News
McAuliffe highlights solar project; urges localities to get serious about alternative energy
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe applauded a Dan River Region solar energy project and said Virginia needs to get serious about alternative energy if it wants to attract large tech companies and other employers during an energy roundtable discussion Tuesday in Danville. “We’ve got to get our heads out of the sand on this issue,” McAuliffe said. At...
Ground broken on rural internet project in Pittsylvania County
BLAIRS — Work has officially begun on a rural internet project in Pittsylvania County after a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning at the base of White Oak Mountain. Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe hosted the groundbreaking next to Bojangles on U.S. 29 in Blairs. “Rural internet availability is a priority for...
Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Breaks Ground on Tech Hub in Virginia
The president of the company praises the hub’s access to a plethora of local advanced manufacturing and research organizations near Danville. One year after the acquisition of SGS Tool Co. by Kyocera Corp., Kyocera SGS Precision Tools has broken ground in Danville, Virginia, beginning work on the Kyocera SGS Tech Hub. Representing a $9.5 million...
PHCC mechatronics program keeps perfect pass rate over four years
MARTINSVILLE — For the fourth consecutive year, the entire industrial electronic technology cohort at Patrick Henry Community College passed the Level 1 Siemens Mechatronic Systems Certification Program exam — a critical credential for job placement in that field. Together, the average score of the class was 82.9 percent. “A 100 percent passing...
Raleigh Startup TiO Lands $250K from The Launch Place to Expand its Market
The Virginia-based seed fund adds a new company to its investment portfolio: a startup making significant headway in the home automation industry. The Launch Place, a nonprofit organization in Danville, Virginia, that provides support and funding for startups in the Dan River Region, recently announced it would be adding a new company to its...
Kyocera breaks ground in ‘monumental milestone’ for Dan River Region
Local officials and Kyocera SGS Tech Hub LLC — which announced in September it was bringing 35 jobs and $9.5 million in investment to the Dan River Region — broke ground Monday morning for its planned facility at the Cyber Park. Company President Jason Wells — speaking to attendees at the event — called the groundbreaking a “monumental milestone”...
Technology grows to help agriculture in Southern Virginia
Local farmers soon will see new technology specifically designed for agriculture, thanks to two separate entities. The Virginia Cooperative Extension was granted $104,000 from the Tobacco Commission for a “SOVA Agribusiness Information Technology Program.” The program hopes to increase productivity on farms by incorporating information...
Blue Ridge Fiberboard to invest $2M in Danville plant
Blue Ridge Fiberboard plans to invest $2 million to improve efficiency at its Danville plant. The Danville Office of Economic Development announced the investment Thursday at the former Masonite plant. Blue Ridge Fiberboard employs 119 people at its plant at 250 Knight Celotex Way, the news release said. The company makes roofing, soundproofing...
A MILESTONE – With Berry Hill Industrial Park groundbreaking, hopes to attract thousands of jobs
After more than eight years of work by regional officials and years of wrangling with bureaucratic regulations, leaders finally broke ground at the 3,500-acre Berry Hill Industrial Park on Thursday afternoon. The groundbreaking ceremony was for phase one development — grading — of a 133-acre site at the park. For local, regional and state...
Tunstall High named National Blue Ribbon School
Tunstall High School was named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School Sept. 28. by U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr. Of the 329 public and private schools receiving the honor, only 54 were high schools, making the feat more impressive, said Tunstall High School Principal Brian Boles. Seven schools were nominated in Virginia, and Tunstall...