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Month: September 2019

Governor Northam Announces 153 New Jobs in Brunswick County

Echo World Communications to establish new customer service center

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Echo World Communications, LLC, a newly formed company in Virginia, will invest $550,000 to establish a customer service center in Brunswick County. The company will receive funding from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) to support the hiring and training of 153 new employees.

“We are thrilled to welcome Echo World Communications to our Commonwealth and to the vibrant region of Southern Virginia,” said Governor Northam. “Our economic development partners in Brunswick County and the surrounding area have worked to cultivate a supportive environment for companies like Echo World Communications, and this expansion demonstrates the positive impact of their efforts. We look forward to continued growth for Southern Virginia’s corporate services industry.”

Echo World Communications offers insurance products through several insurance carriers, handling thousands of service requests for Medicare, medical cost-sharing products, and major medical insurance needs. Echo World Communications has established customer service centers in seven states over the last 30 years, with clients including the United States Army, National Football League, United Healthcare, Aetna Health Care, and Paramount Studios.

“For a start-up corporate services business such as Echo World Communications, there is no better place to put down roots than Southern Virginia, where low business costs and a dedicated workforce provide a competitive advantage to customer service centers in the region,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “We are confident of Echo World Communications’ success in Brunswick County, and we look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership between the company and the Commonwealth for many years to come.”

“We are thrilled to be expanding Echo World Communications’ operations into Brunswick County, where we will be hiring 153 new employees in the community,” said Carl Townsend, CEO of Echo World Communications. “After careful review of several states and locations throughout Virginia, the City of Lawrenceville was selected because of the incredible workforce and generous support from our economic development partners in the region.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Brunswick County Industrial Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia and will support Echo World Communications’ job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP). VJIP provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginia’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens.

“We are so very pleased to welcome Echo World Communications to our region, and we are thankful to the company for investing its time, energy, and significant resources in our County,” said Michael R. Dotti, Director of the Brunswick County Industrial Development Authority. “Carl Townsend and the Echo World staff had the vision to see what our area offers, and we are very pleased to be working with them. The Brunswick County Industrial Authority, in partnership with the Mayor of Lawrenceville, Scott Martin, the Governor’s Office, and VEDP, worked tirelessly to make these jobs a reality. A special thank you goes out to Dr. Barbara Jarret-Harris, Chairman of the Brunswick County Board of Supervisors, for her always appreciated and valuable input. We work hard each and every day to bring quality full-time jobs to our wonderful community.”

“I am delighted to have Carl Townsend’s business, Echo World Communications, as a part of our town,” said Mayor of Lawrenceville Scott Martin. “This is a giant step on our path to creating jobs, encouraging more businesses to locate in the area, and revitalizing downtown Lawrenceville. I thank Echo World Communications for investing in our community.” 

“I am excited to join with the Governor in celebrating 153 new jobs with Echo World Communications in Brunswick County,” said Senator Louise Lucas. “These new jobs will surely contribute to the economic and job growth in the Southwestern part of my District.”

“I am thrilled for Brunswick County and the 153 new jobs being created by Echo World Communications,” said Senator Frank Ruff. “Congratulations to all those who played a part in securing this new company.”

“The announcement that Echo World Communications, LLC will be locating in Brunswick County and creating 153 new jobs is exciting news to my District,” said Delegate Roslyn Tyler. “Job development in Virginia is a priority of state and local governments, and I am pleased that Echo World Communications will be offering job opportunities that this will certainly boost our economy in Southside Virginia.”

Source: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2019/september/headline-847618-en.html

Small Town, Big Story

Brodnax, VA was recently featured in Cooperative Living Magazine

Here’s an excerpt, and a link to the story:

For sale in the Brodnax Town Office is a promotional T-shirt that reads “Tail of Two Counties.” Seeing as how the Brunswick-Mecklenburg county line runs right through the small Southside Virginia town, Brodnax has long been the brunt of such sayings.

“Back in the day, everybody said we were at the ‘tail end’ of both counties,” Brodnax Clerk Beth Moore explains.

But the actual tale of Brodnax is a story of how a 0.71-square- mile town of only several hundred, during the course of a little more than 100 years, made such a huge impact on residents of the town, both counties, and people all over the region, that folks still wax poetic when they talk about Brodnax in its heyday.

Please read the full article at: https://www.co-opliving.com/articles/crossroads-september-2019/

Upcoming Business Seminar

The Brunswick County IDA and Brunswick County Government invite you to join them at the “Open for Business” Seminar 2019 at the Brunswick County Conference Center. Representatives and special guests will share tools and information on how to bring forward economic development. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Deadline for registering is October 1, 2019.

Details on the event page: https://www.bcida.org/events/brunswick-county-open-for-business-seminar-2019/

Launching Virginia’s Opportunity Zone Market

An initiative supported by LOCUS Impact Investing and Virginia Community Capital, Opportunity Virginia’s mission is to facilitate productive connections between investors, project sponsors, and communities to drive meaningful activity in Virginia’s Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Virginia provides the education, tools, and resources to guide each stakeholder group through the process while maintaining a pulse on potential and realized impact in communities served.

Opportunity Virginia’s website launched last week to serve as a central location for all of these resources. Learn more about Opportunity Virginia, their mission, and the projects they facilitate on their brand-new website.