Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today released his
Economic Development Strategic Plan at the annual conference of the Virginia Economic Developers Association. The plan focuses on strengthening and maintaining Virginia's business climate, while expanding opportunities for all Virginia's regions and citizens. The plan also lays out an aggressive strategy for maximizing the impact of Virginia's federal assets and research and development institutions on the economy.
Each of Virginia's governors is required to establish an Economic Development Strategic Plan during the first year in office, Kaine's plan is the result of a collaborative process between the Governor's Cabinet, key economic development and business leaders throughout the commonwealth, and Virginians who attended public meetings over the summer. It is built around nine broad goals, each of which contains a series of distinct, measurable strategies that track progress in achieving the goals by 2010, including:
- Ensuring broadband access for every Virginia business.
- Increasing procurement for small businesses to 40 percent of state purchases.
- Decreasing government transaction time for businesses by 30 percent.
"Governor Kaine's commitment to economic development issues throughout Virginia is remarkable," said Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Pat Gottschalk. "In this plan, he has clearly outlined the key issues facing Virginia's economy, and has shown a real willingness to devote his time and energy to exploring those issues."
