VBR LIFE Business including the New River Valley-has been tenuous for the past few years but seems to be on the upswing. This recent success is owed to productive industrial recruiting, coupled with technology alliances that are beginning to fulfill their promise. Job announcements from the Roanoke Regional Partnership dipped significantly in 2019, down from 12 in 2018 to three, worth a $26.75 million local 48 2021 VBR LIFE investment and 100 jobs. Things ticked back up in 2020. Through the summer, there were four announcements with a combined investment of over $44 million. Those announcements also brought a significant 440 jobs, even though they occurred during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. " The challenge is figuring out what 2021 and beyond will look like, " says Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Regional COURTESY OF BEAM DIAGNOSTICS B USINESS GROWTH in Virginia's Blue Ridge- ABOVE: Beam Diagnostics CEO and co-founder Sarah Snider presents her company's flagship product for RAMP's 2018 Demo Day.