Wabtec, a leading manufacturer for the heavy rail and rail transit industries worldwide, to invest $2.7 million to increase capacity in the City of Salem, creating 38 new jobs.

Virginia offers sales and use tax exemptions for use by a farmer for purchase of tangible personal property for use in producing agricultural products for market, medicine and drugs sold to a veterinarian, or property used to produce agricultural products for market in an indoor, closed, controlled environment commercial agricultural facility.

Fortreum, LLC, a Virginia-founded cloud computing and cybersecurity advisory company, will invest $125,000 to establish its headquarters in Loudoun County.

Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that 11 companies across the Commonwealth have graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program.

Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced the establishment of the Virginia Offshore Wind Supplier Development Grant, a new program designed to incentivize smaller existing Virginia manufacturers.

This issue of Virginia Economic Review takes a deep dive into the controlled environment agriculture industry’s past, present, and future, while highlighting traditional agricultural operations in Virginia. Article highlights include:

Armed Forces Brewing Company, a military tribute beer company, will establish its headquarters and first brewing facility in the City of Norfolk.

When The Turman Group began focusing on exporting nearly 20 years ago, they saw the potential for new markets, increased sales, and improved resiliency with domestic economic issues, but also saw the potential downsides that come with opening up to new clients. When they hired someone to oversee exports in 2006, one of their first major projects was a VEDP trade mission to China.

The most advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) operations are fully automated systems that deliver the exact environmental conditions required by specific plants, including the optimum temperature, humidity, and light levels. CEA operations can grow large amounts of produce while using significantly less water and land and eliminating the need for certain pesticides and fertilizers. VEDP spoke with CEOs from major CEA companies on how technological advancements will affect the future of the agriculture industry in Virginia and beyond.