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Greetings from Return to Roots!Some things will never change. According to Yahoo.com, one of those things is certain career paths. No matter where you are from, where you are right now or where you are headed, there are those jobs that will always be there—kind of like an old friend. These careers that Yahoo describes as “worthwhile and fulfilling” are:
Yahoo suggests that holding one of these positions in America today will keep you from becoming outsourced or even obsolete, especially in these tough economic times. Southwest Virginia is no different. We have all of these, tried and true positions available, and more. We have those positions traditionally held in the area, as well as cutting-edge positions. These careers will help prepare Southwest Virginia for the future and expand its technological background, as well as prepare our children for whatever careers will become “indispensable” in the years to come. The people from Southwest Virginia, both those looking to come home and those already here, are equipped with not only the skills needed to perform traditional careers, but are also equipped with the education and training necessary to perform in more innovative careers—the same careers you may have openings for in your own business. Return to Roots can help you find qualified individuals; those trained for the tried and trues as well as for the innovative positions. Simply go to www.ReturntoRoots.org and post your career opportunities, as well as search for potential employees with specific skill sets in our job seeker database. This is your opportunity to build your workforce with experienced professionals who are not only seeking a new career, but longing for a new and better lifestyle. Post your jobs now and help Return to Roots’ registrants return to their roots—Virginia’s Great Southwest! | |
Michigan Native Reunites with Family in Southwest VirginiaA Michigan native succeeded in finding a job close to home in Southwest Virginia, thanks to the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission funded initiative Return to Roots. Return to Roots is a program managed by the regional business, economic and workforce development not-for-profit Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc. headquartered in Radford, Va. After a downsizing at General Dynamics in Marion, Allen Thiel was directed to the Return to Roots career website by the Russell County Chamber of Commerce. Through its user-friendly interface, Thiel found a link to a job opportunity with CGI and was hired as a Test Manager in late November of last year. After growing up in Warren, Mich., Thiel met a “southern belle” who wouldn’t consider moving north, so they made home in Southwest Virginia. By moving to Southwest Virginia, Thiel was able to reunite with his mother, father and brother who had moved to the area from Michigan ten years prior. When asked what the biggest deciding factor was for moving to Southwest Virginia, Thiel replied that it was “the people and the quality of life.” In terms of working with the Return to Roots website, Thiel found the job postings “very user friendly.” Compared to the Virginia Employment Commission and traditional newspaper ads, he noted that those conventional methods of job searching do not have as many high paying jobs, and that they were “not a place to inspire greatness.” Now living in Hansonville, Thiel encourages others who are considering returning to Southwest Virginia to make the move. “We’re on the forefront of the modern community,” Thiel said. For more information on the Return to Roots program, visit www.ReturntoRoots.org. About Return to Roots About Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc. Contact Send Us Your Success Stories!We are continuously looking for success stories to feature on our website. We would love to hear from you if you have interviewed or hired anyone from the Return to Roots program since registering with us.If you have a success story, please email Carl Mitchell, Program Manager, cmitchell@vebinc.org. A Message for All Current In the coming months, Return to Roots will begin moving from being a grant-sponsored nonprofit to a self-sustainable program. The implementation of this transformation will occur over the course of the next few months with the goal of adhering to the needs of our current and future customers. We at RTR want to emphasize that we will continue to uphold our mission of serving the communities, people and employers of Southwest Virginia. We feel such goals can be more efficiently met if we further develop our services with your input and assistance. Will you help us by voluntarily participating in this brief 5 minute survey? Click here to access survey. |
Virginia’s Great Southwest |
 For contributing $250, you can become a member of the “Purple Shirt Brigade.” Below are some of the marketing benefits that stem from a $250 contribution: Your logo will be featured on a separate 2009 Purple Shirt Brigade page on the Return to Roots website. It will be included on a Purple Shirt Brigade PowerPoint slide in the Return to Roots presentation that we will be delivering to every chamber and civic organization throughout the 21 counties and cities included in the Return to Roots region. You will be acknowledged at the Return to Roots Executive Committee and Strategic Partners Meetings (comprised of 50 local business/civic leaders) during our updates each six weeks. Lastly, you will receive a Return to Roots “Purple Shirt Brigade” Purple Long Sleeved T-Shirt. To become a member, you can make check payable to: |
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A series of entrepreneurial business and management workshops are being held across Virginia to assist new business startups and existing small businesses! Admission is free to all events. Please check the dates and locations section of this site for a list of dates and venues where this workshop will be held. You may register for the workshop you wish to attend by clicking the registration link under the desired workshop on the Dates and Locations page and by completing the registration form. Please note advance registration is required to attend. Wythe/Bland Southwest Virginia: Who says Southwest Virginia isn’t the home place of celebrities? You may be surprised to hear that a few of your neighbors in Giles County are big names in the way of the Internet industry. According to the April issue of Valley Business FRONT, Giles resident Bernie Cosell is the man who “turned on” the Internet and Ray Tomlinson is the man who launched e-mail. These two gentlemen worked together at a research engineering firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts back in the mid-1960s, and were reunited recently to discuss an entirely different subject matter: farming. Cosell is a sheep farmer in Giles County, and Tomlinson is considering buying a sheep farm as well. Cosell was described as the “ace debugger” during a project at the Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) research firm while working on the ARPANET (aka the precursor to today’s Internet). Tomlinson was interviewed as a “legend” at Forbes, and has received several awards for his work at BBN creating a way to send a message from one user to another using the “@” symbol (chosen because no one’s names would include that symbol). This article reminds me of when Bristol was named one of the top seven intelligent communities in the world earlier this year. One of the main reasons Bristol was chosen was due to its Broadband Internet technology, including OptiNet and AccessBristol. Sometimes you may not be aware of how Internet-savvy your neighbors are, even if they are sheep farmers! -Kristina Ticknor Each week we feature 3 blogs on Southwest Virginia Topics. To read more blogs by student intern writers, go to “JobQuest” Leads to Wonderful ResultsJobQuest" celebrated its fourth monthly episode on April 14, with 60 new job listings, a success story from a Christiansburg resident who found a job, and a new host for the popular show. So far "JobQuest" has alerted viewers to 230 job vacancies in the Blue Ridge region. The "JobQuest" phone lines and Internet chat room were again busy, with volunteers from the Roanoke Valley Society for Human Resource Management fielding a variety of questions. Christiansburg resident Celia Carter called in during an earlier episode when she saw information about a Virginia Tech job. Within days of applying for the job, she accepted an offer to work for the university's dining services. "I had wonderful results with 'JobQuest,'" Carter said. "And public broadcasting, they were a dream come true." Interviewing Carter was one of the first assignments for Julie Newman, "JobQuest's" new producer and host. "'JobQuest' is such an important public service, especially with so many people in our region out of work right now," she said. "I feel lucky to be part of such a meaningful program." To continue reading, visit http://www.wbra.org/html/local/jobquest.html. |
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JobQuest gives you an inside look at healthcare training, jobs(Roanoke, Va.)—The May 5 episode of “JobQuest” will take viewers inside the Jefferson College of Health Sciences for a look at healthcare training and career opportunities. The show, airing live at 7 p.m., will also feature 60 new job openings from across the region and expert advice on how to land one. “JobQuest” host Julie Newman visits the Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS) in Roanoke, Va., to talk with a nursing student who already has a job lined up with Carilion Clinic. Viewers will also meet the college’s Director of Admissions to learn what is driving people to healthcare professions and how to get started. “We definitely have growing demand for healthcare education. All of our programs are seeing increases in enrollment,” said Mark Lambert, JCHS Coordinator of Communications and College Relations. “You always need healthcare workers, especially with an aging population and a shortage of nurses looming on the horizon.”
“‘JobQuest’ is a valuable resource for our job seeking viewers,” said James Baum, Blue Ridge PBS President and CEO. “We continue to add education segments, job listings and special guests who share useful information for successful job hunting in this tough economy. And it’s working. Our viewers are finding work.” For the May episode, the “JobQuest” phone lines will again be open, staffed by volunteers from the Roanoke Valley Society for Human Resource Management. A certified resume writer will host discussion in the “JobQuest” Internet chat room. Hundreds of people have called in and logged on during the first four episodes. The show will also feature expert opinions on the regional employment scene, and provide valuable suggestions to help shorten the job search. The May advice segment will be on how to write a cover letter that will get noticed. Visit www.BlueRidgePBS.org for a calendar of events, resume tips, links and job listings highlighted during the show. |
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JCHS is a professional health sciences college offering degrees in a variety of healthcare programs and, Lambert said, they are expanding programs to meet growing demand.