August 22, 2005
Volume 5, No. 1, 2005

Front row seated (L to R): John Sternlicht, Deputy Secretary of VA Commerce and Trade; ; John Jambois, President,Techton Products; Elmer Hodge, County Administrator; Dr. Charles Steger, President, Virginia Tech. Second row (L to R): Richard Flora, Supervisor, Hollins District; Mike Wray, Supervisor, Cave Spring District; Joe McNamara, Supervisor, Windsor Hills District. Standing: Butch Church, Supervisor, Catawba District.

Tecton Products, LLC, a manufacturer of pultruded composite products, announced today that it will locate its first Virginia plant in Roanoke County's Center for Research and Technology. The company will invest $6.5 million in the first phase of the project and create 58 new jobs. Phase II will invest an additional $5.6 million and create 93 more jobs by 2011. Tecton also considered a site in North Dakota for the project.

Headquartered in Fargo, N.D., Tecton Products began in 1990 as a partnership between Marvin Windows and Doors and the company's president, John Jambois. Tecton's initial charter was to work with Marvin to develop a high performance window and door product line using pultrusions for the framing components. During Tecton's pultrusion process, glass reinforcements are impregnated with a proprietary liquid resin and pulled through a heated die. The resulting composite profile is strong, thermally stable, insulating and resistant to corrosion, chemicals and moisture. Today Tecton Products has become the world's largest manufacturer of thin walled complex shaped pultrusions.

Tecton Products selected Virginia for their expansion for several reasons. Tecton's largest customer, Integrity from Marvin, recently located a new production facility in Roanoke County. "The facility in Virginia puts us in the middle of our east coast customers and Roanoke is a great community for us", said John Jambois, president of Tecton Products.

In addition, Tecton utilizes complex technology in the creation of their products. "The nature of our business requires an excellent discipline in engineering and material sciences. We plan on developing partnerships with Virginia Tech, which we believe is critical to our future success", said Robert Plagemann, General Manager of Tecton Products, Roanoke.

The company will benefit from a $100,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training through its Workforce Services Program.

For more information, please click on http://www.tectonproducts.com/.

Synchrony has been selected by Rolls-Royce to supply the electric generator and associated electronics for a new supersonic cruise missile engine. The company which is located in Southwest Industrial Park is a developer of mechanical, electronic, and software systems.

Synchrony's components will provide conditioned electrical power for the Revolutionary Approach to Time Critical Long Range Strike (RATTLRS) vehicle. RATTLRS is under development by Lockheed Martin for the Navy, and the Allison Advanced Development Company, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce, has responsibility for the engine. This expendable vehicle will demonstrate flight speeds between Mach 3 and Mach 4. The high speeds pose a challenge for engine components because of the high temperature of the inlet air stream to the engine.

"This contract will allow Synchrony to demonstrate its starter-generator technology in an actual flight vehicle," said Dr. Victor Iannello, Synchrony's President and Founder. "Our technology is well-suited for the supersonic flight conditions and the aggressive size and weight required for RATTLRS. Synchrony is well-positioned to become a leading supplier of advanced electrical machines and electronics for a broad range of aerospace power systems. We look forward to once again partnering with Rolls-Royce to develop and demonstrate this technology."

In contrast to conventional generators, Synchrony's starter-generator is mounted internally in the engine, eliminating the need for an external gearbox. Synchrony's starter-generator can withstand the high rotational speeds and elevated temperatures required for RATTLRS. This technology, in combination with Synchrony's magnetic bearing technology, allows engine manufacturers to design new engines without an oil lubrication system. Oil-less engines offer improved performance, life, reliability, and maintainability.

For more information, please click on http://www.synchrony.com/.

Tom Kaika is the new President of Medeco High Security Locks in west Roanoke County. Kaika was most recently the Vice President of Sales for ASSA ABLOY Group's Door Security Solutions, and has more than 20 years of experience with Yale Security, also an ASSA ABLOY company. In his new position, Kaika will be acting as both President of Medeco High Security Locks and President of ASSA ABLOY America's High Security and Aftermarket Group, working with the leadership teams of leading brands including Arrow Lock, ABLOY Security, Inc., ASSA, Inc., and Multi-T-Lock, USA.

"Since 1968, Medeco and its products have been defined by excellence and quality," Kaika said. "Our employees, customers and suppliers have made Medeco America's number one selling high security cylinder. The bar's been set high, however together we can build on that strength and further reinforce Medeco's commitment to its core channels and customers." Kaika earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Connecticut School of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Founded in 1968, Medeco is a market leader in locks and locking systems for security, safety, and control. The company's customer base includes wholesale and retail security providers, original equipment manufacturers, institutional, commercial, industrial, and residential end-users. The ASSA ABLOY Group is the world's leading manufacturer and supplier of locking solutions, dedicated to satisfying end-user needs for security, safety and convenience. The Group has about 30,000 employees and annual sales of around EUR 3 Billion (3.9 Billion USD).

For more information, please click on http://www.medeco.com/.

Over 200 Koppers employees attended the annual Koppers Global Business Conference and SH&E Management Seminar held in Pittsburgh this past February. Koppers facility managers and supervisors with SH&E responsibilities from all over the world attended this two and one-half day seminar which provided participants with: a recap of Koppers performance in '04 and goals in '05; safety and environmental awards for '04 performance; a seven hour train-the-trainer workshop where participants learned the skill necessary to put on a training program followed by actual training presentations by each participant in front of their peers and an evaluator; multiple breakout sessions where participant learned about safety / environmental regulations impacting their operations; and and best practice presentations.

During the Global Business Conference, the Roanoke facility received two National Safety Council (NSC) awards for their safety performance in '04, the Koppers Directors Award and a Tribute to Excellence Recognition:

• NSC Perfect Record Awards for working at least 12 consecutive months without a Days Away from Work (DA) case.
• NSC Green Cross for Safety Excellence Achievement Award for Days Away from Work (DA) rates that are less than 50 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) rate for industries in the applicable North American Industry Classification code
• Koppers Directors' Award for working one year or 100,000 (109,000) hours with no injuries or chargeable vehicle accidents
• Tribute to Excellence for receiving the Directors' Safety Awards four consecutive years for working without an incident

For more information, please click on http://www.koppers.com/.

(L to R) Mike Wray, Vice Chairman, Roanoke County Board of Supervisors; Mike Parr, Director of Operations, Per-Se Technologies; Mike Branch, Vice President, Branch Management Corp.; Tom Branch, President, Branch Management Corp.; Doug Chittum, Economic Development, Roanoke County; and Bill Branch, Chairman of the Board, Branch Management

Per-Se Technology, a national healthcare management company recently announced growth plans in Roanoke County's South Park Office building. Per-Se has been in business in the Roanoke Valley since 1989 and conducts billing and practice management functions primarily for hospital based physicians. The office renovation and company expansion plans were celebrated with a joint ribbon cutting ceremony with Branch Development, LLC on Tuesday, May 3, 2005.

Vice Chairman Mike Altizer
and Mike Parr of Per-Se
Technologies

Per-Se has doubled in size since 2001 and currently has over 90 employees. The company is located in 19,000 square feet of the South Park Office Building on Starkey Road which serves as a regional processing center for Virginia and North Carolina clients. Due to business growth during the past year, Per-Se required a larger, more efficient operational space. To accommodate Per-Se's growth needs, Branch Development LLC purchased the South Park Office facility and invested approximately $1,000,000 in capital improvements which allowed Per-Se to remain in the County and expand on site.

For more information, please click on http://www.per-se.com/.

The Lamp Lighter Mall merchants announced the opening of their newest business partner, Allstaff Human Resources. The company focus is providing their client companies with the most qualified individuals for temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire placement and offering value added consulting services to enhance performance, increase productivity and improve the bottom line.

The professional staff has collective experience in manufacturing, warehouse/distribution, accounting, professional service and light industrial environments. Combining over 45 years of expertise in human resources, accounting and management, Managing Partner Marie Lavinder said that "Allstaff's team is committed to client service and helping our client companies succeed."

A ribbon cutting ceremony and outdoor reception was held on Wednesday, May 4th at 1:00 p.m. The Vinton, Salem-Roanoke County, Botetourt Chambers of Commerce and the Roanoke Regional Chamber joined Supervisor Mike Wray in officiating at the ceremony. Music, food, tours, door prizes and merchant sidewalk displays highlighted the Open House event. The Salem Avalanche Mascot was on hand to give out t-shirts. Participating mall merchants in the event were Graceful Stitches, European Market, Game Room, Kid Crafters, Meyers Bedding, Simply Nails, Ilse's Wig Shop, Party World, Commonwealth Shaver and Appliance Service, Diva's House of Hair, La Herandura De Oro Mexican Store, Blue Ridge Fly Fishers and Petticoats & Petit Fours Tea Parlor.

On March 14, 2005, opened it's thirteenth branch in Vinton at River Park Shopping Center. Member One Federal Credit Union is a full-service, member-owned financial institution serving the community since 1940. Member One has nearly 60,000 members, $318 million in assets, 13 branches and a national ATM network.

The Vice-President/Branch Manager of the Vinton branch is Robert Sparrow. Sparrow is a Roanoke native and a graduate of William Fleming High School. In 1983, he graduated from Hampton University with a degree in accounting. Sparrow joined Member One with over 10 years of management experience in the financial industry. "Member One has over 3,000 members in the Vinton area," said Sparrow, "and I look forward to developing those relationships as well as starting new relationships in the community."

The Assistant Vice-President/ Assistant Branch Manager is Shana Meadows. Meadows has over six years of experience in the financial industry with three of those in management. Meadows has been with Member One since 2003 where she served as a Senior Account Representative.

Both Sparrow and Meadows joined the Member One management team in 2004.

For more information on Member One Federal Credit Union, visit http://www.memberonefcu.com/

Cardinal Glass presented VEC Employer of the Year Award for 2004.

For more information, please click on http://www.cardinalcorp.com/.