Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | West Virginia wins $500 million hyperloop certification facility

Posted on | by Christopher Anthony

ED BLAZINA | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | eblazina@post-gazette.com | OCT 9, 2020

About 18 months ago, West Virginia set a goal of establishing itself as a cradle for developing new technology.

That effort bore its largest fruit so far Thursday, when Virgin Hyperloop One chose an 800-acre site in the Mountain State for the $500 million Hyperloop Certification Facility, a 6-mile test track where the U.S. Department of Transportation will verify the safety of the new technology. The site is a former coal mine that straddles Tucker and Grant counties, south of Somerset, Pa., and the thin strip of western Maryland.

Gov. Jim Justice teamed with West Virginia University and others in early 2019 to form a consortium to retain and attract startup companies, support emerging growth companies and recruit “large, globally significant” operations to the state, said Sarah Biller, executive director of Vantage Ventures in WVU’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics.

“Of all the efforts we’ve made, this is the biggest prize and we’re thrilled Virgin Hyperloop has chosen West Virginia,” Ms. Biller said in interview after the announcement in Charleston. “I think they were really surprised to find this 360-degree perspective they needed was available in West Virginia.”

The certification facility, which will take at least five years to build, is a key step in the development of hyperloop technology, which Virgin Hyperloop claims can move passengers or freight at more than 500 mph in pods that travel through low-pressure tubes without creating pollution. Virgin chose the West Virginia proposal over about a dozen others, including one from Columbus, Ohio, planners who have proposed a hyperloop system linking Pittsburgh, Columbus and Chicago.

Ryan Kelly, vice president of marketing and communications for Virgin Hyperloop, said the 800 acres donated to the project by developer Western Pocahontas Properties was a key to picking the West Virginia proposal. That — and the pubic-private partnership of government, higher education and industry — won the day, Mr. Kelly said.

“West Virginia put together a package that covered everything we need,” Mr. Kelly said.

Ms. Biller also cited the availability of free property from one owner, which eliminated the need to assemble a series of parcels from various owners.

“In this case, it’s a significant benefit to get the property from one owner,” she said. “It’s not only free, it’s frictionless. It is almost a 7-mile-long site and in many instances that can be a problem [if there are multiple owners].”

Mr. Justice called the announcement “a fantastic day” for West Virginia. The project is expected to create 7,300 construction and manufacturing jobs over the next five years and 6,000 permanent jobs, including 150 to 200 engineers.

“For years, I have been saying that West Virginia is the best-kept secret on the East Coast, and it’s true,” he said. “Just look at this announcement and all it will bring to our state — investment, jobs and tremendous growth.

“When we approached Virgin Hyperloop, I told them that we would do everything we could to bring this opportunity to West Virginia. We look forward to working with the Virgin Hyperloop team to create a lasting partnership for years to come.”

Mr. Kelly said the timetable calls for designing and confirming financing for the project through next year, beginning construction in 2022 and opening the facility in 2025. If it meets that scenario, Virgin Hyperloop believes it can begin operating a system in the U.S. by 2030.

In Columbus, officials said they continue to move forward in hopes of operating that first U.S. system, even if that area didn’t get the certification facility.

“This center is an exciting moment and major next step [for] making hyperloop a reality in the United States and around the world,” said William Murdock, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. “Looking forward to what’s next, the long partnership between Virgin Hyperloop and so many Ohio private and public leaders is the critical foundation to our efforts to build a hyperloop system to connect Columbus to Chicago, Pittsburgh, and beyond.”

Ms. Biller said the university and its students will be involved in the project in a variety of ways through programs ranging from engineering and business to human sciences as it studies how the body will react to moving at such speeds. It plans to work with other universities on joint programs to train workers for the facility.

To Ms. Biller, the biggest potential benefit from the project was evident about this time last year, when Virgin Hyperloop officials visited the campus to talk about the project. She said wide-eyed students crowded the auditorium and sat on the floor to listen.

“It was an ‘Aha!’ moment. They can start to inspire a whole new set of dreams. It inspires the thinking of, ‘Look what I can do.’”

The Monroe News | Custom T-shirt store opens at Mall of Monroe

Posted on | by Christopher Anthony

By Tyler Eagle | September 8, 2020

“We can make it what you want,” Padma Yerramilli said about the shirt designs.

With her children older and a desire to pursue her interest in fashion, stay-at-home mom Padma Yerramilli figured now was as good a time as any to start a business.

The Monroe woman, along with her husband, Anil, recently opened Custom Designs by Amu and Ani.

The store, located at The Mall of Monroe, 2121 N. Monroe St., specializes in custom T-shirts featuring designs commissioned from Padma.

“I like to make unique designs,” Padma said. “Something customers can’t get somewhere else.”

Draped in T-shirts emblazoned with Padma’s designs, the store is open during regular mall hours.

Anil said the family had been contemplating the business move for a while. The family knew it wanted to specifically start a T-shirt business, he added.

“My interest in fashion started after my daughter was born,” Padma said.

IF YOU GO…

What: Custom Designs by Amu and Ani

Where: Mall of Monroe, 2121 N. Monroe St.

When: Mall hours – 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; Noon-5 p.m. Sunday

How much: Varies, but T-shirts typically $25.

More information: Call 734-322-3030 or email customdesignsbyamuandani@gmail.com.

With their daughter, Amruta, in school at Monroe County Middle College and their son, Anirudh, in the fifth grade, Padma and Anil decided to forge ahead with their idea.

Using the nicknames of their children as inspiration for the store’s name, they developed a business plan and began looking for space.

They came across the mall and saw an opportunity to play a part in its revitalization.

“The mall used to be buzzing,” Anil said. “We want to help drive more traffic to it.”

Customers can select from a catalog of ready-to-go designs or work with Padma to come up with a concept. They also can bring in their own design or photo, Padma said.

Padma crafts her designs from her customers’ wants and also from inspiration online. Printing a shirt can take up to 30 minutes, though that time may be longer when working with a customer’s idea for a design.

Shirts typically cost $25 a piece and are printed in a variety of ways. Such methods include sublimation, heat transfer sheets and vinyl printing.

Customers get to select the color of the shirt they want and can view the design prior to printing, according to Padma.

 

Some designs can even be printed on solar shirts, which change colors when in contact with direct sunlight.

The store also sells other apparel items, including hoodies, sweatshirts and caps.

What sets the store apart from other retailers is that it has the ability to create a product specific to a customer’s interest, Padma said.

When people walk into most stores, they are choosing something, not because it is what they want, but because it is what’s there, Anil said.

“We can make it what you want,” Padma added.

The Yerramillis planned to open the store in March, but COVID-19 hit and the subsequent closure of businesses deemed unessential by the state delayed its establishment.

When shopping centers were able to reopen, they opened their store to the public. Though traffic has been slow, which Anil attributes to lingering effects from the shutdown, the Yerramillis are hopeful for their business’ future.

It also highlights the need to patronize local businesses as opposed to those helmed by corporations, according to Anil.

“Local businesses are the ones most affected by COVID,” he said. “Local businesses have been left to fend for themselves.”

The store is one of the first to take up residence at the mall in recent years, following a slew of departures, including flagship stores such as Carson’s and Pat Catan’s.

Last year, Cafaro, the company that owns the mall, announced a redevelopment strategy designed to attract more nontraditional businesses to the retail space, including offices, restaurants and other commercial operations.

Since then, entities such as Monroe City Church, Monroe Community Players and River Raisin CrossFit have been established at the space.

The Yerramilli’s store is a a strong example of that strategy, said Joe Bell, director of corporate communications at Cafaro.

The new store “falls in line with the redevelopment plan we’ve been pursing, which calls for seeking out local businesses and providing them the space they need to grow,” Bell said.

 

Puyallup Farmer’s Market, August 29

Posted on | by Christopher Anthony

AUGUST 26, 2020 BY CITY OF PUYALLUP

Pierce County’s largest and best farmer’s market will once again gather on August 29 (9 am-2 pm) in the parking lot of South Hill Mall near the old Sears. The freshest produce around, plus hanging baskets, vegetable and other plant starts, flowers and more – all grown right here in Washington. Add a variety of distinct artisan crafters and specialty food vendors and you have yourself a whole park of wonderful offerings.