As John Denver wrote "take me home to the place I belong," Project Manager Lance Morgan and his team will be returning home to West Virginia and opening Anderson & Associates’ Beckley office. Lance grew up in West Virginia and lives just south of Beckley. He has been commuting to A&A’s Blacksburg office for the past six years. When asked why, he responsed, "I enjoy working here. The company has some of the best values of any workplace I have encountered."

Lance has long desired to help the company open an office in West Virginia. The members of Lance’s team, Joe Pack and Rick Koger, are also residents of West Virginia and will transfer to the Beckley office. Joe Pack joined A&A during this past summer, having worked as a Professional Engineer in West Virginia since 1998. Rick Koger is an Engineer In Training (EIT) in West Virginia. All three men are engineering graduates from Bluefield State College.

This working team has been in training, operating separately from the main corporate office building for a majority of this year, as a trial and training period prior to relocating to Beckley.

Valerie Beelman came to Anderson & Associates after seeing an ad for a Marketing Assistant which seemed to be written just for her. She was looking for a position where she could write on a regular basis while expanding her design and business skills. Since being promoted to Public Relations Specialist, Valerie has been an effective editor for the Ampersand, has built relationships with media outlets, and has even been involved in web site design.

Valerie enjoys working at A&A because of the people and the corporate philosophy. "A&A hires individuals who are truly skilled in their profession," Valerie said. "We are encouraged to grow as professionals and individuals. This is a company that understands there is life beyond the office doors."

She has a knack for effective communication. In March 2005, A&A went through an ownership transition when the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) bought out Ken Anderson’s stock. Valerie led the internal communication charge by publishing a very creative and effective "owner’s manual" for all of the employees. This manual was presented in question and answer sessions at each branch, and gave a complete and creative explanation of the transition and future of A&A. In October, Valerie and Marketing Director Heather Porterfield attended the Blue Ridge chapter of the Public Relations Society of America annual awards gala where A&A won the Summit Award for Internal Communications for this project.