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Browsing by Author "Travis, Elli"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13
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    Advanced Manufacturing and IT in the New River Valley: Impacts of COVID-19 and Supply Chain Shocks
    Ferris, William N.; Travis, Elli; Tate, Scott; Boswell, Katie (Virginia Tech, 2022-08)
    In 2020, Onward NRV partnered with the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) to determine how Advanced Manufacturing and IT firms in the region were affected by COVID-19 and how these firms felt about their prognosis regarding the next year. To accomplish this, CECE developed surveys designed to generate insight into how businesses were faring. There were 21 manufacturing survey responses and 24 information technology survey responses. CECE also conducted interviews with representatives from two Advanced Manufacturing and two IT firms to generate additional insight. At that time, close to two-thirds of Advanced Manufacturing and IT firms expected to retain their employees. Sixty-two percent of manufacturers had unfilled production worker and engineer positions, and thirty-eight percent of tech companies needed software engineers, account executives, and production schedulers. Businesses in both sectors generally maintained positive outlooks for the following year. The most significant concern among companies at the end of 2020 was the health and safety of employees. In 2022, two years after the initial survey, CECE followed up with Advanced Manufacturing and IT firms to see how these businesses were faring. Follow-up survey responses suggest that regional Advanced Manufacturing and IT companies have performed strongly since the onset of the pandemic. Relative to pre-pandemic levels, most firms—83% of technology firms and 75% of manufacturing firms — report maintaining or increasing the number of employees at their firm; payrolls have held steady or increased for approximately 90% of firms in both sectors, and firms report similar or increased revenues. Manufacturing and technology firms correspondingly report positive outlooks. Onward NRV and CECE also conducted semi-structured interviews with firms from each sector to shed additional light on business prognoses and experiences doing business in the New River Valley. Findings from interviews paralleled those expressed in surveys.
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    Assessing Opportunities for Agriculture and Agritourism at Montpelier
    Mayer, Adam; Burke, Patrick; Ononpa, Nick; Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Travis, Elli; Daugherty, Dick; Tate, Scott (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2015)
    Orange County, with a planning grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID), administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), engaged the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development (VTOED) to explore sustainable agriculture and agritourism opportunities for land parcels owned by the Montpelier Foundation. As partners, Orange County and the Montpelier Foundation wished to assess opportunities for utilizing certain parcels of Montpelier’s 2,650 acres of land to support and add value to the county’s agriculture industry. The project inventoried and assessed development opportunities that would be a fit for Montpelier’s mission and the rural character of its Orange County surroundings, while offering potential to generate jobs, spur enterprise development, increase visitation, and enhance income in Orange County and the surrounding region. VTOED established a project working group, interviewed dozens of key informants and collected and analyzed agriculture and tourism data. Hundreds of opportunities were generated and pre-assessed.
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    B-Force Accelerator Outcome Evaluation
    Travis, Elli; Jones, Anna Nagorniuk; Tuttle, Mallory (Virginia Tech, 2024-05)
    The Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) was hired in Spring 2023 to work with Black BRAND, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Black-owned businesses in Hampton Roads. CECE collaborated with Black BRAND to help build their evaluation capacity and assess the impacts of the B-Force Accelerator program, a 12-week program designed to scale startups and enhance minority business owners' access to capital.
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    Controlled Environment Agriculture Strategy and Roadmap in GO Virginia Region 3
    Ferris, William N.; Tate, Scott; Travis, Elli; Ulaky, Allison (Virginia Tech, 2023)
    On behalf of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, and with support from an Enhanced Capacity Building award from GO Virginia Region 3, the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) conducted a study to assess the economic growth potential for the controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) industry in Region 3, and the state of Virginia. CEA, as a sector, is poised for additional growth. CEA refers to the utilization of technology and automation to enhance the indoor growing conditions for crops, fish, and related products. The industry is projected to grow 10.32% annually, reaching $239.8 billion by 2027.
  • Did You Really Get the Message? Using Text Reminders to Stimulate Adoption of Agricultural Technologies
    Larochelle, Catherine; Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Travis, Elli; Barrera, Victor H.; Dominguez Andrade, Juan Manuel (2017-11-02)
    This article provides evidence from a randomised control trial conducted among potato farmers in Ecuador about the impact of mobile phone text messages on farmer knowledge about and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. Using psychological constructs, we examine competing explanations for non-standard decision-making leading to low adoption of beneficial agricultural technologies. Farmers who received text messages have significantly higher knowledge and are more likely to adopt most IPM practices than those in the control group. Findings provide evidence that text messages lead to behavioural changes by reducing inattention and sub-optimal heuristics in the face of complex decisions.
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    Economic Impact Analysis of the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport
    Travis, Elli (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2016-12-22)
    This report estimates the economic contributions of the Virginia Tech – Montgomery Executive Airport (VTMEA) to the New River Valley (NRV). The current operations of the VTMEA contribute to the local region in three ways. First, the airport collects operational funds from outside of the NRV and spends them inside the region for its operations. Second, it attracts visitors to the NRV who might not otherwise come to the region, and their spending puts new money in the regional economy. Third, the airport fosters economic development by providing local, national, and international businesses and investors the ability to travel in and out of the region with ease, and serves as a critical gateway to Virginia Tech for the purposes of research, athletics and community relations. The first two of these impacts we can estimate quantitatively using operational and visitor spending data. The third impact we assess qualitatively using business surveys and interviews.
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    The Economic Impact of Agency 229: An examination of industry and community impacts
    Travis, Elli; Alwang, Albert; Olberding, Beth; Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Elliott-Engel, Jeremy; Provo, John (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2018-01)
    The social and economic impacts of Agency 229 on the Commonwealth of Virginia are vast and diverse. As a state-funded entity, legislative bodies often ask Agency 229 to illustrate those impacts. Currently, 229 faculty assess research and extension programming using quantitative metrics such as head-counts at trainings and research dollars awarded. Outcomes of activities are communicated qualitatively through impact statements that provide summary information on trainings and anecdotal evidence of benefits to attendees and those who benefit from direct technical assistance. Occasionally, researchers will team up with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics to assess the potential economic impact of an innovation. Others who focus on agricultural products sold through nationwide and commodity markets will compare yield gains over time and attribute a portion of gains to research and extension efforts. The numerous media headlines and narratives describing the localized impacts of research and technical assistance initiatives have been another powerful approach to telling Agency 229’s story. As the agency looks ahead, however, the growing trend for more data-driven funding justifications challenge Agency 229 to illustrate its economic impacts in different, more comprehensive ways that connect its activities to industry and community development in the commonwealth. This type of evaluation can further help prioritize resources and improve programming. Recently, Virginia’s state legislature released a mandate, directing Agency 229 to develop a strategy for leveraging state investment with industry partnerships that “result in technological and scientific advancements needed to grow the state’s agricultural and natural resource economy.” Moreover, Agency 229 has to consider its role in university-led initiatives such as the Virginia Agriculture and Natural Resources Initiative: Growing our future with public-private partnership and the Global Systems Science Complex and Destination Area. These initiatives offer opportunities to leverage resources and increase the agency’s overall economic impact. This study assesses the current impacts of Agency 229 as they relate to the economy of Commonwealth of Virginia and provides recommendations on how to leverage activities and funding to increase those impacts in the future. We begin by providing an overview of Agency 229 and different approaches to studying the economic impact of university entities. Many approaches exist; however, because impacts of such a large entity can be difficult to quantify or even qualify, not many institutions have endeavored to conduct a large comprehensive study of this type. We approach the assessment of the economic impact of Agency 229 using an industry and community case study lens. By looking at the influence of 229 extension and research innovations have on individual sectors of the economy and specific communities, we can uncover many of the causal mechanisms through which 229 activities affect change and in turn facilitate economic growth and development. We first review five industries that contribute significantly to Virginia’s agricultural economy and assess Agency 229 research and extension efforts as they relate to those sectors. We then take four communities located across the commonwealth as examples to identify social and economic impacts that VCE and Agency 229 research have at the county level.
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    The Economic Impacts Of Trichoderma And Cocopith In Bangladesh, India, & Nepal
    Travis, Elli; Olberding, Beth; Alwang, Albert; Gupta, Khushboo (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2019-02)
    OED travelled to Bangladesh, India, and Nepal to work with IPM and USAID to assess how Trichoderma and cocopith affect farmers, factory owners, manufactures, nursery owners, and day laborers who use these natural products in their efforts. The report outlines how these products can affect the economic livelihood of a number of people.
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    The Impact of Text Messages on Adoption and Knowledge of Integrated Pest Management Practices: A Randomized Control Trial Study of Potato Farmers in Carchi, Ecuador
    Travis, Elli (Virginia Tech, 2015-08-13)
    Adoption of new agricultural technologies by farmers in developing countries is sometimes limited, despite the associated benefits. Potato farmers in Carchi, Ecuador rely heavily on pesticides to limit pest and disease damage, rather than adopting a more sustainable and economically viable alternative: Integrated Pest Management (IPM). One reason IPM adoption is limited is that farmers are uncertain about the benefits of the complex technology. Information provision builds knowledge that reduces that uncertainty and leads to adoption. Another reason for limited adoption is that other farming activities compete for time, and farmers may forget or delay IPM adoption. One way to transfer information and remind farmers to adopt IPM practices is through text messages. To evaluate the impact of text messages on IPM adoption, we conducted a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) among potato farmers in Carchi, Ecuador. The RCT allowed us to identify the causal impact of text messages by comparing adoption rates and knowledge scores between farmers who received text messages (treatment), and farmers who did not (control). After attending a one-day training, the treatment received tailored IPM messages for approximately five and a half months. At the conclusion of the trial period, treatment and control farmers reported their adoption of individual IPM practices, and were tested on their IPM knowledge. Treatment farmers adopted both simple and complex practices at higher rates than the control. Farmers who received text messages also possess more knowledge about IPM techniques than non-recipients, which is evidence of the knowledge-building effect of text messages. Furthermore, text messages were shown to be effective in encouraging the adoption of practices for which no separate inputs were required, and ineffective in encouraging practices where a separate input was required. Text messages are an positive supplement to an in-person training program because they build knowledge and remind farmers, both of which encourage the adoption of IPM, which benefits the farmer, his community, and the environment.
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    IT and Emerging Technology in GO Virginia Region 2: Situation, Challenges, and the Road Forward
    Ferris, William N.; Travis, Elli; Quina Weber-Shirk (Virginia Tech, 2022)
    In this short whitepaper, we discuss the present conditions and performance of the IT and emerging technology industries in Region 2. We begin with an overview of the sector, discussing both IT occupations, and IT companies. In section two, we present two key issues: capital and talent, before concluding with a discussion of talent attraction and retention and higher education-based solutions. This document is meant to guide the IT and Emerging Technology GO Virginia Region 2 working group in the identification of additional strategies and programs to improve high wage jobs in that sector.
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    Measuring the Effects of Drone Delivery in the United States
    Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Tilashalski, Melissa; Ellis, Kimberli; Travis, Elli (Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development, 2020-09)
    OED, the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) studied the impact and benefits of drone delivery in three metropolitan communities, Christiansburg, VA; Austin, TX; and Columbus, OH.
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    Pathways to the American Dream: An evaluation of unique advancements in staffing, communication, and partnerships
    Travis, Elli (2022-01)
    The Center for Economic and Community Engagement evaluated the Pathways to the American Dream program, a program created by the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board to enhance communication and expand partnerships that increase regional job opportunities.
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    Patrick County Economic Summit: Final Report Summary
    Travis, Elli (Virginia Tech, 2024-03-21)
    The Patrick County Economic Summit was held on February 28, 2024, hosted by the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce and Reynolds Homestead. The Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) was contracted to provide facilitation and surveying services to gain a better understanding of local business needs and challenges. This event hosted businesses with 25 or more employees.