Roanoke Times hints that Virginia governor will make Deschutes announcement Tuesday

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The Roanoke Times newspaper this evening is reporting that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe will make a major economic development announcement Tuesday afternoon.  The newspaper hints that the announcement may be in connection to the long-awaited decision by Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery regarding the location of its new East Coast brewery. It’s been widely reported that Roanoke and Asheville were on the short list of locations for the new brewery. From the Roanoke Times:

McAuliffe will make the announcement at 2 p.m. at Charter Hall in the Roanoke City Market Building, according to an invitation from the Roanoke Regional Partnership. It comes one week after the governor visited Botetourt County to announce Eldor Corp., an Italian auto parts manufacturer, would be making a $75 million investment and creating 350 new jobs in the Botetourt Center at Greenfield.
Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery has eyed Roanoke as well as Asheville, North Carolina, for a production craft brewery and possibly a pub since September. The East Coast brewery likely would employ about 100 people, Deschutes has said. Brewery officials stressed the importance of outdoor recreation culture wherever they located their second brewing facility. Deschutes is ranked seventh by beer sales volume among U.S. craft breweries.

A Roanoke news/talk radio station reported yesterday that Deschutes was planning to pick Roanoke for its new brewery. We’ll stay tuned.