RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today issued a proclamation designating May as Business Appreciation Month in Virginia. Throughout the month, the Governor and members of his administration will visit companies and attend events in each region of the Commonwealth to highlight the diversity and importance of Virginia’s robust business community.

“Virginia’s diverse roster of world-class businesses play a constant role in strengthening our economy by driving growth and innovation, investing in our communities, and creating jobs and opportunity for Virginians,” said Governor Northam. “Business Appreciation Month is a great time to celebrate companies, large and small, that call Virginia home and the many ways that they are shaping a more prosperous Commonwealth.”

Last week, Governor Northam announced that that Virginia has secured more than $15.8 billion of capital investment since he took office in January 2018, representing over 300 economic development projects in every region of the Commonwealth and the creation of more than 48,000 jobs. Read today’s editorial in The Roanoke Times from Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball highlighting these milestones and the administration’s efforts to provide a competitive business environment in Virginia.

“Virginia is a great place to do business and companies all over the world have recognized that,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “The Commonwealth’s stable business climate, strong workforce, and desirable quality of life are just a few of the factors that have made it possible for the Governor to secure over $15.8 billion in new capital investment in the first 16 months of his administration.”

The Commonwealth of Virginia consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top states to do business with a wide range of thriving industries including agriculture, forestry, tourism, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and unmanned systems.

“As Virginia’s largest private-sector industry, agriculture and forestry are thrilled to play a part in Business Appreciation Month,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “Our agriculture and forestry sectors in the Commonwealth are as diverse as Virginia itself, and from traditional farming and forestry operations, to value-added processing, to award-winning wineries and craft beverage production, agritourism operations, and everything in between, we are excited to showcase these industries and the businesses that make them successful.”

Read the full proclamation below: 

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

BUSINESS APPRECIATION MONTH

WHEREAS, Virginia businesses play essential roles in strengthening our Commonwealth through their innovation, creation, and expansion; and

WHEREAS, Virginia businesses are the foundation of sustainable communities across the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Virginia businesses provide more than 3.1 million jobs to our residents throughout the Commonwealth and offer a variety of products and services to customers around the globe; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s businesses operate in diverse sectors including cybersecurity, defense, advanced manufacturing, energy, life sciences, tourism, agribusiness, and information technology; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is currently home to more than 37 Fortune 1,000 firms and 67 firms with annual revenues of $500 million or more; and

WHEREAS, more than ninety-seven percent of Virginia companies are small businesses; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth recognizes the accomplishments of Virginia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium size businesses, and major employers that contribute greatly to building and sustaining a new Virginia economy;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ralph S. Northam, do hereby recognize May 2019 as BUSINESS APPRECIATION MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Full Release