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

DATE: THURSDAY, November 30, 1995                   TAG: 9511300058
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

Westvaco Corp. said Wednesday it will build an $80 million activated-carbon plant next to its Wickliffe, Ky., paper mill and plans major investments at its Covington carbon plant.

The new plant will use technology refined at the Covington plant and will double the company's capacity for making wood-based activated carbon, used in automotive emission control canisters, solvent recovery, sugar and syrup processing, pharmaceutical processing and water purification, a Westvaco spokesman said.

Westvaco will continue to manage its carbon business from Covington.

- Staff report

Lynchburg firm buys Salem mailer

Best Mailing Service Inc. of Lynchburg said Wednesday it has bought Mail Runners, a Salem bulk mail service. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

It is the second Roanoke Valley acquisition by Best Mailing since August, when it bought Presort Express from Carilion Health System.

Mail Runners will offer advanced computer work, presort services, labeling and other mailing services. Its three full-time employees have been offered jobs by Best Mailing, a company spokeswoman said.

Mail Runners has been moved to the Presort facility on Williamson Road while the company looks for new quarters.

- Staff report

Food-service firm to build in Roanoke

The Roanoke County office of Commonwealth Brokers will build a permanent home, economic developers said Wednesday.

The Virginia Beach-based food services broker bought land at 6349 Peters Creek Road for a 3,500-square-foot building. The $300,000 project is expected to be finished in the spring.

Commonwealth Brokers serves customers in Western Virginia from its Roanoke County office, which employs 10 people.

- Staff report

Bell to add toll-free 888 code in spring

Bell Atlantic Corp. said Wednesday it has told the Federal Communications Commission it is on track to implement new 888 toll-free numbers March 1.

The new numbers will supplement a dwindling supply of 800 toll-free numbers, more than 90 percent of which have been assigned, Bell Atlantic said. The new 888 code will make another 7.9 million toll-free numbers available.

- Staff report