Flag Business Flying High

Annin & Co. is the largest flag manufacturer in the U.S., and IDA Board Member Bill Kellehar is the Plant Manager at the company's Virginia factory here in South Boston.  WSJ's Shawn Bender reports on how the flags are made at the South Boston factory, and how the business is holding up in the recession.

Ariel Atom 3 - Specialty File

Small tweaks and a berserk Honda powertrain make the near-perfect Atom lighter, faster, and better.

BY DAVE VANDERWERP, PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTOR NEWMAN
Car and Driver, June 2009

Those who weren’t among the half-dozen anxious souls who had an Atom on order as its former U.S. builder, Brammo Motorsports, closed its doors are excused for missing the track toy’s one-year hiatus. The builder’s baton has since been passed to TMI AutoTech, a recently formed U.S. subsidiary of Canadian firm Trak Motorsports, which ran the Ariel Atom Experience [Upfront, October 2007] and, in March 2008, set up operations in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse on the grounds of Virginia International Raceway. The first Atom emerged in January from TMI’s facility, where the steel-tube frame is bent and welded and the car is painstakingly hand-built by the company’s five employees. TMI plans to produce 50 cars this year and with additional staff, 100 the next.

Live Work Play…Imagine Your Tomorrow in Halifax County, Virginia. This is one of the newest banners posted at South Boston Speedway that can be seen by race fans.

The IDA wants to capitalize on the racing audience by promoting Halifax County and supporting America’s Hometown Track. “The banners promote the newly redesigned IDA website” stated Nancy Smith, Marketing and Research Director for the IDA. “We are excited to team up with Halifax County Tourism and South Boston Speedway to promote Halifax County,” she continued.

The IDA along with Tourism and South Boston Speedway are sponsoring a race in August. The race is slated for Saturday, August 1^st and is called “Imagine Halifax 150 Late Model/Limited/Pure Stock/Legendary Flatheads.”

Danville, VA -- What started as a passing observation while watching a TV show is turning into major entrepreneurial success for one Halifax businessman.  It was three years ago when Paul Davis was watching a home show on the HGTV network.  Although each of the show’s featured homes was quite beautiful, they all had one major detractor in the kitchen.

“A horribly messy refrigerator,” the owner of South Boston’s Sears store recalls.  “Papers, pictures, magnets, you name it – they were all covered with it.”