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 It is hard to believe we are now a month into 2019 -- on the heels of one of the Commonwealth's most monumental years as measured by economic development announcements -- and VEDA's focus is squarely on keeping up the positive momentum! I am thrilled to be serving as VEDA's president during this exciting time, and am so thankful to be able to build upon the strong leadership of our 2018 President, Ken McFadyen (
Botetourt County Economic Development). Fortunately, I don't have to go this alone, getting to work side-by-side with our amazing Executive Director, Connie Long!
Each January, we focus our time and energy on the important work of promoting our public policy agenda to the General Assembly members and state leadership. The 2019 session is full of economic development issues- from a budget amendment restoring funding for the most utilized statewide economic development incentive (VJIP) to new legislation giving economic development entities first rights to acquire State-owned surplus real property. A big thank you to our VEDA Legislative Day Committee, led by David Manley (
Joint IDA of Wythe County) and Ryan Touhill (
Alexandria Economic Development Partnership), who organized nine teams who met with a significant number of the General Assembly members to deliver VEDA's public policy agenda and talk directly about these budget amendments and legislation. We finished January with our annual Legislative Reception in Richmond- rescheduled (once again!) because of snow--where we welcomed more than 100 legislators, staff, VEDA members, and guests.
Looking forward, I am excited about the theme our Program Committee, chaired by Greg Hitchin (
City of Waynesboro Economic Development) and vice chaired by Lori Melancon (
Virginia Economic Development Partnership), has landed on for our 2019 conferences & meetings:
Telling the Virginia Story. The Conference committees have already secured some exciting speakers and panels, and I look forward to record-breaking attendance as we continue to grow our membership. I look forward to seeing you at our first gathering- the Spring Conference in Harrisonburg, March 27-29
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Cheers to a successful and memorable 2019!
-Stephanie Landrum, VEDA President
Alexandria Economic Development Partnership
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Nominate a Virginia community for the 2019 CED Awards!
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We all know that economic development is not a solo practice.
We team with government, the private sector, and countless others to make our communities competitive. Several years ago, the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) instituted a new awards program that recognized outstanding communities for their efforts in advancing the economic viability of their communities through economic and community development programs.
The CEDA program recognizes the best practices and exceptional contributions of communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the following efforts:
- Business Retention and Expansion
- Business Recruitment
- Community Development
- Community Involvement
CLICK HERE for Nominating and Selection Criteria for Virginia's 2019 CEDA Program. The winners will be announced and recognized in Harrisonburg at VEDA's Spring Conference on Friday, March 29, 2019.
Call for Nominations
All Nominations Must be Received by February 8, 2019.
- Traci Blido, CEDA Selection Committee Chair
Bedford County
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VEDA hosts rescheduled Legislative Reception
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Former VEDA President Deborah Flippo (Draper Aden Associates) was appointed to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority. Deborah served as VEDA's President in 2016.
Amanda Jarratt was recently named City Manager for the City of Franklin, Virginia. Amanda most recently served as the President & CEO of Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc. Amanda serves on the VEDA's Board of Directors.
VEDA member
Robert Camoin, President and CEO of Camoin Associates, Inc. announced its acquisition of Richmond, VA based 310 Ltd., a direct marketing research firm, to create the only full-service economic development consulting and business investment lead generation firm in the country.
Courtland Robinson has been named Director, Lead Generation for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. He previously worked for the Shenandoah Valley Partnership.
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2019 is already moving fast! Don't miss out on these activities
-Nominations for the Community Economic Development Awards are being accepted until February
-VEDA Dues Investment Renewal process is open and membership investments are due by the end of February to remain active!
-2019 Sponsorship Opportunities are open. Sign up today!!
Stay tuned for these and other important VEDA activities to make the most of your membership.
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2018: A year in review of GO Virginia
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The Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board announced its sixth round of project grants on December 11, ending the year with 40 active projects, totaling over $12.4 million in state funding and leveraging over $20 million in outside funding.
"GO Virginia Regional Councils have developed and proposed many innovative projects to grow and diversify Virginia's economy since the GO Virginia Board started awarding grants last year." said Virginia Growth and Opportunity Fund Chairman John O. "Dubby" Wynne. "It is great to see some of the projects we previously approved moving ahead to new phases as well as new initiatives advancing to spur the creation of higher-paying jobs in Virginia's regions."
Samples of Regional Projects Underway:
Region 1: United Way of Southwest Virginia: Ignite Internships -
This project expands the high school Ignite Program across the region to better align school curriculums with local employer needs. UWSWVA is building a web-based platform to encourage post-secondary education attainment, streamline workforce credentialing, provide work-based learning opportunities, and match new graduates with local employers in the region.
Region 2: Center for Energy Research and Education (CERE) Industry Labs Phase 2 -
Liberty University was awarded $274,980 and is developing the second phase of the Additive Manufacturing Partnership Lab (AMPL) to train students and manufacturing employees in the region on the newest technology-based processes, such as 3D printing and robotics, at the newly-established CERE facility in Bedford County. The Counties of Bedford and Campbell are providing the local match for this project, and major employer Framatome has invested over $1.1 million in equipment for the facility.
Region 3: GO-TEC Talent Collaborative -
The Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO-TEC) project is expanding existing curriculum offered by six higher education partners in Region 3, and building a regional training system of scale for career training for careers in IT and focused areas in advanced manufacturing, and will develop a pipeline beginning in middle school to increase the number of students entering the targeted five training areas of need (Precision Machining; Welding; IT/Cyber Security; Robotics, Automation & Mechatronics; and Advanced Materials).
Region 4: Lighthouse U -
This project established Lighthouse U, an entrepreneurial collaboration between Lighthouse Labs and the da Vinci Center at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) that aims to bolster the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Lighthouse and VCU are partnering to expand the Virginia Start-Up Spring Break and Pre-Accelerator programs. The project will pilot the Lighthouse U program, which will feature a series of events and training opportunities to prepare students to launch their own Virginia-based businesses after graduation. As part of the collaboration, Lighthouse Labs introduced a new summer cohort program for recent graduates of Virginia universities that participated in Lighthouse U. Maggie L. Walker Governor's School and Henrico County provided the local match for this project.
Region 5
: Virginia Digital Shipbuilding (VDSP) Year 2
The Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC) and Old Dominion University were awarded $647,540 to continue developing a regional and statewide VDSP curriculum and co-lab facility to train workers in the shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing clusters. Initial funding for this program was approved in 2017. The Counties of Isle of Wight and James City, and the Cities of Newport News, Hampton, and Williamsburg provided the local match for this project.
Region 6
: Welding Training Program -
This project established a new welding training facility to offer daytime courses through Rappahannock Community College (RCC) to train adult welders for employment at local businesses. RCC currently offers evening welding courses at the Northern Neck Technical Center, which are at capacity. During daytime hours, this facility is used for high school automotive training courses, so RCC has been unable to expand its welding courses. GO Virginia funds are being utilized by RCC to establish a new satellite training facility. The new facility allows RCC to train additional cohorts with more students per cohort. Westmoreland County and Northern Neck Chesapeake Bay Region Partnership, on behalf of Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland Counties, provided the local match for this project.
Region 7
: Tech Talent Pipeline Apprenticeship Initiative
This project expands the previously awarded Tech Talent Pipeline Initiative, which was approved by the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board in December 2017, which aims to create a workforce system to effectively attract, prepare, and retain qualified candidates to fill high demand cybersecurity and IT jobs. This project is developing and implementing a new apprenticeship program, matching 400 apprentices to employers as an alternative career pathway to traditional two or four-year degrees. Additionally, the Tech Talent Pipeline Apprenticeship Initiative is establishing a new apprenticeship model for IT jobs and will build long-term, sustainability for employers and prospective employees in the Northern Virginia Region. The Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church, and the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William provided the local match for this project.
Region 8
: Rockbridge Area Advanced Manufacturing Project (RAAMP) -
With light manufacturing being a target industry sector for Region 8, this project serves to supply talent to fill that industry sector. Through a partnership with Byers Technical Institute (BTI), RAAMP is producing highly skilled laborers in the region, with a particular emphasis on welding and other high-demand occupations. Students graduating from this 40-week program will receive both an industry-recognized skills credential and a diploma.
Region 9: GWC Piedmont Technical Education Center -
This project is redeveloping the former George Washington Carver High School into a state of the art GWC Piedmont Technical Education Center to train machinists and welders. New Pathways Tech, Inc. is operating the facility in partnership with Germanna Community College and the American Institute of Welding and has a goal of training 30 certified machinists and 100 accredited welders a year.
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DHCD to host small scale developers training webinars
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The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has partnered with Incremental Development Alliance to provide the Small Real Estate Developer and Capacity Building Program, supported with funding from the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA).
The objective of this training is to cultivate new and grow the capacity of existing small-scale real estate developers throughout Virginia. Through incremental, small-scale development, we can revitalize neighborhoods, reinvigorate historic downtowns and commercial districts, and build value for property owners and communities around the commonwealth.
To increase awareness of this program and to help assist with the recruitment process, we have scheduled several webinars for DHCD's local, regional and state partners. These webinars are intended to talk more about the program and how you can help encourage people to come to the in-person lecture happening in their region.
To register for the informational webinar, CLICK HERE. You only need to register for one of the dates based on the organization you most closely represent.
Webinar Dates
- Tuesday, February 12th, Noon-1 pm - Regional/Local Partners
- Wednesday, February 13th, Noon-1 pm - Statewide Partners
- Thursday, February 14th, Noon-1 pm - Main Street/Downtown Organizations
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VEDA 2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
Stephanie Landrum
Alexandria Economic Development Partnership
Vice President
James Noel
York County Office
of Economic Development
Treasurer
Amanda Glover
Augusta County Economic Development
Secretary
Steven Harrison
Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development
Immediate Past President
Kenneth McFadyen
Botetourt County Economic Development
DIRECTORS
Shannon Blevins
The University of Virginia's College at Wise
Voncile Gilbreath
City of Chesapeake
Economic Development
Linda Green
Southern Virginia
Regional Alliance
Garrett Hart
Chesterfield County Economic Development
Amanda Jarratt
City of Franklin
David Manley
Joint IDA of Wythe County
Courtland Robinson
Virginia Economic
Development Partnership
Curry Roberts
Fredericksburg Regional Alliance
Christina Winn
Arlington Economic Development
EX-OFFICIO
Russell Held
The Port of Virginia
Craig Herndon
Virginia's Community College System
Barry DuVal
Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Patrick Gottschalk
Williams Mullen
Jody Keenan
Virginia SBDC Network-George Mason University
Connie Long
Virginia Economic Developers Association
Stephen Moret
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Erik Johnston
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
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| Theme for 2019:
Telling the Virginia Story
2019 Spring Conference
Your Place - Your Story
Wednesday, March 27-Friday, March 29, 2019
Harrisonburg, Virginia
2019 Summer Membership Meeting
Telling Your Story in Numbers
Tuesday, June 4-Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Portsmouth, Virginia
2019 Fall Conference
Tools for Telling Your Story
Wednesday, September 18-Friday, September 20, 2019
Richmond, Virginia
2019 Annual Meeting & Winter Membership Luncheon
Has Your Story Hit its Mark?
Tuesday, December 3-Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Mark your calendar and plan on attending these economic development events in 2019!
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Corporate Patron Spotlight
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VEDA is fortunate to have the generous support of Annual Corporate Patrons who assist us in bringing great programming, scholarships, professional development opportunities and much more to VEDA members. If you have an opportunity, please thank them for their support of economic development in Virginia.
Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power serves about 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. Its headquarters is in Charleston, W. Va., with regulatory and external affairs offices in Charleston, W. Va., Richmond, Va. and in Roanoke, Va. Appalachian Power has been helping people, businesses and industries across our service territory grow and prosper for nearly 90 years. We work strategically with many organizations, communities and allies to provide smart and effective business opportunities to both prospective and existing businesses, industries and government entities. At Appalachian Power, we tailor our economic development location advisory services to suit your needs in locating or expanding your facilities. Appalachian Power is part of the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP's headquarters is in Columbus, Ohio.
Dominion Energy Virginia
Dominion Virginia Power has had an active role in economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia for many years. Our mission is to help retain and create new jobs and investments for the communities in our service area. We take pride in the creation, development and delivery of high-quality economic development services in partnership with local, regional and state economic development professionals. Dominion Virginia Power provides extensive energy-related support to prospective companies in the areas of energy marketing, electric service options, and power quality analysis. We also offer a wide range of other economic development services including site selection assistance, business attraction marketing support, and marketing of available industrial buildings and sites. You can count on Dominion Virginia Power to provide prompt, professional support on a confidential basis for projects considering locations within our service area.
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6
th Annual Creative Give Back Application Available
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To kick off the 2019 Creative Give Back, Creative Economic Development Consulting is sharing what they learned in the 2018 project. The Blacksburg Partnership won the 2018 Creative Give Back because they are passionately working to engage young people in business and the wider community. The program needed a refresh if it was going to be a driver in Blacksburg's talent attraction, development, and retention efforts. Find out how they are changing this, CLICK HERE to read the blog post and report.
The 6th Annual Creative Give Back
What is your winning idea for 2019? Put your thinking cap on. Let your mind wander. Brainstorm. Come up with the best idea and you'll win The 2019 Creative Give Back. CLICK HERE for the online application. Your organization could win up to $25,000 of consulting services from Creative Economic Development Consulting. Applications are due February 18th, 2019 5:00 pm.
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