Businessin Montgomery County
Photo by Michael Kiernan
Entrepreneurs and established businesses alike find opportunities to grow in a supportive environment in Montgomery County. While the advantages of being in this area are appreciated by locals, they also receive national recognition. The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center was named the “2010 Science/Research Park” by the Association of University Research Parks. Forbes Magazine ranked the Blacksburg, Christiansburg [and Radford, Va.] area 28th for “Best Small Place for Business and Careers.” U.S. News & World Report named Blacksburg a Top Ten “Best Affordable Mountain Town for Retirement” in 2010, and the previous year, the Blacksburg/Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area rose to the 49th “Best-Performing Small City” by the Milken Institute. Blacksburg has been named 14th “Most Educated Small Town in America” at Forbes. com for 2009. The county has three industrial parks: Blacksburg Industrial Park, Christiansburg Industrial Park and Falling Branch Industrial Park. The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development is an excellent starting point for information on starting or expanding a business. Blacksburg Industrial Park is home to large companies, like Wolverine Gaskets and Federal-Mogul, both based in Michigan, as well as small firms and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the largest research entity of the university. It’s within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the population of the United States, and considered to be a premier location for research and development, as well as manufacturing, companies. Falling Branch Industrial Park in Christiansburg is a 175-acre business park next to Interstate 81. Prestar Packaging, a small family-owned business which made and donated boxes for the flags given to New York’s 9/11 survivors and families, occupies space here. Backcountry.com is in the process of opening one of its catalog order facilities here. It is 30 minutes southwest of Roanoke, Va., and the Roanoke Regional Airport, and I-81 connects within an hour to I-77 and I-64, all major routes for moving goods, supplies and products. Christiansburg Industrial Park is a stone’s throw from I-81on 109 acres. 14
The park is zoned “general industrial” and has several local businesses in residence. Another general industrial park which is zoned for manufacturing in Montgomery County is the Elliston-Lafayette Industrial Park in the unincorporated community by the same name. The cooperative and collaborative nature of economic development in Montgomery County means that industrial park tenants can access the advantages of Virginia Tech’s proximity. They can participate in an industrial affiliate group to obtain research results on problems common to their industries. Companies can also sponsor research, use Virginia Tech research facilities and license and commercialize technologies developed by Virginia Tech researchers. The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is a 120-acre research and business park adjacent to campus and zoned “research and development” by the Town of Blacksburg. More than 140 technology-based companies and research centers employ 2,200 workers. The CRC has suites available for as short as one year and lots from 2 to 9 acres for lease with a term of up to 60 years. The Edward Via School of Osteopathic Medicine is in the CRC, and a second building phase will see 28 more buildings and approximately 3,000 additional employees. Several businesses ~ retail, industrial, mail order, research, manufacturing ~ are scattered throughout the county. The local workforce includes manufacturing people, craftsmen, college graduates, entrepreneurs, research geeks and a wide variety of skilled labor. The local shopping base includes the 100,000-plus population of the New River Valley as a whole, as well as tens of thousands more who journey to Montgomery County to visit events in the communities and on the college campuses. Downtown revitalization and enhancement efforts have made Christiansburg and Blacksburg attractive, pedestrian-friendly communities. Unique, local stores and nationally-recognized franchises provide shoppers an appealing blend of options. Entrepreneurs will find a willing hand from the county and possibilities for both niche and general markets.
MontgomeryCC.org