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Your Monthly Board & Regional Updates
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This month's newsletter will include updates from the Board, the Regional Councils and details about upcoming events. Click below to jump to a specific section or continue reading to see all content included in this edition.
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Board Updates
On October 16, 2017, the GO Virginia Board met to approve Collaborative Economic Development Act guidelines and hear presentations from subject matter experts in talent development, cluster scale-ups, infrastructure/site development and commercialization.
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Upcoming Events
February 13
- GO VA Board Meeting, Patrick Henry Building, West Reading Room, 7:30am
April 10
- GO VA Board Meeting, The Capitol Building
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Region One
Region One includes the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe; and the cities of Bristol, Galax and Norton. The Region One Council is led by Mike Quillen as chair and Ron McCall as vice chair and UVA-Wise is the support organization, led by Shannon Blevins.
Region One is soliciting project proposals in preparation for the upcoming GO Virginia Board meeting, and has been collaborating with many organizations to help promote economic development initiatives important to Southwest Virginia. The following two initiatives have helped bring awareness to GO Virginia opportunities and discuss issues critical to Southwest Virginia:
United Way Ignite Program:
Creating awareness of local careers and offering hands-on learning opportunities are critical steps in developing and maintaining a strong workforce. United Way of Southwest Virginia continues to bring together partners from across GO Virginia Region One to introduce middle school students to the region's occupations through their Ignite Program. The Careers Expo for Youth, an extension of the Ignite Program, took place on September 26-27, 2017, at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Over 4,000 7th grade students from Southwest Virginia (17 school systems, 46 schools) participated in the event throughout the course of two days. Students moved through four zones filled with over 75 hands-on activities by regional employers in 16 different career paths. Learn more about the Ignite Program at unitedwayswva.org/ignite.
Power UP SWVA
The GO Virginia Region One first cyber summit was held on November 16 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia. Sponsored by the Virginia Small Business Development Centers and supported by a host of regional partners, the summit drew over 200 participants from small business and the technology and manufacturing sectors. Students from the community colleges and four-year educational institutions also attended and benefited from the networking with employers throughout GO Virginia Region One.
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1st Annual SWVA Economic Forum in 2016.
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SWVA Economic Forum Planned for May 2018
On May 16, 2018, GO Virginia Region One will partner with a number of organizations including GenEdge, Virginia Highland Community College, UVA Wise, U.S. Small Business Administration, Southwest Virginia Community College, Southwest Virginia Education Center, among others for the third annual SWVA Economic Forum. This event will bring together hundreds of people representing education, government, healthcare, banking, small business, tourism, technology and economic development in Southwest Virginia. The 2018 event will focus on the region's Growth & Diversification Plan and initiatives resulting from the GO Virginia Region One workshops and speakers who continue to develop a growth mindset.
Inter Regional Collaboration Efforts
On November 28, Blue Ridge Community College hosted a discussion on inter regional collaboration for Regions One, Two, and Eight to discuss collaborative opportunities along the Interstate 81 corridor. Participants identified topics of common interest, formulating approaches, resources and possible next steps.
Check out the link below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region One:
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Region Two
Region Two includes the counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedgord, Botetourt, Campbell, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski and Roanoke; and the cities of Covington, Lynchburg, Radford, Roanoke and Salem. The Region Two Council is led by Raymond Smoot as chair and Ab Boxley as vice chair and supported by the Office of Economic Development (OED) at Virginia Tech, led by John Provo.
Project Proposals
Region Two announced their Request for Proposal (RFP) Kick-off at the Volvo Trucks North America facility in Dublin, Virginia on October 24 and at Franklin County Government Center on November 14. This was part of a series of meetings presenting RFPs in all parts of Region Two. In these sessions the following was discussed:
- How applicants can address real opportunities for economic growth in the region
- Highlighting the challenges faced by employers in the region and opportunities to grow jobs through the strategies addressed by the Council
- Council members and support organization staff answered questions from potential applicants.
The RFP deadline for applicant submission was November 28. Each proposal should address the growth areas identified in Region Two's Growth & Diversification Plan and grow higher wage jobs. These proposed projects will be vetted by Region Two Council members, subject matter experts, and support organization staff to be considered at the February 13 GO Virginia Board meeting.
Inter Regional Collaboration Efforts
On November 8, Region Two convened with Virginia's university-based economic development offices to discuss multi-regional opportunities.
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Meeting with Virginia's university-based economic development offices.
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On November 28, Blue Ridge Community College hosted a discussion on inter regional collaboration for Regions One, Two and Eight to discuss collaborative opportunities along the Interstate 81 corridor. Participants identified topics of common interest, formulating approaches, resources and possible next steps.
Check out the link below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region Two
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Region Three, or SoVaGO, includes the counties of Amelia, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward; and the cities of Danville and Martinsville. The Region Three Council is led by Charles Majors as chair and Randy Lail as vice chair. The region is supported by the Southside Planning District Commission (SPDC), led by Gail Moody with consultant services provided by The Riverlink Group (Liz Povar, Principal).
Project Proposals
Region Three Council members made three presentations at area Chambers in November - South Hill, Farmville, and Danville to provide business leaders and stakeholders with an update on recent activities, including the project application process. In November SoVAGO accounced the issuance of four Request for Proposals (RFP) in the following areas:
- Marketing, Branding and Communications
- High Value Wood Products
- Appreticeships
- Cyber Security
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Farmville Chamber of Commerce event held in November.
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The primary purpose of the Marketing, Branding and Communications RFP is to effectively contract with a firm to provide professional marketing, public relations, media planning and placement, and an overall communications strategy.
Apprenticeships and Cyber Security were identified as critical opportunities to address Region Three's needs as identified in their Growth & Diversification Plan. High Value Wood Products was one of four targeted industry clusters identified in Region Three's Growth & Diversification Plan as opportunities to create higher wage jobs.
The purpose of the High-Valued Wood Products, Apprenticeships and Cyber Infrastructure RFPs is to develop strategies, approaches and potential projects that will result in the highest probability of positive outcomes.
In preparation for the Per Capita application grants to be considered by the GO Virginia Board in February, Region Three has received five applications. Region Three's Project Review Committee met on December 20 for the purpose of reviewing the project application responses. The Committee will evaluate applications and conduct interviews of applicants before the Region Three Council will meet January 5 to review and recommend applications for approval.
Check out the links below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and SoVaGO:
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Region Four
Region Four includes the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry and Sussex; and the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, Petersburg and Richmond. The Region Four Council is led by William Goodwin Jr. as chair and John Luke Jr. as vice chair and supported by the Grow Capital Jobs Foundation, a newly formed 501(c)(3), led by Wilson Flohr.
Council Meeting Highlights
At the October 11 GROW Capital Jobs Regional Council meeting held at Richmond International Airport, Wilson Flohr reported that the state GO Virginia Board had approved the Council's Growth & Diversification Plan as well as the scoring criteria for project proposals. As a result, GROW Capital Jobs moved ahead with soliciting projects to be submitted for funding consideration.
Delegate Kirk Cox, a member of the state GO Virginia Board and legislative representative from the region spoke on the background of the GO Virginia Initiative. He stressed the important role the organization will play in elevating the economy of the region by collaborating with business, educational institutions, local goverments and other participating regions in the promotion of new business endeavors for the creation of high-paying jobs.
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left to right) Joe Casey, County Manager Chesterfield County; Levar Stoney, Mayor City of Richmond; Rhu Harris, County Manager Hanover; and John Vithoulkas, County Manager of Henrico. Group photo taken at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, following a panel discussion of Richmond Region business executives highlighting regional collaboration initiatives.
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Project Proposals
At the October 11 Council Meeting, eight project grant proposals were reviewed and discussed by the council in executive session. Two proposals were forwarded for further review and consideration, four proposals were tabled for further development and two proposals did not meet GO Virginia criteria. The two proposals forwarded for further review were the CCAM Apprentice Academy and the VCU Pharmaceutical Commercialization Accelerator Program.
At the November 11 Council meeting, held at the Rolls Royce plant in Prince George County, and preceded by a tour of their advanced manufacturing facility, Mark Hourigan, Region Four Foundation Chair, reported that both projects had undergone extensive review and had received unanimous support from The GROW Capital Jobs Foundation Board. Flohr noted that both projects align closely with GROW Capital Jobs Growth and Diversification Plan's strategic priorities. "These projects will benefit the population of the entire region and have the potential to be the start of something bigger than the specific objectives outlined in the proposals. We look at these projects as gateways to support long-term economic growth associated with the region's innovation economy."
Inter Regional Collaboration Efforts
The Grow Capital Jobs staff met with several of their counterparts in other regions to discuss areas of potential project collaboration. In November, under the leadership of John Provo from Region Two, all regional support staff were invited to discuss joint projects with state universities at Old Dominion University. Breakout discussion groups raised many ideas for collaboration. In September, staff and council were represented at the Tom Tom conference in Charlottesville to discuss GO Virginia and ideas for joint projects.
Check out the link below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region Four
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Region Five includes the counties of Accomack, Franklin, Isle of Wright, James City, Northampton, Southampton and York; and the cities of Chesapeake, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. The Region Five Council is led by Thomas Frantz as chair and Anne Conner as vice chair. Region Five's support organization, Reinvent Hampton Roads, was created as a 501(c)(3) to support the efforts of the Region Five Council, led by president and CEO, Jim Spore and executive vice president Donna Morris.
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Region Five Council members meet at Old Dominion University.
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Project Proposals
Region Five had seven total proposals submitted through their pre-application process with a October 31 deadline. These proposals were first vetted through Project Review Committees consisting of four critical areas: 1) Talent Development, 2) Infrastructure, 3) Commercialization and 4) Cluster Scale-Up. Each Project Review Committee was made up of at least one Council member and several subject matter experts.
Between November 6 and 10, each Project Review Committee convened interviews with each applicant. Applicants were invited to present their project proposals followed by question and answer sessions. A larger Grant Review Committee made up of Council members and subject matter experts from each Project Review Committee, economic developers, non-profits and representatives of private industry met on November 10 to further vet each project. Applicants were also invited to the Grant Review Committee to field questions before the committee went into closed session to make final recommendations to approve five project proposal to the Region Eight Council.
On November 14 the Regional Council met and approved the five recommended proposals to be considered by the GO Virginia Board on December 12.
Approved Applications
At the December 12 GO Virginia Board meeting, two projects submitted by Region Five were approved, both in the talent development arena:
- HR Cyber Co-Lab ($642,713) - The HRCyber Co-Lab will serve as an anchor for innovation in the cybersecurity, data analytics, autonomous vehicles and virtual technologies markets in Hampton Roads.
- Virginia Digital Shipbuilding Workforce Program ($647,540) - This project will create a regional and statewide program to train approximately 8,500 future workers - skilled craftsmen, engineers, designers, and IT professionals - to work in the new digital manufacturing environment and will support Hampton Roads' existing advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding clusters.
Check out the links below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region Five:
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The Mary Ball Washington Regional Council governs GO Virginia Region Six, which covers the Fredericksburg area, the Northern Neck and the Middle Peninsula (Planning Districts 16, 17, and 18). This region includes the Counties of Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, K
ing George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Westmoreland; and the City of Fredericksburg. The Council is led by William Beale as chair and Carlton Revere as vice chair. The George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC), Planning District Commission for Planning District 16, is the
support organization and fiscal agent for the Regional Council, led by Tim Ware and Kate Gibson.
Project Proposals
Following the GO Virginia Board's approval of the Growth & Diversification Plan, the Mary Ball Washington Regional Council began soliciting project applications. In September, the Regional Council hosted three how-to-apply workshops, one in each of the Region's planning districts. Six project applications were submitted by the November 17 deadline Region Six set to screen applications.
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Region Six Council meeting held at the Rappahannock Community College Glenns Campus on Dec 11. |
An interview panel of four Regional Council members was formed to meet in-person with each project applicant. Staff reports prepared by GWRC staff and consultant Neal Barber were forwarded to the interview panel ahead of the interviews, which were conducted in Port Royal, Virginia on December 4 and 5. At their December 11 meeting, the Regional Council upheld recommendations from the interview panel, approving two project applications for submission to the GO Virginia Board and requesting that the remaining four applications be resubmitted with additional information.
Check out the links below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and the Mary Ball Washington Region:
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GO NOVA, the GO Virginia Northern Virginia Region Seven, includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William; and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. The GO NOVA Council is led by Carolyn Parent as chair and Matt MCQueen as vice chair and supported by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) and contract support from Sue Rowland with SR Consulting, Inc.
Prior to contracting with the NVRC, GO NOVA
utilized contract services with an interim director.
These services were provided by Martha Marshall.
Region Seven received six applications for Per Capita grants on October 30 from project applicants that submitted Letters of Interest by the end of September. A team of reviewers were made up from the Projects Committee (co-chaired by Region Seven Council members Sid Banerjee and Charlene Wheeless) to read the written proposals and interview the proposed project's leadership.
Project proposals
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Region Seven Council meeting in October. Council chair Carolyn Parent is shown in the center.
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The Projects Committee met on November 14 to hear reports from of the each of the review teams and to ask follow up questions before making recommendations to the Region Seven Council. Upon the Council's directive, three applications were approved to be considered at the December 12 GO Virginia Board meeting, which the Board unanimously approved. For more project specific details click on DHCD's GO Virginia website
HERE, under approved projects. The three approved projects are included below:
- Northern Virginia Tech Talent Pipeline ($487,500) - This project will build upon Northern Virginia's existing computer services and cybersecurity clusters to create a workforce system that effectively attracts, prepares, and retains qualified candidates to fill high demand technology jobs in several targeted, high paying occupational areas: programming and software development; data and data warehousing; and networking and cybersecurity.
- Strengthening Alexandria/Arlington's Technology Workforce ($201,896.62) - This initiative is a combination of career pathway assistance, incumbent worker training, upskilling, on-the-job training and credentialing activities aimed to support computer services industry workers in newly located or newly established firms in Northern Virginia.
- NOVA FabLab ($250,000) - Northern Virginia Community College in collaboration with Micron Technology, U.S. Army's Night Vision and Sensors Directorate, and BAE Systems presented this project to create a state-of-the-art engineering technology "Fabrication Laboratory" in Northern Virginia. This project will help create high-paying engineering jobs by leveraging established internship programs at Micron Technology and BAE Systems as well as the existing SySTEMic curriculum at Northern Virginia Community College.
All three project proposal submitted to the Board fell within the talent development arena with a total ask of $937,396.62 of Per Capita grants. These projects are proposed to produce 479 new or indirect jobs, resulting in an additional $2,978,270 in new state tax revenue.
Upon approval of the December round of Per Capita projects by the GO Virginia Board, Region Seven quickly turned its attention to the next round of project applications to be considered by the Board in February. In this round Region Seven has invited six applicants to be vetted by the Projects Committee, with applications due to the Regional Council by December 8.
Check out the link below to see what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region Seven:
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Region Eight
Region Eight includes the counties of Augusta, Bath, Clarke, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren; and the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro and Winchester. The Region Eight Council is led by George Pace as chair and Chris Kyle as vice chair. The Region Eight Council is currently being supported by four support organizations, which include Shenandoah Valley Partnership (SVP), Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC), Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission (NSVRC) and Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board (SVWDB).
Project Proposals
After approval of the Region Eight Growth & Diversification Plan, the Council met on September 20 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg to review the pre-application process for potential projects. This process was approved by the full Council and the CSPDC began accepting pre-applications as of September 21.
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Presentation of pre-application process on September 20 at James Madison University.
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For a proposal to be included in the first round of review, the pre-application had to be submitted to the CSPDC no later than Friday, October 13, 2017. Once these project proposals were received, the Region Eight Grant Proposal Study and Review sub-committee convened twice to review all proposals and prepare their recommendations for the full Council. The full Council then met on October 30 in Front Royal to approve project applications. Two project proposals were recommended to the full Council and both were submitted to the GO Virginia Board.
Inter Regional Collaboration Efforts
Region Eight was represented at a November 8 University-Based Economic Development (UBED) meeting at Old Dominion University by Mary Lou Bourne, Executive Director, Technology Innovation and Economic Development at James Madison University. Bourne provided an update on regional projects and interest for collaboration across the Commonwealth. Along with Region Two, Four, and Five, Region Eight representatives brainstormed and reported out needs/opportunities in the areas of entrepreneurship, technology and talent during this gathering.
Chairman Pace and Vice Chair Kyle have also coordinated a joint meeting on November 28 at Blue Ridge Community College for Region One, Two, and Eight to discuss collaborative opportunities along the Interstate 81 corridor. Participants will identify topics of common interest, formulating approaches, resources and possible next steps.
Check out the links below to see press releases and what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region Eight:
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GO Virginia Region Nine includes the counties of Albermarle, Culpepper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange and Rappahannock; and the city of Charlottesville.
The Council is led by Brian Cole as chair and Tom Click as vice chair and supported by the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development, led by Helen Cauthen.
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Region Nine Council Meeting - Task Force Breakout Session on November 11.
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On October 3, the Region Nine Council rebranded itself the Piedmont Opportunity Corridor and ramped up the process of promoting the GO Virginia funding opportunity throughout the ten counties and the City of Charlottesville that it serves.
Since rolling out its Growth & Diversification Plan on September 12 during two presentations within the region, staff members, along with Council and local economic developers, scheduled presentations at public meetings region wide. By the end of this year, the group will have presented to over 19 boards of supervisors, city councils, county administrators, chamber meetings, and planning districts. Additionally, on September 22, Region Nine served as the host of an innovation workshop at the Fall Tom Tom Festival where five other GO Virginia regions attended, and where Secretary of Commerce Todd Haymore was a special guest and speaker at the event.
Project Proposals
At the November 17 Council meeting, the Council decided to further develop and promote applications and move the application deadline to April 3, 2018, as a way to ensure the maximum opportunity to collaborate and develop innovative projects that will create higher paying jobs in Region Nine.
Check out the links below to see press releases and what local news outlets are saying about GO VA and Region Nine:
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Department of Housing and Community Development | (804) 371-7000 |
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