Bedford to replace retiring economic development director

BEDFORD — Bedford County’s director of economic development is set to retire at the end of this month, but the county still plans to find a replacement, despite an ongoing hiring freeze.

Sue Montgomery was the first person to serve the position when it was created by county officials in 1993. She is a “rewarding” employee who worked for the county for about 20 years and served in a number of roles, County Administrator Kathleen Guzi said Tuesday.

The county will look for a new director because the position is vital enough to warrant an exemption from the hiring freeze, Guzi said. It’s also crucial that county officials stay well positioned to respond to the area’s business needs, she said.

“Even though it’s tough economic times, it’s not time to cut back,” Guzi said during a Board of Supervisors work session Tuesday. “Are we going to find another Sue? No. Sue laid the groundwork.”

Chairman John Sharp said the replacement for Montgomery “has big shoes to fill.”

“We might need to be patient as we do the search and not necessarily jump at the first candidate,” Sharp said of hiring a new director.

While addressing supervisors Tuesday, Montgomery said the county “has not done too badly” in such a dismal economic climate. The unemployment rate reached a high of 6.9 percent in June, she said, which was still below the state and federal average and among the lowest in the area.

There have also been new commercial projects in the past year, she said, such as a developing Kroger on U.S. 221 and a planned Food Lion in Moneta.

She said for years the county saw “an imbalance of residential growth” that dropped in recent years. “Retail follows rooftops ... now we see commercial is catching up.”

In other news:

Officials are also planning for an increase of activity at the New London Business and Technology Center on U.S. 460 thanks to a new regional facility for the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research.  CL Lewis of Lynchburg was awarded the contract for construction, said Wyatt Walton, chairman of the Bedford Economic Development Authority.

A groundbreaking for the new facility is set for Nov. 6 at the business center.

“The sky is the limit in what can happen in New London,” Montgomery said of the business park’s future.