Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 24, 1990 TAG: 9003242394
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: BY PAUL DELLINGER SOUTHWEST BUREAU
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
The partnership is an industrial marketing organization covering the Mount Rogers Planning District. Wythe is the only non-participating county or city in the district.
The authority decided Thursday to wait until mayors, county administrators, city managers and boards of supervisors chairmen can hold a meeting on how the partnership should be funded.
Earl Joy, the authority's executive director, reported that more than 200 information packets on Wythe have been mailed to companies in the United States and 13 more to site consultants nationwide. He anticipated 200 more mailings to industrial prospects every two or three months.
Wythe County has been recertified, along with its towns of Wytheville and Rural Retreat, as meeting state standards for new industry.
Hugh Keogh, director of the state Department of Economic Development, said Wythe is the fourth locality among Virginia's 30 certified communities to be recertified. The others are Halifax-South Boston, Emporia-Greensville and Bristol.
Wythe was originally certified Sept. 23, 1985. State certification requirements must be met again every three years.
Since that first certification, Wythe has attracted the Klockner Pentaplast rigid film manufacturing plant in Rural Retreat, which, when built, will represent a $16 million investment and create 360 jobs; sold two Fairview Industrial Park sites for expansions of G&W Manufacturing and Hubs Custom Welding; and started work on a 60,000-square-foot shell building in the park.
Certified communities are assigned priority status by the Economic Development Department when it makes site recommendations to prospective industries.
by CNB