🚩 GO Virginia Homepage
🧠GO Virginia Regional Councils & Information
📆 GO Virginia Regional Councils Meeting Schedules
What is GO Virginia?
GO Virginia is a bipartisan, business-led, game-changing initiative providing a new framework for strengthening the economy in each Virginia region. Through enhanced collaboration with public-private partnerships and the development of regional Growth and Diversification Plans, this program meets industry and community needs by creating high-wage jobs in industry targets and strategies.
Why is GO Virginia needed?
For the first time in a half-century, Virginia is trailing the nation in economic recovery and job creation. Steep cutbacks in defense and other federal programs have exposed Virginia’s over-dependence on public-sector and government-contractor jobs. Virginia urgently needs strong private-sector growth and a more diversified economy.
What is the structure of GO Virginia?
The Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board is the state-wide oversight group for the GO Virginia initiative. This board, along with the Regional Councils, are comprised of partners from the public and private sector that have expertise in the identified regional target industries. The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development works directly with the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board to provide insight for regional projects and economic opportunities across the Commonwealth. There are nine Regional Councils that will work at the regional level to develop strategies and project plans to grow Virginia’s economy. The Regional Councils submit recommended projects to the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board for final approval and funding.
How can Virginia’s tourism industry be involved with GO Virginia?
Virginia travel industry partners are encouraged to engage with their GO Virginia Regional Councils and the regional support organization staff.
Think bold initiatives and get to know your region’s target industries! Projects could include the site development or industry scale up that can attract a cluster of outdoor recreation equipment manufacturing or the development and recruitment of industry clusters that compliment a region’s tourism assets (example: Spearhead Trail and an ATV manufacturer in Southwest Virginia). All proposed projects should have significant economic impact in one or more of your region’s industry targets and job creation.
