February 2020 Newsletter
CEO Update
Greetings friends and supporters! It’s been a busy month with a major headline announcement and a variety of productive activities, including our VGR Board meeting.

Save the Date for the VGR Annual Meeting which is scheduled for the evening of April 22 nd at the Swift Creek Mill Theatre. If you have any questions or input, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at kboswell@gatewayregion.com or 804-732-8971.
Amazon Selects Former ACE Hardware Building in Prince George County
VGR’s largest site selection of 2020 happened on February 19th when Governor Northam announced that Amazon is leasing the former Ace Hardware warehouse in Prince George to serve as a fulfillment center for the company’s Amazon Basics line of products. The facility is expected to employ 150 people, adding to Amazon’s current workforce of more than 10,000 full-time employees in Virginia. The 798,786-square-foot warehouse is in the SouthPoint Business Park. The building recently underwent extensive renovations through a multi-million-dollar investment that included installing new dock doors, windows and lighting. Read the Governor’s announcement: Full announcement here
VGR Hosts Business Council
The VGR Team hosted several local business leaders on January 30 th at the beautiful Ashton Creek Winery in Chesterfield County. Networking and refreshments were enjoyed, and VGR sought input into key focus areas for its next five-year strategic plan. 
Southeast US Marketing Mission Accomplished by VMR
Vice President of Business Development Mario Camardella traveled to Florida on behalf of Virginia’s Manufacturing Region this month to call on potential investors in information technology, logistics and property development.
Valentine's Day Luncheon for VEDP
February 14 th was a day to show appreciation to the ED professionals at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. The team hosted a Lunch & Learn at the Berkeley Hotel in Richmond with special guests from the VGR Board of Directors- Dr. Ted Raspiller of John Tyler Community College, Nick Walker of Roslyn Farm Corporation, and Craig Richards of The Progress-Index . Building strong relationships with VEDP’s staff is important and educating them about the region can be helpful to future projects. Gourmet chocolates from Petersburg’s Bopper’s Malt Shop were loved by all. 
European Investment Manager Tours the Region
VGR President & CEO Keith Boswell and COO Ajay Sujanani welcomed Antje Abshoff, VEDP Managing Director, Europe, to the region recently. Antje is based in Germany and works with Virginia communities to bring European companies to the state. This being Antje’s first visit to the region, she got a windshield tour of the area and visited John Tyler Community College's new William H. Talley, III Center for Workforce Development.


VGR Attends Fort Lee Civilian Council Meeting
Thanks to Mayor Greg Kochuba of Colonial Heights and the Civilian Military Council at Fort Lee for hosting VGR at their meeting in February. Shown here is Major General Rodney Fogg, Commanding General CASCOM and Fort Lee. 
Existing Businesses Thrive in the Region
VGR's Mario Camardella, Petersburg's Reginald Tabor and VEDP's Susan Deusebio recently called on Bobby Goodwin, Owner and Brittany Goodwin, President, of Robert's Awnings in Petersburg. They proudly showed off this vintage sewing machine to demonstrate that this family business has operated in the region since 1899! They provide full-service awnings and canopies to businesses, homes and schools.
VCU Engineering Research Building Will Assist Regional Future
VGR President & CEO Keith Boswell, COO Ajay Sujanani and Board Chair Victor Branch joined partners from around the state to discuss creating a regional “Digital Education Ecosystem,” a 10-year roadmap. With Amazon leading the charge by planning to create 25,000 technically oriented jobs in Virginia and the Commonwealth’s $1 billion commitment to expand the “tech talent pipeline,” measures like this can help meet future workforce demand.

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Partner Spotlight
S.W. Funk Industrial Contractors is a general industrial contractor serving industrial facilities throughout the region. Since being founded in 1980, the company's mission has been to perform maintenance and construction projects for the industrial client using a service and team-based approach, always keeping in mind that they're accountable for providing a quality product for a reasonable price on schedule.