Jonathan Buttram is the chair of the Town of Bedford Economic Development Authority (EDA) and owns an engineering consulting company called Interwav, Inc. that specializes in the nondestructive inspection of metal fabricated components using ultrasonic testing. He has a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Engineering Mechanics. Mary Zirkle is the director of planning and community development for the Town of Bedford and also serves as the town's economic development coordinator, assisting the Town of Bedford EDA. She has a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Urban and Regional Planning. Their GO Virginia Region 2 project seeks to develop a master plan for repurposing a former steel shot foundry into a training center focused on metal fabrication skills. Metalworking is vital to the economy and is a large industry in GOVA Region 2, with 62 metal fabricating companies in the Bedford-Roanoke area. The facility will train people of all ages, including high school and college students as well as those who are returning to work or looking to upskill.

1. What was the inspiration behind your GO Virginia project?

MZ: The practical inspiration for the project was the sudden closure of the WinoaUSA plant during the pandemic. There was a concern the property could be purchased and mothballed or converted into a warehouse, and the EDA saw an opportunity to reactivate it. The next year, we found intangible inspiration through Central Virginia Community College when they visited and could see their metalworking programs in the space.

2. What is the history of the former foundry the Town of Bedford EDA is purchasing?

MZ: The WinoaUSA property was built in 1974 as the second abrasive manufacturing plant of Wheelabrator-Frye. It remained in this use until the closure by the French-owned company. It’s always been metal focused, and we want to honor that niche.

3. What are some of the next steps you will take as you develop the plan for the Bedford Regional Metal Workforce Retention Center?

MZ: After finding the right consultant team to develop the plan, the next step is bringing the stakeholders together. This is the key step to determining which businesses in the Roanoke and Lynchburg regions can use the facility. We will then match those businesses with education opportunities in the region.

4. What are some of the industry partners you are working with on the project?

MZ: We have enthusiastic support from Central Virginia Manufacturing in Bedford and Precision Steel Manufacturing Corp. in Roanoke, as well as the American Foundry Society. In the Lynchburg area, both BWX Technologies and Framatome are on board with the project. Each industry partner has a different need, but the training that is most requested is welding. Quoting from Precision Steel Manufacturing, we can see to the range of just one company’s needs, including “fabrication, forming, tube bending, traditional welding, robotic welding, CNC machining, and inspections.” Exploring the teaching foundry opportunity is also exciting to envision here.

5. How do you hope the project will help the town of Bedford and surrounding area?

MZ: We expect the project to reach out to daily commuters in Roanoke and Lynchburg regions, but we believe the program has the potential to go nationwide. The idea that Bedford would be a spring in the desert for this facility brings with it the potential to attract businesses that would locate in the town and county in order to be close to a continuously-produced skilled workforce center.

6. The project builds on a previous GOVA award to Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) to create a Regional Career and Technical Education Academy. What is one of your favorite parts about working with CVCC and other school systems in the region?

MZ: So far, the favorite part for us has been the enthusiasm that CVCC has brought to the project. The project doesn’t exist without them because they are the reason we did this. After they toured the plant in April 2021 and we discussed possibilities and their need for more training space, we launched based on their encouragement. They recognized the potential that could help them achieve their vision. Finding other partner institutions is expected to be an exciting outcome of the GOVA plan.

7. The project’s executive summary states the facility has long-term potential for daily rail-based commuters. Can you talk about the plans for making the facility accessible by rail?

JB: The facility is about three quarters of a mile from the proposed Bedford Amtrak train station. In Bedford, we have a small town bus service called the Otter Bus that circuits through town once every hour, four days a week. Our over-the-horizon plan, assuming Bedford receives future funding for its Amtrak station, would be to work with the Otter Bus to align its schedule to correspond with a future train schedule. The current Amtrak schedule would support students in Roanoke taking the morning departure to Bedford, using the Otter Bus to get to the facility and arrive to class by 8 a.m. The schedule would support students attending classes all morning and arriving back in Roanoke around 1:00 p.m. Similarly, the second half of the day would be dedicated to Lynchburg students, who could take the 11 a.m. train out of Lynchburg, be in class by 1 p.m. and back home around 6 p.m. Bedford is the only location that could facilitate Roanoke and Lynchburg students in one facility. By train time, Bedford is also close to midway between Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. We could offer graduate level type studies, such as a working foundry, where, if both engineering departments from the state universities wanted to participate, students could travel to Bedford in a similar fashion on a daily basis. The potential this facility has for daily commuters by train and/or car in a somewhat rural area like Southwest Virginia is unheard of, and it’s a unique opportunity.

8. What is your favorite part of being a GOVA grantee?

JB: For me personally, it's an opportunity to meet interesting people, and from a project standpoint, it's exciting to work regionally. Bedford is located in the geographical center of GOVA Region 2, making it ideally located to work with both Roanoke and Lynchburg. Our location is our strong point, and that is one of the reasons we wanted to work on this project. This is truly a regional project, and we want this training center to encourage companies to move to Bedford, Roanoke, and Lynchburg. That’s our ultimate goal.