JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

Lt. Col. Andy Munera laughs as Col. Jon Drushal hands over his Blackberry and command of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Col. William Barnett (right) watches the exchange. Munera, the 34th commander since the plant opened in 1940, will hold the post for two years.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

A ceremony Friday marked a new era at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.

Lt. Col. Andy Munera took the reins of Montgomery County's third-largest employer from Col. Jon Drushal, who has been in command since June 2007.

Munera, the 34th commander since the plant opened in 1940, will hold the post for two years.

The Radford Army Ammunition Plan is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility that manufactures propellants for the Department of Defense.

Before coming to Radford, Munera, a native of Fairfax, has held a variety of positions, most recently working with the disposal of explosives.

Munera said he thinks the plant will continue to be one of the county's top employers.

According to the Virginia Employment Commission, the plant has more than 1,000 employees and trails only Virginia Tech and Montgomery County Schools in employment with the county.

"You never know what's going to happen, but I don't see any reason it won't continue," he said.

He's familiar with the area, however, because of family ties to the area, including family in Pearisburg and formerly in Radford.

"I knew the area from visiting," he said.

During his farewell speech, Drushal said he was impressed with the people he had met during his two years as commander.

"When something needs to be done, they pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get it done," he said.

A round of laughter marked the end of the ceremony when Drushal handed Munera his Blackberry, calling it the "modern change of command."

The plant has been named the state's biggest polluter according to a Toxics Release Inventory in March by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Munera said he didn't want to comment because he didn't know enough specifics on the situation, but the plant would try to be "good stewards of the environment."