Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 5, 1990 TAG: 9005050219
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: FAIRLAWN LENGTH: Medium
They'll know the 743 acre plant site will contain "one, magnificent one-story manufacturing facility," located near a major interstate. And they'll know there are 54 toilets and 72 sinks in the plant's restrooms, according to brochures and other literature that will be sent out by Binswanger Industrial, AT&T's brokerage firm.
Officials from the Philadelphia-based Binswanger presented a few of their marketing strategies to the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance's marketing committee Friday.
AT&T also gave the alliance the first half of a $150,000 investment to help with the group's separate effort to market the New River Valley.
Binswanger's strategy includes sending a barrage of glossy literature on the AT&T plant to national industries all over the world.
"This is primarily a game of exposure," said J. Holmes Davis, president of Binswanger's southern division.
Literature, which includes information on everything in the plant from transportation to taxes and size to sewer, already has been distributed to state economic development representatives, real estate marketers and all major companies in Virginia.
But the campaign soon will go beyond the state.
Advertisements will be placed in the likes of The Wall Street Journal and its foreign counterparts and the literature will find its way around and outside the country.
"The type of prospects that will be interested in the building are the major players," said Doug Faris, the broker representing AT&T for the sale of the plant. "But we can't rule out regional manufacturing firms."
The alliance, a non-profit partnership formed to promote economic development in the New River Valley, is conducting a $1 million fund-raising campaign to finance a four-year marketing program.
"It certainly is a disappointment to all of us that AT&T has to leave," said W.W. "Skip" Griggs, president of Industial Drives of Radford and chairman of the alliance's fund-raising campaign. "But I'm very grateful of the manner in which they're leaving."
The check is the largest that the alliance has received so far. The campaign has raised over $500,000 to date, about 40 percent in cash and the rest in pledges.
AT&T is at the top of the alliance's list of properties to market.
The 548,900-square-foot plant employs about 1,000 workers from all over the New River Valley. And, though some of the workers will be transferred to Dallas where about 90 percent of the tranformer and conductor manufacturing work will be moved, many of the workers will be looking for new jobs here.
Economic development officials want to bring in a plant large enough to accommodate them.
The brokers said Tuesday that they hope to bring in a large "AT&T-type of facility."
by CNB