Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Economic Development Commission cites AJGA, ARPA-funded outreach and workforce steps as momentum builders
Summary
EDC director Bob Bullock and ADC commissioner Karen Peek briefed supervisors on 2025 tourism, workforce and outreach activities, including an AJGA event that attracted 250 visitors and an ARPA-funded kayaking brochure and QR map campaign.
Bob Bullock, representing the county Economic Development Commission, told the Board of Supervisors that the EDC's work in 2025 focused on three priorities: promoting tourism, supporting workforce development and maintaining outreach and engagement.
Bullock highlighted measurable achievements: coordination with the Civil War Trails organization and Howland Chapel School, distribution of 25,000 ARPA-funded kayaking brochures (4,500 distributed statewide and 7,500 through the I-64 welcome center), an AJGA junior golf event that brought more than 250 visitors from 20 states and four countries and produced an estimated economic impact of about $390,000 for the region, and a Northern Neck video campaign that produced roughly 450,000 impressions and remains on the EDC webpage.
Bullock said the EDC is building workforce supports including a career expo and an internship-setup workshop under the Virginia Talent and Opportunity Partnership; he reported a net increase in employers though the data were not yet firm. He also described a new 'do-stay-eat' QR map and said a digitized planning map is expected by September, which he called a multiplier for outreach.
Karen Peek (district 4 representative and commissioner of the ADC) told the board the EDC has limited paid staff time and that commissioners have foregone stipends. Peek described partnerships with schools and regional workforce groups and noted that the ARPA-funded QR code had been placed on the AJGA website to direct visitors to county businesses.
Ending: The EDC said it will align priorities with the draft Northern Neck heritage-area management plan and the county's draft comprehensive plan; staff and commissioners asked for continued cooperation on outreach and mapping tools.
