McDonnell announces firearms manufacturer to add 64 new jobs in Pulaski County

From Governor Bob McDonnell's office....

Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that Alexander Industries, a privately held American manufacturer of firearms, will invest $2.88 million to relocate and expand its operations in Dublin Industrial Park in Pulaski County.  Virginia successfully competed against South Dakota and Texas for the project, which will create 64 new jobs.

            Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “It is a win to retain a Virginia-founded company as it thrives and expands. Alexander Industries was established in the Commonwealth in 2001, and continued growth requires the need for a larger facility and increased manufacturing capacity to meet demand. With this project the company triples its current workforce and will move operations to a 25,000-square-foot facility in Dublin Industrial Park that meets its needs. I am confident that Alexander Industries will continue its path of success in Pulaski County.”

            “Alexander Industries has made a reputation of quality for itself over the last 12 years, and will continue to be a strong corporate citizen in the New River Valley,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “Pulaski County and the Town of Dublin offer solutions for the company’s current and future growth needs, and we look forward to the continued partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and Alexander Industries.”

            Alexander Industries (www.alexanderarms.com), established in 2001, is headquartered in Virginia and is best known for development of the .50 Beowulf and 6.5 Grendel cartridges and more recently the development of an all new rifle for the .338 Lapua cartridge, all designed by founder, Bill Alexander. Alexander produces rifles, ammunition, and accessories for its products.

            “2013 has been an exciting year for Alexander Arms,” said James Reddish, President of Alexander Industries. “The continued success of our products, combined with development of the new .338 Lapua rifle, has put the company in a strong position for future growth. We are pleased to be able to pursue that growth in our home state of Virginia, and thank all the state and local officials who worked so hard to help us find a new home in Pulaski County.”

            The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Pulaski County, the Town of Dublin, and the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance to secure the project for Virginia. Governor McDonnell approved a $150,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Pulaski County with the project. The company is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment and training activities.

            “We are pleased to welcome Alexander Industries to Pulaski County,” said Joe Sheffey, Chairman of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors. “Alexander Industries is known as a high-quality company that will continue to diversify our local economy and provide additional jobs for the New River Valley. This American company helps further Pulaski County’s goal of creating a strong employment base made up of national and international companies. We appreciate the investment by Governor McDonnell, the assistance of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the initiative of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, the vision of the Town of Dublin, and the dedication of the County economic development staff.”

            “We are very excited that Alexander Industries has chosen the Town of Dublin as their newest location,” said Mayor Benny P. Skeens. “I would like to thank Governor McDonnell and his staff for all of their assistance with this project. I would also like to thank the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, as well as the New River Economic Development Alliance, for all of their hard work also. I am also appreciative of all of the Assistance that Pulaski County has given on this project. I would like to welcome Alexander Industries to the Town of Dublin, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Governor McDonnell recognized by tech council for extraordinary leadership

Governor Bob McDonnell has excelled the past four years leading Virginia in the right direction, and Wednesday night he was recognized for that accomplishment. McLean-based Northern Virginia Technology Council presented their Chairman's Award to the Governor in recognition of "his extraordinary leadership of the Commonwealth and his successful efforts in ensuring Virginia remains a top state for business."

For a man who campaigned as "Bob's For Jobs," it is a recognition that he kept that campaign promise, and more. He joins a Who's Who of leaders including former Senator George Allen, former Congressman Tom Davis, former Senator John Warner, Senator Mark Warner, and Senator Tim Kaine.

Appreciative of the award, McDonnell noted:

“Over the past four years we’ve worked across party lines to bring Virginians together to get positive results for the Commonwealth. In this effort we’ve had no greater partner than the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

"Through the leadership of President Bobbie Kilberg, the group has been a consistent and effective advocate for a number of our policy proposals including our successful efforts to make college more affordable and accessible for Virginia students, help Virginia’s technology community thrive and succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy, and finally put in place the long overdue, long-term transportation funding plan Virginia businesses needed to keep creating good paying jobs for our citizens. Today, unemployment is down and the Commonwealth is headed in the right direction. I thank the members of the NVTC for their hard work in helping make these accomplishments possible, and I greatly appreciate tonight’s award.”

NVTC President and CEO Bobbie Kilberg was complimentary of McDonnell, commenting:

“We are very pleased to present the 2013 NVTC Chairman's Award to Governor Bob McDonnell in recognition of his exceptional service to the Commonwealth. During his four years in office, Governor McDonnell has advocated for policies that promote technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, backed increased funding for education with a focus on producing more graduates with science, technology, engineering and math degrees, and championed much-needed comprehensive transportation funding legislation. His extraordinary leadership and policy initiatives have helped ensure that Virginia remains a top state for business.”

Congratulations to Governor McDonnell for this well-deserved recognition.

Governor announces 400 jobs in Fairfax County

Four years ago, Virginia's attorney general, Bob McDonnell, was in the final days of his gubernatorial campaign with the slogan "Bob's for Jobs," a promise he kept when he was elected and joined with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling to make jobs a number one priority. Four years later, Governor Bob McDonnell continues to bring new opportunities to Virginians.

On Wednesday the governor announced 400 jobs for Fairfax County with Cvent (NYSE: CVT), a leading cloud-based event management platform that recently went public. Virginia competed with neighboring Maryland for the project that will move its headquarters to Tysons Corner and, according to the press release, will create 400 new jobs in three years and retain 451 jobs.

As the governor made the announcement, he commented:

“As a corporate citizen that has called Virginia home since 1999, it is tremendous news that Cvent will continue to grow in Fairfax County with this headquarters expansion. The company benefits from the large, well-educated labor pool in the region that provides a qualified workforce, and the available site located on the new Silver Line Metro route is an ideal location that meets Cvent’s needs and allows room for future growth. We welcome 400 new jobs and celebrate the company’s Fairfax employee base of more than 450 that will continue to thrive in Virginia.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia. Governor McDonnell approved a $1 million grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Fairfax County with the project.

Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment and training activities. Cvent will lease about 130,000 square feet of space at 1710 Solutions Drive, and plans to invest $7 million to expand its headquarters operations. The company plans to move in the latter half of 2014.

More information is available at the governor's website.

Virginia unemployment drops to 5.3%, lowest since 2008

From Governor Bob McDonnell:

Virginia's unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent in the month of March, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the lowest unemployment rate in the Commonwealth since December 2008. Virginia has the lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast, and the second-lowest unemployment rate east of the Mississippi River. The unemployment rate was 7.2% in February 2010, the first full month of the McDonnell Administration. Since Governor McDonnell took office, Virginia has added 147,000 net new jobs. The governor is currently in China as part of a job creation and economic development mission to California, China and Japan. Previous trade missions resulted in more than half a billion dollars in capital investment in the Commonwealth, 1,397 Virginia jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new agricultural exports.

Following release of the new unemployment data, Governor McDonnell issued the following statement.

“Getting people back to work has been the focus of our administration and by working together, we are getting results. Over the last few years the private sector in Virginia has created more jobs and more opportunity for our citizens, and today’s announcement shows that we are continuing to make progress. We have improved the fiscal health of the state, invested in core functions of government and aggressively recruited businesses and entrepreneurs to do business in Virginia. This year, we put in place a lasting fix to our transportation funding system that will make Virginia a better place to live and to do business for years to come.

Our efforts to create new jobs in Virginia don’t stop at the state line. That is why this evening I am in Ningbo, China, seeking to open new markets for Virginia goods and to strengthen existing relationships with companies that do business in Virginia. Increased foreign trade and relationships equals more jobs for Virginians. For example, on Monday, I met with General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) Vice Minister Wei Chuanzhong to discuss lifting the current Chinese ban on importing poultry products from Virginia. The poultry industry employs more than 10,000 people in Virginia and opening up new markets for export would help create more jobs here in the Commonwealth.

We are also meeting with business, trade, manufacturing executives and others, telling the Virginia story and explaining why Virginia is the best place in the country to do business. Today’s jobs report is encouraging for Virginia and shows the significant progress we have made through working together, across party lines, to get our economy back on track and Virginians back to work. We have much work left to be done before all Virginians can find the good paying jobs they need and deserve in the cities and counties that they call home, and we will continue to do everything we can to make Virginia the best place in the world in which to work and live.”

Thank you, Governor. "Bob's for Jobs" ... campaign promise made, campaign promise kept.

"Bob's for Jobs" ... Virginia wins with McDonnell's pragmatic conservative leadership

On election night in November 2009, many of us were at the jam-packed Richmond Marriott listening to the Black Eyed Peas' "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night" playing in the background as it was jubilantly announced that Bob McDonnell had won the gubernatorial race. The win was historic. He had won with the most votes of any governor in Virginia history by running an incredible campaign on the economy and "Bob's for Jobs" and, in the process, helped sweep in a wave of Republicans with him.

It was a victorious evening following years of GOP losses. McDonnell had brought the Republican Party of Virginia back after losing two straight gubernatorial races (2001, 2005), two straight U.S. Senate races (2006, 2008), and a presidential race (2008).

The new governor hit the ground running, fulfilling his campaign promise to immediately reopen the 19 rest areas and welcome centers that had been closed by Democrat Tim Kaine in the final six months of his administration after he claimed there was not enough money to keep them open.

McDonnell then went to work on his campaign promise of jobs. Virginia's unemployment is now down to 5.5%, the lowest in four years, the lowest in the Southeast, and the lowest east of the Mississippi. Bob's for Jobs.

All along the way, this pragmatic conservative leader pushed for what was best for Virginia. Public service has been his life. A 21-year U.S. Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, he served in the Virginia legislature as a delegate before becoming attorney general and then governor. 

When McDonnell took the oath as governor, he knew he was inheriting a transportation problem that had hung over previous occupants of the Executive Mansion for decades. Reminiscent of "Dave" in the movie of the same name, he and his staff figuratively took out the red pencil and went to work auditing, cutting, and abolishing unnecessary expenditures.

They tried everything from privatizing Virginia's ABC stores (voted down by the General Assembly) to auditing VDOT to using all the Commonwealth's debt capacity available to build roads. The math didn't work out. So he assembled a broad coalition of over 60 transportation, business, and labor groups to press for immediate action on the 27-year problem, reaching out to Democrats as well as Republicans.

The final plan was submitted to the 2013 General Assembly but it was kicked to committee where a compromise was hammered out. The historic landmark legislation passed in the General Assembly with a bipartisan vote of 44 Republicans and 43 Democrats.

In 2010 when McDonnell stepped into the governor's office, he inherited the largest budget deficit in the history of the Commonwealth with a $4.2 billion budget introduced by outgoing Democratic Governor Tim Kaine. No governor had ever taken office confronting a budget shortfall of that size. By reducing spending instead of tax hikes, McDonnell was able to close the historic budget shortfall and reduce state spending to 2006 levels. He ended the session with 80 percent of his legislative proposals passing the General Assembly.

In 2011, legislators passed 92 percent of the Governor's legislative proposals. One was his bipartisan "Top Jobs" higher education reform act that created the pathway for 100,000 more degrees to be awarded in the Commonwealth over the next 15 years, prompting Democratic State Senator Edd Houck to note, "Some have suggested this is the most significant and comprehensive higher education initiative since the creation of the Community College System 40 years ago." He also gained legislative approval for elimination of various boards and commissions to make state government smaller and more efficient.  CNBC named Virginia their Top State for Business and reported that the Old Dominion received the highest point total in the history of their rankings. That same year, Pollina Corporate named Virginia the "Most Pro-business State in the Nation," and noted, "Virginia is the unquestionable brightest star on the American flag when it comes to being pro-business ... Virginia is truly in a class by itself."

In 2012, the Governor saw 88 percent of his agenda passed by the General Assembly. Unemployment was at 5.6 percent which was 23% lower than when he took office two years earlier. Agricultural exports reached an all-time high, and cattle were to be exported to Canada for the first time in Virginia history. Soybeans were shipped to China, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters announced 800 jobs in Isle of Wight, Amazon.com brought over 1,300 new jobs, and the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population soared back to a 20-year high. Good year.

The 2013 session just concluded and the Governor saw 88 percent of his legislation passed by the General Assembly including the landmark transportation bill that will fund roads, infrastructure, and other projects throughout the Commonwealth.

Three years after taking office, Bob McDonnell's leadership has produced a string of accomplishments that will positively benefit the Commonwealth into the future.

Cross-posted at Bearing Drift and VaPoliticalPineapple