December 2020 Newsletter
CEO Update
December has brought optimism and hope to the Gateway Region as we prepare to turn the corner into the new year. While I’ll still need to remember to grab my mask, I have strong hope that in 2021 we will once again have the ability to meet in-person and return to our usual way of life. In other good news, VGR is closer to announcing a number of projects in the region and we are seeing an uptick in the number of projects and meetings. Throughout the last quarter, we continued to exercise our valuable partnerships with the new leaders of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) and the Crater Planning District Commission (CPDC). Also, this year we advanced our workforce development effort with the hiring of our Director of Workforce Development, Michelle Rogers, in a joint partnership with the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) — unifying both VGR’s and CCWA’s mission for the betterment of the region’s workforce and economic development. I look forward to the day, which I hope comes sooner rather than later, when we can all get back to normal and hold in-person events and celebrations with our investors, community leaders and board members. If you have any questions or input about VGR’s economic development efforts, please do not  hesitate to reach out to me at: kboswell@gatewayregion.com or (804) 732-8971.
Gro52 Breaks Ground in Sussex County 
VGR was proud to host a groundbreaking event for a shovel-ready site in Sussex County for Gro52, a startup company. The business purchased a 22.5-acre parcel of land for a first-of-its-kind pilot project to construct a 17,000 square-foot indoor hemp growing facility on Cabin Point Road right outside the Town of Waverly’s corporate limits. Members of the Sussex County Board of Supervisors and company representatives attended the event.

Read the full news release HERE


Ajay Sujanani, COO, attends Data Center Dynamics — Virginia virtual conference
VGR’s Chief Operating Officer attended the Data Center Dynamics — Virginia’s 2020 annual conference for the multi-tenant data center ecosystem that was held virtually on Dec. 1–3. The conference, which is usually held in-person, explored how colocation industry operators around the world are keeping up with unprecedented demand for more megawatts.

Learn more about the conference and what it discussed HERE
Victor Branch is a 2020 RTD Person of the Year Honoree

VGR Board Member and Immediate Past Chairman Victor Branch was profiled as the Richmond Times-Dispatch's 2020 Person of the Year Honoree. Richmond has a long history as a financial powerhouse in the Southeast, however mergers and consolidations over recent decades saw many regional institutions disappear. Who remained? Mr. Branch. 2020 marks his fifth year as Richmond market president of Bank of America and 10th year as a member of the VGR Board, but his roots in banking run deeper than that.

Read more HERE
VGR Makes the Virginia Business "100 People to Meet" for Second Year in a Row

Congratulations to Michelle Rogers for making Virginia Business Magazine's "100 People to Meet: Rainmakers" 2020 edition for her newly created, first-of-its-kind dual position with VGR and CCWA.

Read more HERE

GO Virginia Pharmaceutical Cluster Progressing
The Gateway Region was well represented on a ZOOM with 62 attendees on December 10th. The purpose? Three work groups presented their findings as part of a GO Virginia planning grant. Information was shared on growing a pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster in the region, the needed workforce to sustain a cluster and the communications to promote the initiative. Lots of positive activity is already happening at the Petersburg AMPAC site and VGR team members are immersed in this planning to make this cluster a reality. 
VGR Holds Holiday Community Luncheon 

Thank you to Nanny’s Southern Style Restaurant in Prince George County for the large space and delicious food. Happy socially-distanced Holidays from the VGR family and all the communities we represent in the Gateway Region!
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Partner Spotlight
Virginia State University (VSU), founded in 1882, is one of Virginia's two land-grant institutions, and is located 20 minutes south of Richmond in the village of Ettrick. With a current student population of approximately 5,000, the university sits atop a rolling landscape overlooking the Appomattox River with expansive views of the City of Petersburg. The 236-acre campus has 16 dormitories, 17 academic buildings and a 416-acre agriculture research facility. In addition to a strong and diverse liberal arts program, VSU boasts Virginia's only manufacturing engineering degree as well as a logistics technology degree program. The land grant campus also offers cutting edge training via its agricultural extension component – Randolph Farm.