Gov. Tim Kaine Meets Business Leaders at EMI-Bassett, VA
June 8, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007-By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer-
Once crippled by job losses, the Southside region of Virginia is on the road to re-establishing itself, according to Gov. Tim Kaine.
He and several members of his Cabinet spent much of Thursday in Martinsville and Henry County before heading to Danville during a Southern Virginia Cabinet Community Day.
The event, which began at EMI in the former Bassett High School, coincided with visits from other state and local officials, as well as a delegation of about 19 Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) members exploring trade opportunities in Henry County and Martinsville.
Several members of Kaine’s Cabinet, including Fieldale native Marilyn Tavenner, who is the secretary of health and human resources, and former Henry County resident Bob Crouch, who is assistant to the governor for commonwealth preparedness, also were on hand for the event, with plans to “fan out� and cover various events Thursday afternoon to learn about the area firsthand, Kaine said.
“We will take the lessons we learn back (to Richmond) with us,� Kaine said.
Bob Bloxom, secretary of agriculture and forestry; Pat Gottschalk, secretary of commerce and trade; Daniel G. Leblanc, secretary of the commonwealth; Jody Wagner, secretary of finance; and Aneesh Chopra, secretary of technology, also attended the event.
“The commonwealth as a whole is changing� and becoming more technology-driven, Chopra said. “We’re changing ... and leading the charge in all of this has been our governor.�
Citing areas along U.S. 58 that include a warehouse in South Boston newly renovated into classrooms; the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research in Danville; the New College Institute in Martinsville; and the Patrick County Education Foundation in Stuart, Kaine said southern Virginia is “a region in transformation.�
After the offshore move of textile and furniture as well as other manufacturing or “bedrock� industries, the region has struggled, he said, but there are “many positives.�
Now, traveling through Southside, “along Route 58, you see the transformation� and the new focus on education. ... From Patrick County all the way over to South Boston, we see an education quarter,� Kaine said.
“Education is my main passion in public life,� he said. “I think that is the foundation� of transformation.
Successful businesses such as EMI also contribute to the emerging picture, he said.
The company “is a great business success story,� Kaine said, and now has a total of 125 employees in three locations.
The document preservation business began in 1966 in Richmond, according to owner David Wright. Quality of life and other factors prompted him to move to Southside in 1973, and he hasn’t looked back.
In fact, Wright has been so satisfied that “it amazes me that we’re not flocked by other businesses� locating here, he said.
The NVTC delegation visiting the area included representatives of multibillion dollar companies, as well as representatives from the financial community, venture capitalists and those from several small businesses, according to Dendy Young, chairman of the delegation and CEO of McLean Capital LLC.
“There are a range of people ... (and) strong indications of interest� in the possibility of locating in the Southside area, Young said. Members of the delegation have a strong interest, “commitment and passion� to growth throughout the area.
Growth will help not only locally but will benefit the entire commonwealth, Young said.
“What’s good for Southside is good for all of Virginia,� he said.
Source: Martinsville Bulletin, June 8, 2007