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

DATE: FRIDAY, January 27, 1995                   TAG: 9503100020
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

A union-organizing election among clerical employees at Roanoke Gas Co.'s main office came out in the company's favor Thursday.

The Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers union filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board in December to represent the employees. The union already represented about 65 service and construction workers at Roanoke Gas.

In Thursday's vote, 20 clerical workers voted against union representation, 13 voted for, and six ballots were contested by one side or the other, said company spokesman Charles Lambert.

-Staff report

Locales win grants for development

A grant from the A.L. Philpott Southside Economic Development Commission will help Henry County construct a new shell building.

Henry County and the city of Martinsville were awarded $91,894 as the result of a joint application for economic development projects.

The county will use its $71,578 to reduce interest payments on a $1.6 million shell building at Beaver Creek Industrial Park, said county Administrator Bob Lawler. Martinsville's $20,316 will fund a marketing program to attract information-intensive industry, according to a news release.

Franklin County will funnel the $49,715 it received into three areas: an industrial-site selection study, a targeted-sector strategy for economic development, and tourism development tied to the county's Smith Mountain Lake park project, said Assistant County Administrator David Laurrell.

-Staff report

Dibrell merger wins FTC approval

DANVILLE - The Federal Trade Commission has approved a merger of Danville-based Dibrell Bros. Inc. and Monk-Austin Inc. of North Carolina, both tobacco-leaf dealers and processors.

The merger still must be approved by stockholders, who are scheduled to vote in mid-March. Dibrell's chairman and chief executive officer, Claude B. Owen Jr., will be chairman and CEO of the merged company, DiMon Inc.

-Associated Press

Briefly ...

Tultex Corp., Martinsville fleece-wear maker with plants in Roanoke, Bland and Smyth counties, said F. Kenneth Iverson has been elected to its board of directors. Iverson, 69, is chairman and chief executive officer of Nucor Corporation, a $2.9 billion steel manufacturer based in Charlotte, N.C.

Copy Van Inc., an office equipment distributor with operations in Roanoke, has acquired B-K Copier division of B-K Office Supply Inc. of Winchester.