ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, March 15, 1997               TAG: 9703170049
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: A-5  EDITION: METRO 

IN BUSINESS

Tech center receives federal business grant

Virginia Tech's Economic Development Assistance Center has received a $108,000 in federal grant to help provide training and technical help to area businesses. The money, from the federal Economic Development Administration, was announced Friday by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Abingdon).

-STAFF

Bankruptcies filed in Roanoke for Western Virginia businesses

Three bankruptcies with business affiliations have been filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Western Virginia at Roanoke. One of them is a personal bankruptcy that the court listed as a business because it has commercial connections and could be of interest to business creditors and customers.

Faith Mining Inc. of Bee in Dickenson County filed for liquidation. The company said it had no assets and liabilities of $34,203.

Joseph D. Yost Jr. of Tazewell filed for a wage-earner plan for repayment of debts, estimating both assets and liabilities at less than $50,000 each. Yost is in the residential construction business.

David Dean Childress of Bristol, who is self-employed doing odd jobs filed for liquidation with assets of $1,890 and liabilities of $7,361.

- STAFF

W. Va. governor asks Kroger to rethink move to Roanoke Co.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov. Cecil Underwood on Friday called on The Kroger Co. to give its employees more time to assess their options as the company moves some operations from Charleston to Roanoke County.

Cincinnati-based Kroger announced last month it would close a warehouse and distribution center that employs 250 by mid-May. The company has said a substantial number of employees will be offered comparable jobs at other company offices.

``It is my sincere hope that you will reconsider your decision to close the

Kroger spokesman Paul Bernish said Friday the company will not amend its decision. He said the company already has given the workers twice as much time to prepare as their contract allows, nearly four weeks instead of two.

Kroger is consolidating distribution of perishable items for the company's Mid-Atlantic region in its Roanoke County warehouse to reduce costs.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

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