lori melancon

virginia economic review

Virginia has historically been a quiet state relative to economic development marketing funding. Upon joining the organization in 2018, we were able to secure a modest marketing budget to begin building brand awareness about Virginia’s advantages for business.

To communicate Virginia’s business climate advantages to select C-level executives and site selection consultants, the VEDP team developed a new publication: Virginia Economic Review.

Launched in 2019 and produced quarterly, Virginia Economic Review, conveys content that is of particular interest to Virginia’s business investment targets and stakeholders. Articles generally focus around a theme, and subject matter experts are featured in interviews and accompanying podcasts with each issue.

Content from Virginia Economic Review is featured on VEDP.org and articles are made available to in-state economic development partners to use in their marketing efforts.

Every quarter, Virginia Economic Review is  mailed to top-tier site consultants, business development prospects, in-state business leaders, legislators, select media, and other key stakeholders.  More than 9,000 individuals receive the publication each quarter, more than half of them out-of-state. The magazine is also co-mailed periodically with other publications such as Chief Executive and Business Facilities magazines.

As Vice President of Marketing and Communications at VEDP, my role was to manage the editorial board process to brainstorm and flesh out stories, support my internal team’s efforts to procure articles and images, and to work with companies to develop content. I also provided design guidance and editorial approvals.

Agency Partner: Subject Matter

Internal Team Members: Kevin Miller, Chip Knighton, Danni Neal, Suzanne Clark, Stephen Moret, and multiple contributors throughout VEDP