GO Fest Is “Best Weekend of the Year”
The Anthem Roanoke GO Outside Festival was the biggest to date with 38,000 attendees over three days in October.
GO Cross Creates Economic Impact in 2018
GO Cross is growing.
The international and professional cyclocross communities descended on Roanoke this fall with more than 1,200 riders for Virginia’s Blue Ridge GO Cross presented by Deschutes Brewery. Riders represented 28 states and four countries for two days of cyclocross racing.
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WestRock Will Invest $248.4 Million in Covington Mill
COVINGTON, Va. (Sept. 25, 2018) — Officials in Alleghany County and Covington joined Virginia Governor Ralph Northam today for the announcement that WestRock Company, the area’s largest and longest standing employer, will invest $248.4 million over a five-year period in facility and equipment upgrades.
The investments are designed to improve productivity, as well as increase employee training at the paper mill, which was established in 1899 and spans the City of Covington and Alleghany County line. Approximately 1,000 people are employed at the mill to manufacture high-quality bleached paperboard which is converted into packaging by WestRock and customers for global markets including pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, electronics, tobacco, and food.
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Roanoke Outside Foundation Receives Virginia Tourism Corporation Grant for Marketing
The Roanoke Outside Foundation recently received $25,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation Marketing Leverage Program grant fund to further develop the global image of the region as a premiere outdoor recreation community.
Brand building events such as the Blue Ridge Marathon and GO Outside Festival are part of the region’s integrated economic development strategy to leverage natural assets to attract talent and investment. Roanoke Outside Foundation received the grant for a Digital Marketing & Influencers in the Outdoors project.