Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 30, 1990                   TAG: 9005300120
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PETER MATHEWS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

SOVIET OFFICIALS' TOUR INCLUDES FOOD, FUN AND FOREIGN RELATIONS

But the guests of honor for this All-American spread weren't American at all.

V.M. Serov and Valeryi Gusakov, two Soviet government officials, came to Radford this week as part of a two-week tour of the United States.

Serov is chairman of the Soviet state committee of construction, called Gosstroi. Gusakov is Gosstroi's chief of foreign relations.

They have an interest in Radford because Radva Corp., which makes packaging materials and insulated building materials, is working on a joint venture with two Soviet companies.

They hope to build a plant in Pereslavl, 125 miles north of Moscow, to produce Thermastructure, an energy-efficient building material developed by Radva.

Monday night, the Soviets, their interpreters and several dozen guests gathered at Radva President Luther Dickens' Radford home for a pig pickin' - an event held mostly indoors because of the rain.

After dinner - plenty of pork, corn on the cob, coleslaw and more - they watched as some of the guests flat-footed to "Rocky Top" and other tunes from a four-piece bluegrass band.

Serov, clad in a sweater and Jordache jeans, was accompanied by his wife, Natasha. The Soviets and Americans exchanged gifts; city officials also honored them at a luncheon on Tuesday.

Gusakov said affiliations such as the one between Radva and the Soviets have traditionally involved governments, not people.

"Today we want to have contact through the private sector," he told a reporter in heavily accented English.

But transforming the Soviet economy won't be easy. Gusakov was stumped by a question from a party guest about how people would react to being able to own property - apparently there is no Russian equivalent for the word "landowner."

Serov is not directly related to the Radva joint venture, but his committee oversees a huge empire of agencies that determine what will be built in the Soviet Union and where, Dickens said.

The main purpose of his visit is to study new construction methods, he said.

The Soviets have been to Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta to discuss other construction-related joint ventures with U.S. companies, and will travel to New York before returning home.

Dickens said the joint venture is proceeding nicely. The Pereslavl plant has received approval from Soviet environmental and design officials and guarantees from suppliers have been secured.

The only unfinished business is financing, and Dickens hopes that is resolved when Radva's Soviet partners return to Radford next month.