Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 24, 1993 TAG: 9301260412
SECTION: NEW RIVER VALLEY ECONOMY PAGE: 2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
STATE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT VALLEY
Virginia doesn't have a better-organized region than the New River Valley, and its economy will rebound from the massive layoffs at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, says Cathleen Magennis, Virginia's secretary of economic development."You can't wear rose-colored glasses and it won't happen overnight, but we have great expectations for this area," she said.
Magennis, who took office in August, talked about the local economy this month when she was at New River Community College for a meeting of the Governor's Commission on Defense Conversion and Economic Adjustment.
She said she was impressed with cooperation among local governments in trying to bring new industry for the area.
"There is just a lot of great leadership in this area," she said. "Combining that with the quality work force here is all you can ask for."
Magennis said the state is working closely with local economic development officials and "is very close to attracting new companies" to the New River Valley.
"People around here aren't sitting on their hands; they work very hard to create new jobs," she said.
In addition, the state Department of Economic Development has an industry retention group working as hard to keep companies as to get new business, she said.
The state must train and educate laid-off arsenal workers so they will have skills to find new jobs, Magennis said.
Her office is helping draft legislation to allocate $1.2 million in federal money that's set aside to assist in downsizing of defense companies.
Magennis said she is confident that Hercules, the government contractor at the arsenal, will be successful in attracting commercial contracts and eventually hire back some of the laid-off workers.