Agribusiness
The Shenandoah Valley is home to four of the top five agriculture counties in Virginia producing more than $1.3 billion annually in commodities sold. According to the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census, Rockingham, Augusta, Shenandoah and Page Counties are ranked number 1, 2, 4 and 5 respectively as the largest agriculture localities in Virginia.
Rockingham County is the state’s powerhouse for agribusiness, impacting over 13,000 jobs regionally relating to the agriculture industry. In addition, the Shenandoah Valley’s employment in agriculture and forestry is 71% above the national average.
Agriculture and agribusiness represent a broad range of companies including forestry operations and farm-dependent operations. Overall, this sector contributed nearly $640 million to the Shenandoah Valley’s GRP in 2023.
Due to its breadth and incorporation of non-traded sectors, agribusinesses have separated and made themselves stand apart from the food and beverage manufacturing sector.
Expansion Made Naturally
In 2016, Bath County was chosen as the location for Speyside Bourbon Cooperage’s first U.S. stave mill manufacturing location. In 2019, within the first year of operation, the Stave Mill announced an expansion thanks to the Shenandoah Valley’s strong manufacturing base and plentiful natural resources.
Employer Spotlight
Pilgrim’s Foods
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.
Watch.”
Representative Agribusiness Employers
Information Technology & Professional Services
Due to the demands of Information Technology (IT) in the marketplace, an advantage our region has is the number of community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities that provide IT training through certifications or graduate degrees.
For example, James Madison University’s Center for Forensics and Information Security, Virginia Military Institute’s Computer and Information Sciences with a minor in Cyber Security, Bridgewater College’s degree in Computer Science and Blue Ridge Community College’s Cyber Security classes convey a strong message about computer skills availability.
Analogous to the IT sector is the professional business service sector. With a myriad of programs to choose from, and utilizing many of the same skill sets as computer science, this sector also seeks broader certifications and degrees.
The Shenandoah Valley is one of three targeted locations in Virginia that is part of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Rural and Small Metro Tech Centers Initiative. Thanks to our region’s access to a highly educated workforce, low cost of doing business, and phenomenal quality of life, we’re working with our state partners to encourage companies to find their tech talent in the Shenandoah Valley.
Cybersecurity Workforce Development Project
A GO Virginia state grant allowed the cities of Harrisonburg and Waynesboro to partner with Blue Ridge Community College to develop a cybersecurity training program which trained dozens of analysts and recruited Tiber Creek Consulting to establish an office in Waynesboro.
Employer Spotlight
Pilgrim’s Foods
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.
Watch.”
Representative Information Technology & Professional Services Employers
Manufacturing
Driving technology, productivity and innovation, the Shenandoah Valley is home to a host of different manufacturing companies across multiple industries including: food and beverage, plastics, metal and automotive, HVAC and life sciences. Manufacturing has a heavier concentration in the Shenandoah Valley than in most regions of Virginia and, according to the Virginia Employment Commission’s demographic profile, manufacturing constitutes the largest private-sector employment. According to a December 2020 SmartAsset report, the Staunton-Waynesboro Metro Area ranked #5 and the Harrisonburg Metro Area ranked #24 for the best places to work in manufacturing.
Play
This innovation drives investment. In 2020, Cadence, Inc. announced the addition of an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Class 8 (100,000) cleanroom at its Staunton, Virginia headquarters. Responding quickly to growing customer demand, the new certified cleanroom will be used for development and manufacturing of novel medical devices.
The Shenandoah Valley is also invested in the life sciences. In 2006, SRI International established the Center for Advance Drug Research where they focus on health and biomedical research and drug discovery and development with the ultimate goal of bringing new therapies and diagnostics to market. In 2019, Merck announced an investment of up to $1 billion to expand their Rockingham County facility to increase production of its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
Employer Spotlight
Pilgrim’s Foods
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.
Watch.”
Representative Manufacturing Employers
- Artisan Packaging
- Berry
- Cadence
- Daikin Applied
- Everbrite
- Graphic Packaging International
- Hollister Incorporated
- IAC Group
- Intrapac Inc.
- LSC Communications
- Merck
- Mercury Paper
- Modine
- Montebello Packaging
- Neuman Aluminum
- Nibco
- Packaging Corporation of America
- Pactiv Corporation
- Provides U.S. Inc.
- Rexnord Industries
- SRI International
- Sumitomo Drive Technologies
- Supply One
- Sunlite Plastics
- T&E Meats
- Tenneco Automotive Inc.
- Variform Inc. (Ply Gem)
- VIRTEX (Electronic Manufacturing Services)
Interested in learning more?