Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development2020-03-032020-03-032019-07http://hdl.handle.net/10919/97124This Growth and Diversification plan, originally written for GO Virginia Region 2 in August of 2017, provides a roadmap for utilizing GO Virginia funding for projects across this region, which includes the Lynchburg, New River Valley, and Roanoke-Alleghany sub-regions. Each of these areas has a strong history of local cooperation, and some experience with interregional collaboration, primarily between the New River and Roanoke Valleys. Together, they all share many economic similarities: traditional industry strengths in manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture; emerging technology sectors; mixed urban and rural characteristics; and higher education and health care as economic and employment drivers. This document substantively retains the strong foundations and content of the original plan, while incorporating more recent data, updated stakeholder input, reports on progress since the initial plan, and revised strategies where needed. The plan documents the concentration of different industries across this footprint, their job growth rates compared to the nation, their contributions to gross regional product, the number of higher than median wage jobs available in these industries, and assets unique to the region that drive opportunity.en-USIn CopyrightReporthttps://econdev.vt.edu/content/dam/econdev_vt_edu/govirginia_documentation/GOVA%20REVISED_GD_Plan_FINAL%208.22.19.DOCX.pdf