Chamber Briefings 
December 2017
Upcoming 
Events

Chamber Day at the Capitol
January 24, 2018
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Omni Richmond Hotel

Old Dominion Assembly Legislative Reception
January 24, 2018
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Omni Richmond Hotel

January 11, 2018
Greater Richmond Convention Center

SAVE THE DATE

2018 Fantastic 50 Awards
April 26, 2018
Westfields Marriott
Chantilly, VA

Fantastic 50 nominations are open! Learn more here.
Member News & Events













 
 





President's Message

On December 1, we were pleased to present Blueprint Virginia 2025 to Governor-elect Ralph Northam and members of the Virginia General Assembly at the Virginia Economic Summit. Over 900 business leaders were in attendance as we discussed "Strengthening Virginia's Future." The release of Blueprint Virginia 2025 was the culmination of a year-long process to collect input on the priorities of the business community to strengthen our economic climate. We are grateful for the input provided by all of our members and stakeholders of the past year. You can read more about Blueprint Virginia 2025 below. To view presentations from the Summit, click here. To view photos from the event, click here.

We are looking forward to working with policy leaders to implement the strategies put forward in Blueprint Virginia 2025. The 2018 General Assembly Session is scheduled to begin on January 10. Over 200 bills have already been prefiled, with more coming in daily. Our team is reviewing bills as they come in. Look soon for the Chamber's "Bills We're Watching," which provides short, concise summaries of bills and budget items we are tracking along with the Chamber's "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" position. "Bills We're Watching" will be live on our website after the new year. 
I also hope you'll mark your calendars for a couple of events in January. On January 11th, we'll co-host the Financial Forecast with the Virginia Bankers Association to discuss the economic future of our Commonwealth. On January 24th, we'll hold our annual Chamber Day at the Capitol and Old Dominion Assembly Legislative Reception. At Chamber Day, join Chambers of Commerce and business leaders to hear from Virginia's top elected officials on the 2018 General Assembly session. Then, join us that evening for our annual legislative reception. More details on all of these events can be found below!

On behalf of all of our staff, best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season and prosperous new year!
VA Chamber Releases Blueprint Virginia 2025

Virginia has long been blessed by a strong economy with regular recognition as the best state for business. While we have much to be thankful for, Virginia has lost its top spot in national business climate rankings in recent years. There are also areas of the Commonwealth that are not enjoying the level of prosperity experienced by others due to continued economic headwinds. We must remain committed to our efforts to foster an economic climate in Virginia that promotes business investment and growth, and positions us, once again, as the best state for business.
 
We are pleased to share with you Blueprint Virginia 2025, an update to
 the original Blueprint Virginia that was adopted in 2013. Blueprint Virginia is a comprehensive initiative that provides business leadership, direction, and long-range economic planning for Virginia. During the past 12 months, we engaged business and community leaders from around the Commonwealth to build an action plan for strengthening Virginia's economic competitiveness and getting Virginia back to the top of business climate rankings. More than 6,000 leaders participated in this process through an electronic survey, regional briefings, strategic partnerships, Industry Council meetings, and the Virginia Chamber's signature annual events.

On December 1, we presented Blueprint Virginia 2025 to Governor-elect Ralph Northam. We look forward to working with public policy leaders to implement the goals and recommendations outlined in Blueprint Virginia 2025. Working together, we can help elevate prosperity in every part of the Commonwealth and make Virginia the best state for business once again.
 Blueprint Virginia 2025: Economic Revival

The following editorial appeared in the Sunday, December 3 edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch:

2018 Chamber Day at the Capitol and
Old Dominion Assembly Legislative Reception
Chamber Day Tickets - $75 (early bird rate through January 5)
Old Dominion Assembly Tickets - $125
Combo Ticket (Chamber Day and Old Dominion Assembly) - $185

CHAMBER DAY AT THE CAPITOL
9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Join Chambers of Commerce and other business leaders  from around the Commonwealth at Chamber Day for briefings from Virginia's top government leaders!

OLD DOMINION ASSEMBLY
LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm


Join more than 600 guests at one of the premier events on the legislative social calendar!


January 11, 2018 
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. 
Greater Richmond Convention Center

Bringing industry leaders together to discuss the economic future of our Commonwealth.
Economic forecasting has become an essential component to remaining successful and profitable in today's economic environment.  The Virginia Bankers Association and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce share a desire to help prepare Virginia's business community for what lies ahead for Virginia's economy and the national economy.
2018 Session Legislative Roundtable Meetings
During the General Assembly Session, the Virginia Chamber holds weekly "Legislative Roundtable" meetings for our members and other stakeholders to gather to discuss issues of importance to the business community. These informal, discussion based meetings allow attendees to update one another on bills and other items of note during the fast-moving General Assembly session.
 
All meetings are from noon-1:00 pm. Please note that all meetings will be held in the Tilghman Room located in the lobby of the SunTrust Center, 919 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219.
 
This year's Legislative Roundtables will be held on the following dates:
  • January 15
  • January 22
  • January 29
  • February 5
  • February 12
  • February 19
  • February 26
  • March 5
Please feel free to forward this information to the lobbyist who represents your organization in Richmond during session, or the person who may handle your government affairs or public policy duties.

 

Feel free to contact Ms. Kim McKay, Manager of Public Policy, with any questions at 804-237-1469 or [email protected] .
Forbes Releases 2017 Best States for Business Rankings

Forbes recently released its 2017 Best States for Business rankings. Virginia came in this year at No. 5 in the country for business, up one spot from last year, yet Virginia remains in the bottom half in two important factors: economic climate and business costs. 

According to Forbes, "Virginia ranked as the Best State for Business as recently as 2013, but higher business costs and a declining economic climate have pushed it lower."

We are pleased to see Virginia is moving up in the Forbes business climate rankings, but there is still work to be done. Through our comprehensive Blueprint Virginia 2025 process, the Chamber has identified challenges to economic growth. As the Forbes rankings note, we still remain in the bottom half for business costs and economic climate - two very important challenges to regaining our No. 1 ranking. In addition, while we are pleased to have risen slightly in the Forbes rankings, Virginia's overall ranking in this and other business climate studies has trended downward over the past 6 years. Blueprint Virginia 2025 outlines an action plan that will improve our business climate and in turn our national rankings. We look forward to working with public policy leaders to make Virginia the best state for business.

To view the full list of 2017 Best States for Business, click here.
Nominations are now open for the 2018 Fantastic 50 Awards!

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the only statewide awards program recognizing 50 of the fastest growing companies in the Commonwealth. Nominate your company or another deserving organization today!

Applications must be completed by the  January 7, 2018 deadline. As part of the competition, five Virginia Vanguard Award Winners will be selected showcasing the top companies in Technology, Service, Manufacturing, Retail/Wholesale, and the Highest Growth Rate Overall, or the #1 Fantastic 50 Company for 2018.

Click here for more information or to complete the nomination form.
Out-migration Cost Virginia $1.5 Billion Last Year
Based on IRS data, not only did Virginia lose a net 9,000 taxpayers in 2016, we lost nearly $1.6 billion in income. Assuming an effective income tax rate of about 5%, that represents a loss of about $76 million in tax dollars. Virginia lost the most taxpayers (3,900) and the most income ($645 million) to income tax-free Florida. Virginia was a net exporter of income to 40 other states and an importer of income from only 10 states (plus Washington, D.C.).
Interested in International Expansion? Take Advantage of VITAL!
The Virginia Chamber is proud to partner with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership on VITAL, the Virginia International Trade Alliance. As a VITAL partner, our member companies have access to international market research as well as international trade shows and international trade missions facilitated through VEDP. 
 

Click below for more information:

If you or a company that you work with is interested in learning more about VITAL, please contact Samantha Quig, Director of Communications and Program Manager, at [email protected] or 804-237-1457.
Keep up with the Virginia Chamber on Twitter!