Employment overcame the jobs lost to the recession in 2009 quickest in Northern Virginia, Charlottesville and Blacksburg. Hampton Roads is still 22,800 jobs short of full recovery.” But all economic indicators are looking up, according to the report.

“Although we’re still going to have that 1 percent lag,” Clower said.

Predicted economic growth for Virginia is 1.33 percent in 2016, as opposed to 2.4 percent nationally, and 1.98 percent in 2017, as opposed to 3 percent nationally.

Barry DuVal, president of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, served as master of ceremonies for the summit, which has become an annual event in Williamsburg. While this is the sixth year of the Chamber summit, this is the first year that the ODU economic report has been the centerpiece.

Corporate sponsors for the event were McGuire Woods, Dominion, Altria, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Smithfield, U.S. Trust, First Piedmont, Dixon Hughes Goodman and Union bank.

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