Blueprint Virginia 2025, a year-long effort that included input from more than 6,000 businesses, was officially released to more than 900 attendants at the chamber's annual Virginia Economic Summit at the Williamsburg Lodge.

"We are pleased to present Blueprint Virginia 2025 to Gov.-Elect Northam as the business community's unified voice and plan to get Virginia back to the top state for business," chamber CEO Barry DuVal said. "This document is the result of a collaborative process, which brought diverse, bipartisan stakeholder groups together from across the commonwealth to identify and present solutions for our state's most pressing challenges."

The comprehensive report provides detailed recommendations on how the commonwealth can strengthen its position as an economic leader in the global economy and improve its national business rankings.  

The chamber says the effort is critical. Virginia has dropped in national business rankings, and the commonwealth's income, employment and GDP growth rank has fallen over the past 10 years. Much of that decline can be attributed to the effects of sequestration on defense spending.

The priorities and recommendations in the plan were derived from regional briefings, chamber events, surveys and Blueprint Virginia's industry councils.

The chamber also worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Virginia Port Authority and GO Virginia, an initiative that supports regional economic development cooperation.

A chamber survey showed that maintaining a skilled workforce remained businesses' No. 1 concern. The survey also showed that business owners support comprehensive tax reform, including in manufacturing, where Virginia ranks poorly for its tax climate for manufacturers.