When Valley Forward initially proposed the idea of recreating the Rockledge Inn on Mill Mountain, I was opposed to the project, but not for the reasons most commonly put forth. Opponents of the idea rely on the arguments that Roanoke already has too many restaurants, or that the building would somehow desecrate a pristine wilderness, [...]
As the largest employer in the Roanoke Valley, and the driving force behind our local economy, Carilion Clinic is an 800 pound gorilla of sorts, second only to Virginia Tech in terms of it’s regional economic impact. The new clinic facility, and soon to be constructed medical school, will undoubtedly provide a major economic boost [...]
For as long as I can remember, there has been a great deal of talk around the Roanoke Valley about regional cooperation, but in my lifetime I have witnessed very few concrete results. The current debate over the location of an intermodal freight facility in Elliston gives us a clear example of why progress is [...]
One of reasons the reasons I started blogging was to change the nature of the conversation about economic development in the Roanoke Valley. It’s easy to complain about lack of opportunities, but complaining doesn’t change anything. Opportunities start with ideas, and sadly, original ideas have been have been few and far between.
Two organizations have put [...]
There has been a great deal of discussion over the past few years about the need to attract young professionals to the Roanoke Valley. In spite of all the talk, we’ve made little in the way of actual progress. Roanoke is looking down the barrel of a demographic crisis similar to that faced by our [...]