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GOOD AFTERNOON.[Economic Development Authority on April 21, 2022.]
YOU ALL WANT TO, SO IT SAYS WE DO ROLL KONG, RIGHT? ISAAC RUSHY, DAVID GIDNEY, RICHARD NOVAK, MARK, TAP SEC, NICK.WANT TO READ ON THE SECOND PAGE MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION? YEAH, IT WAS AT THE FRONT ROW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CONVENIENT GO INTO CLOSE MEETING FOR THE FOLLOWING 1, 1 0 1 DISCUSSION CONCERNING PERSPECTIVE BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES, OR THE EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY WHERE NO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN MADE OF THE BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY INTEREST IN LOCATING OR EXPANDING ITS FACILITIES IN THE COMMUNITY AND TO DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OF THE INVESTMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS WHERE COMPETITION OR BARGAINING IS INVOLVED.
WHERE IF MADE PUBLIC INITIALLY THE FINANCIAL INTERESTS OF THE GOVERNMENTAL UNIT WOULD BE ADVERSELY EFFECTED.
SECOND, SECOND, ALL IN FAVOR, SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
I'M MOVED AT THE FRONT ROYAL ECONOMICAL AUTHORITY CERTIFY THAT TO THE BEST OF EACH MEMBER'S KNOWLEDGE AS RECOGNIZED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AFFIRMATIVE VOTE THAT ONLY SUCH PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS.
LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE VIRGINIA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AS WERE IDENTIFIED AND EMOTIONAL BY WHICH THE PLAYERS' MEETING WAS CONVENED WHERE HERS DISCUSSED OR CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSED MEETING BY COUNCIL AND THAT THE VOTE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL BE TAKEN BY ROLL CALL AND RECORDED AND INCLUDED IN THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING WITH TOWN COUNCIL.
WE NEED A SECOND, SECOND ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING YES.
SO, UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF MINUTES RECESS RECESS FOR FIVE MINUTES, SECOND LEGS.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE CHRISTIE'S SHE'S WITH THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP, AS YOU ALL RECALL, WE FIRST HAD A PRESENTATION ON WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T DO.
UH, NOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU ALL TO, TO, UH, FIND OUT HOW THEY ACTUALLY HELP US.
AND JUST, I'M TRYING TO GET YOU ALL MORE FAMILIAR MORE A DAY TO RESOURCES, TO A COMFORT LEVEL THAT YOU ALL CAN REACH OUT OR, OR TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU AND, AND, AND LET YOU GIVE A PRESENTATION.
I APPRECIATE YOU ALL INVITED ME TO COME UP TODAY AND SPEND A LITTLE TIME WITH YOU.
WELL, SO MY NAME IS KRISTI MORTON.
I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AT VDP.
AND WHAT I DO IS WORK CLOSELY WITH THE, UM, UH, GOVERNORS ADMINISTRATION AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATE, UM, ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, POLICY AND INITIATIVES.
SO, UM, I TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BACKGROUND OF EDP AND WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO.
UM, WE'RE CREATED AS AN AUTHORITY IN 1995 BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
UM, WHAT IS, UH, UNIQUE? I THINK ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF ADP, UM, AS OPPOSED TO A LOT OF OTHER STATES IS, UM, WITH OUR AUTHORITY STRUCTURE, THE, UH, WE HAVE A BOARD THAT SELECTS THE CEO AND THE LEADERSHIP, UM, IN A LOT OF STATES, THE, UM, UH, THE LEAD IS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, UM, LIKE MANY STATE AGENCIES HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH, UM, WHERE WE ONLY HAVE, UH, UH, A TERM OF FOUR YEAR TERM FOR GOVERNOR.
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END UP WITH A LOT OF TURNOVER, UM, AND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES, UM, THAT CONTINUITY OF, YOU KNOW, LONGTERM, STRATEGIC PLANNING AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR COMMUNITIES.UM, IT'S REALLY GREAT TO KIND OF HAVE, UM, THAT, THAT STRUCTURE, WHICH I THINK MAKES US UNIQUE.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT A 17 MEMBER BOARD, WE'VE GOT TWO ADVISORY COMMITTEES, ONE ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE, UM, AND ONE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING.
AND, UH, WE DO HAVE OFFICES, UM, UH, IN GERMANY AND JAPAN AND, UM, OUR VARIOUS DIVISIONS OFFER, UM, DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND TO BUSINESSES, UM, THROUGHOUT THE U S AND ACROSS THE GLOBE.
FIRST ONE, THEIR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS.
UM, THEY REALLY WORK TO, UM, TELL THE VIRGINIA STORY.
AND MOST OF THEIR WORK IS DONE OUTSIDE OF VIRGINIA.
IT'S DONE ACROSS THE US ACROSS THE GLOBE, UM, AND FOCUSED ON WHAT IS VIRGINIA'S VALUE PROPOSITION TO IN PROJECTS.
WHY DO COMPANIES WANT TO LOCATE HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH? AND SO THAT'S, THEIR JOB IS TO REALLY ENGAGE WITH SITE SELECTION, CONSULTANTS AND CEOS, AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE AWARE OF, UM, WHY VIRGINIA IS SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS INVESTMENT TEAM.
THAT'S REALLY THE TEAM THAT WORKS DIRECTLY WITH COMPANIES, UM, BOTH ON LEAD GENERATION, SO TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL, UH, PROJECTS AS WELL AS, UM, ONCE, UH, THERE IS A PROJECT IN THE PIPELINE, YOU KNOW, WE WORK CLOSELY THAT TEAM WORKS CLOSELY WITH EITHER THE CONSULTANT THAT'S WORKING ON THE PROJECT OR DIRECTLY WITH THE, UM, THE COMPANY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THAT PROJECT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS INTERNATIONAL TRADE, THAT TEAM WORKS WITH EXISTING VIRGINIA BUSINESSES TO, UM, HELP THOSE COMPANIES GET THEIR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES INTO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS.
SO, UM, THAT TEAM HAS, UH, THEY'VE GOT GREAT PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN WELL-REGARDED AND OVERSUBSCRIBED OVER THE YEARS.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UM, IN THE, IN THE WAKE OF COVID, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS MARKETS WERE INTERRUPTED AND, AND FOLKS MAYBE COULDN'T GET THEIR PRODUCTS TO SPECIFIC MARKET, THEY'VE DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB OF BEING NIMBLE AND TRYING TO HELP COMPANIES IDENTIFY NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SO THAT'S A TEAM THAT, UM, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING TO EXPAND, UM, WITH THE CURRENT BUDGET, UM, UNDER CONSIDERATION OF JOURNALISTS, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, THAT'S OUR TEAM.
AND THEN WE WORK ON POLICY, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT VIRGINIA BUSINESS FRIENDLY AND VERY COMPETITIVE AND, UH, WORKING CLOSELY WITH PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATE, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN DEFINITELY A TEAM SPORT, AS YOU ALL KNOW.
AND SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME ENGAGING WITH PARTNERS, UM, ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS.
THIS IS KIND OF REFER TO THIS A LITTLE BIT AS OUR THINK TANK.
UM, THIS IS A GROUP THAT REALLY SPENDS A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT HOW DOES VIRGINIA, UM, COMPARED TO OUR COMPETITOR STATES, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR POLICIES, OUR, UH, PROGRAMS, UM, OUR ASSETS, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE AS COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE? AND THEY DO A LOT OF BENCHMARKING TO HELP US WITH THAT RESEARCH.
THEY REALLY BUILD THE CASE FOR EACH.
SO REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER TYPE OF PROJECT WE MAY BE WORKING ON, OUR RESEARCH TEAM WORKS TO BUILD THAT CASE AS TO WHY VIRGINIA OR THAT REGION, OR THAT COMMUNITY IS THE BEST PLACE FOR IT.
AND THEY'VE WORKED THAT PROPOSAL.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF DATA, A LOT OF MAPS, WE LOVE MAPS, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY JUST PACKAGE IT REALLY WELL TO THE CLIENT.
THE COMPANY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, GOT A GREAT STORY IN FRONT OF THEM AS TO WHY THEY SHOULD SELECT US INCENTIVES.
UM, I'LL SAY VIRGINIA, DOESN'T REALLY LEAD WITH INCENTIVES AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS.
UM, BUT THAT TEAM, UH, WE, WE DO, UH, OFFER INCENTIVES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS OUR COMPETITORS ARE OFFERING THEM, UH, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU KIND OF HAVE TO DO.
AND, UH, THEY DO A GREAT JOB OF REALLY TRACKING THE, THE, UH, THE DUE DILIGENCE AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES ARE COMPLIANT AND MEETING THEIR METRICS AND THAT WE'RE BEING VERY RESPONSIBLE ABOUT, UM, OUR INFINITE FUNCTIONS IN VIRGINIA AND THEN TALENT SOLUTIONS.
UM, VIRGINIA HAS A LONGSTANDING, HAD THE VIRGINIA JOBS INVESTMENT PROGRAM, A GRANT TO KIND OF OFFSET, UM, SOME OF THE COSTS FOR COMPANIES FOR WORKFORCE TRAINING.
WELL, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE ALSO ADDED THE VIRGINIA TALENT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM, WHICH IS A CUSTOM WORKFORCE PROGRAM, UM, HERE IN VIRGINIA.
AND I'LL MENTION SOME MORE ABOUT THAT, UM, AS WELL AS THE VIRGINIA OFFICE OF EDUCATION ECONOMICS AT BDP.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY A SNAPSHOT OF KIND OF ALL THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS AND WHAT EACH ONE FOCUSES ON.
AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SPECIFICS.
UM, SO I MENTIONED OBVIOUSLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS A TEAM SPORT.
THESE ARE JUST AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE PARTNERS.
WE REALLY DO COLLABORATE WITH HUNDREDS OF PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATE.
UM, AGAIN, A LOT OF IT IS AROUND, UM, MAKING VIRGINIA AS
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COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE.UM, UH, WE, WE PARTNER, UM, BUT IT'S POLICY, IT'S PROGRAMMATIC, UM, LOTS OF, LOTS OF AREAS, BUT ALL OF THESE FOLKS, UM, PROBABLY PRETTY FAMILIAR TO YOU ALL OF COURSE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE PORT OF VIRGINIA, OBVIOUSLY YOU'LL HAVE THE INLAND PORT, UM, HERE, UH, IN THE REGION, AS I KNOW A GREAT ASSET, UM, TOURISM, UM, UH, VACO, VML DEPARTMENT OF TAX.
I MEAN, YOU NAME IT, WE'RE, WE'RE CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH, UM, ALL OF THESE GREAT ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS OF COURSE THE GOVERNOR, THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND, UM, THE 17 REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH.
AND THEN, UM, UH, OUR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, UM, AS WELL.
SO, UM, HE REALLY FOCUSES SPECIFICALLY ON TRADED SECTOR COMPANIES.
SO VIRGINIA IS A STATE WHERE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, THERE ARE VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND VARIOUS AGENCIES IT'S, UM, KIND OF SPREAD OUT A LITTLE BIT, SEEMS TO BE THE, THE VIRGINIA WAY.
I KNOW IN OTHER STATES, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALL WITHIN ONE OR TWO AGENCIES.
UM, WE, WE HAD THEM A LITTLE MORE SPREAD OUT.
SO IN, UH, FOR BBP, WE FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON TRADED SECTOR COMPANIES, AND WE HAVE SISTER AGENCIES THAT FOCUS ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UM, BUSINESSES.
TOURISM OBVIOUSLY FOCUSES A LOT ON, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, UH, TOURISM TYPE INDUSTRIES OR, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, RETAIL AND OTHERS.
UM, SO WHAT DOES TRADE SECTOR REALLY MEAN? BASICALLY, IT MEANS THAT MORE THAN 50% OF YOUR SALES ARE OUTSIDE OF THE COMMONWEALTH, UM, WOULDN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE FOR US TO INCENTIVIZE AND WORK, TO BRING, SAY, UM, A LAWYER, UH, UH, A LAW FIRM TO COME DOWN THE STREET AND COMPETE AGAINST ANOTHER LAW FIRM.
RIGHT? CAUSE THEN YOU'RE JUST KIND OF EATING AWAY AT YOUR BASE.
WELL, THE COMPANIES THAT WE WORK WITH IS TRYING TO ADD TO THE BASE OF EMPLOYMENT IN A COMMUNITY.
SO IF THEIR SALES AND THEIR SERVICES ARE GOING OUTSIDE OF THE COMMONWEALTH, WELL, THEN YOU'RE KIND OF INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE PIE, UM, THAT, THAT YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH IT.
SO THOSE ARE MAINLY YOUR CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, YOUR MANUFACTURING FACILITIES, TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES, UM, YOU KNOW, SUPPLY CHAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, DISTRIBUTION, LOGISTICS.
SO THOSE ARE A LOT OF THE INDUSTRIES THAT WE FOCUS ON ABOUT A THIRD OF VIRGINIA'S, UM, EMPLOYMENT ARE THOSE TRADED SECTOR COMPANIES, UH, NON-TRADED SECTOR, AGAIN, RETAIL RESTAURANT, HOSPITAL ENTERTAINMENT, ALL EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO, TO AN ECONOMY, JUST NOT SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE WHEELHOUSE OF WHAT VBP IS ISN'T NECESSARILY FOCUSED ON.
I WILL SAY THAT IT'S THE TRADED SECTORS THAT GENERALLY DRIVE A LOT OF THE DEMAND FOR THE NON-TRADED SECTOR, YOU KNOW, SO YOU HAVE A NEW MANUFACTURING FACILITY COME IN.
IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ADDING JOBS, YOU'RE ADDING TO THE, UM, UH, UM, UH, WEALTH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S GOING TO DRIVE YOUR NEED FOR MORE RESTAURANTS AND MORE RETAIL AND MORE DOCTORS AND, UM, HOSPITAL SERVICES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE BREAKDOWN AND WHAT WE REALLY FOCUS ON AT EDP.
AND THE REASON WE DO THAT, I MENTIONED KIND OF THE, YOU KNOW, UH, MAKING THE PIE BIGGER, UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY IS BECAUSE OF THE EMPLOYMENT MULTIPLIER FOR TARGET SECTOR, UM, COMPANIES.
SO IF YOU'RE ADDING ONE DIRECT JOB FOR, UM, SAY A PLASTICS MANUFACTURER, ULTIMATELY BY THE TIME YOU ADD IN THE INDIRECT JOBS, I MEAN, INDUCE JOBS, IT'S WORTH ABOUT 4.4 JOBS.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE IF YOU LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE THERE FOR EVERY 25, IT'S LIKE 110 JOBS, UM, ARE ADDED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, ON THE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT NON TRADED SECTORS, AGAIN, VERY IMPORTANT.
THOSE COMPANIES ARE A HUGE PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH VALUE, BUT THE MULTIPLIER IS NOT QUITE, NOT QUITE AS BIG.
AND SO THAT IS WHY, AGAIN, UM, OUR FOCUS IS REALLY ON THE TRADED SECTORS.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT DIFFERENT TRADED SECTORS, UM, AGAIN, LOOKING AT WHAT, WHAT IS VIRGINIA MOST COMPETITIVE FOR, UM, AND OUR TEAM, YOU KNOW, IN THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS, WE EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS STOP AND SAY, OKAY, LET'S, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON THE, UM, THE INDUSTRIES THAT MAKE THE MOST SENSE, UM, UH, FOR VIRGINIA, UM, AND THAT SET OF TARGET INDUSTRIES, UM, ARE HERE, AUTOMOTIVE, SOFTWARE, HEADQUARTERS, AEROSPACE, UM, LIFE SCIENCES, YOU KNOW, UNMANNED, CYBERSECURITY.
I WON'T READ THROUGH THEM ALL.
UM, OFFSHORE WIND IS, UH, THE NEWEST ONE THAT WE'VE ADDED TO THE LIST.
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITY, UM, IN HAMPTON ROADS AROUND OFFSHORE WIND.
WE CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THAT WILL, UM, UH, RESULT IN ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY ACROSS THE STATE, UM, IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN.
AND SO THAT'S, UM, ONE OF OUR, ONE OF OUR FOCUS, UM, EFFORTS OF COURSE, UH, FOOD BEVERAGE PROCESSING OBVIOUSLY IS HUGE IN, UM, IN THIS REGION.
UM, AND OF COURSE I KNOW DRIVES A LOT OF THE ACTIVITY AT THE, AT THE END REPORT AS WELL.
UM, SO LOOKING REGIONALLY AT, UM, THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SECTORS THAT,
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UM, WE SEE THE MOST ACTIVITY, UM, HERE IN VIRGINIA, THIS IS A FIVE-YEAR LOOK FROM FYI 17.SO FYI 21, UM,
UM, YOU CAN SEE MANUFACTURING IN GENERAL, UM, CONTINUES TO BE, UM, ONE OF THE, UH, LARGEST SECTORS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN VIRGINIA ACROSS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT, UM, REGIONS, UM, UH, THE ARE NEW JOBS ANNOUNCED.
THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF, AND WE'LL TALK IN A FEW MINUTES ABOUT THE CURRENT PIPELINE THAT WE HAVE.
AND AGAIN, MANUFACTURING CONTINUES TO BE A BIG PIECE OF THAT.
I WOULD SAY, UM, IN, IN THIS REGION, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HAVE A GOOD DIVERSITY, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A NICE BALANCE OF DIFFERENT, YOU'VE GOT MANUFACTURING, YOU'VE GOT TECHNOLOGY, YOU'VE GOT SUPPLY CHAIN AND DISTRIBUTION.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO BE MORE DIVERSIFIED, UM, CERTAINLY WITHIN YOUR ECONOMY, UH, IF, IF YOU CAN.
UM, SO ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE DO HERE, UM, OR DO AT THE EDP, IT REALLY IS AROUND THE FIVE, UM, FIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOALS THAT WE SET.
I MENTIONED THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AS TO HOW WE COME UP WITH, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE TARGET SECTORS AND WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSED.
UM, OUT OF THAT STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS, WHERE WE TOOK A REALLY HARD LOOK AT OURSELVES AND AT THE COMMONWEALTH, UH, WE CAME UP WITH THESE, UM, GOALS, UM, THE FIRST ONE BEING A ROBUST STATE GROWTH.
UM, THE SECOND ONE, MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO, UH, MAKING SURE THAT EVERY REGION, UH, WINS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO SAY, WELL, THE STATE'S DOING WELL BECAUSE NORTHERN VIRGINIA IS DOING WELL.
WE LOVE TO SEE NORTHERN VIRGINIA DOING WELL, BUT WE NEED TO, OF OUR REGIONS TO BE A POSITIVE, GREAT TERRITORY AND TO BE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
SO THAT NUMBER TWO GOALS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US.
NUMBER THREE, BE THE BEST STATE FOR BUSINESS, OR BE A TOP STATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION, AND NUMBER FIVE TO BE A SUPER COLLABORATOR, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT IS ALL DONE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS.
SO TO TALK ABOUT THE FIRST ONE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, WE WANT TO POSITION VIRGINIA TO ACHIEVE A GROWTH RATE AMONG THAT OF THE TOP FIVE TO 10 STATES IN THE U S UM, FIVE YEARS AGO BEFORE THE 2017 STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, WE WERE ABOUT 36 FOR, UM, TOTAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH.
UM, LOOKING AT THE TRAJECTORY OVER THE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABOUT 25TH, OBVIOUSLY, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK.
UH, BUT I WILL SAY, I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO WAKES UP AND SAYS, I'M GOING TO BE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK, 25TH OUT OF 50.
UM, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
AND SO A LOT OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE GOALS THAT WE'VE SET IN, THE INITIATIVES THAT, UM, WE HAVE IN PLACE ARE REALLY AROUND DRIVING THAT, UM, THAT GROWTH RANKING, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, OBVIOUSLY IF YOU'RE NOT YOU'RE DECLINING AND, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU HAVE OUT MIGRATION AND ALL OF THOSE OTHER ISSUES THAT, THAT WE, WE DON'T WANT COMMONWEALTH NUMBER TO ENSURE THAT EVERY REGION PARTICIPATES IN THAT GROWTH AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S GREAT TO SAY OVERALL, VIRGINIA'S DOING WELL, BUT YOU KNOW, IF EVERY REGION ISN'T PARTICIPATING IN THAT, THEN WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING OUR JOB.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE 10 YEARS, UH, AGAIN, PRIOR TO THAT 2017 RESET OF THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, THE 10 YEARS PRIOR TO THAT, YOU CAN SEE WHERE JOB GAINS WERE TAKING PLACE AND JOB LOSSES.
IT WILL BE NO SURPRISE TO YOU ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR RURAL AND SMALL METRO REGIONS, YOU KNOW, TEND TO, UM, UH, HAVE, UH, BEEN THOSE THAT, UH, WERE, UH, SUFFERING MOST FROM THE JOB LOSSES.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE, THE CHANGE FROM, UM, F Y 19 TO 25, UM, SOME OF THE GROWTH THAT WE EXPECT TO SEE, OR THAT A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, UM, YOU'LL SEE THE, UH, REALLY COALESCED AROUND THE SOUTHERN PART, UM, OF, UM, OF THE COMMONWEALTH, UM, WHICH IT IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT, CERTAINLY.
UM, AND, UH, IT, IT'S GOOD TO SEE MORE GREEN THAN RED, BUT IT JUST, I THINK SHOWS KIND OF THE CONSISTENCY OF THE, UM, THE JOB LOSSES IN SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA, UM, IN PARTICULAR.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, THE EASTERN SHORE AS WELL.
IF YOU LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT THE NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY REGION, UM, YOU ALL HAVE ALMOST RETURNED TO PRE COVID LEVELS OF EMPLOYMENT.
SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S, UH, A GREAT SIGN.
UM, THIS IS, UH, BASED ON NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS.
YOU CAN SEE IT WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN.
UM, IT, ONE POINT WITH THAT, IT'S PROBABLY APRIL, I THINK THAT'S APRIL OF 2020.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THE JOB LOSSES THERE, BUT THEN OF COURSE BACK UP ALMOST, UH, TO OFFEND THAT, UM, UH, TO, TO THAT PRE COVID LEVEL.
SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT IMPROVEMENT.
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YOU KNOW, EACH MOLAR ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UM, REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY, THIS IS SHOWING THAT THE 10 YEAR PERCENT CHANGE FROM 2010 TO 2020, UM, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE, RETAIL, TRADE MANUFACTURING, UM, THEY MAKE UP ABOUT 50% OF THE TOTAL REGIONAL JOBS.
UM, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSING, UM, AND THEN, UH, WHICH IS REALLY THE SUPPLY CHAIN AND THEN, UM, FINANCE AND INSURANCE LOOK AT THAT NUMBER FOR THE PERCENT GROWTH AND FINANCE AND INSURANCE.
UM, BUT TH SO THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT ARE THE SECTORS THAT, UM, HAVE HAD THE LARGEST EMPLOYMENT, UH, CHANGE IN INCREASE, UM, DURING THAT, THAT TENURE PERIOD.
SO THEN NUMBER THREE, RESTORE VIRGINIA TO ITS PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP POSITION NEAR THE TOP OF THE NATIONAL BUSINESS CLIMATE RANKING.
SO WE'VE ALL HEARD THAT, UM, VIRGINIA WAS RANKED NUMBER ONE IN CNBC.
I THOUGHT IT'S A WONDERFUL THING.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT, FROM 2015 TO 2021, WE DEFINITELY HAD SOME IMPROVEMENTS, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
AGAIN, WE LOVE IMPROVEMENT, UM, AND HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, STILL KIND OF AVERAGING OUT AROUND FIVE THERE, UM, DOWN TO SIX IN 2021, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY MORE WORK TO DO, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU COMPARE US TO SOME OF OUR TOP COMPETITORS STATES LOOKING AT NORTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA, UM, IN PARTICULAR HERE ON THIS GRAPH, YOU CAN SEE, I MEAN, NORTH CAROLINA HAS JUST, UM, I GUESS THEY WERE IN THIS LAST CNBC RANKING.
WE WERE NUMBER ONE, THEY WERE NUMBER TWO, BUT YOU CAN SEE JUST IN GENERAL HOW THEY HAVE BEEN, UM, INCREASING, UM, OVERALL, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE AROUND RANKINGS THAT THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT REALLY FEED INTO WHAT GOES INTO THESE WRITINGS.
SOME OF THEM OF COURSE, ARE VERY QUANTITATIVE AND VERY FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, STRAIGHT UP NUMBERS AND, AND THAT'S GREAT.
UM, BUT IT'S THE PERCEPTION BASED RANKINGS WHERE WE REALLY SEEM TO STRUGGLE MORE IN VIRGINIA.
UM, AND THAT THOSE ARE REALLY BASED AROUND YOUR CEOS AND YOUR SITE SELECTION CONSULTANTS, WHO ARE, UM, THE SITE SELECTION CONSULTANTS ARE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH COMPANIES TO HELP THEM MAKE THEIR LOCATION DECISIONS.
SO THEY'RE ALL STAYING UP TO SPEED ON, YOU KNOW, WHERE'S THE BEST PLACE TO DO BUSINESS WHO HAS THE BEST ASSETS, THE TALENT PIPELINE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, IF THOSE PERCEPTIONS WHERE WE REALLY LACK IN VIRGINIA, IF THOSE AREAS WHERE FOLKS, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY SOMETIMES SAY THAT VIRGINIA IS A QUIET STATE.
UM, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, UH, MAYBE DO AS MUCH ON MARKETING OR KIND OF GET ACROSS ON THAT VALUE PROPOSITION.
AND SO THAT'S AN AREA WHERE WE REALLY STRUGGLE, ESPECIALLY, AND IT COMES THROUGH IN RANKINGS.
AND SO TO BE CONSISTENTLY IN THE TOP, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO MORE ON, ON MARKETING.
AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPETE BETTER WITH SOME OF THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, TOP COMPETITORS STATES, WHICH JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE OF COURSE, VERY CLOSE GEOGRAPHICALLY TO US.
UM, WHAT REALLY DRIVES OUR, OUR STANDING, UM, IN GENERAL IN THE RANKINGS AND AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
OVERALL, A LOT OF THESE ARE LONGSTANDING STRENGTHS, UM, IN THE RANKINGS VIRGINIA'S EDUCATION POSITION REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, HELPS US SO MUCH.
WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A GOOD EDUCATION SYSTEM.
WE'VE GOT A GREAT HIGHER EDUCATION, UM, SYSTEM IN VIRGINIA, AND THAT TRANSLATES INTO OUR WORKFORCE, UM, GREAT QUALITY OF LIFE, MID-ATLANTIC LOCATION, UM, ATTRACTIVE, STABLE BUSINESS CLIMATE.
THERE'S A LONG STANDING THINGS THAT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY WELL FOR THE COMMONWEALTH RECENT ADVANCES, RURAL BROADBAND INVESTMENT.
IF YOU HAD TOLD ME FIVE YEARS AGO THAT VIRGINIA WOULD INVEST AND THEN $700 MILLION IN BROAD BAN AND WOULD BE ABLE TO PUT AN END DATE ON WHEN WE WERE GOING TO SOLVE THE, UH, THE BROADBAND CRISIS, IF YOU WILL, I WOULD HAVE SAID, ARE YOU CRAZY? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO GET ALL THAT MONEY? AND HOW IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN? UM, THAT IT, IF THERE ARE ANY POSITIVES OF WHAT HAPPENED, UM, WITH COVID, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THE, UM, EXTENSIVE INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND BROADBAND, UM, HAVE REALLY ADVANCED IN RECENT YEARS AS A RESULT.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE'VE LOST, LAUNCHED A CUSTOM WORKFORCE PROGRAM, WHICH REALLY HELPS COMPANIES GIVE COMPANIES THE, UM, CONFIDENCE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, THE WORKFORCE THAT THEY NEED TRAINED AND READY TO GO ON DAY ONE.
UM, WE HAVE STARTED A BASIC MARKETING PROGRAM THAT MEANT A LOT OF TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS.
I KNOW I 81, A LOT OF INVESTMENTS IN IUD, ONE, WHICH HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE OF COURSE, FOR, UM, THE, THE VALLEY ON, ON DOWN VERY WELL, SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA, UM, TECH TALENT INVESTMENT PROGRAMS. SO, UH, INVESTMENTS IN THE PORT.
UM, SO THERE'VE BEEN SOME GREAT THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING.
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WE SEE, UM, TO IMPROVED.I'LL JUST MENTION THEY'RE PREPARED DEVELOPMENT SITES.
WE'VE HAD A HUGE PIPELINE, LOTS OF LARGE PROJECTS.
WE HAVE LOST A LOT OF THOSE LARGE PROJECTS BECAUSE VIRGINIA DOES NOT HAVE SITES READY NOW, UM, TO, UH, TO SECURE THOSE, UM, IMPLEMENTING AND DOING MORE ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE.
I MENTIONED HOW THESE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN OVERSUBSCRIBED, UM, UH, CHARTING TAX CHANGES.
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK WE COULD DO AROUND THE MACHINE WHEN YOUR TOOLS TAX, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND, UH, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE BOY, THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAS CHILDCARE BEEN AN ISSUE WE ARE HEARING A TON ABOUT FROM COMPANIES.
FOLKS CAN'T GO TO WORK IF THEY DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE THEY TRUST TO TAKE CARE OF THE CHILDREN AND WHEN THE DAYCARES ARE CLOSED, UM, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S, THAT'S AN ISSUE, SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE MORE WORK TO DO, BUT THERE HAVE DEFINITELY BEEN SOME GREAT, UM, GREAT.
UH, IF THE ANSWER, UM, NUMBER FOUR, JUST BRIEFLY REESTABLISHED OUR ORGANIZATION AS, UM, EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE.
I MEAN, YOU, WE CAN'T DO GOOD WORK IF WE'RE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, OPERATING, UH, HIGHLY, EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
AND SO THAT IS, UH, A BIG, UH, FOCUS FOR US, OF COURSE.
UM, I WON'T GET THROUGH ALL THESE THINGS.
THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IN RECENT YEARS TO, TO IMPROVE, UM, OUR WORK AS AN ORGANIZATION, UM, AND EXHIBIT COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION OF HALLMARKS OF EVERYTHING WE DO AT EDP.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, SO IMPORTANT TO WORK TOGETHER, BE, UM, SUPPORTIVE OF OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS, UM, AND, UH, OUR PARTNERS AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL.
THIS IS JUST SOME, SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS.
OBVIOUSLY THE STATE LEADERSHIP, WE COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS AND ON SETTING STRATEGIC PRIORITIES WITH LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS, SUCH AS YOURSELF, WE WORK ON, YOU KNOW, LEAD GENERATION AND, UM, UH, MARKETING.
WE WORK ON RETAINING THE BUSINESSES, UH, THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN VIRGINIA AND EXPANDING THEIR, UM, THEIR FOOTPRINT HERE, UH, PROJECT DELIVERY PARTNERS, WE FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC NEEDS FOR PROJECTS.
DO THEY NEED NATURAL GAS? WHAT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, POWER GENERATION DO THEY NEED THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND THEN POLICY AND PROGRAMMATIC IS REALLY AROUND MAKING VIRGINIA AS COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE.
SO I WANTED TO MENTION SOME OF THE VDP ADMINISTERED, UM, PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU ALL IN THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING HERE, UM, IN THE REGION.
UM, SO THE FIRST ONE THERE, THE COMMONWEALTH DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FUND, THIS IS GOING TO OUR DEAL CLOSING FUND THAT USED TO BE CALLED THE GOVERNOR'S OPPORTUNITY FUND THAT WAS CALLED COMMONWEALTH, UM, OPPORTUNITY FUNDS.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF IT, UM, UH, REFERRED TO AS EITHER, UM, IT'S THE BASIC PURPOSE OF THIS IS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OFFER A CASH GRANT.
IT'S GENERALLY, UM, PAID OUT JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WE DO IS, IS PAID OUT POST PERFORMANCE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMONWEALTH DOLLARS ARE, UH, PROTECTED, UM, BUT IT'S IT'S TO HELP SPECIFIC NEEDS OR A PROJECT.
SO, UM, TO KIND OF KIND OF CLOSE THAT GAP, UM, IT MAY BE THAT, UM, A COMPANY, YOU KNOW, NEEDS, UM, A SPECIFIC THERE'S A SPECIFIC TRANSPORTATION ISSUE OR SOME SORT OF INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUE, UM, AND, UH, OR A SPECIFIC SITE OR LOCATION.
AND SO WE OFFER THAT UP AS A, UM, A TOOL TO HELP, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDRESS THAT MEAN, UM, THERE CERTAINLY ARE MINIMUM THRESHOLDS, UM, BASED ON, UH, LOCALITY IN WHICH THE PROJECT IS TAKING PLACE.
THERE'S A ONE-TO-ONE LOCAL MATCH.
UM, AND IT MUST BE A COMBAT FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. IT MUST BE A COMPETITIVE PROJECT.
SO IT MUST BE THAT THEY'RE CONSIDERING ANOTHER STATE OR COUNTRY, UH, FOR THAT PROJECT.
UM, THE VIP THAT VIRGINIA INVESTMENT, UH, PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM, THIS IS, WAS REALLY DESIGNED TO, UM, ENCOURAGE INVESTMENT, UM, FOR BY MANUFACTURERS, UM, FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, UM, SUPPORTING MANUFACTURING.
UM, IT IS A CASH GRANT AGAIN, PAID POST-PERFORMANCE, UM, AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY MINIMUM THRESHOLDS FOR THAT AS WELL.
THE, UM, MEDIATE PROGRAMMERS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INCENTIVE GRANT.
THIS IS REALLY, UM, TARGETED AT HEADQUARTERS PROJECTS, UM, UH, IN VIRGINIA OR SECURING HEADQUARTERS PROJECTS FOR VIRGINIA.
UM, AGAIN, UH, PAID IN FIVE INSTALLMENTS, BEGINNING THREE YEARS AFTER PENN'S PERFORMANCE.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A TREND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, AND THEN IT PROGRAMS IN VIRGINIA ABOUT PAIN, OUTPOST PERFORMANCE, AND THAT'S AFTER THE COMMONWEALTH PROCEEDS OUR REVENUE, UM, OFF OF THE PROJECT, UM, THEN THAT MONEY GETS PAID OUT.
UM, THE NEXT ONE, THAT VIRGINIA TALENT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM, I MENTIONED THIS WAS OUR NEWEST PROGRAM, IT'S OUR CUSTOM WORKFORCE, UH, SOLUTION.
AND SO BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED A VGF AND I'LL JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT THEM BOTH.
I'LL TALK ABOUT EGYPT FIRST, ACTUALLY.
SO IT WAS THE OLDEST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WE HAVE, UM, THE JOBS INVESTMENT PROGRAM
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IS A, UM, GRANT TO A COMPANY TO HELP OFFSET THE COSTS OF TRAINING FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES.SOME FOLKS LOVE IT, ESPECIALLY COMPANIES THAT HAVE THEIR OWN, YOU KNOW, TRAINING PROGRAMS IN PLACE.
THEY, THEY LOVE THAT, UM, THE VIRGINIA TALENT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM, UH, THAT WAS DEVELOPED BECAUSE IT'S AN AREA WHERE WE HAVE, UM, UH, KIND OF TRAILED BEHIND SOME OF OUR COMPETITORS STATES LIKE GEORGIA, UM, AND OTHERS THAT OFFER THIS CUSTOM SOLUTION.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE DO IS, AS FOR PROJECTS, WE'LL SAY WE WILL RECRUIT AND TRAIN THE WORKFORCE THAT YOU NEED FOR THIS PROJECT, WHETHER IT'S 500, YOU KNOW, 50, UM, UH, EMPLOYEES JUST DEPENDS ON THE PROJECT AND WE WILL HAVE THEM IN PLACE AND READY TO GO ON DAY ONE, THEY'LL BE TRAINED ON YOUR EQUIPMENT.
AND, UM, YOU CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT WHEN IT'S TIME TO OPEN THE DOORS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT WORKFORCE.
THEY ARE, IT'S A PARTNERSHIP THAT WE DO WITH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM.
AND SO BASICALLY VBP DOES THE INITIAL TRAINING TO GET THEM UP AND RUNNING.
AND THEN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, UM, IN THE AREA OR WHICHEVER ONE IS OUR PARTNER KIND OF TAKES OVER THAT LONGTERM TRAINEE FOR THE COMPANY.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THEM BEING SUCCESSFUL AT THE LAUNCH.
IT'S ABOUT THEM STAYING SUCCESSFUL, UM, FOR THE LIFE OF, YOU KNOW, THEIR, UH, EXISTENCE IN THE COMMUNITY.
YOU WANT THEM TO, TO BE HAPPY THERE AND CONTINUE TO GROW THERE.
SO, UH, WORKFORCE IS ALWAYS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY, UM, THAT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ONE FOR US.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE THERE, THE DATA CENTER, RETAIL SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION.
UM, THIS OF COURSE IS, UM, A, UH, SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR QUALIFIED, UH, DATA CENTERS IN VIRGINIA.
AND SO THESE SIX ARE THE ONES THAT ARE ADMINISTRATIVE ADP.
THEY ARE NOT AT ALL THE ONLY, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN VIRGINIA THEY'D GO, VIRGINIA HAS PROGRAMS THEY'RE BASED AT DHCD.
UM, I MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE VARIOUS PROGRAMS SPREAD ACROSS THE AGENCY, UH, BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT WE ADMINISTER.
UM, BUT WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS AT OTHER AGENCIES AND CLIENTS DON'T REALIZE WHERE ONE PROGRAM MAY LIE AND ANOTHER ONE MAY BE HOUSED.
WE ARE OUR BUSINESS MANAGERS WORK SEAMLESSLY THAT TO KIND OF OFFER A SUITE OF PROGRAMS, UH, TO MEET, UH, COMPANIES NEED.
UM, BUT IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AT ANY POINT.
UM, SO SOME LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESOURCES, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION FOR YOU ALL, UM, SOME CURRENT INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVEN'T, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO HOW WE CAN BE BETTER PARTNERS FOR OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS.
IF YOU HAVE IDEAS, THINGS THAT WE COULD BE DOING, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE INITIATIVES WE HAVE ONGOING RIGHT NOW.
SO THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC REVIEW, I MENTIONED VIRGINIA HAS A VERY SMALL MARKETING BUDGET.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MARKETING BUDGET.
SO WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THE SMALL ONE THAT WE HAVE NOW.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT GROW WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH THAT.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO VARIOUS THINGS WITH IT.
AND ONE IS THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC REVIEW.
THAT IS A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE THAT WE PUT OUT.
IT GOES MOSTLY OUT OF STATE TO CEOS AND SITE SELECTION CONSULTANTS, UH, WHEN THEY GET IT, IT ISN'T A, UM, A MARKET.
IT DOESN'T LOOK AT ALL LIKE A MARKETING PIECE FOR VIRGINIA.
IT LOOKS LIKE MORE OF AN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, UH, BUT IT JUST SO HAPPENS TO INCLUDE A LOT OF THOUGHT LEADERS.
UM, NOT ONLY FROM VIRGINIA, BUT FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY.
AND IT HIGHLIGHTS, UM, SOME OF THE, THE GREAT ASSETS AND ATTRIBUTES OF THE COMMONWEALTH.
UM, EACH QUARTER WE FEATURE A NEW RURAL COMMUNITY OR REGION, ALWAYS TRYING TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERMIT, UM, VARIOUS REGIONS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND IT'S JUST, IT'S BEEN REALLY SUCCESSFUL.
THE FOLKS WHO GET IT, THEY LOVE IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR FOLKS WILL GO INTO A SITE CONSULTANT, UM, OFFICE AND THEY'LL SEE IT ON THE, YOU KNOW, THE MOST RECENT, UH, ISSUE ON THE COFFEE TABLE AND YOU GO, OKAY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GETTING IT, THEY'RE READING, KEEPING IT.
SO WE'VE GOTTEN GREAT FEEDBACK ON THAT AND THAT, BUT WE DO ALSO SEND IT OUT TO OUR, UM, LOCAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS.
SO, UM, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL ARE SEEING THAT AS WELL, A MONTHLY PARTNER REPORT.
SO WE SEND OUT TO OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS ON MONTHLY BASIS.
UM, A REPORT OF ALL OF THE VARIOUS, UM, PROJECTS THAT WE MAY HAVE WORKED, THE LEADS THAT THEY RECEIVED.
THERE'S A TON OF DATA IN THERE, AROUND WHAT'S HAPPENING, UM, IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, IN VIRGINIA, UM, BUT REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AGAIN, IT'S A WAY FOR US TO KIND OF PROVIDE DATA ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL, OUR WEBSITE, UM, A LOT OF INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A PARTNER RESOURCES DATABASE, AND EVERY LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPER HAS A LOG IN FOR THAT.
IT IS, UM, PASSWORD PROTECTED BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF STRATEGIC INFORMATION IN THERE AND THINGS THAT WE WANT TO, UM, KEEP CLOSE TO THE VEST.
UH, BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT OUR PARTNERS TO HAVE ACCESS TO LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, UM, COMPANY DATABASES, UH, LOTS OF MAPS AND DATA AND DIFFERENT INFORMATION AS CAN BE REALLY HELPFUL TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS IN VIRGINIA AND THE WORK THAT THEY DO.
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UM, WE HOLD MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH OUR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION LEADERS, AND WE HOLD QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH ALL OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, PARTNERS.UH THAT'S UH, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE STARTED IN PARTNERSHIP, THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION, UM, AND THE FREQUENCY WAS THAT, UH, GROUPS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE LOCAL SAID, OH, LIKE, WHY ARE WE PROBABLY ENOUGH THERE, THE REGIONAL FOLKS THAT LET'S GET TOGETHER ON A MONTHLY BASIS? SO PRIOR TO THAT, WE WERE DOING THESE ALL, UM, QUARTERLY IN-PERSON AND, UM, COLLABORATION WITH THE VITTA.
UM, BUT THE RECOVERED, WE STARTED DOING THESE IN A, UM, A VIRTUAL FASHION THAT EVERYBODY SEEMS TO REALLY LIKE THAT.
IT ALLOWS US TO, UH, MEET WITH MORE FREQUENCY, UM, IMPACTING THESE FASHIONS.
UH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE DO WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION AS WELL.
IT'S A PARTNERSHIP WHERE, UM, WE ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, UH, WELL ON A MONTHLY BASIS, WE HAVE, UM, AN IMPACT TD SESSION WHERE WE INVITE OUR PARTNERS TO COME TOGETHER AND, UM, WE'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT SPEAKERS.
WE'VE HAD THE NEW SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND TRADE, OR WE'LL HAVE SECRETARY OF FINANCE, WE'LL HAVE, UM, UH, SOMEONE, UH, WE HAD SOMEONE FROM COLORADO WHO HAD A GREAT INNOVATIVE WORKFORCE PROGRAM.
SO WE TRY TO BRING THOUGHT LEADERS AND POLICY LEADERS AND TO, TO TALK, UM, WITH, UM, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS, THE 81 0 1 SESSION AND THE VDP ORIENTATION, UM, YOU OF COURSE PARTICIPATED IN THAT RECENTLY.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE JUST KIND OF, FOR THE FIRST ONE, WE, WE JUST BREAK DOWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN VIRGINIA, YOU KNOW, HOW IT WORKS, WHO WORKS WITH WHOM, UM, AND, AND WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE FOR THE VDP ORIENTATION.
IT'S A MORE DEEP DIVE INTO EACH ONE OF OUR DIVISIONS AND THE PROGRAMS AND THE RESOURCES THAT WE OFFER, AND THEN THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS INITIATIVE.
AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE STARTED TWO YEARS AGO TO REALLY HELP OUR, UM, LOCAL, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW, UM, THEY, THEIR, THEIR LEVEL OF COMPETITIVENESS AND, UM, KIND OF BENCHMARK THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING TO THEIR COLLEAGUES, UM, AROUND VIRGINIA.
AND SO THE FIRST STEP THERE WAS, UH, THERE WAS A 30 MINUTE, UH, SELF-ASSESSMENT, UM, THAT WE PROVIDED TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WE GOT THAT INFORMATION BACK, OF COURSE, AND WE'RE ABLE TO DO SOME BENCHMARKING TO HELP THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UNDERSTAND LOOKING AT THEIR SCORES, KIND OF WHAT THEIR PEERS ARE DOING.
SO HOW MUCH HAS BEEN INVESTED IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR COMMUNITY? HOW MANY EMPLOYEES IS THEIR PEER, UH, DO THEIR PEER GROUPS, UM, OR PEER COMMUNITIES HAVE, UM, AND, AND REALLY A TOOL THAT THEY CAN KIND OF USE AS THEY'RE WORKING WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND WITH BOARDS, AND WITH EDA IS TO SAY, LOOK, THIS IS WHAT A LOT OF OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, PEERS ARE DOING.
MAYBE THESE ARE SOME THINGS WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE THE LAST ONE THERE, THE OUTCOMES, UM, YOU KNOW, EQUIPPING OUR LOCAL PARTNERS, UM, WITH THE INFORMATION TO ADVOCATE FOR, FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIONABLE STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN.
AND THE REPORT, UH, THAT WE RELEASED, OF COURSE, ALL OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED WAS KEPT, UH, BY THE LOOK HOW THIS WAS KEPT VERY CONFIDENTIAL.
WE JUST PUT OUT MORE OF A HIGH-LEVEL REPORT, PERFECT TO, UM, UH, BE ABLE TO LOOK AT, UM, THE DATA, UM, IN AN AGGREGATED WAY, UM, AND PROVIDE BEST PRACTICES BECAUSE WE ALL WANT TO SEE BEST PRACTICES.
SO THAT IS, UM, KIND OF A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, UH, WHAT WE DO AND, UM, UH, UH, ALL OF THE PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH AND KIND OF THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT WE OFFER.
UM, I'D BE HAPPY TO TALK MORE ABOUT ANY OF THESE THINGS OR ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
AGAIN, THIS IS KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION AND DATA BEHIND THESE THINGS BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE ANY OF THAT.
THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, VIRGINIA ECONOMIC REVIEW MAGAZINE.
UM, I MEAN, WOULD YOU PUT US ON THAT WAY? WE SURE CAN.
SO YOUR LOCAL, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEAD FOR THE COUNTY SHOULD BE FOR THE TOWN, EXCUSE ME, SHOULD BE RECEIVING THAT.
WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL RECEIVE IT AS WELL.
IF YOU WANT TO SEND THE NAMES, THAT'D BE GREAT.
AND THEN SAME THING WITH THE PARTNER RESOURCES DATABASE.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING WHERE EACH, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPER.
SO, AND I'D HAVE TO, TO SEE, UM, EXACTLY WHO HAS, DO YOU HAVE THAT, THAT LOGIN? OKAY.
I'LL HAVE TO CHECK AND SEE WHO HAS THE LOGIN FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT I CAN, I CAN DO THAT, LIKE OUR EXECUTIVE WHO STEPHEN RIGHT NOW, HE WOULD HAVE THAT.
NEVER IS IN CHARGE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IT VARIES.
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COMMUNITY, BUT YES, WE'LL CHECK INTO THAT.BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S EVEN HAS, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE SELF-ASSESSMENT AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
I THINK WE'LL BE HAVING ANOTHER RETREAT.
IS THERE, IS THERE LIKE, UH, DOES THE, DOES, DO YOU ALL HAVE LIKE A CHECKLIST, LIKE THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE THE BASIC STUFF AND THEN LIKE RESOURCES THAT ARE, THAT ALLOW US TO KIND OF STEAL OR COPY OR WHATEVER.
AND THEN WHILE WE GO THROUGH IT, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THIS GROUP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CHECKING THE BOX ON STUFF WHERE, YEAH, IT'S, I'M JUST TAKING NOTES.
I WILL GET TO YOU THE KIND OF, UH, WE HAVE THAT KIND OF A BEST PRACTICE RIGHT DOWN.
AND SO I CAN SEND THAT TO YOU, UM, SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE THAT.
AND I'M ALSO GOING TO CHECK ON THE WALK IN.
DEFINITELY BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, CHRISTIE, THANKS FOR COMING TODAY.
EXCITED ABOUT THE GREAT WORK YOU ALL ARE DOING AND WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED.
SO THE FIRST STEP THAT IS THE FIRST STEP, THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP YOU GOT TO TAKE THAT.
FEEL FREE TO CALL ME MY CONTACT INFORMATION.
IS THERE, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME WITH ANYTHING YOU NEED.
AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF REALLY SMART PEOPLE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE A LOT OF DETAILS ON ALL OF THESE THINGS AND I'D BE HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU WITH THE RIGHT PERSON WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.
IF IT'S SOMETHING I CAN'T HELP WITH.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME, KRISTEN.
WE HAVE THIS SLOT AFTER THE ORIENTATION, THEY HAD THAT SECOND TWO HOURS.
I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MINUTES? ANYTHING YOU'RE UNHAPPY ABOUT IN THERE, OR IF NOT ALL IN FAVOR, SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
THE, UH, THE BYLAWS, UM, BRIEF OUR LAST MEETING, UH, Y'ALL INDICATED SOME AREAS THAT WE WANTED TO LOOK AND THEY HIGHLIGHTED.
UM, SO NUMBER 11, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT.
UH, SO WHAT, WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS THAT LANGUAGE IS ACTUALLY, WELL, YOU CAN SEE OUR ATTORNEY'S COMMENTS.
I DON'T NEED TO BE REDUNDANT, BUT IF EVERYONE'S COMFORTABLE WITH THIS LANGUAGE, UH, I THINK WE SHOULD KEEP IT TO SOMEBODY THAT CAN DO A LITTLE BIT OF THE MODIFICATIONS, UH, WHERE, WHERE YOU CAN SEE AT THE END.
WE'LL TRY TO TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT.
YEAH, I'D JUST ADDING THE STATEMENT.
DIDN'T QUOTE, ANY AMENDMENTS TO SHARE.
AND I THINK, UH, ON PAGE THREE, ARTICLE FOUR, NUMBER TWO, THE NEXT HIGHLIGHTED
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TINA MAY THAT REVISION AND WE DEAL WITH THAT.LET'S GO ON TO PAGE SEVEN, ARTICLE SIX.
TMA, THE REVISIONS PAGE SEVEN, ARTICLE SIX, NUMBER FOUR.
UM, SO I DON'T THINK YOU GOT THE, OH, YOU DO GET THE HIGHLIGHT ONE, RIGHT? SO THAT, THAT JUMPED DRAWS.
MY ATTENTION TO THE PAGES ARE STILL NOT NUMBER CORRECT.
NOW WE JUMPED FROM FOUR TO SEVEN I'M BUDDY SOMEDAY MAKE UP, WHERE ARE THE MISSING PAGES? DID THAT CHANGE ON PAGE SUGGESTED BIG ONE ON PAGE NINE.
SO THE SUGGESTION IS ALREADY A PRO EDA IS LIMITED TO THE EXPRESS CONDITIONS OF THE TOWN OF
THAT SPECIFICALLY LIMITED PURSUED AS SECTION 1,605 B WITH A FRONT ROW TOWN CODE, WHICH REQUIRES ADVANCE APPROVAL BY TOWN COUNCIL, FRONT ROW TO THE EDA FINANCING PERFORMANCE AND OTHER AGREEMENTS WITHIN THIRD PARTY.
IT SHORTENS WHAT WE ORIGINALLY SAID, BUT SO WE WOULD BE STRIKING THE STUFF ABOVE THAT AND REPLACING IT WITH THAT STATEMENT.
AND THIS IS WHAT OUR TOWN ATTORNEY RECOMMENDED MUCH LESS CONFUSED IF YOU CAN SAY IT IN FEWER WORDS.
SO, UM, DO WE NEED A MODE? YOU COULD MOVE WITH REVISIONS.
IT'S NEVER BEEN, WAS NEVER FORMALLY REVISIONS.
LET'S DO A MOTION BASED ON THE DOCK AND THESE BYLAWS BASED UPON THE AGREED UPON, UM, CHANGES FOR ACT TWO.
SOMEONE HAS TO READ IT GREEN ON THE MOTION IS, UH, AGREE ON THE BYLAWS.
UM, BASED ON THE CHANGES, DID THAT CORRUPTION TO AGREE ON THE BYLAWS BASED ON THE CHANGES PRESENTED HERE AT ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
AND SO THE NEXT STEP WE'LL WE'LL, WE'LL TRY TO GET IT ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA HERE.
UH, THE MAY'S ALREADY TAKEN SO JUNE.
UM, THE NEXT, YOU WON'T GO AHEAD.
UH, OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY, MAY 19TH, UM, RIGHT, RIGHT HERE.
UM, AND PRESENT, THERE'LL BE A PRESENTATION OF THAT JOINT TOURISM DISCOVER FRESH OIL.
IF YOU ALL RECALL Y'ALL AS I WOULD LIKE TO KIND OF GET A SENSE, IS THAT T TOURISM EFFORT.
DO YOU WANNA, YOU WANT TO MENTION THE DISCUSSION DISCUSSION? SO I THOUGHT THAT, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD CLOSED SESSION ALREADY.
ALSO, WE STILL NEED SOME, UM, KINDA ACCOMPLISH SOME OF OUR GOALS.
UH, OUR TARGET SECTORS START THE STRATEGIC PLAN THINKING AND LOOK AT HOW WE WANT TO RECRUIT A RETAIL CONSULTANT.
WE TOLD YOU THERE'S SOME DOLLARS FOR THAT PURPOSE.
AND WE WERE THINKING ABOUT MAYBE HAVING A RETREAT HERE SOONER THAN BEFORE OUR NEXT WORK SECTION, BUT ALSO AT THE RETREAT, HAVE ANOTHER CLOSED SESSION AS PART OF THE RETREAT TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE TOPICS WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, BUT ALSO I'M SURE THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ON THE OTHER PROPOSALS THAT YOU MAY WANT TO, UH, KIND OF ASK MORE QUESTIONS IN THE MEANTIME, IF IT'S ALL RIGHT.
I RECOMMEND THAT THE CHAIRMAN AND THE VICE CHAIRMAN KIND OF MEET WITH, UH, ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS TO KIND OF DISCUSS AND HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS AND
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ANTICIPATION OF WHAT WE THINK WOULD BE BENEFICIAL WHEN WE HAVE THE CLOSED SESSION TO BRING TO YOU ALL.UM, THAT'S ANOTHER THOUGHT, CAUSE I'M SURE THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO CONSIDER, UM, ASKING.
UM, THAT'S ANOTHER THOUGHT ME AND HIM AS A GROUP OF THREE, WELL, YOU CAN TO, TO, TO COMPETE AND THEN COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND SHARE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
I'M SURE YOU ALL MAY HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO DOWN THIS PATH.
MAYBE BEAT UP INDIVIDUALLY AS GROUPS OF TWO.
IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH THEM.
WHAT QUESTIONS EACH OF THE TEST GROUP EACH OF THE PAYERS WANT TO ADD? AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD TO ABSOLUTELY WON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE THE VICE CHAIRMAN AND THE CHAIRMAN BEATING UP.
SO IMPAIRS COME UP WITH QUESTIONS AND BRING THOSE TO WHEN WE HAVE CLOSED SESSION.
I'LL GET YOU A CONTACT AND Y'ALL, COULD'VE ARRANGED YOUR TIME THAT YOU'VE TALKED TO ME.
UM, SOME OF THE POSSIBLE DATES, UM, THINK ABOUT IS THE YEAH, WELL, YEAH, THAT'LL GIVE US SOME MORE TIME.
WE'RE THINKING MAYBE, UH, MAY 11TH, MAY 12TH.
UM, HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU ALL WANT TO SOMETHING LIKE FROM 10 TO THREE MAY 11, LET ME SEE.
WHAT'S ON THE CALENDAR FOR ME.
IT IS, WE'LL HAVE A, UH, ANOTHER RETREAT, JUST 10 O'CLOCK AND THEN WE'LL BE AT THE, UH, DOUBLETREE HELP, UM, DECIDE WHO WITH FORMERLY THE HOLIDAY AND THE NEXT LITTLE HANDS.
AND THEY THEY'LL ACCOMMODATE US TO THREE FOR NOW.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW, BUT THEN I'M PER SE.
WELL, I KNOW YOU ALL TOOK ON A LOT TODAY.
I APPRECIATE YOU STICKING AROUND UNTIL TWO 15.
I MOTION TO ADJOURN, BUT LET'S SAY YOU GUYS HAVE ANYTHING THAT I KNOW YOU, THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS YOU'D LOVE TO DISCUSS RIGHT NOW, BUT WE CAN'T.
SO WHO IS JLL? BETHANY, THE ROSA JAIL.
THEY'RE THE, UH, CONSULTANT FIRM THAT IS HELPING OUT WHAT THE TOURISM OR OTHER CONSULTANT FROM DISCOVER FRONT ROW.
UM, I THINK SHE'S IN JERSEY OR SOMETHING.
I THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.