Ana Ribeiro wrote this piece on the Holiday Career and Lifestyle Fair, which was featured on the front page of the Business section of the Roanoke Times.

The 1st Annual Roanoke Holiday Career and Lifestyle Fair TODAY was productive as between 800 - 1000 job seekers attended the event. Fifty (50) exhibitors were in attendance and their early feedback was positive.

Also, 6 media outlets were present today, including all three TV stations. WDBJ 7 was also live this morning promoting the event.

There are too many people to name who made this event possible, however, special thanks goes to the person who generated the idea - Darlene Burcham, City of Roanoke City Manager, and the sponsor MyHometownJobs.com and WDBJ7.

I was checking out our page and saw a comment from someone else who has done a great job creating their page. Check it out.

The 1st Annual Roanoke Holiday Career and Lifestyle Fair, sponsored by MyHometownJobs.com, will be held at the Roanoke Civic Center Exhibit Hall on Thursday, December 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fair is targeted to people who return to Roanoke for the holidays to visit family members. The purpose is to showcase employment, lifestyle and entrepreneurial opportunities in the region. Admission is free.

For more information on the fair, watch our video.

To see a partial list of attendees, click here.

Read the Mayor’s State of the City Address Outlining the City’s Focus on Young Adults.

Receive future information about employment, lifestyle and entrepreneurial opportunities in the region.

Far southwest Virginia has created Return to Roots to reach out to its native sons and daughters.

Led by Smyth County Administrator Ed Whitmore, Shannon Blevins of DBA, and Carl Mitchell of the Virginia Economic Bridge, they are trying to persuade these folks to return home to fill the plethora of highly-skills jobs that have moved to Smyth and Russell Counties.

Earlier this fall Governor Kaine introduced their program.

All eyes are on this initiative and we wish them success. As these people return home for the holidays to visit familiy members, please tell your friends from this region about this very important program. 

We are all in this together.

This new site called You5W.com was created by a young proactive entrepreneur who wants to create things to do for young people in the region. Please help her get going by linking the site to your blogs and websites and tell your friends about her. For more info, send Jennifer an email. 

We made this post two weeks ago, and Aric said he is getting many requests for the free stickers - as far away as Florida. Get your free sticker and share with others.

You have seen the OBX stickers on the back of windshields for years promoting a particular region or community. This viral marketing approach has contributed to the popularity of the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Well, Aric Bopp at the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance has created our region’s version of the OBX sticker. It is RNR - Virginia’s Roanoke and New River Valleys.

To request your FREE copy of the sticker send Aric an email.

Midnight on the Market is coming to downtown Roanoke on New Year’s Eve 9 pm - 2 am. Tickets are $12 advanced and $15 at the door.

This Event Zone production is catered to young adults in the region. For those people saying there is nothing to do in Roanoke for young adults, here is your opportunity.

Click to view a preview of the event…

Roanoke College, the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce and the NewVa Corridor Technology Council hosted a forum for local recruiters today to assist them in creating internship programs.

Over 80 persons were in attendance and some recruiters were actually turned away due to space constraints.

This event should demonstrate to local college students the high level of interest and opportunities in the region.

Email me to get a list of local employers looking for interns.

Last night at the O Winston Link Museum the Economic Development Coalition gave a wonderful overview of their six organizations to an enthusiastic and vocal crowd of over 80 young adults sponsored by NewVa Connects and the Square Society. To contact each of the panelists to learn more about their organizations and how to get involved, then follow the links below.

• Beth Doughty, Executive Director of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Debbie Kavitz, Executive Director of the Salem / Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce
• David Diaz, Executive Director of Downtown Roanoke Inc.
• Wayne Strickland, Executive Director of the Roanoke Regional Commission
• Doug Chittum, Economic Development Director, Roanoke County
• Dave Kjolhede, Executive Director, Roanoke Convention and Visitors Bureau

Great job to all who were involved that made this event possible.