ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601310101
SECTION: NEW RIVER ECONOMY PAGE: 2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: HAL SHEIKERZ STAFF WRITER
After AT&T packed up and left the New River Valley, its plant that once employed 2,500 workers has taken on a new life.
And most of AT&T's 730-acre site on a bend of the New River is on the market - seeking new plants and jobs for the valley.
New River Industries bought the 545,00-square-foot plant that AT&T occupied during its 10 years in Radford as well as 80 acres surrounding the building. The company now employs 225 at the plant manufacturing broad woven cloth.
Pulaski County bought the remaining 650 acres for $1.3 million in 1993.
Today, the New River Valley Alliance, the region's economic development agency, and the Virginia Department of Economic Development are actively marketing 400 acres suitable for industrial sites, said Peter Huber, assistant county administrator for Pulaski County.
One local company, a small, high-tech firm, is looking at a small tract for an expansion that could mean 50 new jobs, said Huber.
A factor that might make the site more attractive to large industries is its designation as one of the state's newer enterprise zones. A company locating in one of these zones could receive a 60 percent cut in its state income tax bill for 10 years as well as job grants of $1,500 per employee. "Our prime concern is to develop the property to provide jobs for area citizens," said Huber.
The New River Valley Planning District Commission has a proposal to build an Economic Competitiveness Center on the site, complete with a business incubator center and offices for agencies to help startup companies. The center has already received a $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and is seeking additional grant money to build the center, said Huber.
Several large corporations have flown in to check out the site, said Huber. Frequently, even local government and economic development officials don't know the name of the visiting company because of the hush-hush atmosphere of corporate site searches.
The county is also seeking proposals for residential and recreational development for the remaining 250 acres of land, some of which is in a flood plain and is not suitable for industrial use, Huber said.
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB