CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — This month 10 On Your Side has been talking about how Hampton Roads is lagging in economic development and job growth.
On Thursday, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) met to talk about some of the reasons why that is.
10 On Your Side’s investigation was positively mentioned by Hampton Roads Chamber President Bryan Stephens.
RELATED: Hampton Roads: Bad For Business? — Part 1
RELATED: Hampton Roads: Bad For Business? — Part 2
Then the results from an IBM-Plant Location International study were revealed, with recommendations on how to create jobs.
10 On Your Side showed you a chart on Wednesday night, showing Hampton Roads dead last among several cities in job growth over ten years.
That same chart was shown to the leaders of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.
But it was this question from York County Supervisor Thomas Shepperd that crystallized the issue and the problem Hampton Roads has, “What is the motivation for Virginia Beach to join York County?”
Shepperd went on, “If I am going to be a big advocate for Virginia Beach, they better be a big advocate for York County, and there better be some cost sharing and some reward.” It does not get any clearer than that.
The question was also asked of all those cities in the chart ahead of Hampton Roads: how many have 17 different governments to deal with?
IBM-Plant Location International consultant Gene DePrez told the HRPDC that companies care about the region, not individual localities.
“Companies making decisions are going to look at what is there now. What is the potential? If we go there what is the future going to be attracting talent that we are looking for?”
They showed a chart of how students are educated here, or they may live here and then they leave Hampton Roads.
“Out-migration of college graduates has led to out-migration of workers in key age groups. All those things are interconnected,” DePrez said.
If you can’t find a job, you are going to go someplace else,” says Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA) chair Grig Scifres.
The IBM study laid out business environment improvement actions that could create 80,000 new jobs in 10 years, if we act on the plan that includes talent, infrastructure and logistics, sites and real estate, clusters of areas that can lead to favored job growth, and innovation.
HREDA President & CEO Rick Weddle also said this referring to the chart that shows Hampton Roads dead last.
“You can’t be dead last among 100 metros for more than a decade, and not have some things to work on.”
This report targets business sectors and improvement strategies and that a focused regional effort will maximize the impact of public sector investments in economic development.
It is about jobs, jobs, jobs. Hampton Roads doesn’t win without them. We lose without them.
