Weekly Newsletter
September 7, 2017
In the News  
Governor Announces New Matoaca Mega Site in Chesterfield 

Looking for something to do this weekend in the Gateway Region? Attend the Dinwiddie County Fair and three different concerts at the Beacon Theater.   
Partner Spotlight
The Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) is the workforce development partnership between John Tyler Community College and Reynolds Community College serving the economic development and workforce needs in four cities and 12 counties of Central Virginia. The organization provides non-credit training, custom-designed instruction, consulting, skills assessments and educational programs. CCWA offers on-line registration, customer support and courses delivered by expert adjunct faculty in three convenient locations, at employer sites and on-line.

   
Chesterfield County has Grand Plans for Matoaca Mega Site

By Jim McConnell | Chesterfield Observer | Full Article     

If not for America's most crippling financial collapse since the Great Depression, the sprawling, wooded south Chester parcel that county and state officials now envision as an industrial "megasite" most likely would be teeming with house-lined cul-de-sacs. Now, county officials plan to swap one mega project for another.

At the historic county courthouse last week, local and state officials announced plans to develop and market the former Branner Station parcel as a 1,700-acre megasite to prospective manufacturers and large-scale industry. The site's size and proximity to Interstate 95 and the Port of Richmond, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said, could generate a $1 billion investment, up to 5,000 jobs and twice as many indirect jobs.
Survey Shows Six-Year High in U.S. Manufacturing Growth
By Andy Szal | Manufacturing | Full Article  

The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded at the fastest pace in more than six years last month according to the latest survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. 
 
The ISM's Purchasing Managers Index grew more modestly in July but rebounded hit an index of 58.8 percent in August - the highest level since April 2011. The index remained above 50 percent, which reflects manufacturing growth, for the 12th consecutive month and translated to overall economic growth for the 99th month in a row.