This month, both Forbes and Site Selection magazine released their annual business climate rankings. In Forbes’ “Best States for Business,” Virginia ranked 6th, up from 7th last year. Virginia also took 6th place in Site Selection’s Business Climate rankings, up from the 12th spot in 2015.  While we are pleased with this upward trend, there are still areas that stand out as needing improvement. The increasing cost of doing business and slow economic growth still hold us back in these national rankings.

As we prepare to launch Blueprint Virginia 2025, Virginia’s place in national rankings, and especially the category breakdown in each, gives us insight into what areas we can prioritize as we work to improve our business climate.

I hope you will plan to join us on December 2nd in Williamsburg for the official launch of Blueprint Virginia 2025. Be the first to participate in polling to determine the priorities for Blueprint 2025. Also on December 2nd, we’ll release the second annual State of the Commonwealth report, hear post-election analysis from Dr. Bob Holsworth, and hear from Virginia’s candidates for Governor.

Best wishes to each of you for a happy Thanksgiving!