2015 Site Selection Guide

A Guide to Selecting a

Business Location in Virginia

SITES E L E C T I O N

2015

VirginiaBusiness.com GU

ID

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Original. Authentic. One of kind. Culpeper, Virginia, there’s no place quite like it. Perhaps that’s why we attract businesses who dare to be different. From the

all craft dreams into reality right here in Culpeper, Virginia.

-ment has helped inspire business masterpieces like:

Applied Research in Acoustics Library of Congress Packard Campus

Bingham & Taylor Masco Builder Cabinet Group

Belmont Farm Distillery Old House Vineyards

Continental Automotive Systems Tanom Motors

Euro-Composites TE Connectivity

Hardwood Artisans Verizon Terremark

Located just an hour south of the Nation’s Capital, Culpeper

places only dream of:

abundant and reliable power

low taxes and operating costs Foreign Trade Zone and Technology Zones and a truly outstanding quality of life that makes Culpeper a great place to grow a business and raise a family.

So whether you’re starting-up, expanding, consolidating or

www.CulpeperUSA.com.

CULPEPER

Charlottesville

Richmond

Washington, D.C.

101 Duke Street, Suite 116, Culpeper, Virginia 22701

The Art of Work

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA, USA

State Theatre photo by Lori Sorrentino.

DOMINION LINEMAN JUSTIN WOEHRLE HELPS POWER THE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESSES POWERING VIRGINIA.

With the highest concentration of tech workers in the entire U.S., Northern Virginia has been called“the epicenter of the Internet.” In fact, more than 50 percent of the world’s Internet traffi c passes

through our state daily. At Dominion, we’re proud to help power this important sector—a major driver ofVirginia’s economy. And with 5.2 million square feet of data center space today, and 10 million projected

by 2020, Virginia likely will become the largest data center market in the country—making it all themore important for us to keep the lights on and the data fl owing.

S4 AUGUST 2015 ADVERTISING

V I R G I N I A S I T E S E L E C T I O N G U I D E

Prime location:Prime location: Virginia’s central, East Coast location provides access to your target market.• More than half of the U.S. population (55

percent) lives within a 750-mile radius, and 41 percent lives within a day’s drive.

• The commonwealth borders Washington, D.C., is within 300 miles of New York City and halfway between Maine and Florida.

Incentives:Incentives: Virginia’s incentives program is designed to ease the expansion or establishment of your business in the commonwealth. Below are examples of some of the state’s incentives. For a more comprehensive list, visit: http://www.yesvirginia.org.• Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund (formerly

known as the Governor’s Opportunity Fund): This grant, administered by Virginia’s governor, must be matched by localities.

• The Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID): AFID grants are available for companies that add value to Virginia-grown agricultural and forestry products.

• The Virginia Jobs Investment Program: This incentive program provides assistance to companies that are creating new jobs in the Old Dominion or experiencing technological change.

Strong economy:Strong economy: The Old Dominion is home to diverse industries. Products manufactured here range from steel beams to robots and rocket engines. Virginia also boasts:• More than 70 fi rms with annual revenue of over

$500 million• Nineteen Fortune 500 companies • Over 750 international businesses from over 40

countries • Billions of dollars in exported merchandise

($19.2 billion in 2014)

Infrastructure:Infrastructure: Virginia has world-class infrastructure in place to help your business succeed. • The Old Dominion has six major interstate

highways: I-95, I-81, I-64, I-85, I-77 and I-66.• The commonwealth has 14 commercial airports,

including Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National airports.

• The state has 3,400 miles of railway, and 10 railroads. Two of the nation’s largest railroads operate here: CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp.

• The Virginia Port Authority manages six general cargo terminals: Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, Newport News Marine Terminal, the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal and the Port of Richmond.

When it comes to attracting and retaining companies in the commonwealth, Virginia means business. The Old Dominion helps companies succeed through a variety of

means, including its skilled workforce, business-friendly tax climate and fi nancial assistance. The state’s business climate has garnered it many accolades, including being named to Forbes.com and CNBC’s best states for business rankings, among others.

Some of the nation’s largest — and most successful companies — have chosen to locate in Virginia. The commonwealth is home to 19 Fortune 500 companies,

including Advance Auto Parts, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Dollar Tree.

Virginia has a diverse economic climate that continues to attract leaders in various industries. For example, Stone Brewing Co., the nation’s ninth largest craft brewer, announced plans in 2014 to establish its East Coast production and distribution facility in Richmond. The company expects to invest $74 million and create 288 jobs. More recently, Virginia made headlines when Lidl, a German grocery store, said it would invest $202 million to set up its U.S. headquarters and distribution center in the commonwealth. The move is expected to create 700 jobs.

Reasons to pick Virginia


ADVERTISING VIRGINIA BUSINESS S5

Education:Education: The commonwealth prides itself on a renowned education system. • More than 88,000 students graduated from

Virginia’s high schools last year. About 65 percent of those students pursued a two- or four-year degree or other advanced education program.

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses are offered in high schools, middle schools and almost 60 technical centers throughout the state. These classes are taught to more than 277,000 secondary students in Virginia.

• The commonwealth is home to nearly 50 private and public, four-year colleges and universities; 23 community colleges; 65 out-of-state higher education institutions and workforce development centers.

Workforce:Workforce: Virginia’s workforce is more than 4 million strong and one of the most educated in the country. • The commonwealth is a right-to-work state. It

has the ninth lowest unionization rate in the country (6.2 percent).

• Virginia’s workers are extremely educated. Thirty-three percent of workers in the state have at least a bachelor’s degree.

• According to The National Science Foundation, Virginia employs more than 22,000 doctoral scientists and engineers.

• In Virginia, thousands of military personnel enter the civilian workforce annually.

Quality of life:Quality of life: From food and entertainment to historic sites, Virginia has something to offer for everyone.• Affordable cost of living that’s often below the

national average. • Four-season climate.• Beautiful landscape: Virginia is home to beaches,

mountains and offers city and rural living options. • More than 500 miles of trails, 22 national parks

and 36 state parks.• The nation’s highest concentration of historical

attractions, including Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Monticello, Mount Vernon and various Civil War sites.

• Various professional sporting events in and around Virginia include NASCAR, football, baseball, hockey and basketball.

• A burgeoning craft beverage industry. More than 100 craft breweries and more than 200 wineries.

Source: Virginia Economic Development Partnership


34,835 square feet available adjacent to Equinix, DuPont Fabros, Digital Realty Trust, CyrusOne and other major data center facilities.

• Close proximity to MAE-East (over 50% of the world’s internet traffic) and a robust fiber network

• 1,020 tons of existing cooling capacity and glycol cooling loops

• Electric Service is +/- 9,000 amps, 277/480V

• Two 2-MW generators with associated switchgear and PDU’s

• Dual power loop supplied from two separate sub-stations

• Fiber connectivity with multiple providers and existing conduits

• VESDA fire detection and fire suppression systems

• Cable trays/ladder racking and cabling in place

• Lightning protection system

Keith Wallace | [email protected] www.merrittproperties.com

16 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE, FLEX AND WAREHOUSE SPACE THROUGHOUT MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA

FULLY EQUIPPED DATA CENTER ONE MILE FROM ASHBURN, VA

AVAILABLE SUMMER 2015

NEWLY AVAILABLE FOR LEASE


Why Virginia?

Last year, the state made 297 economic development announcements, which are expected to create 23,790 jobs and $5.89 billion in investment. Below is insight from business executives as to why their companies recently decided to expand or establish operations in the commonwealth.

“Virginia has abundant resources of agricultural stalks, power and water supply, manpower, and a strong trans-portation system — all necessary tools that guarantee Tranlin’s future develop-ment,” says Hongfa Li, chairman and president, Shandong Tranlin Paper Co. Ltd., the Chinese parent company of Tranlin Inc., which plans to invest $2 bil-lion to set up its fi rst U.S. advanced man-ufacturing facility in Chesterfi eld County. The pulp and paper company expects to create 2,000 jobs in the state by 2020.

“We chose Richmond for our U.S. headquarters because of simple cost-benefi t economics,” Kevin Chidwick, CEO of Elephant Insurance, said ear-lier this year, citing the city’s strong work-force, low cost of living and support from the region’s public leaders. The company, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Admiral Group plc, established its U.S. headquarters in

Virginia in 2009, and recently announced a $2 million expansion that’s slated to cre-ate 1,173 local jobs.

“Virginia has a vision for economic development and they are committed to working with companies to bring it to frui-tion,” says Tom Monahan, chairman and CEO of the Corporate Executive Board (CEB). The advisory company is investing almost $150 million to move its head-quarters to a new location in Rosslyn, which has served as its home since 2008. The fi rm anticipates moving in 2018 to a mixed-use development above the Ross-lyn Metro station, and creating 800 new jobs in the process.

“Virginia is the ideal location to head-quarter a BPO operation,” says Steve Hosley, president and CEO of Liberty-Source. “With over 30,000 active mili-tary from all fi ve branches in the greater

Hampton Roads area, Fort Monroe pro-vides us access to a highly skilled and dedicated workforce.” Liberty-Source PBC is a new company that recently established its headquarters at Fort Monroe. It plans to invest $1.56 million and hire 596 military spouses. Liberty provides services that are typically out-sourced, such as fi nance, accounting, human resources and customer care work.

“This state has a great wealth of talent, and Vienna is a community we are proud to be a part of,” says Cut-ler Dawson, CEO and president of Navy Federal Credit Union, which is headquartered in Vienna. The world’s largest credit union announced it was expanding its headquarters earlier this year. Navy Federal is investing $114.6 million in the venture, which is expect-ed to add 600 local employees.

Source: News releases, news articles



Transportation and Infrastructure

Many businesses and organiza-tions choose to locate in Virginia due to its central, East Coast lo-

cation. The Old Dominion has access to major highways, and 41 percent of the nation’s population is within a one-day drive. The commonwealth is constantly working to make its world-class trans-portation and infrastructure system even better. Here is what the state already has to offer in terms of transportation and in-frastructure, and what new projects are in the works:

Air travel: Fourteen commercial air-ports are located in Virginia. Two major airports, Washington Dulles Internation-al and Ronald Reagan Washington Na-tional, serve more than 40 million pas-sengers each year. Dulles and Reagan airports are continuing to add new res-taurants and stores as part of a redevel-opment program that kicked off in 2013. Since the start of the initiative, more than 70 stores and restaurants have opened at the airports. Dulles also is consider-ing adding a hotel near its main termi-nal.

Highways: The major highways in Vir-ginia are I-95, I-81, I-64, I-85, I-77, and I-66. Helping relieve traffi c congestion in Northern Virginia are the 495 and 95 Express Lanes, toll roads that opened in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Togeth-

er, the lanes create more than 40 miles of free-fl owing travel from the Dulles Toll Road to Stafford County. The express lanes are just on example of major trans-portation projects around Virginia de-signed to ease travel.

Passenger Rail: Amtrak in Virginia reaches more than 20 locations, includ-ing Lynchburg, Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News. Amtrak service also is being extended to Roanoke, where ser-vice should start in 2017. There’s also an effort by a group of leaders in the New River Valley to bring Amtrak service west of Roanoke, including the city of Rad-ford and the counties of Montgomery, Floyd, Pulaski and Giles.

A popular alternative for travelers in Northern Virginia is the Metrorail, which brings commuters in and out of Wash-ington, D.C. Metrorail recently complet-ed the fi rst phase of the Silver Line, a 23-mile extension of the Metro that will ex-tend service from East Falls Church to Ashburn. The second phase, which will include a stop at Washington Dulles In-ternational Airport, is expected to open in 2018. Alexandria also is planning to add a new, multimillion dollar Metro station in the Potomac Yard neighbor-hood. City offi cials estimate the new sta-tion will stimulate billions of dollars in in-vestment, support up to 26,000 new jobs within a quarter mile of the station and

help ease traffi c congestions on Route 1. The Virginia Railway Express also

transports thousands of passengers from Northern Virginia to Washington, D.C., operating as far South as Freder-icksburg and as far West as Manassas. VRE runs 29 trains from 18 stations, but plans to increase service in the next few years. A new VRE station is expected to open in Spotsylvania County this sum-mer and another in Potomac Shores in 2017.

Freight rail: Ten railroads operate in Virginia, including two of the nation’s largest: CSX Corp. and Norfolk South-ern Corp., which is headquartered in Norfolk. The commonwealth has nearly 3,400 miles of railway.

Port of Virginia: The Port of Virginia is one of the busiest ports in the Eastern United States. In 2014, the port handled 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units, a 7.6 percent increase since 2013. Last year, it moved most of its cargo by truck (63 percent), followed by rail (33 percent) and barge (4 percent). The port boasts a 50-foot ice-free channel, no overhead obstructions and on-dock rail service. It is the only East Coast port with Congres-sional authorization to dredge to 55 feet. When the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2016, the port should see an increase in container traffi c.

Photo by Mark Rhodes

Metrorail brings commuters in and out of Washington, D.C.



Industry employment projections (long term)Percent change

Estimated 2012

Projected 2022 Change

Annual Avg. Total

Total, all industries 3,947,721 4,481,928 534,207 1.28% 13.53%

Accommodation and food services 309,777 350,409 40,632 1.24 13.12

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 204,884 240,852 35,968 1.63 17.56

Agriculture, forestry, fi shing and hunting 53,926 47,146 -6,780 -1.33 -12.57

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 48,393 55,978 7,585 1.47 15.67

Construction 176,253 222,926 46,673 2.38 26.48

Educational services 357,022 410,675 53,653 1.41 15.03

Finance and insurance 125,793 141,253 15,460 1.17 12.29

Health care and social assistance 405,302 530,010 124,708 2.72 30.77

Information 71,657 69,603 -2,054 -0.29 -2.87

Management of companies and enterprises 76,187 71,400 -4,787 -0.65 -6.28

Manufacturing 230,941 224,319 -6,622 -0.29 -2.87

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction 9,003 9,029 26 0.03 0.29

Other services (except public administration) 130,426 153,080 22,654 1.61 17.37

Professional, scientifi c, and technical services 395,118 518,461 123,343 2.75 31.22

Public administration 60,305 60,511 206 0.03 0.34

Real estate and rental and leasing 51,379 57,811 6,432 1.19 12.52

Retail trade 405,343 441,850 36,507 0.87 9.01

Transportation and warehousing 104,468 110,736 6,268 0.58 6.00

Utilities 10,623 9,421 -1,202 -1.19 -11.32

Wholesale trade 111,225 122,359 11,134 0.96 10.01

How we stack up The commonwealth continues to rank favorably in national business rankings. Here are some examples of

how we compare to other states:

• Virginia remains one of the top states for business, according to Forbes.com’s list of Best States for Business and Careers. The commonwealth has ranked in the top fi ve of the list since Forbes.com fi rst released the rankings in 2006. In 2014, the Old Dominion snatched the No. 4 spot. “Virgin-ia has a widely diverse economy that includes local and federal government, military, farming and manufacturing,” Forbes.com said in its latest write-up about the Old Dominion.

• Forbes.com isn’t the only na-tional news outlet that has no-ticed Virginia’s business-friendly environment. In 2015, the com-monwealth was named No. 12 on CNBC’s America’s Top States

for Business. To compile the list, CNBC scores states in 10 cat-egories, including infrastructure, economy and education.

• The commonwealth also made a strong showing in Chief Execu-tive magazine’s latest survey of Best & Worst States for Business, where it ranked No. 14 out of the 50 states.

• Virginia has once again made it on Business Facilities’ an-nual Rankings Report. In 2014, it ranked as one of the Top 10 states in the following catego-ries: aerospace and defense in-dustry leaders, data center lead-ers and per capita income.

• Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc. has named Virginia a pro-

business state. The common-wealth is No. 4 on the brokerage and consulting fi rm’s Top 10 Pro-Business States study. According to Pollina, the ranking examines “how well each state has or has not positioned itself to retain and create jobs as well as sustain America’s middle class.”

• The Old Dominion was No. 10 on Site Selection magazine’s 2014 Top State Business Climate Rank-ings. Half of Site Selection’s rank-ing is based on a survey of site selectors, who rank states based on their recent experience locat-ing facilities. (Virginia ranked No. 5 on that part of the survey). The rest is based on seven criteria, including new projects and facili-ties per year.

Source: Virginia Employment Commission



Unemployment rates

Virginia is home to some of America’s largest corporations

The Old Dominion has 19 com-panies on the prestigious For-tune 500 list.

The list, compiled by Fortune magazine, ranks America’s 500 big-gest, public companies based on gross revenue.

While there were no new addi-tions to this year’s list, a few com-panies moved up in rank: CarMax, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Dol-lar Tree, Tegna and Advance Auto Parts. Advance Auto saw the big-gest jump, moving 108 spots since last year (In 2014, Advance acquired General Parts International for $2 bil-lion, making it the largest automo-tive aftermarket parts provider in North America). Three companies also dropped off the list: Smithfi eld Foods (which was sold to a Chinese company in 2013), Leidos Holdings and NII Holdings.

Eleven of the Virginia fi rms on the Fortune 500 saw a rise in reve-nues from 2013 to 2014, while eight companies’ reported a drop in sales.

Employers by size of establishment

Establishments

0 to 4 employees 140,637







500 to 999 employees 353

More than 1,000 employees 240

Source: Virginia Employment Commission, third quarter, 2014

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

United States

Virging ia

3.8% 3.6%3.1% 3.0%

3.9%

7.1%6.7% 6.6%

6.0% 5.7%5.2%

5.5%5.1%

4.6% 4.6%

5.8%

9.6%9.3% 8.9%

8.1%7.4%

6.2%

Number Company Location Revenue1

42 Freddie Mac McLean 69.4

100 General Dynamics Falls Church 30.9

124 Northrop Grumman Falls Church 24.0

126 Capital One Financial McLean 23.9

169 Altria Group Richmond 18.0

178 AES Arlington 17.4

229 Computer Sciences Falls Church 13.2

232 CarMax Richmond 13.0

243 Dominion Resources Richmond 12.4

256 Norfolk Southern Norfolk 11.6

280 Hilton Worldwide Holdings McLean 10.5

294 Advance Auto Parts Roanoke 9.8

304 Genworth Financial Richmond 9.6

309 Owens & Minor Mechanicsville 9.4

330 Dollar Tree Chesapeake 8.6

390 Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News 7.0

441 Tegna2 McLean 6.0

464 WestRock Richmond 5.6

475 Booz Allen Hamilton Holding McLean 5.5

The Virginia companies on the 2015 Fortune 500 list include:

1 In billions of U.S. dollars 2 Changed name from Gannett after spinning off the “new” Gannett, June 29, 2015.3 MeadWestvaco and Rock-Tenn merged in 2015.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics



Average weekly wage by industryTotal, All Industries $989 Accommodation and Food Services 340Administrative and Support and Waste Management 712Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 572Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 443Construction 951Educational Services 832Finance and Insurance 1,416Health Care and Social Assistance 894Information 1,567Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,801Manufacturing 1,062Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 1,236Other Services (except Public Administration) 757Professional, Scientifi c, and Technical Services 1,805Public Administration 1,428Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 919Retail Trade 519Transportation and Warehousing 971Unclassifi ed establishments 869Utilities 1,371Wholesale Trade 1,401

Source: Virginia Employment Commission, third quarter, 2014

Virginia population projections

Virginia population projections

% change

2000 7,079,030

2010 8,001,024 13.02

2020 8,811,512 10.13

2030 9,645,281 9.46

2040 10,530,228 9.17Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Virginia Employment Commission

Two-year, public colleges Institution Location1 Phone Website President

Part-time students

Full-time students Total 2

1 Northern Virginia Annandale (703) 323-3000 nvcc.edu Mel Schiavelli 3 32,724 18,763 51,4872 Tidewater Norfolk (757) 822-1122 tcc.edu Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani 17,074 10,572 27,6463 J. Sargeant Reynolds Richmond (804) 371-3000 jsr.vccs.edu Gary L. Rhodes 8,549 3,312 11,8614 Thomas Nelson Hampton, Williamsburg (757) 825-2700 tncc.edu John T. Dever 7,152 3,284 10,4365 John Tyler Chester (804) 796-4000 jtcc.edu Edward "Ted" Raspiller 7,178 2,697 9,8756 Virginia Western Roanoke (540) 857-8922 virginiawestern.edu Robert H. Sandel 6,105 2,527 8,6327 Germanna Fredericksburg (540) 891-3000 germanna.edu David A. Sam 4,867 2,415 7,2828 Lord Fairfax Middletown, Warrenton (800) 906-5322 lfcc.edu Cheryl Thompson-Stacy 5,044 1,952 6,9969 Piedmont Virginia Charlottesville (434) 977-3900 pvcc.edu Frank Friedman 4,262 1,292 5,554

10 Southside Virginia Alberta, Keysville (434) 949-1000 southside.edu Alfred A. Roberts 3,615 1,737 5,35211 New River Dublin (540) 674-3600 nr.edu Jack M. Lewis 2,715 1,870 4,58512 Central Virginia Lynchburg (434) 832-7600 cvcc.vccs.edu John S. Capps 2,991 1,528 4,51913 Blue Ridge Weyers Cave (540) 234-9261 brcc.edu John A. Downey 2,708 1,680 4,38814 Danville Danville (434) 797-2222 dcc.vccs.edu Bruce R. Scism 2,575 1,407 3,98215 Rappahannock Warsaw, Glenns (804) 333-6700 rappahannock.edu Elizabeth H. Crowther 2,767 802 3,56916 Wytheville Wytheville (276) 223-4700 wcc.vccs.edu Dean E. Sprinkle 2,084 1,218 3,30217 Patrick Henry Martinsville (276) 638-8777 ph.vccs.edu Angeline Godwin 1,408 1,445 2,85318 Mountain Empire Big Stone Gap (276) 523-2400 me.vccs.edu James Scott Hamilton 1,533 1,185 2,71819 Southwest Virginia Cedar Bluff (276) 964-2555 sw.edu J. Mark Estepp 1,334 1,212 2,54620 Virginia Highlands Abingdon (276) 739-2400 vhcc.edu Gene C. Couch, Jr. 1,410 1,095 2,50521 Richard Bland College Petersburg (804) 862-6100 rbc.edu Debbie L. Sydow 604 924 1,52822 Paul D. Camp Franklin, Suffolk (757) 569-6700 pdc.edu William "Bill" C. Aiken 3 860 399 1,25923 Dabney S. Lancaster Clifton Forge (540) 863-2800 dslcc.edu John J. Rainone 847 410 1,25724 Eastern Shore Melfa (757) 789-1789 es.vccs.edu Linda Thomas-Glover 593 246 839

1 Main campus 2 Fall enrollment 2014 3 Interim President Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Minimum desired wage of available job candidates Minimum desired wage Potential

candidates Percent

$20,000 - $34,999 48,363 46.01%

$35,000 - $49,999 17,857 16.99

Not Specifi ed 16,080 15.30

$5,000 - $19,999 9,860 9.38

$50,000 - $64,999 6,409 6.10

$65,000 - $79,999 2,686 2.56

$95,000 or more 2,222 2.11

$80,000 - $94,999 1,631 1.55Note: Individuals with active resumes in the workforce system. Data accessed June 27, 2015




New startup fi rms

3rd quarter 2011 2,405

4th quarter 2011 2,518

1st quarter 2012 3,081

2nd quarter 2012 2,506










4th quarter 2014 515


Colleges & universities (public, four-year institutions) Institution Location Phone Website President Part-time

students1Full-time students1

1 Virginia Tech Blacksburg (540) 231-6000 vt.edu Timothy D. Sands 2,720 28,504

2 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond (804) 828-0100 vcu.edu Michael Rao 5,889 25,274

3 George Mason University Fairfax (703) 993-1000 gmu.edu Ángel Cabrera 11,759 22,032

4 University of Virginia Charlottesville (434) 924-0311 virginia.edu Teresa A. Sullivan 2,090 21,642

5 James Madison University Harrisonburg (540) 568-6211 jmu.edu Jonathan R. Alger 1,732 19,123

6 Old Dominion University Norfolk (757) 683-3000 odu.edu John R. Broderick 7,880 17,052

7 Radford University Radford (540) 831-5000 radford.edu Penelope W. Kyle 2 717 9,081

8 College of William and Mary Williamsburg (757) 221-4000 wm.edu Taylor Reveley 547 7,890

9 Norfolk State University Norfolk (757) 823-8600 nsu.edu Eddie N. Moore Jr. 3 1,149 4,878

10 Christopher Newport University Newport News (757) 594-7000 cnu.edu Paul S. Trible Jr. 139 5,082

11 Virginia State University Petersburg (804) 524-5000 vsu.edu Pamela V. Hammond 3 625 4,400

12 Longwood University Farmville (434) 395-2000 longwood.edu W. Taylor Reveley IV 760 4,336

13 University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg (540) 654-1000 umw.edu Richard V. Hurley 2 749 3,786

14 Virginia Military Institute Lexington (540) 464-7230 vmi.edu J.H. Binford Peay III 4 0 1,700

15 U.Va. College at Wise Wise (276) 328-0100 uvawise.edu Donna Price Henry 5 775 1,407

1 Based on 2014 fall enrollment numbers 2 The presidents have announced plans to retire June 2016 3 Interim president 4 Superintendent 5 Chancellor Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

www.roanokeva.gov

Moving forward. In every direction.

Stand beneath our famous mountaintop star and you can see the future wherever you look.

You’ll find an All-America City that’s growing, building and collaborating throughout our neighborhoods, our parks and our businesses.

Stand beneath our famous mountaintop star and youcan see the future wherever you look.

You’ll find an All-America City that’s growing, building and collaborating throughout our neighborhoods,our parks and our businesses.

Stand beneath our famous mountaintop star and you can see the future wherever you look.

You’ll find an All-America City that’s growing, building and collaborating throughout our neighborhoods, our parks and our businesses.



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A sampling of Virginia’s recent economic development announcements (2014-2015)SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA Botetourt County: Altec Industries Inc. embarked on an expansion that was anticipated to create 203 jobs and a capital investment of $3.9 million. The company makes truck-mounted mobile equipment.

Montgomery County: Hubbell Lighting Inc. recently announced a $6 million expansion that’s expected to create 100 jobs in Christiansburg. The South Carolina-based company makes and distributes lighting fi xtures.

Patrick County: The Results Cos. announced plans to add 300 jobs to its call center in Stuart.

Pulaski County: Volvo Trucks North America added 200 jobs at its plant in Dublin because of increased demand. The trucks built at the plant are sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIACharlotte County: Indianapolis-based The Corsi Group announced plans to invest $5 million in its fi rst Virginia operation. The cabinet manufacturer expects to create 110 jobs in Keysville.

Danville: Telvista announced plans to add 300 jobs at its call center in Danville. The Dallas-based call center outsourcing fi rm said it would invest $1 million in the project.

Henry County: Monogram Food Solutions announced its fourth expansion in Southern Virginia since coming to the area in 2009. The food products company said it would invest $7.2 million to establish a warehousing and logistics operation. The project is expected to create 101 jobs.

Greensville County: 510Nano Inc. is relocating its headquarters from Durham, N.C. to Southern Virginia. The renewable energy company expects to create 113 jobs and invest $11 million in the area.

CENTRAL VIRGINIA Appomattox County: Lindenburg Industry LLC, a subsidiary of a Chinese-owned company, chose Central Virginia as the site for its $113 million honeycomb manufacturing operation. The operation is expected to yield 349 jobs.

Chesterfi eld County: Shandong Tranlin Paper Co. Ltd. plans to invest $2 billion to establish its U.S. headquarters in Central Virginia. The Chinese pulp and paper manufacturer anticipates creating 2,000 jobs.

Chesterfi eld and Dinwiddie counties: In September 2014, Amazon.com said it was expanding its fulfi llment centers in the area. The move was expected to bring 1,950 new jobs.

Henrico County: Elephant Insurance, a U.K.-based auto insurance company, is investing $2 million to expand its U.S. headquarters. The venture is slated to bring 1,173 jobs to the area.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

Augusta County: Nexus Services Inc.’s decision to move its corporate headquarters to Verona was expected to add 250 jobs. The fi rm, which provides GPS tracking devices and court services to illegal immigrants, expected to invest $22 million in the project.

McKee Foods announced a $34 million expansion that was expected to add 54 jobs at its Stuarts Draft Facility. Tennessee-based

McKee makes Little Debbie snack cakes, Drake’s DevilDogs and Heartland Granola Cereal.

Harrisonburg: Special Fleet Service anticipated creating 45 jobs in a $1.2 million expansion. The company provides equipment and services for public utilities, electrical cooperatives, transportation and line construction companies and general contractors.

Shenandoah County: International Automotive Components Group planned to add 300 jobs to its Strasburg plant. The company, which makes automotive interior systems, anticipated investing $5.7 million in the expansion.

HAMPTON ROADS Hampton: Liberty-Source PBC plans to invest $1.56 million to establish a customer service operation at Fort Monroe. The venture, which aims to bring outsourced positions back to America, is expected to create nearly 600 jobs.

Newport News: Continental Automotive Systems’ $152 million expansion is expected to create 525 jobs. The company is part of Continental, a German auto parts maker.

Norfolk: The Navy is consolidating the headquarters for its Sealift Command at Naval Station Norfolk. The headquarters has been split between the Washington Navy Yard and Naval Station

Roanoke

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Source: The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, news releases, news articles

CENTRAL VIRGINIACity of Lynchburg ....................... S15

NORTHERN VIRGINIAPrince William County ........S16-S17Leesburg ..................................... S18

HAMPTON ROADSCity of Chesapeake ................... S19City of Hampton ........................ S20Hampton Economic .................. S21 DevelopmentFranklin/Southampton .............. S22Isle of Wight County .................. S23Virginia Beach ........................... S24

Economic Development

SHENANDOAH VALLEYCity of Harrisonburg .................. S25

SOUTHERN VIRGINIAMartinsville ..........................S26-S27Tobacco Commission ................ S31

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIABristol Utililties ....................S28-S29Appalachian Power .................... S30Tobacco Commission ................ S31

I N D E XNorfolk, according to The Associated Press. The move will cost $31 million and affect 507 employees.

Virginia Beach: Texas-based Expert Global Solutions Inc. announced an expansion in the city that’s expected to create 175 new jobs. The company, which offers business outsourcing services, is investing $600,000 due to the expansion.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA Alexandria: Fishbowl Inc., a direct mail advertiser, announced a $4 million expansion that was projected to create 679 jobs.

Arlington County: CEB Inc., which moved from Washington, D.C., to Virginia in 2008, is investing $149.7 million for its new headquarters in Rosslyn. The move is expected to create 800 jobs.

Fairfax County: San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp. recently chose to relocate its Frederick, Md., operation to Northern Virginia. Bechtel — a major engineering, construction and project management company — planned to invest $10 million in the move and create 700 new jobs.

Stafford County: Insurance company Geico announced a $24.4 million expansion that was expected to produce 350 new jobs. The Maryland-based company has been in Stafford since 1994.

Norfolk

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Virginia universities: Helping businesses grow

State colleges are not only providing a pipeline of workers, they’re also help-ing promote innovative enterprises

and groundbreaking research. Whether you’re a startup in need of offi ce space or an established business seeking to collab-orate on research, Virginia’s higher educa-tion institutions are here to help. Below is a sample of some of the resources avail-able:

Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM)Prince George Countyccam-va.com CCAM is a research center tha t aims to deliver innovative solutions for manufacturing better products. The 62,000-square-foot facility is adjacent to Rolls-Royce’s Crosspointe Campus in Prince George County. CCAM, which boasts 28 industry, government and uni-versity members, is often adding new partners. Its current members include Rolls-Royce, Newport News Shipbuild-ing, NASA Langley Research Center, the University of Virginia, Virginia State Uni-versity (VSU), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University (ODU).

Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems (CCALS) Prince George Countyccals.com CCALS is helping companies solve lo-gistics problems. The organization, which is modeled after CCAM, also has university, government and industry members. The center’s current partners are: VSU, Longwood University, U.Va., VCU, Logistics Management Resources Inc., LMI, the Crater Planning District Commission, the U.S. Army’s Combined Arms Support Command and the Port of Virginia.

Innovation Research Park @ ODUNorfolkirpodu.comInnovation Research Park is one of the few research parks in the U.S. that is lo-cated on the campus of its research in-stitution. The mixed-used development at Old Dominion University includes two 100,000-square-foot buildings that of-

fer Class A offi ce space and wet and dry laboratory space. Its central location is close to downtown Norfolk, the airport, military centers, Eastern Virginia Medi-cal School and the Port of Virginia.

Innovation Technology Park Prince William Countypwcecondev.orgThe 1,600-acre research and technology park is home to corporate headquarters, research centers, data centers, govern-ment facilities and federal contractors. It is anchored by George Mason Universi-ty’s Prince William Campus, which offers several programs, including life sciences and applied information technology.

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research Danvilleialr.orgThe Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s mission is to be a region-al catalyst for economic transformation through applied research, advanced learning and economic development. The institute serves Martinsville, Dan-ville and the counties of Patrick, Frank-lin, Henry, Pittsylvania, Halifax and Mecklenburg. Virginia Tech, Danville Community College, Averett University and the Southern Virginia Higher Edu-cation Center are some of its partners.

University of Virginia Research Park Charlottesvilleuvafoundation.comThis 562-acre, mixed-use development is zoned for offi ce, light industry, hotel/conference center, laboratory/medi-cal/pharmaceutical, and retail/support commercial uses. The park was de-signed to be a corporate village that met the needs of businesses in a natural beauty setting.

Virginia BioTechnology Research Park Richmondvabiotech.comLocated in the heart of Virginia’s capital, the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park is close to VCU’s MCV and Monroe Park campuses. The public, four-year university also is one of the park’s life science partners. The Virginia BioTech-nology campus is home to more than

60 life-science companies, research in-stitutes, state/federal labs, scientists, engineers and researchers.

Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center Suffolkwww.vmasc.odu.eduODU’s VMASC is a research facility that focuses on modeling, simulation and visualization (MS&V) research, develop-ment and education. Transportation, vir-tual environments, game-based learn-ing and system sciences are some of its research areas.

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute Roanokevtc.vt.eduCreated in 2007, the Virginia Tech Car-ilion School of Medicine and Research Institute is a joint partnership between Blacksburg-based Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic, a nonprofi t healthcare organization based in Roanoke. The in-stitute strives to be a leader in medical education and biomedical and clinical research.

Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center Blacksburgvtcrc.comThe 230-acre Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC) is located next to Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg. Created in 1985, the center encompass-es more than 170 research, technology and support companies. There currently are 33 buildings on site with room to construct 19 more buildings. The center employs more than 2,700 employees.

Wallops Research ParkAccomack Countyco.accomack.va.usThe park offers more than 200 acres for development by aerospace and aviation companies. It is located just outside the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Wallops offers commercial and industrial lots as well as foreign trade zone opportuni-ties. New amenities at the park include a 1,200-foot taxiway, broadband fi ber and three-phase electric power.


Opportunity awaits in Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg boasts a vibrant economy, nationally-ranked public schools and six colleges

and universities situated in histor-ic and affordable neighborhoods. A world-class healthcare system, funky shops and fi ne dining are nestled in a breathtaking setting bounded by the James River and a backdrop of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Lynchburg drives business With more than 4,700 business-

es ranging from traditional shops to global corporation headquarters, our industry makeup and workforce is made up of fi rms of all sizes, mak-ing our economy stable and di-verse. While employment is driven primarily by healthcare and retail, these jobs are complimented by healthy higher education, energy, professional services and advanced

manufacturing sectors. Lynchburg also is home to six public/private colleges and universities, including the world’s largest online school. These graduates continue to grow Lynchburg’s pool of well-educated, motivated and highly skilled work-ers.

Lynchburg is a beautiful place to call home

Ideally located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lynchburg per-fectly blends colonial architecture with modern developments. Fos-tering a vibrant, artistic and wel-coming community and equipped with a world-class healthcare sys-tem, Lynchburg is an ideal place for students, professionals, and those interested in starting or growing a family. Lynchburg residents also benefi t from the city’s low cost of living. Rent, food, transportation,

goods and services, and other es-sentials are generally more afford-able in Lynchburg. In fact, the av-erage cost of living is 8.5% lower than the United States average. With 12 stunning parks, 24 play-grounds, eight community centers, trails, bike lanes, and many access points to the Appalachian Trail nearby — Lynchburg is a nature-lover’s dream.

For more information, please visit www.opportunitylynchburg.com.

www.opportunitylynchburg.com

The Perfect BusinessOpportunity Awaits.Start, Relocate or Expand Your Business in Lynchburg, Virginia.

C i t y o f L y n c h b u r g : C E N T R A L V I R G I N I A

Discover Prince William County, Virginia – Your Site Selection Solution

[email protected] | 703.792.5500 | www.PWCEconDev.org | @PWCDEDDepartment of Economic Development | 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 240, Gainesville, Virginia 20155

Prince William County is less than 20 miles from the nation’s capital and conveniently located near three major airports which translates to swift and efficient transportation of goods to both domestic and international customers. We are home to an outstanding talent pool of highly-skilled, culturally diverse labor as the 2nd largest and 4th fastest growing County in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Also, strategically located in a well-established Life Sciences community in the university-research epicenter of Innovation Park is the Prince William Science Accelerator, the only public-private commercial available Wet Lab Spaces in Northern Virginia.

Pro-business comm

unity. 100 years combined Knowledge & Experience in Site Selection Support

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[email protected] | 703.792.5500 | www.PWCEconDev.org | @PWCDEDDepartment of Economic Development | 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 240, Gainesville, Virginia 20155

Discover Prince William County, Virginia – Your Site Selection Solution

• Multi-building corporate campus located on 28-acre site that will ultimately deliver 350,000 square feet of Class A office space

• Turn-key build-out and signage available

HERITAGE HUNT CORPORATE PARK Gainesville, VA

Marine CoBase Quantico

FREEDOM I-66 BUSINESS CENTER Manassas, VA

• An 84-acre build-to-suit business park • 11 proposed Class A industrial

warehouses• Ideal for data centers

• Approximately 900 acres of developable land

• Ideal opportunity for mixed use project (office, research and development, hotels)

0

PARKWAY EMPLOYMENT CENTER - Woodbridge, VA

PRINCE WILLIAM COMMONS Woodbridge, VA

• A multi-building complex featuring Class A office, flex, retail and warehouse space with existing and build-to suit opportunities

• Perfect for diverse tenancy: general office, research and development, technology, and light distribution

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• Anchored by the George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus

• Home of the Prince William Science Accelerator which offers the only commercially available wet lab space in Northern Virginia

INTERSTATE OVERLOOK - Prince William, VA

• Brand new office and flex complex with over 123,000 square feet of space available

• Proximity to local and federal agencies; site may be secured to achieve Department of Defense setbacks

INTERSTATE OVERLOOK Dumfries, VA

Robust Talent Pipeline

Easy access to Greater Washington DC Metro Area and Beyond

Proximity to 3 Major Airports

Competitive Real Estate and Wage Rates

Availability of Highly Skilled, Diverse Workforce


N O R T H E R N V I R G I N I A : L e e s b u r g

Just 15 miles from Dulles Airport and located in the heart of Virginia’s wine country, the Town of Leesburg

offers the perfect day trip destination. Shopping, dining, live music – Leesburg has it all! Elegant and eclectic shops line the brick sidewalks of Leesburg’s historic downtown. The Leesburg Cor-ner Premium Outlets features over 100 stores, just minutes from downtown. Even more shopping options abound at the Village at Leesburg.

Our downtown restaurants range from classic fi ne dining at Lightfoot and Tuscarora Mill to brewpubs like the new Leesburg Brewing Company and Crooked Run Brewing to funky wine bars Chimole and The Wine Kitchen,

plus many more. Plan to visit Kettles and Grains when you’re ready to ‘brew your own!’ Fabulous restaurants aren’t limited to downtown – be sure to check out Travinia, Firebirds and others at the Village at Leesburg, and local eateries like the Leesburg Public House, Blue Ridge Grill and Yummy Pig BBQ else-where around town. Many of our res-taurants specialize in locally-sourced ingredients.

Leesburg is the new live music capi-tal of Northern Virginia! The Tally Ho Theatre offers a wide variety of live mu-sic acts, from rock to country to alterna-tive. Small spaces come alive with music in downtown during Leesburg’s First Friday while the Village at Leesburg of-

fers a unique live music venue coupled with a superior barbecue experience at Smokehouse Live. The 12th annual Acoustic on the Green outdoor concert series just kicked off with free concerts on the Town Green in downtown on Saturday evenings through the summer, featuring artists such as Todd Wright and Jennifer Daniels.

The W&OD Trail has access points in Leesburg, and you’re never far from hiking and kayaking opportunities on the Potomac River. Leesburg also makes the perfect hub for visiting the many wineries, and craft breweries in western Loudoun. Let us show you a good time by sharing our music, art, dining and outdoor entertainment.

Visit www.leesburgva.gov, www.visitloudoun.org and www.downtownleesburgva.com for more information. Find us on Facebook and Twitter for those not-to-be-missed opportunities to enjoy Leesburg, Virginia!

DOWNTOWN LEESBURG.

DISCOVER OUR TAKE ON THE ARTS.

Downtown Leesburg is filled with fun and exciting

things for all ages. Sample the exquisite wines of our local

vineyards at any one of our nearby wine festivals, shop at

unique stores and enjoy our art galleries, dine in delightful

restaurants and play in our expansive parks. Practice the art

of living well, right here in Leesburg, Virginia.

Gale Waldron,


C h e s a p e a k e : H A M P T O N R O A D S

Creating a Business Climate Where Innovation Thrives

In Chesapeake, our entrepreneurial spirt and focus on innovation drives us, and we’re creating a city where

people and businesses alike can thrive.Start-up companies like the Big

Ugly Brewing Company were able to take a leap of faith and build a craft-brewing venture. German-owned Becker Hydraulics USA launched its fi rst U.S. manufacturing production fa-cility in Chesapeake, and a company that started out as a handful of variety and toy stores has transformed itself into a Fortune 500 company called Dollar Tree, Inc. Dollar Tree is strategi-cally poised to increase its ranking on the coveted Fortune 500 list due to its successful merger with Family Dollar Stores in July 2015.

Year after year, Chesapeake’s econ-omy also continues to generate multi-million dollar business investments

and high demand jobs. Chesapeake is achieving national recognition for its accomplishments too such as:

National Accolades• Small Business Community of the

Year (2014) U.S. Small Business Ad-ministration

• #10 on the Hardest Working Cities in America list (2015) Wallethub.com

• #87 on Millennial Magnets Cities list (2014) USA Today

• #19 on the Best Cities for Hispanic Entrepreneurs list (2014) Walle-thub.com

• #48 among America’s 50 Best Cit-ies to Live (2014) 24/7 Wall Street

• #19 among Best Cities for Quality of Life (2014) NerdWallet

• AAA Bond Rating (2014) Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings

• Aa1 Bond Rating (2014) Moody’s Investors Service

Chesapeake Wants Your Business to Succeed

Throughout Chesapeake centrally located sites like Cavalier Industrial Park, Greenbrier, Oakbrooke Business & Technology Center and South Nor-folk/Intracoastal Waterway are bol-stered by immediate accessibility to land, air and water. Add a connection to a talented workforce with the educa-tion, training and experience and com-panies can easily take their business into a promising future.

Of all the decisions you will make in business, choosing Chesapeake will be your best!!

City of Chesapeake, Economic Development Department676 Independence Parkway, Suite 200, Chesapeake, VA 23320

757-382-8040 Email: [email protected] www.chesapeakeva.biz

120 MILES OF COMMERCIAL WATERFRONT. 23 WEEKLY SHIPPING LINES TO EUROPE AND ASIA.CHESAPEAKE, VA. ALWAYS PREPARED TO DO BUSINESS.

W W W . C H E S A P E A K E V A . B I Z

60% of our international businesses rely on the Port of Virginia’s waterways — one of the largest, best equipped intermodal facilities on the East Coast, making Chesapeake an essential link in supply chains around the world. The Chesapeake industrial waterfront and nearby Norfolk International Airport—two forces in their

railways easily accessible in Chesapeake and the greater Hampton Roads region. Chesapeake remains a vital economic epicenter, supporting and advancing commerce near and far. We’re a city that’s nationally recognized for its quality of life — in fact, we’re among the top 50 cities in the country in which to live and do business.* It’s our city’s talent, infrastructure and above all, our attitude that fuels progress. If you’re looking to start, expand or locate a business, get to know Chesapeake, VA. Our community is always ready. Are you? *”America’s 50 Best Cities to Live,” 2014, 24/7 Wall Street; “Small Business Community of the Year,” 2014, U.S. Small Business Administration

Chesapeake Department of Economic Development 676 Independence Parkway, Suite 200, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320Tel 757.382.8040 Fax 757.382.8050 Email: [email protected]


H A M P T O N R O A D S : C i t y o f H a m p t o n

THE PERFECT SETTING FOR ALL OCCASIONS.

For over 400 years, people have gathered in Hampton. Today, business meetings, social gatherings, trade expositions and sporting competitions all take place under one roof. For a location as unique as your event, choose Hampton, VA. 800.487.8778 thehrcc.com

Hampton: Inspirational Spaces that Spark Creativity

While long regarded as a Virginia hub of innovation and technology, Hampton

is also one of the Commonwealth’s most impressive convention desti-nations. Hampton presents world-class meeting facilities, exciting and diverse attractions, restaurants that satisfy the most selective pal-ates, and an array of retailers that span from national favorites to the most eclectic local boutiques.

This year the Hampton Roads Convention Center celebrated its 10th anniversary. Boasting 344,000 square feet of fl exible meeting space including a 102,600 square-foot exhibit hall and a grand ball-room to accommodate 2,000 peo-ple, the center shares its campus with the iconic Hampton Coliseum and a 295-room convention head-quarters hotel. Break-out space is

abundant; in fact, there are more than 35 fl exible spaces beneath the Hampton Roads Convention Center’s roof alone. Plus, visitors to the campus may also enjoy free parking, upscale dining, and day spa amenities.

Peninsula Town Center and the Power Plant of Hampton Roads offer many dining choices within convenient proximity of the con-vention center. Hip new estab-lishments in Downtown Hampton, Phoebus and Fort Monroe also appeal to professionals of all ages and interests. Hampton’s confer-ence facilities are as diverse as the city’s 405-year heritage. Hampton hotels present meeting space in a variety of capacities, complement-ed by well-appointed accommo-dations to serve delegates’ needs

from fi rst arrival to fi nal session. Historic Fort Monroe and Fort Wool, harbor tours, the dynamic Virginia Air & Space Center with IMAX theater, and museum galler-ies fi lled with art and history, serve as inspirational spaces that spark creativity.

Hampton’s close proximity to every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces including Joint Base Lang-ley Eustis, NASA Langley, and higher education centers Hamp-ton University and Christopher Newport University are benefi ts of basing your meeting in Hampton. Here you’ll be close to pioneering medical technology at the Hamp-ton University Proton Therapy In-stitute. Plus you will enjoy conve-nient accessibility to AMTRAK and two international airports.

Come to VisitHampton.com or TheHrcc.com, or call 800-487-8778 for assistance in bringing your next conference to Hampton.


Hampton Economic Development: H A M P T O N R O A D S

Businesses are choosing Hampton

FedEx Ground, Alcoa Pow-er and Propulsion, Liberty Source, Faneuil.

What do these diverse compa-nies have in common?

In 2014 these companies, along with dozens of others, committed more than $100 million in capital investment and created thousands of new jobs, deciding that Hamp-ton is the best place to locate or expand their business.

It’s easy to see why. Anchored by aerospace and defense fa-cilities, advanced manufacturing, major medical centers and higher education, Hampton attracts high-

tech businesses and a skilled work-force.

Strong research institutions such as the NASA Langley Re-search Center and the National In-stitute of Aerospace call Hampton home. Together, they offer unique research, innovation and entre-preneurial opportunities. Hamp-ton University and Thomas Nelson Community College help provide Hampton with a highly-educated workforce.

Hampton is situate d at the cen-ter of the Hampton Roads region, providing direct access to Inter-states 64 and 664 as well as excel-

lent access to two international airports, the Port of Virginia and Interstates 95 and 85. Nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population is within a day’s drive of Hampton, and more than half of the country’s manufacturing and industrial base is within 750 miles of the city.

A progressive business envi-ronment, eclectic neighborhoods, breathtaking waterfront, end-less recreational opportunities and central location with dynamic shopping, dining and entertain-ment all combine to make Hamp-ton the perfect place to locate or expand a business.

For more information on the development opportunities in Hampton,

go to www.choosehampton.com or call 757-728-5165 or

1-800-555-3930.


Partnering Tradition with Progress

H A M P T O N R O A D S : Franklin/Southampton County

601 N. Mechanic St., Suite 300, Franklin, VA 23851 • 757-562-1958www.franklinsouthamptonva.com • [email protected]

Properties located in Enterprise Zone • Close proximity to Port of Virginia

Partnering tradition with progress

For more information about the City of Franklin or Southampton County call 757-562-1958 or email [email protected].

Southampton Business Park

• 25 acres of publicly owned property• Zoned M-1 light industrial• 150,000 gallon water tower• Natural gas on site• Located directly off Highway 58• 35 miles from I-95

Pretlow Industrial Park

• 160 acres of publicly owned property• Zoned M-2 heavy industrial• 500,000 gallon water tower• Located directly off Highway 58• Access to natural gas• 40 miles from I-95

Southampton Commerce and Logistics Center

• 80 acres of publicly owned property• Zoned M-2 heavy industrial• 500,000 gallon water tower• Access to natural gas• 40 miles from I-95• CSX rail access

The City of Franklin and Southampton County are prepared and poised to accommodate your busi-ness expansion. With acres of industrial property

located within state-designated Enterprise Zones, these communities in w estern Hampton Roads have nu-merous benefi ts to offer businesses. Both localities of-fer close proxim-ity to the Port of Virginia, new and

expansive infrastructure and a skilled workforce for em-ployment. The Paul D. Camp Community College Re-gional Workforce Development Center in Franklin is an expansive 32,000 square-foot facility offering innovative training solutions for new and existing businesses. The Franklin Business Incubator provides 40,000 square feet of fl exible offi ce space and conference room facilities. These communities are also home to three industrial parks that are ready and available for industry and busi-ness development.


Isle of Wight County: H A M P T O N R O A D S

Isle of Wight County: Local Roots, Global Reach

Isle of Wight County is a progres-sive community in the western Hampton Roads region that em-

braces change while protecting the integrity of its rich cultural and his-torical heritage. The County’s 319 square miles provides fertile ground for the region’s most prosperous businesses, including Smithfi eld Foods, Inc., Keurig Green Mountain Inc., and International Paper. This growing County personifi es the theme “local roots, global reach.”

Industrial DevelopmentStrategically located for port-

related businesses, the County-owned 1,500-acre Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park provides affordable sites close to the Port of Virginia. Businesses in the park can easily ac-cess the Port using U.S. Route 460

or U.S. Route 58 or by rail on the ad-jacent Norfolk Southern Heartland Corridor. The Park, part of Foreign Trade Zone #20, is a designated En-terprise Zone which offers state and local incentive programs for quali-fying businesses that locate there. The Port of Virginia also offers the Economic and Infrastructure Devel-opment Zone Grant Program for Port users.

Retail and Residential Development

Business is booming in the northern part of the County with an additional 2,000 residential units and 1.1 million square feet of new retail and offi ce space ap-proved for development along the Route 17 corridor. The Breeden Company is under construction on Eagle Harbor West, a gated community featuring 208 luxury apartments. Dunkin’ Donuts and 7-Eleven also are under construc-tion. East West Communities, the award-winning developer of Gatling Pointe, Founders Pointe and Eagle Harbor, will construct 79 single-family homes and 20 town-homes at Benn’s Grant. Homes will be for sale in the fall of 2015.

To learn more about how your business can put down roots in Isle of Wight County, call 757-356-1962 or visit www.insidetheisle.com.

Major employers: Smithfi eld Foods, Keurig Green Mountain & International Paper

Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park, the premier, publicly-owned manufacturing, distribution & logistics park in the Hampton Roads region: • Over 1,000 acres competitively priced • Permit-ready sites under design • Able & ready labor force of 830,000+ • 35 minute drive to Port of Virginia • Access to interstates 95, 85, 64, 264, & 664 • Enterprise & Foreign Trade Zones • Rail-served sites • All utilities including abundant public water • Proven fast-track site plan review & permitting process

Local Roots, Global Reach

Put down roots in Isle of Wight.757-356-1962 or www.insidetheisle.com


H A M P T O N R O A D S : V i r g i n i a B e a c h

YesVirginiaBeach.com • 800.989.4567 • #RealTeamPlayers

The innovation economy is humming along in Virginia Beach

The Virginia Beach business boom is not by accident. For years, government, economic

development and business leaders have partnered to keep business costs low, to be responsive to business needs, and, of course, to make Virginia Beach a wonderful place to work and live.

Today more than 20 international fi rms operate their U.S. or North

American headquarters here including STIHL, PRUFREX USA, Busch, Hermes and IMS Gear. And, Virginia Beach has been recognized as a manufacturing “boomtown” by Forbes. The Mayor’s Manufacturing Roundtable and workforce development efforts in training and certifi cations are part of the formula for this growth and success.

Over the past fi scal year, Virginia Beach has also greatly expanded its

number of high tech jobs by more than 600. Brookings Institution ranked the city 17th in the nation in advanced industries jobs, which have been noted as the fastest growing in terms of income and one of the most signifi cant economic anchors in the U.S.’ gross domestic product.

New initiatives are under way to propel Virginia Beach even more in the bio tech sphere with incentives and proximity to premier companies including LifeNet Health, Operation Smile, Sentara Healthcare and Tidewater Community College’s bio accelerator. Key areas of focus for biomed and life sciences here include research into diabetes, reproductive health, regenerative medicine, cardiology, urology, cancer, piezoelectrics and photon therapies. Results have been substantial and far reaching.

From the Port of Virginia to a highly skilled workforce, Virginia Beach is the place to launch your business. To learn more about the powerful forces at work, contact Virginia Beach Economic Development at 757-385-6464 or visit www.YesVirginiaBeach.com.


Shenandoah Valley Advantage

Harrisonburg is on a roll. Chmura Economics ranks Harrisonburg fi rst for employment growth

among all Virginia metropolitan areas. According to UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Harrisonburg is second only to Northern Virginia in population growth for metropolitan ar-eas in the Commonwealth. Many fac-tors contribute to the attractiveness of Harrisonburg, including natural beauty and abundant outdoor recreation op-tions, proximity to Washington, D.C. and Richmond markets with excellent interstate access, and the community’s diversifi ed and stable economic base. However, if you must pinpoint one fac-tor that paves the way to recent eco-nomic successes, most signs point to James Madison University, the region’s largest employer and a powerful eco-nomic engine.

JMU perennially ranks as one of the top regional universities in the South, and also as one of the best val-ues in higher education. As a result, JMU is one of the top Virginia schools

of choice for high school gradu-ates. JMU’s annual operating budget is over $500 million. It has been estimated that this equates to approxi-mately $13 million in lo-cal tax revenues for Harri-sonburg and Rockingham County. JMU currently has over 100 capital projects on the books at some stage of de-velopment. But this is only the tip of the iceberg when you consider the talent pipeline, technology transfer, and all of the research and develop-ment value that JMU offers to the Har-risonburg community.

The Harrisonburg-Rockingham MSA has received tremendous invest-ments from both new and existing employers. Governor McAuliffe an-nounced in June that AXON Ghost Sen-tinel, a cyber security fi rm with numer-ous federal contracts, will be expand-ing in downtown Harrisonburg with a $1.5 million investment and adding 29 high-paying jobs. SRI International,

one of the founders of Silicon Valley,

has established its Center for Advanced Drug Research (CAD-RE) here. Ro-setta Stone, the

world’s premier language learning

software producer, employs over 350 asso-

ciates in downtown Harrison-burg. Serco operates a classifi cation center within the Harrisonburg Tech-nology Park as a contractor for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Offi ce, employing over 180 classifi ers trained in science and engineering.

Employers are quickly discovering the tremendous assets available in the Harrisonburg area. The Shenandoah Valley offers a great quality of life, a highly skilled workforce and a robust technology infrastructure. Come ex-plore what Harrisonburg has to offer you and your business.

City of Harrisonburg: S H E N A N D O A H V A L L E Y

Stop Searching, Start Finding.

Everything your business needs to grow and thrive is in Harrisonburg, VA – access to major markets, a growing technology base, an educated workforce, business and university partnerships, and a 5-star rated quality of life.

Visit HarrisonburgDevelopment.com today to find your perfect Harrisonburg location with our new property locator.

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With a compelling opportunity for productivity,

growth and long-term profitability, world-class

aviation and aerospace suppliers make Martinsville-

Henry County, Virginia their home. A strategic

location, hard-working employees and low cost of

doing business were key motivating factors for

Hardide Coatings and RTI International Metals

locating their businesses here. Our newest site

available, Commonwealth Crossing, offers:

Located near US 220 South, at the VA/NC state line

Adjacent to the Norfolk Southern Railway Mainline

Only 33 miles to Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, NC

Publicly owned by Henry County

Shovel ready by January 2016

Cleared to Land.

COMMONWEALTH CROSSING

191 Fayette Street, Third Floor | P.O. Box 631 | Martinsville, Virginia 24114 | YesMartinsville.com

To learn more, contact Lisa Lyle, Director of Recruiting & Marketing, at (276) 403-5942 or [email protected]

726ACRES


M a r t i n s v i l l e : S O U T H E R N V I R G I N I A

World-class aerospace suppliers make Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia their home because of

the compelling opportunity for productivity, growth and long-term profi tability. We offer a prime location with direct access to major aircraft assembly plants andTier 1 suppliers, along with advanced research andinnovation programs for materials and manufacturingsystems. Our specialized training programs are perfectly

tailored to the needs of the aviation and aerospace industry. Our highly affordable cost-of-doing business helps drive bottom-line results. In addition, we haveexceptional development sites that are ready toaccommodate your facility. We are invested in yourindustry, offer attractive incentives, and are ready to partner with you to grow your business in Martinsville-Henry County.

Aerospace Suppliers makeMartinsville-Henry County Home

Hardide Coatings manufacturers advanced tungstencarbide-based coatings to serve customers inaerospace, oil and gas, and advanced engineering markets.

“After a detailed evaluation of numerous locations, we chose Martinsville because it’s a community that supports advanced manufacturing and will provide us with the workforce and training partners that will help us grow our North America customer base.”

- Philip KirkhamHardide Coatings CEO

RTI International Metals, Inc. is a producer of titanium mill products, and a supplier of fabricated titanium and specialty metal components for the national and international aerospace, defense, energy, and other markets.

“The Martinsville plant is a key addition to RTI’s ability to meeting the expanding titanium needs of Airbus. RTI is the largest North American titanium supplier to Airbus, and this new facility adds an additional link in RTI’s ability to meet their needs across the entire supply chain.”

- Dawn Hickton, President and CEORTI International Metals


OptiNet Broadband Powers Southwest Virginia Business

In the late 1990s, BVU, a rural public utility located in Bristol, Virginia, began putting up fi ber

cables to connect its offi ces and substations. The network soon expanded to provide fi ber broad-band services to local schools and government offi ces. In 2001, BVU launched OptiNet — a 100% fi -ber broadband service. OptiNet’s fi ber-to-the-premise network pro-vides dedicated, point-to-point broadband service with speeds up to 1 Gbps. Through a partner-ship with the Cumberland Plateau Company, the OptiNet network now extends to nine counties in Southwest Virginia, across more than 1,039 total plant miles.

OptiNet is known for its pioneering work in municipal broadband through-out the area. BVU is acknowledged as the fi rst municipal utility in the United States to deploy an all-fi ber network offering the triple-play of video, voice, and data ser-vices. The fact that BVU provides such advanced broadband services to primarily remote com-munities has made BVU exceptional even on a global level.

BVU is a member of LIT Net-works, a partnership of seven re-gional fi ber networks from Virginia to Georgia that provides seamless optical transport to the major peer-ing points in the southeast. This unique partnership of regional net-works offers a high level of diversity for enterprise customers looking to connect with US Carriers, Interna-tional Carriers, and wireless tower sites. LIT Networks is a fi ber net-

work that utilizes a common trans-port platform, which increases the value of its member networks by extending their ability to reach un-served and underserved markets.

BVU offers advanced broad-band solutions under its OptiPro brand to small/medium local busi-nesses as well as national enter-prise-scale companies. Two such advanced services include tradition-al and hosted PBX systems. Both are hosted in BVU’s privately owned cloud, so are more secure than typi-cal VoIP services. Two options are

available: hosted PBX and premise PBX. With a premise PBX model, businesses can purchase and man-age their own phone systems over an advanced IP PBX. Hosted PBX systems provide all the features of a traditional PBX, without the need to invest in equipment, mak-ing it easy for businesses to add phones or connect multiple offi ces as needed.

With standard Internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps symmetrical and carrier Ethernet up to 10 Gbps, OptiNet offers affordable data solutions which can be tailored and scaled to meet the changing needs of any business. BVU also provides carrier-class collocation

facilities for custom-ers requiring offsite data center services. These facilities fea-ture dual environ-ment climate con-trols, fi re suppres-sion systems, gen-erator backup, and uninterrupted dual UPS backup.

BVU is heavily involved in the local community and in promoting econom-

ic development efforts in the City of Bristol, Virginia and throughout Washington County, Virginia. BVU works in conjunction with the Eco-nomic Development Committee and its Executive Director to pro-mote the area to prospective in-dustrial and commercial establish-ments. BVU also is involved in pro-viding annual visitations, consulta-tions and services to local existing industries, and believes these to be a vital part of economic devel-opment in Bristol and Washington County, Virginia.

Contact Information:Connie Moffatt, Sales Manager, 276-645-8712

Or visit us online at www.bvu-optinet.com

B r i s t o l U t i l i t i e s : S O U T H W E S T V I R G I N I A


Appalachian Power partners with local governments to promote data center site program

Site location is one of the biggest decisions a company can make – a choice that some may argue is

even more critical when it involves a data center. To help mitigate site loca-tion risks, Appalachian Power has es-tablished a site qualifi cation program that identifi es data center ready loca-tions in its service territory.

The qualifi cation program tips the scale for Virginia locations which feature strong infrastructure, communications and a climate conducive to data cen-ters. Two locations, the Roanoke County Center for Research and Technology and Wythe County’s Progress Park, were the fi rst locations certifi ed in an 11-state service area served by American Electric Power, Appalachian’s parent company.

Appalachian Power has confi dence that Virginia’s highly trained and avail-able workforce, favorable regulatory

environment, and pro-business policies will be attractive to companies needing data centers and to developers building co-location data centers.

The data center qualifi cation was conducted by Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company (BLS), a nationally recognized location consulting fi rm, in partnership with Sugarloaf Associates, an energy advisory group specializing in the data center industry.

“BLS evaluated market conditions and sites in AEP’s service territory for suitability for data centers. The consul-tants visited many potential sites and evaluated them on criteria including

electric and fi ber optic telecommuni-cations infrastructure, natural disasters and man-made risk factors, tax policy, incentives and a climate suitable for a data center,” said John J. Smolak, Ap-palachian Power’s Director of Economic and Business Development.

Roanoke County’s site was identi-fi ed as an excellent candidate for a mis-sion critical data center facility, and it is favorable for future growth. There are 211 gently rolling acres available with a 50 acre site ready for a data center. The site has an excellent utility infrastructure and is highly accessible to the Roanoke Metro Region. Wythe County’s 1,200 acre park features several sites that are favorable for data center development. It is accessible to long and short haul fi -ber providers and has a strong electric infrastructure with available capacity on-site.

Information about AEP’s data center qualifi cation program, including site information and the complete study for Roa-noke County’s Center for Research and Technology and Wythe County’s Progress Park can be found at

www.aepdatacenters.com.

LOO KI N G FO R A S ITE TO B U I L D YO U R N E X T DATA C E NTE R ?

Learn more atA E PDATAC E NTE R S .COM

For questions, contact:John J. Smolak

[email protected]

Minimize risk. Choose an AEP Qualified Data Center Site.Two Virginia sites at the Roanoke County Center for Research and Technology and the Wythe County Progress Park have passed a rigorous independent qualification process to confirm they are ready for development.

An AEP Qualified Data Center Site offers:

> Competitive electric power rates

> Reliable and redundant power supply

> Strong fiber networks

> Low risk of natural and man-made disasters

> Business-friendly climate

S O U T H W E S T V I R G I N I A : A p p a l a c h i a n P o w e r


Megasite DevelopmentIn Virginia’s Tobacco Region

A decade ago, the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission partnered with the VirginiaEconomic Development Partnership to assess potential megasites, and in 2008 established a

$100 million initiative using tobacco settlement funds to develop large, publicly owned sites in theCommonwealth’s tobacco region. Today there are eight publicly owned megasites in the tobaccoregion actively being marketed that are capable of accommodating high-impact regional economicdevelopment projects with a potential for substantial direct and indirect economic impact onsurrounding communities.

The megasites offer large building pads for OEMs and suppliers, robust utility capacity, innovativeworkforce training in a Right to Work state, and direct access to Interstate highways and the Port of Virginia. The Commission has also partnered with the Commonwealth Center for AdvancedManufacturing to designate three advanced manufacturing workforce training centers that are nowoperating to serve new and expanding employers in the region. This year the Commissionalso created a “Megasite Prospect Incentive Fund” to enhance the incentive packages availableto major employment and investment (MEI) projects. In short, these megasites are now positioned to provide the total location solution to bring your megaproject online.

For additional details on these megasites visit the Tobacco Commission’s website:http://www.tic.virginia.gov/Megasite.pdf

THE LOGISTICS HUB THAT REALLY DELIVERS

With our proximity to Eastern and Midwest U.S. markets, today’s major retailers and distributors know Virginia really delivers the savings in time and money they need. Target, Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, QVC Network, Ace Hardware and Cost Plus all have supply chain centers here. And more growth is on the horizon as more global market leaders see the advantage of making Virginia their ideal logistics hub.

To learn how Virginia can deliver for you, call 800.446.8098 or visit portofvirginia.com

2015 Site Selection Guide

Documents

Transcript of 2015 Site Selection Guide