FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2018
Contacts:
George Pace, (540) 476-4561, gwpace1@comcast.net
Carrie Chenery, (540) 568-3259, chenerch@jmu.edu
Bonnie Riedesel, (540) 885-5174, bonnie@cspdc.org
Brandon Davis, (540) 636-8800, bdavis@nsvregion.org
Sharon Johnson, (540) 442.7134 ext. 110, sjohnson@valleyworkforce.com
HARRISONBURG — The GO Virginia Region 8 Council of the Shenandoah Valley is now accepting proposals for eligible projects to be funded through the Commonwealth’s GO Virginia initiative to grow and diversify regional economies. GO Virginia is an initiative by Virginia’s senior business leaders to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives for regional collaboration by business, education, and government. The Region 8 Council has approximately $828,000 in per capita GO Virginia funds to award for collaborative projects that involve two or more localities and a private sector partner. Projects should be focused on the targeted industries and eligible activities identified in Region 8’s Growth and Diversification Plan. In addition to the per capita funds, approximately $11.3 million in competitive statewide GO Virginia funds are also available for projects where two or more GO Virginia regions partner.
The most recent project funded by GO Virginia in Region 8 is the Rockbridge Area Advanced Manufacturing Program (RAAMP). RAAMP is a 40-week training program for welders at Byers Technical Institute, a new technical training center in Rockbridge County. The $200,000 needed to implement RAAMP will include a mix of GO Virginia funds and matching public/private investments from the Rockbridge County Economic Development Authority, the City of Buena Vista, and Byers, Inc., and will go towards expanding facilities and instructors to meet a critical demand for skilled welders in the region.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the project application guide available on the Shenandoah Valley Partnership website prior to completing an application. The upcoming application deadlines are April 6, 2018, for per capita applications, and June 1, 2018, for per capita and competitive statewide applications.
GO Virginia Region 8 covers a large region from Winchester to Lexington and includes ten counties and six cities in the Shenandoah Valley, with a combined population of 525,000. The 28-member council that oversees the GO Virginia program is made up of representatives from small and large business, higher and K-12 education, elected officials, and economic and workforce development organizations.
For more information on GO Virginia, visit online at Shenandoah Valley Partnership or Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
About GO Virginia: The Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity (GO Virginia) is a voluntary, business-led, bipartisan initiative that was formed to foster private-sector growth and diversification across nine economic development regions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. State financial incentives designated for regional projects that encourage collaboration among private sector companies, workforce, education, and government are administered by the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board.