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UPDATED: Happy Trails, Virdia!

Editor’s Note: I’ve retracted the part of the article that says Virdia was the recipient of Free Money. The SENTEC building was built using Tobacco Commission money. – BruceH

Green Energy. Turning biomass into something useful. Lots of Free Government Money. Wow, I didn’t see this Job Bust coming. (Actually, I did.)

Everybody in the Southside area has heard about Virdia, right? No? Anybody? Ok then, Virdia is the company that is based in California and opened up a new office on the Institute campus. They were to do something like turning something useless into something that’s useful. Sorta like Rumpelstiltskin could do, but that was a fairy tale. Well, this is looking like it was a fairy tale too. Let’s go to April 22, 2012…

California company bringing technology operation to Danville

Yeah, I remember this company! They’ve got a pretty building on the back side of the Institute’s property.

virdiabuilding

They had lots of Free Money from the Usual Sources. They’re on the cutting edge of Green Energy Technology. They can turn horsecrap biomass into something that isn’t horsecrap biomass. What could possibly fail with this business plan?

Pretty much everything, it seems. They’re packing their equipment up in storage. They never got anywhere close to those lofty hiring goals. In fact, I don’t think that they hired anybody locally. I’m sure that the Usual Suspects will try to recoup the Free Money that they threw at this company. Good luck on that. (Retraction: I can’t find any Free Money being given out to the Virdia company itself. The SENTEC building that they were in was constructed with Tobacco Commission Free Money. The question now becomes what the lease rate was for this space and who paid what. – BruceH)

Of course, there’s no official confirmation on the impending death of Virdia and I don’t expect one. I do expect this company and their sign to simply disappear quietly… with all that Free Money gone (Retraction: See above).

77 comments to UPDATED: Happy Trails, Virdia!

  • kooldown

    I had the feeling, last year and said to the three employees that always came into highlanders that it would last another year.
    #calledit

  • Your opinions are somewhat misguided and factually inaccurate. Virdia reached a staffing level of 50 and 20+ were local. I grew up in Martinsville and welcomed the opportunity to bring new industry to the area. Also, it is not uncommon for start-up companies to change directions and require new equipment.

    The “Nice Sign” ended up getting a VP terminated because Danville Council would not grant approval for the sign in a timely manner. They delayed approval of the sign until well after the Board of Directors met and the Ribbon Cutting.

    A GREAT majority of the “free money” made its way into the local economy – including an outrageous lease with the Institute. Of course, we all know there isn’t a thing as free money.

  • ofthepack

    “Wow, I didn’t see this Job Bust coming. (Actually, I did.)”
    Citation Needed

    “They were to do something like turning something useless into something that’s useful. Sorta like Rumpelstiltskin could do”
    From Wikipedia: “Manufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labor and machines, tools, chemical and biological processing, or formulation. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale.”

    “They had lots of Free Money from the Usual Sources.”
    Don’t suppose you did any actual journalism to find if/how much/who/when/etc?

    “They’re packing their equipment up in storage.”
    Objectively wrong.

    “In fact, I don’t think that they hired anybody locally.”
    Objectively wrong.

    “Of course, there’s no official confirmation on the impending death of Virdia and I don’t expect one.”
    Read: I have no basis for writing this article other than nothing is going on in Danville and I want attention.

    • As for your “Citation Needed”, how many other “green energy” job announcements have succeeded in this region?

      As for the sources of the Free Money, I did the research.

      As for the “equipment in storage”, I’ve got sourced insiders that say the process has already started.

      I’m glad I was wrong about hiring local people. How many of them still work there?

      As for the official confirmation, none of the Job Busts have made official announcements. They just fade away.

      • ofthepack

        “As for your “Citation Needed”, how many other “green energy” job announcements have succeeded in this region?”
        That’s a great question! You should write about it. That would give context and meaning to your claims.

        “As for the sources of the Free Money, I did the research.”
        I await the fruits of your research eagerly.

        “As for the “equipment in storage”, I’ve got sourced insiders that say the process has already started.”
        Well, far be it from me to disagree on the grounds that I’m looking at the equipment running at this moment.

        “I’m glad I was wrong about hiring local people. How many of them still work there?”
        That’s a great investigative journalism question! You should write about it!

        “As for the official confirmation, none of the Job Busts have made official announcements. They just fade away.”
        Read: I still have no basis for this article! Pay attention to me!

  • Jim

    Ofthepack, nowhere in your diatribe did you attempt to set the record straight by going beyond the juvenile-sounding taunts of “you’re wrong!” and citing positive examples of where the article was in error… with the one exception of your pointing out that some local(s) had, at one time, worked for Viridia.

    What you didn’t say said far more than what you did say. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t look good.

    Your defensive tactics sound eerily familiar to this witness of the implosion of multiple local grant money startups. The ghost of Brad Mainland, perhaps?

  • areliablesource

    1) “Everybody in the Southside area has heard about Virdia, right? No? Anybody? Ok then,”
    Glad to know you enjoy sarcasm as it will be coming up again a little bit later on. Obviously the vendors and merchants that have dealt with Virdia and it’s employees have heard of the company (and obviously can’t be bothered to read your little blog).
    2) “They were to do something like turning something useless into something that’s useful.”
    That’s a nice little bit of reporting there, Scoop. I can see your level of journalistic integrity is high by the way you are unable or unwilling to discuss/learn what the company does.
    3) “Sorta like Rumpelstiltskin could do, but that was a fairy tale. Well, this is looking like it was a fairy tale too.”
    I have a feeling that the very talented, hard-working Chemists, Engineers, and assorted others who actually work at Virdia and know something about what is happening, has happened, and will happen in the company, would probably disagree with that ignorant, ill-informed, unfounded comment. As a personal aside, I have not seen a single evil queen, prince/princess, dwarf, ogre, witch or flying monkey in this facility.
    4) “Yeah, I remember this company! They’ve got a pretty building on the back side of the Institute’s property.”
    Technically, we are on the left of the building… but let’s not nitpick.
    5) “They had lots of Free Money from the Usual Sources.”
    My response will be in 2 parts: a) Where did this information come from?; b) what’s the deal with capitalizing the words “Free,” “Money,” “Usual,” and “Sources?” Does this have significance, or is it just a further demonstration of why this article should be completely disregarded?
    6) “They’re on the cutting edge of Green Energy Technology.”
    How did this little bit of fact slip past your inscrutable gaze.
    7) “They can turn horsecrap biomass into something that isn’t horsecrap biomass.”
    I see what you did there. Using your personal mantra and changing “horsecrap journalism” to read “horsecrap biomass”. That was almost clever.
    8) “What could possibly fail with this business plan? Pretty much everything, it seems.”
    Yes, well, let’s not delve any deeper than “it seems” otherwise you would have nothing to write about. Oh, wait, the entirety of this article shows you can write about nothing all day long…
    9) “They’re packing their equipment up in storage.”
    Please, let me reference the conversation you had with “ofthepack” above. You stated, “As for the “equipment in storage”, I’ve got sourced insiders that say the process has already started.” To which ofthepack replied, “Well, far be it from me to disagree on the grounds that I’m looking at the equipment running at this moment.” Sounds to me like “ofthepack” may be more of an “insider” than the “sourced insider” I will heretofore refer to as “dope-throat.” (In case you didn’t figure it out, it’s a play on “deep-throat”, the source from the Watergate scandal… oh, never mind…)
    10) “They never got anywhere close to those lofty hiring goals. In fact, I don’t think that they hired anybody locally”
    Response to 1st bogus statement: the company hasn’t closed so, I still don’t know what you base this on. Response to second bogus statement: Journalism should not be based on what you think might or might not be true, it should be based on facts. Since you never actually spoke to anyone from the company, what are you basing these statements on? Fact: People from Danville were indeed hired. Please, let me cite my source: Me and my first-hand knowledge of who has worked there and who works there now.
    11) “I’m sure that the Usual Suspects will try to recoup the Free Money that they threw at this company”
    Are the “Usual Suspects” the same as the “Usual Sources”??? And what is this “Free Money” you keep speaking of? I thought it was an old Woody Harrelson movie or a cover of a Patti Smith song done by Sammy Hagar. But then I thought, that doesn’t make any sense. But, THEN I thought, the entire article doesn’t make any sense. So, I figured I better ask, WTH are you talking about?
    12) “Of course, there’s no official confirmation on the impending death of Virdia and I don’t expect one”
    There! There it is!!! A second correct statement! Whew! Finally!
    13) “I do expect this company and their sign to simply disappear quietly”
    And, we’re back to nonsense. Unless you mean you’ll stand in the parking lot and slowly close your eyes until the company disappears, sign and all. I can’t really argue with that. Is that what you meant?
    14) “with all that Free Money gone”
    Please see # 5 and #11… I’m too bored to rehash this part.

  • Bob

    Riverstone in South Boston also seems to always have big plans/business etc incoming…. Still pretty empty

  • Wilson

    Very clear that the defenders of Virdia are catering to high-ups to keep their jobs. They sound pretty desperate.

  • Wilson

    And, SC, you can be sure they’ll never let you sit down with them. There’s a far bigger scam going on that you haven’t touched.

    • Lee Smallwood

      It would really be nice if everybody here with information would just come out with it. I’d personally really like to know the following from any of you.

      1) How much money did this company get from grants?
      2) How many employees worked there at peak employment, and how many work there now?
      3) What promises were made for the money?
      4) Is there a scam here, and if so what is it?

      I know this is a reply to you Wilson, and I don’t mean to make it seem like I’m coming down harder on you. That said, you Bruce, and the defender or defenders of the company above have all done a crappy job here.

      • I can take the criticism. The article was designed to remove the cloud of secrecy. I’ll publish what I can get regarding performance agreements and dollar amounts.

      • ofthepack

        Virdia is almost entirely privately funded. The only money discussed in the article that Bruce posted was an investment in SENTEC, which is a building that Virdia leases space in. IALR discusses SENTEC and its purpose on their website, but in summary, it was built to attract R&D companies, which is what Virdia is. Virdia pays to lease space in the building.

        The reason for the ‘cloud of secrecy’ is that Virdia is a privately owned and funded company. Bruce didn’t remove any ‘cloud of secrecy,’ he just made baseless claims about a company that he knows nothing about.

        Protip: if you spent 5 minutes googling the company or even looking at the company’s website, you’d find all the primary investors and realize that there’s no story here.

        • Lee Smallwood

          I don’t know who you are, but if you are any sort of PR professional you are doing a terrible job. If you’re not a PR professional, you probably really should have left this to whoever the corporation actually uses for that purpose. If you want to be in for a penny you should be in for a pound and actually give us concrete facts. Now that said, your apparent employer may not like that and may fire you. Again, that may be a good reason not to swim in those waters. I don’t comment on things I am directly working on in media. There’s good reason for that in most professions.

          • ofthepack

            I do not speak for Virdia, nor do I claim any association with them. With all due respect, this is a discussion forum, not a press conference.

        • Jerry

          Doing a quick search on the Google machine indicates that Virdia received a 70 million dollar loan package from the Mississippi Development Authority. This is according to a Forbes article. It’s possible that Forbes could be incorrect, but I don’t see any correction to the article.

          If the article is true, then ofthepack has major credibility problems in asserting that Virdia is almost entirely privately funded. The Forbes article talks about a lot of sweet sugar from Mississippi.

  • jon

    Don’t be too hard on Bruce, He got his training from Charles Roake-Star News.
    Don’t know him ? Google his name

  • Buddy

    Lee Smallwood has clear vision on this. Obviously, these defenders of Virdia have vested interests that they are worried about losing. Virdia is an interesting and smart company, and it’s not surprising that these hacks who are defending it are very worried about their futures. They should be.

    As for Bruce, he is performing a great public service in a community that is void of professional journalism. Sure he gets some things wrong, but he’s far better than anything else we’ve got.

  • Lee

    You complain that there aren’t any local employees at Virdia…This is because Virdia is a technical company that requires Chemists and Engineers. We couldn’t find the talent we needed locally because the educational system in Danville is extremely poor. Operators are hired conditionally, and a Tech company will keep their Degreed-folks first. In fact, one night at Kick-Back’s, I actually listened to a douchebag wearing a suit [while he was trying to pick up one of my co-workers, a Chemical Engineer that is smarter than that (and, very good at Calculus)]”, he said, “And then, I told my students, that they will never use this again (referring to Math)… THAT is why you cannot get hires from the local population in Danville. Do NOT blame Virdia. Blame your own educational “professionals”. And…He did not get the girl. She moved to Oregon, where they can both read, and perform arithmetic.

    • Lee Smallwood

      Who put a gun to the heads of these folks and forced them to locate here?

      Before calling into question the local educational institutions, you would be well served to look into the role of the comma in a sentence.

  • Lee

    For the most part, they were brought in from a significant distance, and secured into unfavorable contracts. I’d look into the value of the Oxford comma, if I were you.

  • Lee

    Doesn’t really matter. Were you the guy at KBJ’s?

  • Lee

    Smallwood, Not necessarily the Southside Central.

    • Lee Smallwood

      People know who I am, and I’m happy to put my educational background up against anyone here. You’re just some phantom who either shares my name or has attempted to adopt it for this conversation to make it more confusing.

  • Lee

    And yes, the education in Danville is deplorable. It is responsible for all of the hardships that are currently faced there. Fix your teachers, fix Danville. You all can’t blame it on the textile plant closing. There are visionaries. Listen to them.

  • I have retracted the part of the article that says Virdia was the recipient of any Free Money. The SENTEC building was built using Tobacco Commission money. I will always correct any errors that are brought to my attention.

    Bruce Hedrick
    SouthsideCentral.com

    • areliablesource

      All this talk of scams from people who have no connection to the company other than a quick Google search and a scan of some old articles really makes no sense. What is the big scam supposed to be? That this company comes in to town and their employees rent all the apartments that leaves the good Danvillians(?) out on the streets? Or is it that the employees take up all the tables at the local restaurants, and all those fine Danvillites(?) now have no place to congregate? Or does the employees buying up the gas, groceries, and what passes for entertainment leave the Danvillonians(?) sitting still, hungry and bored? What exactly is the issue here? Virdia is a privately held company. Virdia didn’t use Tobacco money. The deal with Mississippi never happened. The company is still open.

      This is taken from Danville’s Official website:
      “Virdia is making huge strides in the emerging bioeconomy, and I am pleased the company has decided to site its new technology center in Virginia,” said Bob McDonnell, governor of Virginia. “The development of sustainable and clean sources of energy is a necessary component of our all the above energy strategy, and Virginia is proud to welcome Virdia to the state in pursuance of cleaner energy, scientific innovation and economic stimulus.”

      A public ribbon-cutting event and tours will be held on Wednesday. At that time, the IALR is officially opening the newest addition to its campus in Danville, the Sustainable Energy and Technology Center (SENTEC).

      The IALR was started in 2002 to bring technological growth to the area and revitalize the southern Virginia economy. SENTEC is a research and development center on the IALR campus. It was originally founded to develop enhanced bio-based fuels and materials.

      “Virdia is entirely in line with our vision for IALR and innovation on our campus, as their CASE™ process and subsequent products have the potential to serve a vast array of applications, from food to energy and beyond,” said Dr. Liam Leightley, executive director of IALR.

      SENTEC was funded by more than $8.5 million in awards and grants, primarily from the Virginia Tobacco Commission but also from the Higher Education Trust Fund and the city of Danville.

      Virdia has invested nearly $10 million in its Technology Center, for a total investment of nearly $19 million in the region.

      “Constructed with funding from the Virginia Tobacco Commission, SENTEC will be a primary contributor for the development of a bio-based industry in the Tobacco Commission region,” Leightley added. “R&D projects will be pursued that are directed toward the development and introduction of biomass crops, assessment of conversion technologies, development of co-products from conversion processes and feasibility studies for installing biorefineries in Southern Virginia. SENTEC will be able to transfer knowledge from throughout the world for the benefit of Southern Virginia.”

      SENTEC comprises 25,000 square feet of research laboratories, spaces and offices. The building itself has several sustainability initiatives implemented, including a vegetated roof, a rainwater cistern, recycled flooring, advanced HVAC systems and other energy-saving features. Danville architect Dewberry and general contractor New Atlantic Contracting, Inc. of Winston-Salem anticipate LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council, which is determined once the building has been operational for at least one year.

      SENTEC and the innovation that Virdia brings to the area are the latest steps forward in the transformation of Southern Virginia toward an economy that embraces technology, while drawing on the region’s agricultural assets.”

      Again, I ask; What is the SCAM???

  • Buddy

    Are you missing the main point in your retraction? The Sentec building was paid for ($20,000,000) with our Tobacco Commission money with the thought that the world-class, state-of-the-art building would benefit Southside. When IALR couldn’t figure out anything to do with it, they just rented it our like a building in a shopping center. You would serve the public by finding out what Virdia is paying in rent. It’s a great deal for them for such a building. In any case, the beneficiaries are not us–but the sharpies in the state of Mississippi where over $100,000,000 in incentives await Virdia when they move there after reaching various stages in their R&D here in Southside. That’s the story worth watching. As usual, our leaders got out-foxed.

    • Buddy,

      I am sorry but I don’t think your local leaders got outfoxed. I really do not understand the tone from the original blog and feel some what responsible since I posted the 1st response.

      I think there a gaps in understanding why a company would locate to the SENTEC building and the expectations.

      All states aggressively market to bring in new industry. Some states are better at it and have a better track record of having the needed infrastructure, educated and trained workforce, and local suppliers for the new company.

      That’s all it is. Virdia’s move to Danville benefitted the local economy more than Danville benefit Virdia.

      Sorry if that hurts anyones feelings. And as a Plant Manager in a different completely different field, I don’t see where anyone with Virdia owes anyone an explanation.

      Thanks

  • FYI: “ofthepack” and “areliablesource” are commenting from the same IP address.

    • areliablesource

      Bravo! Finally some actual investigating! (Not exactly “the call is coming from inside the house,” but, the closest thing I’ve seen to actual reporting in this entire article and posts.)

      You may not have used the word scam but you did state “The article was designed to remove the cloud of secrecy” so what exactly do you think is being hidden from you and the Danvilloids(?)?

      (?) Can someone please tell me what people from Danville, VA call themselves?

      • Thanks for the compliment. You can reference my Job Bust articles and see a pattern of Green Energy companies coming to Danville and failing.

        • areliablesource

          I really have no desire to read other “articles” you have written. But, based on your statement that there is a pattern of technology-based companies coming and leaving, I’m guessing they all found the same issue. I think the “secret” might be that quite a few people in Danville don’t know, or don’t want to admit, that it is NOT a deep well from which to draw the knowledge, resources and/or skills needed to be on the cutting edge of technology. Perhaps a better use of your “skills” as a “reporter” would be to write “articles” about the “education” system in Danville and how it can focus more on STEM programs.

  • Jerry

    Lee, areliablesource, ofthepack

    I think the community knows all they need to know about this operation, if the above-referenced commenters are employees of Virdia. Talk about arrogant and haughty.

    I’ve commented on the school system’s failure here before as well, but I offer a solution. Namely, invest Tobacco Commission funds into DPS rather than in “projects.” But I don’t go out of my way to call everyone in the area “dumb.” Which seems to be what these guys are implying. If Virdia does leave the city, good riddance, if these employees are any indication of the attitude at Virdia.

    • areliablesource

      You’re funny. Arrogant and haughty? Let me get my spats and my top hat and we can meet down at the speak easy and hash this out like real gents should.

      Let me point out that the conversation was regarding the accuracy or inaccuracy of this report. I don’t believe Lee, ofthepack or myself ever attempted to fix Danville’s education system as that topic was simply collateral damage from the actual conversation. That would be something for the residents, school board and government of Danville to deal with. Looking back through the conversation, you can see that it was simply offered up as a possible reason why there is not a better success rate or more of a draw for technology in this area…

  • Buddy

    Whatever “areliablesource” is, he/she is bonkers.

  • OK folks. I really hate to cloud the issue with any facts, but it goes;

    There is no free money. Virdia’s operations are funded through venture capitalists and to some extent employee investment. There was a Department of Energy grant that both sides agreed to dissolve, mainly because the DoE was months delinquent in paying for work that Virdia performed.

    Venture capitalists continue to fund their operations and pay the rent to IALR.

    Virdia rented additional storage from IALR when OTHER companies packed up and left the Hawkins building. The fee was significantly higher than Davis Storage (oh a local company how about that).

    Virdia contracted work with DanChem (locally) rather than using other companies not located in Soutside Va – who had already been used.

    Pilot plants are intended to be modified and equipment removed when it is no longer needed.

    Being from Martinsville and working in the area, I must admit that I was embarrassed to find out the IALR and its engineering company installed an indoor air compressor OUTSIDE the building. This caused numerous process shutdowns in both the winter and summer seasons. Not to mention having prospective customers tour the facility only to have the power go out or tell them the water was not safe to drink during the water plant issue a year or so ago.

    And no – I am not a Virdia employee. As for sparring with “of the pack” or “a reliable source”, I would suggest that the original blogger let it go. Its obvious that you are over matched

    • Sorry. I’m not overmatched. I’m sticking with my story, and I already retracted the part about Free Money to Virdia directly. Time will tell if I’m right.

      Web Parts did the same pushback saying that everything was sunshine and rainbows at their company while it was rapidly leaving town. That being said, thanks for the additional information.

      • Bruce,

        I have provided several examples to clarify why I believe your initial opinions were misguided.

        I have yet to understand the tone of your initial post. Berating and implying a “cloud of secrecy” surrounding a new company that has contributed Real Dollars to the local economy does absolutely NOTHING to entice other businesses to move to Danville.

        Is that the intent? Are the economic conditions in Danville so great that new business isn’t needed?

  • areliablesource

    I don’t believe there was any pushback stating “sunshine and rainbows” I think the pushback was asking for journalistic integrity and facts to back up your speculation and supposition. What we got was basically: there was a company or two who left Danville and if this company has equipment in storage they must be leaving too but they are too under-handed to tell anyone…

    The fanfare when Virdia came to Danville was mostly IALR showing off The Sustainable Energy & Technology Center (SENTEC). From what I can see, Virdia came to town as a private company to do Research and Development in a sustainable technology field and that’s what they have done. You and your “supporters” have tried to make this out to be some shifty, fly-by-night operation that was either trying to swindle Danville and it’s resident’s out of money or just had some idiotic business model that was bound from the start to fail. You had to retract the “free money” part, which blows the stealing from the community out of the water. The idea that the business model/technology is flawed is something you assumed without knowing the first thing about the company.

    I think the word “story” is pretty close to appropriate. But they usually have a beginning, a middle and an end. You just have an end. And not one that makes any sense if you know anything about anything when it comes to start-ups. R&D, or technology. (Or, in your case, journalism).

      • The question I have is what have you done to support your assertions? I have responded with true information and facts.

        DanChem, Davis Storage, the Institute, Holiday Inn Express, local apartment owners, restaurants,etc have all benefitted from Virdia. The local food bank received a donation from Virdia. Once again, Danville has benefitted much more from Virdia than the other way around.

        I truly hope for the good people of Danville that other entrepreneurs and venture capitalists do not stumble on this article. It paints the picture that Danville locals cannot or will not support new companies.

        Once again, I am not a Virdia employee but am a Plant Manager for 2 plants in Blacksburg/ Christiansburg. I am grateful they have a different attitude as we are once again growing our business.

        Good Luck Danville. With this attitude towards new business, you are going to need it.

        • There’s nothing more I can do. Virdia stays locked down to media inquiries. Time will tell if my story comes true.

          If you hated this article, you’d really hate the other Job Bust articles here.

          • So by your lack of answering my “what’s the intent” of your unsupported opinions, you hide behind “there’s nothing more I can do”??

            Why would they invite you in?

            You don’t need access to Virdia to shed the light on your intent. This has been entertaining but I guess you are going to revert to your stand-by ” time will tell”.

            I didn’t hate the article just confused on why you would want to urinate on companies investing in the area.

            I challenged your opinions with intelligence in my previous posts. I didn’t realize that you couldn’t respond accordingly.

            Time will tell. Of course, if you are right, does that help anyone? If you’re wrong, then awesome.

            Your own statement, “….if my story comes true”makes the positions taken by ” of the pack” and “a reliable source” more credible.

            By the way, what is Danville’s unemployment rate? How did your fabrication help it?

  • areliablesource

    My guess would be Research and Development “to do something like turning something useless into something that’s useful”

    • Let it go “a reliable source”, you cannot reason with ignorance regardless of how many facts are used.

      • Hey Virdia and New Business detractors, how are you paying the new Economic Development Manager $95K?

        That is an outrageous amount. I bet there are some sweet benefits also. All being paid for your tax dollars!!

        I will be anxiously waiting for the public outcry. I sure am glad that everyone wants answers for how private companies spend their own money.

        • I’ve already covered that in a previous article.

          • Oh I’m sorry I missed that one.

            • No worries. Here’s how it breaks down. The guy doesn’t have anything big on his resume as the main person. His salary is less than his predecessor but fair for the job. Because of his predecessor’s record, he starts out on the clock. He’s got to deliver a base hit in his first year and a homerun in the next. The MegaPark can do that. He goes in with a well-versed “consultant” already on board.

            • The big challenge for him will be to avoid the Job Busts, unlike Stratton. His deals continue to Bust and more Busts are coming.

        • Still Mad

          If you think that is outrageous, how about the hundreds of thousands of $$$ the city is paying Linwood wright for consulting on the new businesses and IDA. This is at the top of let’s screw Danville out of great healthcare and spend the money we got for the hospital like a bunch of fools with Charlie majors working the puppet strings

      • areliablesource

        Mr. Frazier, as you have been throughout, you are again correct. With responses like “there’s nothing more I can do,” there’s nothing more to be said to this author. I guess, in Danville at least, investigative journalism has been murdered by supposition and gossip.

        “As for the sources of the Free Money, I did the research.” shows that the blogger does not really understand the what and how of research (or the rules of capitalization in writing).

        Thank you for your well-informed, factual, and well thought out posts. Alas, we have all been tilting at windmills in our attempts to get this “reporter” to understand facts over fantasy.

  • safesession

    The local leaders ALWAYS get outfoxed.
    I will be curious to see if any of this changes with the new economic development director – but I doubt it.

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