When most people think of a cobbler, they think of a tasty desert — not someone who repairs shoes. But as people cut back on new items, like shoes, business for local cobblers sure is sweet.

WSET-13 spoke with some cobblers in the Lynchburg-area, and the cobblers are seeing customers come in who have never had their shoes repaired.

[Read](http://www.wset.com/news/stories/1208/575599.html “Read the Article”) (WSET-13)

Cobblers in [Lynchburg](http://www.yellowpages.com/Lynchburg-VA/Shoe-Repair “Shoe Repair Listings”) (YellowPages.com)

Cobblers in [Roanoke](http://www.yellowpages.com/Roanoke-VA/Shoe-Repair “Shoe Repair Listings”) (YellowPages.com)

Roanoke-based [Luna Innovations, Inc.](http://www.lunainnovations.com/ “Luna Innovations, Inc.”) plans to layoff about 20 of its 218 employees as it makes adjustments to deal with the recession.

Luna Innovations develops and manufactures products for health care, telecommunications, energy, and defense markets.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/webmin/business/luna-innovations-lays-off-employees/article_07043a5e-dcf2-5f7d-adc5-24cb7f381a47.html “Read the Notice”) (Roanoke Times)

[Berglund Automotive](http://www.berglundcars.com/ “Berglund Automotive”)’s sales are down 35 to 40%, and the company has reduced its vehicle inventory by 50% and cut back on advertising. Berglund has also laid off a “handful” of employees over the last six weeks.

[Shelor Motor Mile](http://www.shelor.com “Shelor Motor Mile”)’s sales were off 40% in October and November. Shelor laid off 50 of its 350 employees in November.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/186604 “Read the Article”) (Roanoke Times)

Auto industry supplier [Wolverine Advanced Materials](http://www.wolverinegasketmaterials.com/ “Wolverine Advanced Materials”) announced this week it is laying off about 50 hourly workers and five salaried employees across its two Blacksburg locations.

The layoffs are considered permanent and take effect today. Job numbers before the layoffs were 205 hourly workers and more than 40 salaried employees.

[North American Housing Corp.](http://www.northamericanhousing.com “North American Housing Corp.”) announced it is idling the company’s modular-home building operation in Boones Mill because of ongoing housing market woes. The Maryland-based company described the measure as temporary.

40 employees will be laid off from modular-home construction, and 12 will remain working in truss and sales operations.

North American will continue to operate its Front Royal facility.

[Cox Communications](http://www.cox.com “Cox Communications”) told employees in Roanoke that they will be part of a national work force reduction. The company has said it will reduce its national work force by 2 percent by the end of the year.

Cox employs about 200 in Roanoke. Some positions will be eliminated through voluntary retirement, and others will be cut through layoffs. The company representative did not say how many local employees will be laid off.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/186602 “Read the Article”) (Roanoke Times)

After sitting vacant for four years, the former Valleydale meat packing plant and its 10 acre lot in Salem has been sold to .com properties.

The local representative for buyer .com properties said that they are interested in rehabbing the office portion of the property and leasing it out. The development group is the same one that owned the former West Salem Plaza for years.

During .com properties’ ownership, West Salem Plaza deteriorated and finally emptied. .com properties received a promise of [development incentives from the city of Salem](http://ourvalley.org/news.php?viewStory=3096 “Read the Article”). Since then, they sold the property, and the developer has torn it down.

[Read](http://ourvalley.org/news.php?viewStory=3612 “Read the Article”) (OurValley.org)

The future is uncertain for Richmond based [Ukrop’s](http://www.ukrops.com “Ukrop’s”) that arrived in Roanoke 18 months ago amid much fanfare.

An undeveloped retail center, a poor economy and competition from other grocers are thorns in the side for Ukrop’s Super Market, a family owned supermarket chain that opened its doors in Roanoke in June 2007.

This week, Bobby Ukrop, president and chief executive officer of Ukrop’s, said **the grocer cannot stay in Roanoke if sales do not improve**.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/186427 “Read the Article”) (Roanoke Times)

We received a letter from Ukrop’s stating that sales had decreased since the initial opening, and it asked us to give Ukrop’s another try and included coupons.

[North American Housing Corporation](http://www.northamericanhousing.com “North American Housing”) in Boone’s Mill is trimming its staff due to the downturn in the housing market. The local facility builds modular homes.

A spokesman wouldn’t say how many people will be affected.

[Read](http://www.wdbj7.com/global/story.asp?s=9450994 “Read the Notice”) (WDBJ-7)

[Shorewood Packaging](http://www.ipaper.com/Packaging/Packaging%20Business%20Divisions/Shorewood%20Packaging.html “Shorewood Packaging”) plans to close its Roanoke facility after the first of the year.

45 people will be out of work on January 16.

[Read](http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/shorewood_packaging_closing_in_roanoke/22365/#When:19:29:57Z “Read the Notice”) (WSLS-10)

[Frank Chervan, Inc.](http://www.chervan.com/ “Frank Chervan”), manufacturer of wood frames for furniture, announced the closure of several operating units located in its Bedford, Virginia Plant. The company notified approximately 90 affected workers that operations will be closed in early February. The company will still operate a rough lumber mill in Bedford that will likely employ approximately 30 people.

Chervan is now headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia. The company is over 80 years old and has focused on the business of contract manufacturing of wood and upholstered seating. As a supplier to the health care, office, hospitality and residential furniture industries, Chervan has grown in spite of industry challenges. However rapidly rising health care costs and turmoil in financial markets have made the recent operating environment particularly challenging.

The company expects to offer most of the affected employees positions at its Roanoke facility.

[Read](http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/frank_chervan_closing_majority_of_bedford_plant/22364/#When:19:25:00Z “Read the Notice”) (WSLS-10)

[Intermet Corp.](http://www.intermet.com/ “Intermet”) has told the state of Virginia it has tentative plans to lay off most of its Radford work force.

The maker of cast-metal automotive components, based in Ft. Worth, Texas, filed a notice Nov. 21 saying its unionized Radford foundry will possibly lay off 140 of its 160 employees on or before Jan. 20.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/186361 “Read the Article”) (Roanoke Times)

[Acument Global Technologies](http://www.acument.com/index.asp “Acument Global Technologies”)’ plant in Wytheville, VA will close early next year.

Acument makes fasteners for automotive and industrial applications. The company employs 162 people.

A company spokesman says the closure is directly related to the slowdown in the auto industry.

[Read](http://www.wdbj7.com/global/story.asp?s=9450566 “Read the Article”) (WDBJ-7)

Roanoke-based [Cycle Systems](http://www.cyclesystems.com/ “Cycle Systems”) laid off 35 employees (17 1/2% of its workforce) last week across the company’s eight locations. Five workers in Roanoke lost their jobs.

It was the first time in Cycle Systems’ 92-year history that the family-owned company has laid off more than a couple of employees at once.

The company attributed the cuts to the faltering economy and decreased demand by automakers, steel manufacturers and other industrial clients for recycled metals and processed scrap.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/185514 “Read the Article”) (Roanoke Times)

Valley Financial Corporation, the parent company of [Valley Bank](http://www.myvalleybank.com/ “Valley Bank”), says the Treasury Department has given preliminary approval for $16 million. The cash infusion will come from the purchase of preferred stock from the company. The $16 million will come from the Treasury Department’s “Capital Purchase Program,“ which was created to help stabilize the financial system and increase lending by banks.

[Read](http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/valley_bank_to_receive_money_from_feds/22077/#When:22:00:53Z “Read the Article”) (WSLS)