OPINION: Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads - Built for What’s Next
Fredericksburg Regional Alliance launches a new brand that represents the intersection of innovation, collaboration, and regional pride.
By Charlie Payne
CHAIR, VIRGINIA’S INNOVATION CROSSROADS ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Since the late ‘90s, the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA) has been proud to serve as one of the many engines powering our region’s growth, working alongside a broad range of partners to help attract more than 6,000 new jobs and facilitate over $100 billion in capital investment. Through a unique partnership with the University of Mary Washington, the FRA provides our partners with deep research capabilities and practical business development support, with a primary focus on business attraction to ensure our region remains a competitive choice for global investment. However, we have heard a consistent message from the site selection community: to compete for the highest-value projects, we must present a clear, unified regional identity. They have noted that companies do not evaluate a location one jurisdiction at a time; they evaluate the full picture of a region.
Recognizing this need, the FRA helped start the charge to redefine our regional identity under the leadership of former FRA President, Curry Roberts. This work, supported by a capital campaign that secured significant private-sector funding, laid the foundation for a brand that reflects how our region actually functions as a collaborative whole. Now, as Tom Scott takes the helm as President, he is joining our regional partners to lead the campaign and bring this identity to life. Today, we are proud to announce the result of this shared effort: the launch of Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads.
This new brand represents the intersection of innovation, collaboration, and regional pride. It is a strategic tool designed to tell our region’s story. We will use this brand to promote our region’s unmatched connectivity and deep talent pool, ensuring that, when site selectors and companies look at our region, they see a premier destination.
The long-term value of this initiative for our community is substantial. By speaking with one voice, we increase our ability to attract high-wage jobs, secure transformative investments, and diversify our local tax base. This is vital for our area because it creates durable economic opportunity, allowing our residents to prosper and our communities to grow stronger together. We have the infrastructure, the talent, and the geographic advantage. Now, with a unified platform to tell our story, we are ready to show the world that Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads is built for what’s next.
Disclaimer: Charlie Payne also serves as an advisor to FXBG Advance.
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