The 2026 WV Design and Construction Expo

Jeff Wilkerson City of Martinsburg, WV

The 2026 WV Design and Construction Expo was held on March 25-26 in Charleston, WV. This event is held annually at the Charleston Colosium and Convention Center. This event has over 3,000 attendees and 300 vendors each year. People come from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania to present in education sessions, set up vendor booths and attend this event. Since 2021 the APWA Mid Atlantic Chapter has been a registration sponsor for this event. Again this year our Mid Atlantic Chapter President Jeff Wilkerson and Director Julian Brooks presented on a few construction topics and the APWA Mid Atlantic Chapter. This presentation lasts an hour and has been very well attended for the last few years. If there is any interest in becoming a vendor or assisting with our Chapter presentation in the future, please reach out to Jeff Wilkerson at jwilkerson@cityofmartinsburg.org

The Resilient Maryland Strategy: A Whole-of-Government Approach to Disasters and Climate Change

The Maryland Office of Resilience (MOR), a division of the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), recently-released a statewide resilience strategy in collaboration with state agency partners from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP), and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The Resilient Maryland Strategy looks at risks from flooding, severe storms, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, extreme heat, cyber threats and more, considering how climate change acts as a threat multiplier. The strategy presents a whole-of-government approach toward tackling those risks, offering 20 goals and 50 recommended actions for the State to build resilience across an array of sectors.

Region III Equipment ROADEO

Jeff Wilkerson City of Martinsburg, WV

The inaugural APWA Region III Equipment ROADEO was held in Knoxville, TN on March 19th and 20th. APWA Region III includes the Mid Atlantic, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky Chapters. A welcome reception was held on March 19th to welcome participants, volunteers and attendees. The ROADEO was held on Friday, March 20th at the World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville. This competition included operating a mini excavator and a backhoe. Each participant competed on both pieces of equipment and after each competitor was finished, they received a score for each piece of equipment. These scores were used to tabulate the top three competitors for each piece of equipment and the top overall competitor for both pieces of equipment. There were 20 participants, four from each Chapter and about 30 attendees and volunteers at this event. A big CONGRATULATIONS to our Mid Atlantic member Jordan Simpson of Fairfax County for finishing in second place for the mini excavator event. The Region III ROADEO planning committee would like to thank all of our attendees, participants, volunteers and sponsors for making this event so successful. Planning has already begun for the 2027 event, so if you have any interest in attending, volunteering or participating in this event please reach out to Jeff Wilkerson at jwilkerson@cityofmartinsburg.org for more information.

Regional Resilience Roadmap for Central and Southwest Virginia

The Resilient Virginia Collaborative Alliance (RVCA) was launched in fall 2023 to strengthen resilience across Central and Southwest Virginia. While these regions face persistent challenges related to agriculture, transportation, water infrastructure, energy, hazard mitigation, economic opportunity, and emergency preparedness — and are often underrepresented in statewide planning efforts — they also possess significant assets and untapped potential to drive meaningful progress in regional resilience. The RVCA builds regional capacity and leverages collective expertise by convening cross-sector partners to identify adaptation and mitigation strategies, strengthen rural–urban connections, foster peer learning, and expand resource sharing.

In 2024, the RVCA began developing the Regional Resilience Roadmap for Central and Southwest Virginia to elevate regional priorities, highlight existing assets and initiatives, and provide a practical framework for coordinated action. Development of the Roadmap was informed by extensive stakeholder engagement in 2024 and 2025, including regional workshops, sector-focused working groups, a steering committee, a statewide resilience conference, and a regional survey conducted across 11 central and southwest Virginia Planning District Commissions. These efforts ensured the Roadmap reflects on-the-ground needs and diverse regional perspectives.

The Roadmap provides a unified framework to guide long-term investment, collaboration, and strategic action across the region. Developed through extensive engagement with local governments, community organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and residents, the Roadmap identifies the region’s top priorities, major challenges, and the resilience efforts already underway. It outlines practical strategies to strengthen communities, protect natural assets, and support economic stability in the face of accelerating environmental change and other pressures. You can download the whole document or individual parts (the playbook each framework, and resources.

Diamond Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

Check Out Industry Events & Webinars Here!

2026 - 2027

OFFICERS/DIRECTORS

APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter |7330 Staples Mill Road, #173 | Richmond, VA 23228