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Published: 08 December 2014

Williamsburg, VA – While speaking at the Virginia Chamber of Economic Summit on December 5th, Governor Terry McAuliffe released his New Virginia Economic Strategic Plan and a series of legislative proposals aimed at accomplishing the plan’s mission of growing and diversifying the Virginia economy.

“The legislative items that I am announcing today will help lay a stronger foundation for sustained economic growth so that we can adapt to cuts in federal spending and a changing global economy,” said Governor McAuliffe. “ These bipartisan proposals are common sense actions we can take now to protect and enhance Virginia’s position as a global economic leader. I look forward to working with the General Assembly to take these important steps toward a new Virginia economy.”

Governor McAuliffe’s New Virginia Economy Agenda will include legislation to:

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Published: 01 December 2014

Funding to assist regional collaborative effort with small business development programs

December 5th, 2014 KEYSVILLE, VA – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today $300,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Local Innovation funding through Mecklenburg County for the Virginia’s Growth Alliance, which is a regional collaboration made up of 10 counties and one city in the Southern Virginia region. The grant will be used to develop several new programs for youth, new businesses and established businesses throughout the region to spur small business development and create jobs.

“Helping the Commonwealth’s existing and future business owners find ways to succeed is an important piece of building a new Virginia economy,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Programs like the Community Development Block Grant invest in the success of our communities and encourage business growth throughout Southern Virginia.”

This project will offer several different educational, mentoring and monetary programs including a pilot youth educational program involving both online and classroom education, a six-week “digital high touch” course for new entrepreneurs, a startup principles program for existing businesses, a microenterprise lending program funding business start-up or expansion, and a Peer2Peer XChange mentoring program to help develop network for new business owners. 
The Virginia Growth Alliance is comprised of Mecklenburg County, Amelia County, Brunswick County, Buckingham County, Charlotte County, Cumberland County, Greensville County, Lunenburg County, Nottoway County, Prince Edward County and the City of Emporia.

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Published: 20 October 2014

~Blue Ridge Railcar Repair to invest $2.41 million to expand operation~

RICHMOND- Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Blue Ridge Railcar Repair LLC (Blue Ridge), a subsidiary of Patriot Rail Company LLC, will invest $2.41 million to expand its operations in Charlotte County. Virginia successfully competed against Louisiana for the project, which will create 37 new jobs.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “Blue Ridge Railcar Repair was established in Charlotte County in December 2013, bringing an existing railcar repair facility back into operation and adding jobs and tax revenue to a community that has been hard hit by industry loss. Less than a year later, the company will expand to include railcar cleaning, blasting and painting capabilities to meet increased demand in the marketplace and grow its customer base, bringing an additional 37 new jobs that will pay above the county’s prevailing average wage. The new investment and job opportunities for Southern Virginia are exactly what we need to build a new Virginia Economy, and we look forward to Blue Ridge’s success in Charlotte County in the coming years.”

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Published: 03 October 2014

Virginia Business magazine published an intimate interview with Maurice Jones, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade in their October 2014 issue. Jones, a native of Kenbridge, Va cites economic issues as a personal cause and tells us how he was inspired to become the person he is today. You can find this article and video of the interview on the Virginia Business website.

by Robert Powell

Maurice Jones is Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s point man in the administration’s  efforts to transform Virginia’s economy.

As secretary of commerce and trade, he oversees 13 business-related agencies — including the Virginia Economic Development Partnership — and is the chairman of a Cabinet steering committee coordinating state agencies in pursuing the administration’s economic development strategy.

“The big goal is to help to reposition the engine of economic growth in Virginia away from the public sector and more toward the private sector,” he says. “That’s the big theme of our journey.”
Jones, 50, comes to the job with a diverse background in the public and private sectors. Before joining the McAuliffe administration, he was deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for nearly two years.

He also has been publisher of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services and deputy chief of staff under Gov. Mark Warner, a Treasury Department official under President Bill Clinton, a lawyer in Richmond at Hunton & Williams and a partner at Venture Philanthropy Partners, a firm that invests millions of dollars in the Washington, D.C., area in helping low-income children.