Virginia's Gateway Region

10/17/2025

Virginia’s Gateway Region joined maritime and logistics leaders at this week's VMA25 International Trade Symposium, hosted by the Virginia Maritime Association at the Port of Virginia. 🚢

Our Alex Wood attended as industry experts and policymakers — including Gov. Glenn Youngkin — discussed how shippers, logistics providers, and supply chain leaders are navigating disruption and building resilient, sustainable growth.

“You don’t build infrastructure overnight,” Gov. Youngkin said. “Our consistent dedication to investing in our maritime infrastructure in Virginia is critical.”

These investments strengthen the entire Commonwealth, by connecting our ports, industries and communities to global opportunity. 🌎

10/16/2025

Fall is in full swing across Virginia’s Gateway Region — and there’s no shortage of family-friendly fun! 🍂🎡

Enjoy the County Fair (Oct. 17–19), celebrate heritage at the 11th Annual Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival (Oct. 18, ), raise a glass at Oktoberfest (Oct. 25, ), or savor the season at ’s Harvest Festival (Oct. 25).

From cultural celebrations to hometown fairs, these events showcase what makes our region such a vibrant place to live, work and play.

👉 Check your local county websites for full event details!

10/14/2025

At a recent Alliance for Building Better Medicine meeting, VGR's Tom Scott joined a panel discussion on economic development progress made in the region over the past five years - including Phlow's launch of producing critical drug ingredients last year.

Growing advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing remains a core tenet of our growth strategy, along with developing the workforce to fill new jobs.

10/10/2025

This week, we celebrated at Richard Bland College as Independence Hydrogen cut the ribbon on its new facility — Virginia’s official location!

Gov. Glenn Youngkin shared remarks about the importance of hydrogen innovation in powering Virginia’s energy future. This exciting milestone in Petersburg marks a major step forward for the Commonwealth’s clean-energy economy.

VGR’s Keith Boswell was proud to join partners and state leaders in celebrating a future fueled by growth, innovation and opportunity.

10/09/2025

This month’s Gateway Connector is live! Dive into the latest on:

✅ Our legislative Meet & Greet with Sen. Emily Jordan, Dels. Mike Cherry, Carrie Coyner & Otto Wachsmann — exploring infrastructure, energy, workforce & regional unity
✅ A spotlight on Natalie Slate and Greensville County’s vision for economic development
✅ Our team in Chicago launching the fall marketing season at FABTECH Expo
✅ Workforce development stories that show how training + investment = long-term community strength
✅ Efforts to address essential medicine shortages in our region

📰 Read more and stay connected: https://ow.ly/n9PT50X8CyU

10/07/2025

It’s National Manufacturing Week! 🏭

From precision metalwork to advanced pharmaceutical production and automation, manufacturing is the heartbeat of economic growth in Virginia’s Gateway Region. This week, we celebrate the innovators, makers and doers powering our local economy and creating jobs that move our communities forward. 💪

10/02/2025

☀️🍦 Nothing says “goodbye summer” like a cold treat with good company!
VGR was delighted to host our colleagues from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership at the James Center last week. Partnerships like these are at the heart of growing opportunity across our region and the Commonwealth.

Here’s to strong collaboration – and to soaking up the last days of summer together! 🌻

09/30/2025

🌟 Meet Dr. Leonardo “Lenny” Caballero, Colonial Heights’ assistant city manager and director of economic development.

With 25 years of experience in Texas and an international fellowship in Italy, Caballero brings a holistic vision to his work, emphasizing not just business recruitment, but also housing, schools, parks, retail and community pride.

From new beautification efforts to a one-stop shop for businesses, Caballero is working to ensure Colonial Heights is not only business-friendly but also a place where people want to live, work, and thrive.

👉 Read his full story: https://ow.ly/tWiz50X4hlA

When Dr. Leonard “Lenny” Caballero talks about economic development, he doesn’t always kick off the conversation with the latest efforts to recruit business ...

09/29/2025

As we close out Workforce Development Month, we celebrate the programs that help adults strengthen literacy, math and digital skills – the essential tools for building a stronger future.

When people gain these skills, they can:
✅ Pursue better jobs
✅ Support their families
✅ Fully participate in their communities

In Virginia’s Gateway Region, this is the heart of workforce development. Strong foundations for individuals mean strong foundations for businesses – and lasting economic growth for our region.

09/26/2025

VGR just received a $100,000 GO Virginia grant to identify and prepare sites for energy-intensive industries. This effort will evaluate 10-20 sites in our region and advance the top 5-10 along the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program scale – ensuring our region stays competitive for future transformative investment.

Our award was among $2.8M in GO Virginia grants – a program that fuels regional economic growth by supporting projects in workforce, innovation and site development – announced this week by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Since 2017, GO Virginia has created 24,000+ jobs and 1,300+ businesses across the Commonwealth.

Together with our local partners, we’re building a stronger, more prosperous Gateway Region. 🚀

👉 Learn more: dhcd.virginia.gov/gova

09/24/2025

On Tuesday, Virginia’s Gateway Region welcomed Sen. Emily Jordan and Dels. Mike Cherry, Carrie Coyner and Otto Wachsmann to the historic Beacon Theatre in Hopewell for our annual Legislative Meet & Greet.

With our members, we covered the big issues shaping the Gateway Region’s future:
✔ Infrastructure readiness – roads, water, sewer and energy
✔ Workforce & education – strengthening the pipeline for tomorrow’s talent
✔ Economic growth – from data centers and manufacturing to agriculture and forestry

Just as VGR members work collaboratively, our legislators emphasized the importance of working across localities and parties to deliver results for this region.

📸 Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating partnership and progress at the Beacon!