We received the following quotes from three of the Atlanta-based consultants who toured our region in October as part of the VEDP-sponsored familiarization tour.
“At Pegasus Partners, we deliberately picked to visit the Gateway Region to get a better understanding of the overall assets. We work with German industrial SMEs and after the visit we are convinced that more German FDI needs to be directed into the Gateway Region. The most important assets for that are the vocational training possibilities and the logistics.”
Benedikt Ibing, Managing Partner
Pegasus Partners
“Virginia’s Gateway Region offers many of the things that manufacturing companies are looking for: available existing manufacturing/warehousing facilities or build-to-suit sites; nearby port location; available workforce; affordable housing for workforce; and economic incentives to ease the financial responsibilities of the companies the region is looking to draw.”
Betsi Barrett, Partner
Bennett Thrasher
“I recently had the pleasure of touring the state of Virginia’s Gateway Region and was impressed by the pro-business climate that exists in the area. With easy access to Interstate 85, 95 and 64, the Port of Virginia and an abundant rail network, it’s understandable why businesses such as Amazon and Walmart choose the area for their warehouse and distribution centers. Complimenting the various and diverse businesses, from advanced manufacturing to Supply Chain Solutions, are the numerous educational institutions that provide a high-quality educated workforce. During the tour I also was impressed by the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM). It is a center for academic, government and industry professionals that is creating an educational ecosystem to provide the area’s prospective employers with another quality layer of workforce talent. The Gateway region has all the factors that industry looks for when selecting a site – transportation Infrastructure, skilled workforce, business support and a quality of life.”
Frank Clementi, Managing Director, Global Corporate Services
Newmark Knight Frank