Chamber Insider Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 18, 2016

CONTACTS:
Eileen Curtis, Dulles Regional Chamber: 571.323.5301
Mark Ingrao, Greater Reston Chamber: 703.707.9045
Tony Howard, Loudoun County Chamber: 571.209.9020
Holly Hicks Doughtery, Mount Vernon Lee Chamber: 703.360.6925

Northern Virginia – With the Reconvened or “Veto” Session of the Virginia General Assembly less than a week away, the Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership is sending a strong message to Virginia’s Governor and elected leaders to find middle ground to advance the widely supported and business-initiated GO Virginia legislation.

The Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership – comprised of the Dulles Regional, Greater Reston, Loudoun County and Mount Vernon Lee chambers of commerce – was a vocal supporter of GO Virginia leading up to and throughout Virginia’s 2016 legislative session.

“Our Partnership supports the GO Virginia Initiative because of its innovative and targeted approach to encourage cross-jurisdictional cooperation to spur job growth and economic prosperity across the Commonwealth,” said Eileen Curtis, President and CEO of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce. She continued, “We were pleased to publicly praise the initiative when it was included in the Governor’s proposed budget and throughout the 2016 legislative session.”

In a letter to Governor Terry McAuliffe sent this week, the Partnership executives urged the Governor to, “work closely and collaboratively with the Virginia General Assembly leadership to address the issues … identified with the GO Virginia legislation.” That message continues to be important following the Governor’s action to propose amendments to the GO Virginia legislation earlier this week. 

Mark Ingrao, President and CEO of the Greater Reston Chamber, noted, “GO Virginia was made necessary by a statewide economy that was struggling with, among other things, the headwinds of decreasing Federal spending and other economic setbacks.” He added, “These struggles were reflected in Virginia’s declining performance on a number of nationwide rankings of the best states in which to do business.”

“GO Virginia will be a long-term benefit to the economy, not a quick fix,” said Holly Dougherty, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce. “The financial assistance provided by the program would help competitively selected local partnerships pursue economic development projects they otherwise could not afford.”

President and CEO of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, Tony Howard, added, “The incentive for local governments to pursue greater regional collaboration – as opposed to the current condition of zero-sum competition – will spur greater innovation and creativity that will drive Virginia’s economy forward.”

As the leading Chamber-led business coalition in Northern Virginia, the Partnership is working hard to encourage the Governor to work closely with the leadership of the General Assembly to effectively resolve the issues with the bill that he has identified so the program can be implemented.

“Bipartisanship and compromise have been the hallmarks of the GO Virginia initiative since the concept was conceived and working together for the good of all Virginia now, as we’re so close to seeing this program come to fruition, is more important than ever,” said Curtis. 

Formed eight years ago, the Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership represents 3,100 businesses and more than 100,000 jobs throughout the region.

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