DATE: Wednesday, April 30, 1997             TAG: 9704300487

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

LOCAL SCENE

HAMPTON ROADS

REPORT SHOWS SOFTWARE IS FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRY IN REGION: A recent zone report from Drake Beam Morin, the New York-based career and outplacement firm, shows that computer software is the fastest-growing industry in the South Atlantic, which includes Virginia. Software is followed by the hospitality, information technology and travel/tourism industries. The zone report also showed that textiles/mining/petroleum and public utilities had the biggest declines in the region. The report is based on field reports from all 80 Drake Beam Morin offices in the country. DBM has offices in Richmond, Virginia Beach and Roanoke.

NORFOLK

RAILROADS ASK FOR FASTER REVIEW OF CONRAIL BUY: Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Corp. asked the federal Surface Transportation Board to accelerate the schedule for reviewing their planned takeover of Conrail Inc. The board, which approves railroad takeovers, had set a 365-day schedule to review any takeover of Conrail when the two Virginia-based railroads were battling for Conrail. Norfolk-based Norfolk Southern and Richmond-based CSX have now agreed to divide Conrail in a $10.2 billion deal, and federal review should be less contentious, they argue. The two railroads are asking for a 255-day schedule. If the STB agrees and they file their application by June as expected, they could be assuming control of their pieces of Conrail by March 1998. Their plan may still face some opposition from shippers, unions and Canadian railroads.

PISCITELLI PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT AT SCOTT & STRINGFELLOW: John A. Piscitelli was promoted to vice president at Scott & Stringfellow. He also co-hosts the weekly ``Investment Outlook'' radio show on WNIS and appears weekly on WVEC-TV 13's Monday morning business segment.

HUNT NAMED PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR: The National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) named Susan Hunt, president/chief executive officer of Atlantic Fleet Federal Credit Union, the Professional of the Year for credit unions with asset sizes less than or equal to $75 million.

VIRGINIA BEACH

METRO INFORMATION ADDS TWO TO BOARD: Ray E. Becker and A. Eugene Loving Jr. have been named members of the board of directors of Metro Information Services Inc. Loving is chairman and CEO of Max Media Properties LLC, a radio and television broadcast company. Becker is president and CEO of Consultants to Management Inc. Both will also serve on the board's Audit and Compensation committees, Metro said.

PENINSULA

BOHANNON NAMED SENIOR BUDGET ANALYST FOR STATE AGENCY: Michael A. Bohannon was named senior budget analyst for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in Williamsburg, a Virginia state agency that operates both the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center. He was an agency management analyst for the Virginia Department of Transportation and a statistical analyst for Tidewater Community College.

VIRGINIA

PORT OF RICHMOND SLOWS SLIGHTLY: Coming off its best calendar year ever, the Port of Richmond reported slightly lower quarterly results in total tonnage. While the small James River terminal continues to see more containerized cargo, a dip in break-bulk cargos dragged its quarter tonnage down 0.5 percent in the three months ended March 30. Managed by Federal Marine Terminals Inc., the Port of Richmond handled 147,920 tons during the period, down from 148,703 tons a year ago. Containerized cargo grew 4 percent to 115,246 tons, while break-bulk dropped 13.7 percent to 32,674 tons.

CRESTAR TO INCREASE ITS DIVIDEND: Crestar Financial Corp. declared a quarterly dividend of 29 cents a share, a 7 percent increase from its existing dividend of 27 cents. The Richmond-based banking company will pay the higher dividend May 21 to shareholders of record May 5. MEMO: Send items to Local Scene, The Virginian-Pilot Business News

Department, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Or fax your

submission to 446-2531. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Piscitelli

Hunt

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu