RIVERSIDE OPENS NEW HEALTHY LIVING COMMUNITY IN SMITHFIELD
 

Riverside Health System celebrated the grand opening and dedication of its new wing at Riverside Healthy Living Community-Smithfield on Tuesday, December 15, 2015. The new wing, named "Willow Creek," replaces the 34-year-old Riverside Convalescent Center and has 32 beds compared to 92 at the old facility and implements a new "household model," which aims to make an institution feel like a house, according to Stacey Knox, the community's administrator. Riverside invested approximately $7 million on the expansion and renovation project. The facility, located at 101 John Rolfe Drive in Smithfield, also offers assisted living, a memory care unit and rehabilitation. For more information or a personal tour call 757-357-3282 or visit riversideonline.com/Smithfield.

Businesses in Isle of Wight County will soon have a new tool to help them address the challenges of expanding their businesses. Isle of Wight County Economic Development, in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center of Hampton Roads, will offer a series of GrowthWheel business training workshops twice a month starting February 9th through June 2016 at the Blackwater Regional Library, Carrollton Branch, located at 14362 New Town Haven Ln., Carrollton, VA 23314.
 
GrowthWheel is a visual toolbox for decision-making and action planning for start-up and growth companies. It was designed around the observation that all businesses - in all industries and life stages - have four lasting challenges in common. They must:
1. Create an attractive business concept,
2. Build a strong organization behind it,
3. Develop lasting client relations, and
4. Do so while maintaining profitable operations.
 
The GrowthWheel workshops will be lead by James Carroll, Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center and a GrowthWheel Certified Advisorâ„¢. The cost for the program is $200 for all ten sessions. This covers all training materials and reading book. For those who are interested in taking the classes on an “a la carte” basis, each class section is $30 ($60 for the one day course). Advance registration is required by calling 757-365-6249 or emailing ksutphin@iwus.net.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
 

Established by the Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board, Opportunity Inc. oversees federally funded workforce development programs for South and Western Hampton Roads. OppInc. programs are designed to assist businesses in accessing qualified workers and jobseekers in search of suitable job openings and training opportunities to bolster their earning potential. Through its One-Stop Workforce Centers and Youth Career Center, OppInc. provides career services for jobseekers ages 14 through retirement.  The organization also offers valuable resources to Isle of Wight employers — providing assistance with hiring events, workforce planning, and potential funding for on the job training.
     Opportunity Inc. works to ensure that regional workforce development initiatives are appropriately aligned with local economic development efforts to meet the business community’s need for trained and qualified workers. This includes increasing per capita income, promoting greater corporate competitiveness, and improving regional prosperity through initiatives that strengthen the regions workforce.
     Within the last year, Opp Inc. has taken great effort to check the temperature of the current workforce climate to ensure the effectiveness of programs and services. Through that process, the organization identified the need to expand its reach into local communities and neighborhoods, and as such, developed the Career Access Network (CAN). The Career Access Network serves as a bridge that connects individuals to essential career related information and services within their communities.   In partnership with local libraries and community-based organizations, the CAN offers career exploration, job search assistance, labor market information, financial literacy education, and employer recruitment activities.  

For more information about these programs, residents and businesses in Isle of Wight County are encouraged to visit www.opp-inc.org.

Search the County's available properties database for more commercial or industrial properties. If you own or represent a commercial property in Isle of Wight County that is available for sale or lease, please CONTACT US, and we will add it to our database.

Looking for a new job opportunity in the new year? Smithfield Foods, Keurig Green Mountain Coffee, International Paper and ST Tissue from Isle of Wight County are just a few of the companies that will be participating in a Job Fair sponsored by The Tidewater News and Franklin Southampton Economic Development on Wednesday, January 20, 2016, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Paul D. Camp Community College Workforce Development Center in Franklin. Other participating employers include: Hampton Farms, Hubbard Peanut Company, Georgia Pacific and Southampton Memorial Hospital. FLYER

GET LISTED IN THE FARM TOUR BROCHURE
 

The Visit the Farms brochure is being updated for 2016. If you are currently listed in the brochure, please contact us to update or confirm that your information is correct! If you own a farm in Isle of Wight County and offer on-farm sales and/or farm tours and would like to be listed in the revised brochure, please complete this FORM and return it no later than Friday, January 29th.