Virginia's Gateway Region

10/15/2026

Biotech meets b**r in Petersburg! 🍻🧬

Join the Richmond-Petersburg region’s life sciences community for Biotech & B**r on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Hotel Petersburg!

Connect with innovators, entrepreneurs and industry leaders from biotech, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and academia. It’s a great opportunity to build relationships, exchange ideas and celebrate our region’s growing life sciences ecosystem.

Virginia’s Gateway Region is proud to support this event alongside Activation Capital, Virginia Commonwealth University's TechTransfer and Ventures, and Virginia Bio (Virginia Biotechnology Association).

📅 Oct. 22 | 4:30–6:30 p.m.
📍 Hotel Petersburg

Register today: https://ow.ly/oIIv50ZXy1n

**r

10/14/2026

Big moment last week in ! Congrats to Live Casino and Hotel Virginia for its "topping out" milestone. We look forward to celebrating the completed project when it opens late next year!

10/13/2026

It’s always good to welcome statewide partners to Virginia’s Gateway Region! The Virginia To***co Region Revitalization Commission recently gathered at Golden Leaf Commons in – a fitting location given the commission’s long history of investing in workforce development across Southern Virginia.

In fact, commission funding helped support development of both Golden Leaf Commons and the Southside Virginia Education Center, creating resources that continue to serve the region today.

The meeting brought more investment in workforce education and launched AgVision, a new agricultural cost-share pilot that includes Brunswick County, another VGR community.

We appreciate the Commission’s continued commitment to creating jobs, strengthening our workforce and supporting economic growth across Southern Virginia.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/4aoI50ZVp2K

10/09/2026

Some places have landmarks. Brunswick County has a national treasure you can eat.

Brunswick Stew has traveled far beyond Virginia, but its roots are right here in the heart of Virginia’s Gateway Region. And on Saturday, Oct. 10, it takes center stage at the annual Taste of Brunswick Festival in Lawrenceville.

Come hungry for the World Championship Brunswick Stew Cook-off – and stay for live music, food, vendors and plenty of family fun.

It’s a celebration of a tradition that has put Brunswick County on the culinary map for generations. Come taste a little VGR history!

Learn more: https://tasteofbrunswickfestival.com

10/07/2026

A strong workforce doesn’t happen by accident. It takes partnerships, investment and a shared commitment to preparing people for the jobs employers need to fill.

We applaud Virginia's Community Colleges Chancellor David Doré for keeping workforce development at the center of the conversation about Virginia’s economic future.

It’s a mission we share across Virginia’s Gateway Region – through our strong partnership with Brightpoint Community College and our work alongside the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and its Virginia Talent Accelerator Program.

Together, we’re focused on the same goal: connecting people with opportunity while giving existing and prospective employers confidence that they can find the talent they need to grow here.

Workforce is economic development – and collaboration is how we make it happen.

Read Chancellor Doré’s piece in the Richmond Times-Dispatch: https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6c21e10-0599-464b-9d60-9bb0f08c0bda.html

Virginia’s 23 community colleges help power the nation’s No. 1 state for customized workforce training, connecting Virginians to in-demand careers and employers to skilled talent through FastForward credentials, apprenticeships and

10/06/2026

How – and where – we grow food is changing, creating new opportunities for regions ready to support the future of agriculture.

VGR's David Leonard joined Michelle Rogers of at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Summit East in Danville, bringing together growers, researchers, industry leaders and economic development partners to explore what’s next for indoor agriculture.

Controlled Environment Agriculture is one of VGR’s target industries, and events like this help us stay connected to the innovation, technology and people shaping its growth. From greenhouses and vertical farming to new technologies that make year-round production possible, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead for CEA – and for Virginia’s Gateway Region.

10/02/2026

Today is National Manufacturing Day – a day to celebrate what we make, who makes it and the next generation of makers.

Here in Virginia’s Gateway Region, manufacturing is one of our core industries and a backbone of our economy. From the finesse and precision of pharmaceuticals to large-scale machinery production – and everything in between – we make things here.

This , we celebrate the manufacturers who call VGR home – and the future workforce who will keep our region making, innovating and growing.

10/01/2026

The VGR team had a strong showing at last week’s Virginia Economic Developers Association Fall Conference at Caesars Virginia in Danville!

Sessions tackled some of the big-picture issues shaping economic development across the Commonwealth – from engaging community partners to leveraging data centers responsibly as local economic engines and creating greater regional impact. We appreciate getting an update on state efforts from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and (via video) from Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

We also dug into the details that can make or break a project, including environmental permitting and other practical considerations that help move investment from possibility to reality.

Just as important: time with economic development colleagues from across Virginia to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships and bring new insights home to the Gateway Region.

Thanks to VEDA and Danville for a great conference!

📷: Yoti Jabri, Prince George County; Natalie Slate, Greensville County, Michelle Rogers, Prince George County; Jeff Stoke, Petersburg; Charles Bennett, Hopewell; Jill Vaughan, VGR's marketing consultant.

09/30/2026

🪵From Virginia’s forests to the future of construction.

VGR traveled to for the Governor’s Virginia Wood Council meeting, where our team had an opportunity to see some of that future firsthand at Virginia Tech.

A tour of the Sustainable Biomaterials Lab offered a closer look at the university’s work with Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Mass Timber – innovative building materials that are creating new possibilities for Virginia’s forest products industry.

VGR President & CEO Keith Boswell also caught up with Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier during the visit.

With abundant timber resources and a strong manufacturing base here in Virginia's "wood basket," the Gateway Region has an important role to play in the continued growth of Virginia’s wood products industry.

Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Virginia Department of Forestry

09/28/2026

Smart manufacturing is coming to Petersburg!

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the VSMA Smart Manufacturing Roadshow will bring small and mid-sized manufacturers together at Virginia State University for a free, hands-on look at how technology can improve efficiency, reduce energy losses and put manufacturing data to work.

Experts from GENEDGE, Virginia State University and other partners will offer live demonstrations and practical guidance designed to help manufacturers take the next step toward smarter operations.

📍 Virginia State University
📅 Sept. 29 | 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
💲 Free registration

Another great resource helping manufacturers across Virginia’s Gateway Region stay competitive and ready for what’s next.

Learn more and register:

Discover how manufacturers are identifying hidden energy and compressed air losses to reduce costs and improve performance.