Follow-ups

Virginia Business
December 2007

A study released in late October finds that Virginia manufacturers face a shortage of as many as 70,500 workers during the next five years. Retirement of current workers is one of the major reasons for the shortage, according to the study commissioned by the Virginia Manufacturers Association, Virginia Workforce Council and Virginia Manufacturing Advisory Council. Virginia Business identified a potential labor shortage as one of the principal concerns of its manufacturers in a November 2006 cover story.

A Virginia Beach legislator plans to file legislation seeking a study on whether the state’s ports could be run more efficiently by private companies. If approved by the General Assembly, the study would begin next spring and take a year to complete, says its sponsor, Del. Harry R. “Bob” Purkey, a Republican. Port privatization was mentioned in a cover story package about the port and its longshoremen in the September issue.

Virginia’s business climate has received high marks in two recent national surveys. Site Selection magazine ranked the commonwealth fourth in the nation, up from 12th last year. Meanwhile, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council places the state ninth, up from 14th in its 2006 survey. The cover story of the magazine’s March issue examined Virginia’s competitiveness against other states.

In October, Virginia Commonwealth University began building a $20 million addition to the VCU School of Dentistry. The four-story building will house research laboratories, classrooms, dental clinics and faculty offices. Virginia Business looked at new additions to the state’s medical facilities in a story last month.