The Alliance held a highly successful annual meeting last week, as several hundred of our allies in economic development assembled at Hampton University to hear from renowned author and scholar Bruce Katz, network, and celebrate the successes of 2023. Bruce Katz noted that metro areas in the strongest position to succeed in the post-COVID economy have at least one of four key characteristics: military metros, new technology hubs, climate first movers, and trading powerhouses. Hampton Roads is all four, and there may be no other metro area in the country that fits these characteristics better than ours.

The Alliance also proudly unveiled our Annual Report, which you can view in its entirety at allianceannualreport.com or as an abridged PDF here. As you will see within the report, 2023 represented the best year in 25 years for the organization as we announced 13 new projects that will create 2,860 direct new jobs and $625 million in capital investment. Combined with the momentum the Alliance saw in 2023 and encouraging signs from scholars like Katz, now is the moment for the ascendance of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Join us this year and let’s break more records together.

Your ally in economic development,
Doug Smith, President & CEO