ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611040013
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
Tourism topic of Alliance meeting
DUBLIN - The New River Valley Economic Development Alliance is sponsoring a strategic planning meeting on "The Future of Tourism in the New River Valley" Nov. 13 from 8 a.m. to noon.
The meeting's purpose is to enhance awareness of tourism's impact on the New River Valley and to begin planning a strategy to take advantage of tourism.
Sponsors cite these statistics:
*Tourists spent more than $102 million in the valley last year.
*More than 35,000 people travel through the New River Valley on Interstate 81 each day.
*More than 330,000 people visit Claytor Lake each year.
*About 17.5 million people travel the Blue Ridge Parkway each year.
* About 40,000 students attend Virginia Tech, Radford University and New River Community College.
*More than 200,000 people attend sporting events at Virginia Tech and Radford University each year.
The meeting will deal with topics like: public and private support for tourism, tourism's impact, regional development initiatives, and interest in participating in tourism promotion.
Tourism supporters, volunteers, businesses and local governments are invited. The meeting will be in New River Community College's Edwards Hall. For more information, call 674-3636.
Law firm moves offices to Radford
RADFORD - Sands, Anderson, Marks & Miller has moved its law offices from Pulaski to Radford.
John B. Spiers Jr., is senior counsel at the office. James E. Cornwell Jr. will move from the Pulaski office, and Sarah Y.M. Kirby will move to Radford from the firm's Richmond headquarters.
Spiers has been a member of the Virginia bar for 45 years and practiced with Spiers and Spiers in Radford. He is city attorney for Radford and counsel to several regional authorities.
Cornwell is county attorney for Craig, Bland and New Kent counties and is counsel for the joint public service authority for Wythe and Bland Counties.
Kirby is a native of Radford who will continue to specialize in workers' compensation litigation.
The firm specializes in local government, representing counties, towns, cities and public authorities from across the state.
Bank official teaches Junior Achivement
CHRISTIANSBURG - Will Hoover, a loan interviewer and management trainee at First National Bank, spent five weeks recently as a Junior Achievement instructor in a sixth-grade class at Christiansburg Middle School.
His report: "A lot of them were really sharp and asked a lot of questions."
Hoover, a 26-year-old graduate of Radford High School and Radford University, focused on small businesses.
Junior Achievement teaches young people about business and economics, and tries to inspire them to value free enterprise. The program is funded by more than 100,00 businesses, foundations and people from across the country.
Radford chamber collecting for auction
RADFORD - The Radford Chamber of Commerce is collecting donations for its annual fund-raising auction to be held in February.
Chamber members may donate goods, services, vacation packages or cash. All donations will be publicly acknowledged.
The chamber also has announced nominees for three-year terms on its Board of Directors.
They are: Henry M. "Mac" Harvey, a Radford consultant; Kathryn Jordan, president of Employment Counseling Services; Richard Robertson, a retired doctor; and Nick Vlahakis, vice president and general manager of Alliant Tech Systems.
Other people can be nominated if at least 10 chamber members sign a petition. If no more petitions are received, the four nominees, all of whom have agreed to serve, will be elected at the chamber's November meeting.
For more information, call the chamber at 639-2202.
CALENDAR
Friday and Saturday: The New River Valley and Roanoke Valley chapters of the National Association of Purchasing Management is hosting a seminar on "Writing For Your Reader" by Virginia Tech's Simone Poirier-Bures at noon Friday. At 8 a.m. Saturday, Stephen Van Aken will talk about "Coping With and Managing Change." The cost is $100 for members and $150 for non members and includes a Friday night banquet. Call 643-6276 to register.
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Spiers, Cornwell, Kirbyby CNB