Mount Rogers Region

08/26/2026

On Monday, Mount Rogers Regional Partnership hosted a pre-legislative session dinner to connect our local leadership with state elected officials. Senator Travis Hackworth and his aide Angie Hall, representing Bland and Smyth counties as well as part of Wythe County and Delegate Mitchell Cornett and his aide Taylor Andrews, serving Grayson, Smyth, and Wythe counties, were both in attendance. They heard about the region’s concerns and priorities from MRRP leadership, county and city administrators, and supervisors, and they shared their own updates and information from the state legislature. We appreciate our elected officials taking the time out of their busy schedules to share a meal and important discussions with the Mount Rogers region!

08/25/2026

Last week, MRRP spent an exciting day networking and learning at the Virginia International Raceway Hospitality Event Zone with our partners and investors, Hurt & Proffitt, Inc.. The day’s events included an educational portion where track owner and CEO Connie Nyholm and Tim Clark, president of Blair Construction and Blue Ridge Innovation Corridor, discussed economic development happenings in southern Virginia and the importance of regionalism in making projects happen. The team also got the chance to participate in the hot laps experience and go-karting! Thank you to Hurt & Proffitt for inviting us to attend this fun and educational networking opportunity.

08/24/2026

MRRP staff attended the Southern Economic Development Council’s annual conference, , to network with economic development peers and learn from industry professionals. Highlights of the conference included the latest in economic development trends and future planning, the changing landscape of technology, and the impact of economic development on communities throughout the nation. Staff enjoyed the opportunity to gain new perspectives on how to best serve the region and brought home new ideas and resources to benefit businesses and residents alike!

08/21/2026

Mount Rogers Regional Partnership congratulates the companies selected to participate in the 2026 cohort of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program! We are particularly excited to highlight two companies within our region, BOSS Lumber, located in Galax, and Real Performance Machinery (RPM) of Independence in Grayson County. Learn more about the program at https://mountrogersregion.com/2026-valet-program-cohort/

08/20/2026

Mount Rogers Regional Partnership congratulates Carroll County, Virginia and Grayson County, Virginia on being awarded AFID infrastructure grants!
Carroll County received $50,000 for the Cannery Equipment and Learning Initiatives to improve its public use community cannery.
Grayson County received $38,595 for the Farm to School and Value-Added Processing Initiative to create a food processing facility in the GATE center.
We are excited to see these projects come to life in our communities!

Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the award of 14 Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Infrastructure Grants to support projects that will establish and expand opportunities for local producers and strengthen local food systems. Grants totaling more than $507,000 were awarded to 14 different localities to fund a range of projects including animal and wood products processing facilities, a shared-use cannery and commercial kitchens, farmers market, creamery expansion, produce packing facility, and the creation of a new regional livestock marketing complex.

Read more at https://ow.ly/GJca50ZB6CM

08/17/2026

This opportunity for farmers and other producers and growers in southwest Virginia will take place on Thursday, August 27th! Register at the link.

Join regional partners on Thursday, August 27, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, VA for a practical, one-day workshop -- Soil to Shelf: Turning Farm Assets into Food & Beverage Brands. The workshop is designed for farmers, agricultural producers and early-stage food and beverage entrepreneurs.

Hosted by the Virginia Economic Development Parntnership (VEDP), the workshop gets underway at 8:30 a.m. and will help attendees understand the path from farm assets and product ideas to licensed, market-ready food and beverage businesses. Sessions will cover production, business planning, licensing, food safety, grants, loans, workforce, processing, distribution, and retail readiness.

The day will include short presentations, local business examples, and an interactive resource marketplace where attendees may ask specific questions and connect directly with support organizations.

The program is geared toward farmers, producers, value-added agriculture businesses, food entrepreneurs, agribusinesses and regional partners.

To register and to view the schedule of events for the day, visit https://bit.ly/3SoiZZi.

08/12/2026

Mount Rogers Regional Partnership is accepting proposals for media content development services for a photography and videography project. Proposals are due by August 31st. Please see the RFP linked below for full details.
http://mountrogersregion.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RFP-2026-Media-Content-Development-Project.pdf

08/06/2026

Congratulations to all the winners of the Southwest Virginia Tourism Awards! We would especially like to recognize the winners within the Mount Rogers footprint whose hard work showcases the beauty and culture of the region:
Best DMO Website - Visit Wytheville
Best Visitor Guide - Grayson County VA Tourism
Best Print Ad - Grayson and Galax City Tourism Center
Best Long-Form Video - Wytheville Museums
Outstanding Festival of the Year - Grayson County Ag & Art Adventure (10K or fewer attendees) and Galax Old Fiddler's Convention (more than 10K attendees)
Outstanding New Tourism Business - Reed Creek Blueway Wythe County VA
Outstanding Tourism Partner - Dr. Amanda Brewer-Lord for her efforts in reviving Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre
Rising Star Award - Visit Wytheville's Shane Terry

🎉 Nearly 200 tourism professionals gathered this week for the seventh annual Celebrate Tourism Summit at the Wytheville Meeting Center, presented by Visit Wytheville, Virginia is for Lovers, and Friends of Southwest Virginia.

Congratulations to this year's Southwest Virginia Tourism Award winners and to all of the tourism professionals whose dedication continues to showcase the people, places, and experiences that make Southwest Virginia a remarkable destination.

See the full list of winners at https://celebrateswvatourism.com/

08/05/2026

Mount Rogers Regional Partnership congratulates Bland-based company Virginia Steel and Fabrication on their expansion, which will triple the company's workforce by creating 52 new jobs! Learn more and view the full announcement from the Virginia Governor's office here: https://mountrogersregion.com/virginia-steel-expansion-announcement/

08/04/2026

Mount Rogers Regional Partnership is excited to welcome HS Williams Company Inc. as our newest investor! To learn more about all of our investors or how your company can join us, visit https://mountrogersregion.com/invest/