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A respected member of the community was recognized by the region’s leading economic development organization for his tireless efforts to support Dinwiddie and help to support the group in its efforts to spark business growth in the localities they serve.

During last month’s regular meeting of the Dinwiddie Board of Supervisors, members of Virginia’s Gateway Region board of directors presented a resolution in recognition of Milton Hargrave, Jr., praising him and giving him a heartfelt thank you for his many years of service to the board, which came to an end in December of last year.

A local aluminum manufacturer recently unwrapped an eight-figure expansion of its operations – and more growth could be in the works.

Service Center Metals completed a $25 million upgrade and addition to its facility at 5850 Quality Way in the SouthPoint Business Park in Prince George County.

Run by Richmond resident R. Scott Kelley, SCM produces aluminum rods and bars; tube and pipe; and shapes used in construction, transportation and machinery.

A 25-member council in the Richmond region that will identify projects to receive public money through a new state program includes some well-connected, deep-pocketed names with the ability to open the eyes of politicians.

They include William H. Goodwin Jr., hotelier and rector of the University of Virginia board of visitors, and Richard Cullen, chairman of the law firm McGuireWoods.

They’re among nominees for one of nine new regional councils that are part of a program called GO Virginia.

No one likes to be called names, but sometimes it’s okay.

Much of the name-calling last year about Richmond was appreciated.

CNBC identified Richmond (population 221,000) as one of the 20 top cities in America to start a business.

Zillow described Richmond as a millennial-leaning city, with more of its people in the 23-to-34-year-old age group living alone than any other U.S. metro area, because of the city’s vibrant labor market.

2,800 square miles makes up the Virginia’s Gateway Region, comprised of five counties and three cities between Chesterfield, the Tri-Cities, along with Dinwiddie, Prince George, Sussex and Surry counties, creating a unique economic opportunity a local group is trying to help localities capitalize on.

Recently, Virginia’s Gateway Region president and CEO Renee Chapline spoke with the Surry Board of Supervisors about the nonprofit organization’s mission along with the value they provide through services and connecting the localities they serve with valuable economic development opportunities.

Exports are the way to go, especially for small to middle-sized businesses, according to a new campaign by local and state economic development officials.

“We have an exciting new program,” says Garrett Hart, director of the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority.

Dubbed the Metro Richmond Exports Initiative, the program offers training and advice for companies interested in selling to other countries. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership is putting $150,000 into the program. J.P. Morgan, a major international bank, is matching the money.

About 175 students from Peabody Middle School and Blandford Academy and roughly 900 Petersburg High School students got a chance to meet face-to-face with career professionals from around the Tri-Cities Tuesday during the first annual Career and Technical Education college and career fair.

The Port of Virginia took a big step on Monday, setting in motion work on the first of two big expansion projects that will boost cargo-container capacity significantly.

Survey crews started preparations to expand the rail/container-stacking yards at Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, the second-largest of the port’s two big container terminals.

When work is completed there and at the port’s other big facility – Norfolk International Terminals – in 2020, the port will have grown its cargo-container capacity from roughly 2.7 million containers to roughly 4.4 million. The industry standard is 20-foot units, or TEUs.

When Christian Vaughan and Miles Gilmore approached Dinwiddie Area Forester Heather Dowling to learn about a job, they knew just what to do. Already neatly dressed, the young men offered Dowling a polite hello, a firm handshake and careful attention.

For many employment-seekers, those few actions could be expected to propel them several steps closer to the goal of having a job by Monday and a paycheck by next Friday. But for Vaughan and Gilmore, the job needed was a few years down the road. After all, the young men were only in their early teens, and their “interview” with Dowling was just a part of Dinwiddie County’s 4th Annual Industry Day.

In what was his public debut before the larger business community, Stephen Moret, the new president and CEO of Virginia’s business recruiting arm, told members of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that he wants to position Virginia as one of the fastest growing states in the South and the U.S.