Governor McDonnell Announces 50 New Jobs in Russell County

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at CPAC. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

~Steel Fab to invest $1.5 million in steel manufacturing operation~

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that Steel Fab, a division of Samuel, Son & Co., Ltd., the largest family-owned metals processor and distributor in North America, will invest $1.5 million to establish a pressure tank production operation in the Town of Lebanon in Russell County. The project will create 50 new jobs and save 240 jobs for Virginia.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “Steel Fab’s establishment of an operation in Russell County allows the company to continue to grow, bringing 50 additional jobs to Southwest Virginia. Russell offered an available facility that will accommodate all processes under one roof, with room for expansion. Steel Fab is experiencing significant growth due to the marked increase in business generated from oil and gas extraction activities in North America, and the new facility will enable the company to meet increasing demands.”

            “We are grateful to retain an important corporate citizen and employer in Southwest Virginia,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “This great project will allow Steel Fab to meet its production needs and also provide room for potential continued growth in the Commonwealth.”

            Steel Fab is a division of the Samuel Pressure Vessel Group of Wisconsin, part of the parent companySamuel, Son & Co., Limited of Mississauga, Ontario. Samuel offers end-to-end solutions in the distribution, transportation, processing and manufacturing of metals and industrial products. The company was founded in 1855 and currently is the largest family owned metals processor and distributor in North America. Samuel proudly operates Service Center and Manufacturing networks, supplying products and parts coast-to-coast.

 

“By choosing the Russell County, Virginia location, the new facility will enable Steel Fab to properly organize and optimize its production in one facility,” said a spokesman for Steel Fab. “It will allow Steel Fab to expand its product line into larger pressure vessel tanks. The financial package presented by the local and state governments made it very attractive, along with the excellent quality and available workforce.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Russell County Industrial Development Authority, the Town of Lebanon, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, and the Cumberland Plateau Planning District. Governor McDonnell approved a $100,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Russell County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission also approved $160,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds. Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment, training and retraining activities.

“The expansion of Steel Fab into Russell County has many advantages for us,” said Harry Rutherford, Chairman, Russell County Industrial Development Authority. “More jobs for our citizens, more sales for our local businesses, increased tax base and a great moral booster, just to name a few.”

            “I am very excited and pleased with the Steel Fab decision to locate in Russell County,” said Delegate Joe Johnson, a member of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. “The 50 new jobs will help in replacing the loss of jobs in the coal mining industry. I am delighted that the Tobacco Commission was able to help convince Steel Fab to settle in Russell County.”

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Governor Bob McDonnell Announces Amtrak and Virginia Reach Agreement for New Era in Passenger Rail

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Commonwealth is First State to Take Greater Control of Regional Intercity Passenger Service under Federal Law

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that Virginia has stepped up in partnership with Amtrak to sign on as the first state to usher in a new era and take greater control of passenger rail service.  Under the agreement Virginia will be assuming greater costs associated with making intercity passenger rail service available to communities between Washington, D.C., and Lynchburg, Newport News and Norfolk, including Richmond. This new operating and capital cost-sharing agreement with Amtrak, as required under federal law, needed to be in place no later than  October 1, 2013 or all Virginia regional rail service would have ceased.

            “Over 1.5 million people either board or disembark on a train in Virginia,” said Governor McDonnell.  “Stopping regional Amtrak service in the Commonwealth was not an option.  With this agreement between Virginia and Amtrak, we can continue to provide for existing regional intercity passenger rail service and work toward extending new service from Lynchburg into Roanoke and extend more service to Norfolk. I’m pleased that Virginia was the first state able to sign this agreement.”

            “Under the leadership of Governor McDonnell, Virginia worked to ensure that a dedicated funding source was created to insure that state-supported regional intercity passenger rail continues to operate after October 1,” said Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton. “Many Virginians rely on this cost-effective, comfortable transportation option, and this administration has recognized how important this service is to citizens of the Commonwealth.”

            The agreement supports Virginia’s ongoing commitment to offering the public transportation choices to driving on congested highway corridors like I-95, Route 29, Route 460, and I-81, expanding mobility and increasing connectivity for travel throughout the regions served and along the Northeast Corridor. Passenger rail service also supports economic development and job growth for long-term local investment along service routes.

            “Virginia is a forward-thinking leader on this issue, developing the cost-sharing methodology with Amtrak and becoming the first state to ensure its corridor services continue to operate beyond the October 1 deadline,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman.   “Virginia recognizes the value, mobility and economic development that Amtrak service brings to the state and local communities.”

            The agreement between Virginia and Amtrak is part of Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), a federal law that requires Amtrak to work with the 19 affected states to establish a consistent cost-sharing methodology for the 28 corridor routes of less than 750 miles in order to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all states. Starting in late 2010, Amtrak and the Section 209 State Working Group, comprised of representatives from California, Maine, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin, developed a cost-sharing methodology that ultimately received approval for implementation by the Surface Transportation Board.

  

About Amtrak Virginia:

Amtrak Virginia is a program developed by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) andAmtrak to provide more rail travel choices in Virginia. The new service promotes economic, tourism and environmental benefits. For more information visit AmtrakVirginia.com.

About Amtrak®:

Amtrak is America’s Railroad®, the nation’s intercity passenger rail service and its high-speed rail operator. A record 31.2 million passengers traveled on Amtrak in FY 2012 on more than 300 daily trains – at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph) – that connect 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces. Amtrak operates intercity trains in partnership with 15 states and contracts with 13 commuter rail agencies to provide a variety of services. Enjoy the journey® at Amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares and more information. Join us on facebook.com/Amtrak and follow us at twitter.com/Amtrak.

GVLN - Mitt Romney Set To Pick Paul Ryan As Running Mate

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, 2008 US presidential candidate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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NORFOLK, Va. -– Mitt Romney will announce Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate on Saturday, according to two sources with knowledge of the decision.

Ryan is a bold pick who will energize the Republican Party, but putting him on the ticket is fraught with risk and instantly puts Ryan's budget plan front and center in the 2012 campaign.

Romney will announce his choice in Norfolk on Saturday morning at the beginning of a four-day bus tour through key battleground states, the campaign said Friday night. The Weekly Standard reported earlier Friday that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been asked to be ready to make the case for Ryan beginning Saturday.

Romney's alliance with the 42-year old Ryan has become the most dramatic development of the 2012 presidential campaign. Romney had been presumed for much of the last few months to be set on a safe pick, such as Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), or former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

But now, Romney, who is 23 years older than Ryan, will signal that he is willing to roll the dice. President Barack Obama's reelection campaign and Democratic political groups have been eager for Romney to pick Ryan, the architect of plans to slash government spending and overhaul entitlement programs that Democrats believe are political losers.

Both liberals and conservatives will be thrilled with Romney's choice.

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