Molasses Grill named one of "The 30 places to eat in Virginia before you die"

Molasses Grill, Chef SteveIn 16 weeks the Virginia-Pilot newspaper reviewed 200 restaurants throughout the state to name "The 30 places to eat in Virginia before you die," and local restaurant Molasses Grill was named to the list. Their review follows:

"In the vast expanse of central Virginia, towns are like islands surrounded by rolling farmland. It's impossible to guess where gourmets gather. That's the case in Halifax. Across from the pillared courthouse, circa 1777, the Molasses Grill has been pleasing refined palates since 2005. That's when chef Steven Schopen, an English chap with worldly roots, and his wife, Karen, opened this restaurant. Inside, brick walls and burnished pine lend a sense of calm, but opening the menu causes palpitations. Schopen pairs Southern staples with locally sourced ingredients and turns out house-made sausages, breads and dishes such as grilled pork tenderloin with a shellac of bourbon and molasses. Or how about fried chicken and some pimento mac and cheese? Worth the 5-mile or so detour from the straightaway."

Read the full list here.

Mid-Atlantic Broadband Celebrates Their 10 Year Anniversary

Open-access fiber optic network continues to help regional economy grow

Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation (MBC), a successful wholesale fiber-optic open-access network transport provider, is celebrating their 10 year anniversary today. Many things have changed over the last ten years, but MBC has remained steadfast in working to fulfill its core mission areas of promoting economic development, lessening the burdens of government, bridging the digital divide, and reinvesting in our communities.

The initial investment in 2004 from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission funded the build out of the first 800 miles of fiber throughout Southern Virginia, connecting every single industrial, business and technology park in the region. MBC recently completed three Federal grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which included the construction of over 700 additional miles of fiber to the original network. Those projects included extending open-access fiber to all K-12 schools in Southern Virginia, extending the fiber backbone west to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and extending network builds to southeast Virginia/Hampton Roads market in partnership with Old Dominion University. Today, MBC maintains a regional fiber network of 1600+ route miles with over 300 buildings and 70 towers on-net, including direct connectivity to the largest Internet peering hubs in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region.

As MBC's network has grown, so has the MBC team. Mid-Atlantic Broadband now has fifteen full-time employees dedicated to managing the $100 million organization. Since its inception in 2004, MBC has directly enabled the creation of over 900 full-time jobs and attracted over $1.3 Billion in private sector investments from companies expanding their presence in rural Southern Virginia. MBC recently opened an office in Silicon Valley, California to promote Southern Virginia and enhance our economic development recruitment efforts for companies looking to expand to cost effective east coast markets.

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Grand Springs Natural Spring Water Expand Services

grandspringsGrand Springs Natural Spring Water is expanding! Grand Springs is now offering a distributing program for their coffee service products and their water products in the five gallon bottles and the small pack bottles to local business and to retail outlets in the Halifax County area. Two new jobs have been created in Halifax County with the potential for a third. “This is another great story of the success of small businesses in Halifax County, “according to Mike Sexton, Executive Director of the IDA of Halifax County.

The natural springs that feed Grand Springs have been a source of refreshment for centuries. Grand Springs Water was voted the best tasting water in the world in 2008 and 2009 at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition.

Grand Springs Natural Spring Water was selected as the sole provider of bottled water for the House of Representatives Food Services in Washington, D. C. The bottled water supplied to the House is contained in compostable bottles made of corn and replaces water that was in petroleum-based bottles.

Grand Springs offers a private labeling service to businesses and organizations that wish to promote or advertise its products under their own name. For more information please contact Grand Springs 2140 Mount Carmel Road Alton, VA 24520 (434) 753-2515, You can also follow Grand Springs on facebook and twitter and see their video on YouTube or learn more by visiting their website at www.grandsprings.com.