YesVirginia Business Blog

It’s not unusual for companies to recognize their customers at milestone celebrations.

It’s not even that atypical to give customers some podium time.

But when the customer is the United States Marine Corps, and they arrive at a Rolls-Royce North America event in a Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, a multi-mission, military tiltrotor aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce engine, that’s a bit out of the ordinary.

Not one—but two—40,000-pound V-22s appeared from out of nowhere this morning to usher in construction of Rolls-Royce North America’s first U.S. built-from-the-ground-up manufacturing facility in Prince George County, Virginia. Located on more than 1,000 acres, Crosspointe is the company’s largest site by area in North America, where Rolls-Royce will manufacture, assemble and test a range of aerospace components and products. Initial Rolls-Royce investment is $170 million, with a project total anticipated to be about $500 million. The first phase of work will create about 140 jobs, and Rolls-Royce expects to hire a total of 500 workers before all is said and done. The project was announced in November 2007.

Instead of the typical shovel-piercing-ground ceremony, Rolls-Royce North America CEO Jim Guyette and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine hoisted two flags—one bearing the Rolls-Royce logo and the other symbolizing the Commonwealth of Virginia—with help from none other than the Marines themselves.

We advance our opportunities by reaching out in the power of partnership.

This statement is taken directly from a column written by Jim Charapich, President and CEO of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce, and recently printed in the Culpeper Star-Exponent. Charapich discusses the successful arrival of the North East Regional train that provides a new mode of transportation to and from the Culpeper region. The train’s arrival is thanks to collaboration by local, state and federal agencies, as well as public and private sectors.

 Now that Culpeper has one success under its belt, the community is tackling a new challenge—achieving the delicate balance between economic growth and residential harmony. Charapich talks about Culpeper’s need to provide the infrastructure necessary to support inevitable growth. As the state’s economic development marketing arm, VEDP encourages Virginia’s communities to be prepared and to conduct a self-examination to determine its strengths and market to businesses that match those strengths. Culpeper is doing all the right things. The local economic developer, Carl Sachs, has focused on the priorities of both business retention and marketing Culpeper. He is working to diversify its economic base into the technology sector by touting Culpeper’s ideal location on 29 between Northern Virginia and Charlottesville, home of The University of Virginia and a cluster of technology-based businesses. The region’s 15 fiber carriers provide connections to every major commercial center around the world, making Culpeper a global crossroads.

Terremark is benefitting from its Culpeper site. The Library of Congress’ Packard Campus for Audiovisual Conservation is taking advantage of the community’s assets. Germanna Community College’s Technical Center is able to offer area residents distance learning opportunities thanks to Culpeper’s connectivity.

With greater optimization of Culpeper’s infrastructure, the community can continue to thrive and still maintain the serene environment to which its residents have become accustomed. A strong infrastructure is important to technology companies, and technology companies make great corporate neighbors. They rarely emit sound or noise pollution. They create very little traffic. Yet, they offer quality jobs and educational opportunities that will, in turn, bring an even greater quality of life to the Culpeper community.

Teamwork is the secret to Virginia’s economic development success. From the Commonwealth’s local and regional economic development agencies to state agencies and university partners, it takes a team approach to winning quality projects for Virginia.