Publisher's Profile: Florence G. Kingston
Development director says Newport News is selective in attracting new industry

by Doug Forshey
Virginia Business
December 2006

Name: Florence G. Kingston
Title: Director, Newport News Department of Development
Birthplace: Newport News
Education: University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce
Major: Business
Years with the city: 25

Q: How did you get started in the business?
A: My education focused on two areas of concentration - banking and information technology. When I graduated [in 1981], there were not many opportunities for women in commercial banking so I started working for the Newport News Housing Authority putting together grants. A few years later I ended up in economic development using my skills in marketing and financial management.

Q: You're a Newport News native. What brought you back to the area after you graduated?
A: This was my home, and in looking for a place to live and work, I wanted a location with a strong sense of community. One of our strengths is our city council. They stayed committed over the long haul to a very intelligent 10-year plan. They have supplied the overall vision and have leveraged Newport News' strengths to make the city stronger. Some of our advantages include a large, highly-skilled work force, a strong military presence and an exceptional quality of life.

Q: What challenges lie ahead for Newport News?
A: The city is 90 percent developed, so we have to be selective about the projects we undertake. We are fortunate to be close to the port because of the economic advantages that it brings, but most companies now are looking for large warehouse space, which we have a harder time coming up with. We also need to keep the highly-skilled labor force we have and attract new people to our labor pool at the same time. We want to make sure we are not just creating jobs for jobs sake but higher-level jobs that raise the per-capita income.

Q: How has economic development changed over the past 25 years?
A: Well, we're not going after factories as an economic base anymore. In Newport News we are focused on increasing the per-capita income through attractive businesses that support and strengthen the business foundation already here. We are also interested in investing in the things that will make Newport News a better place to live - putting money into museums, the performing arts and creating events that will build a community bond.

The EDA [Economic Development Authority] has gotten more involved in public/private partnerships to foster development in the community. A few good examples of our initiatives include the revitalization of the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport, the new Marriott in City Centre with its hotel and conference center and the building of a new police station.

Now, economic development is involved in more ways than just "selling" a prospective company on your locality. It begins with a thorough understanding of what the company's individual needs are, and in some cases we help finance the deal, we work to identify the skills they need from the work force and arrange for the local colleges to develop programs to support those needs.

Q: What challenges lie ahead for Hampton Roads?
A: In a word - transportation. The General Assembly must address our transportation needs on both a statewide and regional level. There are several major projects that need to move forward that are important - especially for the port. Without major investments in our transportation infrastructure, we won't be able to increase the port's capacity and continue its growth. That growth is vital to our economic future. And one of the most important initiatives would be the third crossing.

One other challenge we have involves overall incentives for economic development, in response to the competition. Virginia is not a give-away state, and I don't advocate that it become one. But we should identify certain important industries we want to attract, such as aerospace, biotech or modeling and simulation, and be very aggressive in getting them here.

Q: What milestones are you using to measure your organization's success?
A: One measurement for our success is how companies benefit from our activities. We want to diversify the business mix so that our economic base can support the community infrastructure and that no particular downturn [in one market segment] will affect us too much. And that will benefit all companies. Another measurement is job creation and retention. Most of the successful work we do comes from existing companies - helping them solve their work force and expansion challenges.