AWARDS
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg, the Richmond Regional Central Labor Council and the American Red Cross, Greater Richmond Chapter honored 11 local labor unions at United Way's annual Community Services Awards Banquet on April 10 at Tobacco Workers Union Hall. The unions in the greater Richmond region were honored for volunteering their halls as potential service centers during disasters. Unions honored at the ceremony for volunteering their halls were: International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 592; International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers Lodge 10; Communication Workers of America Local 2201; National Association of Letter Carriers, Old Dominion Branch 496; American Postal Workers Union Local 199; Bellwood Printing Pressman, Assistants and Specialties Local 670-C; United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 10; Baker, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers Local 203T; United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 388; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 666; and United Steelworkers Local 12103.
EVENTS
In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Network of Enterprising Women will host a Women's Business Symposium on April 30 at the Omni in downtown Richmond from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The day-long schedule includes morning and afternoon workshop sessions and a luncheon featuring two speakers. Luncheon speakers scheduled to appear are Robin Star, CEO of the Richmond SPCA and Diane Walker, Fox News at 10 anchor and NBC 12 On Your Side senior reporter. Tickets can be purchased on the N.E.W. Web site as well as registration for exhibitors. For more information on N.E.W. visit www.networkofenterprisingwomen.org.
HOME CONSTRUCTION
Classic Kitchens of Virginia, a full-service custom kitchen design and remodeling firm, announced that it will move from its home for the past 13 years to a new headquarters in Goochland County this fall. Classic Kitchens' new home – under construction at 12535 Patterson Ave. – will be 14,000 square feet, which is four times the size of its existing home at the Tuckahoe Shopping Center, where it opened in 1995. The new headquarters will feature a 4,500-square-foot showroom that will enable the firm to showcase its design expertise to customers looking to enhance kitchens, baths or other rooms in their homes. Classic Kitchens is expecting to move by October.
LOCAL FORTUNE 1,000 NEWS
CarMax Inc. has received recognition for workplace excellence from two respected organizations, the Gallup Organization and the Center for Companies That Care. CarMax received the 2008 Gallup Great Workplace Award and earned a spot on the 2008 Honor Roll from The Center for Companies That Care. This was the first year CarMax applied to and received recognition from both organizations.
NEW BUSINESS
In Do Season Hair Studio recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony April 15. Located at 2503 Chamberlayne Ave. in the city of Richmond's North Enterprise Zone and the Lombardy/Chamberlayne Commercial Area Revitalization Effort (CARE) area, owner Twanya Jones opened her business with assistance from the city's Department of Economic Development Enterprise Zone and CARE rebate program. The city's C.A.R.E. program provides rebates, loans and technical assistance to businesses located in each of the city's 10 designated revitalization areas. In the past two years, 390 CARE incentives and 304 Enterprise Zone incentives have been granted to businesses that have invested more than $29 million in the city.
Ace Recycling plans to construct and operate an indoor materials recovery facility at The Sustainability Park on North Enon Church Road in Chester. The project is expected to create approximately 30 new jobs and represents an investment in Chesterfield County of more than $6 million. Ace Recycling is a processor specializing in construction and demolition debris recycling, which commonly includes cardboard and paper, carpet, concrete, dirt, metal, plastics, wallboard and wood. Many of those materials can be reused and recycled. The facility will receive mixed construction and demolition debris and then process the material. All of the activities will be conducted indoors, including the receipt of material, sorting and separating debris, secondary processing, and loading outbound trucks. The facility will, when completed, process 525 tons of construction and demolition debris per day. The facility should be operational by summer 2008.
Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc. will invest $40.1 million to open a roasting facility in the Town of Ashland in Hanover County, creating 85 jobs. The company will roast and package coffee for both retail and food service industries, as well as produce flavored coffee, organic coffee, fair trade coffee, infused coffee and iced and hot tea products. Virginia successfully competed with Maryland and North Carolina for the project. Established in 1912 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, privately owned Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee has grown into a leading expert in traditional and specialty coffee, tea and complementary beverage solutions for the retail and food service industries.
PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS
PUNCH, a Richmond design and advertising agency, announced a new relationship with Sartox, a Richmond-based software development company that specializes in developing food service programs, with particular emphasis on delivery within schools. PUNCH is creating trade publication and direct mail pieces for Sartox that target school districts in the Southeast. The School Nutrition Association will hold a national conference in Philadelphia this summer, and Sartox will be educating the educators about how best to manage this aspect of school life.
Comcast and the Oxygen Network announced that they have partnered to host two free self-defense classes this weekend for participants of the Sister for Sister Conference 2008 being held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The two free classes, taking place from 11 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 12 and again from noon until 1 p.m., will be led by top-level instructors and feature self-defense, kickboxing and martial art techniques. The Oxygen Network will present these specialty self-defense/kickboxing classes, which are based on the network's hit show, "Women and the Badge." Participants can sign up at the Sister For Sister Conference, sponsored by Johnson Inc. by calling 804-915-5225.