Lavery Hall has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification for design, construction, operations, and management.

Another Virginia Tech building has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification. Lavery Hall is the sixth building on Virginia Tech’s campus to earn a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building is home to a dining center, classrooms and offices.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., May 2, 2013 – As innovative as it is inviting, Virginia Tech’s Lavery Hall has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Lavery Hall joins a growing list of university facilities that have been LEED certified.

LEED certification is a performance-oriented rating system designed to address specific environmental impacts inherent in the design, construction, operations, and management of a building. Read more »

Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. and Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon at the official Grand Opening at their new location on Electric Road.

Primary Residential Mortgage has relocated its Roanoke office. The office moved from Peters Creek Road to Electric Road in Roanoke. A grand opening and ribbon cutting was held Thursday.

Primary made the decision to move based on the company’s continued growth, according to a press release from the mortgage company.

More information about Primary Residential Mortgage can be found online at www.YourPrimaryLender.com.

- Danielle Dunaway

Edward Boes, a Virginia Tech alumnus who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, spoke at the inaugural TEDxVirginiaTech event in November 2012.

The deadline for TEDxVirginiaTech submissions is May 30. University faculty, staff, students, alumni and New River Valley community members are invited to apply for the talk that will take place Nov. 9. Submissions will be accepted through the TEDxVirginiaTech website at www.tedxvirginiatech.com.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 30, 2013 – TEDxVirginiaTech is seeking university faculty, staff, students, alumni, and New River Valley community members as speakers for its second annual event to be held Nov. 9, 2013.

The deadline for submissions is May 30.

Interested persons can nominate themselves or another person as a speaker for the fall event which will focus on the theme of Beyond Boundaries. This year’s event expands from the inaugural  TEDxVirginiaTech event to include community members within the New River Valley who are not directly affiliated with the university. Read more »

A Virginia Tech advertising campaign created by Access Advertising & Public Relations has won an award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. The “I Invent” campaign was recognized with a Special Merit Award in the category of communications and marketing branding and identity program or campaign. Awards were presented at a ceremony in Atlanta, Ga. in February.

Here is a press release from Access.

Roanoke, Va. (April 29, 2013)—Created by Access Advertising & Public Relations, the Virginia Tech ‘I Invent’ campaign has been recognized with a Special Merit Award in the category of Communications and Marketing Branding/Identity Program or Campaign by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District III 2012-2013 Advancement Awards program. The awards were presented in Feb. 2013 in Atlanta, Ga.

“Virginia Tech is an outstanding institution of higher learning with much to offer virtually any student,” said Todd Marcum, President of Access Advertising & Public Relations. “We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to help share the unique story to students from other states.” Read more »

A new gym has opened on Shenandoah Avenue in Roanoke. House of Strength opened its doors on April 15. Former athlete and owner Ryan Munsey opened the gym and trains clients of all ages and abilities.

House of Strength was originally located in the Iron Sports location near Breckinridge Middle School in Roanoke.

Munsey is a 2002 Lord Botetourt High School graduate who earned a degree in dietetics in food science and human nutrition from Clemson University.

An open house for the gym will be held May 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open house activities will  include the  Strongman Saturday workout, mini-challenges, tours and consultations.

For more information, visit houseofstrengthgym.com.

-Danielle Dunaway

Roanoke-based Plastics One has achieved Quality Management System ISO 13485 certification for medical device manufacturers. They have also been re-certified for ISO 9001.

Here is a press release from Plastics One.

In a continued effort to bring quality support and products to their customers, Plastics One is pleased to announce the achievement of Quality Management System ISO 13485 certification for medical device manufacturers as well as the recertification of the ISO 9001. President and Chief Executive Officer of Plastics One, David Wallenborn, states that “ISO 13485 certification is a proud accomplishment for all of us at Plastics One and reflects our deeply held commitment to excellence in manufacturing and service to our customers worldwide.” Read more »

Area beer distributor Blue Ridge Beverage has been awarded the Bill Coors Quality Award by MillerCoors.  The award was given to the company at the MillerCoors Distributor Convention  held last month.

Here is a press release from Blue Ridge Beverage.

SALEM, Virginia. — MillerCoors President Tom Long and Chief Supply Chain Officer Fernando Palacios recently awarded local beer distributor Blue Ridge Beverage the “Bill Coors Quality Award” in front of some 2,000 fellow distributors from across the country.

The award was presented at the annual MillerCoors Distributor Convention held March 6-7 in Orlando, Fla. The Bill Coors Quality Award honors the distributor in the MillerCoors national distribution system which excels against the company’s exacting quality measures. The award is named in honor of Bill Coors, the trailblazing engineer who spearheaded numerous brewing innovations and is known to this day for his dedication to brewing quality. Read more »

Several area truck drivers will head to a national driving competition in Utah this summer after winning their respective categories of the 62nd Annual Virginia Truck Driving Championships.

The championship, held April 19 and 20 at the Lee-Hi Travel Plaza in Lexington, gave drivers a chance to show off their safe and fancy driving skills. Official rules on the Virginia Trucking Association’s website say drivers were judged on “professional appearance, knowledge of regulations, and vehicle and driving skills.” Part of the competition included a written test.

Participants had to live in Virginia and not have had any accidents in the year before the competition.

The Virginia Trucking Association, which hosts the trucking competition, patterns the event after the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships, state association spokeswoman Robyn Bolton said in a news release.

The nine first-place winners will get to compete at the national level in Salt Lake City, Utah, in late August.

Roanoke-area first-place winners, their hometown, their company and home terminal location are: Read more »

Investment bank Bundy Group has brokered the sale of RAM Industrial Services in Leesport, Penn., to Illinois-based Industrial Service Solutions and its private equity partner Bolder Capital. RAM was sold to obtain liquidity for its shareholders and provide RAM management with a national partner that could help grow the company. Bundy Group has offices in Roanoke and Charlotte, N.C.

Here is the press release form Bundy Group.

Bundy Group, an investment bank with offices in Roanoke, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, is pleased to announce the sale of RAM Industrial Services, Inc. (“RAM” or the “Company”), a Leesport, Pennsylvania-headquartered industrial apparatus equipment repair services and distribution company. RAM was acquired by Industrial Service Solutions (“ISS”) and its private equity partner, Bolder Capital. ISS is a Chicago, Illinois-based strategic participant that specializes in equipment repair services, manufacturing and distribution. The purpose of the sale was to obtain liquidity for the RAM shareholders and to provide RAM management with a national partner that could help accelerate the growth of the company. Bundy Group served as exclusive advisor to RAM and its shareholders in the sale process. Read more »

The Office of Energy and Sustainability at Virginia Tech was given a 2013 Gold Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award during a ceremony at the 24th annual Environment Virginia Symposium hosted by the Virginia Military Institute. The Gold Governor’s award recognizes the office’s environmental benefit, stakeholder involvement, public outreach, transferability and innovation.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 24, 2013 – Virginia Tech’s Office of Energy and Sustainability was recently honored with a 2013 Gold Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award at 24th annual Environment Virginia Symposium hosted by the Virginia Military Institute.

The award recognizes environmental and conservation leadership in two categories: sustainability and land conservation. Award recipients were selected on the basis of environmental benefit, stakeholder involvement, public outreach, transferability, and innovation. Read more »