Fewer people are unemployed and a record number of jobs are being created in the New River Valley.
It was less than a year ago that government officials cheered as a ribbon was cut for the opening of Phoenix Packaging in Dublin, a company that was supposed to bring about 200 jobs to the New River Valley.
"It's been very, very quick," said Kim Bentley with Phoenix Packaging. "Just rapid growth of our business. It's very exiting for us."
Today, Phoenix Packaging has adjusted that employment figure up to roughly 350 workers. It's also already run out of space and is currently building a 120,000 square-foot warehouse addition onto the back of the plant.
"We are getting a good turn out for all positions that we currently have open," said Bentley of the additional workers Phoenix Packaging is looking to hire. "Less and less unemployed people are applying, so that's a really good thing."
It's an umemployment trend that Aric Bopp with the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance says recent numbers support.
"We are seeing some positive trends," said Bopp. "Obviously, they can always be better, but we're certainly happy with where we are today."
In October 2008, before the recession, jobs peaked in the New River Valley at 85,301 employed.
It January 2011, jobs dipped to the lowest level in the recession, with just 77,601 employed (8% unemployment). In January 2010, unemployment was at it's highest (9.6%) with only 77,639 employed.
Today those numbers are back at record levels.
November and December 2011 saw more jobs than ever in the NRV, with about 85,411 employed each month, with unemployment below 6%.
"Those numbers are a very positive reflection of what's going on," said Bopp. "When you drive around the community and see buildings being built, there's an awfully lot of good, positive, tangible economic indicators in the NRV right now."
Phoenix Packaging is just one of many new and expanding companies in the New River Valley: Backcountry.com, TechLab, Inorganic Ventures, Ratcliffe Transportation Museum, Blacksburg Industrial Park expansion and phase II of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.
You can see more employment figures for other hometowns online at Virginia Workforce Connection.
