The Hampton Roads Alliance (the Alliance) has partnered with Xodus Group and BW Research to conduct a major offshore wind supply chain study for the Hampton Roads area in Virginia. The project will be used to build out the US offshore wind industry in Hampton Roads and identify key opportunities for economic expansion.  

The Hampton Roads Alliance (the Alliance) is pleased to present the findings of an economic impact analysis, conducted by Mangum Economics, on the impact of both Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project and the potential impact that a growing American offshore wind industry may have on the Hampton Roads region and the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

The Hampton Roads Alliance is pleased to share that Governor Ralph Northam announced today Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) will create more than 250 new jobs in the region by establishing an Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in the City of Hampton. HII is the nation’s largest military shipbuilding company and provides professional services to government and industry. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina for the project.

The Alliance recently sat down with Inside Business to discuss our newest endeavor, Offshore Wind in Hampton Roads. In this feature, Alliance President & CEO Doug Smith shares that GO Virginia recently awarded the Alliance a grant of over $500,000 geared towards developing an offshore wind supply chain development initiative.

Norfolk, Virginia has been ranked by Travel Pulse as a “Hidden Gem Travel Destination.” The company chose hidden travel gems for each state and Norfolk made the list for Virginia! The Destination & Tourism news site described Norfolk as “an eclectic, melting pot of a port city.”

In July, Hampton Roads was featured in Site Selection Magazine and was described as a "polycentric region built around a multi-faceted port." The editorial by Adam Bruns highlighted the region's growing distribution & logistics industry and showcased why Hampton Roads is a premier location for logistics-related investment. Businesses from around the region were featured, such as Dollar Tree, Givens Trucking, SRP Companies, Interchange, and more. 

In their 16th Annual State Ranking Report, Business Facilities (BF) recognized Virginia in the top ten for multiple categories, including the newly introduced, Digital Infrastructure. BF expressed that data is the currency for the realm of the 21st century and Digital Infrastructure is a key asset for growth. Described as being  "wired for success," Virginia tops the charts for Digital Infrastructure in its first year. They stated that "Virginia is the top-ranked state in our first Digital Infrastructure ranking, a choice made easy by the impressive assets the Commonwealth has deployed to create a gigabit superhighway for data-driven high-tech businesses." 

Virginia was also recognized as #1 for Cybersecurity and Unmanned Aerial Systems; #2 for Best Business Climate; #3 for Workforce Development/Talent Attraction and Offshore Wind Power; and #5 for Tech Jobs. 

In July 2020, Forbes released its annual list of America’s Best Employers for Women. Included in the list was Alliance Investor, Sentara Healthcare, as 202 of the top 300 in the country. In Forbes’ third annual ranking of the best employers for women, they collaborated with a market research firm, Statista. They surveyed 75,000 Americans, including 45,000 women, working for businesses that employ more than 1,000 workers. Thirty-one industries shared their opinion on a series of statements about their respective employer’s culture, opportunities for career developments, salary and wages, diversity, and more. 

Alliance Director of Marketing & Communications, Jillian Goodwin, is recognized by Old Dominion University Alumni Association as their Featured Alumnu in their monthly newsletter and in their first Alumni Spotlight podcast! Jillian is a proud Monarch ('15) and joined the Alliance just three weeks after graduating from ODU. She is a valuable part of the Alliance team and the 757 community at large. 

To lead the effort, regional expert Matt Smith will join the Alliance as its first Director of Offshore Wind Business Development. This initiative is made possible largely thanks to a Department of Housing & Community Development GO Virginia grant of $529,788 that will help fund the first two years of the program. 

In July 2020, SafeWise released its sixth annual Safest Cities report, which included our friends in Poquoson. The City was rated #12 on the list with a population of 12,011 and a median income of $88,328. SafeWise collects data on the safest cities by using FBI crime statistics, US Census population data, and demographic information. 

Acoustical Sheetmetal Company (ASC), a manufacturer of sound attenuating and weather protective enclosures for on-site power generation equipment, will invest $15.8 million to expand its operation in Virginia Beach, adding 200 new jobs to the region. ASC currently operates three facilities on a 5.5 acre campus in Virginia Beach and this expansion will add a 100,000 SF production facility to their footprint. 

The Alliance is pleased to announce ASGN Inc/Apex Systems  will invest $1.8 million to expand its operations in the City Virginia Beach adding 147 new jobs to the City at the Armada Hoffler Tower in Town Center. The expansion is part of a $12.4 million investment throughout the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, which will create over 700 new jobs.

Alliance President & CEO, Doug Smith, joins Tage Counts on the Tage Talks Business Podcast. In the episode, he discusses his professional journey as a local leader in the 757, the Alliance's new model, our strategic plan during the pandemic, and more.

Doug Smith is among a group of six Hampton Roads business and workforce leaders recognized on a Power List of Regional leaders assisting businesses with coronavirus effects by Inside Business. When the covid-19 pandemic began in the region, the group sought to map out a concerted response to the economic difficulties many area companies would soon be facing. In doing so, they executed on the collaboration and regionalism that has been touted by leaders while often being dismissed by naysayers in recent years.

In a study done by LawnStarter, Virginia Beach, VA ranked #9 on a list of 10 Best Cities to Be Stuck at Home. The company researched data and statistics for the 150 most populated U.S. cities and compared them using 29 safety-oriented metrics to determine which cities were the best to be stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The 29 metrics were grouped into five categories including community safety, health & wellness, natural hazards, financial safety, and digital security.

Insurify Insights named Newport News, VA, as a “2020 Greenest City.” The data science and research team for the company measured each cities fuel efficiency, engine displacement, drivetrain, annual mileage, and vehicles per household to gather information on carbon footprint across the United States cities. 

Doug Smith speaks with 13New Now about the first 757 COVID-19 Business Leader Survey development and key findings from Wave 1 of businesses responses.

In Suffolk, Amazon will invest $200 million to establish a 3.8 million sq. foot, multi-story robotics fulfillment center, creating 1,000 new jobs. The new 90-feet tall facility will be the largest industrial building in Virginia. In Chesapeake, Amazon will build a 650,000 sq. foot processing center (cross-dock), which will bring 500 new jobs. The company will invest $50 million to establish this facility, bringing the total investment to $250 million for the region. Both facilities are expected to begin operations in 2021.

In a study conducted by WalletHub, Virginia Beach, VA ranked 3^rd and Norfolk ranked 6^th as hardest-working cities in the country. The study was conducted using 11 key metrics across 116 large cities. Data ranges from employment rate to average weekly work hours to workers with multiple jobs. 

The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (the Alliance) welcomes Nicole Ryf as the first Chief Strategy Officer, assisting President & CEO Doug Smith with developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining strategic initiatives around business recruitment and expansion. 

The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (the Alliance) is pleased to announce Acesur, an international olive oil manufacturer, will invest $11 million to establish its first U. S. production facility in the City of Suffolk, VA.

Governor Ralph Northam today announced that GMAX Industries, Inc., a manufacturer and sourcing agent of medical disposable products for the healthcare industry, will invest $10.5 million to establish a manufacturing and distribution operation in Pretlow Industrial Park in the City of Franklin. The facility will centralize the company’s operations in-house, creating 40 new jobs.

In 2019, WalletHub ranked Virginia Beach, VA as #6 on a list of “Safest Cities in America” and Chesapeake, VA as #11 on the list. WalletHub compared cities across 41 key indicators of safety. Some categories included were home & community safety rank, natural disaster risk rank, financial safety rank, and many more. 

Government Technology announced the Center for Digital Government (CDG) 2019 Digital Cities winners, and Norfolk, Virginia, made 1st place on the list. The company stated, “The winners of this year’s Digital Cities Survey from the Center for Digital Government are those making smart investments in technologies from infrastructure and citizen engagement to data storage and cybersecurity.” With a population of around 125,000-249,999 in November 2019, Norfolk was described as having climbed to the top of the list. The city invested $8 million in IT infrastructure, including new public safety radios, police in-car cameras, and much more for the 2019 year. The city also hopes that its most significant project, a 37-mile ring of city-owned fiber to connect critical facilities, will save $200,000 a year compared to leasing fiber from a local Internet provider.

In a study completed by WalletHub in November 2019, Virginia Beach and Norfolk ranked in the top ten Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving. WalletHub compared 100 largest U.S. cities based on 20 key metrics: cost of Thanksgiving dinner, the share of delayed flights, and more. Virginia Beach ranked #3, and Norfolk ranked #10 on the list. 

In 2019, WalletHub ranked Virginia Beach, VA as the 7^th best city for veterans to live. U.S. cities were compared across 20 key indicators of livability, affordability, and veteran-friendliness.