Southwest Virginia
Tech’s pilot plants attract industry interest by Veronica Garabelli
W
hen Tyson Foods devel- oped a new
way to make jerky, it needed to make sure its production method was safe. T erefore, it turned to Virginia Tech’s Food Safety Pilot Plant. “T is pilot plant is
especially designed to allow us to work with food pathogens like salmonella and listeria in real food-processing conditions,” says Joseph Marcy, a professor and head of the food science and technology depart- ment at Virginia Tech. T e department has a 2,200-square-foot food safety pilot plant and a 7,100-square-foot food processing pilot plant that allows in- dustries to evaluate the safety of products and test new equipment and production processes. T e facilities allow companies to conduct tests without disrupt-
FOR THE RECORD
Alpha Natural Resources in January announced plans to sell 23 mines in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois. Alpha filed for Chaper 11 bankruptcy in August amid economic pressures spurred by sharp declines in the sale of both metallurgical and steam coal and stringent government regulations. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Chemical distributor Chemsolv Inc. agreed to pay $1.5 million in penalties for two episodes of criminal misconduct at its southeast Roanoke facility. Jamison Austin, vice president and general manager, pleaded guilty on the company’s behalf in December to one count each of unlawful transportation of hazardous waste and unlawful storage of hazardous waste. (The Roanoke Times)
Photo courtesy Virginia Tech
ing production at their manufacturing plants. Since their open-
ing in March 2014, the facilities have attracted $2 million in industry investment, Marcy says. Most of that has come from cash donations, but the total also includes some donated equip- ment. Tyson Foods,
for example, donated smokehouse and com- mercial ovens when testing was being done on its products. Tessa, an Israeli company, also plans to donate a mini-dairy, which Vir- ginia Tech will use for research and outreach purposes. “T ere’s noth- ing like it in the U.S.,” Marcy says about the dairy equipment. A big draw for companies is the facilities’ versatile space. Often, businesses want to bring their own
The Virginia Community College System plans to use a nearly $2 million federal grant to retrain approximately 210 workers affected by Alpha Natural Resources layoffs. The U.S. Department of Labor grant will provide re-employment services to former coal industry workers wanting access to jobs in emerging and growing fields. (
VirginiaBusiness.com)
Starting this fall, select students can earn their medical degree and MBA at the same time through a program developed by Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. Program administrators expect to enroll students in the fall. They will take core MBA courses plus electives in information technology. (The Roanoke Times)
equipment to conduct research. T e com- pany equipment helps Virginia Tech keep costs in check while not investing in machines that may soon become obsolete. DuPont Teijin Films, a maker of polyester fi lms, allows Virginia Tech to use its packaging equipment for a program that lets companies test new ways to package and prepare foods. “T is is to our
advantage,” Marcy says since DuPont Teijin Films maintains the gear and also hires workers for the project. Virginia Tech,
however, has made its own notable invest- ment, installing a $250,000 brewhouse in the food processing plant. It could be used by craft breweries to test production of new beers without shutting down their current production
The VT KnowledgeWorks Innovation Challenge is accepting applications through Feb. 19. The annual Innovation Challenge prize provides $100,000 worth of mentorship and business support services to a winning team of Virginia Tech faculty, staff, students and/or alumni proposing to establish a new venture in Blacksburg, based on Virginia Tech-owned technology. (The Roanoke Times)
According to county officials, 2015 was a good year in Sullivan County, Tenn., and in Washington County, Va., including Abingdon. Economic development leaders in all three localities said 2015 was highlighted by new industries and job creation. In Washington County, 500 new jobs will be created as a result of new developments announced in 2015, with $36 million worth
www.VirginiaBusiness.com
process. “You’re seeing a
very fast expansion of brewery capabilities in the state, so to have a state-of-the-art place where people can come and interact with scien- tists at Virginia Tech is … going to be very valu- able,” Marcy says.
Regional View
Dupont Teijin Films Food Scientist Renée Dupell works on a project with Brian Wiersema, manager of Virginia Tech’s food processing pilot plant.
of investment. (Bristol Herald Courier)
PEOPLE
Brian O. Hemphill, named Radford University’s seventh president, effective July 1. Currently the president of West
Virginia State University, Hemphill will succeed Penelope W. Kyle, who is retiring after 11 years at Radford’s helm. (
VirginiaBusiness.com)
Rachel Hopkins, named executive director, Science Museum of Western Virginia. She was vice president of development for
Roanoke’s Center in the
ON THE WEB
Complete list of For the Record and People at
VirginiaBusiness.com Square. (News release)
The Roanoke Regional Chamber has elected officers for 2016, including Ken Randolph, chair, and Nathan Kerr, chair-elect. (The Roanoke Times)
Timothy K. Schools, named president and CEO, Highlands Bankshares Inc. and Highlands Union Bank, Abingdon. He also was named to the board of both organizations. Schools succeeds Samuel L. Neese, who retired in November. (News release)
Arevo Group, a North Carolina-based professional service recruiting firm, recently located to Roanoke and has named Donna Tatum executive recruiter, Randy Lowman director of contract services and Coy Renick director of business development in the Professional Services Division. (The Roanoke Times)
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