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Virginia Economic Review
Our quarterly publication, Virginia Economic Review, provides an insider look at Virginia’s economy, its diverse array of world-class companies, its amazing talent, and its stunning natural beauty, as well as insights from national thought leaders.
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Inside Virginia’s Rise to Biopharma Prominence
As the world continues to struggle with drug supply chains and critical shortages, clusters of activity have emerged to move the needle of medication affordability and accessibility.
Building a Sustainable Pharma Manufacturing Workforce
Recent major biopharmaceutical manufacturing announcements are positioning Virginia for a broader reshoring effort in the pharma industry. COVID-era supply chain disruptions and resulting shortages exposed the risks of over-reliance on overseas production for essential medicines.
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Civica Rx expanded into Virginia in 2021, building a sterile injectable drug manufacturing facility in Petersburg. The company turned to the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program to fill approximately 300 positions.
01.05.2026
Bespoke Training for Emerging Workforce Needs
New or expanding companies want to know that they will be able to hire workers with the skills they need. While outside training providers offer established but generic faculty, facilities, and programs, in-house solutions allow for customization but require significant investment.
The Importance of Agility: A Conversation With Tamara Fields
Tamara Fields is the national U.S. public service industry lead at Accenture, and managing director of the company’s Austin, Texas office.
A Conversation with Spencer Marsh, Chief Scientific Officer at Tiny Cargo
Are you a transplant, a boomerang, or a lifelong Virginian? What brought you to the Commonwealth in the first place? I’m a transplant — I was born in Missouri, then lived in Ohio, Georgia, and South Carolina. I attended Clemson University and, after earning my Ph.D.
Haleon, Richmond
A Biopharma Booster
Like his fellow Type 1 diabetics, Alec Smith took insulin every day to regulate his blood sugar.
James Madison University
Creative Partnerships Solve Workforce Needs in the Shenandoah Valley
Partnership With JMU, BRCC Helps Merck Fill Need for HPV Vaccines In 2019, Melissa Lubin learned that pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc., was competing for a billion-dollar expansion in Elkton, a town in the Shenandoah Valley.
Partnerships Fuel Growth in Roanoke, Blacksburg
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Tech's Rob Gourdie was busy investigating how to deliver medications more effectively.
ZielBio, Inc., Charlottesville
UVA Supports Expanding Life Sciences Industry in Charlottesville
Kimberly Kelly was a biomedical engineer at the University of Virginia (UVA), working on ways to diagnose pancreatic cancer, when she discovered a protein expressed by the cancer cells.
05.06.2022
America's Corporate Hometown
Why So Many Executives Choose Virginia for Their Corporate Headquarters The last few decades have solidified Virginia’s position as America’s hometown for corporate headquarters. In total, 580 companies have relocated to or expanded headquarters offices in Virginia in the last decade.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Richmond
GlaxoSmithKline Hits the Ground Running in Richmond
Despite facing an unprecedented global pandemic, executives at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK) were able to recruit 150 new employees for the company’s research and development center in Richmond.
Closing the Skills Gap: A Conversation with Seth Martindale
Seth Martindale is a senior managing director with CBRE Consulting. He has extensive experience in real estate strategic planning, working with both private and public sector clients.
The Motley Fool, Alexandria
The New Dominion
In 1969, an ad agency in Richmond developed one of the most enduring tourism marketing slogans of all time — Virginia is for Lovers. In the decades since, the slogan became legendary; not only because it was catchy, but because it was true.
The Big Reveal
When Amazon announced Northern Virginia as the location for its new headquarters (HQ2), it revealed more than the winning region. It revealed Virginia’s not-so-secret identity: Technology Talent Juggernaut.
Factors in Corporate Headquarters Location Decisions: A Conversation With Top Site Consultants
In the competitive realm of corporate headquarters location decisions, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the way companies operate and could have major ramifications on office space moving forward.
The Appian Way: A Conversation With Matt Calkins
Matt Calkins is founder and CEO of Appian, an enterprise cloud software company headquartered in McLean in Fairfax County. Calkins is a California native who founded Appian in 1999 and grew it into a publicly traded company.



