An official ribbon cutting for the opening of a Holiday Inn Express and Suites was held on May 27, 2015, in Lebanon, Virginia. The project was possible through major funding from the Virgin-ia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority and Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission. The content below was adapted from an article by Heather Powers from The Lebanon News, a weekly newspaper in our county.

LEBANON, Va. – An official ribbon cutting was held for Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Lebanon, Virginia, on Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

The project was a collaborative effort between many local officials and the following major funding sources: Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), Virginia Small Business Financing Authority and Cumberland Plateau Planning District. The hotel opened for business in April 2015.

Several dignitaries and local officials spoke during the ceremony.

Harry Rutherford, chairman of the Industrial Development Authority of Russell County, gave a welcome, thanking all those who made the project possible. Town of Lebanon Mayor Tony Dodi also made comments, as well as Danny Brown, who represented the Russell County Board of Supervisors.

Remarks were also given by Senator Ben Chafin, who serves as attorney for the IDA of Russell County. Chafin noted that the project is a prime example of what happens when there is coopera-tion between local and state entities and officials. Chafin said that getting a large-chain hotel in Lebanon had been a long time coming and that he was proud to see it happen. He applauded the contributions of everyone involved, saying he enjoyed working through the process with the IDA and the hotel’s general contractor, Jamie Oliver.

Representatives from each of the project’s three major funders also made remarks: Jonathan Belcher of VCEDA, Linda Gilbert of Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, and Jim Baldwin of the Cumberland Plateau Planning District.

Jamie Oliver, general contractor and a partner in Dogwood Properties (which leases the hotel from the IDA) wrapped up the event by expressing excitement that he would be serving Russell County and its communities for years to come.