THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 16, 1995 TAG: 9510140215
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Talk of the Town
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Gov. George Allen popped the question last week in Virginia Beach.
``Some people say, `How can you be getting all these businesses to come to Virginia?' '' the governor said.
``I tell them it's because we're like Avis: `We try harder.' '' Then the governor handed Mr. Avis himself, Joseph V. Vittoria, chairman of the car rental outfit, one tidy sum of money.
Avis, which chose Virginia Beach over Tampa, plans to build a 166,000-square-foot administrative headquarters employing 500 on three floors at Centre Point Office Park.
The Avis incentive package included $500,000 for site work from the Governor's Opportunity Fund and $340,000 from Virginia Beach for road work, construction and other details on site.
Vittoria was understandably pleased. ``We're expanding to meet growing customer needs and changing global travel trends - and Virginia Beach is a great location with a talented work force and an exceptional quality of life,'' Vittoria said.
Convenient food: In 1994, the average convenience store customer spent $2.61 per visit on food and personal items. Richard Riley thinks he can encourage consumers to spend more, a lot more.
Riley, president of East Coast Oil Corp. of Richmond, has expanded some stores to 3,200 square feet, put doughnut and burger franchises inside and stocked supermarket specialties such as upscale wine and low-fat snacks.
``This business is turning into a food business,'' Riley said. ``If people want to buy a $15 bottle of wine, they don't want to go all the way into a big grocery store to get that one item on their way home from work.``
``Convenience stores are trying to get a more diverse customer base,'' said Stewart Small of the National Association of Convenience Stores in Alexandria.
``In the past, the average customer was an 18- to 34-year-old blue-collar male buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. To diversify, you have to offer more products and services.''
Tenneco today: You probably heard the news. Tenneco Inc. relented. Much to the chagrin of many in Hampton Roads, Tenneco announced it might rename its venerable James River shipyard. Instead, the name will remain Newport News Shipbuilding.
``It's good to see that there's a continuation of heritage and that there's something meaningful. The name Newport News is synonymous with good, quality shipbuilding. And that means a lot to our community,'' Newport News City Councilman Terry Martin said.
Although Peninsula residents complained about a shipyard name shorn of Newport News, yard president William P. Fricks said, ``I think we always listen to what people say but, frankly, in the end we had to determine what was best for the company.''
The name change, indeed, the relocation of the conglomerate's Houston headquarters to Greenwich, Conn., flow from the same strategy: remind Wall Street that Tenneco is, in the words of a company spokesman, ``a multinational, industrial growth company.''
Pork chop: Virginia pork producers have had some good years. But hold on. America's dwindling corn supply could raise pork prices and squeeze smaller hog producers. The USDA projects a 7.54-billion bushel corn harvest, down 25 percent from the 1994 record of 10.1 billion bushels.
``Consumers won't see much change in retail prices for six to nine months when supplies should begin to decline,'' said Dave Miller of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Illinois.
Magruder sold: Interstone Partners LP bought the Magruder Inn and Conference Center near Williamsburg. Roxie White, president of Motel Associates Inc., said the sale of her family's 303-room hotel won't deter her other business interests. She manages VIP Limousines in Williamsburg and Norfolk. Her husband Robert ran the business until his death in May.
White said the sale will mean more opportunities for Magruder employees, including an employee savings plan. Interstate was formed by Blackstone Group, a New York Investment banking firm, and Pittsburgh-based Interstate Hotels.
Whoops: Last we week said USAir had ended service at Newport News/Williamsburg International Service. Not so. It ended jet service. Other flights continue. by CNB