On Wednesday morning, more than 350 business professionals gathered at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance. The organization celebrated the 140th annual meeting by highlighting growth in the Hill City over the years.
During the meeting, attendees received the annual impact report, connected with other local business professionals and learned about the alliance’s plan for 2023.
Since 1883, the alliance has worked to service programs that help the City of Lynchburg and the surrounding region. Some highlights over the years include when the Chamber helped launch community programs, such as Crime Stoppers and the Small Business Development Center in the 90s.
In 2004, the Chamber merged with Sports Capital of Virginia to help create the VA 10 Miler and make improvements to the Lynchburg Hill Cats Stadium. Last year, the alliance completed the master redevelopment plan for the Central Virginia Training Center.
Christine Kennedy, the Executive Vice President for the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, says, “The forethought, the vision, the creativity of leaders back in the day is still here today. You are seeing new innovative projects come out. The revitalization of downtown in Lynchburg, and now you are seeing that spur into other communities where main streets are coming alive.”
While the alliance highlights some major milestones, they also shared their new 140 fund. This is a new program that will provide support and resources for local businesses and entrepreneurs in Lynchburg. The fund will be seeded through a community-wide campaign, which encourages businesses and individuals to contribute $140 to support the region.
The alliance is also working on revitalizing infrastructure and making sure buildings are ready for new businesses to move in.
“Part of our five-year economic development plan is to make sure our industrial parks and our sites are ready for companies that want to look here. We are getting lots of interest from selectors all across the nation and even internationally wanting to choose this region,” says Kennedy.
While looking to the future, the alliance also wants to help existing businesses and make sure they thrive. Their staff is ready to help any organization expand in this region. They offer free confidential one-on-one counseling for start-ups.
Source: WSLS News 10
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