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SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/ NEW RIVER VALLEY REGION
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CONTENTS SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/ NEW RIVER VALLEY REGION
December 2012
FEATURES COVER STORY
6
Economic scorecard
The Roanoke Valley is recovering from the Great Recession; the New River Valley already has.
6
by Jenny Kincaid Boone
TECHNOLOGY Opossum or possum?
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Veterinary Medical Informatics Laboratory is developing a common vocabulary of terms. by Beth Jones
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HEALTH CARE Dollars and pounds
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Va. Tech researchers discover that different labels can lead to different choices. by Joan Tupponce
EDUCATION More than an academic exercise
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Business centers at Radford and Tech help entrepreneurs and give students hands-on experience. by Betsy Biesenbach
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P
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INTERVIEW
Under one roof
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Dean Faye Gilbert expects many benefits from Radford’s new COBE building.
LIFESTYLES
Finding time
Exercise can lead to health and happiness, even if it comes in stolen moments. by Sam Dean 2
DECEMBER 2012
E
N
T
ROANOKE NEXT
Molding students into ‘perfect job seekers’ Stuart Mease helps Pamplin graduates and potential employers find each other. by Sarah Cox
by Sarah Cox
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Facts & Figures News from the Chamber News from the Partnership
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FROM THE EDITOR Exchanging ideas to turn adversity into opportunity
SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/ NEW RIVER VALLEY REGION
by Tim Thornton
U
pstairs in the City Market Building, there’s a room that used to host boxing matches. But the ring has been replaced with a stage, and a few weekends ago there also was fancy lighting and sound equipment and cameras. A high-tech projector dropped from the ceiling and put images and colors on a screen behind a troupe of dancers called Salsa Noke. The chairs in front of the stage filled with folks who’d come from all over to attend this thing called CityWorks (X)po. The CityWorks website calls it “a collaborative, co-creative, and multidisciplinary idea exchange and festival conference.” From the front of the room, Ed Walker called (X)po “a celebratory experience with purpose.” You’ve probably heard of Ed Walker. The New York Times has. In a story that ran in July, Times culture reporter Melena Ryzik wrote about Walker’s projects on Kirk Avenue (most notably the Kirk Avenue Music Hall), the radio station he saved, the buildings he’s renovated, the positive vibe he’s trying to build in the glow of Roanoke’s big neon star. “Roanoke is a really good small-city laboratory,” Walker told Ryzik. One of Walker’s experiments is CityWorks (X)po. “It’s about the possibilities of human connectivity,” he said in that former boxing venue. (In the interest of full disclosure, Roanoke Business is a CityWorks (X)po sponsor.) A lot of humans connected with each other and with a lot of ideas that October weekend. Kennedy Smith, co-founder of the Community Land Use and Economics (CLUE) Group, talked about a candy company that raised money by issuing bonds — and is paying interest in chocolate. A city trying to decide what to do with a dilapidated downtown hotel hired an artist who turned the building into an art installation. A banner hanging from the building’s top floors said, “Looking for love again.” Two chalkboards at sidewalk level invited passersby to share their memories of the building and their dreams for its future. Within two weeks, Smith says, the community had reached a consensus about what it wanted the building to become. She told about a mother and son cookie company that didn’t sell enough cookies to pay for a permanent space, so they rented four square feet from different businesses, moving their cookie bar and its window-clinging sign to a different location every day. Smith’s theme, though she never said it this way, was finding opportunity in adversity. Many community movie houses, for example, are challenged by the costly change to digital equipment they must make if they’re going to continue to show first-run films. But making the change opens up these theaters to other uses such as distance learning and simulcasts of everything from opera to NASCAR. Sometimes dealing with adversity means creating a new model that draws entrepreneurs into a new collaboration. Smith told of a small-town store that sold quilting material. Business was slowing down. (How many quilts can a person really use, after all?) So the owner set up a website that allowed people to order a quilt they designed from a set of patterns produced by the local quilting circles. Now the local quilters are making money from their hobby, and the store owner is making money because the quilters are buying their material from her. A lot of the ideas floating around (X)po were like that — using a resource or a set of skills that’s available and underused and repurposing it in a way that preserves something that’s important to a community while creating something new and valuable. Sort of like turning that old boxing venue into a place that can host a gathering like (X)po.
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DECEMBER 2012
Vol. 1
DECEMBER 2012
President & Publisher Roanoke Business Editor Contributing Writers
Art Director Contributing Designer Contributing Photographers
Production Manager Circulation Manager Accounting Manager Advertising Sales
No. 6
Bernard A. Niemeier Tim Thornton Betsy Bisenbach Jenny Kincaid Boone Sarah Cox Sam Dean Beth Jones Joan Tupponce Adrienne R. Watson Elizabeth Coffey Sam Dean Alisa Moody Mark Rhodes Kevin L. Dick Karen Chenault Sunny Ogburn Lynn Williams Hunter Bendall
CONTACT: EDITORIAL: (540) 520-2399 ADVERTISING: (540) 597-2499 210 S. Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011-1702 We welcome your feedback. Email Letters to the Editor to Tim Thornton at tthornton@roanoke-business.com VIRGINIA BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS LLC A portfolio company of Virginia Capital Partners LLC Frederick L. Russell Jr.,, chairman
on the cover: Historically, recessions here aren’t as deep or steep as they are in some other places. This time, the Roanoke Valley is still coming back from the Great Recession. The New River Valley looks like it’s already recovered.
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COVER STORY
Economic scorecar The Roanoke Valley is recovering from the Great Recession; the New River Valley already has. 6
DECEMBER 2012
by Jenny Kincaid Boone
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ROANOKE BUSINESS
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Economic Report Card
F
our years ago, Southwest Virginia’s economy hit a major snag. Companies cut jobs, businesses closed and commerce slowed to a crawl. The economy tanked across the nation, taking consumer confidence with it. It was hard to escape The Great Recession of 2007-09. Now, the pendulum slowly is swinging the other way. Some businesses are expanding, hiring and feeling confident. Still, the
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DECEMBER 2012
Roanoke region ―like the majority of the metro areas in Virginia ― is in the recovery phase, according to a quarterly analysis by Chmura Economics & Analytics in Richmond. On the other hand, the Blacksburg area is one of only three metro areas in Virginia that has inched out of recovery, due to substantial job gains since 2008, according to the same report. While some industries in the Roanoke and New River valleys are thriving, others are taking longer to pick up steam. Here’s a breakdown on how the local economy is progressing.
Economic Report Card
Growth among automobile manufacturers has fueled growth at Federal-Mogul.
Photo courtesy Federal-Mogul Corp.
Jobs
Job growth in the Roanoke metropolitan statistical area is not keeping pace with other parts of Virginia. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in August that Roanoke’s total nonfarm employment dropped 0.7 percent from August 2011. It was the only metro area in the state in which jobs declined during this period, says Christine Chmura, chief economist and president of Chmu-
ra Economics & Analytics. Employment in the Roanoke MSA peaked at 163,900 in March 2007 before the recession. It has not returned to those levels. “The Roanoke labor market continues to struggle,” Chmura says. The finance, insurance and real estate sectors are hiring fewer people than other industries, while manufacturing and health care have seen some of the largest job increases in the area. Meanwhile, jobs in the BlacksburgChristiansburg-Radford MSA rose 3.5 percent in August, from August 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In addition, local unemployment rates are dropping. In August, the latest month with available data, the unemployment rate for the Roanoke MSA fell to 6 percent, from 6.8 percent in August 2011 and 7.4 percent in August 2010, according to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). For the Blacksburg-ChristiansburgRadford MSA, the jobless rate was 6.4 percent in August. That is down from 7.1 percent in August 2011 and from 8.1 percent in August 2010. Unemployment across the commonwealth stood at 5.9 percent in September, well below the national rate of 7.8 percent. Still, the unemployment rate does not always provide a clear picture of jobs in an area, Chmura says. For example, the jobless rate may be lower because of people who cannot find work and leave an area. “That’s one of those indicators that is sometimes hard to interpret regionally,” she says.
Health care
Take a look at the employment projections for health-care jobs in this region, and the picture is clear — healthcare professions are thriving, a pattern that is likely to continue. The number of people who worked in education and health services in the Roanoke MSA increased 10 percent from 2002 to 2011, according to the BLS. By 2018, jobs for health-care practitioners and technicians are projected to rise 23 percent in Virginia, according to the VEC. Health-care support jobs also are expected to increase 40 percent by 2018.
Last year, total employment for education and health-care jobs in Roanoke surpassed prerecession levels, according to the BLS. “Because of the aging baby boomer generation, we continue to see health care growing, and it did throughout the entire recession,” Chmura says. In Roanoke, health-care companies are among the area’s top 50 employers. They include Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital; HCA Healthcare, which owns LewisGale Medical Center in Salem; and the Friendship Manor retirement community. Carilion Clinic is the area’s largest private employer, with more than 10,000 employees, according to the Roanoke Regional Partnership, an economic development organization.
Manufacturing
In the past year, a Botetourt County automotive parts manufacturer added $15 million worth of new equipment to its facility and added 95 jobs, with more on the horizon. A Blacksburg automotive supplier added at least 90 new jobs and invested $10 million in new equipment. Expansions at these companies, Dynax America Corp. and Federal-Mogul Corp., respectively, underscore the importance of manufacturing in the Roanoke and New River valleys. In the Roanoke MSA, manufacturers employed 3 percent more people in 2011 than in 2010, making it one of the leading industries for job creation, according to the BLS. Overall, manufacturing jobs accounted for 10.7 percent of the Roanoke region’s private-sector work force in the first quarter of this year, according to the VEC. Like many industries, transportation-related manufacturing slowed some during the recession, but it appears to be back in growth mode, says Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership. The same is true in the New River Valley, which was listed in Area Development Magazine’s top 100 locations for 2012. Many companies that closed other locations around the country have chosen to keep a presence in the New River Valley, says Aric Bopp, executive director of the New River Valley EcoROANOKE BUSINESS
9
Economic Report Card
Tourism
Once owned by Thomas Jefferson, Natural Bridge has attracted tourists for hundreds of years.
nomic Development Alliance. Tax rates lower than the national average, low labor rates and work-force availability likely are some of the reasons these companies decide to stay, he says. “That has resulted in a net gain for us in job creation and investment.” Volvo Trucks in Dublin is the largest employer of all New River Valley manufacturers, with more than 2,000 workers. In Blacksburg, manufacturers added 818 jobs in 2011, accounting for 69 percent of all new jobs in the region, according to a Chmura report. Nationally, manufacturing is on the rebound, Chmura says. Companies are choosing to keep operations in the U.S. because productivity is high and wage rates in other countries, such as China 10
DECEMBER 2012
and India, are increasing, she says. Expansions at Federal-Mogul and Dynax are tied to growing business from automobile companies. FederalMogul’s Blacksburg operation produces a bearing product attractive to automaker customers, says Jim Burke, a company spokesman. The company is one of the top 11 largest employers in the New River Valley. Dynax is considered one of the largest private employers in the Roanoke Valley. Its expansion was tied to new contracts with several automotive companies, including Ford and General Motors, says Twyla Elliott, company spokeswoman. Dynax manufactures components for automatic transmissions. “Our production is based on what the market is needing,” Elliott says.
Improving economic conditions statewide appear to be driving up spending by travelers in Southwest Virginia. Out-of-towners who visited the Roanoke Valley spent $703 million in 2011, up 8 percent from 2010, according to the latest data reported by the Virginia Tourism Corp., the state’s tourism marketing arm. Similarly, tourist spending rose 8 percent in the New River Valley, which includes Radford and Pulaski and Montgomery counties. Travelers to those areas spent $186 million total in 2011, Virginia Tourism reported. Tourists are considered people who visited the area from more than 100 miles away, according to the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau. Spending increases could be tied to a ramped-up effort this year by the bureau to market the region as “Virginia’s Blue Ridge.” The bureau redesigned its website, created a mobile phone app and pushed out its message through a large advertising campaign, which publicizes the region as a metro-mountain mix. The publicity appears to be working, says Landon Howard, the bureau’s president. Improving economic conditions since the recession are another likely reason for the increased spending. “People are not going to travel unless they feel certain about their job,” he says. Also, in 2011, lodging taxes for hotels in Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke, Franklin and Botetourt counties rose about 11 percent, from 2010, a signal that the area’s hotels are seeing more travelers. “Our goal is to put heads in beds and to get people to our attractions and to our restaurants,” Howard says. Roanoke’s leisure and hospitality industry employed 2 percent more people as of August, compared with the same month of 2011, according to the BLS. It did not report New River Valley jobs figures. Still, in some ways, tourism’s impact on the local economy may not be immediately obvious. “Sometimes, Photo by Adrienne R. Watson
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Economic Report Card someone who travels to a region for tourism activity will decide they like it enough that they retire in the region. That supports overall growth,” Chmura says. “Or when they expand their business, they expand in the region because they like the quality of life.”
Home sales have risen in recent years but have not returned to prerecession levels.
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DECEMBER 2012
The region’s real estate market is showing signs of improvement, but the market still isn’t robust. The number of Roanoke Valley homes sold in 2011 rose 5 percent to 3,432, compared with 3,269 in 2010, according to a report by the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors (RVAR). Sales have not reached prerecession levels, but the latest increase is a signal to some real estate professionals that consumers are feeling confident again. “The numbers indicate that we are on the backside of the bottom,” says Melissa Morgan, a Roanoke-area Realtor and president of the RVAR. Home sales in the Roanoke Valley slowed dramatically from 2008 to 2010, following the same patterns during the real estate bust that caused home prices and sales nationwide to practically halt in some cities. Last year, the number of homes sold in the Roanoke Valley topped the three previous years. Also, in August, homes sales jumped above sales totals for the previous four Augusts, based on RVAR data. “It seems as though buyer confidence is on the rise,” Morgan says. Much of the sales activity has been fueled by investors snatching up lowpriced foreclosure properties to renovate and resell. The total sales volume of Roanoke-area foreclosed houses is not available, Morgan says. But there is evidence that foreclosed properties are putting pressure on the region’s housing prices. In an April survey of Virginia real estate professionals, 50 percent who work in the Roanoke Valley said distressed homes ― which include foreclosures and short sales ― weighed significantly on housing prices. Similarly, 40 percent of New River Valley real estate agents reported the same finding. The survey was conPhoto by Mark Rhodes
H a pp y H ol i d a y s!
Celebrate with us in Radford and Roanoke The Nutcracker
RU Holiday Choral Concert
Dec. 7, 8 p.m.; Dec. 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Dec. 9, 2 p.m. Bondurant Auditorium, Preston Hall, Radford University
Dec. 7, 8 p.m. St. Andrew’s Church, Roanoke
Visit www.radford.edu/arts-calendar to learn more.
Economic Report Card ducted by the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond and the Virginia Association of Realtors. The real estate market is not out of the woods yet. Although home sales are up, prices remain down compared with the same months in 2011. Single-family home prices in the Roanoke MSA, for example, declined by 4.9 percent in the second quarter of 2012 from the same quarter in 2011, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s House Price Index, which measures quarterly price movement. This data represents a stronger price equilibrium, because it analyzes the same houses over time, Chmura says. Similarly, the price of single-family homes dropped to negative 0.2 percent for the Blacksburg-ChristiansburgRadford MSA in the second quarter of 2012, down from the second quarter of 2011. Tighter limits on financing continue to stunt some home sales activity for buyers who have less than stellar credit, Morgan says.
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DECEMBER 2012
In the state survey of real estate professionals, 93 percent in the Roanoke Valley report that housing inventories remain high or relatively high. For the New River Valley, 90 percent of real estate agents believe inventories are high. Nonetheless, interest rates are historically low, at 3.39 percent for 30-year mortgages and 2.70 percent for 15-year loans in October, according to mortgage financing giant Freddie Mac. “Buyers have so many advantages with the ridiculously low interest rates,” Morgan says. “If they have credit, they’re golden.”
Retail sales
An uncertain U.S. economy continues to weigh on consumers’ minds. In some cases, it prevents them from spending money at high levels. Still, a silver lining ― albeit thin ― remains in the Roanoke and New River Valley retail markets. Retail sales perked up slightly in fiscal year 2012, from fiscal 2011, based on sales tax figures reported by Roanoke City and Roanoke and Montgomery
counties. But consumer spending nationally has wavered, according to reports by the U.S. Commerce Department. In the Roanoke Valley, some small retailers and restaurants have closed in the past year, citing slow sales. Also, the troubled Keagy Village shopping center in Roanoke County was bought back by the bank in a foreclosure auction earlier this year. Plans for this 15-acre center were announced in 2004, but the center never could attract a large anchor tenant. Most of its retail spaces are dark, though a few businesses, including Dunkin’ Donuts and Firehouse Subs, are still there. In Blacksburg, the First & Main retail center was reclaimed by Wells Fargo in 2010, but last year lost many of its tenants, including Books-a-Million. This year, a group of Virginia Tech alumni bought the center, even though the majority of its spaces were vacant. The center opened in 2009 with high hopes of drawing upscale retailers and restaurants. Meanwhile, there has not been a
Economic Report Card large influx of new retailers setting up shop in the Roanoke region, according to a second-quarter report from the Roanoke office of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. Describing leasing transactions during the quarter, “less than a third of those transactions involved a tenant that made their first entry into the market, and only a portion [less than a third] of those transactions included tenants that would be considered a regional or national operator,” the report says. This scenario leaves property owners wooing existing local businesses to fill shopping center space. That could be good news for some retailers, who are looking for deals on leasing rates or build-out costs. “This will create an opportunity for local tenants to upgrade their real estate while also either maintaining their occupancy costs or receiving additional incentives that will offset their build-out costs,” the Thalhimer report says. Still, a few retail chains are trying out the Roanoke market. The North Caroli-
na-based Cook-Out restaurant chain filed a building permit in August to construct a 3,800-square-foot, fast-food “sit down” restaurant on Hershberger Road in Roanoke. And several new stores are scheduled to open or already have opened at Valley View Mall in Roanoke, taking spaces where former retailers closed. They include Ulta Beauty, a national skincare and make-up chain, and Plow & Hearth, a Virginia-based home and garden retailer.
Biotech
High tech and biotech businesses are some of the top jobs leaders in the New River Valley, especially in Blacksburg. Employment for these jobs jumped 19.1 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to a quarterly Chmura report. Similarly in Roanoke, biotech jobs, also known as the life-sciences industry, increased 5.2 percent in 2011, compared with 2010, according to the Roanoke Regional Partnership. The sector includes medical devices, clinical and research jobs.
Some of these kinds of companies were born as a result of scientific exploits by Virginia Tech researchers. Also, there are numerous support services available to help these kinds of businesses grow and develop in the New River Valley, including VT KnowledgeWorks. This entity offers business advice and office space for startup companies inside the Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, where it is located. “We’re in a good position to pursue startup companies that move to the area,” says Bopp of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance. An example of a growing biotech business is TechLab, a company that researches and manufactures intestinal diagnostics. The company outgrew its headquarters at the Corporate Research Center and last year announced plans to move its manufacturing operation to the 54,000-square-foot Branwick Center in Radford. It kept its CRC office space for research and development. “It is as good of a success story that you can hope for,” Bopp says.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
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TECHNOLOGY
Opossum or possum? Veterinary Medical Informatics Laboratory is developing a common vocabulary of terms by Beth Jones
P
Veterinary Medical Informatics Laboratory director Jeff Wilcke says the lab’s work is “based on the work of every biologist who ever categorized a cricket.”
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DECEMBER 2012
ity the cocktail party guest who hits Suzanne Santamaria with the “and-what-do-you-do?” question. As a veterinary medical terminologist at the Veterinary Medical Informatics Laboratory (VMIL), Santamaria may begin a given workweek pondering how different scientists might describe a Didelphis virginiana. She’ll consult reference books, bounce ideas off her peers, ponder some more. Didelphis virginiana is the scientific name for a Virginia opossum, an animal sometimes also referred to as a North American opossum. Additionally, there can be confusion over the “opossum” vs. “possum” spelling. “All those names can be applied even though it’s the same concept,” Santamaria explains. Santamaria’s job at VMIL, part of the VirginiaMaryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, is to help the computer understand that all those names mean the same thing. “So a computer can tell when one lab reports ‘Virginia possum,’ it is the same thing as another lab [that] reports ‘North American possum,’” Santamaria says. “This helps in collating, comparing and analyzing data.” “We’re trying to make sure that what gets said is Photo by Sam Dean
what is intended,” says Jeff Wilcke, director of VMIL and a professor at the veterinary school. If this all sounds like an endeavor for the bookish, that’s because it is. But the work also leads to real-world solutions to problems plaguing both pets and people. Naturally, the projects being completed at VMIL stand to benefit veterinarians in private practice and in research. But the office’s efforts also help the government in detecting outbreaks of disease and even bioterrorism attacks. Clients of VMIL include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Indeed, Joan Knapp, associate branch chief for science at the CDC, describes the work being undertaken at VMIL as nothing short of “absolutely critical.” A diverse clientele Much of the work completed at VMIL centers around the Systematized Nomenclature of MedicineClinical Terms (SNOMED – CT), a comprehensive, standardized health-care vocabulary system originally created by a group of pathologists. Today, SNOMED – CT is digital, and users can search and manipulate that data. The team at VMIL works to evaluate terms relating to veterinary medicine in SNOMED – CT and add new concepts related to veterinary medicine. Because SNOMED – CT is so comprehensive, users can get overwhelmed by its sheer size. To address
that, the staff at VMIL builds subsets of the vocabulary system. For instance, one subset offers the medical concepts used by veterinary clients as well as terminology not common to human medicine. “It makes it more palatable for everybody,” Wilcke says. If private-practice veterinary offices decide to follow the lead of human health care by creating electronic health records, the veterinarians will likely be consulting with VMIL. “To do it you have to have the terminology we work with,” explains Wilcke. VMIL also is working with the FDA to help create an electronic labeling system for animal drugs. Labels stored electronically, Santamaria points out, can be quickly edited or updated, which is important since “labels change all the time.” Another advantage of having medication labels online is they’re then searchable, meaning veterinarians in private practice can search for a medication best suited, for example, for a boxer who weighs 70 pounds and is suffering from pneumonia. “They won’t have to rely on their memory,” Santamaria explains. Knapp works with VMIL on another project, which will allow laboratories to make testing requests and receive testing results electronically. Again, the goal is to make sure the computer knows what animal the laboratory workers are talking about if they call it by different names. “We have to have a way of making sure we’re talking about the same thing,” says Knapp. VMIL also provides
standardized terminologies for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), a network of state and federal animal diagnostic laboratories created so the country will be quicker at spotting emerging diseases and bioterrorist events. The NAHLN Information Technology System, created with standardized terminology services from VMIL, was designed so that labs across the country could report lab results quickly and accurately. “It’s all about finding disease when it happens,” says Julie Green, an assistant professor in the Master of Science Veterinary Medical Informatics program at Virginia Tech. Future of VMIL Politicians are counting on the creation of electronic health records to trim skyrocketing health costs and improve care. “There are billions of dollars to be saved,” says Wilcke, VMIL’s director. That means taxpayers are footing a lot of the bill for the transformation from paper to electronic medical data, including paying for the work of medical informaticians. “In veterinary medicine we have the same goals, but we don’t have tens of millions of dollars to pay for it,” Wilcke explains. Building standardized medical terminologies and incorporating their use into computer technology “is an expensive proposition,” says the CDC’s Knapp. “And it’s undervalued because people don’t understand how critical it is. They probably don’t know it exists.” Even if companies were rushing to finance VMIL,
Wilcke questions the ethics of profiting from creating standardized terminologies. “The fundamental problem of what we do is that it’s based on the work of every biologist who ever categorized a cricket,” Wilcke says. “I don’t own the words. We facilitate their proper use in systems. Nobody should be obligated to pay for words. You have to give it away.” And yet, VMIL also needs to pay the salaries of its highly trained staff. “The weird part for us is our uncertainties of how are we going to continue to pay for it,” Wilcke says. Additionally, Wilcke has increasingly felt in recent years that VMIL’s work doesn’t fit into the mission of a research university. “We’re only nominally doing research here,” he says. “By and large what we’re performing for our profession is a service.” Wilcke believes the solution is for VMIL to become a not-for-profit organization. He hopes to soon produce a business plan to detail what that would look like. Whether Santamaria is working for the university or a not-for-profit organization, it doesn’t sound like she will be changing careers any time soon. When she worked in private practice right after finishing veterinary school, Santamaria loved going home knowing she was helping animals have better lives. As a veterinary medical terminologist, she feels like she’s making an even bigger impact. “The goal of every vet is to treat animals,” she says, “and the work I do now affects millions of animals and people, too.”
ROANOKE BUSINESS
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HEALTH CARE
Dollars and pounds
Va. Tech researchers discover that different labels can lead to different choices
Elena Serrano and Ruby Cox of Virginia Tech discuss nutrition in a grocery produce department.
by Joan Tupponce
D
ollars make sense. Calories don’t. Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, restaurants have had federal guidelines regarding the posting of calories.
Photo by Michael Kiernan courtesy Virginia Tech
In one of the first-ever studies conducted in a realworld setting with children’s meals, researchers at Virginia Tech found that listing calories on a menu may not be as effective as seeing the nutrition bargain price of
food, which shows the nutritional value of food in real dollars. The nutrition bargain price concept stemmed from research conducted by economists and psychologists that involved current
rewards versus future rewards. “If I give you a choice between $100 today versus $100 three months from now, you would choose today,” says Professor George Davis of the college’s Department of Agriculture and
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Health Care
Virginia Tech professors Deborah Good and George Davis conduct research on mice predisposed to obesity.
Applied Economics. He notes that people who were influenced by the nutrition bargain price, got an immediate, healthy reward for their choice. “There is a strong bias for immediate rewards.” To determine the nutrition bargain price, researchers divided the cost of food by the nutrient index. “The lower the nutrition bargain price, the more nutrition you get for the price,” Davis says. “It tells you this is the nutritional value you are getting for the money you are spending.” For example, if you have two dishes on the menu and both are the same price, the better value would be the meal with the lower nutrition bargain price, which would also have the higher nutritional index. Associate Professor Elena Serrano, who often focuses on childhood obesity in her work at Tech’s College 20
DECEMBER 2012
of Agriculture and Life Sciences, participated in the study along with Davis and marketing Assistant Professor Jane Machin, who works in Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. The study focused on foods found on children’s menus in restaurants. Many children consume too many calories when they dine out, a habit that can lead to childhood obesity. The number of children who are obese in the United States has almost tripled over the past 30 years. “In order to most effectively combat the obesity epidemic, we need to find the most effective ways to inform people to make the right eating decisions,” Davis says. Serrano and Virginia Jedda conducted the study, “Comparison of Fast-Food and Non-Fast-Food Children’s Menu Items,” which was published in 2010 and looked at the nutritional value of fast food versus non-fast
food served in sit-down restaurants. “It found that fast-food children’s meals were generally more nutritious than full-service children’s meals because of portion size and side items such as fruit or vegetables instead of just French fries or potato chips,” Serrano says, adding that restaurants often offered children the same size portion as an adult. The more recent study, published in June in the national nutrition journal, Appetite, helps parents use information about nutrition to make healthy choices for their families. As part of their work, researchers interviewed restaurant officials to see whether they were willing to create a new menu for the study that would include standard options along with some healthier options. The participating restaurant used a one-page menu that included six comPhoto by Michael Kiernan courtesy Virginia Tech
Health Care binations and a few a la carte items. For the first two months of the study, no nutritional information was included on the menu. The second menu phase listed the number of calories for each item. During the third menu phase, the calorie information was taken off and replaced with a healthy symbol. The final menu contained the nutritional bargain price for each item. “One of the novel components was that this was done at the Blacksburg Country Club, where we had the same people going through,” Davis says. “What had the most impact on shifting people’s choices was the nutrition bargain price. It had the effect that we were looking for.” While listing the calorie information or using symbols to denote healthy choices did seem to sway some people’s choices, neither method proved as effective as the nutrition bargain price. “We were not convinced the calorie information on the menu is the most effective way to communicate
SERVING THE ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG REGION
nutritious options to consumers,” Serrano says. Trying to figure out how many calories you are supposed to consume in a day can be challenging, she adds. “There is a wide range. You have kids who need 1,400 calories and active men that get 3,000 calories, for example.” Also, calories are in a unit that most people don’t understand. “The nutrition bargain price changed units to something that was easily understandable and that had an immediate impact,” Davis says. Virginia Tech’s study also has implications for businesses and suppliers. Restaurants could raise the price of the meal with a higher nutritional index and still have the nutrition bargain price lower than a meal at the same dollar price that doesn’t have as much nutritional value. For example, if meal A is $4 with a nutrition index value of 2, then the nutrition bargain price will be $2. If meal B is $4 with a nutrition index value of 1, then the nutrition
bargain price will be $4. A restaurant owner could raise the price of meal A to $5, giving it a nutrition bargain price of $2.50, which is still lower than meal B’s nutrition bargain price. “It allows businesses some flexibility to price food based on nutritional quality,” Davis says. Davis and his fellow researchers are working on a grant to extend nutrition bargain price labeling to more restaurants. While it is promising, the new labeling doesn’t work for everyone, especially people who aren’t interested in changing their eating habits. “Menu labeling seems to be effective for individuals that want to eat healthy and make positive choices. If they are not at that point, it may not influence their choices,” Serrano says. “This study illustrates that menu labeling content can have a subtle, but significant impact on the choices people make when eating out, especially if we consider positive choices over time.”
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I M PA C .
Virginia Tech helps the commonwealth weather financial uncertainty and high unemployment by stimulating economic development and creating jobs. True to our roots, we’re using intellectual capital, research prowess, and collaborative resources to launch innovative enterprises that improve lives. Partnerships like the new Rolls-Royce jet engine plant in Prince George County, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute in Roanoke, and Southside’s Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research are all examples of how we’re boosting the economy and creating career opportunities never before available, making Virginia Tech responsible for more than 17,000 jobs and a $1.5 billion economic impact across the state. To learn more, visit www.thisisthefuture.com.
EDUCATION
More than an academic exercise
Business centers at Radford and Tech help entrepreneurs and give students handson experience by Betsy Biesenbach When Heather Pettus and her sisters sought a plan to revive the old Byrd’s store, they turned to Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and its Small Business Institute.
Photo by Sam Dean
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Education
D
uring the first half of the 20th century, the weathered old building that held Byrd’s store was the center of Montgomery County’s Price’s Fork community. “Miners would get their supplies here,” says Heather Pettus, who, along with her sisters Michelle Berg and Susannah Hamel, inherited the property several years ago. Through the old store’s ledgers, Pettus says, “You can see the lives of people who lived in Price’s Fork.” Though Pettus says the building is in “really bad shape,” she and her sisters have decided to try to save it. “I had to figure out how to fund it,” she says. To do that, she needed a business plan. An online search led Pettus to Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and its Small Business Institute led by Reed Kennedy. His small business consulting class provided the sisters with marketing information, cost estimates and a computer-generated budget that Pettus can plug numbers into as the project goes along — all at no cost to her and her sisters. Pettus wanted to put some sort of business in the old building Kennedy but wasn’t sure what type of enterprise might succeed. Kennedy’s class surveyed local residents and recommended a coffeehouse and café. “They were fantastic,” Pettus says of the students. “It was really beyond just trying to create a business. It wasn’t just an academic exercise. It was a sense of community.” Kennedy calls the Small Business Institute “a catch-all for people who are interest-
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Anthony Byrd heads up the Small Business Development Center at Radford University, a source of assistance for enterpreneurs.
Photo by Sam Dean
ed in starting a business or improving and growing.” While some businesses, such as Pettus’, qualify for the 60 or so class projects his students handle each year, many others receive business audits, financial projections and other consulting services. “We talk about what their need is and direct them to the best resources. We get beyond the Google searches,” Kennedy says. Business owners and prospective entrepreneurs in the region have two local schools to assist them in planning and improving their operations, Virginia Tech and Radford University. Both are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, something just 15 percent of
the world’s business schools can claim. “This is not an incredibly highly populated area, but there is a lot of higher education,” says Derick Maggard, executive director of the Roanoke Valley-Blacksburg Technology Council, a 200-member association. “It’s really good for our economic system. We’re seeing a lot of students who are being very innovative in what they do and how they do it.” U.S. News and World Report ranks Tech’s Pamplin College of Business 40th among the nation’s undergraduate business schools and 84th among graduate business schools. Pamplin offers majors in eight disciplines, including accounting, economics, finance
and hospitality. It has 3,600 undergraduates plus 270 full-time and 160 part-time MBA students. Radford’s College of Business and Economics didn’t make the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, but its MBA program is listed among the Princeton Review’s “Best 296 Business Schools.” This year, enrollment stands at 1,436 undergraduates and 84 graduate students. Radford’s services to the business community include the Governmental and Nonprofit Assistance Center, which serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas, and the Small Business Development Center, funded by the federal Small Business Administration. They provide educational materials and templates for business plans. Students are involved “based on their interest level,” says Faye Gilbert, dean of the College of Business and Economics. MBA students provide assistance with specific projects and internships. Anthony Byrd, director of Radford’s Small Business Development Center, says most people find it the same way they find Tech’s Small Business Institute, through an online search. The center can help businesses starting from scratch or established companies that need resources for retraining, planning assistance, loan packaging, business data or information about becoming a government contractor. Gilbert says the focus at Radford is on providing students with experience and producing “someone who knows how to work on a team.” Dale Lee, vice president of RGC Resources and a member of Radford’s advisory council, sees herself as an ambassador for the university, encourag-
Education ing a relationship between the college and the Roanoke/New River Valley community. “I like to think regionally,” she says. The valleys, she says, are close enough together to share costs and concepts. The school’s MBA students don’t just sit through classes, Lee says. They participate in applied projects that “connect with an employer and can identify an issue that makes them vital to the employer.” That provides students with “some level of job experience so they can stand above other graduates.” Lee says the utility industry is facing an aging work force, and proficiency in social media is vital. “You need someone under 25,” she says. “I think interns are invaluable.” Social media is second nature to students, says Kennedy, the director of Tech’s Small Business Institute. Some of his clients don’t know much about advertising on the Web. “Some don’t see the need,” he says. “They don’t want to spend the money for it and don’t see the value in it.” Younger people often “bring a nice perspective to a team,” he says. Gilbert, the Radford dean, says class work is oriented toward having students do real projects. Last spring, students in the social networking class developed applications and tracked their outcomes. She acknowledges that, because of its national ranking and doctoral programs, Tech can be a bigger draw for prospective students, but at Radford, “faculty members often know [students] by name. It’s a more interactive feel.” The two schools “complement each other,” she says. “Both provide a really strong educational base for this region.”
A ‘ tlas’ explored Grants promote business classes using Ayn Rand’s novels by Betsy Biesenbach
R
adford University and Virginia Tech are among dozens of colleges and universities using grants from BB&T’s charitable foundation for classes encouraging the study of Ayn Rand’s books and her philosophy of objectivism. Rand, an atheist born in Russia in 1905, died in New York in 1982. She was a playwright, screenwriter and a movie extra as Patterson well as a philosopher and novelist. Her devotees include former BB&T CEO John Allison, who championed the foundation’s promotion of Rand’s ideas; Paul Ryan, who credited Rand’s writing with persuading him to enter public service and said she “did the best job of anyone else to explain the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism;” and Alan Greenspan, who was a member of her inner circle decades before he Martin became chairman of the Federal Reserve. Rand explained her philosophy in a 1959 television interview with Mike Wallace, saying that man’s “highest moral purpose is the achievement of his own happiness … Each man must live as an end in himself and follow his own rational self-interest.” She called self-sacrifice “evil.” Glen Martin, a Radford philosophy professor, says Rand “taught a gospel of pure egotistic selfishness and survival of the fittest.” Martin, like the American Association of University Professors and others, is concerned about the strings accompanying the BB&T grants. Those strings sometimes suggest and sometimes require assigning “Atlas Shrugged,” Rand’s 1,200-page novel. “It’s not a course on A ‘ tlas Shrugged,’ ” says Douglas Patterson from Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. “It’s a book that business students should be aware of.” Faye Gilbert, dean of Radford’s College of Business and Economics says, “We love it. It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore the moral
foundations of capitalism.” She says the Radford reading list has included newspaper and magazine articles, “War and Peace” and Shakespeare plays in addition to “Atlas Shrugged.” The BB&T grant also has brought speakers to Radford, sent faculty to Ayn Rand Institute conferences and to conferences on the moral foundations of capitalism and “Atlas Shrugged” at Clemson University’s Institute for the Study of Capitalism. (The institute is funded by a BB&T grant.) Virginia Tech offers one graduate class and one undergraduate class each year sponsored by the foundation. The focus, Patterson said, is on the study of free-market economies. “I run it like a seminar,” he says. “We talk about contemporary issues.” In addition to “Atlas Shrugged,” assigned readings have included “The Communist Manifesto,” Alan Greenspan’s “The Age of Turbulence” and Paul Samuelson’s “Economics.” Speakers at Tech have included Allison and former Gov. Jim Gilmore. The grant allowed faculty members to attend a 2011 talk by Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas Sargent at Wake Forest University’s BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism. Last year, Bloomberg.com quoted Allison saying, “We have sought out professors who wanted to teach these ideas. It’s really a battle of ideas. If the ideas that made America great aren’t heard, then their influence will be destroyed.” “BB&T has not been overly proscriptive,” Gilbert says. “We’re not indoctrinating. We’re exploring all sides of the issue. The beauty of it is having the support to have the discussion and the debates.” Radford began receiving $75,000 annually in 2009. Virginia Tech’s has been getting $100,000 a year since 2006. Both grants are for 10 years.
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INTERVIEW:
Faye Gilbert, Dean, Radford University’s College of Business and Economics
Under one roof
Dean Faye Gilbert expects many benefits from Radford’s new COBE building
RU President Penelope Kyle, center, with (left to right) Angie Hall, field representative for U.S. 9th District Rep. Morgan Griffith; Virginia 6th District Del. Anne B. CrockettStark; COBE Dean Faye Gilbert; Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng; Virginia 12th District Del. Joseph Yost; and Linda Whitley-Taylor, rector of the RU Board of Visitors.
by Sarah Cox
F
aye W. Gilbert, dean and professor of marketing at Radford University’s College of Business and Economics (COBE), has been instrumental in maintaining the school’s accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and bringing to fruition the new $44 million COBE building that opened in August. Gilbert, who holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas, served as dean of the J. Whitney Bunting School of Business at Georgia College and State University from 2003 until 2008 when she became dean of COBE. Gilbert notes that AACSB accreditation is the highest a business school can achieve. “The estimate now is that fewer than 10 percent of schools actually achieve AACSB accreditation,” Gil-
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bert says. “There are requirements for faculty qualifications, strategic management and assurance of learning that contribute to the quality of programs over time. AACSB provides thought leadership, and many schools are members of AACSB that have not yet achieved accreditation.” Radford’s COBE offers bachelor of business administration majors in accounting, finance, management, management with an entrepreneurship concentration, marketing and economics. It also offers a bachelor of science degree in economics and a master of business administration (MBA) degree. Among its many amenities, the new COBE building has a balcony off Gilbert’s office suite, giving the dean a commanding view of campus.
Roanoke Business: How is the new COBE building going to affect the quality of Radford University’s business education? Gilbert: I believe [it will] in a number of ways. The faculty has offered a quality business education for a long time … alumni have said that faculty focuses on development of individuals, to help them achieve goals in life. It is a very distinctive culture, between faculty and students, and faculty with each other. The building reflects the quality that is already here; it was designed by them. They can see each other in halls now, as opposed to being in five different buildings. They still collaborated, at a commendable level, and now when they go down the hall, there are two or three different disciplines just in the Photo by Noah Magnifico courtesy Radford University
hallways, so the building is a reflection of who they are as a faculty. And it’s not just the COBE environment, but students from all over campus use the building. There’s room to gather in teams of six or eight, study and talk and share information on computers — it’s their space, and they know it. … It simulates what will be expected in many organizations they may work for when they graduate — getting workers together to talk about what needs to happen next. It’s in that space that the best ideas happen. It also features the latest in educational technology and financial research capabilities, including a trading room. … and it’s being used by faculty and students in finance, marketing and accounting … There are two screens on each desk, so they get to do what people in industry do — stretching a spreadsheet between two screens and maneuvering between them. …The trading room has state-of-the-art software in finance, access to DataStream and a Bloomberg terminal. We’re also a certiport of Microsoft, so students can become certified in Excel here. RB: How is COBE distinct from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business? Do you feel pressure to compare or do you attract a different type of student? Gilbert: I think Pamplin is in a different market. I very much respect and admire what they do and who they are, so I don’t feel we are direct competitors. We are a regional, comprehensive institution, our class sizes are much smaller, our faculty is publishing well, but I don’t believe the students who step on the Virginia Tech campus and just love it resonant as well with Radford. It’s a wonderful resource for this region to have both, as well as community colleges around us. My recollection is that 85 percent of Radford students stay within Virginia. Our regional focus is also manifested in our centers — the Governmental and Nonprofit Assistance Center … where they do much of the training for treasurers of cities throughout the commonwealth and certification testing nationally. We also house the Small Business Development Center for Radford and
the New River Valley. Those connections let us help our region grow. Our average class size is 36 across the College of Business — that’s a luxurious place to be. … The smaller class size is an indicator of the possibility of a closer relationship that is developmental in tone but gets translated here into action. RB: What is the job placement rate for COBE graduates? Gilbert: The latest survey had showed that 85 percent of 2011 graduates of COBE were employed within three months of graduation. I know for us, that is high. … There was a 60 to 62 percent [job placement rate] on the day of graduation, and in this economy, we have defined that as something we wanted to work on. RB: Are internships still necessary for business students, and does the faculty of COBE help with placement? Gilbert: The students really need to find their own. Internships used to be a luxury; for larger firms, now, they are a requirement. It gives students experience of some sort, with hands-on problems and the confidence that they can manage problems. I do believe it is essential in going forward. I read that 85, 90 percent of companies today feel that internships are required for starting positions — this is for the Fortune 500 companies. The principal thought is that companies want to reduce risk. RB: There are four directives in the business school’s strategic plan that include goals to invest in your people, programs, society and future. One of these is to “involve faculty and students in applied learning experiences that are innovative and distinctive.” How is this implemented, and how is the economy affecting this implementation? Gilbert: We have begun [the strategic plan] … We are connected virtually with [Université Blaise Pascal] in France [an international business school] where their students present strategic plans, and in spring, our students present business
plans to them. … Many organizations demand intercultural competency. We have then extended that to virtual learning through Kassel University [Germany] … and we are working to develop virtual connections in India, Ireland, Africa and Israel. RB: In the strategic plan, some of your most pressing concerns were listed as having underdeveloped connections with alumni, donors and members of the Advisory Council, as well as an undefined image for COBE among key constituents. How has that improved? Gilbert: We wrote that plan in 2008. Since that time, we’ve had well over 30 spaces now that are named in the new building, so donors are stepping up, alumni and friends are on board, and those relationships are much more developed than in ’08. The economy has been scary for higher education, but leadership here has been gifted in guiding us through this economy with a minimal amount of pain and agony. We are still frugal and want to be good stewards, but we feel very fortunate compared to many institutions around country. So, the challenges going forward are similar to any college of business — refining what you want to be known for, and refining your connection with external constituents. But at Radford we are good partners with our region, as well as beyond, and we have some strengths here. We’ve strengthened our image actively, globally and entrepreneurially … we are talking about the intersection of analytics and innovation. We are talking about what skills we want to develop in our students. Our constituents are employers of all kinds — the large companies, small organizations, outreach and nonprofit — all of those — and parents and relatives who help students, the students and what they want from life; potential donors, alumni and friends; the faculty and their families and staff. We have over 55 members of the Advisory Council for the College of Business and Economics, and many are alumni. We have over 10,000 alumni for COBE, so we certainly want our alumni to come back, see our building, meet students and tell their stories. ROANOKE BUSINESS
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LIFESTYLES
Finding time Exercise can lead to health and happiness, even if it comes in stolen moments
Hollie Flynn runs through her Salem neighborhood.
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by Sam Dean
DECEMBER 2012
Lifestyles
A
little after three in the afternoon, an intercom crackles and a voice echoes through the halls of Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Southeast Roanoke: It’s time to go home. Find your bus or your ride; another day is done. A wiry man carrying a walkietalkie, wearing a tie and a Virginia Tech maroon sweater vest monitors a stairwell as the students come tumbling from their classrooms, flowing past him like a river. “It’s all about aerodynamics,” says Principal Ed Shepherd, as he stops to chat with one student, fist bump another and radio a teacher to advise that a boy’s pants are riding a little too low. Shepherd knows a thing or two about the need for streamlining. In addition to leading a Roanoke city school, he’s a competitive athlete who was part of Virginia Tech’s national championship cycling team in 1998. He was ACC conference champion the same year. Oh, and he raced against Lance Armstrong, too — back in the prescandal days. Moments after the students are safely on their way home, Shepherd is pedaling his bike on the Roanoke River Greenway, having done a quick change in his office. Like many, the busy professional and family man has come to see the value in keeping fitness at the heart of his day. Actually, he never had to be told that he should make it a priority. He knows he needs it as much as food or air. Without it, he says, he’s not the husband, father or professional he needs to be. But it’s not always easy: Work Photos by Sam Dean
keeps him late at times. His kids get sick. His wife has a life of her own. It’s on the home front that finding a balance is difficult. In Salem, Hollie Flynn is a single mom who started her first business at 26. She owned three Roanoke-area fitness centers for 14 years before founding Wellness Spark, a company that offers holistic life design and strategy services. She has co-owned Odyssey Adventure Racing (a race promotion organization that specializes in ultra-distance and extreme sporting events) since 2005. “You have to learn to manage expectations,” she says. “Balancing work and fitness is easy compared to
ning stroller and envisioned trotting through her neighborhood as the cool, uber-fit new mom. Baby Taylor would have none of it. “A few yards down the road, and she would just start screaming,” says Flynn. “I wanted to run, hike and share all those things with her, but it wasn’t happening like I had planned.” Still, Flynn knew she would be a better mom if she placed a high priority on her own fitness needs. Time for Plan B. “They say it takes a village to raise a child. I was thinking, ‘Where’s our freaking village?’” she says. “We had to create it and to not be afraid to ask for help.”
Hollie Flynn and her daughter Taylor Angell share a snack at Flynn’s home in Salem.
fitness and family.” Always an avid She learned some valuable lesrunner, she remembers preparing sons during that season. “If you’re a for the birth of her daughter, Tay- solo mama or dad and can’t trade-off lor Angell, by purchasing a new run- with a partner to grab a workout, you ROANOKE BUSINESS
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Lifestyles
Ed Shepherd rides the Roanoke River Greenway moments after finishing work at Jackson Middle School.
Photo by Sam Dean
must enlist the help of grandparents or trade off with friends,” she says. Support is key, echoes Shepherd, who shares parenting duties with an understanding wife, herself an athlete. Still, juggling it all can be a challenge. “You have to learn to be an opportunist,” he says. “And if you only have 30 minutes, make it a quality 30 minutes. It’s always about quality rather than quantity.” 30
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Shepherd keeps workout gear stashed in key places, such as his office and car. Recently, after dropping his daughter off for an evening gymnastics practice, he hit the greenway for an 8-mile tempo run and was back before her final tumble. Neither Flynn nor Shepherd accepts the excuse that one is too busy to exercise. “If you have time for television, then you have time for a workout,” says Flynn. “Accept that
there will never seem to be enough time. You have to decide that this is important to your life and overall well-being. Claim it and commit to it, and recommit often.” Shepherd points out to his students and staff that he has no more hours in a day than they do. “We all get 24,” he says. “It’s a question of what you do with them.” The tough-love approach might not work for everyone. Maybe your goal isn’t to run an ultra-marathon or race Lance Armstrong. You just need help getting out of the office or off the couch. Flynn’s advice is to find what works for you. “If you can’t stand running or lifting weights, then you’ll never stay committed,” she says. “If ballroom dancing gets you moving, then do that. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t bring more stress into your life.” Stress is one of the main reasons Shepherd stays active. “People always wonder how I can have what can be a stressful job and still maintain low blood pressure. It’s because of exercise. It’s a release. If you have a rough day, you just get out there and get it out, then you have more energy and focus for the other areas of your life.” The greenway route Shepherd pedals and Flynn runs traces the Roanoke River as it flows through the Roanoke Valley. The river spills and trickles down from the mountains, finding a way around barriers while building momentum on its unstoppable course to the sea. Each pedal turn or footstep on the winding path along its banks charts a course for wellness. Shepherd and Flynn, who keep fitness at their cores, like the relentless current. It isn’t selfish. They know everyone in their lives will benefit from better mental and physical health. Like the river, it’s all about flow. Photo by Sam Dean
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Stuart Mease, director of Undergraduate Career Services, Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech
Next ROANOKE
Molding students into ‘perfect job seekers’
Stuart Mease helps Pamplin graduates and potential employers find each other by Sarah Cox
S
tuart Mease, director of Undergraduate Career Services at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, helps students connect with potential employers. Before joining Pamplin, Mease was a recruiting leader for the Blacksburg division of Rackspace, a publicly traded cloud computer company. He also worked as a job placement director in Pamplin’s management department and at Tech’s Center for Regional Strategies. In 2005, Mease created the “Connecting People” blog, originally to engage others in the “braindrain” issue, the loss of young professionals to larger metro areas. A year later, Roanoke hired him as special-projects coordinator to create programs and events to attract and retain young adults. Author of the book “The Perfect Job Seeker,” Mease earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Virginia Tech. He is a strong believer in assisting what he calls the “unserviced work force” and explains jobs are available to those who have “a billable skill set” in accounting, health care and engineering. Mease explains, “Companies that need these workers will contract with headhunters to get these people because these people mean money.” Mease says he was attracted to his current job at Pamplin because it offered him an opportunity to interact with more people. Roanoke Business: Explain
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what the “unserviced work force” is and how that applies to Pamplin students. Mease: These are people that … are looking for a professional job and have good skill sets but not billable skill sets, and there’s no one there to help them with their job search. … At the Pamplin school, you have people that get a college degree and believe they should be in a college-educated job, but they have already opted out of majors or sectors that are really hiring right now. They will now circle back around and say there are no jobs, and that is just not true … the fundamental idea that people lose sight of — the number one, primary reason the company hires — is to make money off of them. What people fail to realize is that when you go into higher education, if you are not selecting a major that is in demand by the market, it is not the government’s or the college’s fault, because you selected the wrong major, or you don’t want to do a job that is available, and that is where the disconnect is. RB: What happens to these graduates? Mease: If you’re a college student and the only jobs you’re seeing are call-center jobs or warehouse jobs, the college student thinks they’re too good for that. So, what happens to them? One, they will hopefully acquire new skill sets to meet the needs of the employer. Two, they humble themselves. Three, they won’t do anything, going back and forth laterally. Four,
… they start microbusinesses and create a job for themselves. Five … they will leave the area, saying that there are no jobs in this area, which is not true. Six, they will stay unemployed, which is a drain on everybody.
Mease: The most important thing for students, I think, is to have a LinkedIn profile. The student can misuse Facebook and Twitter. It can hurt them. But opportunities can exist in LinkedIn, and so many recruiters are using it.
RB: What do you do for students in terms of career counseling at Pamplin? Mease: We do three things. First, we make them understand the market for the major they are selecting and give them data to show them market rate, placement rate, salary and who are the employers. Second, we connect students to employers through the job fair and company days (there have been one or more companies in the lobby of our business school almost every day).Third, we make them “perfect job seekers.” They need to understand this process, because what they have been told their whole lives is that you go to college, get a degree, and they will find you. That is not accurate. Not all majors are created equally. There are 78 majors at VT, and six of the top nine interviewed majors are business majors. The top three are accounting, finance and business information technology. Forty seven percent of all interviews conducted on campus are for business majors, and that’s less than 20 percent of all majors at VT. That’s why they need to be proactive, select the right major and understand the market for opportunity.
RB: How important are internships in job placement of your graduates? Mease: Because companies have power in hiring right now, they can dictate terms — “we will not hire you full-time unless you go through internships.” They want to be safe. Companies want to hire interns who can, in the quickest time, help increase profitability. They will want the junior with more skill sets, and two, that junior will graduate quicker than the sophomore. If you don’t have an internship after your sophomore year, it’s not the end of world, but it certainly does help. The internship experience, with leadership experience, plus GPA [grade point average] — companies look at those factors.
RB: How important is social marketing in finding a job?
RB: How do you rank the Pamplin school, and who are your biggest competitors? Mease: Our three biggest competitors, when I ask employers, are Penn State, Maryland and JMU.The two you would think from statewide — William & Mary and U.Va. — are more secondary. They are a different group interested in different opportunities. Employers like Virginia Tech students, who have good, blue-collar work ethics with white-collar intelligence. Photo courtesy Virginia Tech
The valleys’ largest employers Government doesn’t create jobs. That was a mantra in the recent presidential election, but statistics from the Roanoke and New River valleys seem to contradict that notion. According to the Virginia Employment Commission, 11 of the top 25 employers in the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area are government entities. Advance Auto Parts, the area’s only Fortune 500 company, is 18th on the list of Roanoke Valley’s biggest employers. Various pieces of Carilion came in 43rd, 26th, 12th and first on the VEC list. (The 10th largest employer in the New River Valley is a Carilion property, too.) Government, with 21,603 employees in the Roanoke Valley, beats out health care and social assistance, which employs 21,361 people. Retail comes in next with 18,058 employees. Manufacturers employ 14,561 people. Accommodation and food services employ 11,632 people. In the MSA that most closely fits the New River Valley, 10 of the top 25 employers are government entities. An 11th operates the Army’s ammunition plant in Radford. Government employs 18,206 people in the New River Valley. Manufacturing, which includes the ammunition plant, provides 10,766 jobs. No other category has as many as 8,000 jobs. Here are the valleys’ largest employers, according to the VEC:
New River Valley
Roanoke Valley
1
Virginia Cooperative Extension Virginia Tech
1
Carilion Memorial Hospital
2
Volvo Group North America Inc.
2
Roanoke County Public Schools
3
Montgomery County School Board
3
Roanoke City Public Schools
4
Radford University
4
Veterans Affairs
5
Walmart
5
Kroger
6
Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC*
6
Wells Fargo Bank NA
7
Pulaski County Public Schools
7
HCA Virginia Health System
8
Moog Inc.
8
City of Roanoke
9
HCA Virginia Health System
9
Walmart
10
Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
11
Echosphere Corp.
12
Kollmorgen Corp.
13
Celanese Acetate
14
New River Valley Community Services
15
Lexington Rowe Furniture Inc.
16
Kroger
17
Town of Blacksburg
18
Giles County Public Schools
19
Federal-Mogul Corp.
20
Town of Christiansburg
21
New River Community College
22
10
Franklin County Public Schools
11
County of Roanoke
12
Carilion Services
13
Allstate Insurance Co.
14
Warsaw Health Care Center
15
Yokohama Tire Corp.
16
M.W. Manufacturers
17
Botetourt County Public Schools
18
Advance Auto Parts Inc.
19
Postal Service
20
U.P.S.
21
City of Salem
County of Montgomery
22
City of Salem Public Schools
23
Corning Glass Works
23
24
DBT America Inc.
Virginia Western Community College
25
Shelor Motor Mile Inc.
24
General Electric Co.
25
Lowe’s Home Centers Inc.
*BAE Systems has taken over operations at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant since the VEC compiled these statistics.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
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SPONSORED CONTENT | Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce
Member news & recognitions Chamber names EHS Support Services Small Business of the Year The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center have named EHS Support Services the 2012 Small Business of the Year. The company, which offers mulRandi Paxton (left) and Alyce Dantzler of EHS Support Services accept the 2012 tiple therapeutic programs Small Business of the Year award from to individuals with mental illJoyce Waugh (right), president of the Roanesses, was recognized at the noke Regional Chamber of Commerce. Chamber’s 26th Annual Small Photo by Jim Markey Photography Business Awards dinner held Oct. 4 at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. The annual awards program showcases the accomplishments of the small business sector, which makes up 99 percent of the area’s business community. Founded in 2005 as the first private mental health support services provider in Southwest Virginia, EHS Support Services has seen phenomenal growth in revenue, clients served and number of employees. The company assists clients in learning about their illnesses and developing ways to live their lives as independently as possible. “As in years past, the selection committee was faced with a very difficult decision because of the number of outstanding companies represented in the competition,” says Joyce Waugh, president of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The Small Business Awards selection committee was impressed with how EHS Support Services has grown to be the largest private mental health agency in Southwest Virginia and continues to assist individuals with mental illnesses to live their best lives.” A committee of local businesspeople evaluates nominees in terms of increased sales, employee growth, staying power, innovativeness and contributions to the community. To be eligible, companies must meet SBA small business standards and be at least three years old.
Award winners by category are: • • • • • • • • • • •
Small Business Advocate: Robert “Pat” Barnes, Complete Small Business Solutions Small Business Veteran of the Year: Larry Lamanca, American Door & Glass Construction/Real Estate: F&S Building Innovations, a class “A” general contractor specializing in home improvements, commercial renovations, sunrooms and new construction. Micro-Business: Ardell Stone School of Dancing, which offers classes to students from age three to adults in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and lyrical dance. Technology: NetVentures, which specializes in creating e-commerce software for membership-based, nonprofit organizations. Business-to-Business Services: CBIZ Payroll is a leading provider of outsourced solutions that help reduce administration time and costs. Business-to-Consumer Services: EHS Support Services Wholesale/Retail: Fleet Feet Sports – Roanoke, which gives runners, walkers and fitness enthusiasts of all abilities unparalleled customer service and support. Legacy Award: Oak Hall Cap & Gown, the largest cap and gown manufacturer to the collegiate market. The 123-year-old manufacturer has a staff of 325. Not-for-Profit, Arts & Culture: Center in the Square, a cultural complex dedicated to serving the community as an active participant in economic development. Not-for-Profit, Health & Human Services: The F.R.E.E. Foundation, which provides reused medical mobility equipment to those who need but cannot afford it.
Previous small business of the year winners include Interactive Achievement (2011), Magnets USA (2010), Home Instead Senior Care (2009), Virginia Prosthetics (2008), Luna Innovations (2007), Blue Ridge Medical Imaging (2006), and Plastics One (2005).
Roanoke Regional Chamber recognizes Chamber Champions and event sponsors CHAMBER CHAMPIONS BB&T Brown Edwards Blue Ridge Copier Cox Business Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore Grow Inc. LifeWorks REHAB (Medical Facilities of America) Lumos Networks rev.net Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC Trane Tread Corporation Wells Fargo Woods Rogers Attorneys at Law Pepsi Bottling Group
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DECEMBER 2012
EVENT SPONSORS 26th Annual Small Business Awards Dinner Sponsors Cox Business First Citizens Bank Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore City of Roanoke County of Roanoke Sir Speedy Printing & Marketing Services xpedx Lanford Brothers Co. Member One Federal Credit Union
Note: Chamber Champions are members who support the Roanoke Regional Chamber through yearround sponsorships in exchange for year-round recognition.
Advance Auto Parts, a leading retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries and maintenance items, has announced that the company and its vendor partners raised $2 million for four charities at its recent inaugural charity pro-am golf tournament. Proceeds benefited JDRF (formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), the American Cancer Society, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Building Homes for Heroes. Celebrity teams from the PGA Tour and entertainment industry golfed with vendor sponsors, with each team representing one of the charities and competing for a share of the $2 million purse. The Botetourt Sports Complex has been selected as the 2012 Amateur Softball Association of America Complex of the Year. The Botetourt Sports Complex features four championship-level fields, which are built around a three-story, central tower. In addition to softball, the facility also hosts baseball games throughout the year. Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital was recently named by Becker’s Hospital Review as having one of the top orthopedic programs in the country. Becker’s Hospital Review compiled a list of 101 hospitals that demonstrate continual innovation in orthopedic treatments and services while emphasizing patient-cen-
| SPON SPONSORED NSORED C CONTENT ONTEN NT tered care and forward-thinking research. Hospitals included on the list have orthopedic surgery departments with outstanding reputations, making them worthy of recognition. Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has recognized the City of Roanoke’s “Technology Initiatives for Building Placards” program as one of 111 innovative government initiatives for its 2012 Bright Ideas in Government cohort. The city’s building inspections division submitted an entry for its initiative to apply quick response codes to permit placards for new building activity, allowing contractors and applicants to view the daily inspections calendar online via smartphones or tablets. The codes also link the customer to the online permit center, where they can request inspections, view permit history and inspection results, as well as receive notification of required inspections to finalize the permit and complete the job. Some of the youngest citizens in the City of Roanoke — kindergarten students from the city’s public school system and children from local child-care centers — recently gathered on Mill Mountain for a kickoff ceremony to celebrate Roanoke’s recent recognition as an AllAmerica City. The city was selected by the National League of Cities as a winner for its “Star City Reads” campaign, a plan to ensure that more Roanoke children are reading at grade level by the end of the third grade. Serena G. Ratcliffe has joined the Roanoke accounting firm Cole & Associates CPAs as an accountant. Downtown Roanoke Inc. has announced the hiring of Price Gutshall as the economic development specialist. He will be responsible for the continued advancement of DRI as an economic development partner in the Roanoke Valley. Tammy White-Halsey has joined the Gateway Health team as a marketing and sales representative for Southwest Virginia.
The Homestead and Canyon Ranch have announced a partnership to create a new spa and fitness experience in the Allegheny Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Canyon Ranch SpaClub at The Homestead will combine the finest attributes of the birthplace of Southern hospitality and the pioneer of the wellness lifestyle. Services that have made Canyon Ranch among the most-renowned names in the spa industry will now be available to guests of The Homestead. The SpaClub will debut in spring 2013.
The Greater Blue Ridge Chapter of JDRF recently held its annual meeting and elected four new board members. They are: Sheetz Amy Sheetz, Norfolk Southern; Beth Anderson, Liberty Medical Supply; Kim Gilbert, Bayer; and Susan Woodie-Williams, Richfield Re- Gilbert tirement Community.
Anderson
WoodieWilliams
Jefferson College of Health Sciences has been named to the 2013 “Military Friendly Schools” list by GI Jobs Magazine, a publication of Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life. The 2013 Military Friendly Schools list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus. The law firm Johnson, Ayers & Matthews has announced that eight of its attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion
Ayers
Matthews Eure
Wallace
Ries
Speight
Creasy
Carson
in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Those recognized are: Ronald M. Ayers, Joseph A. Matthews Jr., John D. Eure, William P. Wallace Jr., Kenneth J. Ries, Jonnie L. Speight, David B. Carson and Bryan Grimes Creasy. LewisGale Regional Health System has announced the appointment of Dr. Gary Winfield as its new chief medical officer. Winfield brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role, most recently as acting division chief medical officer for HCA’s South Atlantic Division. As the chief medical officer for LewisGale, Winfield will oversee the health system’s quality and patient-safety agendas, the Quality and Risk Management departments of all four LewisGale Regional Health System’s hospitals and the newly created Market Transfer Center that is presently under development.
American Medical Technologists, the premier certification and membership organization for allied health professionals, recently recognized National College’s medical assisting program for its commitment to professional advancement. The organization commended National College for preparing medical assisting students for the Registered Medical Assistant exam, a professional certification that helps medical assistants validate their education and experience as they enter the work force. The Roanoke Region was recently recognized by AARP Magazine as one of the top 10 best places to live on $100 a day. Roanoke’s pleasant climate, its 22 miles of greenways and the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains helped land the city on the list. All 26 schools in the Roanoke County Public Schools System remain fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education in 2012. The schools join 85 other accredited school systems statewide. Across the state, 93 percent of Virginia’s public schools are fully accredited and meeting all state standards for achievement in English, mathematics, history and science and for high school graduation rates. The Roanoke County School Board has named Ashley Williams the new assistant principal at Green Valley Elementary School. Williams replaces Marcee Cook who earlier was named the assistant principal at Hidden Valley Middle School. Center in the Square and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra have announced a new partnership. Roanoke Symphony Orchestra will become a new beneficiary organization of Center in the Square, joining the other seven organizations that are part of the affiliation. The symphony will be moving its administrative offices and studio space to the historic Shenandoah Hotel building at 128 E. Campbell Ave. in downtown Roanoke. The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission has received a 2012 innovation award from the National Association of Development Organizations for its Save-a-Ton campaign. The campaign was recognized for its regional approach to energy conservation education awareness program, and the effort to reduce duplication across local governments. Save-a-Ton was started in 2011 by Roanoke County, the City of Roanoke, and a number of nonprofits and other partners. Source4 recently announced plans to move from 4721 Starkey Road to a larger facility in the Roanoke Valley. For Source4, a national provider of integrated business and marketing solutions, the new facility will allow room for growth and expansion with improved efficiencies for clients and employees. The new address will be 3473 Brandon Ave. ROANOKE BUSINESS BUSINES SS
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SPONSORED CONTENT | Ronaoke Regional Partnership
News from the Roanoke Regional Partnership Jobs being added in Roanoke Region
South, while Liberty University was 65th in the same category. The greater Roanoke Region boasts more undergraduates per capita than the Research Triangle, Boston, Austin or San Francisco. Top-ranked educational institutions are creating the talent to fuel future growth and innovation in the Roanoke Region.
Roanoke credit scores higher than national average
The Roanoke Region is adding jobs, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seasonally adjusted employment figures for July show that the Roanoke MSA has seen employment increase by 1,200 jobs year over year. Meanwhile, unemployment has decreased by 867 individuals from the same point last year, according to seasonally adjusted unemployment data for the MSA. The data show a dramatic improvement in employment from June and hopefully portend a stronger employment growth trend heading into the end of the year. Manufacturing employment continues to show strength as does employment in transportation/utilities and leisure/hospitality. Roanoke’s unemployment rate is lower than more than 80 percent of other metros in the United States, including all competitor regions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Western Virginia colleges and universities earn top honors Several of the Roanoke Region’s colleges and universities were recognized by U.S. News and World Report in its annual feature, “Best Colleges 2013.” Virginia Tech, Radford University, Ferrum College, Hollins University, Virginia Military Institute, Washington and Lee University, Roanoke College, Sweet Briar College, Lynchburg College and Liberty University all received high rankings. Virginia Tech ranked 28th out of 115 national public schools and 72nd among national universities overall. Virginia Tech’s overall rankings were bolstered by the university’s engineering and business schools. Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering was ranked 16th of 162 schools in the country. The Pamplin College of Business was ranked 40th best undergraduate business program out of more than 350 schools ranked. Roanoke College, Hollins University, and Sweet Briar College were recognized by the publication as national liberal arts schools. Roanoke College was also included on a list of institutions identified as having made some of the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty and student life. In the northern reaches of the region, Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute were ranked among the best national liberal arts schools. Washington and Lee University ranked 14th out of 178 national liberal arts schools, and its law school was ranked in the top 20 percent of law schools nationally. Virginia Military Institute ranked in the top 50 percent of national liberal arts schools. Rounding out the list of schools taking honors, Radford University was ranked 21st among regional public schools in the South, and Ferrum College was ranked 42nd among Southern regional colleges. Lynchburg College was ranked 41st among regional universities in the 3 36
DECEMBER 2012 2
The average credit score among Roanoke consumers is 754, placing it in the top half of all cities ranked and above the national average credit score of 750, according to the “Experian State of Credit 2012” report. Roanoke was 62nd out of 143 cities included in the Experian ranking, beating Richmond, Charlotte, Knoxville, Raleigh, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Savannah and Memphis, among others. Moody’s has noted recently that household balance sheets are strong in the Roanoke Region largely as a result of the muted housing boom in the region, which left fewer households “underwater” on their home loans. The high ranking is also likely a result of stronger economic performance. Per-capita personal income growth in the region outpaced growth at the state and national level between 2008 and 2010. Meanwhile, Roanoke’s low unemployment places it in the top 20 percent of all metros nationally. Data from the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors shows more existing homes were sold in August 2012 than in any other month since June 2010, when buyers were still eligible for the federal first-time homebuyer credit. As the recovery gains speed, Roanoke is poised for further growth as incomes grow. Roanoke households will better be able to purchase homes, automobiles and consumer goods than in many other metros.
Roanoke featured in Garden & Gun magazine Another national publication has its eye on the Roanoke Region — this time Garden & Gun magazine, which features an eight-page spread on the Star City. The October/November issue includes a story on Roanoke, with the headline, “City on the Rise, Roanoke, Va.” The piece is a portrait of Roanoke — from the Mill Mountain Star and some history, to its natural beauty and outdoor events, and the recent explosion of downtown living. The series of three articles goes on to highlight some of Roanoke’s hot spots and stars. From the main story: “If you ask me, Roanoke’s star shines brightest when it elevates the authentic over the aspirational. The railroad can go to Norfolk and the textile plants to China, but folks are finally realizing that our natural amenities can’t be outsourced or outdone. A paved greenway that grows longer by the year snakes from Salem to Roanoke and Vinton, following the Roanoke River as well as the Tinker Creek made famous in the Pulitizer-winning book by Hollins University alum Annie Dillard. Visitors can rent bicycles at UnderDog Bikes and ride the rare-for-Roanoke flat path past herons, wildflowers and a former silk mill that now houses entrepreneurial upstarts like the custom teardrop camping trailer company Silver Tears.” Garden & Gun publishes six issues each year with a focus on how to live a life that is more engaged with the land, the literature, the music, the arts, the traditions and the food of the South. More than 740,000 people look at each issue of the magazine.
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ABOUT THIS SMALL. Less than half an inch. That’s the length of incisions when you’re talking about the da Vinci® Surgical System. With that small cut, surgeons at Carilion can accomplish big things, and offer you less discomfort and a shorter recovery. It’s a revolutionary approach to care, and only Carilion offers it here. Ask your doctor about da Vinci. You may have less to talk about than you ever imagined. The da Vinci Surgical System is available at:
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