|
Wise County and the City of Norton offer a "better way" of
doing business. With a diverse economy, including metal fabrication,
extraction of minerals, wood and forestry products, and high technology
employment opportunities, we proudly offer any business or industrial company:
- An experienced workforce with diverse skill levels
- Low absenteeism
- Grants for workforce training
- Prepared business and industrial sites
- Excellent local cooperation and committed long-term support
- Hard-working, friendly people with a superior work ethic
 A strong commitment from local government, combined with
regional cooperation is the key to the diversified economic base of Wise
County. Mullican Flooring decided to locate a facility in Wise County
because of the interest and cooperation demonstrated by the district planning
commission, as well as the local and state governments. Rick Burchfield,
Plant Manager of Mullican Flooring, said, "Mullican Flooring is a success
story in Wise County, with great support from the local governments,
communities, and its employees. We place high value on our
employees. Wise County provides qualified employees with a good attitude
and great work ethic. You can make all the investments that you want, but
it's the people that ultimately determine your success. We are proud to be
one of the top five manufacturers of quality hardwood flooring in the United
States, and just as proud to be part of Wise County."
Industrial Sites...
The Wise County Industrial Park has 38 acres remaining for
development with water, sewer,
three-phase electrical power, fiber optic telephone service, and natural gas available on site. Water and sewer
systems have excess capacity to accommodate industry. The Blackwood Industrial Park
contains 125 acres for development with water, sewer, three-phase electrical
power, and natural gas availability on site. The Virginia
City Industrial Park and the Dale Ridge Industrial Park, containing 50
acres and 145 acres respectively, are available and are under development by the
property owner. All Wise County industrial sites are currently zoned M-2
to accommodate light to heavy industry.
Lonesome Pine Regional Business and Technology Park...
This growing and prestigious park, nestled on a plateau in the heart of Wise County, provides a
beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding Appalachian Mountains.
The Business and Technology Park, located adjacent to the Lonesome Pine Airport,
contains 195 acres and has been developed with all the amenities necessary to
accommodate a variety of technology-based businesses. An up-scale
multi-tenant office building, containing 30,000 sq. ft. and expandable to 60,000
sq. ft. is available for occupancy. The building is equipped with fiber
optic connectivity and with DS1 and DS3 frame relay available. The
University of Virginia's College at Wise, located nearby, and Mountain Empire
Community College complement this innovative model by offering training in
CISCO, MOUS, A+ Certification, C++, COBOL, and CCNA. In addition, the
community college offers a Teleservice Career Curriculum and will customize a
program to the specification of clients.
Quality Work Force...
Wise County has an abundant labor force that is willing to undergo
training to meet the needs of industry. The trainability of the
workforce and the demonstrated work ethic contributed to the decision by Verizon Communications,
Inc. to locate a
directory assistance center in Norton.
 “Verizon
established a Directory Assistance Center in Norton, VA in 1988. The Center has
proven to be one of the best in our company in productivity and has the lowest
absentee and turnover rates of our Centers. In this region, we found an
excellent labor pool that is highly trained and very self-motivated.” Robert
Woltz, Jr., President, Verizon Communications, Inc
Crutchfield Corporation, the nation's leading
catalog and Internet retailer of audio and video components, opened its
first satellite call center in Norton in 1998 with a small staff.
Today, employment has increased to almost 100 highly skilled people that
respond to sales, technical support, and service calls from Crutchfield
customers across the country. William
G. Crutchfield, the company's founder, feels that locating in Norton was a
very wise business decision. He said, "Wise County and the
City of Norton have a number of assets that are critically important to a
forward-looking company like ours. There is an abundant workforce
of intelligent people with a wonderful work ethic. There are
excellent institutions of higher learning. The Lonesome Pine Airport
is the best in Southwest Virginia, and Verizon has a high-capacity
fiber optics circuit coming directly to Norton which gives us the
high level of voice, data, and video communications our business
requires."
 Sykes Enterprises, Inc., a global in-bound customer technical
support center, providing technical support for hardware and software products
from companies that contract with Sykes, became the first tenant in the Lonesome
Pine Regional Business and Technology Park. Cheryl McAlpine, Project
Manager for Sykes, said, "We do provide support for a number of signature
companies. I'm not worried because we're impressed with the skill set
we've found in the area. Part of Sykes' philosophy is taking high-tech
jobs to rural America. The work ethic in the communities is incredibly
high, and we have found the skill set here to fit our needs. The customers
reap the benefits of our philosophy."
The Right-to-Work law of Virginia, combined with a quality labor force and
an abundance of resources, make Wise County a prime site for diversified
industrial and technology-based firms development. Natural resources, including coal,
raw
materials, and wood products from professionally managed forests; human resources; and
training resources are all readily available to meet the needs of industry
and technology-based firms.
Location and Transportation...
 Wise County is located in the southwestern portion of Virginia in the
heart of the Appalachian Mountains. Elevations range from 1,400 feet
to
4,200 feet above sea level.
Wise County is within 15 miles of the Tri-Cities MSA and is a
part of the Tri-Cities VA/TN All American City designation for 1999. U.S.
Route 23 and U.S. Alternate Route 58, both four-lane arterial highways, traverse
the county providing easy access to the Interstate highway system. Since
the county is located in close proximity to Interstate highways 26, 64, 75, 77,
and 81, business and industry have easy access to the entire eastern seaboard
and Midwest markets.
Both Norfolk Southern and CSX Railways provide rail
access in Wise County. Lonesome Pine Airport, with a 5,280 foot
lighted runway, is the primary corporate air terminal for business and
industry in Southwest Virginia. An Instrument Landing System will
soon be installed at the airport, which will enable aircraft to land and
take off during inclement weather conditions. Tri-Cities Regional Airport,
located about 60 miles away in Blountville, Tennessee, provides commercial air
service for the region.
Utilities...
Each of the towns in Wise County, as well as the City of
Norton, operates municipal water systems. The Wise County Public Service
Authority provides water to areas not served by the municipal water
systems. Municipal systems or regional wastewater treatment authorities
provide wastewater treatment. Both water and wastewater systems have
excess capacity to meet demands of business and industry.
American Electric Power and Old Dominion
Power Company meet electrical power needs throughout the county.
Electrical rates are among the lowest in the country.
Natural gas is available in sufficient quantities at all industrial sites
and at the Lonesome Pine Regional Business and Technology Park. Digital
telecommunications and fiber optic connectivity is available throughout the
county. Verizon is the local provider for telephone service.
|