Virginia Economic Development Partnership Visits Region; Receives Whirlwind Tour

How do you condense eight localities, hundreds of businesses, several higher education institutions, great restaurants and breweries, tons of recreational assets, and southern hospitality into a two-day visit?

This past month, six economic professionals from Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) paid a visit to the Roanoke Region for a familiarization tour, or “fam tour,” to get to know this community and all it has to offer businesses and potential residents. These visits are an opportunity to show off the region’s business assets, livability, and natural beauty so we can be top-of-mind for businesses looking to relocate or expand.

VEDP representatives had the chance to meet and chat with economic development staff from the Cities of Alleghany, Roanoke, and Salem, Counties of Botetourt, Covington, Franklin, and Roanoke, and the Town of Vinton.

They paid visits to Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke College, and Mountain Gateway Community College, hopefully gleaning a better understanding of the partnerships forming and pipelines being created to support both local industry and higher ed institutions.

They toured available commercial real estate in the region, both shovel-ready sites and buildings, to get a feel of the size and types of businesses we can accommodate. As for the jobs these new businesses could create? VEDP met with the local workforce development board to learn about the talent already here in the region, initiatives in place to attract more, and programs that can support their future workforce.

Of course, the itinerary included stops at both the Center for Industry and Technology and Roanoke Center for Research and Technology to demonstrate the region’s robust technology and innovation infrastructure.

Sprinkled throughout these visits were stops at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, favorite restaurants, local breweries, a distillery, and our vibrant downtowns.

How do you tell the story of our region in just two days? The short answer: you can’t. However, with the help of our partners in local government, workforce development, technology, education, and hospitality, we feel like we generated a suitable Cliff’s notes version to keep the Roanoke Region top of mind at the state level.

Building Strong Partnerships for a Prosperous Future

There’s a reason it is called the Roanoke Regional Partnership. It takes local and regional partners working together with state agencies to boost quality of life, recruit and develop a local workforce, and build community wealth. The past few weeks have been a shining example of building and maintaining those strong relationships. Recently, the Partnership hosted the Honorable Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick and Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) CEO Jason El Koubi on a regional tour. In June, the Partnership also hosted VEDP project managers in several different sector teams representing technology, services, products, and lead generation.

These tours are important to the region in several ways. They’re opportunities to share information on regional strengths such as industrial diversity, location, speed-to-market real estate solutions, and workforce development programs. They also provide the Partnership an opportunity to market itself on the livability and quality-of-life amenities this region has worked tirelessly to curate. And of course, these tours open a two-way dialogue with decision makers. This visit with Secretary Merrick was an excellent opportunity for public and private leadership to share ideas and perspectives on a wide range of matters.    

The tours encompassed everything from industry and workforce roundtable discussions, meetings with leadership, tours of prepared sites to enjoyment of recreational amenities and discussions surrounding market assets and strengths.

Economic development is a team sport, and it involves a wide range and mix of partners at the local, regional, and state levels including the public and the private sectors. Everyone has a seat at the table. The Roanoke Regional Partnership and its leadership are actively engaged in productive relationship building to further the aims and pursuits of regional economic development.

Previous, current, and future successes cannot come to fruition without the support of the Partnership’s public and private investors. An example of that is the recent Thrive 2027 campaign. The $3.6 million campaign goal was surpassed by over $400,000, a testament to the work and relationship building the Partnership brings to the economic development table. Please visit www.thriveroanoke.com to learn more about the Partnership’s strategies and tactics and to join the ranks of investors helping to grow the region.