Eastport Business Center.

Kraft Foods Inc., the Illinois-based food business of Philip Morris Cos., plans to expand its Winchester plant, adding 200 employees and new lines of Kraft products.

Litton Network Access Systems, a Roanoke manufacturer of high-speed network equipment, plans to open a research and development laboratory at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg.

CUTBACKS & CLOSINGS

Media General closes Richmond printing company

Beacon Press Inc., a printing company that has been owned by Richmond-based Media General Inc. for 29 years, has closed. Media General, which owns Virginia Business magazine, sold Beacon's assets and equipment to Richmond-based Cadmus Communications Corp. for an undisclosed amount. Media General still owns the building that housed Beacon. Some of the company's 66 employees were hired by Cadmus.

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Cross Creek Apparel, a sewing plant owned by Alabama-based Russell Corp., is closing its Floyd County plant, leaving 160 workers jobless.

General Electric Co., a Connecticut-based manufacturer of electrical products, plans to lay off 100 more employees from its Salem plant. The layoffs mark the company's fifth cutback since January 1997.

Leggett's Seafood, a family-run seafood store in Suffolk, closed because of problems caused by rezoning regulations.

EXECUTIVE PROMOTIONS

Sean Hunkler, president, White Oak Semiconductor in Henrico County.

Deborah P. Johnson, president, C-Digital/Image Central, a Charlottesville-based image digitizer.

William Noto, COO, Eulogy International, a Richmond-based funeral planner and cost-negotiator.

Rajendra Singh, CEO, LCC International Inc., a McLean-based wireless engineering company.

DIRECTORS

H. Furlong Baldwin, CSX Corp., a Richmond-based transportation company.

Claude S. Brinegar, CSX Corp.

Dwight F. Hopewell, Cantor, Arkema & Edmonds, a Richmond-based law firm.

E. Bradley Jones, CSX Corp.

Edwin C. Quattlebaum, Dominion Bio-Sciences Inc., a Blacksburg-based biotechnology company.

CONTRACTS

American Management Systems Inc., Fairfax: $2 million from the Office of Personnel Management for a retirement systems study.

Derwent Information Ltd., Alexandria: $2.4 million from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for global patent data services.

Dimensions International Inc., Alexandria: $650 million over 10 years from the U.S. Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command for fielding combat and tactical vehicles.

ICF Kaiser International Inc., Fairfax: $25 million from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for construction management services.

Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., Norfolk: $25 million from the Military Sealift Command for equipment maintenance and repair.

Presearch Inc., Fairfax: $35.1 million from the Navy for engineering and support services.

Versar Inc., Springfield: $3.2 million over four years from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for support services.

© DECEMBER 1998, VIRGINIA BUSINESS MAGAZINE