Reports, Center for Economic and Community Engagement

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2017 Quarter 4 New River Mount Rogers (WDA II) Quarterly Workforce Report
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2017)
Welcome to the 2017 fourth quarter workforce report, produced by the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development on behalf of the New River Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board (WDA II). This region comprises the New River Valley Regional Commission and the Mount Rogers Planning District, including the counties of Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, Smyth, Washington, Wythe and the independent cities of Bristol, Galax and Radford. These quarterly reports present an analysis of regional labor supply and demand data, to inform the public of the evolving workforce landscape. Please note that the data presented in this report is the most up-to-date data available as of December 2017. In this quarter’s report, we explore some basic regional trends including population, employment, and workforce gaps. We then delve into four industries targeted by two regional GO Virginia Growth and Diversification Plans. WDA II straddles GOVA regions one and two. Region I is comprised of Workforce Development Area I and the Mount Rogers Planning District—spanning from Washington County in the southwest, Carroll County in the southeast, Buchanan County in the northwest, and Bland County in the northeast. Region 2 comprises the New River Valley and Workforce Development Area III (Roanoke)—spanning from Pulaski in the southwest, Franklin County in the southeast, Giles in the northwest, and Alleghany County in the northeast. GO Virginia is a recent initiative approved by Virginia’s House of Delegates, which offers funding for suitable workforce and economic development projects. By improving collaboration across regions, this initiative is meant to leverage local capacity to encourage the development of targeted industry clusters that offer predominantly higher wages and attract money from outside the state. GO Virginia regions across the state have identified four or more target industry clusters, and have developed strategies to grow and diversify these clusters. Arguably one of the most prominent strategies identified by all GO Virginia regions was to growth, retain, and attract skilled workers. This report will provide some basic data on the target GOVA clusters in WDA II and highlight assets and areas where WDB stakeholders may play a role in GO Virginia.
2017 Quarter 4 Southwest Virginia (WDA 1) Quarterly Workforce Report
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2017)
Welcome to the 2017 fourth quarter workforce report produced by the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development on behalf of the Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board (WDB). This report covers Workforce Development Area I (WDA I), which covers the LENOWISCO and Cumberland Plateau Planning Districts, including the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Wise and the independent city of Norton. These quarterly reports analyze and present regional labor supply and labor demand data to inform the public of the evolving workforce landscape. Please note that the data presented in this report is the most up-to-date data available as of December 2017. In this quarter’s report, we explore some basic regional trends including population, employment, and workforce gaps. We then delve into four industries targeted by the region’s GO Virginia Growth and Diversification Plan. This GOVA region is comprised of WDA I and the Mount Rogers Planning District—spanning from Lee County in the southwest, Carroll County in the southeast, Buchanan County in the northwest, and Bland County in the northeast. GO Virginia is a recent initiative approved by Virginia’s House of Delegates, which offers funding for suitable workforce and economic development projects. By improving collaboration across regions, this initiative is meant to leverage local capacity to encourage the development of targeted industry clusters that have predominantly higher wages and attract money from outside the state. GO Virginia regions across the state have identified four or more target industry clusters, and have developed strategies to grow and diversify these clusters. Arguably one of the most prominent strategies identified by all GO Virginia regions was to growth, retain, and attract skilled workers. This report will provide some basic data on the target GOVA clusters in WDA I and highlight assets and areas where workforce stakeholders may play a role in GO Virginia.
2017 Quarter 4 Virginia’s Blue Ridge Works (VBRW) Quarterly Workforce Report
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2017)
Welcome to the 2017 fourth quarter workforce report, produced by the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development on behalf of the Area III Workforce Development Board (VBRW), Virginia’s Blue Ridge Works! This region includes the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, Roanoke, and the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem. These quarterly reports analyze and present regional labor supply and labor demand data to inform the public of the evolving workforce landscape. Please note that the data presented in this report is the most up-to-date data available as of December 2017. In this quarter’s report, we explore some basic regional trends including population, employment, and workforce gaps. We then delve into four industries targeted by the region’s GO Virginia Growth and Diversification Plan. This GOVA region is comprised of VBRW and the New River Valley—spanning from Pulaski in the southwest, Franklin County in the southeast, Giles in the northwest, and Alleghany County in the northeast. GO Virginia is a recent initiative approved by Virginia’s House of Delegates, which offers funding for suitable workforce and economic development projects. By improving collaboration across regions, this initiative is meant to leverage local capacity to encourage the development of targeted industry clusters that have predominantly higher wages and attract money from outside the state. GO Virginia regions across the state have identified four or more target industry clusters, and have developed strategies to grow and diversify these clusters. Arguably one of the most prominent strategies identified by all GO Virginia regions was to growth, retain, and attract skilled workers. This report will provide some basic data on the target GOVA clusters in VBRW and highlight assets and areas where workforce stakeholders may play a role in GO Virginia.
2018 Quarter 3: Southwest VA Workforce Report
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2018)
Welcome to the 2018 quarter three workforce report, produced by the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development. This document focuses on gender in the workplace at the national and regional level. National trends provide context for gender-based wage differences and the barriers women face throughout their time in the workforce. Regional trends illustrate how these differences affect the seven counties and city that comprise the workforce area. This report begins by outlining national trends related to gender -based workforce inequalities and details information on the role of gender in labor force participation, highlighting disparities between education attainment and career opportunities for men and women. The report continues this focus on page four, displaying data on female representation at all levels of the corporate ladder as well as information related to female representation and weekly wages for national sectors and female employment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This quarter’s data snapshot then focuses on regional trends, including information and data related to demographic changes, female labor force participation, and female representation in regional industry sectors. Page six offers an overview of occupations for both men and women. Additionally, a map illustrating female representation in the regional labor force and the gender wage gap is included on page six. The next two pages (seven and eight) Include information and data related to female employment in GO Virginia target industries within the region as well as other industries important to the area economy. Page nine includes brief summaries of interviews with women working in some of the region’s target industries. These interview summaries offer personal experiences and perspectives from females in industries or occupations where women may be underrepresented. The report concludes with a brief summary.
2019 Quarterly Workforce Report 1: New River/Mount Rogers WDA II
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2019)
Welcome to the 2019 quarter one workforce report. The Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development produced this document on behalf of the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board. This workforce report details unemployment in Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, Smyth, Washington, Wythe counties and the cities of Bristol, Galax, and Radford from 2008 through 2018. The unemployment rate counts only those who have actively looked for work in the past month but are not working. Lower unemployment often correlates with other community health indicators such as higher standards of living, greater mental and physical health, higher educational attainment, and lower crime rates. Yet, as our country and regions begin to reach such low levels of unemployment that media and policy makers begin talking about the country reaching “full employment,” how useful does the unemployment rate become in assessing the overall health of a region? The goal of this report is to gain a more accurate understanding of unemployment in the region and explore populations that may not even be counted in the unemployment number because they left or never entered the labor force. These populations could serve as untapped human capital, ready for employment or better employment in the region’s industries if given the appropriate training, tools, and connections with amenable employers.
2019 Quarterly Workforce Report 1: Southwest Virginia WDA I
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2019)
Welcome to the 2019 quarter one workforce report. The Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development produced this document for the Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board. This workforce report details unemployment trends encompassing Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the city of Norton from 2008 through 2018. The unemployment rate counts only those who have actively looked for work in the past month but are not working. Lower unemployment often correlates with other community health indicators such as higher standards of living, greater mental and physical health, higher educational attainment, and lower crime rates. Yet, as our country and regions begin to reach such low levels of unemployment that media and policy makers begin talking about the country reaching “full employment,” how useful does the unemployment rate become in assessing the overall health of a region? The goal of this report is to gain a more accurate understanding of unemployment in the region and explore populations that may not even be counted in the unemployment number because they left or never entered the labor force. These populations could serve as untapped human capital, ready for employment or better employment in the region’s industries if given the appropriate training, tools, and connections with amenable employers.
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.
Alleghany Highlands: Regional Lodging Needs Assessment 2022
Nagorniuk, Anna; Posthumus, Ashley; Seo, Hye-Jeong (Virginia Tech, 2022-09)
The Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement, in partnership with the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce, conducted a regional lodging needs assessment to analyze current trends, challenges, opportunities, and demand opportunities for additional lodging in the region. VT CECE collected quantitative data on industry trends, visitor characteristics, travel trends, and more to better understand trends impacting the region’s lodging industry. VT CECE also gathered input from over 20 regional stakeholders to assess current conditions, needs, and opportunities for lodging in the region.
Arts and Crafts Center Industry Overview
Nagorniuk, Anna; Jackson, Zach; Schwartz, Jason (Virginia Tech, 2022-01)
Communities across the country have shown increasing awareness of the contribution of arts and cultural amenities to overall quality of life. Many communities have seen growing efforts to bring arts and cultural programming to residents through economic and community development. Particularly, the arts and crafts center model has grown over time. The Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (VTCECE) explored the current and changing conditions of this industry sector, particularly in light of the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. VTCECE analyzed arts center visitor demographics, accommodations, courses, instructors, tuition, scholarships, revenue streams, expenses, operations, staffing, opportunities, and challenges.
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.
Assessing the Economic Impacts of a Small Satellites (SmallSat) Virginia Initiative
Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Tate, Scott; Camacho, Luis (2015)
CECE evaluated a proposal by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium for the Small Satellites Virginia Initiative program and found the program could bring up to $16.2 million to the state.
Assessing the Impacts of Ability One at Melwood
Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Mohammed, Afroze; Nagle, Lara; Moore, David; Seo, Hye-Jeong; Ulakey, Allison (Virginia Tech, 2022)
In 2021, the nonprofit Melwood contracted with the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement and the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance (VTIPG) to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of their AbilityOne program. The goal was to assess the true cost of Melwood’s AbilityOne program to the federal government and understand the broader benefits of this socio-economic program. The AbilityOne Program, administered by an independent federal agency, facilitates the employment of people who are blind or have significant disabilities so they may achieve their maximum employment potential.
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.
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.
The Crooked Road Economic Impact Factsheet
(Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2016)
The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail promotes Southwest Virginia’s music and culture by marketing over 60 cultural music venues to tourists from around the world. During summer 2015, the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development collected surveys and conducted interviews with key stakeholders to assess the economic impact of The Crooked Road on the region.
Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Childcare Needs Assessment
Posthumus, Ashley; Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Andrews, Dylan (Virginia Tech, 2024-06-13)
In Fall 2023, the Partnership for Regional Prosperity, supported by the Danville Regional Foundation, commissioned the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) to develop a needs assessment of the Danville-Pittsylvania region’s childcare options. CECE used the following mixed-method approach to evaluate current childcare needs, supply, and respective gaps.
Downtown Christiansburg Inc.: Recommendations for achieving a more vibrant Downtown Christiansburg
Olberding, Beth; Gupta, Khushboo; Hammes, Ross; Stephenson, Ronnie (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2018-05)
Christiansburg was established in 1792 and became an incorporated town in 1833, with its downtown serving as a commercial center and heart of the town until the rise of big box stores in the 1990s. Today, a local, all-volunteer, non-profit organization in Christiansburg, called Downtown Christiansburg Inc. (DCI), wants to be a major organizing force in revitalizing the downtown. The organization has undergone changes, and now its members wish to understand DCI’s role better in revitalization efforts. DCI commissioned the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development (OED) to conduct an analysis of the downtown, and review the strengths and weaknesses of DCI with respect to opportunities presented in downtown Christiansburg. OED researchers took several approaches to this research, beginning with a socio-economic and mapping analysis of the downtown, an assessment of downtown revitalization best practices, and interviews with comparable organizations. The OED team then analyzed local perceptions of downtown Christiansburg and DCI through interviews with business owners, local government officials, and residents; over 100 community surveys distributed via social media; and two facilitated sessions with community and DCI board members.
An Economic Impact Analysis of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail
Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Dowd, Frances; Burke, Patrick (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2016-03-01)
The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail promotes Southwest Virginia’s music and culture by marketing over 60 cultural music venues across 19 counties, four independent cities and over 50 towns. Since 2003, The Crooked Road has branded the region as a unique place with one of the richest musical traditions and cultures in the world. Its work has contributed to the rise of interest in and appreciation for the region’s heritage music, helping to attract tourists, grow businesses, and improve Southwest Virginia’s quality of life for local residents. In 2015, the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development prepared a report that confirms these effects and estimates The Crooked Road’s economic impact.
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.
Economic Impact Analysis of Virginia Tech Football
Lyon-Hill, Sarah; Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Mawyer, Adam; Burke, Patrick; Budzevski, Leeann (Virginia Tech. Office of Economic Development, 2015-02-20)
This report estimates the economic contributions of Virginia Tech football to the New River Valley MSA and the Roanoke Valley MSA (NRRV). Virginia Tech football contributes economically to the NRRV in two ways. First, the Virginia Tech Athletics Department collects football revenue from outside the NRRV and spends it inside the region for its operations. Second, Virginia Tech football attracts visitors, who might not otherwise come to the region, and their spending puts new money in the regional economy.

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