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Partner Perspectives
Roanoke County is proud to foster an economic environment that benefits businesses across the spectrum. From our legacy manufacturers to the young start-ups, we're here to provide technical assistance, access to resources, regulatory guidance, and any other navigation to help grow your business.
We pride ourselves on the brand Roanoke County Business Partners because we only succeed when our businesses do, so we work to strategically help you and your team achieve your goals and propel your company forward.
Hear local business leaders highlight advantages of doing business in Roanoke County |
Brad Hall, Vice President of External Affairs at Appalachian Power tells us why his team at AEP invested $15,000 in the ELEVATE Roanoke County 2026 Strategic Plan and what it means for Roanoke.
Communities that plan are communities that succeed... It's going to benefit the people that live in Roanoke County.
Linda Bailey, owner of Total You Health, grew her business with the help of like-minded entrepreneurs and mentors she found through local programs like The Gauntlet, which she participated in twice when she opened and then expanded her business.
You learn so much. I recommend anybody who's thinking about opening a business, but if they're already open, to go ahead and go through it.
If your business is opening its doors for the first time, expanding operations, introducing a new program, or has any other exciting news for the community, contact Marshall Stanley at mstanley@roanokecountyva.gov
View previous Roanoke County Business Partner episodes HERE
Economic Development distributes the monthly Roanoke County Business Partners e-newsletter which highlights important business activity, education and training opportunities, events, and more within Roanoke County and the Roanoke Region. Subscribe to Roanoke County Business partners newsletter Here View previous newsletters Here |
Business Appreciation Month is an annual, month-long celebration of businesses (typically in May) proclaimed by the Governor of Virginia. Economic Development takes this time to honor local businesses, large and small, and across industries, for their dedication to inves in Roanoke County and for providing valuable products and services to our community. In 2021, Economic Development highlighted a large and small business each week in the Business Spotlight series, featuring businesses that have demonstrated this dedication to our community. We thank all Roanoke County businesses for creating a strong economic landscape in our community.
Check out this past year's businesses honored during Business Appreciation Month:
Roanoke County Economic Development strategically launches promotional campaigns throughout the year to promote local businesses and generate timely traffic for relevant industries. Economic Development works with local partners, such as the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association, Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, and others to create programming that effectively reaches as many of our businesses as possible. Seasonal promotional campaigns include Restaurant Week(s) during the early part of the year, Holiday promotion during the October - December season, and various summer events.
In 2021, Roanoke County launched its inaugural Roanoke County Restaurant Week(s) in collaboration with local economic development-adjacent and tourism partners. The campaign recruited 24 local restaurants thought the County, as well as a few from the Cities of Roanoke and Salem. Restaurant owners praised the program for generating traffic during the toughest time of the year for restaurants, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
A few more Partner Perspectives
on doing business in Roanoke County
"It’s been a collaborative effort which has been very welcome. We haven’t felt like there were any cumbersome policies. Everyone is straightforward which helps us to mitigate risk."
“We had an obstacle-free development experience in Roanoke County.”
“ We had a good experience through the development process. We were doing a road project in front of the site and the county was great to work with."
“Roanoke County is the hub of Western Virginia with I-81 access and proximity to major metropolitan areas in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, etc. This connectivity made it top on our list for potential development sites.”
"The development community is a network so continue to be business and development friendly. That makes a big difference to developers looking for similar markets to what they are in now. Municipalities that are known for being development friendly with streamlined processes and a lack of roadblocks are going to attract investment.
"We’ve been very grateful for the support and help we have gotten from the county for our business."
“There was a lack of red-tape in Roanoke County and not many layers of bureaucracy. This means a faster development time, reduced, risk and the potential for better margins.”
"The county reaches out to us to provide information. They actively reach out to see what we need and how they can help our business."
"In Roanoke County, there’s been no surprise opposition to our development, and that’s NOT how it normally works. That’s a big win for us!”
“Roanoke County is a really good location for an extended stay hotel based on the proximity to I-81 and the amenities you need as an extended stay guest. There are a lot of businesses with significant employees, etc. The county has been extremely easy to work with, so it’s clear that the county is very user-friendly.”
“The county has been focusing on the outdoors and we should continue to promote this. People are moving to the area because of the access to the outdoors, affordable housing and wanting to get away from the crowds. People like the slower pace and lack of traffic. I want to develop more properties here.”
“Overall, the permitting time in Roanoke County is fast. I needed to go through a rezoning situation for the special permit. Applied day before Thanksgiving, presented at the first meeting of the year and was permitted right away and started construction by summer.”
“From our experience thus far, it has been highly positive to work with Roanoke County. They have been great, and the process has been easy. We would absolutely consider doing another project here.”