Virginia Economic Review

Virginia’s long-held reputation as a top state for business is based on its strong economy, robust infrastructure, innovative incentives and programming, and, increasingly, its highly skilled workforce.

When Julia Boas and her husband, Patrick, have an errand to run or a friend to visit in their hometown of Roanoke, they rarely go by car. Instead, they hop on their e-bikes.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch published an op-ed by Rupa Murthy, CEO of YWCA Richmond, on December 11, 2025, titled “Is Affordable, Accessible Child Care the Hidden Barrier to Virginia’s Growth?”

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.

As Virginia celebrates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, there's no better time to highlight the Commonwealth's unwavering commitment to those who have served our nation.

While most waterproofing products do their job entirely on the outside of a surface, Alchemco, Inc.’s products work from the inside out. The company has used VEDP’s International Trade services to pursue a similar inside-out path for its growth.

Sam Northington doesn’t want any military veteran to struggle like his dad did. After 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, his father retired as a master sergeant and went back to college to get his teaching credentials. “That didn’t really fit him. He never really taught,” Northington recalled.

For years, the Roanoke Region faced a familiar challenge: young professionals saw it as a place to leave, not a destination to build a career. Nestled in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains but often overshadowed by Northern Virginia's proximity to D.C.

The Virginian-Pilot published an op-ed on July 5, 2025, by Kirk Cox, former speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, and Cathie Vick, former president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, titled “Virginia Is America’s Top State for Talent.

Michelle Williams is the new talent and digital strategies program manager at the Roanoke Regional Partnership (RRP). Julia Boas headed up the RRP’s talent strategies until recently taking over as director of business investment.

A former Kmart on the outskirts of the southwestern Virginia town of Abingdon has become a proving ground for a concept that its backers hope will revolutionize talent attraction.

As Virginia recognizes April as Second Chances Month, it's time for the business community to examine a largely untapped talent pool that could help address our workforce challenges. Second chance hiring isn't about charity — it's a business proposition with measurable returns.

VEDP Vice President of Knowledge Work Meghan Welch spoke with Steven Chen, the founder of PFP Cybersecurity, about the cybersecurity funding environment in Virginia.

Quokka entered the cybersecurity world with a big reputation — under its previous name, the company landed on the front page of The New York Times after discovering a critical security vulnerability in some Android smartphones that sent user data to Chinese servers.

Cybersecurity attacks are evolving at rapid speed, and the U.S. lacks sufficient professionals to address them.

Recently, an Air Force research agency reached out to George Mason University (GMU) with a pressing issue. Drones were attacking Air Force facilities around the globe.

Virginia's proximity to the federal government and the wealth of private technology leaders headquartered in the Commonwealth have helped its workforce rise to the forefront of the cybersecurity industry.

In an increasingly digital world where data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cybercrimes are pervasive, a skilled cybersecurity workforce is more important than ever. Yet the industry grapples with a significant worker shortage.