The struggle to stay on top

by Robert C. Powell III
Virginia Business
March 2007

Everyone wants to be No.1. But getting there and staying there are two different matters. In recent months, Virginia has been named the top state in a number of surveys assessing business conditions throughout the country. But economic development officials know that the one sure way to lose the commonwealth’s competitive edge is to bask in good publicity while ignoring Virginia’s shortcomings. Those pitfalls include traffic-choked roads and a growing shortage of skilled labor. In our cover package, Richmond-based writer Garry Kranz looks at how Virginia measures up against other states.

In a related article, Otesa Middleton Miles of Richmond examines Virginia’s largest corporate expansions in 2006. Once again, many of the biggest deals are taking place not in the urbanized “Golden Crescent” from Washington through Richmond to Hampton Roads, but in the commonwealth’s more rural areas. The biggest deal, in fact, involved an IKEA subsidiary that will build a furniture factory in the Danville area.

This expansion trend, however, doesn’t mean that the growth of the urban areas is slowing down. Far from it. A case in point is the Fredericksburg region where the population has increased 25 percent in the past six years. Fredericksburg writer Robert Burke looks at how the region is seeking a coordinated approach to growth while capitalizing on its position midway between Washington and Richmond.

Speaking of positioning, you will find our Options executive lifestyle stories in a new spot. Beginning with this issue, Options will become a regular part of the magazine instead of running as a separate supplement. We look at executive pilots, and a new cruise terminal in Norfolk.

After all, where can you get a better idea of competitiveness than watching a basketball battle in the Atlantic Coast Conference?

P.S. Don’t miss our annual List of Leaders compiled by Special Projects Editor Jessica Sabbath and researcher Bekah Wright. Also take a peek at photos from the Winner’s Gala in Richmond.