Joint Statement: for immediate release

Contact: Matt Ogburn – [email protected] / 804-347-1834

Joint Statement from Senator Ben Chafin, Senator Bill Carrico, Delegate Terry Kilgore, and Delegate Todd Pillion on VCEDA

The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 with the mission of growing and diversifying the economy. In recent times, lack of economic growth has substantially impacted the coalfield region of Virginia causing many of our hardworking families to search for work elsewhere and leave our beautiful region.

The members of the Southwest delegation have been in discussions with VCEDA since last summer about the direction of economic development in Southwest Virginia and the coalfield region. As the elected state representatives of the region, our constituents are looking to us for answers and results in creating new jobs and opportunities in the coalfield counties. We must take the lead on improving the economic situation in the region with a more aggressive approach. These issues and others have been discussed with VCEDA leadership for several months.

After meeting with VCEDA several times and getting feedback from county and local economic development officials, we felt that a strong and different approach to economic development was necessary during this General Assembly Session.

With the widespread visibility of the lack of aggressive economic development marketing and lead generation from VCEDA, we can no longer tolerate the same mindset. We are suffering in Southwest Virginia from long term high rates of unemployment and a lack of diversity in the economy. Drastic and aggressive measures are needed to turn our economy around.

In the House and the Senate, budget amendments have been proposed to use VCEDA funds matched with Tobacco Commission funds to hire a regional marketing director. This new position will be funded to showcase our assets in Southwest Virginia to prospective companies to locate and create jobs in the coalfield region. The regional marketing director and his staff will be personally responsible for locating prospective businesses and bringing them in hand to Southwest Virginia. A regional initiative such as this is necessary to kick start new investment in the region.

The members of the Southwest delegation met with the regional county administrators, boards of supervisors, local industrial and economic development authority members, and other stakeholders in Richmond just last week about these issues. We asked them directly if they were happy with the amount of leads and jobs VCEDA was bringing to their areas. Not a single person in the meeting representing their locality expressed that they were pleased with how aggressive VCEDA has been in creating jobs and generating leads. As part of the composition of the VCEDA board, five members are appointed by the Governor. These are the only VCEDA board members that require General Assembly approval. Therefore, we are exercising our oversight of the VCEDA board membership to ensure VCEDA is following their mission and is responsive to the needs of the region. We felt a change was needed to make this happen.

The House and Senate members will be working together to remove the five members appointed by the Goeror. Workig ith the Seretary of Cooealth ad the Goeror’s Offie to replace the five members, we can instill in VCEDA that a new direction must be taken. After meeting with the Secretary of Commonwealth and the Goeror’s adiistratio, e ill e proposig to the Goeror ad his staff new members to fill the vacated positions. These changes made to the board were necessary to establish a e isio for VCEDA’s role.

The decisions made with the VCEDA board membership were made to move VCEDA in a new, more aggressive direction with economic development. Moving forward, it is important to make sure we are all working together to reach the goal we all have to create new jobs and opportunities in Southwest Virginia. We must maximize the exposure of Southwest Virginia in the global market to land prospective employers.

The House and Senate members representing the coalfield region are dedicated to economic development and job creation. The budget items and changes to the VCEDA board further reinforce that the members are committed to move economic development in a new direction forward for the betterment of Southwest Virginia.