Volume 5, Issue 7; July, 2011
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Monthly Scorecard
Here's a snapshot of the most recent economic data for Region 2000 (Source: Virginia Employment Commission report, May 2011.) - Civilian Labor Force - 125,977 (Higher than previous month - 125,723)
- Employed - 117,718 (Higher than previous month - 117,596)
- Unemployment Rate - 6.6% (Slightly higher than previous month - 6.5%)
Home Sales - According to the Virginia Association of Realtors, Virginia home sales have climbed in May 2011 to levels unmatched since May and June 2010 with 7,817 homes sold during the month statewide. There is no regional report this month. Source: http://www.varealtor.com/
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Lynchburg MSA ranks in top 50 in Forbes Best Places list
 The Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) landed in the top 50 metros in Forbes 2011 Best Places for Business and Careers released June 29, 2011. The list measures a region's cost of doing business, annual job growth and education ranking.
"We were the smallest metro in terms of population to land in the top 50 outside of Washington State and that speaks volumes," said Bryan David, Executive Director of Virginia's Region 2000 Economic Development Council. "This ranking shows once again how competitive our region's economy stacks up nationally."
Read more here .
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Virginia named America's 'Top State for Business' by CNBC
 Virginia was recently named America's "Top State for Business" by CNBC. The Commonwealth took the top spot in the extremely competitive yearly study, receiving the highest point total in the history of the rankings. Virginia finished in the top-half of every category ranked. See the full story and overall rankings here .
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Region 2000 Annual Report now published
 Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership has published its 2010-2011 Annual Report this month. Read about the latest achievements over the past year including this region's resiliency during the downturn and see what local leaders are saying about the current economy. Download the pdf here or you may request a paper copy by contacting Kathy White, 434-847-1447. |
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CAER Grand Opening set for August 25, 2011
The Center for Advanced Engineering & Research (CAER) will hold its Grand Opening Event on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 10 a.m. at its new facility located in Bedford County's New London Business & Technology Center, 1173 Research Way, Forest, VA.
This research and education facility, underwritten through a $7.6 million Tobacco Commission grant, will serve as the region's source for industry innovation in nuclear and wireless technologies and will result in knowledge creation and economic growth through new patents, business start-ups and breakthrough technologies. Learn more here .
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CAER offers more than 30 graduate engineering courses in Region 2000
 The Fall 2011 Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP) course schedule is now available by clicking here . The fall semester schedule includes over 30 individual engineering courses delivered locally from five universities:
Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University.
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CEDS work comes to a close at final meeting set for Aug. 10
 More than 50 business, local government and non-profit leaders have been leading the charge during the past 12 months to develop a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for Region 2000 (Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area). The final meeting will take place on Aug. 10, 2011 where the full team will review and approve the metrics established to track the success of the Strategy in the coming years.
The CEDS is a map intended to lead the region to a stronger and more diverse economy. It includes an inventory of economic development activities and future projects that leaders believe will benefit the region. The completed document will soon be sent to the Federal Economic Development Administration and to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a requirement for obtaining federal infrastructure and development grants in the future. The Local Government Council will continue to monitor the success of the CEDS and work with subsequent teams to update it as needed in the coming years.
For more information, please visit the CEDS webpage here.
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Local leaders appointed to new roles
 New director at SBDC - The Region 2000 Small Business Development Center (SBDC) recently welcomed Martin Giudice to serve as Director, focusing on technology-based business development. In this new role, Martin will work with area companies and entrepreneurs in areas of strategic planning, turnaround support, and operational and quality system review. Tech-based business startups may call on Martin for free business counseling and ongoing support, as well as the possibility to lease office, warehouse or manufacturing space in a modern business incubator. Loan services are also available on-site. Martin can be reached at 434-582-6170 or sbdcdir@lbdc.com and www.lbdc.com.
Economic Development Director appointed to Appomattox County -
 Former WSET news anchor and public relations director Jeff Taylor has been hired as the new Economic Development Director for Appomattox County. In addition to his 27 years experience with WSET in various leadership roles, Jeff worked as a Program Manager for Region 2000 from 1990-1997.
Jeff can be reached at 434-352-2637 or at Jeff.Taylor@AppomattoxCountyVA.gov. Economic Development Director appointed to Bedford County -  Traci Blido, Program Manager/Communication Officer for Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership, will join Bedford County as Economic Development Director, effective August 1, 2011. She has been in her current role for more than four years where she has implemented a communication and branding strategy and worked on regional economic development programming. Prior to Region 2000, she worked for Ericsson Inc. as Director of Internal Communications for the North American market unit. In her new role, Traci can be reached at 540-587-5670 or at tblido@bedfordcountyva.gov (beginning Aug. 1). |
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Regional headlines of interest:
AMTI unveils new logo and rebranding initiative for RF Filter & Components Division, AMTI press release, June 5, 2011. AMTI Microwave Circuits launches new website, AMTI press release, June 14, 2011. Centra Names Next President and CEO, www.centra.com, June 27, 2011. Virginia is Victorious Again In CNBC's Top States For Business, CNBC, June 28, 2011. Virginia Ranks Best for Business in Nation , WSET TV, June 29, 2011. Lynchburg MSA ranks in top 50 in Forbes Best Places list, Region 2000 press release, June 30, 2011. Region 2000 Holds Annual Report Breakfast , WSET TV, July 19, 2011. Area leaders tour CAER's new facility, News & Advance, July 20, 2011. Charlottesville bypass gets state approval , News & Advance, July 20, 2011. Harris Corporation and Sendmail, Inc. Team Up to Bring Trusted Enterprise-Grade Email and Messaging Cloud to Commercial and Government Organizations, Bloomberg Businessweek, July 20, 2011. Virginia Valet Program prepares eight Virginia companies for export (Lynchburg-based Trax LLC among them), Smith Mountain Eagle, July 21, 2011. |
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 Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership serves 10 localities and is made up of the Economic Development Council, Technology Council, Center for Advanced Engineering and Research, Local Government Council, Workforce Investment Board, and Young Professionals of Central Virginia. Please send comments and suggestions to bdavid@region2000.org.
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