The Online Newsletter for the Virginia Economic Developers Association | |
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Dear VEDA Members,
As we approach the New Year, it is with delight that we share special moments with family and friends – reminders of why we love our work and our communities. It is also a time of great expectations for what the new year will bring.
2024 has brought so much to the Commonwealth as we end the year with recognition as the CNBC Number One State for Business and Business Facilities State of the Year. But we are also ending the year with many new programs and services from VEDA Committees and Shared Interest Groups that strengthen the bonds between our members and the respect for our organization by peers across the state and around the globe.
Our achievements this year would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of each and every one of you. Your passion and determination continue to drive our success and inspire those around us. Together, we have not only reached new heights but have also strengthened the foundation for an even brighter future.
Looking ahead to 2025, we remain steadfast in our commitment to be Virginia’s voice for shaping economic development public policy and a primary source of strong and effective education and networking for economic development professionals. As we build on the momentum of this year, I encourage each of you to continue bringing your unique talents and perspectives to our shared mission. Together, we can work with President Greg Hitchen and his 2025 VEDA Board and Committees to explore Connecting the Art and Science of Economic Development.
Thank you for your unwavering support and commitment to VEDA. I am deeply grateful for the privilege of working alongside such a talented and dedicated team. May this holiday season bring you joy, rest, and time with loved ones. Here’s to a New Year filled with opportunities, growth, and success for all.
Warmest regards,
Linda Green
VEDA President
Southern Virginia Regional Alliance
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The following email was received in response to VEDA President Linda Green's November Column, The Twelve Days of VEDA Christmas: As I read VEDA President Linda's interpretive rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas in the latest edition of the VEDA newsletter, I am reminded of all the fun, creativity, and camaraderie you economic developers exhibit while working through your 60-hour weeks. Even after 13 years in retirement, I still sometimes miss it. Please keep on serving your communities as only you great professionals can do! Keith Taylor, Charter VEDA Member, Past President and Cardinal. | |
VEDA Public Policy documents for 2025 | |
Check out these economic development events | |
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Register for first VEDA/VEDP impactED event of 2025:
Monday, January 6, 2025., 12:30 pm
General Assembly Preview and VEDA Public Policy Update
VEDA and VEDP will host the first impactED of 2025 on January 6th at 12:30 pm. VEDA's Senior Policy Advisor and Legislative Liaisons will be on hand to provide a preview of the upcoming General Assembly session and discuss VEDA's priorities in the coming year. Don't forget that all impactED events are recorded and posted on the VEDA website.
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Register for the February VEDA/VEDP impactED:
Monday, February 3, 2025, 12:30 pm
Topics include Childcare and Economic Development; and Updates from VIPC and VEDP
Speakers include:
- Kathy Glazer, President, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation
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Conaway Haskins, Vice President, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation
- Jason El Koubi, President & CEO, Virginia Economic Development Partnership
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Mark Your Calendar for these future conferences
VEDA is looking towards the future and conference locations for Spring and Fall through 2027. We're still working on a few, but here's the rundown thus far:
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Spring 2025: Wednesday, April 2-Friday, April 4, 2025. Newport News Marriott, Newport News.
- Fall 2025 TBA
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Spring 2026: Wednesday, March 25-Friday, March 27, 2026. Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg.
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Fall 2026: Working on a Northern Virginia Location. TBA
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Spring 2027: Wednesday, March 17-Friday, March 19, 2027. Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Virginia Beach
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Fall 2027: Wednesday, September 29-Friday, October 1, 2027. Kalahari Resort & Conference Center, Spotsylvania County.
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Women's Economic Development Network Forum
The 10th Annual Women's Economic Development Network Forum, hosted by Creative Economic Development Consulting will be February 13-14, 2025, in Concord, North Carolina. Make plans to attend. CLICK HERE for more information.
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Virginia Consultants Forum coming in May 2025
VEDA, VEDP and Team Virginia will join forces again in 2025 to produce the VIRGINIA CONSULTANTS FORUM,
May 5 - 7, 2025 at the Watermark Hotel, Tysons, Virginia. Stay tuned for details.
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IEDC Training Schedule
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has released its course calendar for 2025. CLICK HERE to see the complete calendar.
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VEDA is 600+ members strong and our members are working every day to improve their communities and the Commonwealth. Catch up here on their accomplishments and congratulate them when you see them! If you have news you would like to share about yourself or another VEDA member, please email VEDA@associationbuilders.com. | |
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In Memory
Michael Lehmkuhler, age 71, passed away on December 6 in his dream home at the beach, surrounded by family. A proud “Wahoo,” Mike graduated from the University of Virginia and received his MBA from Columbia University. He began his career in Foreign Exchange, but his later work at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership was closest to his heart. Mike was passionate about helping people find jobs and creating economic opportunities in disadvantaged areas. As Vice President of Business Attraction, he helped bring in over $7.9 billion in new investments and created over 20,500 jobs. Mike was a long-time VEDA member prior to his retirement. READ MORE.
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Thank you Sponsors of the 2024 Winter Membership Meeting | |
VEDA Winter Membership Meeting Snapshots | | |
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Participants in the VEDA 2024 Mentor Exchange program. | | |
Thank you to all of our VEDA Volunteers - VEDA's strength is in our numbers. Great Volunteers = Great Organization! | |
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The second annual Passing of the Cardinal Gavel as Gregory Hitchin is elected VEDA President for 2025. | |
Update on the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program in Virginia - The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is deploying a robust stakeholder and public outreach process to support the development of a statewide Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). This plan is the second phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) planning process and will focus on identifying Virginia-specific opportunities and challenges, as well as evaluating potential paths to reduce climate pollution. | |
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Virginia DHCD Receives Grant from USDA for Mobilizing Main Street Accelerator Program - On October 24, 2024, the Town of Colonial Beach welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Virginia Rural Development's State Director Perry Hickman, who announced a significant step forward in economic development for rural communities across the state. Virginia DHCD has been awarded $500,000 through the USDA
Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) to continue its Mobilizing Main Street (MMS) accelerator program. The MMS program, in collaboration with local nonprofits and governments, aims to enhance market opportunities and strengthen local economies in up to 10 small communities. LEARN MORE.
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Virginia Main Street 40th Anniversary - Save the date and plan to join Virginia Main Street (VMS) at the historic Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia to celebrate 40 years of fostering vibrant, resilient, and thriving downtowns and commercial business districts across the Commonwealth!
On February 04, 2025, VMS will celebrate a remarkable milestone: 40 years of empowering communities and driving the revitalization of historic downtowns across the Commonwealth. For four decades, VMS has partnered with localities to transform commercial districts into vibrant hubs of economic activity, cultural vitality, and community pride, paving the way for community revitalization.
This event will honor the individuals, organizations, and communities whose vision and dedication have contributed to the revitalization of Virginia's downtowns and reaffirm the importance of continued investment in these cherished spaces. We hope that you'll join us to commemorate the enduring legacy of Main Street and inspire the work yet to come! REGISTER HERE.
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How to Apply for FY2026 VMS Grant Programs - On Thursday, January 09, 2025, from 10 - 11 AM, VMS will hold a webinar to cover the basics on how to apply for FY2026 grant programs, discuss changes for the coming year, and review how Main Street programs can best position themselves as they prepare to apply for a grant. The following grant programs will be featured: Downtown Investment Grant (DIG); Community Vitality Grant (CVG); and Financial Feasibility Grant (FFG). LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE. | |
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Virginia BEAD Application Process Resources and Reminders
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BEAD Application Development Webinar Recording and Presentation - The Virginia Office of Broadband hosted an application development workshop on December 3 and 4 to further prepare broadband providers for the application phase of broadband deployment programs under Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The recording of each workshop day and the presentation are provided on the BEAD Website.
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Letter of Intent Phase Results - The Virginia Office of Broadband is thrilled to announce that 46 broadband providers submitted letters of intent to participate in the BEAD application process in Virginia. These letters of intent required interested applicants to note the counties and cities that they may submit an application in. Across Virginia’s 133 cities and counties, one county was included across 22 letters of intent, with the least included across 7 letters of intent.
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Weekly Office Hours Scheduled - Beginning on the week of December 9, the Virginia Office of Broadband will hold weekly office hours for applicants under the BEAD Program. These weekly office hours will be held on Wednesdays at 1PM. Office hours will not be held on Christmas or New Year’s Day, which are Wednesdays. To be added to the calendar invite to join these weekly office hours, please send an email with those email addresses requested to be added to broadband@dhcd.virginia.gov.
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Requesting Technical Assistance - The Virginia Office of Broadband welcomes prospective applicants to reach out for technical assistance when developing BEAD applications. Questions and requests to schedule calls regarding BEAD application development must be submitted via email to broadband@dhcd.virginia.gov.
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GY24 Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) How-to-Qualify Workshops - The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will be conducting How to Qualify workshops for the Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program at several in-person in locations throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. These workshops will provide detailed instructions on the qualification process for Grant Year 2024 Real Property Investment Grants and Job Creation Grants.
Workshops are for companies located in an Enterprise Zone that created jobs or made investments in real property in calendar year 2024. There will also a section for CPAs who are conducting attestations for applicants. Attendance is open to the public and free of charge. Workshop locations follow: Tuesday, January 7 - Hampton, VA; Tuesday, January 14 - Chilhowie, VA; Wednesday, January 15 - Henrico, VA; Wednesday, January 22 - Martinsville, VA. CLICK HERE for location addresses and registration.
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Community Business Launch FY2026 How-to-Apply Webinar - On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 10:00 - 11:00 PM, DHCD staff will hold a webinar to cover the basics on how-to-apply for the FY2026 Community Business Launch (CBL) grant program. Participants will learn about new changes for the coming year and review how to submit a competitive CBL application. For questions about the webinar, please reach out to jessica.hartness@dhcd.virginia.gov. REGISTER HERE. | |
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Workforce Housing Investment Program-Advancing Housing Options for Virginia's Middle-Income Workers - Virginia Housing is partnering with communities and making an investment of $75M over the next 5 years in affordable housing that will open more doors across the Commonwealth. This new program will accelerate the creation of affordable housing for middle-income Virginians.
How the program works: Virginia Housing has allocated the first $15 million for fiscal year 2025 to support communities developing new housing for homeowners and renters making 80%-120% of Area Median Income (AMI). For rural areas, the threshold may be increased to 150% AMI. Awards of up to $3 million will be available to communities within a 30-minute drive of a new or expanding business where a qualified job announcement was made within the previous fiscal year. Up to $5 million can be made available for transformational projects of 500 new jobs or more. Competitive Application period: February 1, 2025 – March 31, 2025. Applications will be scored by a cross-agency team, and awards will occur by June 30, 2025.
Resources:
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The VEDA Cardinal was seen recently on the Town of Glasgow's Christmas tree at the Festival of Trees at the Natural Bridge State Park. The cardinal just happens to be the town bird. Photo taken by Brandy Flint, Rockbridge County Office of Economic Development. | |
You never know who you're going to see hanging out and catching up when in the State capitol! Top of photo clockwise: Kent Hill, Mark Kilduff, Elizabeth Moran, Gary McLaren, Susan Deusebio, Jay Langston, John Loftus, and Rob McClintock. | VEDA's Board of Directors works hard to keep the organization on track and accomplishing great things! VEDA President Linda Green and Vice President Greg Hitchin share a light moment before the serious work of the Board begins! | |
Sign up for a Shared Interest Group | Sign up to be a member of a VEDA Shared Interest Groups (SIGs). VEDA members can join any group at any time during the year. Choose from Business Retention & Expansion; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Downtown Development; Rural; Workforce. If you would rather sign up for a committee that supports the "business" end of the Association, contact the VEDA office! | |
VEDA's Emerging Leaders SIG | The VEDA Emerging Leaders Shared Interest Group is comprised of VEDA members who are younger than 40 years of age and have less than 10 years of professional economic development experience. To participate in Emerging Leaders activities online or at VEDA events, VEDA members MUST request to join the group and be accepted into the group. Events for Summer and Fall are being planned. Don't delay! | |
VEDA CORPORATE PATRONS FOR 2024 | | | | |
