ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, June 18, 1996 TAG: 9606180039
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
CHRISTIANSBURG - Ernie Bentley, owner of Old Town Printing and Copying, is the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce's Small-Business Leader for 1996.
"He's warm, and he's interested in the community, and he's interested in people," said Kathy Mantz, executive director the of the chamber.
Bentley has employed students from Christiansburg High School through the school's Distributive Education Clubs of America program, which gives students the chance to earn money and gain experience by working at a local business. He has also employed special-education students. His business has won yearly awards from the Printing Industries of Virginia.
Bentley's printing business has outgrown its space three times in 13 years, and now employs seven full-time workers and two part timers. Old Town offers a variety of printing, copying and graphic design services.
Bentley, 50, has served on the chamber's board and received the Outstanding Service Award in 1995.
He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran from 1968 to 1970, and was an assistant professor in agricultural economics at Virginia Tech from 1980 to 1983, when he started Farm Computer Center, an agriculture consulting firm, in Christiansburg. The business evolved and changed its name to The Copy Center in 1984 and to Old Town Printing and Copying in 1995.
Floyd gets home
on the Internet|
FLOYD - Floyd County, which has one traffic light, now has a home page on the Internet, joining other area communities that are touting themselves on the World Wide Web.
Floyd's home page is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants' and Businessmen's Association. It is still under construction, but will have 20 links with information on such things as the county's government, churches, major county employers, history and general information, and other topics.
The idea for the home page was proposed by Ray Batiato, a member of the chamber's board, and owner of Stonewall Bed and Breakfast, which has its own home page.
"The board of directors of both organizations saw the benefits of having a home page and voted to go ahead with it," Batiato said.
The home page was produced by Citizen's Internet, a Floyd County Internet service provider. The cost was $50 per hour for homepage design, a $25 service fee, a $25 registration fee for a listing with popular search engines such as Yahoo, and a $24.95 unlimited service fee, said Danny Vaughn, network manager with Citizen's Internet.
Vaughn said eventually his firm will be able to document the number of hits the home page receives and will link the page to such key words as "Blue Ridge Parkway" on Yahoo on other search engines.
Two are advisers|
to Radford bank|
RADFORD - Randal Duncan, Radford commonwealth's attorney, and Meg Weddle, owner of Garrett's/Meg's Inc. in downtown Radford, have been appointed to the advisory board of the Radford office of First National Bank.
Duncan holds a degree in political science from Radford University, and is a member of the university's Board of Visitors and president of the Radford University National Alumni Association.
Weddle is a graduate of Virginia Tech and an adjunct professor at Radford University. She serves in the Radford Mainstreet Organization, the Radford Chamber of Commerce and the Radford American Heart Association.
Duncan and Weddle join eight other community leaders on the board, which is charged with providing insight and guidance to the Radford office.
Engineers add
3 to firm|
BLACKSBURG - New employees at Draper Aden Associates Consulting Engineers are:
nMichael Lawless, a senior hydrologist, who will manage projects ranging from industrial site assessments and cleanups to hydrogeologic characterization of contaminated sites.
Lawless has an undergraduate degree from Bates College in Maine and a master's degree in geology from Old Dominion University. He is a certified professional geologist in Virginia and is certified by the American Institute of Professional Geologists.
nIan Shaw, who will be an environmental engineer. He will design and implement remedial actions for contaminated sites, evaluate industrial waste water systems and oversee contractors.
He has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech.
nA. LaDell Wright, who will be marketing coordinator. She will focus on local marketing efforts.
Previously, she was public relations coordinator for the National Association of Child Care Professionals, with headquarters in Christiansburg. She has an undergraduate degree in communication studies from Virginia Tech.
|CALENDAR| nFriday, "Business Before Hours Social" hosted by Pulaski Healthcare Center on Lee Highway, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Sponsored by the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce. 980-1991.
nJune 27, "Business After Hours Mixer" hosted by Blue Ridge Cellular, which is celebrating it fifth anniversary, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the firm's Christiansburg office on North Franklin Street. Sponsored by the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. 382-4251.
In response to member surveys, the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Committee will sponsor four free seminars in upcoming months. The seminars will be at the New River Valley Mall community room from 8 to 9 a.m. They are:
nJuly 2, on the Internet.
nAug. 6 on stress management.
nSept. 9 on time management.
nOct. 1 on investments.
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Bentley< Duncan< Weddle< Lawless< Shaw< Wright< color.by CNB