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Hampton Roads Alliance
Hampton Roads Alliance15 hours ago
On Tuesday, the Hampton Roads Alliance was proud to host a successful collaborative workshop with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership! Virginia's focus on Knowledge Work, encompassing software and cybersecurity, financial services, business services, and aerospace and defense innovation, promises significant growth potential over the next decade. Participants, representing the Knowledge Work industry, gained insights into Virginia's strategic realignment towards these sectors and shared valuable feedback on pioneering economic development strategies. #VirginiaEconomy #InnoVAtiveFramework #KnowledgeWork
Hampton Roads Alliance
Hampton Roads Alliance19 hours ago
Congratulations to the 133 graduates of Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School! A commencement ceremony was held over the weekend with U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, NNS leadership, and local shipbuilding supporters, alongside family and friends of the graduates, in attendance.

The Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School has been accredited since 1982. Students can earn academic degrees through its partnerships with institutions of higher education. Certification to grant associate degrees and confer degrees on its own came in July 2020, after the school was approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to operate as a postsecondary institution.
Hampton Roads Alliance
Hampton Roads Alliance2 days ago
Did you know the Port of Virginia now has the widest shipping channel on the East Coast? Two areas of the channel have been widened to allow for two-way traffic. Widening in one area was completed in 2023, while the second was completed earlier this year. Dredging to make the channel the deepest on the East Coast is also underway. As of March 2024, dredging to deepen the channel from 50 to 55 feet in the Norfolk harbor, and 50 to 59 feet in the ocean approach was expected to be complete in 2025.

Doug Smith

President & CEO

Doug Smith joined the Hampton Roads Alliance as President & CEO in September of 2019. He oversees the staff of business development, business intelligence and marketing professionals and leads the operations of the region’s economic development organization that represents 14 municipalities and over 70 private sector investors. Doug and the entire Alliance staff work closely with the state and local governments and the private sector to assist international and domestic companies with investment projects, expansions and relocations.

Doug, a native of Portsmouth, has lived and worked in Hampton Roads for the majority of his life. He was appointed as City Manager in the City of Norfolk in June 2017 after serving in the position for seven months as interim. His previous public sector experiences include serving as Deputy City Manager in the City of Virginia Beach and as Deputy City Manager, Chief Plans and Policy Officer, and Economic Development Director in the City of Portsmouth. In 2006, he was elected to Portsmouth City Council where he served four years and  gained regional experience as commissioner for the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.  

In the private sector, Doug served as President & CEO of Kaufman & Canoles Consulting, where he counseled national and local developers, municipalities, higher education institutions and corporations. Doug began his career in 1985 as a banker at First Union Bank (now part of Wells Fargo) where he worked for 12 years and in his last role there, he managed 31 offices across Hampton Roads.

Smith is a graduate of Norfolk Academy and earned a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia. He held previous positions as Vice Chair on the Alliance’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Hampton Roads and Chair of Future of Hampton Roads. He and his wife Linda reside in Norfolk with their two children.

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Hampton Roads Alliance
3 Commercial Place, Suite 1320
Norfolk, VA 23510
P: (757) 627-2315
F: (757) 623-3081

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