by Neil Richard
I had the chance to sit down with Nick Minor to ask him a few questions related to economic development and tourism. What I expected to be a brief interview turned into a 90 minute discussion! Here are the questions I had along with some from your neighbors.
Question: What is your role within the County government?
Answer: I'm the Director of Economic Development and Tourism. I promote the County in the best possible way I know how and involve the appropriate stakeholders like the Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority, etc. I plan and direct the County so it's prepared for future growth but also for potential setbacks in the economy. King George is heavily dependent on the government with the base in Dahlgren so a hit to them will be hard on all of us. If we can diversify the County so it's a mix of residential, retail, industry and more. Also a mix between government and non-government.
Q - Do you have any thoughts on the newly formed Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance?
A - Those are some powerful counties going together [Arlington, Manassas, Fairfax, etc.]. They have a lot of resources behind them. They'll also be able to help the region and the state, which will in turn benefit us.
Q - Do you think we will see any impact in King George from the new Amazon HQ2?
A - No but the workforce in the area will benefit. The Cybersecurity and IT workforce pipeline across the state will benefit. There's a Tech Talent Pipeline and maybe we can get some state money to help with programs.
I had the chance to sit down with Nick Minor to ask him a few questions related to economic development and tourism. What I expected to be a brief interview turned into a 90 minute discussion! Here are the questions I had along with some from your neighbors.
Question: What is your role within the County government?
Answer: I'm the Director of Economic Development and Tourism. I promote the County in the best possible way I know how and involve the appropriate stakeholders like the Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority, etc. I plan and direct the County so it's prepared for future growth but also for potential setbacks in the economy. King George is heavily dependent on the government with the base in Dahlgren so a hit to them will be hard on all of us. If we can diversify the County so it's a mix of residential, retail, industry and more. Also a mix between government and non-government.
Q - Do you have any thoughts on the newly formed Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance?
A - Those are some powerful counties going together [Arlington, Manassas, Fairfax, etc.]. They have a lot of resources behind them. They'll also be able to help the region and the state, which will in turn benefit us.
Q - Do you think we will see any impact in King George from the new Amazon HQ2?
A - No but the workforce in the area will benefit. The Cybersecurity and IT workforce pipeline across the state will benefit. There's a Tech Talent Pipeline and maybe we can get some state money to help with programs.
Q - Explain the Economic Development Authority (EDA) in as simple of terms as you can.
A -It's like an FRA [Fredericksburg Regional Alliance] that can own or lease land and apply for government grants. It's also run by volunteers, not employees. I help steer them by telling them what projects or trends I see coming. The EDA isn't out to make a profit so it can offer rebates. It's a very effective tool for economic development. The EDA will generate leads, interact with the business community, etc. It's similar to the Service Authority in that it's a separate legal entity with a separate budget.
Q - "Why don’t we apply to be “A Great American Main St” or something like that for a smaller town? Some kind of federal or state program to revitalize “downtown” KG? A pub, a coffee shop, more little stores — so it can be a destination." - from Facebook
A -We can certainly look into that. It's a good idea. I can see shops downtown. Something similar to what they did in Caroline. I have no issue looking into it. It may depend on a grant application which means we need to be cautious of the hidden costs in a grant.
Q - "Are there any incentive packages for investments that are environmentally or educationally friendly?" - from Facebook
A -There's no known County policy. It depends on the economic impact and capital investment of the project. The County also has to value a project like that. The state does have a code for solar farms that gives them a reduced local tax rate if they produce over a certain amount of megawatts. I don't see a problem with it if it's in the right place.
Q - "I've seen that the BoS has designated "settlement" areas where they will encourage growth. Do they plan to have areas where that are the opposite? Areas where they will not rezone/allow development?" - from Facebook
A -There are rural areas in the County but I'm not sure if they're designated as such. The Board of Supervisors is focused on developing areas where infrastructure is present. For economic development, a big user is the best way to pay for it. But you can't just do something without the land owner. Plus, the land owner has the ability to develop by right. It's unlikely we'll see a "dirty" or "hazardous" project due to our geography and our workforce.
Minor also added that there's a new cybersecurity program, specifically a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) program, being offered through Germanna Community College, Rappahannock Community College, and the University of Mary Washington. The program is being funded by a GOVirginia grant. Minor also wanted to add that Tourism is part of his job duties and he's been working on increasing the County's social media presence in an effort to better market the area. He said he wants to get the message out there in an interesting way.
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