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Thrive 2027 Campaign is a Success: Private Sector Makes Commitment to Support Future Prosperity

Several men holding plants smiling at the camera in a conference room
John Hull, Roanoke Regional Partnership executive director, with the Thrive 2027 Campaign Leadership team.

Thanks to the support and commitment of 122 businesses and organizations who made the decision to invest in the Roanoke Regional Partnership.  The Partnership’s Thrive 2027 Campaign surpassed its $3.6 million fundraising goal and brought in more than $4 million, demonstrating the Partnership’s strength and value as the leader in regional economic development, business attraction, talent, and placemaking.

These funds will accelerate the local economy and enhance the region’s competitiveness for business and talent attraction.

John Hull, executive director with the Roanoke Regional Partnership, said, “More than 122 businesses and organizations including 31 new investors across all sectors representing the diverse geography of the Roanoke Region of Virginia have made the commitment to invest in future growth for our great region. The economic progress that we have seen and will continue to enjoy is made possible by the leadership and investment of both the public and the private sectors working together.”

The Thrive 2027 Campaign is a five-year plan with four focus areas: economic growth and innovation; talent attraction and workforce development; commercial real estate and infrastructure; and place making and livability. Simply put, these are the Partnership’s marching orders for the next five years. Success measurements for these initiatives are the creation of 3,000 new jobs, $350 million in capital investments, a 10-percent increase in the number of in-migrants, a 15-percent increase in per capita income, and a 300-percent increase in inventory of certified sites by 2027.

While there are four different areas of focus for the plan, each is connected and builds upon the other. By highlighting the livability of the region and marketing the outdoor assets current residents enjoy, we’re attracting a talented workforce. By ensuring we’re ahead of the game with marketing intelligence for the regional economy, we can help local governments and the private sector make sound decisions as related to real estate and workforce development. The beauty of this plan is that by focusing on one aspect, they should all improve.

Although the fundraising campaign officially ended in May, the Partnership continues to recruit new investors. Our partners are already witnessing successes with theexpansion of local businesses like Wurth Revcar and Lowe’s and adoption of new degree programs by higher education institutions to support the region’s current and future workforce. Additionally, the volume of interest in our market from outside prospects remains steadily high.

The private sector investments match the investment of eight local governments who have been longstanding supporters and daily working partners of the Roanoke Regional Partnership in making a regional economic impact– Alleghany County, Botetourt County, Franklin County, Roanoke County, the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem, and the town of Vinton.

The Roanoke Regional Partnership has built an impressive record of generating significant economic wins and building a strong, diverse economy. With the continued support of regional businesses and government, the Partnership is poised to produce economic wins and contribute to the prosperity of the Roanoke Region of Virginia.

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“Roanoke Reawakening” Featured in Virginia Business

The article by Virginia Business (see excerpt below) featured the Roanoke Regional Partnership’s executive director John Hull and several economic development partners, focusing on the uptick in economic development activity driven by regional revitalization strategies.

The article highlights Partnership-led, forward-thinking investments in infrastructure, strategic planning for revitalization, and a marketing approach that touts the area’s outdoor amenities which have led to recent sizable investments.

Munters Group AB, Cardinal Glass, Stik Pak, Balchem Corp, Valley Star Credit Union, Mack Trucks, the new Carilion Children’s facility, and the redevelopment at 419 Town Center are all mentioned as examples of this success in the story. Together these investments add up to a whopping $126.3 million.

Read more >

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Kait Pedigo Joins Roanoke Outside as Events Manager

Kait Pedigo has been selected as the new events manager of the Roanoke Outside Foundation, a non-profit created by the Partnership in 2010. Pedigo has worked the last three years as the special events supervisor for the City of Roanoke where she became very familiar with the Foundation’s events and played an integral role on the Anthem Go Outside Festival committee. 

Kait comes to Roanoke Outside with nearly a decade of experience working within the Roanoke Region’s outdoor community. She holds a degree in theatre and English from the University of Vermont where her experience with directing and stage management developed and was later leveraged to produce large-scale events with precision and expertise. In her role with Roanoke City Parks and Recreation, Kait supervised races, festivals, concerts and permitting for every event within the city’s purview. Kait was also a member of the GO Fest planning committee, and facilitated park use for the Blue Ridge Marathon and Go Cross.

“Kait has been a valuable assets to our organization for years as a member of the GO Fest committee and as City liaison for the Marathon and Go Cross. She is organized, creative, thoughtful and hard-working, all traits that will serve our organization well as we continue to build relationships throughout the Roanoke Region,” said Pete Eshelman, director of the Roanoke Outside Foundation. “I am pleased to welcome Kait to the Roanoke Outside team and feel confident she will quickly become an integral part of our organization.”

“Roanoke Outside has the capacity to move mountains. I’ve witnessed the Foundation’s events draw people from all over the world and find success by whatever metric you use, such as attendance, notoriety, national brand participation, and livability,” said Pedigo. “The thing that attracts me the most to working for Roanoke Outside is that success comes by forming relationships and really caring for the businesses and community. I knew I had to be a part of this team.”

Prior to working for Parks and Rec, Pedigo worked in the outdoor industry as a program director, guiding adventure excursions, planning outdoor-related events and coordinating weddings. If you want to learn more check out Five Questions with Kait Pedigo, Roanoke Outside’s New Event Manager. 

The Roanoke Regional Partnership, founded in 1983, is the public-private economic development marketing and strategy organization supported by Alleghany, Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke Counties, the Cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem, and the Town of Vinton as well as more than 200 businesses. The organization has worked with its partners to create more than 19,000 primary jobs and $19 billion in investment by attracting companies such as Orvis, Altec, McAirlaids, Bimbo Bakeries, Cardinal Glass, Balchem, Eldor, Mack Trucks, Traditional Medicinals, Constellation Brands and others to the region.