DUBLIN – Gov. Tim Kaine spent about an hour inside Volvo Trucks North America this morning, meeting with the general manager and visiting the production area.

“I’m excited to see this and know there are a lot of good things going on here, a lot of innovation,” Kaine told Pete Huber, the Pulaski County administrator, who was among local officials standing outside the plant to greet Kaine.

The visit was the first of several stops Virginia's governor is making today in the New River and Roanoke valleys. He rode a bicycle with children and others along the Roanoke River Greenway, visited a city fire station and the Roanoke City Market, and is scheduled to make an environmental announcement this afternoon in downtown Roanoke.

In Pulaski County, plant manager Patrick Collignon and Kaine discussed Volvo business issues and the plant’s push to reduce energy usage and its estimated $6 million annual energy bill through adoption of more sustainable practices, according to Marcus Thompson, the plant’s communications manager. The meeting was closed to reporters at the company’s request.

Collignon said the plant uses energy much like any conventional factory. But he has set a goal for it to become carbon neutral, meaning its operation adds no carbon dioxide to the environment. The support of government officials is important, he said.

The factory, following a series of job cuts in recent years due to fluctuating demand, employs a work force of 1,200 people. About 900 build heavy truck highway trucks and construction vehicles for sale in North America, while the rest hold white collar positions. The average pay for assemblers, the most common position, is $23.74 an hour.