Virginia Economic Development Partnership

BIG NEWS: Virginia is America’s Top State for Business in CNBC’s rankings! ?? Major investments in education, site development, and infrastructure propelled Virginia to the top spot. Read about this epic achievement: https://hubs.ly/Q02G9FD80

Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington is George Mason University's new center?of innovation and research scheduled to be fully open in August 2025. VEDP took reporters on a hard hat tour that provided an overview of the innovation ecosystem that George Mason and others are building in Northern Virginia. Virginia’s future tech talent has unprecedented access to modern robotics, artificial intelligence, and more. In addition to other universities across the Commonwealth, George Mason participates in Virginia’s innovative Tech Talent Investment Program, which brings donors and corporate partners together to invest more than $2 billion to expand Virginia’s tech talent pipeline. The investment is aimed at doubling the number of graduates each year from Virginia colleges and universities in computer science and closely related fields. Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q02SrTYD0

Amazon Web Services (AWS) operates the AWS Skills Center Arlington near Amazon's HQ2 campus at National Landing. The Skills Center offers free training to anyone in the local community who is curious about cloud computing, career possibilities in the industry, and how to gain the skills to achieve their career goals. VEDP took reporters on a tour of the space and learned how Amazon is leveraging its AI and cloud computing technologies to partner with local organizations, addressing critical challenges like housing insecurity, climate change, social justice, and education inequality on a global scale. Learn more about AWS Skills Center Arlington: https://hubs.ly/Q02SnNDk0

We were honored to host a behind-the-scenes media tour in Northern Virginia highlighting the Commonwealth’s artificial intelligence ecosystem. Our partners provided journalists unprecedented access to spaces, programs, simulations, and key leaders. Thank you to Amazon, George Mason University, Dev Technology Group, Inc., Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, and MITRE for helping name Virginia a leader in innovation. We’ll be highlighting the various stops, so check back for more sneak peeks throughout the week! Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance Alexandria Economic Development Partnership Arlington Economic Development Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

Each day, manufacturers in Virginia are making a difference in our lives by creating the products we use and rely on, ranging from Haleon's Advil and The Hershey Company's Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company tires and HII's aircraft carriers. This industry is expected to grow in the Commonwealth, and America’s #TopState for Business is creating a strong manufacturing talent pipeline through strategic investments, innovative partnerships, and workforce development initiatives. Just this week, more than $2.5 million in GO Virginia grants were awarded to create workforce pipelines for targeted industries, including advanced manufacturing initiatives at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, GO TEC? Virginia, Joint Industrial Development Authority of Wythe County, VA, Virginia Career Works - Shenandoah Valley Region, and the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance. This Manufacturing Day, learn how Virginia is committed to supporting and inspiring the Next Generations of Manufacturers: https://hubs.ly/Q02SbXnV0 #MFGDay24 #TopState The Manufacturing Institute - MI GO Virginia Region 1 GO Virginia Region 3 GO Virginia Region 8

Online registration closes tomorrow, October 4th, for VMA24! Hosted by the Virginia Maritime Association, VMA24 is the East Coast's premier conference on shipping, ports, logistics, and trade. Given what is currently happening at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, change is the only constant in the global shipping market. Uncertainty in trade lanes, regulations, and geopolitical relations demands supply chain resilience. Join us as we stay ahead, adapt, and thrive. VMA24, happening October 8-10, in Norfolk, Virginia. Learn more and register today: https://hubs.ly/Q02S0j9b0 #VMA24 #VMAsymposium #NewNormal

Afton Scientific, LLC, a manufacturer of sterile injectable pharmaceuticals, will invest over $200 million to expand its biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Albemarle County. The project will create hundreds of new jobs. https://hubs.ly/Q02RT33f0 Albemarle County, VA Economic Development Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development

In Virginia — an East Coast tech hub that houses the third largest tech industry workforce in the U.S. — the need for qualified data science professionals is considerable. Read how Virginia universities are preparing to meet tomorrow’s data science needs: https://hubs.ly/Q02RysLT0

VEDP’s Jason El Koubi spoke with Byron Reese, an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and futurist, about the progression of technology — especially artificial intelligence — and what it means for the workforce. Listen to the podcast: https://hubs.ly/Q02RxWXK0

#ICYMI: Plenty? opened the doors to the world's first farm to grow indoor, vertically farmed berries at scale in Chesterfield County. The vertical farm is designed to produce more than 4 million pounds of strawberries annually in less than 40,000 square feet by growing vertically on 30-foot-tall towers. Chesterfield Economic Development Greater Richmond Partnership