VIRTUAL FAMILIARIZATION TOUR OF VIRGINIA’S SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Follow along the “video stops” below for a Virtual Familiarization Tour of the Shenandoah Valley. During this tour you will experience our economic development assets and get to know the premier companies and partners who have made our region’s recent investments possible. Tour stops include: Shenandoah Valley Airport, InterChange Group, Inc., Route 11 Potato Chips, Cadence, James Madison University, and Blue Ridge Community College.
Once you’ve completed the tour, explore our featured properties, full property inventory, and the reasons we love living here to grow your future in the Shenandoah Valley. Contact Travis Carter, Business Development Manager, for additional information.
Let the tour begin!
Welcome from the Shenandoah Valley Airport
Our interstate infrastructure, rail lines, third-party logistics providers, and inland port facility are complemented and enhanced by regional air service with seamless access to major markets through United. Shenandoah Valley Airport travelers have direct flight access to United’s global network of flights through two major hubs – Washington-Dulles International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Through this successful service, and a full range of general aviation amenities for corporate travel, the Shenandoah Valley Airport fully supports industry in the Shenandoah Valley.
(1 min. watch)
Stop #1 – Logistics Overview from InterChange Group, Inc.
We can’t say enough about the Shenandoah Valley’s strategic location and access to markets. Processing, packaging, trucking, storing, shipping, the list goes on – we have a complete support system to show for the manufacturers in our region. InterChange Group, Inc. is a regional Third Party Logistics (3PL) provider and developer that helps businesses optimize operations and reduce unnecessary costs by managing the transport and storage of materials and products. Their newest project, InterChange Cold Storage, is the first of its kind in the Shenandoah Valley in over 20 years and will serve the needs of the region’s growing food and beverage industries.
(1:37 min. watch)
Stop #2 – Food Manufacturing with Route 11 Potato Chips
Many of the Shenandoah Valley’s best kept secrets are name brands being produce in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities throughout our region. Route 11 Potato Chips started production in the Shenandoah Valley in 1992. At the time, Route 11 Chips were only available at local restaurants or for purchase directly from the factory. After a number of expansions, Route 11 is now a local success story and a contender in international markets. Sourcing at least 40% of its potatoes from Virginia farmers, Route 11 Potato Chips even helped spark the creation of Virginia’s Governor’s Agriculture & Forestry Industries Development Fund, a program that now incentivizes incoming producers to the market to source from Virginia’s vast agricultural portfolio.
(1:34 min. watch)
Stop #3: Advanced Manufacturing at Cadence
Headquartered in Staunton, Virginia, Cadence is an active workforce development partner and leading supplier of advanced products, technologies, and services to medical device and specialty industrial companies worldwide. The company’s engineering and new product development teams allow it to specialize in products that require high-performance components and are difficult to manufacture, single use products (such as precision hand tools), and consumable replacement parts for machinery. Cadence employs more than 500 people with its Shenandoah Valley headquarters and other locations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
(1:15 min. watch)
Stop #4: Workforce Development Success – Merck, JMU and BRCC Project
The Shenandoah Valley is home to 10 colleges and universities who work collaboratively to develop high academic standards and new technologies to prepare graduates to enter the job market as educated and skilled professionals. The successful public-private partnership among Blue Ridge Community College, James Madison University, and Merck to develop a talent pipeline and address workforce development opportunities resulted in a $1 billion expansion announcement in May 2019. This unique model is the vision for workforce development success at other manufacturing facilities in the Shenandoah Valley.
(1:54 min. watch)