Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that you enjoy some quality time with friends and family this week. Our family tradition is to share specific examples of thankfulness from the last year.  I am most thankful that my son has successfully completed mid-term exams as a Freshman in college.  Whew!  

Professionally, I am mindful of how tenuous competitiveness can be for a company, state or country.  Competing to win is a national conversation that is gaining momentum.  Of course, you also cannot manage what you do not measure.  Thankfully the VMA invests in resources to better measure and manage the Commonwealth's manufacturing competitiveness.

Specifically, last year the VMA and Virginia Industry Foundation published the first state manufacturing sector strategic plan- " A Virginia Vision for a More Competitive Manufacturing Future."  That strategic plan also included the first VA MFG Competitiveness Index where the Commonwealth's competitiveness was measured in five key areas (Business Climate, Workforce, Infrastructure, Innovation and MFG Strength) against 49 states and DC.  In 2018, Virginia ranked #11 overall.

Last week the VMA and Virginia Industry Foundation published the second edition of the VA MFG Competitiveness Index to include updated data for 2018.  This year the Commonwealth moved up two spots to #9 overall.  However, we lost ground in several key areas that are essential to making Virginia one of the Top 5 states for manufacturing.

Although I am encouraged by our improved ranking, one of my sincere concerns is how fast one can fall in the rankings.  As I look down the legislative and regulatory road ahead, there are obstacles accumulating.  At the state level, we are losing ground on the importance of environmental regulatory balance, energy resources and infrastructure are facing drastic cost increases, industry credential attainment by the emerging workforce is growing too slowly to meet demands, University spending is making higher education unattainable for many, government entitlement program costs appear to be unsustainable, and tax reform to compete with peer states may be politically illusory. 

However, these obstacles also present opportunities.  Virginia is at an important crossroads.  We have incredible information about the costs and benefits of public policies that would help us speed toward a more competitive manufacturing future.  The result will be more diverse manufacturing jobs and economic opportunity across the entire Commonwealth - from rural Virginia to the "Golden Crescent."  All one has to do is look at the incredible opportunities created by the recent announcements of Newport News Shipbuilding, Micron Technology and Amazon to be inspired by Virginia's potential.

We need your help bringing the competitiveness message to the Virginia General Assembly.  Please join me at the  2019 VMA Day on the Hill (January 28, 2019).