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

DATE: TUESDAY, November 28, 1995                   TAG: 9511280127
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

Interviews of three to six final candidates for the job of Roanoke's chief economic developer will begin next month, Ken Cronin, city personnel director, said Monday.

The job, which has been vacant since Brian Wishneff resigned Aug. 18, pays $44,719 to $69,316 yearly. City officials said 16 people have applied.

Phil Sparks, the office's second-in-command, has led development efforts on Wishneff's behalf since April 1993, when Wishneff was asked to spearhead development of the Hotel Roanoke Conference Center. Sparks, a 10 1/2-year city employee, declined to say whether he had applied for the opening.

-Staff report

I-81 conference at hotel Thursday

Transportation, telecommunications, higher education and environmental issues will be the focus Thursday of the Interstate 81 Corridor Council's Western Virginia Strategic Development Conference in Roanoke.

The conference, at Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, begins at 9:30 a.m. with an overall look at major planning efforts in Western Virginia. After lunch, there will be group discussions of each of the four issues. For more information, call Wayne Strickland (540) 343-4417.

-Staff report

Briefly ...

American Microparts Inc., a computer store, will open Dec. 1 at Towne Square Shopping Center. The lease was arranged by Stephen A. Brown of Kane Realty Corp. of Raleigh, N.C., which manages the 301,661-square-foot center.

U.S. coal production totaled 19.5 million tons in the week ended Nov. 18, down slightly from 19.6 million tons the previous week and 20 million tons in the same week last year, the U.S. Department of Energy reported Monday. Virginia mines produced 687,000 tons during the survey week, up from 650,000 tons a week earlier but down from 715,000 tons a year ago.

Martin Bros. Contractors will build a new steel fabrication plant for FEI Inc. in Natural Bridge Industrial Park. Kinsey Shane Architects of Salem designed the plan for FEI, a unit of Berlin Steel of Berlin, Conn.