VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher, right, presents Russell County Industrial Development Authority Chairman Ernie McFaddin with a ceremonial check representing a $25,000 grant to the IDA to be used to assist TDEC’s Russell County location with workforce development and training.
LEBANON, VA – JULY 17, 2020 — A $25,000 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) to the Russell County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) was closed recently to assist Russell County business, TDEC, with workforce development and training. The grant is from VCEDA’s Workforce Development and Training Fund.
The grant will help TDEC add approximately 14 new full-time and part-time jobs in a five-year period, according to the IDA’s application to VCEDA.
“VCEDA was pleased to be able to assist the Russell County IDA in its continued work with TDEC and the company’s projected expansion,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “VCEDA worked with TDEC and the county on the company’s original location to the region two years ago. Seeing them continue to grow and expand is a win for TDEC, a win for Russell County and a win for Southwest Virginia’s e-Region.”
TDEC, which stands for “The Data Entry Company,” is a business process outsourcing firm headquartered in Bethesda, Md., and was first recruited to the region by VCEDA two years ago in 2018.
After being shown several locations in the region by VCEDA, TDEC located in space owned by the IDA in the Russell County Governmental Center in Lebanon, where they opened a branch office for data entry services serving a variety of clients, including several state and federal agencies.
During the recruitment process, TDEC specifically told VCEDA one major reason they considered Southwest Virginia’s e-Region was due to their need for an available and well-qualified workforce.
“TDEC has been a great addition to Russell County,” said Russell County IDA Chairman Ernie McFaddin. “The continuing development of this workforce is vital to our growth and diversification within the county. We are grateful for their commitment to our community and it is our goal to provide the necessary resources to ensure their success.
“The company has been great to work with and we hope this grant will enable them to continue their growth in Russell County,” McFaddin added.
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us
or www.e-Region.org.