Your March Gateway Connector

March 2023

One of the regions many assets - a working river. A photo of a barge from the Benjamin Harrison Bridge by VGR's Michelle Rogers.

Update from the President & CEO:

Friends of the Gateway Region,

February has flown by and the VGR Team has been busy meeting prospects and stakeholders. We held our first board meeting of the year and launched our first Investor Insider. Exclusively for VGR Investors, this is a brief visual report demonstrating how we are meeting strategic goals as your regional economic development organization.

Attending the Fort Lee Civilian Military Council Meetings is always a treat, and the February event was no exception. Many exciting developments are happening at this major military installation in the Gateway Region, highlighted by the work being done by a Commission to rename the base. You can read more about the impact of Fort Lee in the article below.

I hope you will all make plans to attend our 2023 Annual Meeting later this month. See the link below and enjoy this issue of the Gateway Connector!

Call Keith Boswell at: +1 (804) 732-8971 or Click for Email

Going Deeper with Drones

Keith Boswell and Tom Scott toured DroneUp's global Flight Academy located at Richard Bland College in Dinwiddie County. This exciting, young company is under contract with Walmart to provide last mile delivery via drone to customers. Thanks to Dinwiddie Deputy County Administrator Tammie Collins, Morgan Ingram and Stacey English of Dinwiddie’s Economic Development Office for joining the tour.

The Economic Engine of Fort Lee

VGR recently partnered with the Crater Planning District Commission to conduct an Economic Impact Analysis of Fort Lee. This study showed that Fort Lee accounts for 10.1% of the GDP in the Tri-Cities Area while generating $127 million annually in state and local tax revenue. The average wage for the estimated 5,150 civilians working on the installation is $57,600, while the region’s annual wage is $46,250. Overall, Fort Lee supports almost 23,500 jobs within the region. GO ARMY!

Get to Know Tom Scott

Check out this Q&A with Tom Scott, our new Managing Director of Business Investments on LinkedIn. Please follow us on this growing social media channel for the latest economic development news in the region!