
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 2, 1993                   TAG: 9307020076
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BRANCH GROUP BUYS ROANOKE BUILDING

The Branch Group Inc. has bought a building near Roanoke's main Post Office and will move two of its companies there.

Branch is the parent of Branch and Associates Inc., Branch Highways Inc. and G.J. Hopkins Inc., which have headquarters on Franklin Road Southwest.

Kelly Speas, treasurer of the company, said Branch Highways and G.J. Hopkins, which employ about 375 people, will begin moving into the former Clarke-American Checks Inc. building in the 400 block of Rutherford Avenue Northeast next week. Clarke-American, which made bank supplies, closed about two months ago.

Speas said Branch paid about $800,000 for the property, which will be used for offices, shops and warehousing. He said the company has been searching for additional space for some time, working with Phillip Sparks, acting chief of Roanoke's economic development office.

Sparks said he showed Branch a variety of sites in the city's urban enterprise zone. He said the company wanted a central location and the tax advantages to businesses that locate in the zone.

by CNB