includes finance, service, retail, transportation, manufacturing, health care and life sciences. Alongside Montgomery County, the region is also a major technology and research hub, home to Virginia Tech and several technology companies. The region serves as the medical, cultural, retail, media, and commercial center for nearly a million people, and is the largest place for employment opportunities in western Virginia. Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate Several banks and insurance providers are headquartered (or regionally headquartered) in the region, including: Atlantic Credit and Finance (Headquarters) BB&T (Regional headquarters) Bank of America (Regional headquarters) Bank of Botetourt (Headquarters) Bank of Fincastle (Headquarters) Brown Edwards (Certified public accounting firm headquarters) Delta Dental of Virginia (Virginia headquarters) First Citizens Bank (Regional headquarters) Goodman & Company (Regional office of one of the largest Virginia-based certified public accounting firms) Hometown Bank (Headquarters) KPMG (Regional office) Shenandoah Life Insurance (Headquarters) SunTrust (Regional headquarters) Valley Bank (Headquarters) Wachovia Securities (Regional headquarters) The region is also home to top ranked Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business and Radford University College of Business and Economics. Transportation The first major industry in the region was the railroad industry. The transportation and transportation-related manufacturing industries have since grown and include: Altec Industries — Aerial devices for utility and telecommunications trucks Advance Auto Parts — Automotive aftermarket parts; Former headquarters Cardinal Rubber & Seal — Hydraulic, rubber, plastic hoses, belting and packing Corning, Inc. — Substrates and cellular ceramic supports for catalytic converters Dynax America — Automatic transmission clutch disc plates Graham White — Components for rail, trucks, and buses Metalsa — Heavy truck parts Norfolk Southern — Railroad Salem Preferred Partners — Hydrogen generating fuel modules Salem Vent — Metal stamped components for heavy truck cabs TMD Friction — Brake friction components Virginia Forge — Wheel hubs for auto industry Volvo North America — Heavy truck assembly plant Westport — Axle assemblies for Volvo trucks WestRock — High performance friction papers for automatic transmissions Yokohama Tire Corporation — Passenger and light truck tires Health Care and Life Sciences The health care and life science industries are anchored by the Carilion Clinic, one of the largest health care companies in Virginia and the region's largest employer, and Virginia Tech, both of which recently partnered to establish the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Also, Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia have collaborated in establishing the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. Other