Christopher "Chris" Morello has been named Director of Economic Development for Isle of Wight County effective September 1, 2018.

Morello has served as the county’s Assistant Director of Economic Development since July 2017. He came to Isle of Wight County with over 25 years of experience in public service. He previously served the City of Newport News from 2000 to 2017 in several roles including Administrator of Development Projects, Senior Project Coordinator and Special Assistant to the City Manager. He also worked as the Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Albemarle, North Carolina from 1992 to 1995. PRESS RELEASE

COUNTY COMPLETES ACT WORK READY COMMUNITIES TRAINING
 

Economic Development staff recently completed training toward helping the County obtain ACT Certified Work Ready Community status. This is one of several ongoing workforce development initiatives and is a tool to help us enhance the talent pipeline employers in Isle of Wight require.

For more information about how your business can support this initiative, please call Economic Development at 757-356-1962.

Congressman Bobby Scott hosted a free Small Business Workshop on Thursday, August 16th at The Williams Mission Center at Main Street Baptist Church located at 517 Main Street in Smithfield. Congressman Scott brought with him representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), both of which presented funding and assistance opportunities to help small business owners with starting and growing their businesses. The workshop concluded with an informative question and answer session for participants.
Congressman Scott’s district, the 3^rd Congressional District, includes all of Isle of Wight County. You can learn more about Congressman Scott at https://bobbyscott.house.gov/.

FREE SMALL BUSINESS COACHING
 

Mark your calendars! Jim Carroll with the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center will be at the Isle of Wight Chamber offices on the following dates for FREE and confidential small business coaching...

September 20th: 9:00 am - Noon
October 18th: 9:00 am - Noon
November 15th: 9:00 am - Noon
December 20th: 9:00 am - Noon

Call 757-357-3502 to schedule your session! 

Isle of Wight County's Planning & Zoning Department will kick off a third series of public forums for the new Comprehensive Plan beginning September 11th and all are welcome to attend. We want to hear from you on options for the future of our County! Give us your input on environmental preservation, growth management, commercial development, and more! Each session will include a brief presentation and a growth mapping activity. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions. For more information, contact Malina Springer at 757-365-3660 or mspringer@iwus.net.
 

Ready Business Workshop! September 20th
Emergency Preparedness Planning
 

Have you taken a look at your business’s emergency preparedness plan recently? Are you interested in speaking with risk, mitigation, preparedness and other experts at the local, state, and federal level and getting tips on how to update your plan?
 

FEMA Region III and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are hosting a free, one-day workshop to meet with small-to-medium-sized businesses in the Hampton Roads area. They want to hear from you about how the private and public sectors can work better together, and their experts will guide you through the process of creating or updating your emergency preparedness plan and identify actions you can take to protect your business, employees, and customers.

TIME: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Virginia Modeling, Analysis & Simulation Center (VMASC), 1030 University Blvd, Suffolk, VA
 

Interested in learning more or have questions? Contact Melissa Wiehenstroer, FEMA Region III Private Sector Liaison, at Melissa.Wiehenstroer@fema.dhs.gov.

Space is limited! REGISTER NOW

Featured Available Property

FULLY ENGINEERED SELF STORAGE SITE
Battery Park Road, Smithfield, VA

An 11.58 acre site in the Town of Smithfield features fully engineered plans for 100,000 SF of self storage.  Over 2,000 new units of housing approved and/or under construction in the trade area.  Limited full-service self-storage competition. Owners will consider joint venture or ground lease. For more information, contact Chris Zarpas, S.L. Nusbaum Realty, 757-640-5437 or czarpas@slnusbaum.com.
 

The Salty Southern Route, a new tourism initiative in Western Tidewater, will launch on Thursday, September 13th, at the Isle of Wight County Fairgrounds. Join us for the celebration at 4:00 p.m. for refreshments & entertainment as we kick-off Virginia's Path to Pork & Peanuts.

The southeastern region of Virginia has long been known for its peanuts, salt-cured hams and pork products. The Salty Southern Route takes you on a journey through this picturesque area to experience this tradition first-hand. From the town of Smithfield, namesake to the world's largest pork producer Smithfield Foods, and the city of Suffolk, home to the world-famous Planter's Peanuts, to the farms, peanut processors and charming country stores of Surry, Sussex, Franklin & Southampton County, you'll experience the culture and people behind the delicious foods the area produces. And of course - you'll get to sample some mighty fine food along the way!
 

PAUL D. CAMP COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION HOSTS
15TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT