The NRV Alliance is Now Onward NRV

The New River Valley Economic Development Alliance has now officially changed its name to Onward NRV. Information about Onward NRV and its mission can now be found at www.OnwardNRV.org. The name change and rebranding will excite many of those who want to join in Onward’s efforts for strategic and beneficial growth in the New River Valley.  […] Read more

NRV 3rd Among Metros with High Ratio of IT Graduates to Jobs

NEW RIVER VALLEY, VA- The Blacksburg metro, known locally as the New River Valley, recently ranked 3rd out of 25 among metros with high ratio of IT graduates to IT jobs. This ranking was published in the July/August edition of Expansion Solutions Magazine based on information in 2015 when the New River Valley had 1,000 […] Read more

Radford the #18 Safest City in Virginia

Radford is the no. 18 safest city in Virginia, according to SafeWise. According to safewise, Virginia has the 3rd lowest violent crime rate in the country, making it overall a safe state. Many of the communities in the NRV rank as some of the safest in the commonwealth. These rankings were based on the FBI […] Read more

The New River Valley’s New Brand

The New River Valley Economic Development Alliance has adopted a new brand for the region, which was partially launched last Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at the Quarterly Investor Luncheon to a crowd of almost 90 investors and allies. The new website reflecting the refreshed branding will launch in August. Read more

Virginia Tech Ranked #11 Best Tailgate Experience in the South

Blacksburg’s tailgating atmosphere embodies the New River Valley, a region defined by welcoming and inclusive small towns. In fact, in 2016, Virginia Tech and Blacksburg were ranked #6 for having great town-gown relations by the Princeton Review in response to their annual survey which asked students whether they got along with their local community. Read more

Governor McAuliffe Announces Spectrum Brands to Retrain Employees in Montgomery County

RICHMOND– Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Spectrum Brands, Inc., a global consumer products company offering an expanding portfolio of leading brands, is investing $7.28 million over the next couple years in its Montgomery County operation to purchase equipment and upgrade its production processes. Spectrum Brands will receive funding from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) to support the retraining of existing employees on the new machinery. Read more

Governor McAuliffe Announces Grupo Phoenix to Create 145 New Jobs in Pulaski County

PULASKI – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Grupo Phoenix, a manufacturer of rigid packaging containers for the global food and beverage industry, will invest $48.7 million to expand its subsidiary manufacturing operation, Phoenix Packaging Operations, LLC, in Pulaski County. Virginia successfully competed against Arizona and Mexico for the project, which will create 145 new jobs. Governor McAuliffe and other Virginia officials met with the Grupo Phoenix leadership during an August 2016 trade and marketing mission to Colombia. Grupo Phoenix established its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Pulaski County in 2010. This project represents the company’s third expansion, bringing its investment in the operation to $106.2 million and a total of 585 new jobs. Read more

Stephen Moret Visits Virginia’s New River Valley

New River Valley, VA – Stephen Moret, the new President and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, visited Virginia’s New River Valley earlier this month to better understand the area’s economic development assets. Over a two-day visit hosted by the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, Moret dined with eight business executives; visited major employers in the manufacturing and technology sectors; held a round table with officials from Virginia Tech, Radford University and New River Community College; met with local economic development officials from eight localities; and shared his vision for economic development with almost 100 regional stakeholders at the Alliance’s quarterly luncheon. Read more

AIER Ranks the New River Valley a 2017 Top College Destination

New River Valley, VA – The New River Valley is among the top college destinations in the country, according to the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER). The Institute recently ranked the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as the #17 college destination in the U.S. among other college town MSAs with populations less than 250,000. The New River Valley’s Cost of Living (No. 5) and Economic Activity (No. 4) were two factors that contributed to its high ranking. Read more

NRV Towns Ranked Among Best Places in Virginia to Raise a Family

WalletHub.com has ranked three New River Valley towns among the 50 places in Virginia to Raise a Family. WalletHub’s data team compared communities in Virginia across 21 key indicators of family-friendliness. Their data set ranges from “median family income” to “school-system quality” to “housing affordability.”  Based on their analysis, Christiansburg (No. 15), Blacksburg (No. 33) […] Read more