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Regional group 'Bridal' pitches site-marketing tools and membership to Amelia County
Summary
A representative of regional economic development group Bridal briefed Amelia County supervisors on membership benefits, a Tobacco Commission-funded branding effort, and a paid site-marketing tool (Zoom Prospector) aimed at helping small counties attract industry.
Speaker 1, identified in the transcript as a Bridal representative, told the Amelia County Board of Supervisors that Bridal aims to "build, cultivate, and promote regional identity," and urged the county to join the group to gain access to marketing tools and regional relationships.
Bridal is still seeking its IRS 501(c)(3) determination, Speaker 1 said: "We're currently still working to receive our IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter." The organization has budgeted for the Zoom Prospector site database and received a Tobacco Commission grant to complete branding and create a permanent website, he said. The Zoom Prospector tool can list commercial as well as industrial properties and generate labor-force and site suitability reports that volunteers and local staff can use when approaching banks and prospects, the presenter said.
Board members asked about cost and representation. Speaker 1 said membership fees are population-based and cited Prince Edward County as an example currently paying about $51,000; he declined to give a precise Amelia County fee without confirming the formula. He also said each member county receives a board seat and that private investors and Longwood University also hold seats on Bridal's board.
Speaker 1 framed Bridal's work as relationship-building: small rural counties must organize regionally to have visibility with state partners in Richmond and utilities, he said, and described quarterly rotating meetings (the first noted for Aug. 28 at the Longwood seed innovation hub) and outreach such as a proposed podcast with SBDC staff. He emphasized producing quantifiable data for business recruitment, including labor-shed and asset-inventory studies that can support grant and prospecting efforts.
Next steps discussed included Bridal sending links to statewide project listings and the county considering Bridal membership at a future meeting. The transcript indicates members asked for follow-up on fees and for Bridal to send materials to county staff for distribution.
