Published: September 19, 2006 04:36 pm      

Economic development spurs campaign to bring alumni home

Here’s something that doesn’t happen everyday. I was trying to reach someone in Richmond Monday to develop a story about Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s Cabinet Community Days tour of Southwest Virginia. An earlier message left with the governor’s press office had yet to yield a response, so I decided to call again around 4 p.m.

A gentleman in the governor’s press office answered the phone, and I explained to him that I was trying to get some information about the governor’s tour of Southwest Virginia, and a briefing he was scheduled to attend in Norton that included a discussion on the Coalfields Expressway.

As I tried to explain my dilemma to the press aid, obituary clerk Barbara Lewis approached my desk, and informed me that Gov. Kaine was on hold for me. Needless to say, I was confused for a brief second or two — as I was already talking to the governor’s office. I quickly tried to explain to the gentleman in Kaine’s press office that I had to go because Gov. Kaine himself was on hold for me. I’m sure it sounded like an odd explanation. The press aid on the other line sounded as surprised as I did. Nevertheless, I had to quickly end the call.

Sure enough, it was Gov. Kaine on the other end of the line for me. Kaine was returning the message I left earlier in the day for press aid Kevin Hall. Kaine, who was still in Southwest Virginia, explained he had just a few minutes to talk, so I quickly began asking questions — after of course thanking him for returning my call.

Kaine, who is taking his administration and cabinet on the road across Southwest Virginia as part of his Cabinet Community Days, made stops Monday in Norton and Marion, including a cabinet meeting at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, as well as at Hungry Mother Park in Marion.

The governor used his tour of Southwest Virginia as a chance to launch the new “Return to Roots” campaign, an exciting endeavor that aims to reach an estimated 15,000 alumni who graduated from high schools across Southwest Virginia during the last 20 years, but have since left the region.

Financed through a grant award from the state’s Tobacco Commission, the program will try to reach the alumni through a website, direct mail and the news media to inform them about new employment opportunities that exist today in Southwest Virginia.

Kaine called it a “pretty smart strategy,” adding the main idea behind the campaign is to recruit good people — including those with a knowledge and passion for Southwest Virginia — for the growing job market in the region.

Kaine said the 15,000 plus alumni now scattered out across the nation already know Southwest Virginia is a great place to live and work. The campaign simply aims to reach them, and of course encourage them to return home.

Kaine said Southwest Virginia is seeing an increase in job vacancies with improving employment rates. For example, the governor said just last year more than 700 information technology jobs were created in Russell County. Those new jobs also benefit folks in neighboring Tazewell and Buchanan counties.

The governor also received a briefing Monday on the Coalfields Expressway while visiting the John I. Burton High School in Norton. During the telephone interview, Kaine basically reinforced his support of the four-lane highway project in Southwest Virginia, and the importance of the private-sector partners who will help develop the roadway through 51 miles of Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties.

The private-sector partners, Pioneer Group Inc. and Alpha Natural Resources, LLC, a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., will help to substantially reduce the cost of building the new four-lane highway by creating the roadway bed through the extraction of coal.

Kaine said he awarded a $2 million grant from the state’s Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund in July to help initiate preliminary project development activities on the four-lane highway. He said the Coalfields Expressway is not only a highway, but also an important tool for economic development and growth in Southwest Virginia.

Kaine is certainly to be commended for his interest and support of Southwest Virginia, including the Coalfields Expressway. The “Return to Roots” campaign also sounds like an exciting and worthwhile endeavor for the region.

With that being said, I’m just glad I didn’t miss the governor’s phone call.

All too often, you will miss that vital phone call when you step away from your desk to get a drink of water or purchase a soda from the vending machine downstairs. It’s also not unusual to receive that one phone call you’ve been waiting all day for while you are on the line with someone else.

Thankfully, Barbara was astute enough to warn me that Gov. Kaine was on hold on the other line for me, adding that it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep the governor on hold.

She was correct.

I’m glad that for once I didn’t miss that all-important call.

Charles Owens is the Daily Telegraph’s city editor. Contact him at cowens@bdtonline.com