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Hampton Roads Alliance

“This is now getting very real.”
Stephen Edwards, Virginia Port Authority CEO and executive director, has remarked about the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project.

Six monopiles, enormous metal structures used as wind turbine bases, are ready to be loaded onto a boat and travel to the wind farm site for installation!

The first batch of the enormous monopiles used as wind turbine bases are set to be transported to the Dominion Energy wind farm near Virginia Beach, according to Virginia Port Authority officials.

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Hampton Roads Alliance1 week ago

The Alliance will be representing Hampton Roads at AUVSI Xponential 2024, the unmanned systems industry's largest global conference and exhibition! The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation is organizing the Virginia Pavilion - VEDP, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, the Loudoun County Economic Development Authority, the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority will also be there to market our state to members of the unmanned systems industry as the ideal place to locate their manufacturing and business operations.
https://ow.ly/ak0p50RlPas

The Virginia Pavilion will feature cutting-edge innovations at global conference in San Diego.

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Hampton Roads Alliance2 weeks ago

It was an incredible evening onboard the iconic Battleship Wisconsin! The Hampton Roads Alliance, alongside the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and the Government of South Australia, brought together a dynamic gathering of Hampton Roads business leaders and defense-related companies from Australia for a reception after visiting Hampton Roads for a couple days. From fostering partnerships to sharing insights, it was a fantastic opportunity to delve into the vibrant defense and maritime industry supporting AUKUS. Thank you City of Norfolk Government, Norfolk Department of Development, and Nauticus for hosting us!

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Steve Harrison

Chief Operating Officer

Steve Harrison joined the Hampton Roads Alliance in June 2019. Steve previously served as Vice President of Business Intelligence & Communications and stepped into the role of Interim Chief Strategy Officer in June 2022. In September 2022, he began serving as the organization's Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Steve assists President & CEO Doug Smith with developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining strategic initiatives while also managing operations, marketing, and business intelligence efforts.

Steve previously served as Research Director for the Alliance from 2010-2012. Between that time and his return to the Alliance in 2019, he served as Business Development and Research Manager for Virginia Beach Economic Development. During his tenure with the city, he significantly enhanced the way Virginia Beach positioned itself as a business destination through the creation of a variety of new portals and documents, including the Virginia Beach Community Profile, websites, and a first-of-its-kind iPad App. His work garnered four International Economic Development Council (IEDC) awards. He also served as a creator and lead of the VABeachBio biomedical business development initiative and on the board of 757Accelerate.

Steve is a Hampton Roads native with extensive experience in Economic Development. He is a two-time graduate of The College of William & Mary, with both a Bachelor’s in Government and a Master’s in Public Policy. He is actively involved in the community and served as President of the Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) in 2021. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement and as a member of the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC).

Steve was named among the Inside Business "Top 40 Under 40" in 2021. He and his husband, Phil, reside in Virginia Beach.