Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 18, 1991 TAG: 9103190405
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Interest is so keen that the new group, set up by Gov. Wilder, has added extra toll-free telephone lines in the Department of Economic Development, where the assistance program is based.
(Offices of Virginia's congressmen in Washington say they are also being inundated with calls, as is the office of the Army Corps of Engineers in Winchester.)
Wilder deserves credit for moving aggressively to establish the program, which is a cooperative effort involving several state agencies. The toll-free number is 1-800-553-3170.
In addition to the economic development department, the group includes the Virginia Employment Commission, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Minority Business Enterprise and the Virginia Port Authority - which has its marketing director on the scene in Kuwait looking for exporting opportunities for Virginia companies.
It's been estimated that the reconstruction of Kuwait will cost up to $100 billion over several years. The Kuwaiti ambassador has said American firms can expect to get the bulk of the contracts. That's fair. America bore an overwhelming share of the costs in the war to liberate the country.
Virginians played a major role in the liberation. The state sent a large military contingent to the Persian Gulf, and helped prepare many of the armaments. It's proper that Virginians and Virginia businesses have a part in Kuwait's rebuilding.
And it's smart to see the opportunity and move quickly. Too often, export potential is squandered simply because no one bothers to identify it.
If the current effort serves to help rebuild Virginia's recession-weakened economy and put many who have lost their jobs back to work, so much the better.
by CNB