Virginia's Gateway Region
About the Region
Virginia’s Gateway Region is made up of eight highly diverse communities.
- Chesterfield County
- Colonial Heights (city)
- Dinwiddie County
- Hopewell (city)
- Petersburg (city)
- Prince George County
- Surry County
- Sussex County
Started 50 years ago by a small group of area businessmen who had a vision of “attracting business and industry to the Petersburg-Colonial Heights-Hopewell area,” Virginia’s Gateway Region EDO has evolved from a small part-time staff tasked with “hosting the activities of industrial prospects” into a world-class, stand-alone leader in regional economic development.
The Appomattox Basin Industrial Development Corporation (ABIDCO) was formed on April 2, 1960, and for the next 25 years operated as a part-time operation with funding from the localities it served. In 1985, under new leadership that recognized the region’s emerging potential, ABIDCO embarked on its new direction of becoming a more active participant in shaping the future economic climate of the area.
The ensuing 25 years brought both challenges and successes as the organization grew into the partnership between public entities and private industry that it is today. Virginia’s Gateway Region exists to enhance the economic development opportunities for the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg, and the counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex.
Virginia’s Gateway Region is a private, nonprofit organization that is publicly and privately funded to facilitate new business opportunities, work with existing businesses, advance resources that will enhance the economic viability of the region and foster regional cooperation among the public and private entities that are involved in economic development activities.
- Board Makeup / Size: 24 members
- Two members from each locality
- Eight additional at-large members
- Meeting schedule
- Monthly
- First Thursday of the month
- 7:30 pm
- Term: One year
- Paid: N/A
Mission
The mission of Virginia's Gateway Region is to bring a central focus to the physical and human assets available within its eight member communities in order to stimulate and facilitate quality economic growth, which will result in the creation of jobs, expansion of the tax base, and an enhanced quality of life throughout the Gateway Region.