Virginia now has about 900,000 residents who are 65 or older. That number will double by 2030. Getting ready for that “age wave” is the aim of Older Dominion Project, a task force of representatives from business, government, nonprofit groups and community foundations.

It’s goal is to broaden awareness of aging issues and prepare a statewide strategy for accommodating the state’s graying population, says John Martin, president and CEO of Richmond-based Southeastern Institute of Research (SIR). Other states, including Texas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, already are addressing these issues, he says. “We’re behind. We need to catch up fast.”

About 60 people involved in the project gathered today in a meeting room at the Richmond Times-Dispatch to examine SIR’s initial research on aging issues in Virginia. The group included observers from Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.

SIR’s research found that many businesses already are trying to accommodate aging workers by offering flexible scheduling and job sharing. Respondents also acknowledged that their employees’ care-giving roles for family members have an impact on their organizations.

The research echoed the comments of Hugh Keogh, president of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, who said the aging work force is a top concern of the state’s business community. He noted that 40 percent of the welders and shipfitters at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding are expected to retire in the next 10 years.

In addition, the availability of a qualified work force has been the chief determinant in a company’s decision to locate in a community, Keogh said. He believes many Virginia companies likely will turn to recent federal government and military retirees in their efforts to find employees. “Virginia can only be a strong as its work force,” he said.

Marilyn Tavenner, Virginia’s secretary of health and human resources, stressed to the group the importance of a broad-based approach in planning strategy. “I don’t think that any of this will work without private sector involvement,” she said.