News & Event Announcements

GO Virginia Region 8 Funded for Advanced Manufacturing Training Program

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GO Virginia Region 8 announced today that funding for the Rockbridge Area Advanced Manufacturing Program (RAAMP) submitted in the second round of project grants to the GO Virginia State Board has been approved. RAAMP is a 40-week training program for welders at Byers Technical Institute, a new technical training center in Rockbridge County. The program is designed to meet the critical shortage of skilled welders in the region. In January 2018 alone, four companies reported 36 open welding positions. The $200,000 needed to implement RAAMP will include a mix of GO Virginia funds and matching public/private investments from the Rockbridge County Economic Development Authority, the City of Buena Vista, and Byers, Inc.

The GO Virginia funding will allow Byers Technical Institute to hire additional instructors and equipment in order to serve more students. The project has received support from a wide range of partners including private industry, economic and workforce professionals, K-12 education, and three local governments, as an effective way to address industry needs and to create higher paying jobs within the region.

“Rockbridge County is so fortunate to have innovative thinkers like the Byers brothers. They saw a workforce need, and rather than wait for someone else to fix it, they decided to make the change they envisioned. We are happy that, through GO Virginia, Rockbridge County, along with Buena Vista, will be able to play a small part in helping grow this amazing, homegrown program which will benefit so many individuals, including our young workers, as well as local and regional businesses,” said Rockbridge County Board of Supervisor Chair David Hinty.

“RAAMP will provide a pipeline of skilled welders for manufacturing companies in Region 8.  More welders will allow area industries to reduce the cost of outsourcing services and increase productivity.  Additionally, expanding educational opportunities and the availability of a skilled workforce will help attract other industries to this rural area of Virginia,” said George Pace, chair of the Region 8 Council.

Light manufacturing was identified in the Region 8 GO Virginia Growth and Diversification Plan as one of five  target industry sectors anticipating job growth over the next five years.  Other job growth industries are financial and business services, healthcare, information technology/communications, and transportation and logistics, expected to show job growth in the next five years.  These jobs are anticipated to have an average wage of $41,000 or higher.

RAAMP is a multi-partner example of how GO Virginia projects can strive to facilitate needed site development, workforce recruitment, and training opportunities in target industry sectors through joint economic development activities. Approximately $1M in implementation funding is  available to the region for projects like RAAMP that align with Region 8 Council’s Economic Growth and Diversification Plan. Projects must be collaborative, involving two or more localities and private sector partners, and be focused on growing and diversifying the region’s economy to complement existing industry clusters as outlined in the Council’s plan.

GO Virginia Region 8 covers a large area from Winchester to Lexington and includes ten counties and six cities in the Shenandoah Valley, with a combined population of 525,000.  The 28-member council that oversees the GO Virginia program is made up of representatives from small and large business, higher and k-12 education, elected officials, and economic and workforce development organizations.

For more information on GO Virginia, visit online at  Shenandoah Valley Partnership or Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

About GO Virginia:  The Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity (GO Virginia) is a voluntary, business-led, bipartisan initiative that was formed to foster private-sector growth and diversification across nine economic development regions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. State financial incentives designated for regional projects that encourage collaboration between private sector companies, workforce, education, and government are administered by the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board.

GO Virginia Region 8 Council Accepting Round 3 Proposals

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The GO Virginia Region 8 Council is pleased to announce that it is accepting the third round of proposals for per capita projects to be funded through the State’s GO Virginia initiative.  For a project to be considered by the Region 8 Council, complete the pre-application and submit to the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) to bonnie@cspdc.org no later than Wednesday, February 7, 2018.

A planning calendar with key regional and state deadlines and upcoming meetings is available here: GOVA Region 8 Important Dates 01.10.18  The next full meeting of the GO Virginia Region 8 Council will be on Monday, March 5th, from 10:00 am to Noon at Mary Baldwin University’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences in Augusta County, located at 100 Baldwin Blvd, Fishersville, VA 22939.  In addition to the March 5th meeting, the Region 8 Council is also planning on convening on Friday, May 11th from 10 am to Noon at a location TBD in the Southern part of Region 8.

The Region 8 Council has approximately $928,000 in per capita GO Virginia funds to award to projects in the region for this round of applications.  In addition, approximately $11.3 million in competitive statewide GO Virginia funds are still available for projects.

Successful projects will address one or more of the region’s five targeted industry sectors:

  • Financial and Business Services
  • Health Care
  • Information Technology/Communications
  • Light Manufacturing
  • Transportation and Logistics

Projects funded will address one or more of the region’s framework initiatives developed around the following broad areas:

  • Recruit and/or retain the talent needed in the region
  • Grow existing businesses, develop existing clusters, and scale-up small and mid-size companies
  • Establish start-ups from commercializing university-based research and supporting entrepreneurs
  • Support potential joint economic development activities such as site development and training initiatives

Projects supported by GO Virginia funding must:

  • Involve private sector employment that pays an annual wage greater than $41,000,
  • Include the collaboration of two or more localities,
  • Commit non-state sources of matching funds (50/50), and
  • Generate new spending to the Shenandoah Valley (not just recirculating local spending)

For further information about GO Virginia Region 8’s project priorities, please refer to the  Region 8 Economic Growth and Diversification Plan.  The entire plan with appendices is available at the Shenandoah Valley Partnership’s website at www.shenandoah-valley.biz/tools-resources/go-virginia/.  Additional information about GO Virginia also is available at the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) at  http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/index.php/go-virginia.html.

Virginia Breeze Bus Line Launches

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The Virginia Breeze, a new bus line along I-81 and I-66, launched December 1.  The Virginia Breeze, the program’s pilot route, connects travelers from Blacksburg to Washington, D.C. with multiple destinations in-between, including Lexington, Staunton, and Harrisonburg.
The Virginia Breeze features a modern 56-passenger coach with free Wi-Fi, in-seat power outlets, and other amenities, and provides a critical transportation connection between rural Virginia communities and the national bus network.  Customers can purchase Virginia Breeze tickets as well as access interline tickets for destinations beyond Washington, D.C. through Megabus.  The program is funded through the Federal Transit Administration’s 5311 Intercity Bus Program and administered by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Braiding the Way Celebrates Completion of Outdoor Recreation Plan

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In October, the steering committee for Braiding the Way for Outdoor Recreation in the Rockbridge Area celebrated the completion and endorsement of the Rockbridge Area Outdoor Recreation and Trail Plan.
The project, underway since 2015, has been a collaborative effort composed of key partners including Rockbridge Area Tourism, Rockbridge County, City of Lexington, City of Buena Vista, and representatives from government, educational, and community-based organizations.  The project was assisted by the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program and a Rural Community Development Initiative Grant through USDA-Rural Development. CPSDC provided grant management, mapping, and staff support.
Moving forward, the steering committee will transition to the Rockbridge Area Outdoors Partnership which will serve as a coordinating entity and forum for continued collaboration, networking, project development, and promotion.  Twenty-eight organizations have committed to joining the Partnership.

Bath & Highland Join Forces to Create Network Authority

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Bath County, Highland County, and the Town of Monterey will join together to form the Bath-Highland Network Authority.  The group will facilitate the provision of affordable highspeed data, internet, and telecommunications services in the area.  Broadband communications will foster economic development, improve educational opportunities, ensure public safety, and enhance the overall quality of life of residents.
The creation of this partnership was supported by a Virginia Telecommunication Initiative(VATI) grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.  The CSPDC provided project management and grant administration services.