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

DATE: FRIDAY, July 21, 1995                   TAG: 9507210033
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

BLACKSBURG WINS GRANT FOR INTERNET

THE MONEY WILL HELP New River businesses set up ``home pages'' through the now-famous Blacksburg Electronic Village.

The town of Blacksburg has given the Blacksburg Electronic Village $15,000 in grant money to help more businesses get noticed on the Internet.

The $15,000, appropriated for BEV in last year's budget, will be dispersed in grants of up to $500 to local businesses interested in establishing an advertising presence on the World Wide Web business listings.

Already dozens of local businesses have established their own "home pages" on the worldwide computer network. An engineering firm such as Anderson & Associates can show how it can digitally represent an industrial site before construction even begins. A restaurant such as Bogen's lists its menu; Wade's groceries lists weekly specials.

"They're doing it to encourage more use of the electronic village," said Ken Anderson, owner of Anderson & Associates and a member of the town's telecommunications advisory committee, which pushed for the move.

"We've put ours up and got quite a bit of reaction to it around the world," Anderson said.

The money represents the first outright expenditure the town has given to BEV, which was set up in the fall of 1993 as an experiment between the town, Virginia Tech and Bell Atlantic.

After receiving plenty of exposure on national television shows, newspapers and magazines over the past year, Assistant Town Manager Bonnie Svrcek said the money amounts to "a matter of supporting something that has brought a lot of recognition to the town."

The BEV office will give preference to businesses that want to create a first-time listing , but established businesses with a new idea or expanded offerings are encouraged to apply also. Proposals can be submitted to the Greater Blacksburg Chamber of Commerce beginning Aug. 1.

One company that hopes to benefit from the grant is BizNet Technologies, which exists to help businesses get their advertising presence on-line. A company receiving grant money could in turn pay BizNet or a similar firm to help set up and maintain home pages.

"We think it's great," said Doug Mauer, who organized BizNet shortly after BEV began and has helped set up many of the existing business home pages.

by CNB